Joseph Prince - The Secret to a Fruitful Life

I’m reminded of the story of Ruth. Ruth, by the way, you should take time to read the story of Ruth. It’s only four chapters, one of the shortest books in the Bible. Four chapters, very beautiful story of Jesus and the Church. Jesus is portrayed by the man called Boaz. He’s the wealthy man of Bethlehem. Ruth, a type of you and I, the Church, is a woman who is not a Jew. She is a Moabite. And under the law in Deuteronomy, it says no Ammonite or Moabite can enter God’s congregation even to the tenth generation, wow. So the law disqualifies her. But grace brought her in, so that today when you open up the book of Matthew, and you see so and so beget, so and so beget, so and so beget, so and so, and finally Jesus Christ.

The lineage of Jesus, you’ll find that she is one of the four ladies mentioned. Only four ladies mentioned and her name is there. She’s not there because she qualified. She’s there because of grace, okay? So, I’m reminded that when she came back with her mother-in-law, you know her husband died. Her husband’s name is Mahlon, and Mahlon means sickness. What a name. But that’s how God hides truths in the Bible. The Bible is full of truths. It tells you why people are sick, all right? Finally the man died. Anyway, she followed her mother-in-law. Mother-in-law said, «Why don’t you go back to your people, to your gods»? She says, «No». She says, «Even though I’m free to go, but I want to be with you. Your God will be my God. Where you go, I’ll go. Where you die, I’ll die».

God saw that. But she’s not qualified to even enter into the synagogue. She’s not qualified. But she came back with Naomi and, to cut a long story short, a man called Boaz, a mighty man of wealth, the Bible says, who owns the fields of Bethlehem, he saw her, all right, and he fell in love with her. Then the day came, he had to marry her. But there was someone who has a first right to marry her. In those days, they have a law that if your husband dies and he forfeits the land in Bethlehem, his near relative can redeem the land. So Boaz wants to redeem the land because he’s from the family of Mahlon. But there’s a nearer guy, all right, a nearer kinsman. And who is the nearer kinsman? Before God gave grace to Israel, what did God do? God gave. Before God gave the Son, God gave the servant: Moses. Before God gave grace, God gave the law.

So the law had first prerogative. So in other words, Boaz says to Mr. Law, there’s… a man that’s not named because he represents the law. «Please, will you buy back the land»? At first he said, «Yes, I’ll buy back the land». Boaz says, «You must also marry the widow». «Huh»? Okay, «Huh» is there added by me. But in essence, he says, «I cannot do that. If I do that, my reputation, my good name and all that,» because she’s a Moabite. Then he says, «Okay, will you give your right to me»? Okay? And in those days, by giving the right is by giving the shoe. So he gave his shoe to him, which means you have the right to walk over this property. The law has no more right to walk all over you. So then he was very happy because he was in love with Ruth, isn’t it? Then he married Ruth. You understand? All right?

In other words, Ruth is in love with him also, all right? You should read the story. It will bring out all the nuggets of truth, all right? They married and this time Ruth was pregnant. She was pregnant with a boy called Obed, which means service. Obed was the father of Jesse, amen? Jesse is the father of David. And that’s how she was in the lineage of Jesus Christ that finally came, amen. So she’s a picture of the church redeemed not by the law but by grace. The law says, «I cannot save you». For the law to be the law, the law cannot bend, you know? If the law bends to help you, it’s no more the law. The law is inflexible. Let me ask you a question. These ten commandments, let’s say it’s a chain of ten, okay?

Let me ask you a question, all right? What do I have to do to make them all come unglued? How many chains must I break to make them all fall apart? How many chains must I break? For them all, huh? It’s like hooked to one another. How many chains must I break? One. You break one, they all come out. Some of you have a key like that. Or things like that. Or necklace, you know, your pearl necklace or whatever it is. Okay, it’s not… the cheap one, okay, on a string. How many parts of the rope must be broken? How many parts must come off before the rest come off? One. The Bible says in James, you break one law, you are guilty of…? Not the one, you know, but of all. So for the one who says, «I use it for holiness,» if you break one, you don’t think about how bad you are. You still have, you’re still hankering after some good in yourself.

