Joseph Prince - What It Means to Be Fully Accepted in Christ
I have a testimony here I’d like to open up with from United States, and it’s a sister from Missouri. So this lady says, «I was hopelessly addicted to crack cocaine, a habit that began in 2000. I went to countless inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative centers. I attended a women’s ministry dedicated to helping women with addictions. I read Christian books and tried to apply all the principles with all the might I could muster up». And I thank God for Christian books, okay? I read Christian books, and I’ve been blessed by them. But this woman said that whatever she has read about Christian books has not helped her.
«I also sought Christian counsel and many people tried to help me. I had Christian mentors and even hired a Christian coach. I attended church as well as Christian and secular help groups for years. Despite all these efforts, I still attempted suicide four times, resulting in trips to the psychiatric ward. How difficult it was to live up to the standards of the law until my true freedom came through Jesus Christ. About a year ago, I read the book, 'The Power of Right Believing.'» I know this guy who wrote the book. «Initially I was afraid that I was being», I like her honesty, «Initially I was afraid that I was being misled. I did not really believe what Pastor Joseph Prince was saying, but I kept reading with the Bible alongside the book».
Very smart. Because I gave you scriptures, all right? And I endeavored to keep it in context. «In the end, I realized that truly I have been set free through Christ, and I have been free from my addiction ever since». You see, this is addiction, people. We’re not talking about going for thousands and thousands of dollars of psychiatric care and evaluation and appointments and still under care in the ward or whatever. You know, we’re talking about… or medicine. A lot of medicines nowadays are so expensive. We’re talking about someone who was delivered. And this is the dangerous doctrine that some people talk about.
«The Lord has even healed me of an extremely painful stomach condition that had me spend tons of money on prescription and non-prescription medication that gave little relief. Christ truly loves me so much». I always love that revelation when people see how much the Lord loves them. «And I’m deeper in love with him than ever before. I continue to be encouraged through the good news of Christ, his Word, and Pastor Prince's teachings and sermons all the time». You know, there’s always someone who is spiritual who says, «Oh, just tell them to read the Bible, read the Bible,» you know.
The thing is this, people, God gave teachers. When God gave teachers, do you think God is omniscient? Yes. Omniscient means all knowing. Do you think that all the teachers that God gave are imperfect? I think he knows that, amen. Yet, the Lord looked at the 12 disciples and the Bible says they were just in unbelief. They didn’t believe he rose from the dead. He turned to them just after he corrected them and rebuked them for their unbelief in the fact that he rose from the dead, he turned around and says, «Go into all the world and preach the gospel». God uses people. Imperfect as they are, God uses people. He anoints them, he equips them, and he sends them. Can I have a good amen?
So for someone to come to someone and say, «Just read the Bible,» all right? It’s not gonna be that young person reading the Bible, young Christian, I’m not talking about age, young Christian. He can be 80 and be a young Christian. He will open up the Bible, but he will not know. Just like that Ethiopian Eunuch on his way back from Jerusalem in the book of Acts, he was reading his Bible. Obviously, he was wealthy enough to purchase a copy of the book of Isaiah, but he was reading it in his chariot and he could not understand what he was reading, and God did not teach him directly. God sent Philip. In fact, God did a tele-transportation. God sent Philip there. Oh no, sorry, the tele-transportation happened after Philip ministered to this man. But Philip ran, saw the chariot. He says, «Excuse me, sir, you need any help»? He says, «I’m reading this passage. I don’t know who is being referred to».
And Philip got on board and realized he was reading Isaiah 53 about Jesus and preached about Jesus to him, amen. Right after that, he baptized him and Philip was tele-transported back, amen. He was here, then he disappeared. He appeared in another city, preaching. I’m believing that to happen, amen. For all those in GRSC, you never know. I’m preaching here now, next service, I’m there, hallelujah. Wouldn’t that be great? So praise God. And this lady, I love the way she talked about Jesus. She fell in love with him. That’s what it’s all about, people. Not just deliverance from our bondages and having our needs met, but falling in love with the one who did it all. She says this, I love this part, «Indeed, I am the righteousness of God through Christ».
Indeed, I am the righteousness of God through Christ. I am hidden with Christ in God, he gave himself for me, praise to our Daddy God. «Pastor Prince, may our Father continue to bless your ministry and others through the finished work of the cross, amen». To God be the praise and the glory, amen. It’s about righteousness consciousness. You see, the thing is this. The church has forgotten the greatest, I would say, property, okay. The greatest inheritance, the greatest vestiture, whatever you call it, the greatest thing that Jesus left behind to the church is this justification by faith gospel. It’s the gospel of being righteous by faith. Not righteous by your works.
