Sunday 1 January 2017

Vision Sunday - Jesus Our Jubilee (1 Jan 2017)

Pastor Joseph Prince (2nd service live)

With God we can look forward with great expectations of hope and good in our future
God has gone ahead of my 2017, prepared the way, and now comes back to me and says, "Come, take My hand, let's go."

Old covenant is by law. If you do this, God will do this, and led by the hand.
Our new covenant is by grace, not dependent on our performance, and led from the heart (I'll write it on their hearts. Jer 31:33). More intimate.

God uses things as visual aids for His people. For example, Passover where blood of lamb is put on doorpost and lintel (forming cross) and the angel of death will pass over and will not allow destroyer to enter the house. This is a visual aid of Jesus - died on Passover, rose on Feast of First Fruits.

Jesus was born on Feast of Tabernacles. (Word was made flesh and dwelt = tabernacled amongst us. John 1:14)

Why is there a theme of the year?
1) God tells us things ahead of time so that when it happens, we know it's God & give Him the glory.
2) We thank God for His protection that we know about, but we also thank God for His protection that we didn't know about.
3) Theme also means that this is the truth that God is emphasising this year. It doesn't mean this theme isn't observed in other years or that other years' themes are gone and no longer.

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Recap 2016 theme where Pastor mentioned 3 items on the Sunday after Vision Sunday. Don't expect God to reveal everything at one time. He reveals when the time is right.
Blood = terror in Niece, France in 2016
Fire = Israel had the worst bush fire in 2016
Flood = real floods in 2016

God loves the entire world, but God chose Israel as the example to demonstrate what a good god God is. Israel failed in her purpose bcos she rejected God, but His covenant with them still stands.
God's attention on Israel is on pause (bcos of their rejection of God) while God saves us Gentiles (saved as individuals, not as a nation). But it's only temporary. God is coming back for them.

Israel in captivity is God's discipline. If they don't want to be an example of God's goodness, then they will be an example of His righteousness.

So Israel is ruled by Gentiles instead of by God since they rejected God.
Recap Daniel's vision of the statue - Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar), Middle Persia, Greece (Alexander the great), Romans, Clay governance, Rock not cut by human hands that will smash the statue and all the Gentile reign will end = Jesus returning to rule the whole earth from Israel after the 7 years of tribulation

Rapture = Jesus' coming and for believers, a brand new body that doesn't grow old/sick/die but always healthy forever. That's the only thing left for us / final inheritance. We have everything else that Jesus died to give us now.

Gregorian calendar now = 2017 = year of victory
Hebrew calendar now = 5777 = year of rest and completion

Rev 13:18
Number of the antichrist is 666
Eg. 666 marked Goliath = 600 shekels spear (weight), 6 pieces of armour, 6 cubits (height)
6 = man
666 = extreme flesh possessed by devil

10 toes of statue (European Nations?) from there will come a leader promising false peace, signs and wonders = antichrist
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2017, the year of Jubilee!

Lev 25:8-10
V10 Jubilee = freedom, cancellation of debt, all land that you sold bcos you needed money will be restored to the original owners

Each of you shall return to his possession (e.g. health, absentee family member)
Each of you shall return to his family (e.g. God is going to do smth to ur family life)

Jubilee = rest of all rests, sabbath of all sabbaths; also restoration

V8, 9
God is an excellent mathematician and He likes the number 7 but it's not numerology

Eg. The 7 sevens in revelation (7 spirits of God, churches, angels, trumpets, vials, doom, seals ) 
Eg. Israel rests their land on the 7th year. 6th year is of super abundance so that they have more than enough and can rest on the 7th year. Some think that hey, if 6th is super abundant, 7th will be even greater so they choose to work and not rest on the 7th. But no.
Eg. Our body works on a 7 day, 7 week, 7 year cycle. God renews our youth every 7 years. Find one day of rest in a week to just vegetate!
Eg. Other examples (hen on egg, baby in womb, notes in musical scale, colours of a rainbow) 
Eg. Jesus on the cross spoke exactly 7 words

