Joseph Prince - The Power of Knowing You're Heard and Loved
Praise God. All right, turn to your Bibles to the Word of God in Romans chapter 3, Romans chapter 3. It is important for us to remember that there cannot be forgiveness, there cannot be remission of sins, «remission» means «sending away». Literally, the word «remitted» means your debts are remitted. That means what? They are sent away into oblivion. It will no longer come back to haunt you. So the Bible uses the word «remission of sins». It’s the same Greek word for forgiveness, «aphíemi,» sending away, remission.
Without the shedding of blood, the Bible says in Hebrews, there is no forgiveness or remission of sins, without the shedding of blood. It cannot just be blood. It’s got to be holy blood, blameless blood, sinless blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And then we see the gospel story of how God sent his Son. God could have sent Jesus stepping out of a cave a full-grown man, but then that would not minister to our comfort because we will think of him as a being from heaven, but he doesn’t understand me as a man.
So Jesus came to go through all the gamut of human emotions, to go through all the experiences of a child, a toddler, a baby, a toddler, a childhood, teenager, and in growth, manhood. The Bible tells us he went through it all. He went through it all as a man. But he’s not just man. He was born of a virgin. And I’ve shared during Christmastime how that the necessity for the virgin birth, that science have discovered that the mother’s blood does not go into the baby through the placenta. Once, science thought that that was so, but now it’s proven beyond the shadow of any doubt that the mother does not give blood to the baby. Why is that important? Because Mary’s blood has sinned. Are you listening?
All right, so now it’s proven that the placenta takes away the waste of the baby and gives food to the baby, amen. The blood is determined by his Father in heaven, amen. So Jesus came through a virgin, a highly favored virgin. He was born without sin in his blood. And what’s the purpose of having blood? Without the shedding of blood, come on, there is no forgiveness of sins. Are you listening?
So let’s follow this right now in Romans 3. «But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the Prophets». Remember we stopped here? The last time I preached Jesus in the Mount of Transfiguration, he is the righteousness of God. Today you and I, we receive the gift of righteousness. So, in the Mount of Transfiguration he was flanked by Moses, a type of the law, and the prophets, Elijah, amen? Elijah was representative of all the prophets. So here, even the law and the prophets witnessed that the righteousness of God has come as a gift. «For God so loved the world, that he gave,» amen. And the whole purpose of this righteousness, «But now,» look at, «but now».
That means what? There was a time this righteousness as a gift was not made available. But now it’s available and it’s witnessed by the law and the prophets. It’s not contradictory to the law or the prophets. It is witnessed by the law and the prophets, but this gift of righteousness is «apart from the law,» apart from the law. It is not you believe in Jesus plus you keep the law. No, it’s apart from the law, amen, «being witnessed by the law and the prophets». I’ll just put my finger here and just refer you real quick to Romans 5:17, my favorite verse, all right, besides John 1:17. Mine has a lot of 17, my favorite verse. Look at this, «For if by one man’s offense,» we all know that one man is Adam, «by one man’s offense, death reigns through the one».
If ever you have shed tears over the loss of a baby, of a relative, a dear friend, as you are crying, remember this. This was not meant to be. God never meant for men to die. Do you know God counts death an enemy? God hates death. Jesus wept at a funeral. He remembered this is not what man was born to face. Man was born to live forever, live forever and forever strong, young, and healthy. That’s God’s dream. The Father’s dream for a family of people that is forever young, strong, healthy, that will rule the universe with him. But he didn’t create robots. If he created robots, nobody would sin. Everybody would obey. But he didn’t want robots. He want free moral agents who can choose. You can choose whatever you want to choose. But you cannot choose the consequence, amen?
So man chose, man chose to rebel. Man chose against God, for Satan. God cannot come in and change man’s choice. God cannot influence man’s choice. God gave man free choice. And the Bible says, «The wages of sin is death». That’s how death came in. So, «By one man’s offense, death reigned through the one». The word «reign» is total, it’s empirical. It is a rule that no one can escape. You climb the highest mountain, you swim in the deepest ocean, death will still find you, ultimately, and all because of Adam’s sin, amen?