Today, the people that are fighting against this truth, they are just an example of people all over the world who do not believe that they are sinners. People who fight against receiving the righteousness of another are people who cannot believe they are really that bad. They are trying to produce righteousness, enough righteousness, like a scale, so that their righteousness can offset their bad works. The world basically is like this. Many belief systems are all based on that, but the Bible says you cannot. You know, by the way, at the end of the day, God will not judge people based on whether they accept Christ or not. It still involves that, but I’ll tell you why it involves that. At the end of the day, the Bible says, «Every man is judged based on their works».
In other words, what is your work? You say, «The Ten Commandments». Okay, I’ll judge you based on that. Make sure at the end of your life, you have kept all ten, inwardly and outwardly. What is your basis, where I live to the highest standards of my conscience? So your conscience is your guide. Yes, at the end of your life, you’ll be judged by your conscience. Make sure, whether it’s law or conscience, you all live up and never make a mistake. And you know what’s the answer? Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fails. Even their own conscience, they fail. Therefore, there’s a need for a Savior. Do you see what I’m saying? Romans 10, verse 9 and 10 says, «If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved».
That’s how we all got saved. We believe in our hearts and we confess with our mouth Jesus is our Lord. But there’s more than just saying Jesus is Lord. There’s an understanding. Jesus is Lord of what? Lord is the Lord, Shalom, my peace. Lord, Tsidkenu, my righteousness, right? Lord, Nisi, my banner, my warrior. «For with the heart, one believes unto,» what? «Righteousness». You see, back in those days, they teach righteousness. The moment you believe on Jesus, the moment you confess him as Lord, you are righteous. You don’t go into a process of righteousness. You are righteous.
Now, your actions are not perfect. Your actions, your thoughts will still not be perfect. But in terms of standing in the courts of heaven before God, God, the Judge of heaven has pronounced you righteous. What is the difference between forgiveness and righteousness, forgiveness and justification? When you are forgiven, you go into a court, you have a charge against you or charges, right? Those charges are real. If the judge forgives you, the judge will let go all those charges and let you go free. Forgive you as a guilty person. That is forgiveness. But if you step into the court and the judge says, «There is no charge against you,» this is forgiveness. Righteousness is there is no charge that can be leveled against you in the court of heaven. That is righteousness. Then comes the question. It begs an answer. How in the world can sinful men become righteous like that? In the righteousness of another. Can you understand?
You must give up your seeking to establish your own righteousness and say, «I step into the righteousness of Jesus,» and his righteousness is perfect, amen. And all the good things you do is not to obtain righteousness, which you already have. All the good things you do is because you know you are righteous. They are called the fruits of righteousness. The effect of righteousness, which is peace. Oh, I’m telling you, the devil is attacking this doctrine. The moment I touch on this, all right, it’s almost all hell break loose. When I was a young boy and I went through all my condemnation, depression and all that, running from one man of God, asking them to cast the devil out of me, I still remember God was bringing me into a journey where this truth will become the Magna Carta of my ministry. It will be the sum total of my ministry.
Even my book, I talk about righteousness by faith all the way. In a new light, of course. It’s not a rehash, but a new light. And at the end of the day, I pray that everyone stands up and says, «I’m standing in Jesus’s righteousness. He is my righteousness. There can be no charge leveled against me, because there can be no charge leveled against him». But to stand in the righteousness of another takes a lot of humility. That means you are saying, «I have no righteousness of my own,» amen. Look at this verse. Romans 10, it says, «With the heart one believes unto righteousness». You must believe when you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord, you must believe unto righteousness. «And with your mouth, confession is made unto salvation».
Now the word salvation, many times the evangelical church as a whole, they teach salvation as salvation from hell to heaven, am I right? Say amen if that’s the impression you all have. Now that is not fully accurate. It does involve that, of course. Thank God for that. That’s the eternal security we have. It’s the word salvation. But do you know that both Thayer and Vine, W.E. Vine, both are Greek scholars of the New Testament and both of them said that Messianic salvation, which is what we described just now as safe in heaven forever, is actually the third definition or the fourth definition. It is still a definition. But the first definition according to Vine is this.
«Salvation is used in», I’m quoting Vine’s now, his dictionary. «Salvation is used in the New Testament, number one, A, of material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension». Why is that not preached? And we just learned that if we believe Jesus is our Lord of righteousness, he is our righteousness, amen. With the heart man believes, with the mouth confession is made unto your deliverance from temporal danger. When you find the word temporal, that means things of this life. Okay, so this is the thing. When you believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, that you stand in Jesus’s righteousness, not yours, you cannot be proud. When you do that and you confess, when you are sick, you confess, you are healed. Because the word salvation is the word sozo. It’s used by Jesus when he told the woman, «Your faith has sozo you».