«And Pastor Prince, you think you’re so good»? No, I’m not. I think that Jesus is my goodness. He is my identity. God is no longer looking at Joseph Prince as Joseph Prince. You know, he’s looking at Jesus as Joseph Prince. And so are you, amen? So look at this. «You become dead to the law to the body of Christ that you may be married to another,» just Ruth, «to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God,» okay? Now, notice, you are dead to the law. So when you say you are dead to the law, some people say, «Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree we are dead to the law. We are dead to the law for righteousness. We are dead to the law for justification».

But this is not talking about justification or condemnation. It’s not an issue of where he talked about earlier chapters in Romans about justification versus condemnation. The issue here is about bearing fruit to God. It’s about how you bear fruit. Can you bear fruit under law? No, it’s when you’re dead to the law. And Church, you’re not trying to be dead. You are dead! Jesus has died. As sure as Jesus died, you are dead to the law! And what does that mean? You have a new husband. This husband you are married to is one who was raised from the dead, wow. You are married to the one who was raised from the dead. For what purpose? What is this union about? «That you will bring fruit to God».

Don’t let anyone twist this verse into justification versus condemnation. It’s not. It’s talking about bearing fruit. It’s talking about our daily life. It’s talking about holiness. How to bear fruit. It’s only when you’re dead to the law, you’re married to Jesus. Paul says, you know, «There’ll be followers of me as I am of Christ». Once a while he will say, «Look, this is the result of being free from the law. It doesn’t produce licentiousness, it produce true holiness. The grace of God will teach you». The son can teach better than the servant, okay? Amen. And there are people who are pushing aside Jesus and trying to bring the law again. Or they’ll say things like, «Jesus said, 'Unless your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.'»

That’s right. That means what? We must do more? That’s what they think. No, Jesus is talking about, you know what? No matter how hard you try, your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes. They tithe on everything. They pray all day long, whatever, lah, you know? You got to exceed them. No one can. So Jesus said, «You know what? The righteousness I’m talking about is a gift. It’s a gift. You didn’t take the exam, but you get an A+. It’s a gift». What does that do to you? You didn’t take the exam and you get an A+, you say what? «Thank you». It’s a response of grace. When you say «Thank you,» you will not go down there and gossip about the person who gave you the gift. You won’t do that. You want to live your life in honor to the name and bring glory to the one who love you so.

You see, there are people who don’t want to sin because they are scared they’ll be found out. That’s a low reason. My reason is at the name of Jesus. The saddest thing that goes on when the body of Christ, you know, is found out about, you know, the issue of adultery or whatever it is, the sad thing is that for me, all right, it’s not so much of anything else but the name of Jesus. That for me is a fair amount, okay? So let’s bring this back again. Look at this. The issue is about bearing fruit to God. She’s not arguing about using the law. No one can say, «Yeah, you’re dead to the law, but it’s for righteousness». No, no, no. It’s talking about bearing fruit.

When you’re dead to the law and you’re married to Jesus, the result is what? You bring fruit. Do you remember when Abraham was about nearly a hundred years old? And do you remember his wife was 10 years younger and she was about 90? The Bible tells us the Lord came to visit Abraham with two angels. So Abraham saw the Lord coming and he hosted the Lord. He said, «Please sit down here under a tree and rest, and wash your feet». Beautiful, the tree, the cross, water of the Word, rest your… and the Lord said something. Sarah was in the tent, as women in those days, their custom was that. They would serve behind the scene, but she was in the tent, Sarah-dropping. Because Eve by this time is dead already.

«You’re so corny, Pastor Prince». I know. So she’s listening and the Bible says: «The Lord said to Abraham, 'You’re going to have a son this time next year. This time next year you will have a son.'» And you know what Sarah says? She laughed, she laughed. The Lord was outside, but she was laughing. The Bible says: «She laughed within herself». And she said this: «Shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? Shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also»? And the Lord was outside. So the Lord says, «Did I hear Sarah laugh»? Sarah, inside, said, «No». Then the Lord said, I mean, no, and the whole thing was undercurrent, was all within her. She didn’t speak out loud, yet the Lord knows our thoughts. And the Lord says, «No, you laughed».

