The First In Our Lives (Part 2) | The Principle of the First | Stephen Kong

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. This morning, I'm gonna bring to us a

message, and it's a continuation of what I shared. I think it was

last one about I titled the message last one was, you know, the

first in our lives? Okay. But as I meditate more on a message,

and I came out with a part two, I changed my title to

the principle of the first. Okay, principle of the first. So this

is part two of the message. And so today I'm going to continue on

with another two more principles of the first. Okay, two more principles of

first okay. But before that, let me just highlight to us that how

many of you know that first has a lot of significance first okay? Uh,

you know, if you think about about it in your life, there's

a lot of sentimental value and a lot of significance in the things when we

do it the first time. Okay. For example, you may have remembered

the first time you set the plane. Can you remember that? You know?

No? No, okay, somethre shaking their heads. Maybe they have

not flown before. So I pay you can fly fly somewhere near Uncowie or

something, you know. But yeah, you know, there's there's always the

sentimental or the memory comes back to you when you remember the first you know,

the first time we took a fly, the first time you went overseas.

For some of us here, maybe it's your first child, you know.

For some of us, maybe it's your first phone. You used to

remember the first phone that you used when you were young. You know,

I still remember I used to have the phone that used to slide. You

know who use slides phone today? Actually I still see some of you use

phone that flips or slides, you know, and some of us use the

phone that used to be a square no care phone. We should say,

it's hard as rock. If you show you the dog, the dog,

I you know. So yeah, you know. So there's always the significance

and you remember, you know, if we do things for the for the

first time, and there's the importance to it as well. Okay, not

just the significance, but it's the importance. In fact, most of us,

when we try something for the first time, we always strive to do

it well. Okay. For example, when you go for your first interview,

you know, let's say for some of you who are going to graduate

soon or have graduated, you know, or even if you don't have to

wait, you don't have to be so you don't have to graduate in order

to go for an interview. You know, maybe you go for an interview

for internship. I don't know, do you have that, Yes, you

have, right, Okay, interview interview for internship. You know you will

be nervous. You'll prepare well for it, you know, and when you

go for your first job, you want to give your best right and a

lot of us to look forward to the first salary. Correct. You know,

there's the time whereby you feel like, you know, I own the

world. Now I'm a free man. I earn my own money. I

can do what I want with my own money, you know, not no

longer spending on your event's funny, but yeah, you know that's there's always

the excitement and there's the principle behind it. Okay, But before I move

on to the message, I just want to, you know, draw our

attention to this law in the Bible called the law of the firstborn. Okay,

it's not part of my points, but just I thought highlight this to

you because it's very interesting. Okay. Did you know that there is the

law of the firstborn in the Bible. Okay, let's all turn to Exodus

chapter thirteen. What's one? Okay, what's one? Let's start verse one.

Okay, Exodus chapterop and it is very interesting. Okay, and I'm

sure you will you enjoyed once I finish this point. Okay. Exodus chapter

thirteen, Verse one. If you're there, say yeah, okay, so

I encourage you to bring your physical bibles and flip your bibles together with us

in church. If you don't have a bible, let us know. Maybe

we'll buy you one. Okay, yes, yes, yes, we can.

Okay, we can, we can. It's not too expensive now to

buy a bible. We were chipping some money and buy you a bible.

Okay, don't know it. So Exoda chapter thirteen, Verse one says,

then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, consecrate to me all the firstborn.

Somebody say, firstborn? Whoever? Also whatever opens the womb among the

children of Israel, both man and peace, it is mine. Okay.

Then let's skip all the way to verse eleven. It's a repetition. Verse

eleven says, And it shall be when the Lord brings you into the land

of Canaan nines, as she swore to you and your father's and give it

to you, that you shall set apart to the Lord all that opened the

womb, that is, every firstborndvery somebody say, firstborn, firstborn that comes

from an animal, which you have. The males shall be the Lord's.

But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, And if

you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all

the firstborn of men among your sons you shall redeem. So it shall be

when your son asks you in time to come saying what is this, that

you shall say to him by strength of hand. The Lord brought us out

of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and it came to pass

when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the

first born in land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn

of beasts. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that opened the roomb,

but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. It shall be as

a sign on your hand, and as funlets between your eyes, for by

strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt. So this is

the law of the firstborn. Whereby it's very clear that the people in those

days were supposed to sacrifice the first born of every animal that they had and

every sun okay, both men and beasts okay, animal and men okay.

And so it's very interesting. Let me give you a some way of it,

okay, because it can sound a little bit confusing there, but there's

basically two some ways to it. The first one is if the animal is

a donkey, they are supposed to redeem it with a lamb okay. And

otherwise, if the animal is a lamb, they have to sacrifice it.