Many times, those who are healed by Jesus, he will use the word sozo. And soteria comes from the word sozo. Soteria, sotar, from the word Sozo. Soteria is a noun. Sozo is a verb. You got it? All right, actually, it’s great for Yeshua. In fact, when the Father named his Son as a man, Jesus was named Yeshua. Go back to Romans 10. «With the heart one believes unto righteousness, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,» all right? Confess it. Praise the Lord. Confess you are delivered from the power of darkness. Let’s go to Philippians 2. I’m going to answer the question, where do you find the Bible that we confess we are the righteous of God? «Therefore, God also has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name which is above every name». Isn’t it wonderful?
Jesus’s name is the name above every name. Naming any disease, his name is above that name. His name is above every name. Every disease, whatever it is, every demon, whatever name it is, all right? The name of Jesus is above every name. «That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth». You know what that tells me? That those who don’t bow to the name of Jesus here will bow in hell. They will still bow. Everyone that blasphemes Jesus will one day in hell say, «Jesus is Lord». Because the Bible says so. «Every knee will bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father». Say, «Every knee bow». Say, «Every tongue confess».
All right, now do you know that he’s quoting an Old Testament and bringing us the fullness of the truth of the Old Testament? Would you like to see it? Okay, say, «Every knee bow, every tongue confess». Where do you find that? Paul is quoting Isaiah. Let’s go to Isaiah. «I have sworn,» God is talking, «By Myself». Now this is the greatest oath in the entire universe. When God swears by himself, I want you to know something. It’s the greatest oath ever, all right? «I have sworn by Myself. The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return. That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath». All those who don’t bow to him now will still bow in hell. God has said, «Every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, under the earth». We bow our knee here, we are saved. We bow down there, it’s to acknowledge in righteousness that he is Lord, but you’re not saved, okay?
And by the way, you must look at your idea of what is politically correct of the Bible and look at what is correct, okay? Your idea doesn’t amount to a hill of beans with God. It’s his idea that’s important. Repentance means we change our thoughts to his thoughts. Can I have a good amen? Okay, so God says, «Every knee will bow, every tongue will take an oath,» or confess, what? Next verse. «He shall say,» watch this. «Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him».
Now, we read in Philippians that our confession is Jesus Christ is Lord. Just like Romans 10, Jesus, confess with your mouth, Jesus is the Lord. But with the heart, you actually believe him. When you say, «Jesus is Lord,» what are you saying? «Jesus is my righteousness. The Lord my righteousness». Here, he brings it out. «Surely shall one say,» he’s talking about people bowing before him. Every knee bowed, every tongue takes an oath. And what is the confession? «Surely He shall say,» Isaiah saw you and I. Isaiah saw the teachings that we have today. Isaiah saw. And he’s looking at you, man. He’s looking at you, woman. He’s looking at you, brother, and he’s saying, «He shall say,» referring to us, «In the Lord, surely in the Lord, I have,» what? Or you can say, «I am the righteousness of God in the Lord, in Christ Jesus».
«Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength, To Him men shall come and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him». To confirm again, «in the Lord,» in Christ, «All the descendants of Israel,» and we are all Abraham’s seed, «Shall be justified». And you know what follows justification? Once you know you are justified, you know what happens? Glory is waiting for you. «Shall be justified and shall glory». And sometimes once in a while, over this side of heaven, I have seen people, all right, when they know they are righteous in Christ, they are very humble. And once in a while, I see their face glow. I see the radiance. I have noticed Christians long before I know they are Christians by their radiant faces.
One thing Wendy tells me often when we meet people in a mall and a food court or whatever, one of the most frequent things that she would tell me, «Notice their faces». Our people’s face shine and they don’t even know it, amen. The opposite is just like thunder, amen. Beware of the dog, amen. So, here is your authority. Where you have that part where God saw that people will start confessing, «In the Lord I have righteousness».
By the way, strength here is uz. Uz. You know the Uzi gun? It’s a Jewish invention. They took the word uz and put Uzi, my strength. But uz, always in the New Testament, when it’s not referring to God, it’s referring to man, it’s always physical strength. So where do you get your physical strength? «In the Lord I have righteousness and strength». The first use of it is in the song of Moses after God opened up the Red Sea. Moses said, «The Lord is my strength,» my uz. No wonder he lived to 120 years old. The Lord is his physical strength. No wonder when he died at 120, he wasn’t sick. His eyes were not dim nor his natural force abated. Because he said, «The Lord is my uz».
The Lord is my physical strength. The Lord is my… you must learn to confess, people. «Indeed, I am the righteousness of God in Christ». That takes revelation. Can I have a good amen, people? And remember this, God wants you to confess, «In the Lord Jesus, I have righteousness and strength,» amen. That doesn’t do away with the need of asking God for wisdom, living depending on him so that we guide our families in the right pastures, amen, in green pastures. Doesn’t exempt us from having responsibility to live our life for the glory of God. And all the people said, have you been blessed? Give him praise, church. Come on, hallelujah.