John 3:27
“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
Everything a person receives comes from God. Otherwise, we would receive nothing. People in the world today don’t believe in God. They believe in themselves “as long as I study and work hard, I’ll be able to get rich” “at the very least I’ll have a house, a car, a wife, and money”. So people try all ways and means, whether it’s worshipping caishenye or saibaba to upgrade their houses from HDB to condo to landed properties.

They attribute all their wealth and success to their own effort and the gods of prosperity they’ve been worshipping. They don’t recognise all these come from God.

We are Christians and we believe everything we have comes from God. This is the manifestation of our faith.

Heb 11:6
“Without faith, it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

As the Israelites were travelling to Canaan through the wilderness, God gave them water from stones to drink. For 40 years in the wilderness without planting crops, God provided food for them to eat.

In our Spiritual Meeting that just passed, one packet costs about $4. If breakfast is $2, lunch and dinner is $4 each, then one spends roughly $10 a day. There were 2million Israelites, this means per day requires $20million. For 365 days a year, $7.3billion is needed. For 40 years, you need $292billion. Even if that much money is available, where in the wilderness can you find such a source of food? It’s because of the providence of God that they had manna to eat and water to drink. The mercy of God is miraculous.

During the day, God gave them a pillar of cloud to protect them from the sun and guide them. In the night, a pillar of fire to keep them warm.

By the grace of God, their shoes and sandals didn’t wear out.

The act of Moses leading the Israelites across the Red Sea prefigures baptism (1 Cor 10:1-2). Today for us Christians, we are just like the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea. God gave us everything and blessed us. Just like how He was gracious to the Israelites. Until the day we enter our heavenly land Canaan.

As such we need to learn not to murmur against God like the Israelites. Let us learn to give thanks. If we can recognise all things we have today is from God, we’d be grateful, and wouldn’t be proud.

3 things God has given to us:

1. All the wealth we have today comes from God
   God gave farmers a good house. Farmers’ profession are very dependent on the weather and season. If there’s a drought for that year, we would not have any harvest.

Psa 85:12
“Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase.”

Gen 26:12
God allowed Isaac to reap a hundredfold of harvest.

Luke 5:1-7
Jesus Christ borrowed Peter’s fishing boat as a platform for him to speak. After doing so, Jesus allows Peter to have 2 boastful of fish.

After Jesus resurrected, Peter and a few other disciples when to catch fish. They didn’t catch anything. But Jesus Christ blessed the disciples with 155 fish (John 21:6).

We’re neither farmers nor fishermen. We mostly work in offices or do business. We experience less of the blessing of God in comparison to farmers and fishermen. It seems like everything we have comes solely from the effort we put in in our office.

Deut 8:18
It is God who gives us the power to gain wealth, and for this we should give thanks.

Job 1:21
Besides giving thanks to God, what else should we do? Learn to gladly offer to God.

1 Chron 29:10-14
“But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.”
We should emulate what David said.

Many people dislike offering because they think offering means less in their pocket. But what’s the teaching of God in the Bible?

Prov 3:9-10
If we willingly offer to God, we’ll be blessed more abundantly.

Mal 3:8-10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Giving a tenth of what we have is our basic duty as a child of God. If we don’t offer willingly to God, we will be in want.

Deut 28:47-48
If we don’t serve God gladly in our hearts when we’re in abundance, we will suffer after that. The one who was given 5 talents was expected to give back 5 more. The one who was given 1 talent was expected to give less. Poor man Lazarus had nothing. But the rich man while clothed in purple and gold, lived in prosperity every day and enjoyed the blessing of God personally, did not offer much, and didn’t even help beggar Lazarus. Because of that, he ended in Hades.

A brother was very faithful. He was even the youth chairman for a while. He went overseas to study and soon after started a business. Because he was wealthy and was of a high status, the church used him. In 1985, when they were planning for budget and there was a gap in funds, Bro Wang stood up and offered a million to IA to breach this gap. All the delegates there and then applauded. However, Bro Wang didn’t keep his promise. After some time, his business turned for the worse. He even had problems with his partners and housing developers, and they ended up in court. His business went downhill from then. He couldn’t liquify his assets in time. From then, he migrated overseas and didn’t go to church anymore sadly.

