These are notes on the sermon, Fresh Supply For Today’s Needs, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 3 July 2022, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince starts the service by sharing a personal experience he had with the Lord that led to his decision to start the Gospel Partner Initiative.
There was one night when Pastor Prince could not sleep at night and decided to talk to the Lord. Sometimes when we can’t sleep at night, it might be because the Lord wants to talk to us. Just like how Samuel was taught by Eli to hear God’s voice (1 Sam. 3), Pastor Prince encourages us to learn to hear from God by asking, “Lord, speak, I am listening.” When we do so, the Lord might give us a vision, a word, or drop a desire into our hearts to do something.
Take time to ask the Lord what He wants to speak to you about. Many times we miss out on what the Lord wants to speak to us about because we do not know His ways, especially in the area of hearing from Him. It is often during the night in our sleep that God opens our ears and seals His instructions (Job 33:16). This might be because we are too busy during the day and are distracted by our phones all the time. Even in the free time that we have, we don’t meditate.
Going back to Pastor Prince’s conversation with the Lord: as he asked the Lord to speak to him, the Lord grew in his heart a desire for the Gospel to go out faster, louder, and stronger. This led to the start of the Gospel Partner initiative. Pastor Prince shares his appreciation for the Gospel Partners in helping to get the gospel out to reach the four corners of the earth.
The events that happened in the Bible were written for our admonition (1 Cor. 10:11). These events/stories are also types and patterns that we can learn from.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
—Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV
The same crises that were faced by the people in the Bible are the same crises that we are facing today. The troubles that we are facing today are not new. God’s wisdom for our troubles today can be found in His Word!
Genesis 41:26–27 talks about seven years of famine and seven years of plenty that preceded them. In our times, we are beginning to enter the seven years of famine. When we study what happened, we avail ourselves of the same resources and wisdom that God gave Joseph to overcome the seven years of famine.
The things which have been are the things that will be. We are living in a time that is similar to Noah’s time before the flood, where the thoughts of men’s hearts were evil continually (Gen. 6:5). Jesus says in Matthew 24:37–39 that before He returns, it will be as the days of Noah, where men will become more evil and rebellious against God, and refuse to acknowledge God.
As we are coming to those times, it is important for us to raise our children like Noah did. Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house by faith (Heb. 11:7). In the same way, we can prepare our house by sharing about Jesus with our children, e.g. reading to them and encouraging them in the Word. Every word or action where we portray the Lord to our children is akin to putting another plank on the ark. We do not need to be pastors to be able to do this. All of us ought to spend time in God’s Word. To equip ourselves to study God’s Word, we can also sign up for Grace Academy which covers all kinds of teachings that are relevant to our lives today.
“After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.”
—Hosea 6:2 NKJV
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
—2 Peter 3:8 NKJV
In Hosea 6, we see that the Lord will raise us up on the third day. Following the principle in 2 Pet. 3:8, “after two days” means 2,000 years after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and “the third day” refers to the times our generation is living in!
“He will revive us” — The Hebrew translation for “revive” is “ḥāyâ” which means to give life, heal, and restore. It will be a time of restoration on the third day.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
—Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV
This principle in Ecclesiastes 1:9 was given to assist us to understand what is happening in the world today and to draw wisdom from God to handle the troubles that we see.
Hezekiah’s healing
“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.”
—2 Kings 20:5 NKJV
During this time, King Hezekiah had fallen severely ill. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to instruct Hezekiah to set his house in order for he was going to die (Isa. 38). This news left Hezekiah devastated and he cried out to the Lord. Then, the Lord sent Isaiah back to Hezekiah to let him know that the Lord had heard his prayer, seen his tears, and would surely heal him.
In the same way, the Lord heard Hezekiah, He hears our prayers. He sees every tear we cry, including those that we hold back, even in times we think no one sees us.
Even though God had ordained for Hezekiah to die at that time, the Lord told Hezekiah that He would surely heal him after hearing his prayer. In the same way, Hezekiah talked with God, we too can bring our petitions and negotiate with God when we pray. For example, if there are things that we are worried about for ourselves and our families, we can ask the Lord to not let these things catch us by surprise. We have not because we ask not.
