Why Give? | Elder Rose

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

What they want to bring you this morning is actually

one of the spiritual disciplines called giving. Okay, I call

it a spiritual discipline because we know a lot of

types of disciplines, right as Christians. We know about praying,

we talk about, you know, worshiping, we talk about singing,

we talk about fasting, we talk about reading the Word

of God. Yes, yeah, that is a spiritual discipline. And

one of the other spiritual disciplines that I realize is

the act of giving. And giving is very very important.

Do you do you believe that we are called to give?

I know, right, I know this is so hard for

me to preachi. Okay, you know why because I am

not a giver. I am naturally if you compare me

and my husband, right, he's the generous man, definitely the

generous one. And I've had to learn and come to

terms with my own self, with my own nature as

I deal with this and as I look into the

Word of God. You know, do you know that the

Word of God is a reflection of who you are?

And when I look at the Word of God and

go like, man, I am not a giver. You know something,

we give, right, We we think that we give, We

think that we are generous, But when you look and

compare with the Word of God, you realize, Wow, I

think God has a very different idea of what giving is.

So are we good to look into the.

Word of God and see what he wants to teach

us about this whole act of giving a man. This

is also in line as we prepare towards our twenty

fifth anniversary and we want to give. And so this

is not just, you know, a once a year affair.

It is something that we do regularly, right, every Sunday,

we come and we give every time we meet.

So why giving? Okay? Why give? Wow? First point? Why give?

Why do you we are called to give?

I know this is not something that you know, we

usually like to preach about because it makes us all uncomfortable.

It makes us feel like, oh, you know, are you

judging me? I don't know how much you give into

your that is an offering your gay.

I don't know. I don't know, and I don't want

to know. It's between you and God.

But you see, I realized as I was studying this,

why give it? Then it dawned upon me that actually

this giving first began with God.

It firstly began with him.

It's not about him asking us to do something that

he doesn't do, but it is in him itself. Okay,

let's go to Genesis. Are we okay to go to Genesis?

Now?

Can you tell me why did God create the earth?

Why did God create the earth?

Oh?

This is a deep question, right, Why are you asking

us about this? Why did God create the earth for

his glory? Okay, let's go deeper? All right, God created

the earth? What was he preparing the earth? Who was

he preparing it for?

For us to live in? Wow? Think about it? Have

you ever thought of why God created the earth? It

is for us.

He was in his mind when he said, let that

be light. In the beginning, God said, right, let that

be light. Who was he thinking at the Who's going

to be the end benefactor of this? You and me

and the eight billion people that is living on Earth

right now and even beyond.

Do you know God in his mind he was thinking

about you already.

He was thinking about how to give the best home

for you and I. Do you realize how how I

was so bold over when I realized that, Wow, everything

that you see, even from the first chapter of Genesis,

God was thinking about giving.

He was thinking about giving the very best to us.

Do you know that the very fact that we are

this level from the sun means that we can live here?

The gravity and all that the science things that you

know you're learning right now, our students, right, do you

know that even if it's the science thinking physics and whatnot.

Do you know that even if you are removed two

degrees away or nearer to the sun, we will all

be did.

Do you know that as a fact? It is a fact.

And God purposely created us in you know, the earth

in such a way that it was a perfect living

condition for human beings. And what he created after that,

He created you know, the sun, the moon, He created

all of that to mark the seasons. He created the creatures, yes,

the animals and.

The seed bearing plants and all that for what for

you to eat?

He says this in Genesis what verse twenty nine? All right,

twenty eight? You see, I love this about God.

He says.

Then God bless them, and God sit to them, be

fruitful and multiply feel the earth and subdue it. Have

dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds

of the earth, and over every living thing that moves

on the earth. Basically what God was, God created man.

And he says, Nah, I give to you this earth.

Have dominion over it. Right, have dominion over it.

This is yours.

And he says, see, I have given in verse twenty

nine you every herb that yields seed, which is on

the face of the earth, and every tree that yields

fruit for you it shall be food.

Wow.

And he goes on to say, I've given you everything.

So the very first thing is you realize that giving.

Is in the nature of God. Amen. He is constantly

thinking about giving.

Wow, God, you know everything that we have today it

is from the Lord. Without God, we will not be

arrived today. The breath that you have in your lungs

is from God. And so that's why the proper and

the right response to a giving God is to give thanks.

Amen. Did you give thanks to God this morning? Not yet? Aha,

It's okay. We learn, all right.

We learn when we have a new perspective change, when

we have a new idea of who God is, then

our attitude change towards God.

Amen. He wants to give. This is God's nature. Are

we okay with that? Are we good with understanding that

God is constantly giving? Even right now?

He didn't just create that, you know, He didn't just

create the earth for six days, you know, rested on

the seventh and he stopped doing anything. Do you know

right now God is still constantly giving?

Wow? Wow? Why give? Because God is right?

And you know that we are made in the image

of God. And that's why it comes on to my

second point, right, which is we give because we are

like God. So giving is in the nature of men.

Agree. So you're thinking like, hey, I also give? What why?

Because you are reflecting God? Every time you give.

You're reflecting God.

Do you know that every time that you give, you

know when you receive, when you're the end recipient of

generosity and giving, you feel like how how do you

feel when someone gives you something really really like expensive,

like crazy, extravagant?

How do you feel? How do you feel? How you respond? Happy?

But overwhelm? Right, it is quite an overwhelming feeling. You know.

