Overview

1. Introduction: Be conscious of the supply that comes from heaven
2. Receive God’s supply for your needs when you follow His leading
3. God is always supplying His abundant grace to all areas of your life!
4. Experience grace and truth when you encounter Jesus
5. True grace brings supply, healing, well-being, and favor!
6. Salvation Prayer
7. Closing Prayer
8. OWN THE WORD (life application)

Introduction: Be conscious of the supply that comes from heaven

Today we celebrate Singapore’s 57th year of independence! We are blessed to be living in such a great nation. Pastor Prince encourages us to honor what we have and the leaders in our nation.

“nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
—Luke 17:21 NIV

During our Lord Jesus’s earthly ministry, He was always conscious of heaven. Likewise, we ought to be heavenly-minded and bring the consciousness of heaven’s supply to people around us. Because we have Christ, heaven is all around us. We can tap into the supply from heaven to bless others and our nation.

Receive God’s supply for your needs when you follow His leading

We are approaching a time that is similar to the seven years of famine in Genesis 41. When the seven years of famine began, the land of Egypt was famished and the people cried out to Pharaoh for help. His response to them was to go to Joseph, who was the overseer then, and do what Joseph instructed them to do (Gen. 41:55).

In the same way the people had Joseph to guide them, we have our heavenly Joseph, Jesus Christ, to give us His wisdom to overcome the challenges we are facing today. We can receive His supply when we follow His leading and what He instructs us to do.

John 2 records the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. Seeing that the couple had ran out of wine, Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to. Before He turned water into wine, the Lord asked the servants to fill six water pots with water. As the servants obeyed the instructions of Jesus, the miracle happened! Similarly, our supply comes when we follow what the Lord tells us to do.

We see this also in Luke 5:1–11, where Jesus asked His disciples to let down their nets after a futile night of fishing. Even though they had caught nothing the night before, Peter still threw the net into the waters at the Lord’s word. The result of his obedience was a net-breaking, boat-sinking catch of fish! This shows us how the Lord provides for us when we follow His leading. If you are in a season in your career, work, or studies where you are not seeing results, allow the Lord into the situation and let Him lead you!

Receive God’s supply when you follow His leading!

The priority is to always seek our Lord Jesus first, not seek the blessing first. Blessings will follow after us. The Lord’s heart is to provide for every need in our lives! This does not mean that we should be materialistic. God wants to supply us with more than enough so that we can be a blessing to others.

There is more supply than any need you see in your life. There is more health and healing than there is sickness. There is more forgiveness of sins and grace than there is sin in your life. This is the gospel of grace where our confidence is in God and the fullness of His supply!

There is more supply than any need in your life!

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
—John 13:35 NIV

The world will know that we belong to Jesus and be drawn to knowing Him when they see us loving one another. This is best demonstrated when the body of Christ is united. We might differ in some beliefs about doctrine across various denominations (e.g. whether we should be praying in tongues) but that should not lead to discord within the church.

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
—Ephesians 4:3 KJV

While there may not always be unity in doctrine, we can be united in Spirit when we unite around Christ!

“Righteousness exalts a nation . . .”
—Proverbs 14:34 NIV

For a nation to be exalted by righteousness, more people will need to hear the gospel and be saved. The gospel transforms people from the inside out. If there are changes we want to bring about in the world, we start by sharing the gospel.

The four lepers in Samaria
2 Kings 7 talks about a time when the children of Israel were under siege by the Arameans. During this period, the people were starving since their supplies had been exhausted and cut off. When the king of Israel went to confront the prophet Elisha, Elisha prophesied to the king that there would be provision available to them the next day. Yet, the officer of the king remained in disbelief that it would happen.

Around the same time, there were four lepers who were sitting by the gate of Israel.

“Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
—2 Kings 7:3–4 NIV

As the lepers entered the enemy’s camp, God caused the Arameans to scatter, leaving behind their possessions (silver, gold, clothes, and food), which the lepers took and enjoyed. God was simply waiting for someone from Israel to take the first step of faith before providing the miracle for the rest of the people!

“Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”
—2 Kings 7:9 NIV

As the lepers continued to enjoy themselves, they realized they were withholding the good news from the Israelites who were still starving. So they decided to report the good news of the spoils they had found. After confirmation of this good news, the children of Israel received the supply they needed. Likewise, we have to share the Good News with a world that needs Jesus.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
—Romans 10:17 ESV

It is important to guard what we hear. In the world we live in today, we are constantly hearing news from social media, and much of it is bad news. To grow in faith, we need to keep hearing the word of Christ.

Pastor Prince warns us of false teachings that only focus on chasing wealth. Prosperity is not just about money, but it is prospering in our spirit, soul, and body. Because of false teachings, there are some people who are against the teaching that God wants us to prosper. But God has promised us in His Word that He wants to provide for us. Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” This shows God’s heart for us to not be in lack.

God is always supplying His abundant grace to all areas of your life!

