Well, greet you all in the blessed name of our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Well, while studying how to manage resources, you must understand that resources go beyond material things. So it's not about money. It's about life. It's about recognising that everything we are and have, all belong to God. We are not owners. God is the owner. We are just stewards and trusted with the resources that God has blessed us, and that's why we have covered what is time, and what is spiritual gift.
And we have a responsibility, you know, when we have the time and spiritual gift, entrusted to us, and one day we will have to account for them. So let us go to the Lord in prayer and to ask the Lord to bless us.
Our Father in heaven, we come before thy holy presence, to seek thy blessing. That thou may fill our heart, our mind, with thy word. That, O Lord, we may know how to be faithful stewards. For we know and acknowledge, the owner, the source of all that we have, is thee, not ours. But thou hast entrusted time, as well as the spiritual gift, for the benefit of Christ's people.
O Lord, we pray that this message of how we ought to manage resources will remind us of the privilege and honour that thou hast put in our hands to be good stewards. Lord, we pray that we will be found faithful. We pray that we will not divert, to know thy will. And that thy name will be highly magnified and glorified.
Find out, O Lord, about our sins, and help us to be doers of thy word and not hearers only. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Now, resources often employ money. But there is a broader understanding of resources which God has entrusted to his people. Although I would like to share with you 4 main categories of resources.
The 1st resource is what we commonly know, the material resources. So when we think of material resources, we think of money, we think of property, we think of possession. So these are the resources that we can see with our eyes. The thing that we possess, you know, the thing that we hold in our hands.
Okay, money, when your parents give you pocket money, the money that you can use to buy food, to buy things. And money that you can save up as well, right? Maybe you have your piggy bank, where you, the, the, the money that you, you have, maybe in notes or coins, you put into the piggy bank, and you save it up.
Or sometimes the resources can also come in in terms of gift kind. When you're young, you receive soft toys, so you have your soft toy collection. Of course, for boys, it'll be your toy cars, or toy airplane, or more complicated, you know, because of the influence of, you know, Hollywood, you know, you have the Transformer, you have all kinds of, I don't know, what is the latest? I'm not sure.
Because my girl, she's not a boy, so she will love soft boy. The latest one, I think, in Japan, you know, there was this little monkey called Punch, right? So this Punch was very pitiful because the mother abandoned. The mother refused to nurse this little monkey, although this monkey is her own, but somehow, do not want to show any love.
So this little monkey Punch found comfort with a soft, soft point, you know, the, you were from IKEA, you know, the big soft point monkey. So this Punch found comfort. So that becomes a sensational or something that shook the world, people flop from all over the world, just to go and to see this Punch.
Well, my girl like this Punch. So actually online, I try to buy for her this soft point to keep as a memory. No, but... Couldn't couldn't find. In fact, I found, okay, but they cancelled the order. I don't know why, maybe in demand, yeah, in demand.
I thought we like this, you know, this, this thing, then we keep them. You possess them. You think that we like, think that we own them. So the material resources from young, we have an opportunity to project some of these things. But then as we grow older, the possession that we have changes.
Okay, from this toys, we will become just collected. We no longer collect them as much. But it will be more meaningful, more valuable in terms of the cost. And of course, money, money will be 1st and foremost. You need money, you need money to buy things, more and the basic necessities.
You begin to save up, save up to maybe for a house, for a car, for something that is more important. So material resources are important, so we know how to take care of them well, to use them well, to protect them well, so that we will not lose them.
First for, for those to try to try the way that means to multiply their possession, multiply the money. Or they want to take shortcut. So what is your shortcut? Gambling. So it had been very popular because they are, they are those to a lot of windfall, you know, because of gambling. So overnight they become rich, so they don't have everything they have.
But not many, not because we know how gambling works. Maybe out of hundred, only a couple of them become weeks overnight. What about the rest? The rats will still try their luck, huh? To keep on pouring money to the, hopefully one day, they will get a windfall. They will get rich overnight.
In fact, the... So, in Macau, well, the, it's a casino kingdom. Beside Las Vegas. Oto Macau, there was this Hong Kong tycoon. What is name? Is it Stanley or something other? But he passed away already.
So someone asked him, do you gamble, no? Because your casino tycoon? Oh, he says, I will never gamble. But he owned the casino. He's a casino tycoon. Then the reporter asked, why didn't you gamble? Because I know what gambling is like.
But he says out of 10, only one will win. The rest are all losers. So that's how he got his riches. He doesn't mind that one being rich, his focus is on the loser, because the losers pour in the money, and that's where they get their income, right? The revenue are all from the losers.
Okay? So they don't mind? A few of them getting rich, because of gambling. Actually, he actually says, because of the laws, from the perspective of the loser. I already put in for much. No, I cannot let go. I might win back.
So when they win back, won back the money, they thought that maybe time is going to be better. To gamble even more. That's how they get hope. So they will not be satisfied.
So even the one who have won is on gambler. Okay, so he may end up being a loser in the end.
Okay. So in the end, who is the winner? The tycoon himself. So that's why he will only become richer. Okay, richer and richer and richer and richer.
Most people are like, you know, the loser. They talk on to get rich overnight. But that's not the way we take care of our resources, you know, because your gambling, the thing that God has given to you away. You are putting your family at risk as well.
How many primaries have been broken up because of this gambling? Beside drug abuse, you know, gambling is another terrible vice, okay? We must avoid, you know, at all costs.
So as steward, we must not gamble. No, we must not trust in luck. We may be lacking in some way. We may not have all the luxurious enjoyment. But God knows what he's doing. He gave up exactly what we need.