So, «Through one man’s offense, death reign through the one, much more,» everybody shout «much more,» «much more those who receive abundance,» hey, those who receive, New Creation Church. «Those who receive,» and this word «receive» is not just receive one time in the Greek. It is a continuous receiving, a continual consciousness, a continual preaching, a continual appropriating, a continual walking in it. In the Greek it is present continuous. All right, «Those who receive,» constantly receive, «abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ».
Wow, what a deal! And I still think many of you have memorized this verse, but I don’t think we really have meditated through this verse. Number one, even if we receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, many of us don’t see the reigning in life. We understand it, but we are not seeing the reigning. If you are not seeing the reigning, you are not receiving the abundance of grace. You are not receiving the gift of righteousness. And after you reign, just remember this, it’s not just reigning in life, it’s much more, «much more those who receive». It’s a «much more» reigning.
So we gotta keep on pounding this home because there are voices out there, and many a times it’s behind the pulpit, unfortunately, just like during Jesus’s time. The people that bind heavy burdens on the common people were actually the religious leaders of Jesus’s day. They would say things and preach things that cause… and bind heavy burdens, and Jesus rebuked them. Jesus says, «You bind heavy burdens on people and you refuse to even lift a finger to help them». Jesus says, «Woe to you». And then Jesus look at these people and says, «Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,» amen.
Christianity is not a religion. It is God reaching out to man. Are you with me? All right, so we gotta have this understanding. These twin gifts, I call them, abundance of grace, can only come when people hear abundance of preaching of grace. So the devil will come and tell you you cannot be talking about grace all the time. And what is his purpose? He doesn’t want you to reign, because when you reign in life, he doesn’t. When you reign in life, your addictions don’t. When you reign, somebody is not reigning. That’s the devil, you understand?
We got to learn to receive, people. If somebody else paid for it and it’s a gift means somebody paid for it. The giver paid for it, somebody else paid for it, but the receiver is not the one paying for it. But we want to make it the reward of righteousness. In other words, you do something long enough, you’ve been praying long enough, you’ve been sacrificing long enough, you’ve been working hard enough, then one day you have righteousness. That’s what man wants. Are you listening, people? No wonder there’s no reigning in life.
Let me share with you a testimony that just came in, and I read this only yesterday. And this is a guy who shares about, you know, church, we have all kinds of testimonies that’s coming in of people who are reigning in life. So many testimonies, especially in the area of addictions, freedom from addictions, and people who are addicted even to pornography, especially pornography and sexual deviations, they are finding freedom. They are writing and telling me that they are finding freedom applying the teaching of the power of right believing. And what is the power of right believing? Even though you are in that sin, confess, «I am the righteousness of God in Christ».
Just like when you are sick, you don’t confess the sickness, confess, «God is a God who calls those things that are not as though they are, and then they are». God saw darkness, God says, «Light, be,» and light became. God saw a sea without creatures, and God says, «Let the seas bring forth whales and swimming and teeming with fishes that swim,» and there they were. So whatever God wanted, God spoke. And God made man in his image, so whatever you want, all right, you speak it and you will see it. That’s God’s reality. It’s called faith. But man has so fallen that man has to see before he speaks. So when he sees darkness, he says, «Wow, so dark». But because he’s made in God’s image, God says, «You will have what you say». Anyway, this is a wonderful testimony that just came in.
«I was born in a Christian family,» this is local, this testimony, «and I grew up thinking that God is an angry God. Since young, I was afraid of failing because I didn’t want to anger God. So I started confessing every wrong deed I had done. Finally, I told myself that I would do what I wanted to do first and later come back to God». Many of us have the same reasoning, isn’t it?
«Slowly, I was led astray. My life became very bitter. I indulged in all kinds of sin, smoking, drinking, and so many other stuff. Day by day, I knew my life was sinking and I was a total failure. I didn’t have a proper job and I was like a posh beggar. Even when I was hungry and had money in my pocket, I would choose cigarettes over food. I felt very condemned by my actions and decided to give my life to the devil, thinking that he would give me whatever I wish for in this world for free. Soon, I came under an attack. My mind started to go haywire. One day, I got overdosed on drugs and my limbs started twisting by themselves and my heart started beating very slowly. I thought I was going to die that day, but somehow Jesus saved me. A year later, I came to the end of myself. I wanted to come back to Jesus, but I did not know how. In June, I came across Pastor Prince’s sermon, and that was the first time I learned that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Since then, I took hold of that truth».