“On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.” — As we see the day of the Lord drawing near, the more we should gather in the house of the Lord, i.e. the church.
The shepherds were the first people who knew that our Lord Jesus was born. In the same way, the shepherds, who are our leaders and pastors today, will be the first group of people who will know when the Lord is returning for us. As our shepherd, Pastor Prince urges us that we are seeing the day approaching more and more.
The Bible tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves as we see that the day of the Lord’s return draws near. There is power when we gather together. The church is where the dew of Hermon (which refers to God’s favor) and the anointing of the Holy Spirit is found. When we gather, great things happen. Just like how miracles happened when the early church gathered as seen in the book of Acts, miracles will happen when we gather together!
Luke 2:25–35 talks about a man named Simeon, who lived a good old age until he saw Jesus face to face. This is a picture of the generation of Christians who will be alive and remain (which means they have lived long) until they see the Lord’s return. They are not alive just because they are young but because they know secrets from the Lord to be alive and live long. They live in the promise of Deuteronomy 33:25b, which says “as your days increase, as shall your strength be.” This is the promise God has for us today!
There are many parallels between what happened in 2 Kings and the times we are living in today. As seen from 2 Kings 20:5 (Hezekiah’s story), we know that there will be healing on the third day. This means that in the third-day generation, which all of us belong to, there will be healing!
Not just healing, but also provision.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
—Psalm 119:105 KJV
This is God’s way of leading us. He does not lead us by showing us all the events that will unfold. Instead, the Lord leads us step by step. When we trust the Lord in faith and take each step with Him, the path that we are on will become brighter and brighter. There are some things happening around us that we might not understand. But we need not worry because things will get clearer as we take each step with the Lord. Even though there might be some provisions that we do not have right now, we need not worry because the provision will come.
God’s timely provision as seen in these Old and New Testament stories:
The crossing of the river Jordan (Josh. 3), Samson defeating an army of Philistines (Judg. 15:14–16), the healing of ten men with leprosy (Luke 17:11–19), Jesus turning water into wine (John 2), Jesus giving Peter a net-breaking catch of fishes (Luke 5:1–10)
Joshua 3:11–16 talks about the story of the children of Israel crossing the river Jordan. At the time when God instructed them to step into the waters, the river Jordan was overflowing with water. Yet, God did not stop the water or part the waters until the sole of the priests’ feet entered the waters. This shows us that God does not supply in advance of our needs. Instead, He supplies when we are face-to-face with our obstacles. God does not show us the miracle before we step right into it. This is how God supplies—He wants us dependent on Him all the time, in every situation.
Pastor Prince shares how nervous he used to be when he first started preaching and how he would memorize his entire sermon line by line. It was not until he started depending on the Lord as he was preaching that the Lord put strength and anointing in him to preach well. Even though he was a stammerer, the Lord still used him and manifested His strength in Pastor Prince’s weakness.
Another example of how the Lord’s strength is manifested in our weakness is seen in the story of Samson in Judges 15:14–16. Even though Samson did not have an exceptional physique, he was able to take down a huge army of 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey when the Lord came upon him with power.
Luke 17:11–19 records the story of ten men with leprosy approaching Jesus to be healed. Jesus’ response to them was to show themselves to the priest. During Jesus’ time, one only goes to the priest to be examined when they are sick in order to determine the sickness, not to be examined for healing. What Jesus did was to show the ten men that as they trusted the Lord and acted in faith, they would be healed along the way. In Luke 17:14, we see that as the ten men went to the priest, they were cleansed. This shows us that provision (in this case, healing) comes at the “last” or right moment.
John 2 records the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. Before He turned water into wine, the Lord asked the servants to fill six water pots with water. The number six represents the number of man. This signifies how we (man) have to be filled with the water of the Word before God can turn it into wine! The water only became wine as the servants obeyed the instructions of Jesus and took the jars to the governor of the feast. 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. Even though they had caught nothing after a whole night of fishing, 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.