All we need to do is to walk by faith, not by sight. Pray for your parent, because right now you are still studying, and education requires the resources.
It's not free. Before we, we pay for the lot provision. For our parent, you know, it's job responsibility. So we, we do not have that responsibility right now, okay, for some of you, while still studying. But at the same time, you know, you know that all these are God-given. Don't waste these resources.
The good steward, your parents' hard-earned money, not easy to come by. As long as the Lord gives them a good mind, gives them the strength, they can still work, you know, by the grace and mercy of God. But what if they cannot work anymore? So if you have been wasting the resources, it will ache the heart, right? It will be their effort will be in vain.
Okay, so the one, so indirectly, we are also honouring them, you know, if we are responsible, faithful stewards of God. Okay?
After the material resources, we understand very well, you know, because yes, no doubt we came into this world with nothing. But God has provided these physical material resources. Okay, so we can keep warm, you know, because of all these resources. We have the heater, we have the shelter, we have the light. All these are necessary resources. And these are all God-given, God-blessed.
So you must take care of them. There's one passage I would like to share with you. Not just possessions that belong to us, but also possessions that belong to others. I want to focus on this because the thing that we have, well, we will take care. But the problem with us is sometimes when things that belong to others, we take it lightly.
Turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 6. Okay, it's a passage that not directly tells us about the resources. Okay, but it gives us a glimpse of what kind of attitude we should have. So we turn to 2 Kings chapter 6. There is an account of what happened.
Okay, 2 Kings chapter 6:1-7. Hey, so very interesting passage. Okay. Are you there? 2 Kings chapter 6, verse 1.
“And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it” (2 Kings 6:1-7).
Okay, I hope you know about Prophet Elisha. He was succeeded by Elijah. A time where it's real, right? It will was. From a theocracy, that means God is the king over Israel, until Israel seek for a human king. So from theocracy, to monarchy, to a monarchy, a kingdom where there is a human king.
That human king, he will have his own army. During the theocracy period, God is king, he doesn't need the army.
Okay, the tutor of Israel will be his army. But they wanted to be like the other nations around. So when they are in the monarchy period, it all depends on who is the king.
Okay? Because if the king is walking close with God, ah, then the whole nation will be black. The whole nation will be walking with God. But if the king is bad, because the king wanted to be like the other nation, huh? Worshipping other gods. All into idolatry. Then the whole nation will plant into darkness, into idolatry as well.
So in the period of Elijah and Elisha, so they were under, you know, good king, bad king. And so in the time of Elisha, it was not a very good time, right, because of idolatry that had been infiltrated into each world.
So, in this context here, there were student prophets, it's just like Bible college. Now Elijah is the principal. Elijah has already passed. He has borne up, in the chariot of fire, the Lord has caught him. Okay, he was no more. Okay, it was, although he didn't die, okay, Elijah was caught up. But now, Elisha taking charge, having all the student prophets.
Okay, so, uh, the place that they were staying is known is too small. So they wanted to build a bigger place. So that's where they went into the forest to cut more trees and build another place.
And for one of them, while chopping the tree, maybe alongside the river, so the axe head fell into the water. Okay, the axe head made of iron. Light or heavy? Heavy. So naturally it will sink, it will not float. Okay? It will sink to the bottom of the river. It probably is a running, running river.
And the axe was borrowed. So, you can see the time in those days, well, you have to borrow. You don't have much resources. You have to borrow. So they borrowed this axe, but the axe head fell into the river. So it was gone. Okay, it was not easy to find the axe. Maybe they are not swimmers. You know, they don't know how to swim, how to dive into the water to find, to find the axe head.
So it's lost, huh, lost? Go to them, gone. Okay. But they told their principal, Elisha, their master, and God allowed him to create a miracle.
Now, it must be a miracle because how to get the axe head out? Well, you cannot. Oh, yeah, axe head, come up. No, you will not come up. Okay, but only a miracle.
Why is the miracle? Verse 6, “And the man of God, referring to Elisha, where it fell, and he showed him the place, and he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim” (2 Kings 6:6).
So the iron float to the surface. Is that a miracle? That is a miracle. But what is the spiritual significance of this miracle?
Well, it tells us that God has a power. It got like a power, and God allowed it, okay? Although this miracle has nothing to do with, you know, if you talk about pushing the gospel, authenticating the word, there's nothing to do with that.
It's just a very simple miracle. It's just for survival, because you need the axe to cut down the trees, to build a bigger place. That's all, it's a very, the need is ordinary. It's a very natural process of life, you know, is very natural.
But in those days, there were many miracles. Why? Because they need the power of God to rest upon the prophet, you know, because the prophets are supposed to teach God's word. They don't have the Bible.
Okay? They have the Torah, they have the, the, the Ten Commandment, but they don't have the Bible like we do today. You know, the that we hold in our hand and what about during our free time, morning, afternoon, night? And when we like for them, they don't have this privilege.
But most of the time they were hear from the prophet, okay, the prophet, the prophet will teach them God's word, and they have to remember. They have to remember very hard, you know, before they meditate again and again.
Though they need this power to authenticate the ministry. Okay, to know that the people will know, given from God.
Today we don't need all these miracles because we have the complete word of God in our hands. Okay, do that beside the point.
So what? Have you got to do with Christian stewardship? The axe is borrowed. Okay, the axe is borrowed. And the man who lost it, huh? Felt the loss.
Maybe he would say, “Never mind, I can find another axe. No big deal, I'm just... can't be helped, you know? It's gone already.” But no, he felt a loss. And he went to trouble, Elisha. He took the trouble, because it will reflect back on him. Why you so careless? Did not happen to other prophets, you happen to you? So troublesome. Why you give me so much trouble?
