WHEN GOD OUTGIVES US

20 April 2008 1st Svc by Pastor Joseph Prince

You give and God breaks the bondage in your heart from giving and the blockage from you receiving more blessing is unblocked.

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38

God encourages us by giving us a harvest. Farmers when they sow, expect a harvest. There is nothing wrong with Christians expecting to reap a harvest when they sow. This is for our benefit not HIS.

What is “sowing bountifully” is different from person to person, so we must each hear the LORD specifically for ourselves.

Be giving, don’t simply give-in.

Today, 20 April 2008, Sunday is Passover or Pesach in Israel.

John 12:1-11 (KJV)

1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

5Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

8For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

9Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

10But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;

11Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
We find hearts revealed in John 12:1-11. In the previous chapter, we find that the hearts of the chief priests exposed, they were jealous of Jesus, and wanted to kill him.

The Prodigal Son story tells of how GOD kisses us while we were still dirty — This is the SCANDAL OF GRACE!

Now we find in John 12:2 that now Martha is in the right place.

Jesus Christ brought the OT saints from Abraham’s Bosom / Paradise to Heaven in a cloud as his ascension, and before this event, some of them appeared in Jerusalem (Matt 27:52-53). They probably spoke to Lazarus about his experience in Paradise.

Mary poured out 1 year’s income in that pound of ointment of spikenard and the house was filled with fragrance. Just like the One-North project will be filled with the fragrance of our giving.

King Solomon said: “And the house which I build [is] great: for great [is] our God above all gods.” 2 Chronicles 2:5

In 2 Chronicles 2:9, Solomon said” Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build [shall be] wonderful great.”

‘Now David said, “Solomon my son [is] young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD [must be] exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death.’   1  Chronicles  22:5  (NKJV)

Mary actions revealed  this  about her heart  — No thing is too precious or good to be withheld from Jesus.

In another incident, a prostitute also anointed the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:36-50) using expensive perfume. This prostitute earned her living ‘on her back’ and lost a bit of her soul each time when she did this, and now this income – in the form of the perfume – was now poured out to Jesus. Jesus gave the prostitute back her soul when she poured out the perfume to her.

Judas said pouring out the perfume was waste and that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Some are old men now who did not respond to the LORD’s call when they were young, this is a waste now, as they are old and poor now or publicly rich but private failures in terms of family or health, and are are no longer meet for the Master’s use. This is the rebuttal to those who said it was a waste for Pastor to go ‘full time’ when he was in his early thirties, and a young adult, and should have remained in the secular world for a bit longer.

Those who say – give money to the poor and not to Jesus – actually do not want to give to Jesus at all!

When GOD is gloried in New Creation Church and in One North, this will also cause Singapore to be blessed.

The rain falls on everybody including the wicked. This represents a generic blessing.

Sow in famine especially in these times of food shortage.

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work”
- 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

“And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This [is] the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever [is] of a willing [Hebrew = Nadib or נדיב] heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,”  Exo 35:4-5

The Tabernacle was covered with “badgers’ skins”. In Hebrew, the word translated into English as “badger” refers to dolphin or dugon.

The Children of Israel stock up on these dolphin skin in the Red Sea when crossing it without even knowing that this was for the purpose of building the Tabernacle.

The dolphin skin is a kind of  leather which is very strong and resilient.

“I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.”   Ezekiel  16:10

The Children of Israel used the badgers’ skins to make shoes!

GOD kept his people cool under the pillar of cloud during the period before the conquest of Canaan.

Exodus 35:1-3 (KJV)

1And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.

2Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.

3Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Before GOD talks about giving in Exodus 35:4 onwards, He talks about the rest – the Sabbath. All true giving is borne out of rest.

Jesus is an overpayment. Christians have much more. Adam never addressed God as Father. We in the New Covenant can do so!

Conscience is like a little pebble in the shoe. Sometimes, disease developes because of conscience. By reverting to the Cross, conscience will not have the capacity to punish you.

NADIB  – means willing hearted or generous
1. incited, willing, noble, generous

a. incited, inclined, willing
b. noble, princely (in rank)
c. noble (in mind and character)

NADIB is a cognate to the word NADAB, as in sons of Aaron, NADAB and Abihu

Bible princes don’t charge, they give. When you give, you appear princely.

“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.” Exo 26:14

White/ Blue / Red / Purple on the inside of the Tabernacle covering. However to the world outside, they only see the rugged exterior of dolphin skin.

When the people brought kids to Jesus for him to touch, he always exceeds, and he hugged them.

Jesus is after our Blessing and not our money.

The material for the tabernacle includes: linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skin died red and porpoise/dolphin skin.

The Children of Israel gave their shoes to Jesus so how are they to walk through the wilderness?

“Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, [so that] they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.” Neh 9:21

Israel lacked nothing and their feet did not swell.

In the very area they gave, God Blessed! i.e. the shoes and their feet!

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, [and] they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.” Exodus 35:21

Some brought their clothing to be material for the garments of the high priests, and their clothes never wore out!

“Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.” Deuteronomy 8:4

Shoes come and go but we have only one pair of feet. Same for the rest of the body!

Rather we have healthy body and feet than sickly body and painful feet with nice shoes and clothes. However in the New Covenant, we can have BOTH i.e. nice clothes / shoes and health body / feet.

Kenneth Hagin: TAKE care of your feet, the stronger your feet are, it will carry out forward and the rest of your body in old age.

The clothing grew with the children and people never lacked.

Bronze laver was used to wash feet, hands and face.

Water in the laver is from the smitten rock, which is a picture of the smitten Christ.

Bronze laver is very reflective.

“And he made the laver [of] brass, and the foot of it [of] brass, of the lookingglasses of [the women] assembling, which assembled [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Exodus 38:8

Bronze laver made from the mirrors of the serving women, not every women in Israel. This represented sacrificial giving. Mirrors are an aid in helping women look good. The very area which you give to GOD, GOD blesses! According to the rabbinical tradition, these serving women had more and more children and the LORD took care of their faces and they became very attractive to their husbands.

Likewise in Exodus 1:18-21, the Hebrew midwives also were blessed when they acted sacrificially. Children are a blessing!

In Galilee, Jesus saw Simon Peter’s boat, and He asked him to – lend me your boat – and to – let down your nets. Peter said that he would let down – the net.

GOD wanted to bless Peter with MORE. God blessed Peter and his business partners. To this day, the tilipia is known as St Peter’s fish in the Galilee. The Lord blessed Peter there and then (his present) and in his future (our present). Even today’s generations who run the fish business in Galilee are blessed because the fish is still known as St Peter’s fish and draws business to the restaurants and fishermen.

GOD is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love.

“For [God] giveth to a man that [is] good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to [him that is] good before God. This also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.”   Ecc 2:26

The ministry of those who do not acknowledge GOD are to gather and heap up so as to give to us who are righteous in the Lord. Amen!

Ramifications of giving are translated generations into the future.

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalm 126:5
“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].” Psalm 126:6

©  29 April 2008  Yeo Choon Meng Terence