Joseph Prince - Step Into Jesus Supply Daily
I want to show you something very interesting. Of all the four gospels, I want to focus on one today, the gospel of Mark. Open up to the gospel of Mark chapter 1 in your Bibles, all right? Turn to gospel of Mark chapter 1. You find the keyword that characterized this chapter 1 is the word "immediately". You know why? Because that's what a servant does. A servant does his work immediately. He gets up, he does it immediately. The word of action for the servant, the divine servant. Now, that's the part that many of us find hard to believe about Jesus, that although he's the King of all kings, he's the Lord of all lords, he wants to be your divine servant. He wants to serve you. He wants to wash your feet. And that's why the very first judgment that God talked about right after he gave the Ten Commandments.
All right, turn to your Bibles to Exodus 20. Right at the end of the chapter if you look at chapter 20, right at the end, God talked about an altar. Look up here. An altar of earth right at the end of Exodus 20, the chapter famous for the Ten Commandments, many people forget to read on because the Bible talks about "An altar of earth you shall make Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, your peace offerings, your sheep, your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you". Now, God never said anywhere in the Ten Commandments, "I'll come to you and I'll bless you. But the place of the altar, the place of the cross, the place of sacrifice, that's where I'll come to you and I'll bless you".
So, God foresaw that man cannot keep the Ten Commandments. How many understand that? All right, the altar means what? You have failed, okay? God says, "And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone". You know what's hewn stone? Stone that is shaped into place, into shape, why? That talks of human effort. God doesn't want human effort. God says, "Make sure it's not hewn stone. Nothing of your hand, nothing of your effort". "And if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Nor shall it go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed". God says, "And there's no such thing as taking steps of righteousness towards God", all right? Self-actualization. One day I'll come to this place of self-actualization. No, no, no, mankind is bankrupt. Unless God comes to us, we cannot go to him. And that's exactly what happened.
Now, at the end of Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments has been given. The very next chapter because after 20 is 21, right? All right, the very first verse, Exodus 21, "Now these are the judgments", in Hebrew mishpat, "which you shall set before them". God talks about a Hebrew servant. Very strange. Right after he talks about the Ten Commandments, the very first judgment, God talks about the Hebrew servant. "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing". Wow. After six years, he has discharged all his duties, all right, fully met all his responsibilities. He is free to go. How many understand that in the seventh year, all right? "Now if he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself". Don't forget that. If he comes in by himself, he'll go out by himself.
Now, if you he comes in married, if he was married when his master bought him, then he will go out with his wife, okay? Next. "If his master has given him a wife, and she has born him sons or daughter, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out all by himself". That means what? Leave his wife behind, leave his children behind because the master gave him the wife. Are you with me so far? All right? "But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free'". For what reason? Love. All right, his master is a good master. "I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. Even though I can be free, I will not go out free". The Bible tells us. "Then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him", for how long?
Now watch this, church. This first judgment, right after the Ten Commandments is given, God talks about a Hebrew servant. Whatever does God have in mind? Why does he talk about Hebrew servant? Is it the law itself that God is thinking of? No. God is thinking of his Son. Everything in the Bible are portraits of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this earth. He took on the form of a servant. Jesus himself said in Mark 12, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many". He did not come to be served. Now many of us, we have these religious ideas about God. You know if Jesus appears, the first thing I must do is lay aside everything and serve him, amen. But no, he says, "I did not come to be served".
Sometimes we are like Peter, you know? Jesus was washing the disciples' feet and he came to Peter and he was about to wash Peter's feet and Peter says, "Lord, you cannot do this, Lord. How can you wash my feet"? And the Lord says, "If I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me". Then he says, "Lord, my head also". Remember that? Amen? We have to learn to receive the ministry of the Lord. By the way, he did not say, "You have no part in me". That will mean salvation. He says, "You have no part with me", meta, not en, okay? That's ministry. If you don't allow the Lord to wash your feet, you won't be flowing with him. "You have no part with me".
