(15 November 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince (1st service on playback of 7 Nov Lakewood church sermon)

Expect the miracle to happen as the Word goes forth. You don't need to wait to apply the Word in your life.

Romans 10:17

Miracles start by hearing & speaking

By the foolishness of preaching (1 Cor 1:21)
Just by talking, people are saved. But make sure you're talking about Jesus

Once saved, always saved

As sinners, we cannot undo our sins even by doing right because it's a work of Adam.

No amount of good deeds can change the fact you're a sinner. Except by being born again.

In the same manner, as the righteousness of God, we cannot undo our righteousness which is a work of Jesus!

Even more powerful & secured & sure.

What do you believe when you sin? That your act makes you unrighteous? Then Adam's act is more powerful than Jesus' act.

Devil is most subtle when he comes as an angel of light. Like, mixing religiosity into the word.
Eg. You have to read the Bible more.
Eg. Grace causes you to sin more.

We're in the ark. And like Noah, we fall in the ark but never out of the ark. Our salvation in Christ is sure and secured.

Sermon proper

Jer 23:3-8

3 things happen when we're under good shepherding

1) Fear no more
2) Nor be dismayed
3) Nor be lacking

1st that go into hell are the fearful and unbelieving (Rev 1:28)

V6 the message that will feed the people under good shepherding = the Lord my righteousness! = Jehovah Tsidkenu

You are not your own vindication. Jesus is the measure of your vindication.

V8 north country = Russia
All countries = France etc

When it will happen (when God brings all His people back to Israel, even more than when He brought them back from Egypt in the past) & what will be the results to the flock (above 3) & what's the message preached (the Lord my righteousness)

Grace message is not an accident but the plan of God.

Gal 1:6-9
Different gospel = any other gosepl that isn't the grace of Christ
Not the other way round

V8 there's a curse for those who preach a different non-grace gospel 

V9 in fact, there's a double curse

Why so severe? Bcos God loves us (sheep) so much. Any other gosepl will hinder us from receiving God's love for us.

Acts 13

When Elymas decided people with sorcery, nothing happened to him. Although sorcery is evil.

But the moment he tried to hinder the gospel / Paul's ministry, he was blinded for a season.

That's how much God protects the gospel. And even then, there's God's mercy bcos the blinding was only for a season

Acts 20

Repentance towards God & faith to Jesus Christ

Repentance = metanoia = change your mind towards God; change your mind about what God thinks about you; change from thinking that God is against you to God is for you

Ultimate act of self righteousness = wanting to pay for your sins yourself

By hanging self (Eg. Judas) 

But can also come in other forms of punishing self

Matt 11:21-23

Mighty works = miracles

V23 Capernaum = town of Jesus where Jesus performed many miracles

Exalted to heaven bcos Jesus lived there
But brought down to hell bcos sin of rejection against grace is worse than sin of Sodom

This tells us two things:

1) Sin of rejection against grace is worse than sin of Sodom

2) How to reach out to those in Sodom? Not by condemning them but by mighty works. Prayer requests and miracles.

Paul's eyes were closed for 3 days and only opened when Ananias (= Hananiah = grace of God) prayed for him

He who knew no sin, did no sin, received my sin.

The most honourable thing I can do now is to receive His righteousness

In the same manner, apart from my deeds, but by one Man's obedience only

Every time we claim Jesus our righteousness, we bring glory to Him

Jesus on the cross, made payment to God for our sins so that God's grace can be unleashed upon us

Walk the talk, talk the walk (18 September 2015)

Pastor Benjamin (Genrev service)

Whatever u're holding too tightly in ur hands (dreams, hopes, desires, disillusions) give it to the Lord to fulfil. Let Him pour in you fresh dreams, anointings & hope directed of Him. Chase Jesus

Sermon proper

Part 1 Walk the talk

Romans 12:1-2 (msg)
God helping me even on weekdays
Walking out the talk doesn't depend on ourselves. The Lord is doing it through us.
God helps us in everything we do, even the mundane things

We all want to do things for God. But the best thing we can do for Him is really the opposite - to receive/embrace what He has done for us. 

Don't look at yourself and ask whether you've done this or that

It's actually about asking whether Christ has done this and that for us

That's how we begin to walk it out - the power comes from first resting and receiving.

It's tempting to look at our situations in the natural. That's flesh.
It takes faith to look to the Lord when circumstances are opposite to what we're believing

God brings the best out of us but the process can be painful and frightening.
We like to hold on to something to feel more secured. Like roller coaster.
But when God is bringing you to another level, you have to let go. & we don't want to bcos we want to be in control.

Let God have it, don't take it back.

2 Cor 5:7 We walk by faith not by sight
How about feelings?

Walking by faith doesn't mean we won't feel feelings.

We will feel feelings of insecurity and emotions, but that doesn't mean we go by feelings either.
We think feelings will fade with maturity but feelings never grow weaker.

We are easily persuaded by feelings. But instead we should be persuaded by faith.

Everyday begins from the secret place with the Lord. Where's that?

Matt 14:22-33
He went to the mountain to pray. Alone.
To be alone is an art. Doesn't mean you feel lonely.

Be alone with the Father. Because that's the time to receive from the Father.

Set aside time with the Lord when you're not cluttered with thoughts, conversations etc

Notice that after the quiet time, Jesus walked on water

We're empowered in our quiet times with the Lord to then walk life well!

Once a week on Sunday is not enough
Common theme for all the testimonies we hear = alot of time is spent with Jesus before those testimonies come about. Eg. prayer, tongues

Before Jesus walked on water, He knew where the disciples were to walk towards them.
4th watch = at the darkest time of the night

Jesus will walk to me in my storm bcos His eyes are on me especially in the darkest moment

When God begins to appear / work in our lives, we may not always recognise that it's God. We may even mistake it as the devil.

Don't be in a rush to conclude. Give the matter enough time.

Common characteristics if it's God:
1) There will be supernatural enabling.

You will be very bold and very strong. You will still have feelings but won't be overwhelmed by them.

Whatever is of God will have no fear in it. There will always be comfort. (Isaiah 41:10)

2) There will be supernatural resources and abilities to back you up.

What if you share the gospel with others and they don't get saved? That's fine, it's the HS's job to convict the person, not yours.

When was Peter afraid? When he saw the wind

He heard the Lord say come, then he walked. He didn't see

But when his eyes saw the wind, he was afraid.

Don't set ur eyes on the wind / storms of life. They will come and go.

