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A Proper Prosperity
Gen 26:11-22
[Document subtitle]
Jon Lansing
[COMPANY NAME] [Company address]

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A Proper Prosperity
Gen 26:11-22
11) And Abimelech charged all
his people, saying, He that
toucheth this man or his wife
shall surely be put to death.
12) Then Isaac sowed in that
land, and received in the same
year an hundredfold: and the
LORD blessed him.
13) And the man waxed great,
and went forward, and grew
until he became very great:
14) For he had possession of
flocks, and possession of herds,
and great store of servants: and
the Philistines envied him.

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15) For all the wells which his
father's servants had digged in
the days of Abraham his father,
the Philistines had stopped them,
and filled them with earth.
16) And Abimelech said unto
Isaac, Go from us; for thou art
much mightier than we.
17) And Isaac departed thence,
and pitched his tent in the valley
of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18) And Isaac digged again the
wells of water, which they had
digged in the days of Abraham
his father; for the Philistines had
stopped them after the death of
Abraham: and he called their
names after the names by which
his father had called them.

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19) And Isaac's servants digged
in the valley, and found there a
well of springing water.
20) And the herdmen of Gerar
did strive with Isaac's herdmen,
saying, The water is ours: and he
called the name of the well
Esek; because they strove with
him.
21) And they digged another
well, and strove for that also:
and he called the name of it
Sitnah.
22) And he removed from
thence, and digged another well;
and for that they strove not: and
he called the name of it
Rehoboth; and he said, For now
the LORD hath made room for

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us, and we shall be fruitful in the
land.
A proper prosperity.
I The Program.
Then Isaac sowed in that land,
1. Industry-
There is a direct connection
between diligence and
prosperity.
(1) Investment-
As there is no harvest without
a seed-time, so there is no
increase without effort

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Prov 10:4 He becometh
poor that dealeth with a
slack hand: but the hand of
the diligent maketh rich.
Prov 13:4 The soul of the
sluggard desireth, and hath
nothing: but the soul of the
diligent shall be made fat.
Prov 28:19 He that tilleth
his land shall have plenty of
bread: but he that followeth
after vain persons shall
have poverty enough.
(2) Instruction of God-
As by God’s harvest follows
seed-time

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Prov 13:4 The soul of the
sluggard desireth, and hath
nothing: but the soul of the
diligent shall be made fat.
Prov 21:5 The thoughts of
the diligent tend only to
plenteousness; but of every
one that is hasty only to
want.
Prov 28:19 He that tilleth
his land shall have plenty of
bread: but he that followeth
after vain persons shall
have poverty enough.
2. Increase-
The blessing of God.

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the least likely instruments
can achieve success.
The harvests depend more
upon the goodness of God
than upon the price of the
plough.
Ps 127:1-2 1 A Song of
degrees for Solomon.
Except the LORD build the
house, they labour in vain
that build it: except the
LORD keep the city, the
watchman waketh but in
vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise
up early, to sit up late, to eat
the bread of sorrows: for so
he giveth his beloved sleep.

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II The Opposition.
Gen 26:16
16) And Abimelech said unto
Isaac, Go from us; for thou art
much mightier than we.
1. Spite
of the Philistines
Envy, one of the works of the
flesh
Gal 5:19 Now the works of
the flesh are manifest,
which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness,
Gal 5:21 Envyings,
murders, drunkenness,

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revellings, and such like: of
the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in
time past, that they which
do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.
Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the
scripture saith in vain, The
spirit that dwelleth in us
lusteth to envy?
a frequent characteristic of
evil men
1Cor 3:3 For ye are yet
carnal: for whereas there is
among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are ye
not carnal, and walk as
men?

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Titus 3:3 For we ourselves
also were sometimes
foolish, disobedient,
deceived, serving divers
lusts and pleasures, living in
malice and envy, hateful,
and hating one another.
an occasional infirmity of
pious souls
Phil 1:15 Some indeed
preach Christ even of envy
and strife; and some also of
good will:
1Pet 2:1 Wherefore laying
aside all malice, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil
speakings,

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and forbidden by the law of
God
Exod 20:17 Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife, nor his
manservant, nor his
maidservant, nor his ox, nor
his ass, nor any thing that is
thy neighbour's.
Ps 37:1 A Psalm of David.
Fret not thyself because of
evildoers, neither be thou
envious against the workers
of iniquity.

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Jas 5:9 Grudge not one
against another, brethren,
lest ye be condemned:
behold, the judge standeth
before the door.
is commonly excited by
observing the prosperity of
others
Ps 37:7 Rest in the LORD,
and wait patiently for him:
fret not thyself because of
him who prospereth in his
way, because of the man
who bringeth wicked
devices to pass.

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Ps 73:7 Their eyes stand
out with fatness: they have
more than heart could wish.
Eccl 4:4 Again, I
considered all travail, and
every right work, that for
this a man is envied of his
neighbour. This is also
vanity and vexation of
spirit.
and inevitably reaps, as in the
case of the Philistines,
hostility (secret or open).
2. Suspicion
of Abimelech.

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The growing power of the
patriarch made the monarch’s
mind a menace.
Interpreting the character
of Isaac by his own, he
conceived it impossible to
possess large resources
without using them to
acquire dominion over
others. Modern kings and
statesmen are scarcely
further advanced, the
prosperity of neighboring
empires being commonly
regarded as a menace to
the liberties of their own.
It is the mission of
Christianity to show how

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power can be possessed
without perturb passion.
III The Retention.
By:
1. Patience,
A meek, unresisting spirit in
submitting to injury. When
Abimelech requested him to
leave Gerar, he left.
When the Philistines filled up
his father’s wells,
he quietly dug them out
again.
When the herdmen of Gerar
fought with his shepherds
about a spring,

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he simply gave it up, and
sought another;
and when this too was
disputed,
he retired and dug a third.
In the midst of all this his
flocks and herds kept
multiplying.
Matt 5:39-42 39 But I
say unto you, That ye resist
not evil: but whosoever
shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other
also.
40 And if any man will sue
thee at the law, and take

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away thy coat, let him have
thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall
compel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh
thee, and from him that
would borrow of thee turn
not thou away.
Matt 5:5 Blessed are the
meek: for they shall inherit
the earth.
2. Perseverance,
In not permitting himself to
be discouraged by the
opposition,

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He steadily attended to his
business.
This often contributes more
to success in life than brilliant
abilities.
3. Piety,
Grateful recognition of God’s
hand in putting an end to the
irritation and annoyance of
his neighbors, and giving him
at last a comfortable
settlement at Rehoboth.
It is God’s mercy and grace
which affords quiet
neighborhoods to reside in,
easy circumstances to live in,
and precious promises to
trust in;

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true see the goodness of God
in the midst of life’s light
afflictions.
Conclusion
1. There is only one road to
proper prosperity- diligence
and devotion.
2. Material prosperity can
procure comforts, the
blessings of God are always
accompanied by the Blasting
of the Devil.
3. Prosperity is often thrown
away in litigation when it
might be preserved in the
long run by submission.

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4. Prosperity should stir
gratitude to God.

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