Isn't it interesting that this servant, back to Exodus 21, he can go free, but he says, "I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. I will not go out free". Towards the end of Jesus's public ministry, do you know at anytime, you know when he was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration, do you know that he could actually have said, "Father, I've preached your Word. I've healed as many as possible, but Father, I missed you. I want to go home". According to this law, he would have come home and let us all hear. At any point in Jesus's ministry, he who knew know sin, who did no sin, in him is no sin, death cannot touch him. He can walk right back into heaven.
Do you realize that? But you know somewhere along the way, the Holy Spirit left the words. The words that he spoke for us to see, verse 5. What our heavenly servant said to the Father. "I love my Father". "My wife" here is the corporate church, "and my children". Each of you individually. Each of you. "I love you, my Father, and I love the corporate church, the bride of Christ and I love each children individually. I will not go out free". And what's the result? They had to bring him to the doorpost, the place of the cross and there he was crucified. And don't forget what it says. He shall be a servant, what? For how long? Let's read again. Drop down to verse, yeah, he hall serve him, what? Forever. Do you know that today he still remains a servant? He said when he came, he said, "I came not to be served, but to serve". But do you know right now in heaven, though glorified, he's still a divine servant? He still want to wash your feet, heal your body, amen, refresh your mind, amen. He still wants to serve you. Do you know that, all right?
We see that in Revelation. John heard a voice behind him, chapter 1. "He turned to see the voice. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest will golden band". The word band in the New King James is not so clear because the Greek there is the word girdle. If you look at the Amplified translation, the last line says, "With a girdle of gold about His breast". So, Jesus now in heaven, you know what? The girdle is the garb of a servant. In those days, a servant will have flowing robes, like an oriental, you know, Middle Eastern robes during the time of Jesus. So, in order for him to work, he will have to pull up his sleeves and then tie girdle to gird his robes so that they went get in the way of his service.
So, the girdle is the garb of a servant. Jesus took his girdle and washed the disciples' feet, amen. By the way, the girdle he used to wash his disciples' feet is lantion in Greek which means linen cloth. Linen is a picture of righteousness. How does he wash your feet? By reminding you you are now the righteousness of God in Christ. Every time someone reminds you that, they have just washed your feet, amen? So, the girdle is the garb of a servant. Though he's glorified, though all power, all authority in heaven on earth is given unto Jesus, all angels worship him. He's beyond death, beyond grave, beyond evil, high and lifted up. Yet, the Bible says, he now wears a girdle of gold about his breast. No more around the waist, but now the girdle is around his breast. You know why? Breast represents love. Breast represents affections, and he's serving you today with his love. And it's no ordinary girdle. It's a golden girdle. Divine servanthood. Hallelujah.
By the way, notice the pierced ear. Back to Exodus 21: "He shall pierce his ear". This proves that this entire judgment is all about Jesus, all right? Let me prove to you Psalms 40, 4-0 verse 6. Jesus is talking here. "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire", talking to God the Father, "But my ears you have pierced". Notice that, "My ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come. It is written about me in the scroll". Try to memorize this a little bit, okay? Try to get the gist of it, okay? "My ears you have pierced". Now, let's go to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10 and let's see how the Apostle Paul applies this. He applied this to Jesus, "Therefore, when Jesus came into the world, He said:" He said to the Father, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me". Can you see that? From the ear pierced to a body.
In other words, ear being pierced is Hebrewism. It's a picture of your entire body. That's why when they anoint the leper, the first place they put blood is on the right ear. It represents the entire body. Are you with me? Do you understand, all right? In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, it does not say, "My ear you have pierced". It says, "A body you have prepared for me". So, some believe that Paul used the Septuagint here, "A body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said", Jesus said, "Behold, I have come. In the volume of the book it is written of Me". The entire Bible is all about Jesus. Hey, hey, amen? It's all about Jesus! And the more you see him, the more you are being transformed.