V31 Jesus immediately saved him first, then mini rebuke, "Why so little faith?" 

But know that Jesus saves immediately!

V32 when Jesus got into the boat, the storm ceased

Invite Jesus into your boat/life everyday because He's the storm stiller and will work everything out for your good

V23 backtrack, the start of walking on water is Jesus being in the mountain by Himself

Romans 12:1-2 (amplified)

Do not be confirmed to this world = do not look at the storms of life

Some changes in life are progressive

We tend to overestimate God in the short term and underestimate Him in the long term

We may want things fast, but slower is better and steadier

All our discouragements and disappointments are because we're looking at ourselves or at time.

God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecc 3:11)

With faith and patience we inherit the promises of God (Hebrews 6:12)

We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7)

Walking by sight = seeing the wind

We think that the challenge is in our feelings. But no, the challenge is actually in our thinking because the way we think influences the way we feel.

E.g. Listening to emo songs can trigger sad memories and feelings

When you don't 'feel' faith for a breakthrough, it's because you don't think a breakthrough is possible. 

Think --> Feel --> Faith. Let's go to the root and correct our thinking!

Phil 4:8 

How to renew our minds = by meditating on good things = by replacing our thoughts with thoughts based on the Word

The start is a conscience decision to allow God to change your thinking. Then slowly but surely your feelings will align and make walking in faith easier. 

2 Cor 10:3-6

There is a devil who wants you to think bad thoughts because it will rob you of faith

Fear is a feeling / feelings of rejection

It's a stronghold, that God wants to deal with and there's power to destroy it! 

How? By taking every thought and argument (argument in your mind, I can do all things except....) captive to obey Christ

V5 … captivity to the obedience of Christ

Not "to obey Christ", but "to the obedience of Christ"

Romans 5:19 The obedience of Christ = what Jesus did for us on the cross

So, when we have a wrong thought, replace that thought with the obedience of Christ / with what Christ has done

That's how we change our feelings & faith & every promise of God becomes yes and Amen

Every time we think righteous thoughts, the power of God is released in our life

V6 our obedience is obedience of faith = to bring it to the obedience of Christ

Part 2 Talk the walk

So how to replace our thoughts with thoughts based on the Word? Find a Scripture verse, and stand on it; speak it out

E.g. When we have a worry, Matt 6:25-31

V26 

Replace thoughts of worry with thoughts of He supplies the birds what more for us

There is constant supply of His Spirit in our lives

V31 Take no thought, saying = you take a thought by saying

Hence, to replace a thought, you have to say/speak it out 

Replace a negative thought by talking about what the Word of God says

Don't keep it silently in your mind either

We react the way we react because of our past, but today, we're a new creation in Christ!

The way out is to talk the word of God and then you'll begin to walk the word of God out naturally too, despite of how you feel.

Some verses to help us get started:

• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13)
• The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
• This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice, and again I say rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24)
• The Kingdom of God is within me (Luke 17:21)
• No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against me in judgement I shall show to be wrong. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and my righteousness if from the Lord (Isaiah 54:17)
• The Lord is my shepherd (Ps 23:1)
• I am not alone. The Lord is by my side all day long and He is near me. (Deut 31:8)

(9 August 2015)

Pastor Lian (2nd service live)

It may seem like there's a lack of manifestation of blessing in your life. But in eternity, Abba has already blessed you. So give because you already have, not because you're trying to get. - Pastor Lawrence

Sermon proper 

1) He does big things

Eph 3:20

The spirit that God carries is one that's big! That's His style of doing & giving things.

E.g. God created our minds to be able to process way more thoughts than we'll ever need. 

E.g. God created a Sun that emits way more energy than we need. A lot is wasted/lost in space.

E.g. God multiplied the 5 loaves & 2 fish to 12 baskets full left over. 

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Me: It would already have been a miracle & it would already have been enough to have multiplied the 5 loaves & 2 fish to be exactly enough to feed everyone. Nobody would go home hungry and that's enough. But He multiplied to have left-overs! That's my Jesus!

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Whatever you have, even if it isn't much, if you put them in Jesus' hands, wow!

The tendency is to think, "What can I do in the face of this problem? I have so little"

But the truth is that we have a God that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think.

Put the 5 loaves & 2 fish (whatever u have, even little) into His hands.

2) He likes to use the small & foolish things

1 Cor 1:26-29

If you think, "I'm not much in & of myself.", then yay! In Christ, He can do much in & through you

Allow Jesus to come into your situation so that one day you can say "I encountered Jesus."

Long ago, there was a prophecy that Singapore would be the Antioch of Asia 

Antioch = place from where Paul & Barnabas sent missionaries to spread the gospel of grace 

Now we see, from Singapore, the gospel of grace is being sent out! And we're at the epicentre!

Eph 3:20

Now unto Him who is able to do ...

Don't forget Jesus. It is not us who are able to do

John 2

When the couple ran out of wine, Mary pointed to Jesus 

Whatever He says to do, do it

Don't insult God by asking for small things. Be bold and ask God for big things! Compliment Him!

He is able to do both small and big things.

Compliment Him and have a positive confident expectation of good from a good Saviour.

You will see the manifestation of big things from a big God.

Testimony 1: infinity pool

Testimony 2: new water 

I cannot do anything = wrong

I cannot do anything in & of myself

I can do all things = wrong

I can do all things in Christ (Phil 4:13)

Only Jesus can. It's not by declaring on your own. There's no power in saying/shouting "I can do all things!" But there is power in saying "I can do all things in Christ". It's by Jesus' name.   

We hear the grace message, but sometimes we still go through unbearable situations. What should our response be?

Singapore's 50th national day today. 50 = jubilee 

Lev 25:8-10

What happens in the year of jubilee? Proclamation for our liberty happens

We are freed from every debt & lack. & all our possessions are restored to us. We are returned to our family. 

E.g. If you sold your property for money previously, in jubilee year, your property is returned to you. 

E.g. If you sold yourself as slave for money previously, in jubilee year, you are free to return to your family.

Luke 4:18-19

Jesus' coming was a declaration that jubilee had come. He is our jubilee.

Right now is our jubilee. We do not need to wait for 50 years.

How does jubilee happen? It starts by a proclamation. 

So why is our jubilee not happening? Because in the 7th year you're supposed to rest in Christ.

Rest & trust in what Jesus has done

Rest until restoration happens in your life

Keep resting in all that Jesus has already paid for us to have

Why can restoration take place? Because Someone (Jesus) already paid for the restoration. So we can expect it!