One of my friends, well, actually this is one of

she used to be attending ex Edinburgh, one of the

partners there, and she came back to celebrate Chinese New Year,

but on Monday her.

Dad got into an accident.

And he just passed all right, and so it's really

quite tragic how he passed on. And I don't know

if you know Florence On. Yeah, so anyway she used

to be they grow she and her sister grew up

in our extines. And so now they're based in the UK.

So that happened and we're there ministring with them. And

so one of the things that we heard their friends,

her friends back in the UK, they were asking one

of the friends here is like, should we come, Should

we come all the way from the UK just to

support her in this time? I mean, that is really

quite crazy, right, How many of you fly all the

way to probably a close friend, but all the way

just to get support to a friend. And even then

might not you know, have a lot of time with

the person because every everyone's so busy at that time.

But the thought of it was very generous. I thought,

you know, when I heard him, like, wow, she's called

good friends. Very overwhelming, right when you receive something so extravagant,

And so I realized that, you know, and you know,

I live among great.

Giants of faith.

Okay, I have the privilege of being with Passicanda and Passsendra.

I was just reflecting. Actually, right, this would be my

twentieth theter in ex church.

Wow.

I came to act in two thousand and five, right,

so we're celebrating twenty fifth anniversary. So wow, twenty years

it's pretty long, I think, right, it's pretty long. And

I've had the privilege of growing, you know, up spiritually

with Pasicanda SANDRAI I call them my spiritual parents, and

I see them as people who live by faith, and

people who live generously, really generous.

You know, talk about giving or I'm like, wow, you know,

I don't know how you know? Pass can I shed

many times before that.

He's a man who does not receive a salary for

the last thirty years, a man who lives by faith

and somehow God just provides. So if you are questioning

or sometimes you're doubting, like God, do you really give?

You can look to him as a proof. He's a proof,

a living, walking proof of God's generosity and God's giving

and God's protecting over his seven right and so he

and Pass one of the marks of him is generosity.

Do you know, he gives, you know, you know, pass

already not receiving salary. Right, and we go when we

go marching with him and we have lunch or dinner

with him, he insists on pain.

So we are like, how can this be?

We're the ones who are working, you know, we earn

a corporate salary at the time I was. And then

passes like, oh no, I paid ready. You know, every

time you're with him, he will always pick up the tep.

So giving is.

In the nature of man because giving, when we give,

we reflect God. It is an image of God that

we are created in inmen. So I love this and

we can see this. We can see the very first

time the act of giving was in the Bible.

You know where that is in Genesis? Yeah?

Correct, yes, I mean are still in amerk of Genesis.

And so we go to Genesis four. Now okay, so

come with me to Genesis chapter four. So you know,

between Genesis two and Genesis for what do you have.

A Genesis tree or very good like y'all? Okay, Genesis?

Okay, what happened in Genesis tree before we go to

Genesis for what happened in Genesis three is the fall Okay.

So Genesis one two talks about creation. Genesis four we

talk about men. Genesis tree, which we are not going

to talk about, was the sin the fall of men, right,

we are familiar with a sorry.

Okay, so now this is post sin. Okay, past Genesis tree.

Let's go to Genesis for I'm gonna be reading a

few verses, all right, So let's go in verse one.

Now Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and

bore Kin, and said, I have acquired a man from

the Lord.

Wow.

Okay, so this is the first bonnya firstborn of the

entire human race. Then she bore again, and this time

his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep,

and Kin was a tiller of the ground. And in

the process of time, it came to pass that Kin

brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to

the Lord. Abel also brought off the first bone of

his flock and of the fat. And the Lord respected

Abel and his offering verse five. But he did not

respect Cain and his offering. And Kin was very angry,

and his countenance fell.

Whoa.

Okay, let's pause that for a moment and untack this part. Okay,

giving it's in the nature of man. Yes, so we

see very clearly.

I don't know who taught them, you know, to bring

an offering to the Lord Adam. I don't know.

If did they teach them. It is not recorded in

the Word of God. There was no commandment yet. Yes,

this is before the time of Moses. No commandment, nothing

that does says the Lord do this? Is there anything

like that? No, we don't see that. That's not recorded

in Genesis. But we can clearly see now. And it

didn't even talk about Adam bringing an offering or if

it talked about their children, right, So obviously there was

probably some teaching in the home parents. I'm speaking to

you here, same right, same household, from the same household.

On.

Yes, Cain and Abel from the same household. But we

know that.

Abel brought something and Kin brought something.

Very interesting. Now, what do you notice about their giving vegan?

Very good? I think you're hungry a ready, right, what's

for lunch? Guys? Today?

Is the shop to open on Chinese? Okay, one is vegan,

one is not vegan? So okay, it's very interesting, right

because we read after that that God respected a king

who's who's offering able's offering but not kinges okay, is

it God like meat?

Is it God?

God likes me and he doesn't like vegetarian? Or your

vegetarian is gone? Okay, God, we'll not accept your offering already.

What what are the other translations?

Okay?

So the NKGB says, God respected? What what do you

read in yours? What was the other words for the

word for.

For the same?

What?

What other translation? What the words were used? Acceptable? Acceptable, respectable?

When you give?

This was a question that the Lord asked me, and

he was very painful. He says, you know, every time

you give, do you think I accept it or not?

We can give, Yes, anyone can give. It's a given.

Anyone can give. But the question we need to ask

ourselves is does the lot accepted? Does the lot respected?

Or not?

Oh?

Wow, man, this is like whoa.