There are some people who are against the teaching that God wants us to prosper. But the Bible shows us His heart to provide for us. Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
“Want” — This not only refers to our needs but includes our wants. Whatever lack there might be in our lives, the Lord wants us to provide for us. This does not mean that we should be materialistic. God does not want us to be so. We cannot serve both God and money.
Prospering does not only refer to monetary gain. God’s command to Adam was to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). This does not just refer to having children but to be fruitful and productive wherever He has placed us.
We ought to serve the company and our bosses that the Lord has put above us and to honor them. Some people might feel like their leaders, governors, or bosses do not deserve their respect. But the Bible tells us that we ought to honor the leadership and authority that is placed above us (Rom. 13). It’s not about whether we like them or whether they are perfect, but it’s about choosing to honor the God-appointed leaders in our lives. Our Lord Jesus demonstrated this during His time on earth as well. Even at the young age of twelve, the Lord was smarter than the Rabbis who were questioning Him. Yet, He recognized that it was not the appropriate time for Him to teach them. Instead, He waited for them to ask Him questions before He spoke.
When Mary and Joseph came looking for Jesus at the temple, He was subject unto them and went with them. The Bible tells us that because the Lord chose to honor His earthly parents, He increased in wisdom and stature, and favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). Likewise, we can honor our bosses for the Lord’s sake and He will take care of us.
Going back to Joshua 3:11–16, we see that supply comes as we obey the Lord and flow with Him. While there may sometimes be delays, God allows us to go through seasons of waiting because He wants us to depend on Him. Just like how we pray to receive our daily bread, the Lord wants us to talk to Him daily and be reliant on Him.
During their time in the desert (Exod. 16), the Lord provided the children of Israel with daily manna. Even though they were instructed to not save their manna for the next day, some of them still hoarded it, which led to maggots growing. The children of Israel did this out of fear while the Lord wanted them to trust Him. Just like the children of Israel, the Lord wants us to trust Him because He will provide for us every day. Even with the rising costs of living, we need not fear because God is more than able to oversupply for every need in our lives.
“Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.”
—Genesis 22:4 NKJV
This was the time when the Lord asked Abraham to take Isaac to the land of Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice. Before Abraham was about to offer Isaac, the Lord stopped Abraham. God stopped Abraham from offering his son so that He could show Abraham that it was He who would offer His only begotten Son for us. After the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and provided a ram to be sacrificed instead, Abraham named Mount Moriah “Jehovah Jireh” which translates to “the Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14).
We, the third-day generation, will experience God’s healing and provision. Calvary (likely to be the highest point of Mount Moriah) is where all our supply is found! Our Lord Jesus’ finished work at Calvary has provided for us forgiveness of sins, the gift of righteousness, healing for our bodies, peace for our minds, peace that garrisons our hearts and minds from worries, cares, anxieties, and depression, and prosperity (which means more than enough supply) that allows us to be a blessing to others.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
—Matthew 6:24 NKJV
Mammon here refers to money. We cannot serve God and money. But it does not mean that we will be poor or be in lack when we serve God. The servants of God mentioned in the Bible were never in lack.
“Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”
—Mark 10:28–30 NKJV
“See, we have left all and followed You.” — This statement was made from a poverty mindset that the disciples had, fearing that they would not have enough after leaving everything they had to follow Jesus.
In response to Peter’s concerns, the Lord assured them that they would receive a hundredfold of whatever they had sacrificed for His sake and the gospel’s. Likewise, when we make sacrifices for the Lord (e.g. time away from our loved ones to serve), we will receive a hundredfold!
“now in this time” — We won’t have to wait till we go to heaven to enjoy these provisions from the Lord. We get to enjoy them in this lifetime!
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life . . .”