It’s important you take hold. The Bible says «those that receive abundance of grace and the gift». And the word «receive» there is active in the Greek. Active, not passive. «Since then, I took hold of that truth as my armor against my bad habits. Whenever I smoke,» listen to this, here’s where the rubber meets the road. «Whenever I smoke,» he still smoke. Pastors, leaders, stop thinking, «Well, you’re giving people license to sin». People are still doing things behind your back. We are telling people how to get out. He says, «Whenever I smoke from then on, I started confessing that I am righteous in Christ and cigarettes have no power over me».
This is what is being taught to all these porn addicts, to all these drug addicts, to all these people bound in addictions in the book, «The Power of Right Believing». We have so many testimonies, and they are still coming in, of people set free. The last thing you want to do when you’re watching porn is to say, «I am the righteousness of God in Christ». The devil will scream, «Hypocrite»! But you know what? If you confess that, you’ll come out of that. You will reign over that and you’ll stop looking at women as objects and see them as persons and honor them and have a sense of dignity in life. If you treat people like objects, you end up feeling like an object.
«I started confessing that I’m righteous in Christ and sickness have no power over me. Within two weeks, all my bad habits left me». Okay, let me finish this, all right? «Today I reign over them. Within two weeks, all my bad habits left me. Today, I reign over them. It has been almost two years now, and the work of God in my life continues to amaze everyone around me. God has also been opening doors for me to preach the good news in Sri Lanka. I thank and praise my Lord Jesus Christ for delivering me and saving me. Pastor Prince, I also thank God for you because you have unveiled the beauty and the loveliness of Jesus Christ unto men like me». Now, if you look at what’s been shared, the turning point happened when she started confessing, «I am the righteousness of God in Christ».
You see, many of you, when you become a child of God, you are now a child of God. God is no more just God. God is now your Father. And that’s why it’s important to be obedient to the Spirit of the New Covenant, which is now you are a son, you are a child of God. Never call yourself a sinner anymore. There are people who say, «I am a sinner saved by grace». «I am» is present tense in English, we all know that. «I’m still a sinner saved by grace». No, you were a sinner saved by grace, but now, I’m not saying you’re free from sin, but your actions don’t dictate your identity in Christ, amen, anymore than you did something good when you were a sinner last time doesn’t make you good. Just because you have times that you did good doesn’t make you good. You’re still a sinner.
So likewise, now you’re a born again believer, church, listen. Whatever you do, listen, there are consequences to what you do. You can hurt people, you can hurt your future, you can hurt your loved ones, you can hurt your body, you can hurt your mind. Sin is dangerous. But how to overcome sin? I am for holiness, but where many people differ from what I’m sharing is this. Their idea and my idea of how to get their holiness from here, they are saying you got to have the law. I’m saying it’s by grace. It’s only by grace. Amen, church?
Now, I’m going to call your attention to something that’s going to blow your mind right now, because there is a traditional teaching, I’m going to show you, from the Greek as well, how you can approach this. Look at this. In 1 John chapter 2, verse 1 and 2. «My little children,» now, «my little children» does not appear in John chapter 1. Only for the first time it appears in John chapter 2, 1 John 2. «My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins,» that means what? It’s possible for a child of God, it’s possible for the… who is he writing to? For the little children. It’s possible for them to sin. Aren’t you glad God tells you what to do when you sin? «And if anyone sins,» and if anyone sins, «we have,» by the way, just to let you know that in the Greek, «we have» is «continually have,» «continually have».
There’s not a time that you don’t have. «We can continually have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world». Okay, once again, when you sin, if anyone sins, here it doesn’t say you confess. It tells you straight away you have an Advocate. Now, what troubles me and those believers who meditate on the Word, it take some time, some people don’t even bother, but if you do meditate, your concern is this. Advocate sounds very legalistic. It sounds like a lawyer, a solicitor, an advocate. Am I right? But you see, we need a lawyer, a legal lawyer. With God, I understand, but with the Father, family, that’s a problem.
