Abundance Always Abounds! ( 2 Corinthians 9:8)

Sermon on 31 August 2025 by Reverend Kevin Teo

2 Corinthians 9:8 - “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

‭As a believer, you are programmed to abound. A believer can prosper in two ways. Firstly, God’s way is slow and steady, adds no trouble, and requires alignment and adjustment. The other way is through the world’s (devil’s) way. It is quick and fast, illegal or immoral, have bad side-effects, and costly. As believers, our focus is on godly prosperity. Non-believers will just follow the world’s way. Prosperity in God’s vocabulary means all rounded prosperity in every area of your life. Today, we focus on the financial aspect.

Proverbs 10:22 - “The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”

There is a wrong thinking or mindset towards prosperity. Prosperity is seen to be evil and causes pride as you don’t depend on God. On the other hand, poverty is seen to be good as it causes you to remain humble and dependent on God. This observation is statistically true based on observation but it’s not a truth of God. You can find the humble rich and also the arrogant proud. God’s word tells us that He is never against prosperity.

2 Corinthians 9:8 - “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

You will have all grace for all things at all times. This is what Paul had written to the church, not for non-believers. I used to think that having just enough is right. God answered and rebuked me. He said that I am very selfish as we need financials to extend the kingdom of God as well. I repented and changed my mindset. I prayed for abundance so that God would allow me to do what He wanted me to do. I started to partake in the benefits that God gave me. God is the true God of prosperity. We can see it in the beginning of creation.

Genesis 2:8 - “Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.”

Eden in Hebrew means pleasure, more accurately richness, abundance and delight.

Genesis 2:10-11 - “A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found.”

‭There are 4 rivers and planted gold and precious stones in the Garden of Eden. Adam was living in an environment of grace and abundance. In the garden, Adam didn’t experience any lack. All these were freely provided to Adam by God. The first words that Man heard from God is to prosper. God puts prosperity in man’s DNA since creation. Everyone, including believers, wants to prosper and be successful. God’s will didn’t change in the past, now, and the future.

Genesis 1:28 - “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.””

‭Unfortunately, Adam sinned and the sin nature was brought into the world. It is Satan’s nature. Prosperity was corrupted and turned into greed and covetousness. Things that are good from God become corrupted and evil because of sin. For believers, we have been saved and redeemed. Our nature is no longer the nature of sin. Our nature is the righteousness of God. We need to renew our mind and understand prosperity in its proper focus. We can allow God’s prosperity to flow through us.

Why did Jesus come down to Earth?

John 3:16 - ““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

‭John 10:10 - “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

‭Zoe life is the God-kind of life, including prosperity. Jesus exhibited Zoe in His life and ministry. Jesus came to Earth to give us life and life more abundantly. Abundant life starts the day you are born again. The first thing you need to do when you are born again is to find an abundant life.

2 Corinthians 8:9 - “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

‭Many proper try to ‘spiritualise away’ this verse and claim it’s about ‘spiritual richness or wealth’. They wrongly divide the Word to suit their theology or prejudices of anti-prosperity.

Many things in the Old Testament are for our understanding. Whatever you believe has to be rightly divided.

The context of 2 Corinthians 8-9 deals with money, not spiritual riches. Paul urges the church to keep its pledge to help the Jerusalem believers; highlights the generosity of the Macedonians, remind them that through Christ’s redemptive work they have been made rich, and teaches that cheerful, willing giving brings blessings - God’s provision, fairness, thanksgiving, and unity within the church. Paul hopes to teach them about generosity and principles of giving.

Was Jesus rich? A misconception is that Jesus was poor. It’s true He was born poor based on the animal sacrifice His parents offered at the temple - a pair of turkey doves and two young pigeons. However, Jesus didn’t remain poor.

Luke 2:24 - “So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.””

‭‭Leviticus 12:6-8 - ““When the time of purification is completed for either a son or a daughter, the woman must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a purification offering. She must bring her offerings to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest will then present them to the Lord to purify her. Then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth. These are the instructions for a woman after the birth of a son or a daughter. “If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for the burnt offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will sacrifice them to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean.””