—Matthew 6:24–25 NKJV
We cannot serve both God and money. But this does not mean we will be in lack when we serve Him. There are some people who are only concerned with building their wealth and choose to sacrifice time with their families. This is the opposite of what the Lord wants us to do, which is to live our lives for His sake and the gospel’s.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying some luxury in life but our endless pursuit of wealth and material possessions (e.g. expensive watches and cars) will not bring us peace. When we are obsessed with making money, we are left restless and stressed. This does not mean that God doesn't want us to have money. He just doesn’t want money to have us. He does not want us to worry about provision.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
—Matthew 6:34 NKJV
He wants you to live in the present. Some people live in the past by saying things like, “If only I knew this . . .” or “If only I was born in a richer family,” etc. Others live in the future, being concerned about things that might happen, questioning, “What if this were to happen . . .” Proponents of mental health say that people who can live in the present are mentally healthy. Jesus knew this during His time, and that’s why He spoke about it in Matthew 6.
The supply that the Lord has given us today is not to be used for tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, the grace will be there—just like how the Israelites received manna every day.
“Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.”
—Luke 9:16–17 NKJV
Through this miracle where Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, He is showing us how His more-than-enough provision comes into our lives. Observing the actions of Jesus, there were five things that He did:
Jesus provided so much food for the people that there were even twelve baskets full leftover!
“Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
—John 6:5–7 NKJV
“not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little” — When the disciples first saw the crowd, their first solution was to buy food for these people. Yet seeing the crowd, they still thought that the food they could buy would not be enough. They had a scarcity mentality. But Jesus had a better, higher solution—He multiplied the food.
“Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.”
—Luke 9:16 NLT
“And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples again and again, to serve the crowd.”
—Luke 9:16 NASB
Notice when the multiplication happened. Not in the hands of the disciples, but in His hands!
“gave them to the disciples again and again” — This shows us that the disciples had to keep going back to the Lord to take more food to give to the crowd.
The supply that we need will surely come, but we must be in a position where we can receive from the Lord. We must be going before the Lord to receive our provision! In many portions of Scripture, we see that whenever someone came into Jesus’ presence, they received the supply that they needed. Those who were weak were strengthened. Those who were sick were healed.
His grace supplies. Because the Lord keeps on giving, we have to keep on going back to Him! Nothing takes the Lord by surprise. While there is a lot of instability in the times we are living in, the Lord is still present with us. Even in the face of these troubles, we need not worry and just have to be in His presence to receive from Him!
“Heavenly Father, I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is my Lord. And I believe in my heart that because Christ died for my sins, He died in my place. And on the third day, You raised Him from the dead. That was the time I was justified. It was because You justified me from all my sins, acquitted me from them all, that Jesus was raised from the dead. Thank You, Father, I am now a child of God. All my sins are forgiven. Fill me now with Your Holy Spirit, teach me to follow You all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
“The Lord bless you this coming week, you and your loved ones. The Lord bless you with the blessings of father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, the blessings of Psalm 23. The Lord bless you with the land flowing with milk and honey, and let it manifest in the days to come. The Lord bless you and the Lord keep you, preserve you and your families throughout this week, from every harm and danger, from evil people, and from all the powers of darkness. The Lord lift up His countenance, smile on You, and impart into your heart and into the hearts of your families His wonderful shalom peace, to guard your heart and mind from worry, fear, and care throughout this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Is there an area in your life where you are still waiting for the answers to come? Is there a financial need, sickness, or a challenge you are facing today? Beloved, the Lord is more than able to abundantly supply you with all that you need.
This week, take time to be in the presence of our Lord Jesus and talk to Him about the needs you are facing daily. In His presence, the supply for every need in our lives is found—peace from every care and worry, strength to overcome anxiety and depression, healing for any condition, and provision for every financial need.
The Lord provides His grace and fresh supply for you day by day, so don’t worry about tomorrow. You can cast your cares upon Him and trust that He will meet you right where you are every day. Instead of worrying about the future or ruminating about the past, live in the present moment where the Lord wants you to enjoy the grace He has for you today. Even in the midst of your challenge, take it step by step in faith knowing that the Lord will take care of every need when it arises. Beloved, your Good Shepherd will lead you every step of the way and you will not be in lack.
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.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2022
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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