C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR OCTOBER 10, 2021 LESSON SIX / DIVISION II : TOPIC – THE MIX-UP IN WORLD ECONOMY

Matthew 13:25 talks about tares in the midst of wheat, because of the enemy’s work, while men slept. The word “mix-up” here indicates a state of confusion, pollution, or adulteration of a free flowing structure. The economy God programmed for man became altered as a result of man’s sin. Therefore, a life of struggle, suffering, and hard labour replaced that of comfort that God initially handed over to man. This is the beginning of man’s sufferings.

Cursed is the ground for your sake, In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life (3:17).

i. 3:17 Man who was living in divine abundance, now must toil so hard for him to make ends meet — major economic setback.

ii. v. 18: The land that was to multiply seed and crops for a great harvest would start yielding thorns and thistles. How can thorns and thistles replace corn, millet and other valuable crops? Major economic disaster!

iii. v. 19: Man who used to have all his needs at his unfettered disposal now must sweat rigorously from hard labour, to make ends meet. This is the first major downturn in man’s economy.

iv. 4:8-11: Man’s woe was compounded when Cain spilled his brother’s blood on making man’s economic woes more profound.

v. v. 12: The previous curse on the earth was that the earth would bring thorns and thistles. Cain’s sin worsened matters: the land would no longer yield its strength and increase to man. Man’s sin sank his economy and brought upon him a life of unnecessary struggle and hard labour for survival.

vi. vv. 13-15: Cain’s situation is symbolic of what sin has turned so many people to economically — fugitives, economically unstable, unreliable, with no sustainable of income. We need divine help.

vii. Anytime man sins, something dies in him, and he loses something spiritually.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and will forget their sin and heal their land (2 Chro. 7:14)

i. 2 Chro. 7:14: The Lord promised to restore His people’s original life of comfort and ease, if they would humble and repentantly pray and seek His face. He would turn their season of drought to that of abundant harvest.

ii. God is ready to restore man to his original position, but man must be willing and ready to return home to God first (Zech. 1:3; Mal. 3:7; cf. Lk. 15:11-32)

iii. Psa. 30:5: Now that the Lord’s anger had doused, He would forgive His people, turning their mourning to dancing (line 11), darkness to light (Gen. 1:3), ashes to beauty (Isa. 61:3-4), and famine to great harvest.

iv. Joel 2:25: God would restore His people’s losses, even those punitive wasted years would be recovered.

v. v. 26: Just as it was initially in the Garden of Eden, man would once again eat choice food, nutritious and beneficial to his health, and he shall have it to satisfaction, no longer toiling to survive.

vi. The way God restored Job wholly (Job 42:10) shows that he is in returning to Him, God restores is totally and all-round.

vii. In the physical, when an injury heals, it leaves a permanent scar. But when God heals or restores a man, no scar nor traces of the past is found. For instance, after Naaman was healed of his leprosy, it was said that his skin became like that of a new born (2 Kings 5:14).

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Sin introduced economic mishap in the world. It has continued to cause untold hardship in the world.

2. We must return to God’s original holy plan for restoration of divine prosperity in world economy.

1. How did man lose the readymade life of comfort and ease originally designed for him by God? How does that apply to the contemporary Christians?

2. What do you understand by restoration? Does God still restore His people today? How?

i. Man lost the ready-made life of comfort and ease originally designed for him by God through sin.

ii. God is full of principles; if you do this, this will be the result, and vice-versa. God told Adam and Eve; “If you eat this fruit, you will die”. I they had not eaten it, they would not have “died”. The death here does not connote only the physical death, but a warning in this context, and on the ultimate, spiritual and eternal death.

iii. How this applies to the contemporary Christians is that when we go out of God’s way to fulfil our own will, we are indirectly rejecting God’s ready-made economy. That difficult you are facing in that particular aspect of your life could be as a result of one hidden sin, or the other. Check yourself today, repent, and retrace your steps back home.

i. Restoration is the process of bringing someone, or something back to his or its original state. Yes, God still restores His people today and will always do. Once they fulfil His conditions. How? By reinstating them into their original position as contained in His original plans for them, after they must have repented and forsaken their sins.

ii. He restored the likes of David, Nebuchadnezzar, to their positions after they repented and asked Him for forgiveness.

God is the God of all seasons; raining season, dry season, winter, summer, season of birth, season off death, death of falling, season of rising, season of abundance as well as season of famine, season of economic boom, and also season of economic meltdown or scarcity (Eccl. 3:1-8). Man’s situations and circumstances do not change God from being who He is, rather, man must submit to God for a chance of fortune. The robe of righteousness will never be trimmed to fit anyone, rather man must grow to fit into the robe. So also it is, for man to start enjoying God’s provisions like before, and be restored to his original position, he must return to God who promised to restore him, only if he decides to return. The unpalatable experiences in your finance, marriage, spiritual and physical matters, are they not as a result of going away from God’s camp? Return today and experience His full restoration.

God’s love for man is undeniable and undoubtedly. Man however, through the wicked works of the Devil, lost his place and position alongside all the implying benefits. However, God made a way of reconciliation through Jesus Christ, that man may gain back his position and all his initial benefits be restored to him.

The question here is, what is the number of humans that have passed through this channel (Jesus Christ)? Are you among the few? God’s provisions and care are still intact, individuals, families, communities, nations and the world at large only need to return to God, so we can be restored into all His economic provisions for our lives.

Mon. 4: Elimelech’s Family Runs To Moab (Ruth 1:1-2)

Tue. 5: Elimelech’s Impatience Is Suicidal (Ruth 1:3)

Wed. 6: Elimelech’s Sons Take Wives (Ruth 1:4)

Thurs. 7: Elimelech’s Sons Also Die (Ruth 1:5)

Fri. 8: GOD Restores Israel’s Economic Fortunes (Ruth 1:6)

Sat. 9: God Graciously Reatores Naomi (Ruth 1:7-19)