Well, you could have avoided this trouble, isn't it? But no, it's, you have the sense of responsibility. He didn't... He didn't try to hide. He didn't try to, uh, cover up. Honestly, he came before the, before Elisha, I said, uh, I have trouble. Okay, the axe head came out, dropped into the river.
So we also need this sense of responsibility. Although the passage doesn't teach directly about Christians, they will say. But from the attitude. Okay, from the attitudes. We must be responsible. Although it may not be ours.
Now this thing is borrowed. The thing that I have, you know, it doesn't belong to me, so I don't have to take care of it. But we must not have this attitude. This place, we thank God for the provision, but we also take care. We take care. We take care of how we use the plates, we handle them carefully. All the equipment, we make sure that we take care of them well. That is part of Christian stewardship.
All these are pertaining to material resources. Okay, that God has put under our care. It may not belong to us. It may be belonging to another person, but if it is under our care, we take care.
Okay, you may borrow a book from somebody else? After reading it, what do you do? Return. And when you return the book, condition must be as good as when you borrow it. Not, what, comfort, you know, the cover torn or all these. Maybe some pages you turn off. I never, you return it, hey, no, what happened to the book? That would be a bad testimony.
And you reflect how a steward you are. Yes, the book doesn't belong to you. You just borrow it. But we have the responsibility to take good care of it, okay?
Okay, so that's pertaining to material resources, okay? Material resources.
What about non-material resources? We have covered time. Time is non-material. You have realised also how we are bound by time. At times, I also, I am late, late for certain meetings. So if I'm late for 5 minutes, I've wasted another person time by 5 minutes. And this 5 minutes is gone. It's gone. You cannot trace back the five minute.
Now, although it may be just five minutes. No big deal. But if you look at sometimes how we are late, it may not be 5 minutes. Maybe half an hour, maybe one hour.
And then by and by, when you see that, hey, late one year, no big deal. You also a reflection of how we behave, you know, as steward. In terms of time, okay, in terms of time.
So let us, in fact, we try not to just be punctual. Try to be early. Maybe at least five, 10 minutes earlier. Now, because we do not know what will happen. Yet, we may aim to be punctual. But you may not know what happened if you just aim to be punctual. Something in between may happen. Something may happen.
You may meet a friend, you know, don't make, oh, you just pop, and then after that, you miss the appointed time. So all these things can hinder us. But we need to make sure that we are good steward of time, okay? Time.
Now, beside time, which is not material, well, I think our mental health, in particular, in the area of thinking. Well, I will put that under the same category. To keep ourselves alert, you know, to think, to plan, to listen, to reflect, to analyse. These are the things we cannot see. That's why I put under non-material resources.
So let's say you have an attitude of, “You don't care.” Everything you don't care. So you are a person that doesn't really care. Like, you don't care how you look. You don't care what people say about you. Don't care about anything. You don't care about your parents. Don't care about your study. You don't care. So you don't care about anything.
Then we have felt, isn't it? Because you are not using your mind in the right way. Okay, because this is your thinking. You don't care. They don't care thinking. So we are responsible even for non-material resources.
Because if you don't care, you are no longer going to pay attention, because you don't care. Think that are useful for you, think that are helpful to build you up. You don't care.
So what do you care about? You care about, don't care. Okay, I don't know how that works, but you simply don't care. And it will carry you your whole lifetime, right? Because this is your attitude in life.
To be sober, be alert. Alert of your current situation. If you are aware that you are a son, maybe a period son to your parents, good Christian son to your parents. And it takes you to have a clear mind to do that.
We don't care, you know, just don't bother. But your parents, because they have a clear mind, you are my son. I am your parent. No matter what you do, you are still my son. That is clarity. Clarity. They know their responsibility.
But what about us? Are we aware that we are still the sun? Their children, to the parent, and we have to do our part. S children to our parents. So we are no longer just children. We are Christian children. So we have a testimony to bear. We have to honour our parents, and that's our responsibility.
To our mind, our mind is something that is non-material, but it affects us. Affects the way we look at our studies, the way we look at life, you know, as a whole.
So how do you look at your studies? Maybe beginning of your education, you have no choice, no? You just have to study, you know, the topic, whether you like it or not.
But what is the right attitude, you know, to overcome all this dislike? Study for Jesus' sake. All these are to build up your general knowledge about life. But because you are a Christian, you also learn God's word. That will build up your spiritual life.
Okay, so you're building up as a whole. And let your spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of God's word, direct you. Yet, we have all these general knowledge that you learn from your school, mathematics, science, English, or whatever topic that you have learned. All these are useful knowledge, okay? Of course some are not useful, but these are just for your knowledge.
But it is the spiritual knowledge that affects our life. Changing our behaviour, our attitude, our mindset.
So these are the non-material resources, okay? That God has given to us. And we have to use it rightly. Okay? You do rightly.
Okay, so we have material resources, the non-material resources. And then we have the spiritual resources. We have covered spiritual spiritual gift. Okay, the spiritual gift that you identify, what God has given to you, and you use it.
Improve on me. Okay, don't, don't, don't annoy. Don't bury it. When you use it, use it well. And there will be someone who will be blessed by, may not be everyone. Of course, if we bless everyone, praise the Lord. But it may not be everyone.
In fact, some may come to you against you because of your political gift. For whatever reason. Doesn't matter. You know that that is the spiritual gift that God has given to you.
Those who are blessed by it, you continue. Improve on it, be a blessing. Be a blessing.
And how can we build up our spiritual resources? There's only one way. The word of God. Okay, the word of God.