Prov 23:5
We need to learn to give thanks. And all the more we need to learn to offer. Because it is the Lord who gives and takes away.

1. Wisdom comes from God too
   People think wisdom is innate. That’s why there’re prodigies. There’re some children who pick things up faster while others struggle to pick up concepts. How important is the wisdom/intelligence God has blessed us with?

Prov 3:13-15
Gold and silver refer to money, one of the most powerful things. But wisdom is something that cannot be bought with wisdom? How do we gain wisdom then?

Psa 111:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.”

When we obey/keep the Lord’s commandments, we have good understanding. We see that God blessed Joseph with wisdom to be able to explain the gifts of Pharaoh. God also gave King Solomon wisdom, because he asked for wisdom to be able to govern the people of God (1 Kings 3:7-12).

We have a rough understanding of the story of King Solomon. We also see God has given Daniel wisdom.

Daniel 1:17-20
Four young men were given knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom.

In the New Testament, wisdom refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 1:30
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is our wisdom. As long as we follow His teaching, we will gain wisdom.

Jas 1:5
If we find ourselves lacking in wisdom, we need to pray to ask for wisdom. We can ask God for wisdom to better understand the teachings/word of God.

There an Indian brother called Arasuratman. He’s a professor in the university. In 2015, the IA wanted find the roots of the True Jesus Church. This brother shared that when he was young, he came from a very poor family. They stayed in the rubber plantation and his parents were rubber tappers. He wasn’t doing so well in school, and he wasn’t so gifted in academics. He was always in the last place. After coming into contact to some children from the True Jesus Church and going, he and his older sister came to believe. He said that after he believed, his brain changed. He did better in school. From last place, he became first place in class. He went to university and was offered a scholarship to study in UK. He then returned to teach in the university.

To students: it is okay to ask God for wisdom.

Like Joseph who gave glory to God when he was praised by Pharaoh for being able to interpret his dream, all we have is also given by God.

Learn to be like the craftsmen God bestowed gifts upon to build His temple. They used it to serve Him.

Third things we have received from God:

1. Children
   Psa 127:3
   “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

Gen 33:5
If we don’t have children after marriage, we can ask God for children, since they are meant to be a blessing. Hannah was barren and was provoked by Penninah, her husband’s other wife. She prayed to God for a child and promised that if she were given one, she would dedicate him to Him.

Isaac got married at 40. He prayed for his barren wife Rebekah for 20 years and when he was 60, she gave birth to twins.

For people who have children, learn to bring your children up well.

Prov 22:6
Sis Karen Lo bore testimony on how she received her first child from God. She was diagnosed to have hornkola imbalance. Her womb position was too low. She had endometriosis. Unless she was operated on, she had no chance of giving birth to children. The doctor couldn’t guarantee the operation would settle her issues. They went for a second opinion but the second doctor also couldn’t settle her issues. She was very sad because she loved children and wanted her own. She stopped treatment because it was expensive and she was losing hope. Then she remembered that Abraham had a child when he was 100years, she was only 40 years old. “I still have 60 years of opportunity!”

She came to the conclusion that it’s okay not to have a child if she could keep a faith like Abraham.

She also told herself that the children in church were also her children. She was no longer sad.

A few years later she realised her stomach was getting bigger and felt hard. She did a few pregnancy tests but it was negative. She saw a few GPs and they diagnosed that she had a tumour in her womb.

She prayed. “I believe You’re the God who created the heavens and earth. If You’re willing, You’ll put a child in my womb. If it’s not Your will, I’ll go for the endometriosis surgery.”

The next day, she visited a doctor affiliated to her company. The doctor said, “Miss, why have you delayed this surgery for so long when your stomach is so big already?”

She asked very sadly, “Is it possible it’s a child inside instead?”

When he checked, he said he heard a heartbeat!

From the doctor’s diagnosis that she couldn’t give birth, she’s now a proud mother of two.

God has blessed us with many things in our lives.

1. All property comes from God
2. Wisdom and intelligence comes from God
3. Children are from the Lord

May we understand that all things come from the Lord. If we learn to give thanks, we will not take His grace for granted nor feel proud about the blessings God has lavished on us. When we are grateful, we will learn to serve even more. When Jesus comes again, we’ll be blessed even more abundantly.