Why do we need a lawyer with our Father in heaven? There’s always been a problem, just to let you know something, okay? Those watching, check with the Scriptures. The word «Advocate» here is the Greek word «Paraklétos,» which in every other scripture is translated «Comforter». Paraklétos. «Paraklétos» is translated in our English Bible as «Comforter». Now, this brings to your mind straightaway Jesus sharing with the disciples in the Upper Room on the night that he was betrayed, and he said, «I’m going away, but I’ll send you a Comforter». Sometimes the Bible says «Helper». He didn’t say, «I’ll send you a lawyer». Now, one of the ideas that people have of «Paraklétos,» «para» is like para-church, para-organization. «Para» means «to come alongside» in Greek. «Klétos» is «help,» literally «help». Now, you can say «legal help» if you want to, but that’s not prominent. «Comfort» means «help».
You know how many times the word «Paraklétos» appears in your New Testament? Five times. Do you know how many times the word «Comforter» appears out of five times? Four times. Do you know how many times the word «Advocate» appeared for «Paraklétos»? One time, here. So in other words, I submit to you, it is not talking about an advocate. Here is where all kinds of teachings come in. The devil comes to God and says, «Hey, Matthews have sinned». Matthews, this brother who looks like Aaron the high priest, whose beard screams «I am the high priest». And the devil says, «He has sinned»! Then Jesus says, «Yes, Father, but look at my hands». And the Father says, «Okay, case dismissed». The devil goes off and find, «Mary has sinned»!
You know, we always have this idea that in one day the devil goes to God’s presence so often. Have you heard that teaching before? And Jesus is our lawyer. That’s not it. I don’t even believe the devil goes to God anymore. You can show me Job chapter 1, and I agree that there was a time when all the angels present themselves to God and Satan came, but that was before the cross. There is a place, a verse, in the Bible in Hebrews that says that Jesus went to heaven and he cleansed, he cleansed a part of heaven, heavenly things, with his blood. Why would you want to clean heaven? Is holy heaven is clean? Why would you want to clean a certain part of heaven with your blood?
I submit to you that that place is where Satan used to stand. Originally, it belonged to Adam. God gave Adam access to his presence, but Adam committed high treason and gave that position to the devil, who usurped it from Adam. So he had a right in the Old Testament to come to God and accuse the saints of God. But today, Jesus went back to heaven, he cleansed that place, that place is redeemed, a type of the Old Testament where the high priest sprinkled seven times on the place he is standing. That’s exactly what Jesus did. The devil can stand there no more. And the book of Revelation says the accuser is cast out. The accuser is cast out of heaven! So what does this verse mean? We have an Advocate, we have a Comforter.
Now, five times it appears, four times it refers to the Holy Spirit, one time here it refers to Jesus. We have a Comforter with the Father and with… prepositions are important in the Greek. «With» here is not «with,» actually. It’s the word «pros,» which is «towards». We have a Comforter towards the Father. He’s your Father, a Father that loves to hear your voice. In the Song of Songs it says this. «Let me hear your voice». But before he says, «Let me hear your voice,» he says, «Let me see your face». «Let me see thy countenance, and then let me hear your voice». Notice the order. It is your presence that he wants, not just your voice. It’s one thing for Jessica to talk to me on the staircase or in the living room, and I’m in the room. «Daddy»! «Yes?» you know? But I would love for her to come in my presence. I don’t want to talk. I can hear her voice. So the Bible says God wants to see your face and then hear your voice.
So when you come to God, you have a prayer request, you know, just know that he loves you. When you come to his presence, stop there, and just know he loves you. He’s a God who gave Jesus to die for your sins, but now he’s your Father. And talk to him, say, «Father,» have a conscience that you’re in the presence of the one who loves you infinitely. He finds no fault with you and he delights that you are coming to him. He delights that you are trusting him with your prayer request. Sometimes it’s not the words you say, it’s just coming to his presence and saying, «Father,» and know this: he loves you.
The New Covenant is not about your love for God, it’s about his love for you. And you need to know that he wants to hear my voice. He wants to see my face. Father, you know, many a times when I pray to the Father, I usually start out by saying, «Father, thank you for loving me». Have you ever thanked him for loving you? «Thank you for loving me». It gives me a sense that he loves me. Long before I bring my prayer request, I must have that sense. I must have the sense that he longs to have me in his presence, to hear my voice… to see my face first, then to hear my voice. I must have that. And I’m telling you, this is the confidence we have in him. If we know he hears us, we know that we have the request we desired of him.