And interesting, within herself, she said this: «Shall I have pleasure, my lord»? She called him «my lord,» not just outwardly for show, in front of other believers, but she said it in her heart. She called Abraham «my lord». In 1 Peter 3, it says: «Women whose youth become renewed,» I’m giving you the revelation straight away, all right, «are women who honor their husband». And honor is not just saying it, you know? One time, I told Wendy, «Say, 'My lord, ' say, 'My lord, ' come on». Then she said, «'Lord, lord, lord, ' happy or not,» you know? It’s not that kind of thing, you know what I’m saying? I just had to hear it once, you know what I’m saying? So she was in the tent and she says, «Shall I have pleasure»?

Notice what she said. The Lord says, «You will have a baby, you will have a son». She said, «Shall I have pleasure? My lord is old. Shall I have pleasure»? She didn’t say, «Shall I conceive? Shall I go through labor»? She didn’t say, «Shall I give birth»? She didn’t say, «Shall I get pregnant»? She said, «Shall I have pleasure»? So what am I trying to say? The truth is this, who is your Lord today? Jesus Christ. Have pleasure, have a wonderful time with the Lord. Enjoy his love. Don’t worry about fruit. Don’t worry about children. Enjoy your Lord. Have pleasure in getting to know him. Have pleasure in knowing his titles. Have pleasure in sermons that talk about his love for you. Have pleasure in knowing Jesus. When you have pleasure, guess what? The result is a baby. And it will be effortless. It will be effortless. Amen, church?

Now, we’ll close with this because of time. Next verse says, verse 5: «For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death». «When we were,» what? «In the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law». Now when the law comes in, if you are alive to the law, he’s saying, in the flesh, in the spirit. Those who are dead and risen are in the spirit. Those who are still living are in the flesh, all right? These are the ones the law has jurisdiction over. And it’s telling you, what does the law produce? «Sinful passions which were aroused by the law». What do they produce? «They bear fruit to death».

Notice the contrast. Bear fruit to God, bear fruit to death. Only when you are dead to the law, married to Jesus who is risen, you bear fruit. But when you are under law, the law will arouse your sinful passions to bear fruit to death. Very clear. This is not a topic on justification versus condemnation. It’s about bearing fruit. It’s about rule of life. The next verse, quick. We’re closing. Verse 6: «Now we have been delivered from the law». Now what? Now, now, now is what? Now, present tense. We have been what? «Delivered from the law, having died once and for all to what we were held by, so that we should serve in newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter». «But Pastor Prince, I think all this law, law thing we are dead to, is ceremonial law, killing animals, washing of hands, baptismal pools». Oh yeah? Oh yeah, don’t forget everything must be… oh yeah, oh yeah. Everything must be interpreted in the context.

All right, look at the context. «What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law». What law? «I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'» What law is that? Ceremonial? No. The context is very clear. It’s about the Ten Commandments. You see, it’s not reasonable. It’s like only when you’re dead to the law can you produce true holiness. Are you listening, people? Now in Romans 8, verse 4: «For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh». You see, the law was weak through the flesh. Man cannot keep it. God did by «sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: God condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit».

Now listen. The more you love Jesus, the more you focus on Jesus, you’re walking in the Spirit. And when you walk in the Spirit, the righteous requirement of the law… what is the righteous requirement of all laws? Love. Love for God, love for your neighbors, right? «When you walk in the Spirit, the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled,» what? «In us». The reason I focus on the «in us» and I’ll close. Listen carefully. Because a lot of people use this verse and they tell you, «You see, we still must keep the righteous, we keep the righteous requirement of the law. We keep». It does not say, «The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled by us». It says it will be fulfilled «in us». Who fulfills it? Jesus, by the Spirit.

I repeat again, the word «in» is not «by». And for those of you who are theologians watching this, I challenge you to look up your Greek. Your Greek says, fulfilled here is in the passive voice, not the active voice. Church, you know what’s passive voice and active voice? Passive means what? It’s being done to me. You know what’s active voice? You do it. Here is a passive voice. In other words, the righteous requirement is fulfilled in me. Not fulfilled by me. I’m not the one doing it. It’s fulfilled in me. Don’t misquote this verse, okay? Go back to Romans 7 and we’ll close. Drop down, verse 8: «But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment…» Does sin straight up produce sin? No, «sin taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. Apart from the law sin was dead».