And when the Lord asked me, it's like, do you

think I respect and accept my God?

Maybe I should, you know, become non vegitarian and.

Yeah, be kind of verse for the rest of it,

because you know, it obviously looked as though God accepted.

Yeah, chicken nugget?

Yeah, okay, yeah, I think God will accept that also, right,

But okay, So let's let's let's go deeper. What do

you think made the difference between Cain and Abel's offering.

Posture? What about posture? Okay? Okay?

So, uh, you're just saying that it's about the posture

and you can can you see it clearly from the.

From the two verses. If you do well? Okay, Okay,

that's good. Right. So if you do well, but what

is doing well?

Then?

What is doing well? Okay? So okay, good, good, God, We're.

On to something. I'm the reason why I'm asking you

to give me the response is because then it becomes

your learning.

Okay.

So I don't want to just give you the answers.

I want you to really think about it and really

wrestle with it a bit, Okay, ken I not. Can

you use your brains and wrestle with the word of

God and really ask God the hot questions? You know,

sometimes I think we don't ask God the hot questions

because when we do ask God the hot questions, and

when it gives us the answers, you go like, Okay, God,

something's got to change. Something's got to change in my mind,

something's got to change in my life. Something's got to

change in the way we give, right, Okay, so you

know why else do.

You think God did not respect Kane's offering? Okay? Yeah,

so let's be very practical. Okay. So let's let's go

back into the word of God.

Let's go Okay, this is in verse three. You can

find this in verse three. And in the process of time,

it came to pass that king brought an offering.

Do you see that? And offering? Okay? And offering? All right?

Now, what was the difference between Abel's gift? In verse four?

It says Able also brought off the first spawn of

his flock and of their fat, and the Lord respected

Abel and his offering.

Do you see that? Now? Do you see that?

We can just give God an offering? We can always

give an offering general, right, but we able And this

is where Jason was alluding to the posture. The attitude

was that do you know that? Okay, how many of

you have any pets at home? Pets pets at home?

Do you have any kettle as anyone raised any cattle before?

Or a chicken or a sheep or a goat? Oh

you do? Wow?

You must ask okay, must interview this family, then, is

it easy to catch one animal.

No chicken, No, okay, chicken is very hard to do.

Make your chicken nuggets. Right, it's not easy, okay to

catch a chicken. Now, how how about catching the firstborn?

Would you even know she's your first born? Out of

the many many chickens and the many many cattle?

Think about it?

Right? They don't only have one, you know, with us,

we got one or two children. Very hard to lose, right,

But when you have like hundreds of chicken, hundreds of

cattle and goat and cow, how do you even know

she's your.

First bone anymore? Do you know?

Not?

Do you think about it? Would you know? Oh?

It's very hard unless you already made a mark on

that true, No, you think about it.

When my first bond came, the first one that.

Opened the womb, I would have like marked it or

set it aside, I don't know, right, and said, no,

this is going to be for the lord. Wow, you

know what's going on in Mind's like you're already thinking

a hit. You're not just like, oh, yeah, you know,

once I become rich, then i'll give some I'll give

an offering.

This one at the beginning, when you have the posture.

Of looking towards God as everything, as a giver of everything.

You're like, whoa, the first the first bond belongs to

the Lord.

Wow, this is the principle of the first bond.

It's so important, it's so key, and that is what

please God, God says, Wow, you know, able, you're really

thinking about me. You know I already blessed you with

so much, and you thought about me, and that is

what plesus got, you know, when we are thinking about him,

when we honor him, right and so so the first bond.

And not only that, but oh the fats. Okay, how

many of you like to eat fat? No? Okay, because

you're very health conscious nowadays, right, like remove all the fat.

But in the ancient days, the fat is always considered

the best portion, the best one.

If you eat cereal, you must have a bit of fat.

Laeo is roast pot okay, Okay, So it's it's the

best because it just melts and it brings a fragrant

of free you know. You know, when you burn fat,

the smell amazing and God lost the smell of burnt fat. Okay,

it's saying, you know, so so the attitude that we

can learn from evil is he gave the very best.

And that's why, you know in acts we really say, you.

Know, give God your best.

This is where it comes from from the word of God.

Give God your best. No matter what you do, think

about God first, think about what he would think about

this offering, right, not just any offering, not just lose change,

you know five ring Gate, you know that kind of thing.

You know, it's not that it's thinking about the care

that you put into it, the effort, you know that.

You're like, I'm looking for the firstborn, and this is

what I'm gonna bring to God, and I'm gonna give

him the best portion.

Wow.

Do you know I have a homebie all right? I

lead one homes in oug. So there's this auntie there, like, okay,

she's an elderly lady, very sweet, very simple in a faith, right,

And she said, you know, when I first learned about

giving to God, you know, and I want to give

God my very best, you know, because I learned about

how God gave us his very best Jesus. Right, we

know this, We know God gave his very best. He

didn't with all, He gave his very best Jesus. And

he says, and she said. She was saying that, you know,

every time I give an offering, it doesn't mean that

she She wasn't earning any money that time. You know,

she was just living with two sons. So and she

will say any money that I have that I set

aside for the Lord, she says, right, she will iron

the notes, iron the note those we still give notes. Uh, like,

you know, not money, not money, not not online transfer,

not online transfer.

I don't know how you make it acceptable. Okay, okay, no, no,

just kidding.

But you know she would actually the night before, she

would prepare what she has and she going, I an't

so you be crisp so that when she gives it

into the offering, but she's like, God, I give you

my best Wow.