‭‭He was born in the manger as there was no space, not because they cannot pay. Joseph and Mary were not rich people. Their offering of a pair of turtledoves shows that they were not rich as they offered that instead of lambs.

God provided for Jesus through the wise men (not three) who came from the East bearing 3 types of gifts. Scripture only says ‘wise men’. It could have been a large caravan with servants and guards, as was common for wealthy dignitaries travelling long distances.

Matthew 2:1-2 - “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.””

Matthew 2:11 - “They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

God quickly supplied abundance to Jesus and His parents through the wise men’s gifts. His timely provision ensured Jesus did not live in poverty. Jesus is the sinless One, thus the effects of sin and curse (including death, sickness, and poverty) cannot come onto Him. This is the same for us. However, many believers let these enter their lives as they don’t understand this truth. We need to fortify our minds.

1 John 3:5b -

2 Corinthians 5:17 -

2 Corinthians 5:21 -

How rich was Jesus? The Bible is silent as that’s not God’s focus. Suffice to say He was not poor. He had ministry partners.

Luke 8:1-3 - “Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.”

‭‭Jesus has a treasurer, Judas. This proves there was quite a lot of money to handle.

John 12:6 - “Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.”

Jesus was a philanthropist. I used to think doing good is healing. But they are actually two different things. The original meaning of good in Greek (euergeteo) is charity. If Jesus had no money, He can’t do charity too.

Acts 10:38 - “And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

John 13:29 - “Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.”

Jesus’ work was well supported. His partners regularly provided (Luke 8:3), there was a money box overseen by a treasurer (John 12:6, 13:29), and the dean had the means to buy what was needed (John 4:8, Mark 6:37).

When and how did Jesus become poor? At the Cross when He took our sin nature to redeem us. Everytime we see the Cross, we know that Jesus has paid for our curse and poverty.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Galatians 3:13 - “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””

The redemptive truth is the divine exchange. Jesus took the nature of sin and its curses away from us. In exchange, He gave us God’s life with all of God’s blessings. Today, we are like Adam back in the Garden of Eden. Everything we need, God has already freely given to us. Are you aware of this? Only when you are aware then can you partake in the truth.

Have we become rich? Yes! We are already abundantly supplied by God. Once you realise, exercise faith and the spirit becomes natural. It’s no longer scriptural for us to pray that God blesses us as God has already blessed us. Our prayer should be for God to open our eyes to see His blessings, and then start thanking God for it. God is not against you enjoying His blessings, but He doesn’t want you to sidetrack from His blessings and draw further away from Him. The more you understand this truth, the more it starts manifesting.

2 Corinthians 8:9 - “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

Ephesians 1:3 - “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

1 Timothy 6:17 - “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”

2 Peter 1:3 - “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”

All grace means all blessings, favour, strength and wisdom etc. Abound comes in abundance or overflows unto a person. You already have favour with God as you are God’s child. Supply of grace never runs out. Under grace, God has done everything. Are you cooperating with God’s truth?

3 John 2 - “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.”

Romans 12:2 - “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

We need to have the right mindset. Adjust and align, develop the right motivates, desires and purposes towards prosperity. Why do you want to prosper? Do you want to glorify yourself or is it to glorify God? Glorifying yourself will hinder you from prospering. Not all believers will prosper as they are not willing to cooperate with God’s truth. They are indifferent or have the wrong heart. If you have the wrong mindset and prosperity comes, it will be corrupted. God is not withholding the prosperity, He has already given you. It is stuck in your spirit. You just need to adjust your mind then it will happen.

Cultivate a spirit of generosity. It is ironic to be redeemed from the curse of poverty and then fall into the bondage of selfishness and covetousness.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - “Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

God’s abundance always abounds. Prosperity is already inside you. You are already pre-programmed to prosper. When you start prospering God’s way, it pleases the Father. God may have given you gifts to prosper in certain ways. Don’t feel guilty and condemned. Accept the grace that God has given to you and acknowledge that it comes from Him and that you are just a vessel. Make sure that your heart has no greed and covetousness. You will be blessed and people you meet will be blessed too.

Amen.