Joseph Prince - Find Acceptance in God’s Unconditional Love
I really think that we are really blessed and privileged to be in this generation, amen. Even if you are in the Acts of the apostles, you know, that is the church in its infancy, amen. They ride on donkeys to bring the gospel somewhere. They travel by feet to bring the good news to a place. But now, God has allowed, and many of the inventions of television, and here we are, how are we bringing the gospel? We can impact more than the church in its infancy can. We can bring the gospel to the airwaves. But the devil hates that because the Bible calls the devil, «The prince of the power of the air». He does not want you to take television.
So, when television was first revealed, many of the preachers went to the pulpit and said, «That’s the one-eyed monster, that’s the devil». And the devil says, «Keep on preaching like this, and let me put what I want on TV,» when TV is not the devil’s invention. Everything that’s modern today, today you don’t… I mean you can climb the stairs if you want, but I’ll take the lift. And the thing is this, we are not stupid, amen. We are anchored to Jesus Christ, but geared to the times. We make use of whatever invention that God has allowed to come into our life. «Every good and perfect gift is from above,» it’s not the devil. If you let go, the devil will take over.
So, it’s time for the body of Christ to take the airwaves and best of all, not put rock and roll, but put Jesus Christ. And the preaching of Jesus Christ in the airwaves. So that many lives, and what you have experienced, you cannot be selfish and keep it within New Creation Church, amen. We are blessed to be a blessing. Many people would love to hear what you’re hearing, amen? So, to God be the glory, amen.
So, the harvest is ready, it’s plenteous, it’s white already for harvest. God is waiting for laborers. What are you doing? Give up your small ambitions, amen. There is an eternity of the kingdom of God that we will rule in when Jesus comes again, amen. Make sure that the things that you do are really things that satisfy, all right. Not just, you know, when we go to heaven and we bring a bag of gold, angels will look at the bag of gold and say, «What! You live your entire life for street material»?
You understand street material? Because in heaven we walk on streets of gold. They scratch their head, they can’t understand the priority, amen, amen. «Ah, amen, Pastor Prince! Good preaching, hallelujah!» To see Jesus and all the loveliness of his person. And that’s the reason why we are here, praise God. All right, I’m gonna show you something very, very, very powerful, okay. Look at Colossians. In the book of Colossians, it says this, «In Christ,» here the context refers to Christ, «in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily». Bodily. Whoa! In Christ dwells all the fullness of the triune God bodily, in human form. Do you know that of all the four gospels, the first three are called synoptic gospels? But the Gospel of John stands in a class of its own. And the miracles in the Gospel of John are not called miracles, they are called signs.
So, the first miracle of Jesus turning water to wine is a sign. At the end of John’s Gospel, John says, «There are many other miracles, many other things Jesus said and did which is not possible for one to write. If one writes it, I suppose that even all the books in the world cannot contain it. But these are written that you might believe». And that believing you might have life. So, the miracles in John are called signs. They demonstrate something. They demonstrate his deity because the gospel of John is about Jesus, the Son of God, his deity in bodily, in human form, okay. Watch this, what is the first miracle? The first miracle is to turn water into wine, right?
Now, in science we learn of these major components, time, space, force, matter. Am I right? All right, time, space, force, motion, motion, force, matter. I just, real quick call your attention the way it appears in John. The first miracle, turn water into wine. Water, if I can have a glass of water here, transparent glass, and a transparent glass of wine, you will see in the natural, there’s no way water can turn to wine. Maybe grape juice left for a while may turn to wine but not water. And not just wine, very good wine. So, to get good wine, you got to have a plantation of a vineyard that is there for about four or five years. I read about it, how they have the best wine. They gotta wait for four or five years. And after that, it’s ready for wine making, but even then, the first few years of the grapes that’s produced, it’s not as good for good wine.
So, they wait for another two, three years. And even then, after that, they have wine, wine that is saleable, wine that is commercial, but yet, to have very good wine, you wait for another 10 years, another 15 years, another 20 years. Then you have very good wine. Jesus compressed time in a wedding and gave the best wine. So, the first miracle is a miracle of, he is the Lord. The sign is what? He is the Lord of time. Do you know the Bible says, «God can restore to you the years the locusts have eaten»? Joel chapter 2, «I will restore to you the years the locusts has eaten». Did you hear me? Restore the years for us. Once the years are gone, wasted years, wasted days, wasted nights. I wish I can have them back.
God says, «I am the Lord of time». «You don’t understand Pastor Prince, I’m now 50 years old, I’m 60 years old, I’m 70 years old». He is the Lord of time. «You don’t understand, I’m 80 years old,» so was Caleb. And he says, «I’m as strong today at 85 years old, as I was when Moses sent me at 40 years old. Give me this mountain». He’s the Lord of time. You know what the second sign? Most people know the first sign they don’t know the second sign In the gospel of John. The second sign Jesus was in Cana, same place where he turned the water to wine. A man came from Capernaum, which is more than 10 miles away from Cana, where Jesus was, where he did the first miracle. He was a nobleman and his son was sick. So he said, «Lord, can you please come and heal my son»? And Jesus says, «Go your way, your son lives».