I was like, wow, Auntie, I can learn from you.

You know.

Sometimes we would come and you know, when it's time

to give, it's just like it's an afterthoughts. It's not

like first things like oh God, I'm going to give

you know, I'm gonna give you my best worship. It

applies to every part of your life. You know what

I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna give you my best notes,

my best voice. You know, when I lift out my hands.

I'm gonna raise it the highest to you, Lord, not

to the football team. You know, sometimes we cheer more

for the football team than we cheer for God.

Right, So it is an attitude. It is a posture

of saying, God, you know, I receive so much.

You know, the whole earth is actually mine. You know,

I receive so much from you. And the right attitude

will be to give back unto you. And this is

something that we continuous need to remind.

Ourselves because we forget.

We always forget, and life becomes easy and we take

things for granted. It's so easy to take things for granted, right,

And so that's why we go back to the mirror

of God. And that's why when I look at the

word of God, I'm like, man.

I have a lot to learn from you. Lord. Amen.

Are we okay? So far good? Yeah? All right?

So and the fact that God, you know, is it

I would say, you know, he's he's a trailblazer, he's

a role model. Yes, we want to be like Christ. Right,

We're called to be more like Christ. And our goal

is to become more and more like the character of God,

which is a giver. And I pray God, you know

that you would transform me not to be so calculative. Okay,

I cannot help it. I'm an accountant, I was a

train as an accountant. Everything needs to balance right, every

sense and ring, it counts.

It matters to me. Right. So, but but.

God is saying, no, no, I'm gonna challenge you. I

need to break this mindset because some of you know

that I was with it. I was in the corporate

for fourteen years.

Right.

I started with an accounting firm and then I move

on to Kazana National.

Right.

So there's a big sovereign wealth, fun, very comfortable, very

stable paycheck, very good benefits, awesome benefits. And when I

was challenged, you know, God says, I think it's time

that you do more for me.

I was like, yeah, God, but how about my paycheck?

And the question to me was do you trust in

your paycheck more than you trust in me? Tough you,

As you would know, my husband was already in full

time that time. He joined full time in twenty ten. Right,

that's when I had my first child, and so I

was out in the corporate and I was financing the family.

Right.

Of course, he didn't he didn't earn a lot at all.

But it's okay, right, And throughout our years together, God

has provided.

He never failed, he never failed, right.

And when it came to this time, and I told

my husband, I think I want to step out of

my comfort zone, He's like, no, don't know, rationally, right,

human beings, right, we are rational. And in the name

of responsibility, of being responsible, He's like, no, you can,

you know, do your job nine to five and still

serve the Lord. I know you're doing very well all

these years. You know you can still continue there. But

I say, no, I think I need to obey the Lord.

You have obeyed the Lord, right now it's my turn.

And so in twenty nineteen, I stepped out of my

very comfortable paying job and I came into full time right,

And as you know, I joined like a training company.

But guess what in twenty nineteen and what happened in

twenty twenty ah, COVID came.

Right.

I'm like, God, this is not a great time to

start a business. This is not a great time for

a startup, right. And in the whole of twenty twenty, right,

zero income, zero revenue, zero revenue for the company. But

of course I still had my base salary because of

our partners, but it couldn't last a year. By the

tenth one of twenty twenty, the partner, and our partner says,

our businesses, we're all suffering and we cannot we can

no longer support this, and so we actually actually had

to wind down the company.

I was like, God, very interesting, right, this is a

step of faith, and now what next? What next? Lot?

You know?

And I think the amazing thing that I could testify

of that that season and experience is that every day

of that year I could sleep well.

I you know, not knowing what's gonna happen next.

You know.

Really I'm like, oh, I don't know, maybe I should

go back start looking for a job again, right, since

the business field and all that, I mean, there was

all these other thoughts as well, but I was just

assured that saying, you know, it's just ain't God. I'm

gonna obey and trust you because you told me to, right,

you told me to.

And I've seen others.

I've seen how you know, my my leaders before me

go walk this path, you know, it's treacherous, right, It's

it's sometimes very it feels it feels very treasurious to.

Trust in the Lord. But you look at where I am.

I'm still well, you know, I'm still happy. I love

my job, you know, and and God has just opened

up that season of testing was to prepare me for

what was a hit, right. So so I just really

want to thank God that, you know, when when you

you're in the business of faith, right, it's really not

about what you can see. It's not about what you

can calcolate, right to make sense for me everything it

needed to make sense and sense, ring it and sense, okay,

But it was at a time of just faith faith.

You know, don't don't don't just talk about faith, live it, wow,

don't just talk.

About your faith.

Live a life of faith and others will see it, right, so,

you know, and and they think about you know what

I struggle with, you know, the sein nature that the

reason why I realize, you know, Kin probably with hell

from the Lord is because he did not trust in God.

It's because he did not honor the Lord. Right.

And what I realized is giving, this spiritual act of

giving always reveals the heart. And this is my next point.

So we know giving is in the nature of God.

Second point is giving is in the nature of men.

That is giving reveals the heart that's true.

Is that true.

Giving is always the biggest test of where our heart is.

Let's read Hebrews chapter eleven. Is that okay?

Let's read Hebrews chapter eleven. And he says this by faith.

So this is Old Testament right now we are going

all the way to New Testament. And we are talking

here about the heroes of faith. We always talk about

Hebrews eleven.

As the heroes of it.

