Joseph Prince - The Freedom of Knowing You're Accepted in Christ

Of all the sins that Jesus publicly rebukes and exposes in the gospels, it is not, you know, you can never find, you can never read anywhere, «He rebuked the tax collectors, the social outcasts, the prostitutes of his day». You cannot find anywhere in the gospels that he rebuked them. But he rebuked the Pharisees, the self-righteous ones, because hypocrisy, all right, brings out that anger in him. And we’re about to see why that does so in our Lord. And when you find it, you will see how lovely he is. It’s because he loves them, okay?

The church is in a divine enigma, a divine paradox. I want to talk about this paradox today. And I think this is what is causing some confusion in the body of Christ. When Jesus touched the leper, under the Old Testament, a person touching a leper would contract defilement. But Jesus did not contract defilement, he banished it. Under the law, the unclean touching the clean will make the clean unclean. But under grace, Jesus, the clean, touched the unclean and the unclean became clean. So that’s grace. Law is completely different from grace. The law demands, grace supplies. The law says, «Take off your shoes. The place you are standing is holy ground. Lest you die». Under grace, the prodigal’s father says, «Put shoes on my son’s feet. He has a right to stand in my presence».

Amen, under law, God gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai on the first feast of Pentecost Israel ever celebrated. 3,000 people died. Under grace, God gave the Spirit, and 3,000 people were saved at Mount Zion. «They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion». The challenge we have today, like what I said earlier, is that we don’t understand why hypocrisy is such a sin that Jesus is angry with. I asked the Lord one time, I said, «Lord, why do you hate hypocrisy so much»? Of all the sins, like I said just now, he didn’t even rebuke or condemn the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the social outcasts, but he was very strong against hypocrisy. The religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees, had this self-righteous attitude and Jesus was angry with that.

So he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, right? So I asked the Lord one time, I said, «Why are you so strong against hypocrisy?» a number of years ago. And you know what he said to me? «Because I love them. I love the people». Because he loved the Pharisees. And yet, I couldn’t fully understand. He says that «You will never know that you are loved until you know that I know all about you and I still love you». Because when you are playing the part of a hypocrite, all right, now I looked up the dictionary definition of «hypocrisy,» I know what it means, but just to see what the dictionary says, it says, «play acting». Pretending to be what you are not. Okay, play acting. You are not that character but you are playing acting that character. In other words, you are pretending to be what you are not. Are you listening?

Do you remember the story of the woman at the well? Jesus gently exposed her, in her sins. Why? Well, because he wanted her to feel loved. Every time you pretend to be something you are not, you cannot feel loved. So for example, when you are dating, you put your best foot forward, you always try to leave a good impression, right? Amen? I mean, you keep all your bodily functions in-check. You behave, you have your… you know, you don’t burp, amen? You put your best foot forward.

Now it’s okay for the first date, and the second, and maybe the third, but after you get to know each other, and you are contemplating on a serious relationship, even leading to marriage, you got to be yourself, amen? You got to let the person know what you like, what you don’t like, you gotta know that the person is falling in love, let’s say both of you are falling in love with each other. You gotta know that you’re falling in love with the real person. Or else, you’ll never feel love. For example, let’s say you’re dating and then you don’t like broccoli. I’ll use broccoli as an example, okay? But because your girlfriend loves broccoli, so when she gives you broccoli, or you go, you know, to a restaurant and you’re eating broccoli, she says, «I love broccoli». You say, «Me, too»! Everything is, «Me, too! Me, too»! You know?

That stage is the stage where, you know, before marriage, a guy can spend the whole night staying awake, thinking about what she said. What she means by that. After marriage, he falls asleep while she’s still talking, you know? There’s a difference, but anyway… so while you’re dating, you say, «I love broccoli». Then after you get married, maybe a few months into the marriage, all right, you are eating out or you are somewhere and she serves you a lot of broccoli. Well, everyday broccoli, uh. Then you say, «Yeah, we love broccoli, don’t we? All right, your favorite food». «No, I hate broccoli»! «You what»? «I hate broccoli». «That’s not what you said»? «Oh, well, I always hate broccoli since I was young». «No, that’s not what you said»?

