Joseph Prince - Hope When Life Feels Heavy
When the Bible says arise, shine, that means the world is in a bad state and it’s telling the church in Isaiah arise. In Hebrew, kumi, kumi ori. Ori is shine. Rise and shine. That means what? Rise from what? There must be a low level, you know, that we have fallen into, and it is a time of darkness. The next verse says, «For darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people, but the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will be seen upon you». Amen?
So you all know, right? I’ve shared before that when things are really dark and there’s a spark of light, I don’t care how dark it is. The darker, the better. You can see the light in a clearer way than if you see during the daytime, but because of the darkness you can see the light. It’s been a few weeks the Lord put this on my heart about people suffering this darkness that Isaiah talks about. It’s going to happen in the last days. Darkness covers the people. It is not that kind of physical darkness. It is depression, gloom. The world gets dark, but it is, you know, people who describe themselves as having depression, it’s like the world becomes dark. It’s like they step into a room, it’s a bright room, but all of a sudden the room becomes, it’s like nighttime. That’s how they describe it. They’re suffering from depression.
Well, you say, «Pastor Prince, this is not relevant to me. I don’t suffer from depression». Listen, all of us at certain times in our life experience a certain measure of depression. Why? If you’re a believer, you’re under attack. That’s why you need to put on the armor of God and the helmet of salvation. If you don’t watch it, this depression can become what Isaiah says. Gross darkness covers the people. Gross means heavy, heavy almost to the point that you can feel it, and this is bad because I tell you what’s going to happen. I believe there’s a revelation here from the Lord, and I can prove to you from the Bible that depression, negativities and pessimism and worries and anxieties that formulate themselves into a state of depression regardless of whether you are on medication or not. Don’t matter. It’s deadly, and until we see it’s deadly, we’ll not try to do anything about it, all right?
Medication deals with the results, I mean the symptoms usually but doesn’t deal with the root. If you are on medication, please continue, okay? Listen to your doctor, but understand the problem is spiritual, and it’s in the Bible, amen. The people who are depressed, even ministers get depressed. They shut themselves in the room and all kinds of movies are playing in their mind that are just negative, always negative. Amen? What is happening? Well, it’s dangerous because long before the devil try to produce a disease or sickness in your life, you know what he does? He produces depression, sorrow of the world. It’s called sorrow of the world.
In 2 Corinthians 7, verse 10, it says, «Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation». Now, Paul is writing to Christians, Corinthians. So this salvation here is not salvation from hell. He’s not telling them to be saved. Don’t forget the word salvation is an all-inclusive word. It’s not just salvation from hell, all right, being saved from eternal punishment, all right, saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It’s also a word they used for healing. For example, when Jesus healed someone, he said, «Your faith has saved you».
The woman with the issue of blood, remember? Look at the word saved. It’s from the word salvation, sozo. Amen? Many a times the healings that happen in New Testament is physical healing, but the word salvation or sozo, the verb form, is used. So it’s telling you godly sorrow actually leads you to wholeness, leads you to peace of mind, leads you, so it’s a godly sorrow that produces that change of mind. «But sorrow of the world produces death». You see that? The Bible says it produces death. You better take it seriously. Sorrow of the world works death. This is serious business. But then listen, Jesus at the cross, Isaiah 53, verse 4, «Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows».
Now, this is interesting. King James Version says he carried our griefs. I got to bring this to a close already, all right? Because I’m just starting. You want some more, you keep on coming. Amen? «Surely He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows». Can you see that? Can you see that? King James Version, New King James… many translation actually say griefs and sorrows. But actually in the Hebrew the word there should be choli for griefs; sorrows, makov and, listen, choli can be used for griefs, but most of the time, like 12 times choli is used for sicknesses, 5 times for diseases, only 4 times for griefs.
So you see the emphasis, right? And then the word makov, carried our sorrows. Makov is sorrow, and, again, most of the time the word is used for diseases. Is there sorrow? Yes, there is sorrow. But how do you know then that Jesus carried our diseases and our pains? First of all, I’ll show you Young’s translation. Young’s is a Hebrew scholar. Young’s says, «Surely our sicknesses he has borne, and our pains he has carried them». So you see it’s not our sorrows. It is actually our pains and our disease. And if that is not enough… Bible interpret Bible. In the New Testament in reference to this, it says that Jesus went around, show them the context first. It’s referring to Jesus casting out demons.
Verse 16, all right, «They brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He cast out the spirits with a word, healed all who were sick,» heal all, people, who were sick, «that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'» Do you see that? So this is in Greek. Very clear the context is not… the context tells you it’s not sorrows. It’s referring to he carried our diseases because when he went around healing all who were sick, it’s like paying through, like, Visa. He has not yet died, but whenever someone gets healed and they go away, Jesus says, like, to the Father, «Put that on my tab». He will pay for it at the cross. Amen?