Gen 2:1-3
V2 First time 7 appears in the Bible
Context is about the work is ended, completed and God rested
7 = perfection, completion, rest bcos it was finished

V4 First mention of holiness (sanctification) is tied up with rest
God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it 
True holiness is learning to rest in Christ and the finished work

Numbers in the Bible
1 = Unity
2 = Testimony
3 = Resurrection
4 = Earth (wind, corners, soils)
5 = Grace
6 = Man
7 = Perfection / completion 
17 = victory (e.g. God called Joseph when he as 17 yo; cast ur net on the right side and 153 large fishes caught = 1 + 2+ … + 17 = 153 = victory)

History fulfilled just like how Jesus described:
AD 70 to 1917 - Israel under the feet of Gentiles

1917 - Jerusalem was liberated by General Allenby supernaturally (no shots fired)
Armistice ending WW1 was signed exactly 11 months after that at 11am on 11 Nov = everyone after this date is the 11th hour generation. That’s us! 
General Allenby asked all Jews to return to their homeland but they didn’t. i.e. Israel was given a chance to receive Jesus but they didn’t. (1917 was also a Jubilee year)

50 years later, 1967 - Israel became a nation in the 6 day war even though they were outnumbered and took over more land than they had previously (including East Jerusalem)
All of Jerusalem now no longer under the feet of Gentiles
6 day war is the same as Joshua and walls of Jericho. A repeat of history!

50 years later, 2017 - Smth powerful and good is going to happen like 1967! 
But remember, they were surrounded by enemies (sickness, difficulties, troubles etc) first. We see the victory now, but it started with a challenge. 
If you’re in a challenge right now, rejoice for your victory has just began! 

Jubilee happens on 50th year on the day of atonement (10th day of 7th month = 29 Sept 2017), after sin offering is offered, trumpet is blown to signal Jubilee
Chains are broken = set free from bondage (to medicine, drugs, depression, fear, unclean habits etc), every debt canceled

Gal 5:1
Freest people are those that Christ has set free
Some people step into freedom, unaccustomed to it, and go back into darkness bcos they've become comfortable in it. Keep praying for them

How did they conquer Jericho? No one talks, just keep blowing the trumpet, on 7th day go round 7 times and then shout! And walls fell flat.

What does this mean for us today? The wall (bondage etc) won't come down by human effort or intelligence. Those are too weak to fight the bondage. But it will come down by the almighty hand of God

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Gen 6:8-9
v8 5th time Noah's name mentioned = Grace
v9 7th time Noah's name mentioned = Perfect

Israel is told to rest her land on the 7th year
Our bodies came from dust, that's why we need to let our bodies rest too 
The real me is spirit breathed / came from the breadth of God

Israel never observed the year of rest or jubilee. There's no mention of it in the bible. They even lost track of when is jubilee until Jesus came and read the scroll to be read which “happened" to be the year of jubilee.

Luke 4:17-21
Jesus reads here and He came in the year of Jubilee!
  • Good news to the poor = your debt is canceled supernaturally by God. Not you stop paying. 
  • Heal the broken hearted = special anointing this year for broken hearts.
  • Proclaim liberty to the captives = whatever bound by, He comes to proclaim freedom (Isaiah 61 proclaim liberty = proclaim jubilee)
  • Recovery of sight to blind = not just physical, but also things of God beyond human mind that God hid away (Matt 11:25)
  • Set at liberty those who were oppressed 
  • Proclaim acceptable year of the Lord = dektos year = most blessed time when salvation and free favours of God profusely abound! Much more than any and all challenges faced this year

John = Baptism unto repentance, for people who cannot keep the law
Jesus = God's grace, so full of God’s supply He says "come and take!”. No demands/conditions placed on you

We hate sin because it's destructive, damages lives and even people’s personalities even change bcos of it. But we're more confident of God's grace!
Jesus never put any demand on anyone. Almost as if He never marked their sin / ignored it. But that’s bcos He knew that it’s this goodness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4)
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1917+50+50 = 2017! Looks like something exciting is going to happen this year.
No one knows the day or time of the rapture. But the times and seasons, we know.