Okay. To put in layman terms, if the animal is unclean, they

have to redeem it with a clean animal okay. So in this case,

the unclean animal is a donkey. It's a representation of a donkey, okay,

And the clean animal is the lamb. Okay. So if the firstborn

of the clean animal, which is the lamb, is if it's the first

born of a clean animore, they have to sacrifice it. Okay. If

it's the firstborn of an unclean animal, in this case a donkey. They

have to redeem it with the same if I off a clean animal, which

is the lamb. Okay. And so you might be thinking, what else

it's got to do with me? Nothing to do with me. It makes

no standse to me, right, But here's the thing. It also says

that the first born of the suns needs to be redeemed. You know,

how come he never talks about the first bane of the suns needing to be

sacrificed of with deem. Let me tell you why. Here's a question to

us. Are all of us born clean or unclean? Spiritually speaking? Are

we born clean or unclean? Unclean? Right? Ask any expert in this

room, anyone who has a child, or anyone who has dealt with kids

before, and ask them this simple question. Do you need to teach your

kids how to do wrong? How to do bad things? Believe it or

not, you don't have to teach because all of us, you and I

are born with a sinful nature. We are born in a sense with a

sinful nature, whereby we don't even need to be taught how to lie,

how to steal, you know, how to cheat. It's it's in us,

right and so spiritually speaking, all of us are born and clean.

So here's the thing. Back to this law law of the firstborn. If

you're born unclean, we are to be redeemed with a clean animal. So

here's where it all ties back together. Because all of us were born unclean,

we would then need to be redeemed by a clean animal. Sacrifice.

Jesus came in the form of a clean lamb, the lamb of God,

who who takes away the sin of the world. And so Jesus came as

a lamb who took the sacrifice on our behalf, the clean, on behalf

of the unclean, once and for all. So you can see this how

this law, even though it's in the old testimon it actually there's the principle

that we can learn from it, and it does make sense to us even

today that God loves us so much that though all of us were born unclean,

God gave his one and only son, the perfect sacrifice, perfect perfect

sacrifice, lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, so

that he can redeem us unclean, so that we can be reaccons out back

to the Father. AMN. Let's keep God Praise Amen. Harleey lujah.

So that's the that's the one interesting thing that I found out about the firstborn.

Okay, because I venture the sciptures, I'm looking for the first I'm

gonna find every scripture of like not live scripture, but every occurrence of the

word first you know. And I and I tried to find and I found

this very interesting, you know, a law law of the firstborn. Okay.

So now I've got to bring you to my first point about the first

My first point, okay, which is which is first fruits? Somebody say

first fruits? Okay, Let's turn to Genesis chapter four, worse three to

seven, all the way back to Genesis chapter four, all the way back

to the time of creation. Uh and chapter four Okay, this is just

after creation, just after the fall of men. Okay, Genesis chapter four.

Okay, worse three. Let's turn the worst three, he says,

Okay, sorry, let's read the whole Let's read the whole. Passature was

okay, Wor's one. So now Adam knew Eve, his wife, and

she conceived and bought Kine and said, I have acquired a man from the

Lord. Then she bought again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel

was a keeper of sheep, but Kane was a tiler of the ground.

And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an

offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord Able. So broad off

the first born of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected

Abel and his offering, but he did not respect Cain and his offering.

And Kane was very angry and his countenance fell. So the lord said to

Kine, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If

you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not

do well, Seen lives at the door, and his desire is for you.

But you should rule over in Okay. And if you know the story,

if you're continuating the story, you know that Kine was angry with his

brother and he killed his brother eventually. Okay, So if you read on

you'll know that. Okay. So back to this story. What was the

difference between Cain and Able's offering? Do you know what's the difference? The

first? Exactly the word first? Okay. When I used to read this

scripture when I was younger, girls, we used to go Sunday school and

I read this scripture. In my mind, I thought that Caine brought something

from the ground, so it's no good. And Able brought an animal,

so it was good. I used to think it is that very shallow thinking

of kid, right, you know, in Sunday School, maybe they don't

go so deep in the theology. Right. But then I realized that if

you actually read the scripture properly, Caine was actually Caine works on the ground.

He has he plants, you know, herbs or trees or fruits,

whatever you call it, okay, vegetables, whatever it is, okay.

And and Able took care of sheep. Right. So if Kane brought an

offering from the ground, which is is his livelihood, is that wrong geoetically

not, because that's what he does, that's his job, right, Uh.

And Able takes care of sheep, and he brought, you know,

a sheep offering. You see. The difference was that Abel brought the first

bond, the first born of his flock, the first born. Okay,

and what he can bring if you read it carefully, Kan also an offering

sounds right, but not really because the Bible says in verse verse three,

just the keybod he says in the process of time. In the process of

time, it came to pass that Cain brought and offering. So here's the

thing. My point is this God will and can only take our first that

we give to him. I need you to catch this principle very carefully.

God will only take our first that we give to him. Okay, because

God deserves our all and he deserves our best. Okay, and our elebriate

on that in the world. So what was what was wrong with Kane's offering

in the process of time? The words in the Bible that says in the

process of time it came to pass. That means that Cain was just going

about his business, about his his plantation, right, and he took his

convenience at any point of time some time later. The briber says it came

to pass in the process of time, So it could be any time,

right, and he could be any offering. Right. The Bible didn't say

that he brought his best, and the Bible didn't say that he bought his

first fruits. You see, that's the key word we're looking for. He

just bought. He just brought fruits before the Lord. Right, But what

was it his first No? Because it was in the process of time.

There was a keyword, and there was I opening eye opener for me,

you know, So there was It was not so much that it came from

the ground, but it's more so that he was not Caine's first offering to

the Lord. And if you know, we can make a guest, probably

he gave out his convenience and maybe he didn't give out his best either.

I don't know, but the scripture wasn't specific on that. Okay, but

let me let me say to us today that God deserves our first and only

our best. Can I hear a good amen? God cannot take second.