Don't allow oppression & depression to come upon u. Jesus is your jubilee! 

I believe Lord, your death is my blessing. I receive it.

Trumpet = blow lamb's horn (shofar) = proclamation of death of lamb = Jesus the lamb of God.

His death is for my body to be healthy & forever forgiven & righteous

What should you do if you don't see an immediate restoration? Rest. 

How do we rest? 1 Cor 11:26

By partaking of the Holy Communion and releasing faith in what Jesus has done (not going to do) for us. 

Partaking of the Holy Communion is another proclamation of the Lord's death / proclamation of our jubilee. Like blowing the ram's horn.

Sounding the ram's horn at service today

Link: Sounding the ram's horn (NCC fb page)

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PS: Happy National Day! I love my Jesus for placing me here in Singapore! ♥

How to deal with trials & tribulations of our life (02 August 2015)

Pastor Lawrence (2nd service live)

Sermon proper

"Friend of sinners" was meant to be a derogatory term but turned into the most beautiful term of our Saviour ever

God will never turn His back on you, no matter who u are 

How to deal with trials & tribulations of our life even after we're saved / What to do when we don't end up living the perfect life after being saved?

1 Sam 30:1-19

Context = David came back from battle & realised he lost everything dear to him. Family, possessions, friends, friends' family etc. & his men wanted to kill him too. To the extent no more tears to weep.

V6 David strengthened himself in the Lord

Strength doesn't come from within - you can't make yourself become strong by will / desire

Strength also doesn't come from without - spouse & friends are great help but you can't draw from them forever bcos they will also wear out  

1 Sam 15:29

Strength is a person = Jesus

But we need to know & acknowledge first that we're weak

God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength (Isaiah 40:29)

God can give power and strength can be increased BUT the prerequisite is ...

(1) to realise that you're weak, AND

(2) to turn to Him for His strength. Depend on Him. (David turned to God)

How did David turn to God? By crying out to God. Immerse yourself in worship towards God.

How do we cry out to God? Just cry! "Jesus help me!"

You may not even have to use ur voice.

He hears our every cry, even those in our heart. (Ps 18:6, Ps 34:15 & 17, Ps 116:1)

When u don't know the way - Jesus says "I am the way" (John 14:6)

When u're confused - Jesus says "I am the truth" (John 14:6)

When things seems hopeless - Jesus says "I am the resurrection & the life" (John 11:25)

There's a difference. Resurrection = brought back to life; The life = the zoe life

Sometimes we believe doctors or the reports of men (e.g. school report, exam results, performance review, what others thing of you etc)

Switch to the channel of God's word & find out what God's report / will for you is!

How? The way Jesus responded in each situation is the way the Father would respond / the Father's will. 

Anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9)

Jesus healed all who came to Him = it's God's will for us to be healthy & not sick

Jesus came that we may have life abundantly (John 10:10) = it's God's will for us to be blessed, to reign in life & be free from all troubles

1 Sam 30

V6 strengthened by crying out to God

V7,8 after you've received strength, now you're ready for action

but don't assume on the strength now given to you. Always ask God to guide you what to do next 

V15,16 your enemies maybe rejoicing over u now, but hey! know that this will only be for a short while. the tables are going to be turned!

V18,19 David recovered all. Nothing was missing.

Prov 6:30-31

The law of restoration = if a thief is caught, he must pay 7 times even if it costs him everything

I.e. it's much better for the enemy if he didn't steal from you in the first place

God is your restoration

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Me: V31 "when he is found" Not "whenever he steals"

So, you have to know that you've been stolen from first!

How to know? When our life isn't according to God's will for us. (What's God's will for us? See above)

E.g. when you're not walking in total health, or total victory over life = you've been stolen from. & now that you've recognised it, you've caught the thief and he has to pay back 7 times!

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Ps 23

V4 though I walk though the valley …, You are with me. Jesus is with me!

Start = "He" = the Lord in 3rd person

End = "You" = the Lord in 2nd person

In your darkest moments, you will experience God in the most intimate way

 

Jesus is a rose of sharon, lily of the valleys (Song of Sol 2)

Jesus is the beauty in the midst of the chaos / lowest area

Heb 13:5 I will never leave u nor forsake u

I am the Bright & morning star (Rev 22:16) bcos it's only seen in the darkest time

His Grace is always sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9)

Take Holy Comm over a sick person

Tell your mountain how big your God is (don't tell God how big your mountain is)

Line up your speech with God's word!

We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37)

Call unto Me and I will answer you and I will show u great and mighty things which you do not know (Jer 33:3)

What if you're in a mess bcos of your own sins & failures / your own making?

God is a God of second chances, grace & mercy. Look at Samson!

There's no sin God cannot forgive. But open your heart to His grace & love for you. 

(19 July 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince (2nd service live)

Jesus carried our sins so we can carry His righteousness

Having done no sin, became our sin & He became the object of judgement

Having done no righteous thing, we became His righteousness & we come the object of favour

God is just but He delights in showing mercy

Holy = set apart unto God

Holiest = Israel --> Jerusalem --> Temple Mount --> Holy of holies --> mercy seat = the Holiest thing to God at the centre of His heart

Advice for leaders = to love mercy & do justice (Micah 6:8)

Hands = execute justice
Heart = love mercy

God will defend His people

Eg. Ananias & Sapphira, cheating the church & dropping dead. They were not believers

Eg. Shepherd will hit the wolf for attacking the sheep. Do u feel sorry for the wolf after that?

God hates sin but God loves the sinner
How much you hate cancer is how much you love the person

God wants to bless us even more than we want to be blessed

It is our Father's good pleasure to bless His people (Luke 12:32)

Person willing to receive = faith

Faith is the right response and allows God to bless you

Believe in a God that wants to bless you, not a God that wants to be persuaded before blessing you

You can never love God the way He loves you

Faith = I know God wants to heal

Pray = alignment with God's heart

A life lived for God & with the abundant blessing / zoe life is a testimony in itself

Sermon proper

Coming against the heresy of lordship salvation

What is lordship salvation? In order to be saved, you have to first ...

a) turn from your sins / repent of your sins and then you'll be saved.

b) turn from your sins / repent of you sins & receive Jesus Christ and then you'll be saved.

Both are incorrect because they presuppose on our own ability/strength to turn from our sins on our own first before being saved. b) just includes "receive Jesus Christ" to sound more spiritual but still presumes on our self effort to turn from sins.

No one can turn away from our sins on our own no matter how hard we try.