So we are all duty bound to know God in its word. Can anyone say, wah, I know everything about the Bible, because the Sunday school programme is complete, cover from cover to cover of the Bible, not from Genesis to Revelation. Do I know the Bible in and out? So what's that elf to know? That will be a very a proud attitude.
To the spiritual resources also have some non-material, okay, resources attach to it, okay? Because it has to do with something that is brutal. You may have the knowledge in your head. But what the point is you are proud, huh, thinking that that's no need for you to learn anymore?
You think that you know the Bible knowledge in your fingertips very well. But you are still a fool because if you truly have the knowledge of God, in you, huh? In other words, God's word, you know God's word well. You will be humble.
The more you know God would, the more humble you are. In fact, the life critical, you are of others. Now, because you know that God made up the way we are. God made me as I am.
Okay, so by his grace and mercy, I'm saved, and now I'm a changed man. I'm a changed person. I want to grow. I want to grow, to be more and more like the Lord Jesus.
So what we are going to see in a fellowship and in a church, is how the church will conform more and more to the image of our Saviour. So it is no longer a competition.
So I'm not, I'm not going to compete with you. How much do you know about Genesis? Oh, I know more than Genesis. I know... Actually, this. Or, you know, or, you're higher than me. No, there's no such comparison.
We don't compare ourselves with Bible knowledge. In fact, we don't compare, don't ever compare. You know, the more you compare, the more you may become. And you can also become the other way. The more inferior you will become.
And that will affect your life. Either way, if you are proud, you will not be teachable. If you feel inferior, anything also cannot do.
You always be... be someone... you know, be... you know, because I have, I have no ability. I'm no youth. So I just come to church. No, I just, people will not ask you to pray. I'll just pray along. Come and go, come and go. No, Sunday Christian. Nothing impactful.
No, because you feel you cannot do anything. You feel inferior. But is that the way you use your spiritual resources that God has given you, the spiritual gift? The mind, that it no longer, our own mind, the mind of Christ, are you conforming to the image of life? No, you are not because you don't care. You feel inferior.
I thought we don't swing from one end to the other end. Okay, let us be good steward. Okay, whatever you know of God's word right now, whatever, okay? Apply. I got for wisdom, how to apply.
The Old Testament is not just history of Israel. We have the word Israel over here. The other day, the sister asked me, I'm not sure about this word, but I think it's love, okay? So I think is love is real. Because the 1st letter is about love, but I'm not sure about the love one. Not when you have a loved one, I'm not sure what you...
Yeah. In the Old Testament, it's about a history of Israel. What had Israel got to do with us? Wow, then that's where we need to understand. What the God truth is real.
Because God has given a promise. But in the book of Genesis, the promise that God will give to sinful man, that he will send the Messiah. The woman sit with the Messiah. And he must come from somewhere, eternity. You cannot just boop, and then leave it, the Messiah.
No, he must be born in this world, huh? Because from Abraham, how the Lord prepared him, how to go to the promised land, and I form a people, because without people, how to have a nation.
Then you have a people, and then you have a set of rules.
The law, the Ten Commandments. Hey, of course, in the book of Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus, all these are laws, huh? Ceremonial laws, judicial laws, moral laws. In order to guide a nation, not to be God people. And then you must have... the land, okay? The land. So the land is Israel. The land of Canaan, the promised land. That's where Jesus will be born, huh? The Messiah.
So, the New Testament become meaningful because of this history. So when we read the Old Testament with that understanding, it makes the New Testament meaningful. We cannot say, oh, oh, oh, oh, that means outdated. No more relevant. So, ayah, no, the Bible is already so heavy. And tomorrow, 39 books, I... 27 book in Napa. To, to try the Baptist, huh, the Baptist? The Baptist, although they have 39 book, 27 book, 66 books of the Bible, but the mentality, the attitude. 39 book, 39, is just for your knowledge. Just for your information.
But for us, we need the 39 book to understand the 27 book. Without the 39 book, 27 book, please, it's not a complete picture. Because we don't know why Jesus must come. We don't know why where is the promise, huh? Because the promise is given right internal six? The covenant that God made with man, what did God have to make a covenant, not because man has failed. And if going to be, God promised, to man, not what men can do, to get to heaven. It had to be God promised. Okay, you have to be from God.
So where will all these be found? In the Old Testament? Okay, so we need the Old Testament. So when you when we read Genesis, act to those, fine, huh? You very good. But when we come to Leviticus, that's where our patient will run out. I'm sure. But when we read with understanding, why, why did God give up Leviticus? It's because he want to sweat on holiness. You want to start on separation. Okay, because we are in the world, but we are not of the world, and the nature of Israel has to learn this.
So even though they may have the book of Leviticus, but look at them, we know the history of Israel. They ought to be holy, and God is holy, but they allow themselves to be unclean, because they love strange women. Remember Solomon? He loves string women. That's the problem, okay? Look, can you imagine without Leviticus, it will be even worse. You will be even worse.
So that will prepare the people to look to Christ, the holiness of God, to be separate, we don't separate for the sake of separating, we separate because of God's holiness. We are God people. We are supposed to be different. We are not supposed to be like the world, okay? And we are not to be isolated. But ourselves live in a jungle. Nobody can find us. We just live there. No.
We are supposed to live in the world where the people are, to be the lights of the gospel. So right in your own home, you are a light shining. Shining. So Israel is shining. Okay, if it is shining. A very small nation, but if world is shining. It is the only nation that is shining. The whole world is full of that learns, but in Israel is shining. If flow is shining.