He cannot take second. And so when I say the face that God cannot

take second, right, sounds contraary to our belief about you know that that

all things are possible with God? Did you know that there's something God cannot

do? I'm gonna shake your theology a bit, you know. And we

we we every time say that, you know, all things are impossible,

All things are possible with God. Okay, nothing is impossible for him.

We love to say that statement, right, but did you know that God

cannot lie? So that statement all things are possible with God is true to

his nature to the nature of God. So God cannot lie because God is

true. Right, all things are possible according to his nature. So God

is true. He cannot lie. Okay, not just he will not lie.

He cannot lie because he is true. Right. What else? What

else God cannot cannot do? He cannot stop loving us? Right? What's

another one? Faithless? God can I have not cannot cannot be faithless?

Okay, God cannot be faithless. Okay, Okay, he cannot be He

cannot be unfaithful. Okay, he cannot stop loving us. In fact,

God cannot think the way everything. Think about it, I'm going to challenge

your thought for a while. God cannot think the way we think. You

know why, Because for us, we are learning new things every day.

We we have moments whereby we say, ah, wow, I just I

just realized that I just I just knew about it. But nothing occurs to

God out of a sudden like God never wakes up one day and say,

wow, it just occurred to me, you know what I mean, It

just occurred to me that there's the war happening that will never happen because God's

nature is all knowing, right, So how can it occur to God.

How can it surprise him? How can he learn something new if I can

put it away? Because he already knows all things, right, so he

does not. He cannot think the way we think. He has thoughts,

Yes, the Bible says his thoughts are greater than ours, right, his

thoughts are not our thoughts. So yes, he has thoughts, but nothing

occurs to him. He doesn't wake out and I'm surprised, okay, or

I learned something new. No, okay, not like us, So he

cannot think like us. Okay, So back to my point, he cannot

take second. And that's why in this portion of future you find that he

rejected canes offering and only took ables offering because able gaf. He's first.

That's the key word, the first born of his flock. Okay. Forb

Secretary, verse nine to ten says, honor the Lord with your possessions and

with the first fruits of all your increase, so your bonds will be filled

with plenty, and your arts will overflow with you. Whine. Now,

friends, I'm sure you have heard of this cripture at least ten times now,

because if you've been long enough in ex church, you would have hurt

us. Read this cripture to you during the tson offering time. And by

the way, in ex church, right, we don't really sell hard on

the offering. Uh. That means we don't really like you don't find us,

you know up here like preaching a five minutes message during the time of

giving. You know, we don't. There's there's no hype, there's no

We are not there to like push you or like force you to give,

because giving really has to come from the heart. Right, it's our heart

of giving because Christ, or because God first gave to us. Amen.

So the Bible tells us that we are to honor Him with our with the

first foods of our increase. Right. That will mean that whenever we have

increased, we ought to honor a lot with the first foods. Okay,

And in a while I'm going to show you how we honor the lot without

giving, okay And and and frankly, right, when when it comes to

the topic of money, right, it's always a challenging topic in church.

Do you do you think so because you're touching what is close to us,

to our hearts. The Bible says where your treasure is, that your heart

will be so it's it's quite a challenging topic. But I'm gonna present it

to you as it is what the Bible teaches us, because if you catch

this principle, I really believe that you will stand to be blessed in your

life. You will see the hand of God moved, and you will never

be short changed, and you will never live in life and man. So

I'm going to bring to us the principle of tiding. Okay, somebody say

tithe Okay, t I t h E type Okay. If you have never

heard of this principle of tiding before, I pray it today, you will

catch it, okay, because there is an important principle in tiding, okay,

very important. Did you know that the Bible uses the word bring and

pay when it comes to tithe? Okay. It never says give your tithe

to the Lord. Okay. The Bible always uses the word bring or pay

your tithe. Okay. Have you ever wondered why have you ever wondered?

Why? Here's the thing. Because the tithe actually belongs to the Lord.

And because the tithe belongs to the Lord, it does not belong to us.

You can't bring something that is not of yours to an offering as an

offering. Okay. And that is why the Bible doesn't use that we give

our type. It actually says we pay our tithe or we bring our tithe

to the Lord. Okay. There's two things you can do with a tithe.

Number one, you can bring it. Number two, you can steal

it. Two things. It's afterwards to choose whether we bring it or steal

it. Okay. This is a very important principle. I know it's quiet

here, but when I when I finish this, this this portion, you

realize that there's a very strong principle here. Okay. But as I said,

right, the Bible always uses bring and pay your type. Okay.

But today I'm going to show you that there is one occurrence in the Bible

that users gift the type. Okay, interesting, gonna show it you Genesey

chapter fourteen. Let's don't do it. Genesis chapter fourteen, verse eighteen to

twenty. Now to give you a background story, this is an exchange between

two men. Okay. Malchis rec which is a priest of the Most High

God. Very interesting. Malchisk has a very interesting background. If you go

and study his background, you'll know that he's a king and a priest.

Okay. Now that never happens in the past, not supposed to happen,

Okay. So malchie sc has a very interesting background. I'm tickling your minds

a little bit. You go back and study about it. There's a full

shadowing of Christ per se. Okay, go back and study's very interesting.

Okay. But just suffice to say, Malkis Rex is a priest okay.