By faith, Able offered to God a more excellent sacrifice

than kin, through which he obtained witness that he was

righteous God, testifying of his gifts. And through it, he

being dead, still speaks. Let's go to the next verse,

verse six. But without faith it is let's read this together.

Can you see this one? Two, three? But without faith

it is impossible to please him. For he who comes

to God must believe that he is and that He

is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

A man.

God is waiting for people to seek him, And by

your offering and your giving, he knows whether you are.

Seeking him or not.

And you recognize that giving comes with a sacrifice that

is the kind of giving that pleases God, a giving

that is sacrificial, not just any giving, because anyone can give.

But God doesn't need your money in church, can I

tell you that? Hello, Church, God does not need your

money his everything. Why would he need your money? He

doesn't need it, but he wants it because it shows

him where our hearts are. So giving really reveals our hearts,

you know. And and sometimes if there's anything that's like God.

You teach me in this, teach me in this art,

this heart of giving. Amen.

And so we know that, Yeah, you know in the

first example already kinanable two examples right giving, wrong giving?

Amen? You know that.

Just now, as Jason was saying the first act of worship,

what was the first act of worship?

Hey just not got clue.

Already Abraham sacrificing Isaac, his son, or the fact that

he was willing to there's that act of worship.

Right, So when you're willing.

To sacrifice something for the Lord, that is worship. And

that's why giving, you know, giving, we hold things dear

to us.

Right, our heart, earned money, our finances.

We hold it dear to it because we put so

much time and effort into it. We know we probably

we stood a lot of stress, a lot of biration,

a lot of persecution, you know, just to earn what

we have, and we hold it precious. And whatever that

is precious to us, when we give it, it's a sacrifice.

It is a sacrifice, right, But God is pleased with

a sacrifice, he says, after Abraham was ready to kill

his only son. Talk about firstborn, right, firstborn Isaac was

the first born from Sarah's womb. He was ready to sacrifice,

and God said, okay, stop, Now I know you mean

God doesn't know. Before that, I thought God knows everything.

But maybe he's waiting for you to reveal your heart

by how you give amen. God is waiting for you

to reveal something in your hands. It's very funny during

Chinese New Yorkay, I don't recommend this at all. So

my brother and our cousins were playing poker with money.

I'm like, this approved, but it's very interesting. And if

you play poker before, right, so they beat the bad,

bad bad and then you have to open the cards

right to reveal. And sometimes you call a bluff. You

know that when you play poker, you can call people's bluff.

And but do you know you cannot call God's bluff, right,

you can bet, you can put your stakes very high,

and then you call your bluff on your life. And

God says, I can see through every card that you

hold in your hands, and I want you to give

the very best, the very first unto me.

Amen.

You know when we be wold from God, it's we

don't be told from anyone else. We don't behold from

the church, we don't behold from relatives, but we withhold

from God. That that's something for us to think about.

All right.

I like this because you know when when God you

see the thing about this, I think it's very unfair.

It's very unfair because you know, when we give to God,

he says, I want to give you more.

How is that fair? Is it fair?

Not?

When we give to God.

He says, I will make you, I'll double our increase.

I'll give you one hundredth fold.

Is it fair?

Not?

In this world where we live. You know a Greek

terms are you know you give me one, I give

you one.

Now fair one? But with God is never fair. It's

always abundance. Amen. God gives you during me the trip

right and added to it bonus them all extra you know,

God gives.

He's so generous that he cannot You cannot outgive God.

Church, We can never outgive God. You know.

In Proverbs three nine to ten, he says, this, honor

the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits

of your increase.

Amen. This is a principle that we can learn.

Honor the Lot with your possessions and with the first

fruits of all your increase. So your burns will be

filled with plenty, and your varts will overflow.

With new wine. Amen. You know, we like to claim

this promise.

We like to claim that war that our burns will

be filled with plenty, you know, and our vats but

all find But did we remember that it's about honoring

the lot first, that it's about giving him the first

fruit of all our increase. And then this principle holds right?

And again I say it's very unfair. Right, how come

the mathematics don't add up one? I give ten percent?

Gods this, I'll give you one hundred four? What God,

You're so good in God, it's just generosity and abundance,

you know. And so let's let's we move our scarcity mindset.

Can I tell you that we all have a poverty

and scarcity mindset.

We always think it's not enough.

You know, I know that this year, like things have

gone so crazy expensive, right, everything has gone so crazy expensive,

and we're like, Okay, I think I need to save more.

I think I need to you know, scrammage more and

cut down on this and cut down on that.

But then we have forgotten our identity, our identity as

children of God. Do you know that we do not

have to live in fear like the rest of the

world because.

We know what's gonna happen.

Hey, hey, church, do you know that this, whatever that's

happening right now, whatever that we're experiencing, has been predicted

in the word of God. Did you know that Jesus

says that in the last days there will be wars,

rumors of wars, famine, there will be earthquakes, he says

things that will be so you know, triple is priced.

Do you know that God has predicted all of this

and he says it's okay, I've overcome the wa and

so why then do we worry?

Right, Jesus taught so much about money, you know.

Do you know that there was a study done, There

was a study done on Jesus's teaching, right, we all

want to follow jesus teaching, I hope. So some of

you don't sound very convincing, like, oh, yeah, I think

I would.

I only want to follow those A very nice one

now the very happmn. I don't want to follow. How

can la you follow? Follow everything? Right? One hundred percent?

In uh?