Of course, when we come to the New Testament, it will divine providence because of the failure of Israel to shine at the nation. God raised up the church. So the church must shine. And now this church is no longer confined by locality. No longer have a land. Churches are everywhere. Beginning from Jerusalem, in all today, to Samaria, and to the uppermost part of the earth.
Now the whole world, they have pockets of Christian, shining. So, are you here in Melbourne, shiny? And you begin from your home? Are you shining in your own home? Are you shining in your school, in your class? Are you shining in church?
I don't think that when you are insured, you're shining. You may not be shining. Okay, you may not be shining, because the church may be just a building. It's not the truth that we find you. It's the people that define the church. But if the people are nothing but like the world, then the church is not shining. Because you are not Chinese.
So that's why we all have to encourage one another, to conform more and more to the image of life. Using the spiritual resources that we have.
Which is God's word. Hey, God's word, so that we may shine. Shine at the church, so that when you go out, because the church will not follow you to your home, to your school. You will be the one that got at that point. In your own home, in your own school. Wherever you may be, will you shine for the law? Because you have the respiratory resources, will you shine?
And of course, part of the spiritual resources is how we use our spiritual gift to serve. It is so, to serve a lot. So you can think of ways, how you can serve the Lord. Remember, do something good for Jesus every day. That is service. Well, you can pour a cup of water to someone who is thirsty. Somebody fell down. Instead of laughing. Help the person out. You can do something. You can do something. Do not be selfish.
We learned this morning, devotion, don't be selfish. I don't have a will that is selfish. So when you have God transforming you, you know, you will learn to be selfless. No more selfish. You will think of others. Okay, you were, you were, you want, want to be a blessing, not a burden, okay?
Okay, so we have material resources, non-material resources, put ritual resources, and we have relational resources. Relational resources. What is relational resources? Kinship, friendship. Okay, or your study relationship. Okay, your classmate. So this relational resources provide for us the opportunity. We need to serve a lot.
So kingship means family. Our direct family, family members, our siblings. All those whom we are related to, even distant family members, relative. And we do not choose to be in a family, or be related to our relatives somewhere somehow, but God has put up. In this in the family, okay? In the family.
So because we are related, it's going to be different, okay? Because we are related, whenever big event happen. Wedding. You will be there. You will be strained, you will not be there. Let's say your, your, your brother or sister getting married. Will you be there? Surely, I'm the sister, I'm the brother. I will be there.
Beside wedding, funeral, will you be there? Someone in your family passed away. Will you be there? Of course, that goes without saying, not because of this relationship. I will surely be there.
So this is our obligation, okay, our obligation, as family, very different from friendship. It depends, there is a distinction. So we honour our parents. We don't take take them for granted. We continue to do our part, to honour them.
Now honouring... No, that's why the Ten Commandment, the 5th commandment, honour thy father and thy mother. And this is a very important commandment because what does it mean to honour? Honour means you know your place. They are your parents. It's different from obedient, okay?
The reason I say this is because, okay, for those whose parents are not believers, what if your parents say, throw your Bible away? I don't like you to I don't like to see you reading the Bible. Pull your Bible away. We obey them. They won't. But you don't have to be rude to them. We don't have to say nicely to them. I will not put away the Bible.
Why? Because the Bible is God's word. Okay? I love to read God's word and I must have my Bible with me. Okay? So you don't have to obey them, but you still must honour them. You must honour them, because they are your parents. And God has appointed them to be your parents.
Okay? Relational resources.
This is our obligation. Okay, as far as your parent is concerned.
Now, this relational resources is, is a relative, is a relative. It's different from friendship because, well, our weakness this personally, when I was serving in a prison ministry, I go to the prison prison to minister to the inmate, teaching them Bible study. Sometimes they share their life with me. And it was shared of struggled in the prison.
In the prison, it is completely isolated from the family. Okay, I would say completely, because the family have to, you know, have to do something or register to to see them. Sometimes if not approved. Sometimes it's not always, I want to see them, they can see. Okay? They have a appointed time. They have a schedule.
And then all these vegetation, they all say, they all say the same thing. None of my friends, you know, who have, once upon a time, lawyer, because out in the outside, they have their group of fans who pled loyalty. I will die for you, I will be there when you are in need, you know, that kind of, well, I will stand by you, you know, that kind of football, brotherhood.
But when you come to imprisonment, none of your friends came to Vietnam. None, okay? None, it's very none. As far as those whom I come into contact with, maybe there are, I'm not sure. But according to this inmate, inmate, we call them inmate, prison inmate. So all of them say none.
Those who, well, take our go with you all the way, I will die with you. I will die for you, you know, that kind of, like how, you know, when people say this, oh, wah, if you, someone, someone willing to go to thick and all these troubles together with me. But then when they are in prison, where are they? There are nowhere to be found.
But who will come? The family member. Their poor mother, their poor father, huh? Have to go through how many gates. I think as for me, because I have the privilege to enter into prison. Well, I count the number of gates, 1313 gigs. I have to pass through 13 gig before I can see them. Before I can come into contact with them face to face. 13 gig, no. It is maximum security. Maximum.
Relational resources. Appreciate your family members. Okay? God has blessed these resources to us. God have blessed your family. God make no mistake.
Now, sometimes siblings quarrel. I always call my sister. Just one year younger when we were younger. Always quarrel over nothing, okay? I like to bully her. I like to make her cry. For nothing. I just like to see her. Wah, run to the mummy, and then wah, I just feel happy, but. Meaningless, isn't it? Meaning that.
But at the end, we are still related. Today, o'clock, we are very good. Thank God the. The Lord has kept us close. Although, although we seldom talk, but because of this relation, resources, you know, that binds us together. We feel close. Because we are related.