Whatever you need, God is proclaiming liberty to you this year. He won't force jubilee unto you / your family unless you receive, but there are things you can do to help you receive. 

3 keys for the victory / to walk in God's freedom / to receive:

Key 1) Rest 
Jubilee trumpet is sounded on the day of atonement (Lev 25:10)

Lev 23:28-32
On day of atonement, no work is to be done.
Doesn’t mean literally don’t do work / resign, but to lead the let go life. 
Spiritual sense of don't need to work to get health, ur child / something back etc.
It's the attitude that this battle is the Lord's, not mine. I will not stress or be anxious about it.
Which of u by worrying can add one cubit to ur height. Lilies of field, birds of air (Matt 6:27)

Devil will say hey, you're being irresponsible by not doing anything
But ur reply is to be, "if God doesn't do anything, what can I do? God's hand is much bigger than mine"

V30 If don't rest, will die = how serious God is about not working
V31 Do no manner of work
V32 Sabbath of rest. Your souls (mind, emotions, will) will be afflicted bcos ur soul wants to do something

If you want to do something, do this… Key 2.

Key 2) Listen to messages about the finished work of Jesus and don't say anything
While going round walls of Jericho, they were to say nothing but listen to the ram's horn
Ram’s horn = proclamation of the Lord's death which is our guarantee of healing, provision, protection
Blowing ram’s horn = preaching about Jesus, cross, liberty

Brass = judgement
Blowing brass trumpet = sermons on God’s judgement

Power of God takes u out of the situation
Wisdom of God causes you to triumph while u are in the situation
Both ways, you are victorious and people see the greatness of your God

Gal 3:5
Supplies = continuous tense (keeps on supplying the Spirit)
Works miracles = continuous tense (keeps on working miracles)

The more you hear (the ram’s horn), the more God supplies & works miracles in your life 

Acts 14:7-10
Crippled man had faith to be healed after/while hearing Paul preach the Gospel (not the law or motivational talk), then he leaped and walked
Things happen when you listen to God's word / blowing of ram’s horn
Just keep resting (key 1) and keep listening (key 2) and you will leap out of your situation

V9 heard = imperfect tense = kept on keeping on hearing Paul preach

Let us keep on keeping on hearing bcos that's how faith comes. Not look inward and try and conjure up faith.
It’s okay to enjoy other things once in a while (e.g. K dramas, sports etc) but there’s no power in that. There’s power in hearing the rams’ horn!

Key 3) Flow with the Spirit
Hebrew word for Jubilee = Jubal (“you-val”) = ram’s horn
Root word = flow, river (like music / when writing songs)

Spirit will lead you (e.g. tell you when to stop eating, to eat smth your body lacks, lead you which university, who to marry etc)
Spirit will never tell you to divorce, con, tell lies, flirt with other people
Leading is not instant but pray that the area that God wants u to go towards will grow and grow, and the one He doesn't want u to go to will shrink like no peace there

Heb 4:9-11
Our assignment this year = labour to labour into rest. Labour not to labour (inward, not outward occupation)

Devil will say, “do smth! you’re being irresponsible!”
Your response is, “yes, i'm doing smth. I’m labouring into rest.The battle is the Lord’s"

How to labour into rest?
V12 for = because
Quick = not fast, but living / quicken / to make alive = zao
Sharper than 2 edged sword = laser 

God’s word has spiritual effect - separate soul and spirit
Soul = emotions, mind, body
Spirit = the real me
Sometimes we ask “Is this me? Is this God?”. What we really mean is “Is this from my soul? Is this from the Spirit?”
Listen to the Word of God. It will separate and you will know what's God and what's you

God’s word has physical effect - separate joints and marrow
God’s word can touch the areas where even doctors don't dare to touch bcos it's too close. 
God can separate that which is indivisible. 
Listening to God’s word also gives supernatural rest. His Shalom.

Be like the temple of God. 3 parts - 
Outer court = very busy place = body
Inner court = quieter = soul
Holy of holies where God dwells is the source of power = perfect peace, Shalom = spirit 

Jubilee is a visual aid of Jesus the substance. Where Jesus is there is Jubilee.

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