If we had the power to stop doing sin, then there was no need for Jesus to come. 

Same as work salvation = salvation where there is no need of / no need to receive Jesus' finished work on the cross 

World definition of repentance = feeling sorrowful / remorseful / guilty of sin committed. But this is NOT Bible repentance

Bible definition of repentance = metanoia = change your mind

I.e. When you believe in Jesus = repentance of unbelief = changing your mind from disbelief to belief in Jesus

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Sidetrack

God is the only one who doesn't throw away defiled / useless things. Beyond that, He loves the defiled / useless things.

No love is like the Father's love. Totally unselfish.

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Mark 1:14-15

V15 Repent / change your mind about what? 

About believing the gospel / that Jesus is the Messiah

Acts 20:20-21

The original gospel of Paul; so important that it was done publicly and from house to house

First area of repentance = repentance toward God

Eg. From thinking "God is out to find fault with me" to "God is out to bless me!"

The phrase repent of sin isn't found in the NT

The idea is there, and yes we believe in repentance of sin but this is for believers AFTER being saved. It's not FOR salvation / IN ORDER to be saved.

Eg. You don't become a better man to become saved. You become saved in order to become a better man.

Eg. You don't clean yourself before taking a bath. You take a bath in order to become clean.

It's easy and free on our part to become saved, but it wasn't cheap for Jesus. He paid dearly. 

The flesh wants to say "It wasn't easy for me to be saved, Lord! I did something, I gave up ____. You should be glad to have me!"

i. Jairus daughter who just died

ii. Widow's son who was dead slightly longer

iii. Lazareth who was dead for 4 days

Jesus raised all 3 from the dead no matter how dead they were. No one was more dead than the other.

There is no degree of deadness. Same as sin. There is no degree of what is more sinful.

Whether we're a prostitute, a banker etc, all of us are equally spiritually dead.

Why is lordship salvation dangerous?

Because it presupposes on man's strength to be able to turn from sins on our own. And because no man can do that, it becomes an obstacle between man and God.

Feeling sorry, conscious striken etc is not changing of mind

Changing of mind may involve sorrow or even joy (eg. when you're happy to change your mind), but feeling sorry isn't an indicator that repentance / changing of mind has taken place

Repentance is mentioned 46 times in OT:

9 times = man changing mind

37 times = God changing His mind

Exodus 32:14 (KJV, NLT)

If repentance is about sin, then does that mean that God is repenting about His sin here? No! God has no sin.

God repented / changed His mind about the people because of Moses.

God is a God waiting to be entreated

Eg. He knew Abraham would ask Him not to punish Sodom that's why He went to find Abraham and for Abraham's prayer of 10 righteous He would not burn down Sodom.

Repent = teshuva = turn to hei = turn to grace (see picture)

repent = teshuva = turn to hei / grace

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Sidetrack

How do you see Jesus?

Luke 14

Jesus as miracle worker, a teacher, a celebrity. But Jesus was not at home amongst them.

You can learn from Jesus as a role model but still depend on yourself.

Luke 15

Jesus as saviour. And Jesus was most at home amongst them.

Why? Because in order to see Jesus as Saviour, it means you first see yourself as a sinner needing saving.

Jesus came to be used, not admired.

Jesus is a much better Saviour than I am a sinner.

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Recap story of lost sheep (Luke 15:5-7)

V7 subject of parable is about repentance. But how did the sheep repent? 

Entire parable is about the good Shepherd who looked, found, rejoiced (active)

What did the sheep do? It didn't do anything except consented to be found, to be carried / rest on shoulder, to be rejoiced over (passive)

Repentance = consenting to be loved

Lost sheep 1/100 = if you're just 1 of many, the world will usually cut losses lest they lose more. But to Jesus, every single one is precious & unique even if there are many more similar ones around

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Sidetrack

Recap story of lost son (Luke 15:16-20)

V17 son was thinking about food, he didn't miss his father. He missed the food provided by his father

Motive for going home was to be like hired servants who have food. He wasn't going home to become a son 

V20 great way off = father was looking for him

V18,19 (practised speech) vs V21 (actual speech) father didn't allow him to finish his confession.

Ring = credit card
Shoes = worthy to stand before me

Many times, we accept God for the wrong reasons (e.g. out of fear, for 'insurance' in case He's real). We may have come for the wrong reasons, but whatever our reason for coming to Him, He will run to us.

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Is repentance about feeling sorrowful?

Matt 27:3-5

Judas was remorseful, even repaid the 30 pieces of silver (i.e. restitution / action) and went to hang himself

But is this Bible repentance? No. Even though he was remorseful, made restitution and even tried to pay for his mistakes on his own with with his life, there's no mention of the word reptenance anywhere here.

Hanging self is pride because he wanted to pay for himself rather than let Jesus pay the price for him. 

Even if we want to bring something to Jesus, what do we have that's valuable to give Him? He's the one who fills our hands with everything for us to bring to Him again later. We have nothing of our own.

If you want to bring anything to Jesus, bring your sins. He loves that!

If repentance is about feeling sorrowful, and if salvation is about repentance (=feeling sorrowful), then Judas should be saved here but he wasn't. 

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Sidetrack

V4 when devil has no use for you, he drops you.

The devil hates  you, God loves you

Whatever a person gives the devil, he may get fame for a while but later he drops him & he'll be worse than before. (E.g. Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler)

Whatever you give God, he multiplies it

E.g. Peter's boat - Peter toiled all night and caught nothing, but the moment he lent his boat to Jesus, after that all the fish were attracted to it. (Luke 5)

Give your brain, time, money etc to God. He's a debtor to no man.

Give so you're in a posture to receive more

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Must we repent of sin first in order to be saved? (ie. lordship salvation)

Eg. Acts 10:43-44 "whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins"

This is the first time that gentiles are preached to and "repent" is not used by Peter here. 

Eg. Acts 11:2-4, 15-18

V18 what they saw was "repentance to life" although Peter never said anything about repentance

Eg. Romans 10:9 "… that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Eg. John 20:31 "believing you may have life in His name"

Not "believing and repenting"

Eg. John 3:16 "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life"

Not "whoever believes and repents"

John = to reach out to non believers

In the entire gospel of John, it's all about believing never mentions repenting at all

You cannot believe without repenting

If repentance of sin is needed first in order to be saved (i.e. lordship salvation), then surely it must have been emphasised in the speeches made by Peter and John. But all of them only talk about believing. 

