God Is Not a Subtractor: Four Stages of Progressive Increase
Dr RJ Sing, 50 min
Originally preached as “Experiencing Divine Favour: The Law of Progressive Increase”
Sermon outline
God has increase on his mind for you and your children, and he adds and multiplies in stages, more and more, so take the limits off and keep increase on your mind too.
Main text
- Psalm 115:11-15
Opening
He prays that revelation will come unhindered, binds the spirit of religion and declares that the increase is in our minds, then thanks God for the blood of Jesus and that his people are blessed coming in and going out. He explains that a guest worship leader is on her way and may interrupt him, and goes straight into the word: experiencing divine favour, with the subtitle the law of progressive increase. He reads Psalm 115:11-15 in the King James and the Amplified.
God has increase on his mind
Every time God deals with us he has increase on his mind, and we must get into unison with him. The Hebrew word for increase means to continue to add, over and above. Challenges are temporary stations. Financial harvest is not seasonal but perpetual, all year round, because this is a supernatural law that breaks natural barriers, and it covers your children as well as you.
“I want you to know deep in the depths of your heart that God has increase on his mind.”
- Psalm 115:11-15
The key to progressive increase is consistency
In consistency lies power. When you are challenged you do not give up or throw in the towel; you keep confessing that God is increasing you more and more. He refuses the suggestion that he or the church is in trouble and says they are meditating on increase instead.
Illustration: A man who knows him from the business world phoned the day before and asked, 'Are you in trouble?' He calls the question absurd and answers it from the pulpit.
“We will trouble trouble till trouble gives up.”
- Proverbs 3:10
God does not only add, he multiplies: abundance and abound
He gives the church two words to keep in front of them, abundance and abound, and a third for their vocabulary, upsize. Whatever has been sown in the kingdom will be multiplied back, not merely added. Business people are not to downsize, and everyone is to take the limiter off, because believers live in a different economic system where God's grace rests on them.
Illustration: He and Pastor Zubeda were the first clients at an office on a quiet Monday. The woman later told them that soon after they left twelve clients walked in and she had her busiest day of the month. He also admits that he and Wesley had put a figure on something that week and he later asked himself why he had thought so small.
“Don't let the word downsize ever enter your mind.”
- Hebrews 3:1
- Romans 8:31
- Luke 6:38
- Genesis 14:19
- Matthew 6:33
- John 14:12
You are an object of God's blessing
The eyes of the Lord are searching for someone who will confess his word, believe him and receive. Enemies and challenges are real, but believers fight in the name of the Lord and carry an anointing to overcome. Work hard, but know that it is the blessing of the Lord, not the hard work, that brings the increase.
Illustration: David told Goliath, you come with a sword and a shield, but I come in the name of the Lord.
“There's an anointing of ease on our lives.”
- 2 Chronicles 16:9
- 1 Samuel 17:45
- Proverbs 10:22
Four stages of increase in Luke 6:38
After the guest's song he returns to Luke 6:38 and marks four stages: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Good measure means beautiful, valuable and virtuous; pressed down means packed so there is not room enough to contain it; shaken together means rocked and agitated; running over means overflow beyond your expectation.
“God is bigger than all of your needs.”
- Luke 6:38
- Malachi 3:10
Four stages in the mustard seed
The kingdom is like the smallest seed. Stage one, it grows up. Stage two, it becomes greater than all the herbs. Stage three, it shoots out great branches. Stage four, the birds lodge under its shadow, which means God blesses you so much that you become a blessing to others.
Illustration: When the church collected goods for people in an informal settlement who had been through a hard time, he expected one bakkie load. God gave them five.
“God will bless you so much, you will be a blessing to others.”
- Mark 4:30-32
Four stages in Isaac's harvest
Isaac sowed in the land. Stage one, he received a hundredfold in the same year. Stage two, he waxed great. Stage three, he went forward. Stage four, he grew until he became very great. To wax great means to increase, advance, be promoted, exceed and tower over. Everything starts with a seed: God sowed Jesus and reaped sons and daughters, and a saved believer is the seed for the salvation of a whole family.
Illustration: If your family members are not serving the Lord, you are the seed sown into the ground, and there will be a harvest.
“I'm teaching you now not only to sow, I'm teaching you to reap what you have sown.”
- Genesis 26:12-13
A supernatural source over the natural: double for your trouble
Your wealth comes from a supernatural source, as Israel had water from the rock and meat from the sky. That does not mean you stop working or studying; he is adding the supernatural on top of the natural. A boss can give a sudden increase and a contract can double. He says he felt constrained in prayer that day to speak to business people.
Illustration: He recalls once preaching that KFC and Nando's rained from the sky for Israel.
“God will give you double for your trouble.”
- Exodus 17:6
- Exodus 16:13
Putting it into practice
- Keep the word increase in front of you: write it in your Bible or put it on the wall.
- Stay consistent in your confession when you are challenged.
- Think in terms of upsizing, not downsizing, and take the limits off God.
- Keep working and studying, but look to the blessing of the Lord for the increase.
- Do not envy what God is doing for others, and do not let anything steal your joy.
Closing
He has the business people stand and prophesies double contracts and double business over them, then prays for the employed and the students to receive favour and promotion, and declares their frustration over. He blesses the whole church as a priest with the blessing spoken over Abraham and the priestly blessing of Numbers 6, leads a long confession of being debt free and blessed, and cancels negative words spoken under pressure. He ends by sharing that the Holy Spirit told him to anoint beans and give each person one on Sunday as a reminder of their seed, warning them not to make a ministry out of it.
Declarations he led
- My frustration's ended.
- God has increase on his mind for me, my family, all those around me. I'm not afraid. God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, of a sound mind.
- I am debt free. My bonds are paid. My house is paid. My cars are paid. Every debt is paid. Canceled. In Jesus' name.
- I am walking in wealth and prosperity. I am blessed.
- Wherever I sit, that seat is blessed. Whatever I touch, it is blessed. My children are blessed. My finances are blessed. My business is blessed. My workplace is blessed.
- Make room for increase.
In his words
- “We will trouble trouble till trouble gives up.”
- “Financial harvest is not seasonal.”
- “In consistency lies power.”
- “God is not a subtractor. And God is not a divider. God believes in addition, but God is a God who multiplies.”
- “People will come into your life and people will exit your life. But God is a constant.”
Every scripture in this message
- Revelation 12:11
- Deuteronomy 28:3-6
- Psalm 115:11-15
- Proverbs 3:10
- Hebrews 3:1
- Romans 8:31
- Luke 6:38
- Genesis 14:19
- Matthew 6:33
- John 14:12
- 2 Chronicles 16:9
- 1 Samuel 17:45
- Proverbs 10:22
- Malachi 3:10
- Mark 4:30-32
- Genesis 26:12-13
- Exodus 17:6
- Exodus 16:13
- Genesis 14:19-20
- Numbers 6:24-27
- 2 Timothy 1:7
- Philippians 4:6
- Hebrews 13:5