He’s speaking from Cana, more than 10 miles away from Capernaum, by the lake of Galilee. Many of you seen Capernaum. When you visit Israel. Cana is about more than 10 miles away. And he says, «Go your way, your son lives». Then the Bible says to show his faith that father didn’t go back the same day. The father slept one night in Cana, next day he made his way. And then the servants came out to meet this nobleman and say, «Your son is okay, your son is okay». He asked, «When was my son okay? When did he recover»? Exactly the time when Jesus said, «Go your way, your son lives». This is a second miracle that Jesus did. The Bible says this is a second miracle. What does this demonstrate? He’s the Lord of space, time, space. Are you listening people?
When I went to Israel recently, I was on assignment, and everything that could go wrong went wrong. My luggage didn’t come in. And I had to have my luggage, my clothes. Went for a last minute shopping. Really literally last minute. Had to get all the, you know, basic necessities, toothbrush, whatever. I was in a nice, nice room, all right. I was looking forward for a bath 'cause we traveled for about… plus a delay and all that 24 hours already. Went to bathe, my shower has only hot water. Extreme right, extreme left, hot water, and I just lathered my hair with shampoo. And I can’t go out and call because I was all partially wet and my head is all lathered with shampoo.
So, I can only do this, shoo, shoo. You know, you put your head, it was burning, man. Now, I called the hotel and the hotel says, «Well, you know, it’s very hard for us to give you a room now because», I said, «Look, look, I’m not asking for a suite, I’m just asking, give me a room where I can bathe. I’m very tired already, you know». Everything could go wrong went wrong. Worst of all, my son came down with a cough that kept him up the whole night. And I received the news from text when my wife told me that. I said, «Wait a minute, this whole thing, I’m about to preach something that will go into millions of homes,» all right. When it’s released, you’ll get to see it. And I was there on this assignment. And when I heard about my son, you know, nothing affects you like a father like hearing about your son.
So, I knelt down in my bed and I say, «You foul spirits a sign against me, a sign against my family to stop this this preaching of the Word. I loose you from assignments, and I bind you in the name of Jesus Christ». Now, just let you know this, usually children, all right, when they have coughs, it will probably go on like one week or slightly more than one week. With the cough getting, you know, lesser. You know, the phlegm stage, you know what I’m saying? My wife told me something happened that night. She didn’t know I prayed at first. My son slept through. It’s only after one or two days of constant coughing, slept through. Which means what? It is spiritual. Now, not all sickness is spiritual, sometimes you don’t rest enough, you fall sick. What you need to do? Rest.
You don’t drink enough water, that’s why you have headache. You are dehydrated. But sometimes it’s spiritual. When it’s spiritual, you gotta come against the spirit behind it. Like people understand how come a pain can jump from one limb to another limb. Usually spiritual. If it jumps, all right. Natural things don’t jump. Bind that jumping spirit in Jesus’s name, amen, amen. So, it is amazing that I was in Israel, thousands of miles away from Singapore. I was on my knees, by my bed, in my room, in the hotel room, and I could pray and my son could be delivered. Why? Because he’s the Lord of time and space. Want me to go on? Oh man, the third one real quick because this is not my sermon, okay, this is just free, real fast. You know the third miracle he did?
All right, the man who was impotent for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. Jesus says, «Rise, take up your bed and walk». He talks about the motion of the water. He talks about Jesus saying, «Rise, take up your bed and walk». All this talks about motion. Time, space, force, motion. And the sign after that, what is it? He took five loaves and two fish. More than 5,000 people. Counting men, women and children, about 10,000 with fives loaves and two sardines. «Two small fish,» the Bible says. He multiplied it to feed more than 10,000 people with 12 baskets full left over. The Lord of matter. He can turn the matter. Don’t look at your bank account and say, «Oh man».
Look at it and say, «Thank you, Lord». He can multiply it, amen. Even scientifically accurate. So, «In him,» wow, see? You all distracted me. I started by saying, «In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you,» child of God, «you are complete in Christ». First he says, «In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily». And then God says, «But you know something? You are complete in Christ». God has put you in Christ and you are complete. The amazing thing church, is this, God says, «You are righteous». There are preaching going on in churches today that says, «You know, if you are holy enough, one day you’ll be righteous». No, no, no, my friend. You are now holy, righteous, and blameless. Your actions might not correspond yet. My son does not walk like an adult because he’s still a baby. But one day, trust me, he’ll walk like an adult. And he won’t want me to baby him anymore.
So, keep on feeding the people, amen. Pastors and leaders keep on feeding the people, don’t beat the people, feed. And they’ll come to a place where their actions will correspond. But meanwhile the truth is that whether you are rich or poor Christian, whether you are young or old believer, you are complete in Christ. You are not less complete than one who is 10 years Christian, you are complete in Christ. «And in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily». So, what we have done is that we take the starting post, you are complete in Christ, and we have made it the finishing post. That’s the problem.