Do not confuse root vs fruit

Root = saved by believing in the Lord

Fruit = repentance

When root is right, fruits will follow naturally

Many of us want Jesus to be the centre of our lives / to be Lord over every part of our lives. But is He really? No, it's still a process. 

Must we repent of our sin AND make restitution / action in order to be saved?

Then how can the thief at the cross pay? He's stuck at the cross about to die.

But Jesus said "today you shall be with Me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

It's easy to be saved! Doesn't mean it's cheap. Jesus paid heavily for us.

How about "narrow is the way and few find it" (Matt 7:14)?

That's present tense for the time when Jesus walked the earth. Not for today.

Multitude that no man can number in heaven (Rev 7:9)

Doesn't say multitude in hell, although yes there is hell

It's easy to be saved but it's not universal salvation either. Have to believe first.

How about on the day of Pentecost and Peter said "repent" (Acts 2:38)? 

That's because those there are primarily believers and Peter is talking to them.

Summary

• Yes, we believe in repentance of sin but that's for believers AFTER being saved. It's not FOR salvation / IN ORDER to be saved.
• For salvation, just believe! You will naturally repent after that.
• Repentance is not about a feeling or action, but about changing your mind about a wrong belief and consenting/allowing yourself to be loved by Christ.

(12 July 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince (2nd service on 1st service playback)

Luke 15
Lost sheep, coin, son

Common theme = joy of the finder

Shepherd = Jesus

Woman = Holy Spirit

Father = Abba

If we ask Jesus, why would He bless us or want to be involved in our lives? His answer will be that it's because it gives Him great joy.

V1 "*then* the sinners drew near to hear Him"

Context = prior chapter (Luke 14) is about Jesus entering into the world of hypocrisy (house of Pharisees)

Recap 21 June 2015 sermon

1 Thess 5:8-9
U can be awake but not sober
U can be there physically but not present with loved ones

Hope = elpis = confident positive certain expectation of good in our future because of our salvation in Christ

Salvation = solo = saving not just from hell but from everything evil on earth

Even when things aren't going well, we're going through a valley and God is with us & we will come out on the other side. We're just passing through!

Helmet = hope of salvation = We protect our head / thoughts (helmet) by having a confident expectation of good from God (hope)

E.g. If a bad thought comes, we can say nope, that will not happen, good things will happen in my future because of Jesus

It doesn't mean Christians don't go through trials. Trials of life happen to everybody but there are some that you don't have to go through but for the ministry that you're in. These trials are for the furtherance of the gospel

Eg. Paul in jail & the Roman soldier gets saved in the process etc

Sermon proper

The biggest problem of hope

We have heard so much teaching about "what u sow, u reap". How can we have hope when we're concerned that the seeds we sowed previously will come to pass? Is there an evil harvest waiting for us?

Eg. Haman erected gallows & he himself died on it in the end (Esther 7)

Eg. David sowed adultery in secret & later his sons did it openly (2 Samuel)

Eg. Hitler forced Jews into hiding & later went into hiding himself in his last days

Eg. General Titus burnt temple & later volcano destroyed Pompeii entirely

E.g. Hosea 8:7

Conclusion seems to be that yes, what u sow is what u reap

And the endings (whirlwind) were even worse than what they sowed (wind)

But notice that all these examples are OT stories and stories of the world 

For us in Christ, Jesus on the cross changed all this for us - we reap the good things Jesus sowed on the cross & u never reap the same amount sowed, the harvest is always greater

Consequences of sin/actions and reaping a harvest are two different things. If we do not distinguish the two, it will cause us to have a fearful expectation of evil in the future. This is contrary to hope.

Eg. Smoking and resulting in lung disease

Eg. Being mean to people and having no friends

Eg. Visiting a prostitute and contracting an illness / fear of contracting an illness

These are all consequences, not about sowing & reaping

Consequences = faced almost immediately
Reaping = u don't know when it'll come

NT stories of sowing & reaping appear in only 2 applications

(1) Money / Finances
2 Cor 9:6-8

(2) Word of God
Mark 4:13-14

(3) Brand new body during second coming
1 Cor 15:42-44

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Sidetrack

John 5:14

About the man who was lame but now healed when Jesus said "rise, take up your bed and walk"

V14 Jesus later said to the same man (after he was healed) "sin no more, lest a worse thing happen to u" = talking about consequences of sin

Sin = verb/action = don't do a certain sin again because u've been made well already

Eg. U've been healed of lunch disease, don't go back to smoking

Btw, smoking is a sin. Why do you want to allow your body, which has been redeemed and paid for by perfect blood, to be addicted & under the control of something?

There are consequences to sin. There are consequences on earth.

The earth rebels / groans in response to man not manifesting as sons of God (Romans 8)

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How about Gal 6:7?

Background of Galatians = trying to be perfected by the law

Paul never calls them holy or saints. Even Corinthians who were so carnal, yet Paul encouraged them in grace in his letters to them. In Gal 1, Paul starts by pronouncing curse on them if they preach law. They are deceived.

=====

(Self note: I didn't quite catch this part, will have to re-listen when the CD is out next week)

Context of V7 = V6, 9,10 all about giving

Sows to his flesh = stingy

Sowed in own strength = led to golden calf

V7 sows to spirit will reap everlasting life

But isn't everlasting life a gift, that cannot be bought?

1 Tim 6:17-19

V19 lay hold on eternal life

Eternal life = ionos zoe = everlasting life

Does tt mean when u give richly u get eternal life?

No! Eternal life is a gift from God, not works of our generosity

E.g. When you bless someone in secret when u know he's in need. How do u feel? That's laying hold of eternal life. Like, known giving is level 1, and level 2 is giving without being known.

Reap from where? From within. U experience eternal life in ur emotions

V10 It doesn't mean we don't bless non believers but "especially" means prioritising believers

1 Peter 1:23
Seed can be corrupted

Corruptible = adjective

Grace = word of God now = present truth

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John 4:36-39

V37 One sows (Jesus), another reaps (me)

When Jesus died on the cross, He let us reap what He sowed & He reaped what we sowed

For us, the whirlwind is not coming because it already came at the cross upon Jesus.

There is no evil harvest in our future.

He was wounded for our transgression (our wrong sowing)

Referring to the word of God sown

V36 those who sow reap wages = God can raise someone to bless u

V38 others have laboured = prophets of past

Job 4:7-8
Job had 3 comforters

Zophar = legalistic pov

Bildad = tradition pov

Eliphaz = experience / seen pov  - Ie. U sowed trouble somewhere that's why u're reaping it now; sin consciousness

Man born blind, whose sin was it? (John 9)

"Neither, but that the works of God should be revealed"

Let's not ask how it came about. It doesn't matter, God is here to make it right.