Next thing you know you see him as a servant, you know what's gonna happen to you? You want to serve. You want to serve. Even on a Sunday, for example, Sunday people say is a rest day. Many go out free, but some stay in the house because of love. Oh, you didn't hear what I said. You can outside the house, freedom, but inside the house, service, service of love. And there are many children's workers, you know, singers, musicians and all that, they are all here because they love you, amen? Because we are like that divine servant. He set the way for us. But nonetheless every day we need to receive his love. We need to receive his ministry. Can I have a good amen? "My ear you have pierced". So, it's for sure Exodus 21 is referring to Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10 tells us very clearly, amen? To allow Jesus to be our servant, listen carefully, you must first of all, listen, all right? Learn to ignore the voices of works mentality.
Some people say, "Well, you know, people go to the church and they sit down there and they warm the pews and all they hear is you a hear sermon after another sermon after another sermon". Now, if it's just a sermon, yes. But if you're hearing Christ-centered sermons, if you're beholding Christ when you come down here, you cannot go away the same, amen. Mary received, all right, Mary received. At the feet of Jesus, she was restful. She received first. A few chapters after that, she was the only one, the only woman that got to anoint Jesus's body for the burial because the rest of the ladies, when they came with their spices that morning, they were too late. He rose from the dead. And forevermore, the fragrance of Mary's perfume was on Jesus. Mary was able to do the right thing at the right time because she did the right thing when she rested and received from Jesus.
We don't believe, many of us, that only one thing is needful. We would have believed if Jesus had said, "A few things are needful". But one thing is needful, to receive from Jesus as he serves. You know, it delights Jesus when he's able to give to someone. Do you know that? Do you know it delights him? You know when Jesus came, oven though the divine servant was tired at the well of Jacob, he sat down. Obviously, physically he was tired because he came as a man, all right? And he sat down weary of the journey, all right, long journey. And the Bible says a woman came in the afternoon, a woman of Samaria. She came in the afternoon instead of the morning when it's cooler where all the women are because she wants to escape all the gossipers. And the Bible tells us Jesus ministered to her. He served her, amen. He even revealed to her that he's the Messiah. Doesn't do that to everybody.
He told her, "I who speak unto you, I am". She say that "when the Messiah comes he will tell us all things. I who speak unto you, I am". And she left her bucket of water. Who needs a bucket when he promised a well? All right, she left it there, went off to the city of Samaria. Now she's no more conscious. She came there in the afternoon because she was self-conscious, want to avoid the crowd. Now she goes back to tell all the men of Samaria, probably some of them are her husbands because he had five husbands. And she told the entire city, "Come, see a man". Now, that is evangelism. That is ministry. She was delivered from self. You know why? Because she received from Jesus.
Now, watch this. As the lady left, the disciples came with their breakfast or lunch or their McDonald's. All right, from Samaria. And then Jesus said to him, to Peter. "Peter, I have food to eat you do not know of". He obviously looked refreshed. He looked reinvigorated. He looked good. They left him tired. They came back, they saw a Jesus that was like well fed. What happened? A sinner came and took from him. Mmm. God is like that. You know the more you take from me, all right, matter of time, all right? But Jesus is different. The more you take from him, the stronger he becomes if you can say it that way, amen. He loves it when you take from him, amen.
See, I got no problem it's prosperity from God or not. You don't believe in it, no problem. Don't take. I believe. Don't get jealous because I take. You know if all of us take, he still has plenty left. So, just because you are unhappy that we take, why don't you take? And because you don't take, you are jealous of those who take. That's a big mistake. Okay? The reason why we are jealous of people is because we think that God is so poor, God has to bless that person at my expense. No, God can bless all of us 10,000 times over and still have plenty left for galaxies. Hey, this is our God, amen? So, let me bring this to a close. What is the right posture towards the divine servant? If Jesus wants to be a servant, by the way, we saw he wants to be a servant. When he came, he came not to be served but to serve, right? Then in heaven today, we see him as a servant, golden girdle around his breast, his love.