Anything happen to her, I will go, no? I will be there for her. If anything happened to me, he will be there for me.
So what is relational resources? Okay, we original retources. I'm not giving you examples. Because you will also recognise the relational resources that God has given to you. Okay, my wife is a single child. So she has no experience of a brother or sister.
So her only relational resource is her parent. And, of course, now, with her family, myself, as a husband, and the children. These are the relational resources. I thought we have our part to play in regards to our role. Okay, our goal.
So how do we perform all this role? We need God's word to guide us. Okay, so by relational resources itself, apart from God, we do not know. We can only go by what we feel, what we think. But we need God's word to direct us, to show us the right way.
And of course, beside, kinship, family, we have friendship. Now, you may have close friends outside who may be unbelievable.
But this closeness can never be so close as to a believer. Why? Because... You better, you have an unbelieving, close friend. At the end of the day, you will know that as long as your close friend is in his or her unbelief, where will she or he end up in hell? And ultimately, the Lake of Fire. If he or she is without Christ. You know that, right? You know that?
So it will always haunt you. No matter how close you are, you always be at the back of your mind. So what will you do? You will always find opportunity to share the gospel. If you regard that person as close to you.
If you say, oh, yeah, no, let us not rock the boat, because if I were to share this, I may lose the friendship. Then, you are actually not really loving your friend. You're not regarding him or her as close to you. You don't even care for his or her destiny. You did not see it enough when someone is going to end up in a Lake of Fire, facing the wrath of God for eternity.
I think we should, we should care enough. It's okay enough. So our friendship, we have this obligation. God allowed us to meet our friends.
Now, I understand. We may not be, we will not have everyone in the class to be your friend, to be your close friend. You may have just one, or two, or sometimes even just one, very close to you. Somehow you can talk to the person. Somehow you can share your life with the person. Okay?
And then by and by, you find the egg, we are having the same hairstyle, right? Glasses also the same. Dressing also about the same. How many people will be like this? Very close. Not very close. Without saying a word, you know, already know what I'm thinking. Very close, you know, that kind.
You know the thing that I like? Well, we, we, we, we, we have the same habit, we have the same hobby. We have the same wavelength. We can talk, we can share. But if this person is not a believer, there will always be this gap, okay? Always.
So until this gap is removed. How wonderful, because we are going to heaven together. We're going to see each other in heaven. That will be most wonderful, isn't it?
So if your good friend, close friend, is unbeliever. Always find opportunity to share the gospel. Okay? Shine, shine your gospel light. That's God's purpose for putting him or her in your life. So that you may lead and share and direct that person to Christ.
So that's our kinship, our friendship. Then your relationship, that you have, you've got time. God put you in your class, in that school, for a purpose, so that you may shine.
Don't just, no, I'm just a student. I cannot do much. No, you can. I'm not saying that every conversation, I want to talk about any other thing. I would just want to talk about Christ. I'm not saying that you go to this extreme.
If the person needs help, maybe struggle in the study, help the person. And then look away how to share the gospel. Oh, wait. No, always. In fact, the gospel, you can just share. How God loved you. Your own testimony.
No, you don't have to, oh, scratch your head, how to share. Share your life, man. Just share how God has moved you. How God has directed you, led you, to come to the saving knowledge.
How come you are so tough? It may not always be, don't be fixed. It can be other words. The Bible has so many verses, you know, that touch our heart. Romans 8:28, if one of them.
“All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
In other words, no, nothing, even that which is bad, that happen, is for my good. You know, nobody tells me that, you know, the Bible tells me, the Bible comforts my heart. So I believe, I believe my God loved me.
I'm not left alone. I'm not by myself. When I'm lonely. I realise I'm not by myself, no. God is with me.
So we want to share this Lord's love with our friend, okay? With our classmates. Notorious, we sometimes... They are those who are naughty, somehow inclined to their human nature, sinfulness, wickedness, worldliness.
Well, we can help them see God's holiness, telling them that we are all made in God's image. We have accountability. And there are consequences of all the things that we have done.
But at the way out, realise the way out. God will forgive when we come to Him. When we are forgiven, how peaceful we feel in our hearts.
You know when you know that someone is angry with you? Can you sleep or not? When someone refuse to forgive you for what you have done, you cannot sleep. No matter how comfortable the pillow, the bed, how warm it is, you still think about it.
You will still be troubled. How can I get the forgiveness of this person? I told we must realise, God is angry with us because of our sin. And he want us to come to him and be forgiven, okay, and be forgiven.
Okay, so we have these 4 important resources. First material, 2nd non-material, third spiritual, and then finally, the relation of resources. And in all these resources, we are required to be faithful.
So we come back to 1 Corinthians chapter 4:2. “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I thought we must be faithful. We are not God. We can say God is faithful because it is God. What about us? Our faithfulness? Will only be... given. This commendation will only be given at the end.
So are we faithful now? Are we going to be faithful to the end? This is the two questions that we need to ask. Are we payful now? If we are not faithful now, then why? What is stopping you? You caught your waywardness, or your rebellion, nature in you? You need to remove it. You need to try to remove it, okay?
Then you let you know, oh, okay. With God's help, I can be faithful. But I have to be faithful all the way to the end.
Okay. Because faithfulness is not just now. You may be faithful now, but you can become unfaithful the next moment. What a point. Now, what the point? Let us be found faithful when we meet our saviour face to face.
I also don't wait until the end. If you are not faithful now, what makes you think that you will be faithful in the end? That is also another profound talk.