Okay, guys, always remember, never argue with a woman when she’s tired and when she’s rested. So a problem ensues. Now the problem is something that is not this, it’s that, even going to a fundamental fact is that you cannot feel loved if you think the person is falling in love with an image. An image you project, all right? It’s not the real you. I’m not saying that, you know, before you go on a date, you know, you put on your wig and then put your eyeball in, put your false teeth, amen? Then on the wedding night… you know, I’m not referring to that extreme, okay? By the way, all these things are real, okay? Except for this one here, hang on. Put it back, okay? It is the fact that you will never feel love if you think the person is falling in love with an image. So what Jesus did at the well was this. He told the woman, «Go call your husband here». Then she said, «I have no husband».

Now it’s coming to her sin, right? But this is how beautifully he did it. How courteously, how excellent in the way he did it. How loving and kind. He praised her first, he did a divine sandwich. He praised her first. He says, «You have said it beautifully». In the Greek, «kalos,» «beautiful». «You have said it beautifully. You have no husband. You have had five husbands. And the one that you are living with now is not your husband». Then he put the other divine sandwich. «In that, you have spoken truthfully». Now who talks like that? We will say, «You’ve got five husbands, man. Don’t lie». You know, right? He praised her. He says, «You have spoken beautifully». You have spoken beautifully. Literally, «kalos,» beautifully. «You have no husband. You had five husbands and the one you’re living with is not your husband». He found a way to praise her and he was courteous to her.

Now she knows that he knows about her and still loved her. The Bible says, «Jesus went through Samaria. He must need to go through Samaria». She was a Samaritan woman. Most Jews will not travel the same way Jesus traveled. They will bypass Samaria. But the Bible says it very beautifully, «He needed to go through Samaria». It was not a topographical need. It was a grace need, amen? He had an appointment with that woman. He wanted to love her, to save her. And she was sitting at the well, and now the woman knew that of all the women in Samaria, Jesus knew all about her, and he’s still talking to her. Revealing himself as the Messiah. Revealing him, and talking to her.

Now she knows that he knows about her and he loves her. Does she feel loved? Now she knows that he knows, that she knows he knows. Do you think she feels loved? Of course. When you know everything about… You know, we tell couples all the time, when they come, and they’re on the honeymoon stage, «Oh, Pastor Prince, he’s such a lovey-dovey. He’s such a sweetie pie». «Go fight, go quarrel. Argue as much as you want first, then come back and see us». «No, we want to get married». «No, fight first». No, in essence, we don’t say that. But of course, we know that they are in that stage. It’s not ready for marriage yet, amen? Now after a few months, or whatever, they come back and they say that, «Oh man, I can’t stand him, man, you know. But I still love him».

Now let’s analyze that «can’t stand» part, okay? You find out you still love each other, after you see the bad in each other, then you know that this is a good criteria for marriage. The reason why Jesus was strong against hypocrisy is that the Pharisees, as long as they put up that facade, that veneer, they cannot feel love. They cannot feel the love of God. It’s like, you know, you’re hiding away from the sun. You want to get a sun tan, but you are hiding away from the sun. No, you got to remove every veil, every hindrance, every blockage to the sun. So Jesus, in his rebuke, will remove all that, so that they will know that he knows them, as they are, and still loves them. Nicodemus the Pharisee found that out, that Jesus knows all about him and loved him. And he allowed the love of God to penetrate his heart while the others didn’t. Are you with me, so far?

As long as you pretend to be what you are not, you cannot feel the love of God. And the love of God is the only thing that will cast out your fear and transform you, amen? So, when it comes to understanding law and grace, wisdom, in Proverbs 9, verse 1 says, «Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars». The seven pillars are actually the seven things you need to know to understand the entire Bible, to understand God’s plan and purposes for the earth, and to understand where you fit in, okay? Seven pillars are the seven dispensations of the Bible. There are seven dispensations, I’ve taught on that. You can get my message on that. And then the seven feasts of Israel. Jesus died on a feast day. He rose again on a feast day.

So there are feasts in Israel that hides truths. Seven feasts of Israel. Then we have the seven mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that we need to understand, in Matthew 13. Then we have the seven churches of the book of Revelation. You understand all this? And this has to do with the church, whereas seven feet has to do with Israel. We understand all this? You understand God’s plan and purposes for the Jew, for the Gentile, and for the earth. By the way, when God looks on the earth, God sees only three groups of people. Jew, Gentile, or the church, made up of Jew or Gentile. Only three groups of people, when God looks down. And the whole Bible is dealing with either the Jew, the Gentile, the Jew on the most part, or the Gentile, and also the church, in the New Testament. Are you with me so far?