The Bible says he was a priest okay. And the other man is Abum

okay, which is the name before Abraham Abram okay, which we know him

as Abraham. Noa, okay, all right, So let's look at the

scripture of verse eighteen. Then Malchis, king of Salem, brought out braid

and wine. He was the priest of God most High, and he blessed

him. Okay. Uh, Malchisk blessed Abram okay, and said, blessed

be ablem of God most High, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed

be God most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And

he gave him a tithe of all. There you go. So this is

one of the occurrences in the Bible whereby the type was given Okay, And

I'm gonna explain to you why. Okay, So who gave who? Abum

gave a tithe to the Lord through this prist malkisk okay, and he gave

a tithe of all by the way his portion of cripture, the word type

is the first mentioned in the Bible. Okay, So it has carries greater

great significance okay, first mentioned in the Bible. Okay uh. And so

why why why did the why did the Bible in this case word he gave

him a type of all? Okay, Now the story is too long,

I'm gonna cut a long story shot. Okay. Actually, this this,

this portion of cepture was when there were kings who came together to fight the

war and they kidnapped Lot. Okay, Lot was related to Abum. I

think it's a nephew. I think it's a brother's son, right. Uh.

And so Abum gethered his his own men, three hundred and eighteen soldiers

to pursue the kings and capture the capture to rescue Lot and bring Lot back

okay, his own brother in this case okay uh. And after that happened,

this was when he met King Melky's or his priests okay, and so

because of that he offered an offering to the lord okay, or more like,

he offered the tithe to the lord okay, and he gave the type

of all that he had. Let me tell you why, because if you

continue reading the scripture, actually Abraham tells the king of Sodom that I don't

I don't want to take anything from the spoilers that we took from from the

war. Okay, whatever they we took from the war, I would not

take anything less. You should say that king sort of made me reach Okay,

think about it, are, because where did Abum get all his wealth

his wealth from? If you go and study the full passage, right,

you will know that Abum got his wealth from Egypt. Album was already Abraham

was already quite wealthy before that. But when he went to Egypt. If

you read the story, you know that his wife sarahi Samah or Sarah was

very beautiful, right. The Bible says he was very beautiful, right,

so much the Album was afraid that people would kill Abum and take the take

Sarah as their wife, right, and so he told Sarah to lie to

people say that you're my sister. Okay, long story shot. King Pharaoh

took the wife, took Sarah, and then God played King Pharaoh's house.

King Pharaoh brought Abraham Abram before him and say, why do you lie to

me? You know, so now take your wife and go. You know,

I don't't have anything to do with a wife. Okay. And in

the end, Album was richly blessed in Egypt okay, on his own accord.

Okay. And that is why he could give his own type because theoetically,

all that he worked, all that he had, his wealth was his

own. Okay, because we can't say for a show that God blessed him

with that. Here's the thing. You and I will experience success in our

lives one way or another. The question is whether that success came with our

own hands or with God's hand involved. Because in this story, Abraham,

the second time he met King Sodom, he did not take any more wealth

from Kings Sodom worry because he knew that his wealth actually came from Egypt,

not from the Lord. So he was very careful the second time. Really

you say it, lets you say that King Sortom made me rich. So

he was very careful at the time. Okay, So we so back to

my why I mentioned it's not right when we have success, right, Sometimes

we can do things with our own strength and our own accord. And when

we find success, right, we as Christians, we like to use these

dragons. Oh, thank God, God bless me, and God made it

happen for me. But if you ask yourself, did that really happen?

Maybe in God's mercy and grace he did. But did you really seek him

and did you really rely on him? Or did you use your own strength?

Right? And so it's important that when we come before the Lord,

then we asked him to work in our lives. So when we actually expect

success, you can say, without a shadow of doubt, it is God

who has gave me the success, and in return you tipe back to him,

whether that the success can be in wealth or any other any other way,

it is okay. By the way, in this story, Abram gave

a tithe of all that he had. You seeven a better scripture earlier.

The type is supposed to give of all your increase that means your income,

right, But Abram gave a tithe on his assets, not his income.

Think about it gave a type on his assets, all that he had.

And so you may ask me what does the type actually mean? Okay?

In this scripture the word type, the original word is mas say, okay,

I don't know how to pronounce it, so forgive me, okay.

But it actually means literally, it means a payment of a tenth part.

So the type literally means a payment of one tent. That's what this original

word says. If you can go read it and go and research on it.

So very clearly we know that a tithe is actually ten percent one ten

okay, and it's actually called a payment. That's what the root word says.

Okay. And how many even know that offering is on top and above

our type is different? Okay. So as believe us, we ought to

tie to the lord. We ought to bring our type to the Lord.

You ought to pay our tipe to the lord, and on top of that

also give of our offering. You see the difference, pay our tithe and

give our offering. This is a very important principle that you and I when

we catch when we are as early as we catch it, the better it

will be. And you will see the lot move for you in your life.

So let me share with you a personal story. You may think that

only adults can type because only adults earn salary? Is that true? I'm

going to share you a very personal story and this may challenge some of you,

and I pray it will. So when I was a campus student,

uh, esco mentioned earlier, I have a twin, so I stayed my

twin. We were inseperable, uh in in in uni days. Now now

we're both separated with wife. Okay, so anyway, yeah, so in

in in university days in Nottingham, we used to stay together. Uh and

I still remember, we're very clearly in my mind right, Uh, the

only time I ever called back home to my parents is when I need money.