Incorrect concept of sowing & reaping can condemn people

Like Jesus, let's not care what others/self did in the past

Because of Jesus, we will have crop failure of the corruptible crop and a bumper harvest for incorruptible crop from Christ

Ps 126

V5 sow in tears, reap in joy

Why? Because of V1-2, Jesus becoming a captive to set us free

Sermon on Mount
Matt 5 & Luke 6:20-21
Poor, hunger, weep now
But richness in kingdom of God, filled, laugh in future

Blessed if you're poor/hungry/sad now

Why? Because He has come and you shall be liberated!

Holy life is not produced by fear but by a revelation of the love of Christ

Jer 31:27-31

V29 they will say no more 

V30 ur children will not reap

I.e. no more generational curses

But there are consequences

E.g. If children see parents smoking, they'll likely follow

Also, in the world for the unbeliever, sow & reap applies to both both good & bad things

For believers, sow & reap applies only to good (i.e. finances & word of God) and only according to how much u sow

V31 when will this sowing & reaping of bad stop? When there's a new covenant.

What's this new covenant? Where Jesus is merciful to our unrighteousness (Heb 8)

John 19:28-30

V29 sour wine = extreme of sour grapes = extreme sin

V30 finished = no more children reaping what parents sowed = no more generational curse

Fulfilment of Jer 31

Earlier, Jesus was offered myrrh with vinegar but He refused bcos that's a painkiller

He wanted to bear all the full consequences of sin for us

(5 July 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince

(Live at Sydney Hillsongs Conference (30th June 2015))

(Also playback on 5 July 2015 in church)

Repentance (change of mind) is toward God first

Repentance towards man is a byproduct after

Jesus puts the grace in us, and then blesses us when we use the grace He first gave us!

The righteous will live by faith (Heb 10:38) = right believeing, not right preaching

Don't condemn people for not having faith or not confessing right etc. That turns faith into a work

Romans 1:16-17

Salvation = soteria = saved in the here and now, all encompassing

sozo = includes healing

We get the good we don't deserve because Someone (Jesus) took the bad He didn't deserve

We cannot sin away our righteousness, because then what Adam did is greater than what Jesus did

Don't condemn others who are preaching the law. That's not what grace does.

How much God hates sin is how much God loves you

E.g. We hate cancer, but we love the person

Judge the devil, separate the two 

Is God merciful in making us righteous?

No! God is righteous in making us righteous

God is merciful in sending His Son

Romans 5:19
We are sinners because of Adam's sin

We are righteous because of Jesus' obedience

When sinners do good, does it make them righteous? No.

When righteous do bad, does it make them sinners? No.

Both being sinners before we were saved and being righteous now have nothing to do with us / our actions etc

Obedience of faith = right believing

If we can/have the power to stop the wrong and just do the right, then Jesus doesn't have to come save us

How then? In the midst of ur drinking, confess "I am the righteousness of God IN Christ"

devil will say, "how can that be?!", "No, you're not! You're a hypocrite"

But faith = I believe, therefore I speak

1 John 4:17

As He is, so are we in this world

God defines us according to Jesus

devil defines us according to our actions

People are transformed by beholding, not by trying (2 Cor 3:18)

How do we behold? By singing unto Jesus, and by the spirit of the Lord

Gal 1:6-9
Grace of Christ is the gospel. Not the other / different gospel.

Acts 13:38-45

This is the only sermon of Paul that is recorded word for word

The final summary of the sermon is this

V39 Justified = made righteous from all things which couldn't have been made righteous by law

V40 quoting Habakkuk

V41 they found fault with Paul's sermon

Don't give up the grace message just because somebody failed.

Law churches also have people who fail. Don't let devil trick u.

But first, you have to believe in Jesus. It's not universal salvation.

Gal 1:6-9

V8 This is the NT curse = curse for those who pervert the gospel of Christ

V9 repeated = double curse

Why did Jesus put a curse? Because Jesus loves the people so much. This perverted gospel of law prevents His people from receiving from Him

We have been redeemed from OT curses in Jesus

Law demands, grace supplies. That's the essence.

Be grace / supply minded.

devil likes to use the pronoun "I" instead of "you" and make you think it's really you

E.g. "I am a failure"

What do u do? Don't look to self!

Say, "no, that's not me. As Jesus is, so am I in this world"

Romans 5:17

Receive = present active participle

How do we reign in life? By the conscious and active receiving of the abundance of grace & gift (not reward) of righteousness

2 Cor 5:21

In Him was no sin, He knew no sin.

How do we honour Him? By receiving His righteousness & reigning in life effortlessly through His finished work

Receive all that God is supplying to you today (21 June 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince (2nd service live)

Legacy camp highlights

The Father hugs you and says to you, "In My arms, you will always find security and love."

Parents, set boundaries for your children, say once and don't nag. Believe that your words carry weight.

Feelings come and go. We acknowledge we have them but we are not defined by how we feel.

E.g. "Because I feel a certain way, therefore I am a certain thing." That's wrong!

Let feelings be like a journey on a bus - enjoy the good ones and know that you'll pass through the bad ones.

Choose which feelings to indulge in and which to let pass. Don't fight the feeling, it will stay even longer.

Feelings follow our thoughts, that's why it's important to believe right.

E.g. "What they said hurt me". That's wrong. It's "what I know they said hurt me."

devil likes to use the personal pronoun "I" to disturb u. Don't accept it. If you accept that, you become that.

Me: Similar to overhearing a conversation of someone else saying "I am feeling hungry". But I'm not! That's not me.

We can ask the Lord to reveal to us what's coming out for our exams. That's the wisdom of prophecy.

Sermon proper

There are things that God has already done in our lives (the finished work), and things that He is still doing (unfinished work)

Unfinished work has is to do with the gospel (Acts) - things that Jesus began / to do and teach

1 Thess 5:8 also in Eph 6:17

Armor of God helmet = hope of salvation; only for people who are saved

Once saved, we can live life with hope

Hope = elpis = confident expectation of good, especially with respect to our future

I.e. we face life with confidence and boldness of good in our future

Faith = confident expectation of good now

E.g. By His stripes we are healed

Healing now is based on us being healed by His stripes 2000 years ago

We protect our head / thoughts (helmet) by having a confident expectation of good from God (hope)

What is the good from God that we have?