So the context is very clear, but what it tells me is this. The Hebrew word for choli and makov is also grief and sorrow, and therefore it is in the disease. Could it be the very thing since it’s the etymology is there, is also the root of disease, grief and sorrow. It should not be prolonged in your life, and that’s why the Lord says the joy of the Lord is our strength. Amen. You see, if I say the joy of the Lord is my strength, listen, the joy of the Lord is my strength, that means the joy of the Lord. The Lord has joy. «You know, I don’t believe in this Jesus that walks around with a face so morose». «Peace, be still. Why is it you don’t have faith? Bring him to me».
Then on the night in the upper room, in the upper room, «These things I say to you, that my joy, my joy, Bartholomew, my joy, Thomas, might remain in you». And Thomas says, «I doubt so,» you know. So you won’t… no. He came to them and says, «Guys, in the world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world». I believe he did it with a smile. «And these things I say to you», Sorrow has filled your heart, but listen. «These things I say to you, that my joy might be in you and that your joy might be full». I believe they had so much joy, these disciples, with Jesus. So it’s the joy, it’s his joy, the joy of the Lord that is my strength. It is not my joy. Can I have a good amen? «But, Pastor Prince…»
I remember years ago I was preaching in a youth group in a school somewhere in Singapore and I was preaching about Jesus and how joyful, you know, the Lord is, and a young man stood up while I was preaching. «Pastor Prince, I would have you know the Bible…» He was trying to impress me about his Bible knowledge. «Pastor Prince, I would have you know that the Bible says a man of sorrows», Isaiah 53, you know, verse 3, right? A man of sorrows, he is despised and rejected by men. See, a man of sorrows. But I just read verse 4 for you. The context there is referring to the cross, referring to his suffering, his passion. So I told this young man, «Yeah, where do you find that verse»? «Oh, it’s in the Bible». I said, «No. Which part of the Bible»? He says, «Somewhere in the Bible». I said, «I’ll quote to you, okay? Isaiah 53, a man of sorrows».
The only time he’s called a man of sorrows is when he went through, he carried our sins and went through it. He’s always joyful. In fact, I’m going to quote to you right now Hebrews chapter 1, all right? It says, «And unto the Son», I’m quoting word for word, «And unto the Son the Father says,» okay? «Unto the Son he says, 'Thy throne, O God…'» See, the Father God calls the Son God. «Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows». Can you imagine that? He’s anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. Amen. We need this anointing, this oil of gladness upon our young generation, upon our people because they’re under special attack with depression, with all kinds of… young people are taking their lives all over the world, and they are increasing. They are even doing it in Singapore.
We need to reach out with joy. You might think that they are happy because when you see them in a group they are joking and all that, but Proverbs says there is a kind of joke, a laughter that is empty. Deep down, they’re not happy. Amen? So if Jesus is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, have you seen Pastor Mark? He can stand down here and laugh for hours, you know. Right? If he’s anointed with the oil of gladness above all his fellows, referring to all the believers, all his disciples, all that, he’s the most joyful one. No wonder he says that, «That my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full». Yours is still not full. I want it to be full. Amen?
The only time the Bible tells us that he ever said, «I’m so sorrowful,» was in the garden when the Passion started, all right? He says in Matthew 26, «Then He said to them,» his disciples, «My soul», I believe he said it, «My soul,» probably got tears, «is exceeding sorrowful». Because why? The sorrow of the world is now coming on him. He’s going to carry it. «It’s exceeding sorrowful, even to death». Imagine the Lord saying it’s a sorrow that leads to death. It’s not his. He will never talk like that. He said just in the upper room, just a few hours before this, in the garden of Gethsemane, he was in the upper room. He says that, «My joy might remain in you».
Something happened. He’s no longer Jesus the King, Jesus the Good Shepherd, right, that watched over his, now he’s becoming Jesus the Lamb of God. The Shepherd has become the Lamb. So it is our sins that he’s carrying. It is our curse that he bore. It is our sorrow that afflicted him. He carried that depression that you feel at night when you think that no one knows. You feel all alone, but you feel like the whole room is getting dark. Jesus carried that. He carried your exceeding sorrowful, that feeling like killing yourself, even unto death. He carried it even unto death.
Now, Jesus did not contemplate suicide. No, no, no, no. But he carried that even to death. «'Stay here and watch with Me.' He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed,» you see in the garden, «Oh Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will». No wonder the Father loves the Son. Amen? He’s the Son whom the Father is well pleased. You say, «I don’t understand, Pastor. He’s Jesus. He can handle all these things». Let me tell you something, okay? You have never been where he was. Can you imagine the Son of God? His nature is holy, all right? He’s full of grace, and that’s why his holiness is not like, «I stand here, okay? I’m too holy for you to come near or to touch».