How many of you all are that the fence be honest to yourself?

Serious? I was at that, you know, I was so busy studying,

so busy in church that the only time I called my parents, called

my dad is and when I needed money cash, right. And and as

my dad, who is a good, good father, a good you know

eughly dad, you always say yes like he would never say no. You

know, thank God that my family has enough or warning enough so you would

never say no. But I felt really bad. Me and my brother felt

really bad. You're like, what in the world. The only time I

called my father is he needs something from him. Like he's like a like

a like a genie or like an ATM. It's like a walking ATM.

So we like to be like we like to joke in my family. You

know, when I go back to my hometown, people you know, can

go in shopping, you know. Then my mom was, yeah, the

walking ATM is here, you know, so can you can buy whatever you

want? You know. So it's quit. It's quite funny, but yet

it's very sad. Okay, so long so we shot me and my brother

to my dad, hey, let's make a deal. Why not? You

said, why not? We set a fixed allowance for us, and you

were banging the fixed allowance to us on a monthly basis, and we were

make do with it whether we stuff or not. Okay, uh so we

we somehow made a calculation. He came out with a figure. We agree

with the figure, and my dad began to bang in a monthly figure said

that's it. Okay. By the way, that figure used, we used

it to cover our rent, our car maintenance. We had a car at

time, our car, petrol, our toll, all our food expenses,

everything all in basically with just one single expense, a figure given to us.

So I learned how to manage finances when I was a camper student,

just like many of you. You know. So I learned how to say,

oh, okay, this month got lesser, we eat eat cheper food,

don't even donors. Okay, my donor's not quite expensive. Uh So

we learned how to save. But did you know we I also learned how

to tie even when I was a campus student. So for example, if

my if my dad gave me a thousand and eight a month, okay,

in those days, thousand gate was still a lot of value today, maybe

not enough to survive by the way I told you, right, I pay

VN, pay petrol, toll, food, go for cameras, so the

fees there, No, that's just's all the money. So why we did

you know? So let's say let's say, for example, if my dad

gave me a thousand ate, ten percent of that is one hundred, So

every single month, without fail, as a campus student, I will give,

sorry get I used to a giver, I will pay ten percent of

the one thousand to the lot first as a type. And I learned that

when I was a campus student, and I would to encourage camper students here

to learn that principle when you are young, because, believe me, if

you can't practice that principle when you're a campus student, it will be even

harder. When you're working. It gets harder. Believe me. Why because

when you start working, your salary increases, hence your tiding amount also increases.

That's where it gets very, very tough. I still remember the time

when I came in from the US. I work in the US for three

months and I earned US dollars. When I came back, I calculated ten

percent of that time. It shocked me, you know, never given so

much in one one lungstan before because I came in from US for three months

working earn US dollars, you know, So learn that principle early when you're

young. In fact, can I say today in terms of our givings,

there's a lot of convenience today al day. Okay again, I'm going to

share a principle. When I was a CAMPU student, like most of you

those in those days, we don't give online one. Do you remember the

time like literally COVID change our lives. You all now now giving right,

I think at least eighty or seventy percent of words will keep online. Right,

how many have you carry cash and walt? How many of you are

cash and all today? Okay? Lets you got half? Let's you got

half? Okay? You know something was doing you wanna carry cash and all?

A you know, just carry and your and your phone. Right,

So COVID has really changed our lives, you know. And can I say,

even with giving to the Lord, it has changed our lives. Did

you know in those days, those days are when I was studying before COVID,

Right, those days sounds like a long time. It's a long time

six or seven years ago, you know. When I gave my type,

me and my brother will be very anxious in the beginning of the month.

This is what we used to do. In the beginning of the month.

We would drive to Maybank in town to go with your cash, with your

cash because you need bigger amount. Right actually in you on campus and so

God got got atm now. But because we stay and I stayed off campus,

so we drive to Maybank. So I still can't remember very clearly right

at the start of the month, right and look at me like, hey,

it's the first week of the month. Haven't haven't bepat my type?

Really you don't. You don't have I don't have We both don't have cash.

What we did right early in the morning six of DM we would drive

all the way to Maybank just to withdraw cash to pay time on the first

week of the month. That was to us was very important first week of

the month. We will make sure we give the type in cash in those

days because no, don't use online mama. Right today it's so easy,

just type a few figures and it's done right, so convenient that convenient can

either help us or you can break us. Let me give you an example

of how we can break us. So when we used to give cash right

when you open your wallet, sometimes you will be challenged in moments whereby you

have two notes in your wallet, both a blue color. Have you been

there before? Maybe now not so much. Of course you can get online.

But believe me when I say, as a campus to that I've been

there many times. Open your wallet. There's two notes blue color. Just

that one is single digit, one is double digit. That's the only difference.

Both a blue color. Okay, and when the speaker says or when

the chairperson says, give your best hunter the lot, and I'm like,

okay, I know which is my best? You know. So those are

challenging moments. And I was just talking with my wife her Boddy, you

know, like today's it's a bit more convenient, and the sends fereby you

can just write any any number you want and then you give. Right.