So the more you preach the law, all kinds of sin will happen to you. It’s like putting wood in the fire, man, in the church. «Apart from the law sin was dead». So it’s very subtle. The devil doesn’t come. You see, Satan didn’t come to Eve and say, «Kill your husband». If she murdered her husband, do you know that there will be no more posterity? Why didn’t Satan do that? Because there was no law given about don’t murder. So they were unconscious of murder. Beautiful. Only one law given: Don’t eat from the tree. And that was the one the devil was able to: The strength of sin is the law. My time is up. Are you all understanding this so far, amen? Praise the Lord. Aren’t you glad Jesus loves you? Aren’t you glad he has provided the death, amen? Tomorrow when you wake up, the first consciousness, I’m dead and I’m risen. That’s the answer to all the problems.

Does that mean we are free to sin? No, the answer again. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? In other words a true believer can never live in sin. Why? Because we are dead and risen. Where is sin? Behind us, amen. It’s not in front of us. Does that mean we cannot sin? No, we still can sin but maintain the faith position. If you maintain the faith position, sin is behind you, amen. Amen. Sickness is behind you, the curse is behind you, and condemnation is behind you, hallelujah. The answer of the apostle is always, «How shall we who are dead,» all right? The answer is not, «Try to keep the law. Try to keep the law». It’s never, never the answer. It is always, «Don’t you know we are dead? Don’t you know we are baptized into Jesus Christ when he died? We are immersed in Christ’s death. When he was raised, we are raised».

Now, don’t yield your members to servants through uncleanness, but yield yourself unto God as those who are alive from the dead. Live life to the glory of God. There’s something princely, something princessly, about people who know that they are dead and risen. There’s an aura. It’s like when they step into a boutique, they step into a restaurant, the whole place becomes royal. There’s something about people, Christians, who walk in the Spirit, amen? They become royal. There’s a royal mean about them. There’s a, you know, they are above meanness. They are above, you know, and even if they are not that well off, they watch how they dress. They carry their need. Royalty has come into their blood when they are born again. A royalty, they become regal and people say things about them.

Regal people do not fight back, they just rise above it. They are not mean and they don’t resort to mean means. They are generous. The Bible talks about the princes of Israel giving wagons to the tabernacle. Wagons of gifts. But the wagons were covered. So they are generous but they are not showing off. So church, that’s what happens when you realize you are dead and risen, all right? You will bear fruit to God, amen? I’m not preaching a message that says, «Yeah, you can go out here and live in adultery».

People who are truly born again, even if they live in adultery, every day they are in court. Every day they are being sentenced, if you’re truly born again and you’re living in sin. But the Bible says: «How shall we who are dead to sin live,» live is a lifestyle, «live any longer therein»? We are not under law. We are not under the power of sin. We are under the dictates of the Holy Spirit. When you follow the Spirit, you become royal, amen? Angels will attend to you. Blessings will fall on you and the favor of God will open doors. Amen, give Jesus the praise and the glory and the honor, hallelujah.

Church, this coming week, for you and your loved ones, your family, the Lord bless you and your family. The Lord bless you with the blessings of Father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28. You’re blessed coming in, blessed going out, blessed in all that you set your hand unto. Your enemies come against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. The Lord bring you to the place where you lend and not borrow. The Lord keep you, preserve you and your children, protect you and your loved ones throughout this week from all danger, from all harm, from accidents, from every sickness, from every contagion, from all the powers of darkness, from all the power of the evil one.

And the Lord make his face shine on you and your families, be favorable to you, put you at the right place at the right time, enjoying his favors. Close doors that are no good for you. Open doors that will cause you to be a great blessing, and bless you. The Lord lift up his countenance on everyone under the sound of my voice and grant to you and yours his shalom, well-being, health, and peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, receive it. Amen, amen, amen. So shall it be. Praise the Lord, God bless you.