Now, when he comes again, guess what? He's still gonna be a servant. How many know Jesus Christ is coming back? How many know when he comes become, we'll have a body like his? All of us will look like Mr. Universe, and Ms. Universe. Forever young, forever strong, forever healthy, no more deformity, no more ugly. Turn to your neighbor and say, pat him and say, "There's hope". Praise God. When Jesus comes again, amen? And how long is forever? A long time. Hallelujah, amen. He's returning, church. He's coming back. You see, sometimes we think to ourself, all right, when Jesus was on earth, yes, he's a kind, lowly Jesus. He healed the sick, cleansed the leper and all that. But you see he's still the same. Then he showed John, he's still the same, golden girdle. But when he comes again, will he still be the same?
All right, look at this. Luke 12: "Blessed are those servants", Jesus is talking, "whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself, have them sit down", he will rest them, "have them sit down to eat". Hey, hey, Singaporeans. And what will he do? "He will come and serve them". Hey, from what I know, you bring a special guest out in a fine-dining restaurant, the special guest will sit in the place of honor. We serve him. We pass him the pepper, the salt, whatever he wants, amen. But this heavenly guest, he wants you, if you want to honor him, "You want to honor me"? He says, "Sit down, all right, let me serve you". God wants his people at rest because he's the divine servant, amen? In the Old Testament, they are to wear linen cloths. They are not to gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.
All right, in other words, let the Lord do it. Let the Lord work it. "But Pastor Prince, in the ministry, there are labor involved". Colossians 1: "To this end I also labor". Say, "Labor". How does Paul labor? "Striving according to His working which works in me mightily". In other words, he work according to the energeo. The word here working is energy, divine energy. It's working on the inside. Paul works with it. Can I have a good amen? The anointing of God is flowing. All right, this sermon is from God. It is not my sermon. I got it from him. He served me with the sermon to serve you with, and then I stepped into the anointing of this sermon and now I'm riding the wave. How many understand that? It is not ministry. I mean, it is not labor. It is ministry. It is true ministry. We are spending needless energy worrying, fretting, you know, being anxious. Jesus said it like this, "Don't worry about tomorrow". Don't even think about tomorrow. Live today. That's all the grace that's needed for today.
Now, this is what we need to do. When we wake up in the morning, you must realize all the supply is there already. All right? If he's the divine servant, he still serves while you are sleeping. He works the night shift. I said God works the night shift. So, even when you're sleeping, God goes to work. In fact, the verse, "He gives to his beloved sleep", in the Hebrew can also be he's giving to his beloved while the beloved is sleeping. He's still giving. Obviously Solomon received in sleep. All right, he gives.
Now, when you wake up, the whole day has been supplied, all right? What you need to do is step into the blessing of that day. If there's a demand, step into the supply. God foresaw the demand and has given you the supply, amen? If there's a difficult situation, just know the supply has been there already. Step into it. See it. Become people that see supply instead of demand, amen? Jesus took the five loaves and the Bible used the word two small fish. In the Greek, it's two small fish, very small fish, like little sardines. Five loaves, two fish. He looked up to heaven. He saw supply when the disciples says, "What are these among so many"? The disciples saw demand, the demand of the multitude. He saw supply. Are you with me? Can I have a good amen?
Jesus looked at the man with the withered hand and he saw supply or else he'll never have said, "Stretch forth your hand". You don't tell a person with withered hand to stretch forth unless you see supply. Others saw lack. Others saw demand. He saw supply. Live your life seeing the supply of God. Live your life in thanksgiving, then your life, your number-one prayer will always be thanksgiving. "Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for this supply. Thank you, Lord, for this supply. Thank you, Lord, for this grace. Thank you, Lord, for your provision. Thank you, Lord, for your safekeeping. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness. Thank you, Lord, for your grace". You are abounding therein with thanksgiving. Cool? Praise God. Hallelujah! Amen, amen.