But then she reminded me that God can also challenge you to a bank account

when you give to also give an amount of faith. Right. But I'm

just saying that the challenge was different in those in the time, and we

give cash and now, so I pray that the convenience that we have today

will not rob us from the joy of giving to the Lord, because when

we lose the joy of giving to the Lord, then sometimes we ask the

Lord, how come I'm not blessed? Or how come I don't see victorious

living to evaluated again? But friends, don't get me wrong, It's not

the amount that we give at the end of the day. Right, God

does not look at a mount we give. He looks at our heart.

We know that, right, He looks at at our hearts at the end

of the day. And man, even the woman with two mights gave more

than the others. You know the story. You can go to read it.

Okay. So and if you ask me, right, even today,

right, I have days that I'm even misgiving my type on the first That's

how convenient it is when we give online. That's how convenient it is.

I have missed before and I was like, Lord, like, I repent.

You know this is important because if I miss it on the first week

of the month, is I'm just like, can you know, cane in

the Bible, give it in your convenience of your time. Now, listen

to me here, my heart for a while. I'm not being legalistic about

it. It's the principle. It's the principle. Okay. So just because

we gave late, right, doesn't make you a lesser question or you don't

have to be feel condemned, right, But it's it's a principle. I'm

not I'm not being legalistic about it, okay, But it's the principle.

They need to catch right, and when we practice it again and again,

it becomes a habit. And that's where you set principers in your life.

And priority in your life. In fact, I've heard of messages of future

who will say, right the moment they receive a salary, they actually pay

that pay the type first, there's the first bill quote unquote bill that they

pay. That one is really on another level. I'm I'm not even saying

that you need to do that, right, because we normally bring our offering

on a Sunday. Right, So if you want to practice that principle,

you still can't. Here's how you do it. Set aside the money,

Set aside the money. Right. You and I need to learn how to

set aside money for our offering and our and our type. Right, there's

a principle that you and I need to learn. And the earlier we learn

it, the better it is. Amen. So Melica, Chapter three,

verse eight to twelve. It says, bring all the tithe into the storehouse.

There you go the keyword, bring all the tithe into the storehouse,

that they may be food in my house. And try me now in this

says a lot of hosts. If I will not open for you the windows

of heaven and pour out for you such blessing, that they will not be

room enough to receive it. By the way. This is probably the only

scripture the Bible that allows you to test him. Probably try me now.

In this says the Lord, and this creature is very clear. It says,

bring all the tithe into the storehouse ten percent almost picture for you.

The Eutonomy fourteen twenty two to twenty three says, you shall truly tipe all

the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year, and you

shall eat before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to make

his name up by the tithe of your grain and your new wine, and

your on, your oil of the firstborn, of your hearts and your flocks.

Listen to this, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God

always. So what does the tirthing actually do to our hearts? It actually

helps us to fear the Lord. It actually reminds us where our wealth and

our health and everything that we have comes from. It reminds us fans.

That's why I say this physipal is so important that you may learn to fear

the Lord your God always. In fact, the story that read earlier in

Exodus, whereby they should the Lord of the firstborn right when the father does

it all the time, every firstborn. Where there it's unclean had to be

redeemed. If it's clean to be sacrificed, then the scripture she says,

one day your son will ask you why do you do this? Why do

you do this? And then you should tell your son because with a mighty

hand, with the hand of God, he saved us and brought us out

of Cita from Egypt. Today in our contexts, with a mighty hand,

God saved and redeem us out of our sin. Amen. And that is

why I gladly and I cheerfully give back to the Lord. It helps me

and reminds me who my master is. Then our master is not in our

wealth, but our master is God himself. Amen. So if you want

to you so you may say that or everything I just share is an old

Testament. But this should know that. There's also a mention of type in

the New Testament. Jesus himself said it. Okay, let me show it

to you, Matthew twenty three, twenty three. New Testament. Okay,

let's let's look through it. So Jesus is speaking Matthew twenty three, twenty

three. Jesus says, woe to use scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, for you

pay type see the keyword you pay type of mint and anyist and cumin,

and have neglected the weightier matters of the Lord, justice and mercy and faith.

These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. So cash

is kivora number one pay tithe. Jesus is actually rebuking the Pharisees and the

scribes because they pay their types to the DoD to the means, you know,

to the mint leaves know to such accuracre. The scribes and the teachers

or law actually paid their type, but yet out of everything they neglect the

more important things or the weightier matters law justice, So the weightier matters of

the law, which is justice, mercy and faith. So he was actually

rebuking them. But cat the last sentence say is this you ought to have

done without leaving the others undone. This you ought to have done. That

means you ought to have done the important things the justice, mercy and faith,

teach the law right be merciful to do to those so I need because

they are the Pharisees and the scribes. Right this you ought to have done

the more important things you didn't do the way the things you didn't do,

but don't forget without leaving the others undone, which is also the type.

So remember these friends, that's the principle. And I pray that you are

catching it. Amen, And and and then even as we practice this principle,

God will always be first in our lives. And and and we will

acknowledge and have the fear of the Lord, know that He is Lord over

all. Amen, and even over our finances, which is the which is

the toughest part actually of our lives. Okay, are you catching something so

far? An, Let's go to my second point and now close from here.

My second point is first priority. Friends, You and I are called

to live by priority and not by pressure. Can I hear a good Amen?

Live by priority and not by pressure. Because the world today will demand

our time left, right, up, down, center, everywhere right.