And the study was done and he says that fifteen

percent of Jesus's teaching was about money.

Fifteen percent.

You know that's quite a lot, right, more more than

the teachings of.

Hell and Heaven combined.

So Jesus knew our relationship with our possessions. He knew

you know that this is the one thing that will ensnare.

All of us. Do you know that he gave the

parable of the rich men? Yeah?

You remember the story and he says, what do you say

to the rich young ruler? No, the young man, right,

the rich young man came to Jesus and say, you know,

good Master, you know I've done all these things.

I've kept the law since I was young er? Da

da da What else must I do to inherit eternal life?

Now?

What did Jesus say, sell everything that you have.

And then come and follow me. But what was the

response of the young man? He was said, But he

made a choice, right, He made a choice because he

turned away. He turned away because he realized that this giving.

Revealed that he could not let go of the earthly treasures.

He could not.

And so you know, my dear friends, you know, I

just want to encourage us right to live life on.

Earth holding things loosely.

Yeah, do you know, holding your earthly possession very loosely

in your hands because God can take it any time.

And just as what our brother Jeremy said, you know,

we can still praise the Lord.

Amen.

I think that's an awesome testimony because it showed me

more of Christ and Christ's character in him, that God

is developing more than just saying yeah I got all

the money, Yeah, I got all the riches. Yeah I

was so successful. That's not the kind of testimony that

we want to celebrate in church.

Yes, there is that good part. Then you give law right,

when you receive all your success, that you give more.

Do you know? That's why the Bible says, right, it's

very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom

of God.

But you know what we're all rich said to say,

you know, yeah, no, really, really we are rich. We

are probably, you know, if you think about it, right,

we are probably if you compare to the rest of

the world and the rest of Malaysia as well. Right,

we are probably the top thirty percent in terms of

income level. The fact that we're very comfortable here if

you on a certain level, we are rich.

You know, I'm like God, Ah for me to go

into kingdom of evern now is it?

And Jesus is blessed are the poor? For DearS is

the kingdom of heaven. So the poor they've got, they

got a lot to gain. Because you know what, when

I have nothing, right, I only have God. But when

I have a lot, I don't need God so much.

Is that true? It is true? It is true.

You really, you know, ask yourself, ask your heart, like

when was the last time you really needed God when

you were desperate for God? I think the poor people

cry out more to God daily than us middle income

people cry out to God.

Right, It's true, It's true. I mean I speak it

for myself.

Okay, for me, for me middle income you know, rich

in that sense, I'm not earning milliens, but comfortable I

don't have the thing where that my next meal comes

from right, and therefore there's less dependency on God. And

that's why Jesus says this in Matthew six nineteen, and

we can read this in the verse Matthew six nineteen.

You know, Jesus taught a lot about giving. He says,

do not lay up for yourself's treasures on earth, where

moth and rust destroy, and where tears breaking and steal,

but lay up for yourself's treasures in heaven, whether we're

neither mouth nor rast destroyed, and where tears are not

breaking and steal. For where your treasure is there You're

heart will be. Wow, it is what it is when

we give or when we do not.

Give, it reveals our heart.

And Jesus says that because you are putting in so

much effort into your earthly treasure, that's where your heart

will be. Do you know for rich people, right, it's

very hard to die.

Okay, you can interpret it in many ways.

Hard to die or said that one to die you know,

like you come on, you don't let go because you

have so much, but when you are you don't have much,

or you're like, actually, let's just go and meet with Jesus.

It's easier you carry a lighter load, easier to let go, easier.

To cut loose, do you know? So, so let's be

be careful church, right.

Let's be This is Jesus World. Yeah, Jesus says, don't

lay for yourself treasures on earth? Have we been investing

so much of our time, our energy, our thought, our

focus on building up the treasures on the earth where

one day before God it will mean nothing?

Right?

We have very short span of life, dear friends. Seventy

years at most, some lesser seventy years is not a lot.

And so what are we investing? Are we really laying

treasures in heaven? And you can ask later Jason, how

do I lay up treasures in heaven? And he say,

go for Mission tram Ah. You know, he says, go

it saves, Oh Dad, is truly.

Precious to God. Amen?

When you save souls? That is what is so precious.

So is s thinking about you know, what's the next

new car to buy? Where's the next new house to buy?

Let's think about it, where's the next new soul to save?

How about that? Where next to give my money? Which mission?

Which missionary? Which mission? Trip? Shure, I go for how

can I be a blessing.

It's a very different lifestyle, my friends, But it's a

lifestyle that follows after Jesus. Amen, he came to earth.

He's like, my only focus was to seek and save

the loss. He wasn't building his treasure here. He's like,

this is temporary.

My treasure is in heaven. Amen.

And that's why it goes on to say Matthew six

verses twenty four to twenty five.

He says, Jesus says, He says.

Jesus says, no one can serve two masters, for either

he will hit the one and love the other, or

else he will be loyal to the one and despise

the other.

You cannot serve.

God and Mamen here means money all right. Therefore I

say to you Jesus' words to you, dear ex Clang.

Therefore I say to you, Exclang, do.

Not worry about your life, what you will eat or

what you will drink, nor about your body. What you

will put on is not life more than food, and

body more than clothing. And finally, inverse study Tree, Jesus

says this this is the key of it. But sick

first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all

these things shall be added to you.

Amen.

I pray that this year, in twenty twenty five, we

will not pursue riches, but.

We will pursue righteousness. Amen. Let us be our prayer

daily like God.