So there are some who say, yeah, God can wait. The Bible can read. Church can read. All these things can wait. Unfaithful. They'll be rebellion, they just go a bit, go away with their own thinking, living their own life in the unfaithful state. I'm thinking that they will be faithful in the end. Foolish thinking. See, foolish thinking.
Be faithful now. I pray that the Lord will sustain you, so that you will be faithful in the end. All the way to in the end. This world is very important to us. It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
I like all the way to the end. But you're not steward in the end. You're steward now. You have to be faithful now. Huh? All the way continually to the end.
So if you are a son, you are faithful son. Or daughter will be a faithful daughter. In school, be a faithful classmate. Be a faithful student. Whatever had been entrusted to you, be faithful. Be faithful.
Of course, be faithful in the law, not in faithful in doing the wrong thing. Be faithful in doing the right thing before God. Whatever God wants, let me do it with God's help. That's all faithfulness, not important.
And then accountability. Romans chapter 14:12. We must remember this verse. Romans chapter 14:12. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
To God. If it is to man, not sometimes you can hide. Now we can have a very good presentation. Some people can talk very well. A very small thing can, you can talk only very big. You can have a very excellent skill of promoting the product.
I remember when I was, before I entered into ministry, I have an opportunity to be a salesman. Actually, I did many, many jobs. So one of it is a salesman. And to be a salesman, you have to know your product, huh? Because you're going to sell the product.
So I was given this pork, this pork, one of the pork, and this pork is very special because this pork has many users. Okay, but, because, what I mean, what am I going to sell the pot to? So, I have to learn to sell the pot to housewives, because housewives are the one who are going to use the pot.
You tell that to a businessman, to someone who never use port before, useless. Don't waste your time on them. But you sell your pot to housewife. That is going to be very effective, and you need to know what are the functions? Okay, of the pork.
So, because most of the housewives in Singapore, they are, they speak Chinese. So they speak Chinese. So I have to learn the Chinese. I flung my Chinese all the way until the very last exam, I passed. Even my Chinese teacher say, you know, she knows me. You say, I'm gone, Kate. They talk about me, no need to help him. Yeah, because he's gone. Condemned, right? But then go, I pass, okay? I passed my Mandarin, my Chinese.
Also, I have to learn Chinese. To be a salesman, I have to learn Chinese, struggle, or memorise. But maybe I share with you, but maybe some of you who know Chinese may know. The 7 function. Very useful now, 7 U6, huh? When I share with a halfway, they're off, wow.
So, now they brighten up, but I think I don't know how to use. Although I sell the pot, but I talk big, I talk until like what is the magic pot? It's a, wah, the pot that can do wonders. Whatever they put inside, something good will come out, to the effect, to the effect, you can talk big, some people can talk big, really.
About what am I telling you all this? I forgot. Well, we... I mean, we can... exacerbate, we can... present something which is actually not you. You can create all this up. Okay? You can create all this stuff.
And one day we have to give an account, okay? So, before man, you can beautify, huh? How good you are. In front of God, you can't. Because God knows us true and true, exactly who we are. What we are thinking, what we are saying, what we are doing, exactly. No more, no left.
Before man, we can, well, add, subtract, add, subtract, or 12, we will subtract the bad thing. What people know about us, the bad thing. Well, we will put away. The good one. Wah, we will add, we will build, build a very nice picture of ourselves.
But that's how we present the man. Okay? We present the man. But before God, how are you gonna build yourself? God knows us true and true, exactly who we are.
I thought that accountability, okay? How are we gonna account? God knows exactly what kind of a steward we are. If we don't care, God will look at us. You are a don't care steward. So you will not get a reward, okay? You will not get a reward.
Can you go back? And we do, you can't. At the end already, you have to give an account. God has seen you what you are as a steward, and you have already given the assessment. You cannot go back.
So what will, what will, what will we be thinking? I should have, huh? I should have done this. I should have done that. Regret, you can only regret.
You may not lose your salvation. You will not lose your salvation. Your salvation is belonged to you if you are truly God child. But you will lose your reward. You will not have any reward. In fact, it will be reminded all the time. How are we I could have done this? How I wish I could have done that. For Jesus' sake.
Why did I just, you know all this? I to have taken heat, I to have paid attention. Although we live under divine accountability all the time. Okay, so that we will not waste time away.
So faithfulness, accountability, and we need wisdom. We need wisdom.
So in what Moses said in Psalm 90:12. It's what Moses, you know, all the sons are written by King David. Not by David, how about this particular son written by Moses? Psalm 90:12 by Moses, he says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
So wisdom will help us make the right decision. The right decision, not any decision. Wah, come to a decision. Wah, that is good enough. Because there are those who are indecisive. I mean, my own decision, I used to praise me, you should acknowledge that, but usually a right decision.
Too many people have made the wrong decision, and that they have to go a big round. And some, you cannot you turn. You know, they suffer the consequences. But now, you are to pray and pray for wisdom, to make the right decision.
Without God's wisdom, even the best resources can be poorly managed. Or can be mismanaged, it can be abused. Not even with the best resources. So we need God's wisdom to do it.
Okay? Payfulness, accountability, wisdom, and contentment. Contentment is also important. But 1 Timothy chapter 6:6. Very important verse. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
These patterns have to do with material black thing. Material resources. But we are called to have godliness with contentment, okay? This contentment implies giving time to God, for all the provisions that God has given. No murmuring, no complaining. Only contentment.
Well, contentment will protect us from covetousness. Contentment will fill our heart with Thanksgiving. And the trust in God who knows better.
Now sometimes we think we know better, though we predict prayer. Now we're going to talk on the next aspect of the Lord prayer. We're on. Give us our daily bread.