No, no, no. His holiness has sinners around him, amen, yet he never was defiled by them. They were touched by him, amen, into wholeness, into holiness. But here Jesus took our sorrows. He felt the pain of it, the weight of it. But especially if you are Jesus, we can’t imagine because all of us, our minds are defiled, dirty and we think it’s natural. For the Son of God, he never experienced sin one time. The very thought of sin he shudders. It’s not in his nature. But to think that’s… just the contemplation that in a few hours he’ll be on the cross, and he who knew no sin will be made sin with our sin. Not just carry our sins, be made sin at the cross. That thought is like a holy shock reverberated through his body, his whole being. It’s almost like he take the cup, the cup that symbolized all the judgment and the condemnation, all our uncleanness and all that. He pushed it aside.
«Father, if it’s possible, take this cup from me». The book of Hebrews, he cried with strong crying because you should know the nature of our Lord Jesus. But he saw you. He saw you, he saw you, he saw you, he saw you. He saw me and he, «Father, if it’s not possible, there’s no other way, not my will, but your will be done». And he drank it to this very dregs. Amen. That’s the love that he has for us. So he bore it in his own being. Do you know that this is the reason why the Old Testament people were freed from depression and all that? You all know the story, right? You heard in the camp recently also, for those of you who were at camp, about the deliverance of the evil spirit through worship, right? But if you look at the word of the evil spirit coming on King Saul… by the way, they say the evil spirit from God.
That’s an expression in Hebraism. Okay, listen carefully. In Hebraism, they say even bad things from God because they show God as sovereign, but not the one initiating it but allowing it to happen because of man’s sin, okay? That is always Hebraism when they say it’s from God. It’s not from God, okay? It’s from the devil, but God allowed it. So they see God as sovereign, okay? That’s how the people, the Semitic people speak. One day I’ll teach on this, how when the Bible says the Lord will cause this pestilence on it, how Young’s thought it also. Okay, but watch this first. This is 1 Samuel. «It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him».
So it’s anointing on David’s playing. David was a worshiper. Do you see that? But this word «evil spirit» in Hebrew is ra’a, but ra’a is an all-inclusive word. It can mean a lot of things. They are all evil. They are all dark. They are all negative. But Young’s, who is an exceptional Hebrew scholar, in Young’s Literal Translation he says, «It has come to pass, in the spirit of [sadness from] God being on Saul, that David took his harp, played his hands, Saul has refreshment and gladness, and the spirit of sadness has turned aside from off him». He calls it a spirit of sadness came to Saul. He was melancholic. He was depressed. Amen. And that’s why the joy of the Lord is our strength. And I’ll close with this. Listen, I’ll close with this.
In the New Testament, Peter says, «Pastor, I heard you preach on this before». Did you? I thought there are some things I preach for the first time. You must have heard from the Holy Spirit. Make you happy, huh? Amen? But you say, «Pastor, why do you repeat some things sometimes»? Ah, you’re about to hear whether your pastor is a New Testament preacher or not, all right? Philippians 3:1, Paul, the greatest apostle I believe that ever lived, he says, «Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord». You had joy before?
Now, you know what’s re, right? Refill my glass means what? It was once filled. Rejoice means what? You’ll always rejoice, rejoice. Always get yourself full of the joy of the Lord. It’s safe. If sorrow can produce disease, joy can produce healing. «A merry heart doeth good like medicine». Hallelujah! Amen. There’s a true story of a guy who was diagnosed with cancer and he shut himself in a hotel room, all right, for about a few months and just watched the Three Stooges and… back then they had all these funny, you know, and just watched that kind of video for a long, let’s laugh and laugh and laugh and came out healed, and that’s in the natural, you know. Huh?
A cheerful heart makes a glad countenance. A merry heart doeth good like medicine with no side effects. Amen. But what did he say? «For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe». Joseph Prince says, «For me to preach the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe». You need to hear it again and again and again and again. But let’s ask this question before we close. Why is it safe? What is safe? Another versions, another translation says it’s a safeguard to you when you rejoice in the Lord.
And you know something? This is so important to me. I’ll keep on telling you again and again. «Peter, why are you telling us this? Aiya, you got no other sermon today. Why are you telling us this? Why are you telling us this»? Another translation says, «For me to say the same thing is not troublesome. For you, it is a safeguard». «Save us from what»? I’ll leave that with you, but there’s safety there. There is safety there when you rejoice in the Lord. Put a smile. Amen, you have every reason to be happy.