And the confusion comes when we put ourselves in the wrong dispensation. But the problem is this, when you look at your Old Testament and your New Testament, your Bible is divided into two, right? Old Testament and New Testament. Old Testament, predominantly, is instead of seven dispensations, we just summarize the dispensation of the law, which lasted for 1,500 years, and the dispensation of grace, which lasted for 2,000 years. So what is the dispensation of the law? When God gave to Israel the Ten Commandments, Mount Sinai. That was the starting of the dispensation of the law, it lasted for 1,500 years, until Jesus came. And then now… but it didn’t start yet, when Jesus was born. And when he walked on the earth, it started on the day of Pentecost, okay? And on the day of Pentecost, until now, is 2,000 years. Grace is longer than law, praise God.

And what is grace defined as, today? There are people who try to redefine grace. But let me tell you, the Bible says, in Romans 11, «And if it’s by grace, it’s no more the law of works: otherwise, grace is no longer grace, if it’s of works, it’s no longer grace; otherwise, work is no longer work». Very simple, in other words, «undeserved, unmerited favor». You cannot work for it, it’s by grace. So the opposite of grace is works. And yet, grace produces the best kind of works. Not dead works, but living works, life works, hallelujah.

Now I want to show you something that is causing confusion in the church. And because of that, people start writing against extreme grace. You know, «Pastor Prince is preaching extreme grace,» and things like… Because they don’t understand this divine paradox, let me explain. In Proverbs 17, verse 15, it says this, «He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord». You know what’s an abomination? There is sin, we are all born in sin, even before we do anything, we are born in sin. Because of Adam’s sin, it’s in the blood, okay?

Then there’s also transgression. When you break a known law, that’s transgression, or trespass. Then there’s iniquity that’s passed down from father to child. Iniquity, a perversion in the nature. There’s abomination. Abomination is the worst kind. Abomination is like, it’s abominable… It’s not a snowman, okay? It’s abomination! It’s terrible, the worst kind, okay? Now, according to this verse, what’s the worst kind? There’s an abomination to the Lord? Both. This: «If you justify the wicked…» Let’s say a person is a wicked person, a sinner, but you justify him, you talk about him as if he’s a justified man, a righteous man. That’s an abomination. On the other hand, «he who condemns the just…» Let’s say a just person, a righteous person, you condemn him, that’s an abomination to the Lord. Are you listening, people?

Now we always think in terms of other people, right? But what about yourself? If you are a sinner, and you justify yourself like the Pharisees, «I don’t need any saving, you know. I’m pretty okay, I’m moral. I keep the law. I don’t do bad things, and all that». You are justifying the wicked. You are justifying the sinner. God says you’re a sinner. And no problem, if you’re a sinner, guess what? Jesus says, «I’m a savior». «But Lord, you don’t understand. I’m a bad sinner». He says, «I’m a great Savior». «But my sin goes deep». And he says, «My love goes deeper, still». «You don’t understand, my sin is great»! He says, «My grace is greater».

So only when you acknowledge you’re a sinner, Jesus says, «I’m a friend of sinners. I’m the savior of sinners». But you say, «I’m okay. I’m okay». «I didn’t come for the okay people, I came for those who say they are sinners. Those who are well, don’t need a doctor. It’s those who are sick,» Jesus said. So when you take this position, you are justifying the sinner, even as yourself. That’s an abomination, when you’re not yet saved. On the other hand, now that you are saved, the blood of Jesus has cleansed you, amen? And the Bible says, what are you now?

2 Corinthians 5:21, real quick, you all know this verse, by now. God made Jesus at the cross who knew no sin to become our sin, right? That we might be made, «that we might become», what? «The righteousness of God in him». So what are we now? The righteousness of God in him. But if you condemn the righteous, even the self-condemnation, you condemn yourself. When God has made you righteous, you condemn yourself. «I’m a lousy sinner? I’m this, I’m that». You condemn yourself, it’s also an abomination to the Lord. Have you ever considered that? What God has cleansed, don’t you dare call unclean, including yourself. The problem is that this is hypocrisy, pretending to be what you are not. He’s a sinner, but he refused to admit he’s a sinner.

So he puts layers of morality, and good works, and good standing, family standing, try to be somewhat in society, or whatever, just to cover up the fact he’s a sinner. But God says, «You’re a sinner. But no problem, I sent Jesus to be your Savior»! Jesus is the Savior of sinners! If you’re not a sinner, you don’t qualify, amen. You don’t qualify for his saving power. The leper has all title to him, to his grace, because the leper is a leper. In fact, he knew the Lord was able. He just wasn’t sure the Lord is willing to use his power on his behalf. That’s why it says, «Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean». He didn’t doubt his ability, he doubted his willingness. And the Lord confirmed that, once and for all. «I am willing».