No, that was a charismatic picture. He redepine. Give us our daily bread. The bread. Wah, we define, I think the bread is referring to our basic naturality. I believe takapaw will explain more.
But here we define, oh, to become, think that, well, we must need the best. The bread become a tank cost dinner. Like, you know, in wedding, there are, of course, nowadays, it's buffet, but for the Chinese, at night, there is a buffet, a banquet, or banquet, the wedding banquet.
What is the tank called dinner? So he equipped that as a tank cost dinner. You must always ask for the best. Give us the best, huh? Throw the bread is the best.
What is... into health and wealth gospel. Okay, helping well, God. It's really another gospel. Not the true gospel.
What is contentment? There is not contentment, internet. Contentment is God, whatever you give me. I give thanks. Whatever. Even if just the literal bread, I give time, because you know that it is all that I knew.
I give time. I'm gonna chat in you with my life. I'm gonna walk by faith, not by sight. It's not when I see the bread, or when I see there are food on a table, clothes on my back, shelter over my head. Then I will come and talk to you. No.
We walk by pain. Not by sight. I mean, even when I don't have, I don't see anything, but I will talk in you that you will provide for all my need. Oh, that is fake.
Contentment, okay, contentment. Your contentment will protect us from greed, from carpetition, from comparison, from dissatisfaction.
To a content heart, it's very crucial for Christian stewardship. And then finally, we need to have an eternal perspective.
So we have faithfulness, accountability, wisdom, contentment. And we must have the eternal perspective. And what is the eternal perspective?
In Matthew chapter 6:20. What did Jesus say? Matthew chapter 6:20. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
How to lay up treasures in heaven? Lay up treasures on earth, we know. The resources, you know, we talk about especially material resources. Now we can keep them in the safe place. We make sure that we take good care of them.
But how about treasures in heaven, what Jesus says here? How to have treasures in heaven? No, such a language, reveals a deeper meaning. With eternal perspective. Okay, with eternal perspective.
Let us not think of gold or silver or some currency. Heaven currency. No, don't think of... the treasures in terms of, you know, all this value.
Think of the presence of God, where you will enter into God's presence. No, when you think of heaven, what are you thinking of?
You go to the street with us people, do you want to go to heaven? Yes. Why? Oh, heaven is a nice place, a wonderful place. In contrast to hell, a place of punishment. Heaven is a place of blessing.
But very few will tell you, I want to go to heaven because God is there. I want to be in the presence of God. That's why I want to go to heaven.
So, in many people's mind, heaven is a heaven without war. But a heaven that is without God does not exist at all. The only heaven that exists is the heaven with God.
It must drill into us and become part of us. This is a heaven that we are going to one day. We are going to be found in the holy presence of God.
The what are the treasures? All the treasures of being able to serve him. The treasures, to be able to praise him, worship him, serve him. All these are wonderful treasures.
I'm not going there and enjoy your little gold, gold bar, and then you sleep with it, cuddle it, exhibit it, like a teddy bear, you know, no longer need for teddy bear, because teddy bears are no use for this. Maybe this gold teddy bear, very heavy, but no, it's not.
We don't transport the things of this earth to heaven. Well, we do not know what it is like. Because none of us have been, have been there. Only the description of heaven according to scriptures.
For the heavenly treasures, are what we have done for Jesus on this earth, so that's why we must do something good for Jesus every day. All these will be remembered when you have done for Jesus. All these are eternal treasures. Treasures in heaven.
Because God will remember, most sometimes we are so forgetful. Now we are, we are told forgetful. In fact, when Raven Paul talked about how I was his best man in his wedding. Well, I only remember the part when I was with him at his wedding.
I forgot that I also went, we came to his house, and then after that, go and pick up his wife. I forgot all about that, you know. We are all forgetful people.
But the moment you mention, then all these become memories. We remember them. How are forgetful people? We forget. But God will never forget. The thing that you have done for Him will all be remembered. What will you be comforted? God remember? No, because all these things may not be recognised by people. You know, the thing that you have done for the Lord, you may have picked up a tissue. Well, maybe in the toilet, you know, you see tissue on the floor. But you put them at the right place. You've been it. Nobody see, but God remember.
And then you also forgot about it. Why do you do it? I want to keep the place clean for Jesus' sake. I want to be a good steward as I'm learning in this camp. So after this, I forgot about it, you know, because I'm applying it. No, I'm not wrong. Want people to take note. I want people to bring up, you know, so that I'm an example, no, you don't have this motive. But then when the Lord mentioned it, because He remembers it, would you not be comforted? Of course. Surely. Are not these treasures, I think? Money cannot buy. All these money cannot buy.
For eternal perspective. Do it for Jesus. You will have all these treasures in heaven. That's how we lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Now, that's what you mean to live with eternal, with eternity, value. Okay, so may the Lord help us to manage our resources. Remember the 4 resources, the 4 types of resources? We have our responsibility, we have our accountability. Maybe be found faithful in the end.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy word, that reminds us once again how we are unworthy. I'm profitable servant who have done only our duty. And Lord, we pray that Thou will help us. Be aware of all these resources that Thou has given: the material resources, the non-material resources, the relational resources, the spiritual resources.
And now we pray, all these resources that Thou have put under our care, may we be found faithful steward of them. Although we know that we are accountable, and we need by wisdom to use them well, all for Thy eternal glory. Help us to be faithful. Help us to be accountable. Help us to be wise, and help us to be contented with what we have, and to have the eternal perspective. To lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven.
Help us, O Lord God. Help us to remember Thy word, to keep in our heart, that we might not sin against Thee, and to do that which is well pleasing in Thy sight, to the glory of Thy name. All this we pray and give thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.