Things in this world would demand our time. But you and I we need

to learn how to set a side time for the Lord. Okay. And

if I take it a little bit further on the principle of tiding right,

tive does not just only apply to our finances, but time can also be

applied to our time to our time. Okay, somebody say time. So

if you tie ten percent of your time every day should be two point four

hours. Think about it. I know we're checking a day two point four

hours per day, right if your times by seven? How many is that?

Somebody to do a math? Was it sixteen p eight? Okay?

Sixteen for eight hours? So if you think about it, right, if

if I actually attended church service, homespace service, actually probably you would have

hit you were for field your sixteen hours and do your quiet time. You

know you were actually for ten percent of your time to the lot. Think

about it. Okay, it's football to something to think about. So whenever,

whenever, sometimes you know, we go to challenging times, right,

and I want to encourage and I want to really challenge our campus students yere

right, especially when you go to the busy season now, assignments season,

exam season. You know when it's challenge. I want to encourage you and

challenge you to not skip your Sunday worship service even though you have an exam

paper on Monday. Come on, friends, this is the principle you need

to catch because if I if I go back to the word first again,

right, we ought to honor our Sabbath. Think about it, first day

of the week, Sabath, which is in our case is Sunday. Okay.

Of course there are some instances whereby the church happens on Saturday. Okay.

I'm not going to be legalistic about the day. Okay, if you

go and study this as long as one day, actually okay, I'm not

gonna be legalistic about it, okay, but there should be a day if

you honor the lot and to keep it holy. Holy is to consecrate,

to set apart, right And for our our case, today is a Sunday.

Right. So if if you come to me and say to me that

you know I have an exam on Monday and I can't attend church on a

Sunday, right, then there's something that we need to check our hearts again,

because if you think about it, we ought to tie ten percent of

our time to the Lord. And the seventh day or the Sunday is holy

and set apart. That's what That's what said. That's what holy means,

set apart, consecrated before the Lord. So I want to encourage you.

I know exams will be tough. I've been there before, right, but

I can tell you without a shutout. Now, I've never skipped a single

Sunday in my campus days, Okay, not even oversleep, not even because

of an exam, not even because of an assignment. And if you can

catch this principle young and early, I'm convinced that it will take you a

long way in life. When you can set priorities even in your marketplace.

One day, your boss will see it, because bosses will look at us

and and and they also sometimes can I imagine how we can set our priorities,

you know, like our our commitment. You know, they will say

it to us. Most people will work from Monday to Friday, and they're

just tired. They just rest on the weekend. They don't want to go

to church. But then when they hear of okay, I say this carefully.

You know, when you go to interview, sometimes you tell a boss

that I'm a Christian, I go to church on a Sunday. Actually,

some interviewers look at that as a good class point because you actually know how

to manage priority and commitment. Okay. Of course, there can be certain

challenges whereby bosses can be tough to you towards you. You know, they

can ask you to work all day. They actually to work on Sunday.

They will ask you to keep your church. It has happened. Believe me,

it has happened. It has happened to my case before. So and

I thought, my boss is one simple answer, Boss, I honor you

as my boss and work. But I also have a God which I honor.

You know, on a Sunday morning, okay. So if I needed

to work on a Sunday. In fact, we're not supposed to go on

a Sunday, okay, but if I need it to work on a Sunday,

I'll time my boss. Let me go to church first. After the

church, I'll come. So when I was seeing the US, I went

when the US to for working travel. Three months before I arrived in the

US for my work and travelge three months, I already researched for a church

to go to. Right when I arrived there. That weekend itself, we

went to church. We paid a taxi which cost twenty dollars just eighty.

No, in those days are like seven years ago, it's a lot in

that time. Inflation is so so fast in a now you know, uh,

you know, like I still remember I used to eat chicken lice for

three fifteen and a pole three fifteen. You know. Now it's like what

ten, you know? So Infatian is moving fast. So so so I

remember when I when I arrived in the US. I the moment I arrived

in the US. The first weekend, I was already found in the House

of God. We went to church, me and a few other friends.

Why we went to church. And every single time I had to work on

a Sunday because sometimes my manager was scheduled me to go on Sunday. I

went out to my manager and said, please, I need to go to

church on a Sunday morning. Just please excuse me for Sunday morning. I

need to go to church. Right. And on the days that I need

to open the shop because I was working in the food service, they call

it. They call it quick quick quick service for food. Okay, in

the team, pup right, I will take the bus seven or seven o'clo

in the morning to the team pop, open the shop, make sure everything

is running, and then I leave and go to church and after church come

back into my work at about two o'clock. So that's what I'm trying to

trying to encourage us to have the principle of setting aside time and tiding a

time before the Lord. Give God your first priority. Can I hear a

good amen? From three five to six says trust in Law with all your

heart, and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge

Him and he shall direct your past. This is how we will be able

to set God as a priority, because, as I mentioned earlier, the

world demand our time. The world demand our attention, our time, our

money. But even as we trust in the Lord, the Lord will direct

your path and help you to navigate through these challenging times. Equally says the

three verse one to eleven. It's it's quite long passages. I'm not going

to read it. Maybe let's just go to worse nine. Let's go to

worst nine. You can go read the whole thing, okay, Ecreaster three.