By the way, Jesus touched him, right? Jesus didn’t have to touch him. He didn’t ask, «Lord, if you’re willing, touch me». But Jesus always exceeds our expectations. He always over-answers our requests, amen. I asked God for a wife, he gave me Wendy. Where are you, baby? Amen, amen? I asked God for a ministry and God gave me a super-church. I asked God for good pastors, he gave me Pastor Gabriel. I know what Pastor Mark is thinking right now. He’s thinking, «What about me, Pastor Prince»? Moving right along, so always remember that the Lord always exceeds your… He answers, exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask, or think.

So think big and he must exceed it. Think even bigger and he must exceed it. Don’t ask God for small things. Don’t ask God for a job, ask God for a position. Ask God for big things, and you compliment him. You compliment him. You speak great things, and you’re praising him, when you ask God for big things, amen? And the devil, you know what the devil does? He doesn’t attack here. He doesn’t tell sinners to him, «You are a hypocrite». He doesn’t tell sinners, «You are a hypocrite». No, he encourages them, «You are okay. You don’t need salvation. You are not as bad as those people. You are not as bad as this person on TV. You are not as bad. You are not as bad».

The devil will encourage that. He will encourage that hypocrisy. You know who he attacks? This side here. But this one you must see, I have moved already, right? God moved from Mount Sinai to Mount Zion, you know, I’m moving from this place now, I’m moving here, right? The devil will not accuse the sinner who pretends to be righteous that he’s a hypocrite. He will never say that. He will come to the Christian and say, «How can you say you are righteous? Look at your behavior. Look at your thoughts, just now. You are a hypocrite».

Now what’s a hypocrite? Pretending to be what you are not. When you are acting righteous, you pray for the sick. And when someone comes to you, even an unbeliever says, «You know what, I don’t want to do anything. Can I pray for you? God will hear my prayer». I mean, you can be confident of that. You don’t have to say, «Maybe God will, maybe God won’t». You don’t pray, like, a sense of distance, like, «Oh God, be merciful to my friend here, Lord. Be merciful, like a small crumb crumb crumb crumb, crumb crumb crumb crumb fall fall fall fall…» You know, that kind of prayer, you know that you’ve all prayed that kind of prayer. It doesn’t work. You don’t receive from that kind of prayer. When I pray for the sick, I have seen when I pray like, «Oh God,» or «Maybe, Lord». No, it must be an assurance.

«Right now, you feel that pain in Jesus’s name. I know you’ll be healed. Stand up, right now. Receive that». It’s based on definite, it’s not based on conjectures, and probabilities, and maybe, the Bible is not dealing with this kind of thing. It deals with certainties. These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life. These things are written that you may know, not probably. I heard one pastor say one time, you know, «Nobody knows they are saved or not, right, or not, until we meet Jesus. I, myself, don’t even know I’m saved»! Then get away from the pulpit and let the pulpit be filled with people who know they are saved. For goodness sake, that’s enough. There’s enough probabilities in the world. The world is filled with probabilities, and theories, and conjectures, and all that. God gave us solid ground to stand on and nothing is more certain than the Word of God.

Lift your hands, all across this place, and everywhere that’s watching this, right now. Sons and daughters of the Most High God, we are developing, we are growing. Yes, we are learning to be practically holy, victorious. But while we are doing that, don’t forget, you already are righteous in God’s eyes. With the righteousness of God himself, in Christ, so when you pray, don’t feel that distance. That’s hypocritical, that’s an abomination. When you pray, you say, «Father,» know that you are so close. Feel his embrace. When you pray, «Father,» know that it’s a child requesting, not a servant asking God. Not even a prophet in the Old Testament asking God. You don’t have the same relationship. And know that you are loved with the same love that the Father loves Jesus with, amen. From this day forth, will you do that?

The Lord bless you, this coming week, and your children. The Lord bless you and your loved ones. The Lord make his face shine on you, and the Lord, himself, keep you, preserve you, and your families, throughout this week, from every danger, harm, and from all evil. The Lord lifts up his countenance, his beautiful, radiant, countenance upon you. Smile on you, throughout this week, and grant to you, and your loved, ones his shalom, peace, wellness, and health in every area of your life, in Jesus’s name. And all the people said, «amen».