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
—2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

“is able to” — This Greek translation for this phrase is “dynatos,” which means “powerful.” It is also in the present tense. This means that God is, right now, powering all grace toward us.

“And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you . . .”
—2 Corinthians 9:8 AMP

This grace that the Lord is supplying to us includes earthly blessings as well!

“abound toward you” — This is how God provides His grace toward us—in an abundant way. Even though we are living in times of instability (e.g. war, impending recession, inflation) we can remain hopeful because God is making and will continue to make all grace abound toward us to supply every lack in our lives.

“Always” — Regardless of the situation we see, be it in good times or bad, God’s abounding grace for us is always constant. It never ceases.

“all sufficiency” — This refers to all areas of our lives. It can also lead to financial supply but money is just a small part of this “all sufficiency.” Financial prosperity is usually a result of us prospering in all other areas of our lives. While we ought not be money-minded, money in itself is not evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. That is what we should be cautious about. We should not go after money but to go after the Lord.

True prosperity is prospering in our souls! The greatest soul prosperity comes from the forgiveness of our sins and having a right standing with God. Prosperity is also having peace of mind and being in health. We prosper in our souls before we prosper outwardly (3 John 1:2).

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
—2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

“all things” — This includes all spiritual and earthly blessings.

“may have an abundance for every good work” — It is only when we are full that we can overflow. It is difficult to be a blessing to others when we ourselves are lacking. God wants us to be full so that we can be a blessing to others!

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.”
—John 1:16 NKJV

Pastor Prince shares a video of waves to illustrate how God supplies His grace to us—just like waves on the seashore are never-ending, God supplies wave after wave after wave of His grace to us! We receive from the fullness of our Lord Jesus. Every time a supply of grace seems to run out, another wave of grace comes upon us.

There is a grace for every season in our lives. For example, some of us may not feel prepared for parenthood. But God will be able to supply us with the desire for children and the grace we need to be good parents when the time comes.

Experience grace and truth when you encounter Jesus

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
—John 1:17 NKJV

“the law was given . . . grace and truth came” — The law was given from a distance, while grace and truth came to us personally.

There are some people who make a distinction between grace and truth. But the distinction is actually between law and grace, not grace and truth. From this verse, we can see that grace and truth are on the same side.

The law is about us doing/performing, while grace is about us receiving what Christ has already done for us. Unless we abide in the Lord, we cannot do anything (John 15:4–5). Jesus is the Source of all the good works we can do. We have to first receive from Him. The more we rest in His finished work, the more we see His supply flow in our lives!

—

Those who make a distinction between grace and truth often present God’s truth as harsh and grace as the tender and merciful side of God. While it is true that there will be a final judgment, this is not the “truth” that is referred to in John 1:17. Instead, “grace and truth” here refers to true grace.

“grace and truth came” — In the original Greek translation of this phrase, “grace and truth” are actually referred to as a singular unit, since they are followed by the singular verb translated as “came.”

Grace and truth (i.e. true grace), is about us receiving God’s goodness through unmerited favor. This means that even though we do not deserve it and cannot work for it, we can still receive the supply that God has for us.

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth (‘hesed ve emet’) came through Jesus Christ.”
—John 1:17 NKJV

“grace and truth” — The Hebrew translation for this phrase is “hesed ve emet.” This Hebrew phrase is frequently found in the Old Testament. Every time this phrase is used, it refers to something good that happened. It is not used to compare God’s tenderness with His toughness.

“Truth” — The Greek translation for this word is “alētheia,” which means “reality.” Grace was present in the Old Testament but it was always hidden in types and shadows. However, under the new covenant today, grace is our present reality because of our Lord Jesus. When you encounter the person of Jesus, you experience grace! Our Lord Jesus is grace manifested in reality.

Experience grace when you encounter the person of Jesus.

“Grace and truth” hidden in the Old Testament
2 Samuel 1 records David mourning over the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan who were killed in a battle against the Philistines. As their bodies were hung unceremoniously by the enemies, David wanted to prepare a proper burial to honor them.

“So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed of the Lord because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. And now may the Lord show kindness and truth (‘hesed ve emet’) to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.”
—2 Samuel 2:5–6 NASB

Hearing that the men of Jabesh-gilead had already done a proper burial for them, David was deeply touched and blessed them saying, “May the Lord show kindness and truth.” The Hebrew translation of this phrase is “hesed ve emet.” The use of this phrase here shows us that “kindness and truth” here refers to God’s unmerited favor and is not a harsh truth that others claim it to be.

Another example of where “grace and truth” is found in the Old Testament is in the story of Jacob in Genesis 32. After cheating his brother Esau of his first-born blessing, Jacob fled, fearing that Esau would kill him. When he left home, Jacob had nothing with him but a bag of clothes and a staff. From a place of nothingness, God restored and blessed Jacob with a huge family and much livestock.

“Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies (‘hesed’) and of all the truth (‘emet’) which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.”
—Genesis 32:9–10 NKJV

“All the mercies and of all the truth” — The Hebrew translation for the word mercies and truth are “hesed” and “emet” respectively. The result of Jacob receiving God’s grace and truth was prosperity in terms of family blessings! When true grace manifests in our lives, good things happen to us!

True grace brings supply, healing, well-being, and favor!

“Grace and truth” hidden in the Old Testament (continued)
“Let not mercy and truth (‘hesed ve emet’) forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.”
—Proverbs 3:3–4 NKJV

“Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart” — Under the new covenant today, God writes His mercy and truth on our hearts.

Grace and truth came in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Where grace and truth (true grace) is, there will be supply, healing, grace, favor, and long-life! We can receive these blessings when we expose ourselves to Jesus.

Every time we go to the Lord in prayer, grace and truth is imparted to us. This also happens when we go to church (where the corporate anointing is) and hear the preached word of Christ. When grace and truth is imparted to us, good things happen! These blessings can manifest in the form of supply, healing, well-being for our families, and harmonious relationships instead of strife.

“Let not mercy and truth (‘hesed ve emet’) forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.”
—Proverbs 3:3–4 NKJV

Grace and truth also gives us favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. We do not need to strive for man’s approval of us when we already have favor with God. Instead of focusing on these things, we should focus on the Lord and continually expose ourselves to God’s grace and truth—true grace which came by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 24 records the story of Abraham’s servant helping Isaac look for a life partner. This was the prayer that the servant prayed to God:

“Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success (‘qarah’) this day, and show kindness (‘hesed’) to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.”
—Genesis 24:12–13 NKJV

“Success” — The Hebrew translation for this word is “qarah,” which means “opportune/good happening.” This is a practical prayer we can pray not just to find a life partner but also for success in every area! Pastor Prince encourages us to pray this every day before we leave our homes and when we embark on a new season in our careers.

After God led the servant to Rebekah (who later became Isaac’s wife), the servant gave thanks saying:

“And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy (‘hesed’) and His truth (‘emet’) toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
—Genesis 24:27 NKJV

Again, we see “hesed ve emet” being used. This shows us that when grace and truth manifests in our lives, our ways prosper.

And not only do we become successful, but we also receive healing. We see this demonstrated in Mark 10:46–52 where Jesus healed Bartimaeus in Jericho.

Bartimaeus, whose name translates to “son of the unclean,” was a blind beggar. It is likely that Bartimaeus was the son of a man who had tried to rebuild the city of Jericho. When Joshua destroyed Jericho, Joshua pronounced a curse over anyone who would try to rebuild Jericho (Josh. 6:26). This tells us that Bartimaeus was a man under the curse which resulted in his blindness. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus had come to Jericho, he cried out:

“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
—Mark 10:47 NKJV

“Mercy” — The Hebrew translation for this word is “ḥānan” which means grace. Bartimaeus’ one cry for the Lord’s grace was all it took for him to be healed!

Not only was Bartimaeus healed of his blindness, but he was also completely transformed because of his encounter with the Lord. He removed himself from his identity as a beggar and followed Jesus wherever He went. You cannot stay the same after you expose yourself to Jesus—every curse in your life is destroyed, and every lack and sickness goes away.

Pastor Prince ends the service by declaring “hesed ve emet” (grace and truth) over the congregation.

Salvation Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I confess Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior. And I thank You that Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead when I was justified. Thank You, Father. You are now my Father, and I am Your son forevermore. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Closing Prayer

“This coming week, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, may each and every one of you, your loved ones, and your family members, experience His “hesed ve emet”—the reality of grace in your life, in every area. When it happens, give thanks and glorify Him. Take note of it. Many good things are going to happen, especially this week. When they happen, take note and give thanks to the Lord. When these good things happen, tell yourself this is “hesed ve emet,” this is grace and truth manifesting, and give Jesus the praise and the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

OWN THE WORD (Life Application)

In these times of instability and uncertainty, it’s easy to feel worried and anxious. Beloved, regardless of the circumstances you may find yourself in, know that God’s grace toward you is never-ending. His supply is unceasing. You can hope to see fresh provision, empowerment, and success every day, especially in the areas you are worried about.

This week, start each day by meditating on this verse:

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
—2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

Don’t rush through the verse, but take time to ponder on each phrase. As these words fill your heart, be conscious of how your heavenly Father is, at every moment, supplying you and powering you up with an abundance of His grace.

Whenever you find yourself in a difficult or stressful situation, take a step back and remember this verse. Whether it is a financial situation, a health challenge, a conflict at work, or a strained relationship with a loved one, see the Lord’s abundant grace flow into that situation and bring provision, deliverance, and healing.

This is one way you can practically receive the “true grace” that the Lord is continually supplying to you, and see it bring about the breakthroughs and turnarounds you could never produce on your own!

We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.

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These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.