We tell people, one day, the finishing post. We think in the natural, we think like a human. Instead of reasoning from God downwards, we are reasoning from man upwards. God’s reality is that you are complete in Christ. Even though you’re saved this morning, you’re complete in Christ. Now walk out that completeness. And if you fall and appear incomplete, you’re still complete. Your fall does not incomplete you. Because your action in the first place did not complete you, it was Christ. So, that’s a starting post. The starting post is you’re complete. Don’t make the starting post the finishing post. One day you’ll be complete. I’m gonna show you right now how many Christians think. And that’s the reason you don’t see the deliverance. Because there’s something, you know, very profound.
If you come to God, if you are a child of God, and you come to God like a sinner, God doesn’t respond to you. Because he’s no more God to you, he’s Father. Even when you fail, you come to God as a sinner and you say, «God, I have sinned, God. I’m a sinner, Lord. I’m a sinner saved by grace, God. God, have mercy on me. Be merciful to me the sinner». And you think you’re copying the guy that Jesus talked about who wasn’t even saved. Now you’re confusing the issue. Are you a child addressing the Father or are you a sinner addressing God? Once upon a time we were all sinners and we addressed God. As a sinner we address God. We can say things like, «Be merciful to me, a sinner».
And that’s right. But God is no more just God to us, he’s Father. And we are no more sinners to him, we are his children. And our cry is, «Abba». I know you saw this a few weeks ago but a proud father wants to show this off. Look at this. It doesn’t matter how old you are. The cry is, «Abba, Abba». He’s looking, by the way, he’s looking at me when he does this. Abba is a cry from the heart, it’s not a formal, «Oh, Father,» it is a cry. And the day the devil rob you of that consciousness that you are a child, even when you fail, that’s the day you find almost like heaven is brass. Why is there no response? Because God cannot own that position. For God to own that position by giving you a sense of his presence and all that, all right, for God to own falsehood. He cannot. The Holy Spirit in you cannot bear witness with a lie. You’re acting like a sinner when God has made you a child.
So, the way out is say, «Father,» before you come to God, don’t just come and throw your request so fast. Just come and know that he loves you. You’re coming to a Father. Don’t talk about the God of the universe. He is the God of the universe. But you must not allow how people see him to be how you see Him. You have a different relationship. He’s your Father, a Father that loves to hear your voice. In the Song of Songs, he 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 the 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 requests.
See that and see if your prayers are not answered. Because when you come in a lie, you come to him like he’s God, you sense distance. It’s a lie. Everything is a lie. God cannot own that lie. God cannot answer and own that lie. For God to give you an answer is to own that lie. And there’s the reason why you don’t see results. Sometimes it’s not the words you say, it’s just coming to his presence, say, «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. You know many 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 desire of him. It’s amazing how we, you know, that this testimony here, I just wanna share real quick. Are y’all blessed? This is from Honolulu. Da da da dun dun. In 1993, this brother from Honolulu, he said that… it’s a short one.
«In 1993, I was in a car accident that injured my spine, messing up my fourth to fifth lumbar vertebrae. As I could not walk, I had to undergo back surgery in 1995. The operation only made my condition worse and I was in pain every single day. Some days worse than others, even my right knee and right shoulder were affected. For 15 years, my daily prayer was for healing and release from this excruciating pain. Then in 2008, I listened to a teaching by Pastor Prince titled, 'Rest in Jesus’s Faith for Miracles.'»
Even the faith for miracles, You don’t come and say, I need the faith, I need the faith. You know, it’s like so much strife. You gotta be… your complete means what? Is faith lacking? No, it’s not. Just rest in him. If I need faith, he will supply. You know the analogy of the vine and the branches? Whatever is in the vine flows in the branches. The only way to stop the sap is for the vine to try to tighten up. «I must try my best». Nothing flows, you know?
Okay, he says that, «For 15 years, my daily prayer was for healing and release from this excruciating pain. Then in 2008, I listened to a teaching called, 'Rest in Jesus’s Faith for Miracles' by Pastor Prince. I shared it with my husband. We were both excited and blessed by what we had learned and it revolutionized my thinking about faith. I began to repeat,» that’s all she did, «I began to repeat what Pastor Prince taught about Jesus’s faith, but I wasn’t praying about anything in particular. That night,» 15 years, excruciating pain. «That night as I prepared for bed, my back made this snap, crackle, and pop sound twice. When I bent slightly over the sink. Crawling into bed, I noticed that my back didn’t really hurt. When I awoke, the agony in my back was gone. What a miracle»!
Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen! No hullabaloo jumping up and down, you know, like commanding all the time, just resting, just repeating what I said to her husband. «As the day progressed at work, both my knee and shoulder became free of pain as well. I was even able to walk up and down two flights of stairs. I’m so thankful for the teachings on grace by Pastor Prince». What a blessing.
This coming week, the Lord bless you with the blessings of Abraham and the blessings of Deuteronomy 28. «And the Lord Himself keep you». If the Lord Himself keep you, you are kept. The Lord Himself keeps you from accidents, dangers, sickness, disease, from evil people, from all the powers of darkness, and from the evil one. The Lord make His face shine on you, be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and grant to you and your families his shalom in Jesus’s name. Children of God, remember to call him, «Father,» and sense his love. Amen, God bless you.