(1) We are righteous in Christ

Romans 5:1

Justified = aires tense = past tense

Romans 3:23-24

Justified = made righteous, just like we've never sinned

Justified = present passive participle = God is the one doing to me, and even right now, He is still doing it, continuously (and freely!)

How do we enjoy it then? By faith and by being thankful

How do we to reign in life? By receiving (continuously and actively) God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17)

So why are some of us not reigning now even though we received it during the salvation call?

Because receive = present active participle

I.e. We have to continuously see ourselves as righteous and actively ignore the devil's suggestions that we can't be righteous because of our thoughts/feelings/actions etc

Active = action involved = say out / declare

God continuously sees us as righteous regardless of what we do/think/feel or what others say etc

Me: declare everyday & consciously, "Lord, today I choose to receive Your abundant provision of grace and the gift of Your righteousness in Christ Jesus. Thank you for giving to me so freely."

God will move mountains for me because I have influence with God.

Believe that we can change the situation with prayer because God can change it and our prayers are powerful.

God wants u to ask Him.

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(2) God is working in us 

Phil 2:12-13

Work out your own salvation because it is God who first works in you

'Work out', not 'work for' your salvation

Salvation = healing, deliverance, prosperity, well-being, fruitful relationships

E.g. God works in you the love, and then you work it out

Recap from last week the phrase "with fear and trembling" = sense of being overwhelmed by the awesome goodness of God

God works in us 2 things = 1) the willingness, 2) the performance / action / to do

And then we do it (plus we do it willingly because He worked the willingness in us too), and then He rewards us for doing it! He rewards us for using the gift He first gave us

God who works = present active participle = He's always working in us

Since God is working, does that mean we don't have to pray?

No, we still pray. Recap 7 June sermon - Daniel still prayed even though God already promised.

So how? See that God is working in us and pray with it. This makes things so much easier.

E.g. pray for the desire to exercise / to be tidy / to get married / to have children

E.g. can also pray for God to put the desire in husband/children to attend church

Prayer = co-labourer / partner with God, even though He's the one doing it. Just a cooperation on our part.

This is the new covenant lifestyle of being led by God - having both the willingness as well as the performance. He makes it easy for us! Bcos it's easy to do something when it's also our desire.

God won't give you someone you don't desire. He will work in you the attraction for the other person and will similarly work the attraction in the other person too. God knows who you will like 5/10 years from now. He won't give you smth/someone you have no desire for.

He will also work in you the gift / performance.

God has given you a talent somewhere, ask Him where if you don't already know

God can drop talents on us and cause others to recognise it without us having to promote ourselves

Prophecy today is not directional but confirmation-al. Something you already know/desire in your heart, and someone else just confirming it. If you have no desire or even dislike what's being said, it's not a prophecy. 

What if you have the willingness but no performance? Then pray that He will work in you the performance of His good pleasure as well.

How does God direct us? 

Holy Spirit bears witness = bears witness to an action (Romans 8:16)

I.e. There is action involved. It's difficult to guide a parked car

E.g. start searching for a job and God will show you as you flip the papers / job ads. "oh this is or isn't the job". He will work in you the desire to apply for which jobs

E.g. attend places where there are people who are attachable

God leads more by red light than green light. Cos you're moving and always green, and if it's wrong then there will be red light.

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(3) God is powering all favour and blessings toward us

2 Cor 9:6-8

V8 always = in both good and bad times, you will have sufficient

V7,8 some people interpret this as if you give cheerfully, then God will make all grace abound. But that's incorrect because then you would deserve it, but grace is undeserved

V8 (NKJV) God is able to = seems to be future / potential. But that's incorrect.

Able = present active indicative = happening right now

Able = dynamos (root: dynamite) = powering all grace towards you

I.e. God is powering all grace toward you, and when u realise & believe tt, that makes u a cheerful giver

I.e. The very reason why we can be a cheerful giver is because God is powering all His grace toward us

It's the spirit, not the amount given.

V8 (AMP) All grace = every favour & earthly blessing; blessing with a purpose 

V8 (JP interpretation) = "And God is enabling all grace (every favour and earthly blessing) towards you in abundance, that you, always having all sufficient in all things, may have an abundance for every good work"

2 Cor 8:9 

Rich = abundantly supplied with left overs to be a blessing. Not about tycoon / poor

Context of Chap 8&9 is about material things

In everyday living - see God constantly supplying you the favour & wisdom for a speech / for counselling / during a date etc

When we pray, do we judge ourselves and ask "am I worthy to receive this from the Father?"? That's incorrect. should judge "is Jesus worthy to receive this from the Father?"

Do we go by whether we feel grace abounding towards us? That's incorrect too.

We don't need to 'feel' grace. Our response/responsibility is to just acknowledge that grace is abounding toward us because we're the righteousness of God in Christ

Gal 3:5

Therefore He who supplies = present active participle

Works miracles = present active participle

God is constantly supplying the HS and constantly working miracles

You can't 'leak' the Holy Spirit and have less of the Holy Spirit over time

E.g. When you're asked to pray and don't 'feel' anything, know that it is God who is supplying and working miracles, not you.

E.g. When you feel dry, know that God is supplying the Holy Spirit.

Go by the word, not by feelings.

Among = amongst us, in us, around us

Like grace stepped in when u stepped into the shop and suddenly there are a lot of customers / long queue after you

God's grace unveiled in the Hebrew language (14 June 2015)

Pastor Joseph Prince (3rd service using 1st service playback)

Jesus always used illustrations that are easily understood by everyone. Farmers and intellectuals alike.

Eg. If you who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, then how much more our heavenly Father to those who ask Him (Matt 7:11)

The challenge is that we don't dare to ask God sometimes for things tt are way above us / our "capabilites"

The journey we're taking, all has a purpose, even if we feel we're falling away, God knows how to catch us

But don't spend time running around the same mountain because there's an age factor

Don't spend time / talents in areas u know u won't be fulfilled.

Eg. jobs tt pay well but u hate it / climbing up the wrong ladder

Go to ur leaders before marriage, when considering a new job etc. They're your shepherds

Grace is not about no condemnation by psyching yourself to believe so. It's a judicial and right thing to do, to know that all our sins have been paid for by Jesus. This is not psychology.

The power of the Holy Spirit is limitless. You don't have to be touched by a pastor to receive healing. You're not short changed just because you're in a big church without alter calls.