You know I have friends, I really believe in our lives. Right,

we have enough time for everything. Look at this scipture, It says

verse nine, What perfect has the worker from that in which he labors?

I have seen the God given task with which the sons of men are to

be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in his time, and he has

put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work

that God does from beginning to end. So you said there's enough time for

every God given task to us? Do you really believe that God has given

us enough time in our lives? And I used to used to say this,

you know, in a very chicky way. Every time we say that

God, I don't have enough time, it's actually in south to God.

Have you thought about it? Because basically I'm telling God, God, you

made a mistake. You should have given me twenty five hours, you know.

Uh, And I've I've been there many times, and I'm sure you

can read it to me as a student as we you know, have you

have you had this situation where by you're studying for an exam and ten minutes

before the exam you're still looking at your sheets. Have you been there for?

How many you've done it before? Oh? Okay, see yeah,

kind of love you right, we've been there before. Right, ten minutes

before exam you're still looking memorizing the thing, you know, frankly speaking of

I don't know how much how you food in Isla, but we do it,

you know. And and I always say this one one phrase. You

know, if only if only I had one more hour, just one more

hour extra, maybe I would have Scot one hundred and not ninety nine.

You know, No, that's not me. But you know, uh,

and I think we we encounter that right oftentimes you say, if only I

had just one more hour, you make a difference. But friends, really,

there is enough time for everything under heaven, for the god given task

that that the Lord has given us to do. There is enough time if

only we learn how to prioritize our time and and and just manage it.

Well amen. Uh. You know, I I read a story recently on

advice for for married couples in certainly I read it somehow, and he says

this right way by when you first have a when you first have a kid,

you know, and the past comes up to you and say, hey,

can you please serve and help to do this this particular thing. And

then this advice that was given by this uh book right will say that you

can say to a pastor, no, because I have a kid and I

may need to spend time with him and and and and raise him up and

so maybe next time. So I thought about that, right, the principle

no, I thought about it. Wow, okay, did you know that

our lives are will continue to become more and more challenging because the days are

becoming more evil? Just open your eyes, look at the news, and

you will know that. Right, And so the challenges of this life will

become even and even more difficult to navigate. Okay, And so I realized

this thing. Right. Let's say now as a as a married couple,

right, if I go out to my pastor and say, hey, you

know what, I'm married now, so I need to take care of my

wife, It's going to be a bit challenging. Maybe I wouldn't serve for

a year or two, you know. And after that you have a kid

two years ter two years letter and the pastor comes up to you and say,

hey, you know, can you serve when you will say, hey,

I have a kid now, I need to spend time with my kid.

You know, just give me two years two years two years after after

our stuffe okay, great, after two years, got a new kid,

second kid, then you say the pastor again, give it another two more

years, you know? Uh? And then after that did you know that?

Did you know that process? We beats? You know? And after

when you and your kid becomes a teenager, you will say, oh,

now I need to spend more time in him, you know, And and

the process keeps going right so much so that finally you reserve the love when

you're in Heaven's sarcastically saying, you know, I pray when happened to us

live? And you know, but but you know in a sense it can

happen to us right. And you keep saying no right and looking for a

right season to do it. But can I tell you there's no right season.

It's all about managing our priorities and navigating to it. That's why for

three, five or six is very important. In fact, this powestree actually

the title. He says, guidance for the young. So if you're young,

go and read Powers chapter three. Okay, if you are young,

read Powers chapter three. Okay. It talks about finances, it talks the

our time, it talks about health. Okay, go read it. Okay.

So he says, trust in the Lord. The Lord will direct your

path, and that's how you and I can learn how to pri advertise God

in our time. Amen, I want to be minus once again that God

has to be our first priority. Amen, He has to be our first

priority. God is Lord over all or not at all. He is only

Lord over some. Then you are the You are the real God over over

yourself because you own it. You know God has to be Lord over all.

And how is that possible? Let me let me explain to you.

When we say that God is our first priority and God is our number one,

it does not mean that God is on the checklist one, two,

three, four or five and God is number one. Okay, think about

it, because if God is just number one on the checklist, this is

what we're doing our day. I start my day, I read the Bible.

Okay, done, check They go to work or you go to your

school to your continue checking on do one. So God is only in your

miner only in the first fifteen to thirty minutes of a day. If if

God is on a checklist, so I would encourage us. God is not

number one on a checklist, but God is number one in the center of

our lives. So imagine imagine with me, uh a target board. How

you play archering or you pay you when you when you go to a driver

or shooting range or the archer archieving or you pay that's you know, there's

a target and there's a great booze eye in the middle. Right, God

has to be that center bull eye, booze eye right in the middle.

And that's how I explain God being our first priority, because that boost eye

in the middle touches every part of it. Of the circle. Our lives

is like a circle, and God touches every part of it. So not

number one on the checklist, but number one in the center of our lives,

touching every area our time, our treasure, our talents, relationship,

our studies, our work, our family, you name it. That's how

we put God as our number one in the center of everything. And so

I've got to close with this scripture found in Matthew chapter six, verse thirty

one, which many of us are very family with. Is It says,

therefore, do not worry saying what shall we eat, or what shall we

drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the gentiles

seek for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Listen to

this, but seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all

these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is

its own trouble. Remember that sick first, the Kingdom of God and his

righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Amen. We

hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

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We're believing that this week is going to be a good week ahead for

you. God bless