Enough of righteousness first, because you know what God says,

after you pursue righteousness, all these riches.

I will give to you.

Or so right, we just got the order wrong, and

we try so hard, and we strive Church, we strive right.

You know that Genesis Tree, the chapter that we didn't

go into Genesis Tree when there was sin on earth,

and God says, therefore, now the ground is cursed, right,

and you will toll and you'll eat by the sweat

of your brow. That's that's a curse given to Adam.

And that's why we human beings have been striving.

We strive so hard.

We strive, we strive, And Jesus is I've come to

give you rest. Stop striving, start believing, Start believing in me,

because I will give all this to you. Seek righteousness,

not richest Amen.

Amen. So I'm gonna round this up by no.

We talk about why giving right firstly is because what's

the first point?

What is the first point? God? Giving is God's name?

What's the second point?

Giving is also in man's nature because we are made

in the image of God.

And so therefore when you are giving, you're.

Like, wow, this is like God I am. I am

imitating God in the act of giving.

Amen. What is the third point?

Oh?

Very good? I should give you ten points? Haha? Or sweets?

I think I got expressed all the days again. No,

giving really really.

Tests our hearts. Really giving always tests our hearts. So

the question now is how should we give them? So,

you know, we've learned some principles about why giving is

so important because it is.

God who gives. So how should we give? The first

one is we need to give by faith? Amen. You

see the reason why Abel could offer it is because

although he did not know how God would repay him,

he knew that God would sustain him. Amen. Just because

you give your first and all that, you think you'll

be lacking.

No, he says God, if you gave me the first fruit,

you will be able to provide me with the others.

That is by faith.

That is not seeing you know, that is just saying God,

I trust in you. Faith means I trust in you.

Amen. Now do to me ten twelve sayses. And I

love this word, it says.

And now Israel, what does the Lord your God require

of you? But to fear the Lord your God, and

to walk in all his ways, Amen, And to love him,

and to serve the Lord your God with all your

heart and with all your soul. And to keep the

commandments of the Lord and his statues, which I command

you today for your good. Indeed, heaven and the highest

heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth

with all that is in it.

Amen. Do you catch the mindset here? Everything belongs to

the Lord.

So if everything belongs to the Lord, then our role

is just to love God, honor him, serve him.

Yes, follow all his commandments.

Don't think about how can I gain more riches. This

is what it means to seek the Kingdom of God.

It means to love him, to fear the Lord. Have

you been fearing the Lord? What does that even mean?

How to walk in his ways, how to love him,

to serve him, and to keep the commandments.

Imen.

Everything belongs to the Lord, So don't worry, Amen. Can

you see everything ties in God is very consistent. He

has never changed.

Amen.

So we should give by faith because we're giving believing

that when we give.

Can I tell you that it's not about the amount.

It's not about the amount.

It's about what your attitude brings to the table. Okay,

we'll see that in a short while, which I'm gonna

go to.

So we have to give by faith.

So every time now you are giving something or you're

transferring on, this says God, I'm giving to you by faith.

I'm giving to you knowing that you can use even

this five ringate and multiply it and transform lives. You're

acting out of faith, amen. Is it's not just like, oh, okay,

I give and I don't care. Can Can you put

some act of faith into your giving?

Amen?

Right?

Giving by faith? The second one is giving generously. How

should we give? We give by faith? We want to

give generously as well.

All right, So let's reread this portion from Mark chapter twelve,

verses forty one. You're not the story only, Jason, No,

So we will read for the rest. Okay, Now, Jesus

said opposite the treasury and saw how the people put

money into the treasury. Okay, Or Jesus are observantia. Do

you know that Jesus, ASO sees us now, and many.

Who were rich put in much.

Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites,

which makes a quadrant. So he called his disciples to himself,

and he's say to them assuredly, I say to you

that this poor widow has put in more than all

those who have given to the treasury. For they put in,

they put They all put in out of their abundance.

But she, out of a poverty, put in all that

she had, her whole livelihood. Amen, you're familiar with this story.

Do you think Jesus was looking at the value of

the two mice. I think in today's tem is less

than five cents. Was Jesus looking at the amount? He

was looking at the heart. He was looking at how she,

Jesus says, she put in everything that she had. Wow,

the value of a gif is not measured by its size,

by by its sacrifice. You catch that the value of

your give is not measured by what it is, but

how much sacrifice went into it. You know, for some

right five ring gate can be a lot, can be

there everything for that day for some of us fir

ring is nothing even if you lose it, it's like nothing.

But God is saying, wow, this person save up, this

young boy, save up to give unto the Lord sacrificially,

and God will receive that as acceptable compared to us

who give fifty ringgate.

But it didn't even bother us.

You know, you can give five thousand, five thousand ringgate

and it doesn't bother you.

You go about.

Driving your portion and all that her I don't know

anyone gotta drive portch and it doesn't mean anything to you. Right,

So God is not looking at the amount. He's looking

at where your heart is, immen.

No.

One of the things that else Peing whole like to

say is that God is not looking at how much

you give. He's looking at how much you're holding back. Oh,

I'm like, don't say things like that. I remember these

kind of things because then I've been measured against me

now right, it's like every time you give, like I'm

holding that a lot more. That's not generousler. But again,

this to overcome our scarcity mindset. It's to remember again God,

you gave everything, you own everything, So why I'm so

gumself with you?

You know what? Gum set right? Why a condec good

with you? Why? Why? God, I give you and I

trust you.