Hear first and then be healed

Cool = self control; not controlled by anger and swear words

Recap last week's sermon

What was going astray is now returned (passive) by the Shepherd

Healing flows when you know you're part of the flock

Even David when he was a king, still took position of sheep. The phrase he used was "These flock, what have they done. It is me." (2 Sam 24:17) It flows out of his consciousness of being a sheep.

Astray = habits, conduct, lifestyle
The Gospel of Jesus meets our every need

Sheep who go astray = dirty, lacerations on body, suspicious of new things etc

Sheep who are taken care of = washed, healthier, happier, restful

Sermon proper

Hebraism = an expression / construction distinctive of the Hebrew language

2 Cor 12:7

Thorn in the flesh = an expression, not a disease on him, similar to the phrase "pain in the neck" = a messenger of satan, the religious kind

evil spirits know they can't say "go slap your wife", that's too obvious. They're subtle and ask u to go back to law keeping etc

God never promised that He will deliver us from persecution but that it is given onto us a gift of grace to suffer for His sake. (Phil 1) But suffer is NOT sickness

Afflicted = going through hardship

Suppose sickness is one of the persecutions, then shouldn't Paul himself be healed of it since his clothes were brought to others and they were healed? (Acts 19:11-12)

Also, Paul lists out all the persecutions but sickness is never one of them. (2 Cor 11)

Other examples of hebraism:

A) Land flowing with milk and honey - Exodus 3:8 

Flowing = prosperity, abundance

Live in houses you did not build, …, drink from wells u did not dig = living based on the work of another

B) Irritants in eyes & thorns in sides - Numbers 33:55

A physical personality, not a disease

Someone might be there to cause trouble, but God can use that trouble to open doors.

My grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9)

C) Fear and trembling

"Fear and trembling" (one phrase together, not separate) = in view of / in awe of all the good things that God has done for me; because of the overwhelming goodness of God; not because of fear of judgement

i. In fear and in much trembling - 1 Cor 2:3-4

V4 the results of fear and trembling in Christ

You can say the right words but nothing comes out of it without the power of God

Both inferiority complex & arrogance are because of self occupation

ii. Work out your own Salvation in fear and trembling because it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure - Phil 2:12-13

God works in you first and then you work it out with what is already in you.

Holy Spirit gives you ideas about what to do.

iii. All will fear and tremble for all the goodness and prosperity that the Lord will provide for us - Jer 33:9

People will be overwhelmed. Why will God do this for you? We're more experienced, have more education / money etc

Context, V8 cleansed, pardoned = forgiven 

Then, V9 then it will be that I provide / pay for it

Prosperity with a purpose, prosperity with materialism / selfishness

When God positions you, it's always with a purpose. Ask Him what that purpose is.

iv. Fear and tremble, knowing what had happened to her (that she was healed) - Mark 5:29-34

She was overwhelmed by His goodness, not because she was afraid that Jesus was going to scold her.

V34 Jesus made her well. But Jesus won't force healing on her. Her faith received His will of health for her.

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Sidetrack

Jesus could choose where/how/which family to be born into, but He chose the most lowly.

Example that whoever humbles himself shall he exalted. (Matt 23:12)

Doesn't matter who is right or wrong, but humble yourself and say sorry. 

Don't pray "God humble me", you'll cry if He really does.

The Bible says to humble yourself.

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D) Singular vs Plural Hebrew

Singular = normal, Plural = intense

E.g. L'chiam = used when toasting, like "cheers!" = to life! = plural = intense & abundant life; full and wonderful

E.g. Muth = death = singular = normal death

plural = violent death (Isaiah 53)

E.g. Ephraim (Joseph's son) = plural = double fruitfulness = very fruitful

E.g. Blessed is the man - Psalm 1 = blessednesseses = multiple plural = blessed intensely & all over

E.g. Life and life more abundantly - John 10:10 = plural = life for eternity

E.g. If we confess our sins - 1 John 1:9 = plural = intense sin

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Sidetrack

Why did John talk about confessing of sins when it wasn't the present truth?

Because he was writing this part to Jews who were not yet saved

Recall sermon about present truths: (19 April 2015 sermon)

David's present truth = law, confessing sins

Our present truth = grace

Recall 'target' ministry: (Gal 2:9)

Paul's ministry is to the Gentiles / non Jews

James, Peter, John 's ministry is to the Jews, possibly not yet saved

"Brother" possibly Jewish brother but not yet saved (1 John 3:15)

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E.g. Confessing their sins - Mark 1:5 = plural = intense sin

Does that mean they confessed each and all of their sins one by one? No, the phrase is about coming as a sinner (intense sin) and turning to God

During sex, all blessings and curses come into each other.

Like gluing 2 pieces of paper and trying to tear them apart later - parts of each piece are stuck/left behind on the other.

devil wants you to think you're being deprived / that God is stingy. But hey, actually God gave you plenty and you can eat from evvvvvvvvvery tree except one.

devil wants u to think u're not yet like God and need to add to it / do something more, like the work is not yet finished. But no, you don't need anything more. Once you've received Christ, you're made in His image and likeness already. (Gen 1:26-27)

Jer 9:23-24

What are u looking for/ boasting about in life?

Don't pursue things that don't satisfy.

Don't chase knowledge, might or money.

Nothing wrong with these per se, but it's wrong if it becomes the entire focus of your life.

There are things we can do with money, and yes we pray for prosperity, but what's / who's your focus?

Boast in the Lord.

How to know God?

Heb 8:11-12

Terms of the covenant.

None will teach each other 'know the Lord', for all shall know Me.

'know the Lord' = know by effort or experience = gingko (but experience may be wrong)

for all shall know me = inward revelation = aida (a revelation that cannot be taken from us)

Similarly, fear and tremble, knowing what had happened to her (Mark 5:29-34) = aida

V11 is because of V12 (context)

V12 for = because He will be merciful to our unrighteousnesses (plural) and sins (plural) & lawlessness (plural) He remembers no more

No more = umei = never ever ever remember our sins again

Sins = actual actions that go over the line, sins in our heart although we didn't commit with actions etc, all are covered here

Me: I will know the Lord / I will have an inward revelation of the awesomeness and overwhelming goodness of my Lord because He is merciful to my intense sins/unrighteousness/lawlessness/any behaviour I am embarrassed about and He never ever ever remembers them again.

Don't bring things up when the spouse/other party is not in the posture to receive. Especially if it's about correction.

Jer 33:9 All will see and know that surely the Lord is with us!