Know when we give right, we're saying, God, I trust you,

I trust you. How many of you will give your

money to a fund manager invest for me thirty percent return?

Why willingly we give right?

Twenty thousandate, no problem, thirty percent returner. But when we

say God, I give you ten person very hard? Maybe

I think by some it's talking about trust.

You know, giving is saying God, I trust you enough

to let go of my best because I know that you.

Will give me more in return. Amen.

And finally, we give sacrificially, So we give by faith,

We give generously, And I pray that we will all

be known as a church that's generous. Would you like

to be known as a person who's generous?

Oh?

Yes, generous, not just in money, but in your time

and your talent.

Generous.

Do you know? Generous is a very beautiful character of

Christ because he was so generous. God gave his best,

his son, Jesus. Jesus gave his best, his very own life.

This is the God that we serve church. He's not

God who beholds. If you have that mindset, that God

is beholding and waiting for you to trip up. Can

you just remove that mindset in Jesus name, He said, God, no.

I have a wrong mindset of who you are.

You own everything to you, everything belongs, and I give

to you freely willingly use me, Lord, amen, and we

want to give sacrificially. In Second Corinthance, chapter eight, So

this is now in the New Testament. And this is

Paul writing to the church in Corinth you know, and

the group of people that they're called the Macedonians very

poor if you want to think about poor, like be

forty very poor.

Okay, this is a church in Macedonia. And says this.

Moreover, Brethren, we make known to you the grace of

God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that, in a

great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and

their deep poverty.

It's not just poverty, right, deep.

Poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I

bear witness that according to their ability, yes and beyond

their ability, that we would receive the gift and the

fellowship of the ministrying to the saints. And not only

as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves unto

the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

So we urg titles that as he had begun, that

he would also complete the grace in you as well

as you bound in everything, exclaim in faith, in speech,

in knowledge, in all diligions, and in your love for us.

See that you also abound in disgrace. Also, what is disgrace,

It is the grace of giving. The Macedonian Church was

so poor, but they gave out of their need, and

they gave more and God multiplied it.

Amen. Amen.

All right, I'm going to invite the Team Extreme Team

to be on standby. I hope that you know this

has brought revelation to you as it did me, but

also a conviction in your hearts, Amen, a conviction to

say that God, we have so much. We have so

much because you have given to us. And so whenever

we now prepare to give, I pray that you will

be giving out of our faith. You'll be giving generously

unto the Lord, and you'll be giving sacrificially unto the Lord.

Amen. Hallelujah.

And this is God's promise? Can I envy God's promise?

Do you want to hear God's promise for you. In

Luke six thirty eight, he says, gift and you will

be given to you good measure, press down, shaken together,

running over will be put into your lap. For with

the measure that you use, it will be measured back

to you.

Amen. Amen, Let's stand hallelujah. Let's worship the Lord.

Hallelujah.

Let's give him our best worship, our song and our praise.

Let's give him our hearts.

Thank you Lord.

So all the straight dian.

Hia, do.

We don't buy?

We all we all stranger I am to.

You.

We all.

We all straight dit hi an to Jesus geez Jesus.

Ce g's a geeesus a.

Hallelujah.

Every time the Word of God goes forth, it requires

a response from us. What is your respond to God

this morning, to the word of God? What is the

Holy Spirit speaking.

To you right now?

Is there an area of life where you say, God,

I just need your help in this Lord, Teach me

to be more giving, Teach me to be more generous,

Teach me to have a different mindset about money. Teach

me of God about how I should think about my

treasures on earth. Hallelujah. Would you just lift your hand

before the Lord. It's a sign of surrender.

If things of the earth has really.

Really really been such a trap, or you know, he

has such a close and strong bond to you, would

you just say, lift up your hands, say and say, God,

I just loosen me from this bond. Loosen me from

the bond of the treasures of this earth. Oh God,

I want to be light before you or God.

Lord.

We want to offer this sacrifice and say thank you

for all that you've given me. But this is not

I do not serve money or my possessions. I serve

only you God. And so Lord, would you teach us,

oh God, how to be the master of money, not

the servant of money. Teach us to be the masters

commanded to go where it should go. To tell it,

o Lord, to be of benefit to your kingdom? Or God,

would you teach us, O God, to be generous with

our brethren, our brothers, and our sisters. To be generous

with our family. To be generous, oh God, to our colleagues. Hallelujah.

God, You're a generous God.

Lord.

You never withhold even your very best. So teach us,

Lord Lord. You see your children here, your servants who

lift their hearts before you, who lift their hands before

you God, and I declare by faith, by the power

of the Holy Spirit or God, you will begin to

do the new workiness, a work of transformation our hearts

of God to be more like you.

Lord.

We receive this grace of giving from You or God,

and Lord, we shall be.

Give us unto you as well. Thank you Father.

In Jesus' name, we pray Amen a man church every Sunday.

We do this we give an opportunity for you to

begin a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. And as

if you hurt, Lord, you know Jesus is the most generous.

God that we can ever encounter.

He gave his own life so that you and I

will be free from ourselves. You and I will be

free from sins. If this is you, later on the

count of Tree, we want you to respond, raise your

right hand and say I need you Jesus. And how

we do it is this. First is to admit that

I need God. Yes, I need you Jesus. I need

you to transform my life. I need you or God

to help me overcome myself. I need you Lord.

Is to believe that Jesus die on the Cross for your.

Sins, so that we will be free, so that we

will be safe unto the Lord.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you.

God bless