Joseph Prince - Christianity Is Not A Religion, It's A Relationship
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 gotta 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 baby, a toddler, 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 Christmas time how that the necessity for the virgin birth, the science have discovered that the mother’s blood does not go into the baby through the placenta. Once science taught 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 sin. 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. Nonetheless, I’m sure that Jesus’s bodily characteristics looks a lot like his mother Mary, amen. But remember this, the Bible says that Mary is favored among… when the angel appeared to her, it says you are favored among, not above, women. And that’s one reason why at the cross, Jesus called her «woman». It’s a respectful term, it’s like «My lady». He never called her «mother».
In fact, you have no account he called her mother. He always addressed her kindly though, with the phrase, like among, the English, you know, aristocracy, they would say, M’lady, it’s the same term. He never called her mother, very interesting. 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 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 reigned through the one». 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? Everything is wrapped up in Adam’s sin. Some people are not happy about that. They say, «Why should I suffer for Adam’s sin»?
It’s the same thing. If your grandfather died when he was three years old, you wouldn’t be here. Some people have to stop and think about that. There’s no need to think about it. If your grandfather died, your grandfather died when he was three years old. You wouldn’t be here today. There’s no mystery. Our lives are intricately linked with our forefathers that have gone on before, all right? F-O-R-E, forefathers, not your four fathers, okay? So «Through one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more»!
Everybody shout, «Much more». «Much more those who receive abundance,» hey, 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’re not receiving the abundance of grace. You’re 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 got to keep on pounding this home because there are voices out there and many of 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. You cannot be preaching about grace all the time. There is too much or an abundance of grace teaching nowadays. They’re complaining about that.
There are people who complain that I use the phrase «finished work» too often. Be careful of voices like that because, you know, I don’t care who that man or woman is, behind that is the devil stopping you from constantly receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. And what’s 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?
So there are Christians today who are Christians, they are saved, but they don’t understand abundance of grace. They hear something about grace, they say, be careful. How to talk about abundance? And then the idea of right standing with God is the reward of righteousness. By doing some things, you will have righteousness. But the Bible says it’s the gift. 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 wished 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 will still do things behind your back. We are telling people how to get out. He says this: «Whenever I smoke from then on I started confessing that I am righteous in Christ, and cigarettes have no power over me».
This what has been 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 wanna 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. 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 secrets have no power over me. Within two weeks, all my bad habits left me». We are hearing so much, I mean so many testimonies now of this reality, but what do people do when they sin? They groan, they moan, if they go to God they keep on confessing, «God, I’m a sinner, God. I’m not worthy, God, God, forgive me». Like, asking God to forgive them like God is not willing to forgive them, instead of confessing. Because if it’s a gift of righteousness, nothing you do earn you that gift in the first place. It’s what Jesus has done. Therefore, nothing you do can cause you to forfeit the gift. It’s what Jesus has done. If what you do can forfeit the gift, hey, what you do as a sinner cannot even forfeit the fact you’re a sinner.
What the first Adam did is so powerful that you cannot forfeit it by doing right. You’re still a sinner. So for us to make Jesus like when someone sins, they’re no more righteous, they lose the gift, it’s actually to put the first Adam higher than the second Adam, our Lord Jesus, who is much more. Are you with me so far? 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. Any more than you did something good when you were a sinner last time, doesn’t make you good. Just because you have time 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 there, how to get their holiness from here, they are saying you’ve got to have the law. I’m saying it’s by grace. It’s only by grace, amen, church? 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. In John 19 is a story of the cross, right? What did Jesus cry at the cross towards the end? «It is finished,» all right? It is finished. John 19, verse 30: «He cried, 'It is finished.'» Am I right? That’s where it all starts. Where he cried «Finish,» we start. We start our Christian life with the finished work.
When Jesus says it is finished, what is finished? The cup that he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, full of our sin, full of our curse, full of our judgment, he drained. He drank it, he drained it dry, these very last dregs. Finished, the judgment is gone. There’s no more judgment for you and me. What about God’s law? Satisfied. What about God’s holiness? Magnified! Because God’s holiness says, if you sin, you die. Somebody died. God did not say, «Okay, never mind, I’ll compromise my holiness». No, Jesus died in our place. God’s holiness is magnified. God’s love expressed for men, for sinful men. It’s finished.
His first words recorded in the Bible when he was 12 years old was this: «Didn’t you know,» he told his father and mother. «Didn’t you know I must be about my Father’s business»? His first recorded words. His last word was «Finished» in the Gospel of John. His earthly life. What was finished? The Father’s business. To have our sins forgiven righteously on a judicial foundation. Then, this is John 19, right? Then he rose from the dead on the third day. The disciples were afraid. They were in the Upper Room. They were hiding behind closed doors. Jesus appeared.
And by the way, he’s not a ghost. He told one of them to touch him, flesh and bones. That’s the kind of body you and I will have. And it’s flesh and bones, yet it can transcend time and matter. You can’t understand everything now because we are so confined in this world, but in the world to come, and the body you’re going to have, it’s a body that’s physical. You and I can shake hands yet, we’ll transcend time and matter. And that’s why when the Rapture happens, he transforms us first before he raptures us. Because in our new body, two things: you can transcend matter, even though you’re in a cinema, even though you’re the star.
Many of us can’t take the height in our old body. We are afraid of heights. So he changes a new body where there is no fear. I think so at the last part. Okay, so, when he rose from the dead after it is finished, he meets them and he shows them his wounds, which is the righteous foundation for him to say this: «Peace be unto you». So peace be with you comes next. John 20, that’s John 19, it is finished. John 20, in the next chapter, «Peace be with you,» huh? Peace is founded on the finished work. And then the next chapter, we are going to John 21 now. One week after he rose from the dead, he was walking by the Lake of Galilee.
The fishermen, his disciples, were fishing in the Lake of Galilee. You all know the story. He made breakfast for them. After he finished breakfast with them, he asked this question: Do you love me? Do you love me? Next chapter, John 21. Look at the sequence. Do you love me? Comes after it is finished. Peace comes based on the finished work. Then he asks, «Do you love me»? I’m going in order, people. The order of the Holy Spirit. And at the end of that chapter 21, he looked at Peter and say, «You follow me. You follow me». You got it?
Now, the true Christian life starts with, is predicated on, «It is finished». You are complete in Christ. It’s finished. Your sins are forgiven: past, present, and future. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, amen? Now you should possess the peace. He says peace be with you. Receive it. Therefore being made righteous with God, we have peace. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, okay? Possess it. Then after that, he asks you a next question.
After you are resting in the finished work, after you are enjoying the peace with God, you know that there’s no more war between you and… there’s nothing, you know, between you and God anymore. God is your Father, you are so close to him. He asks, «After all that I’ve done for you, is there anything in me that you see that will cause you to love me»? It’s a question. We say yes. Then he asks, «Do you love me»? And then when you say, «Yes, Lord, I love you,» then he says, «Follow me». Get it? I’ll tell you what traditional Christianity teaches. Start from here. Begin by following Christ. You people, you are too lazy to follow Christ.
All right, lazy to wake up early in the morning, lazy to do this, lazy to do that. You must begin to follow Christ. Only those who follow Christ will be raptured. Depending on your doctrine, your background. Only those who follow Christ will make it. Don’t think easy Christianity, sloppy agape, greasy grace can get you into heaven, okay? It sounds so amazing, it sounds so, «Wow, man, this guy is preaching with fire». Yeah, what fire is it? It’s strange fire. He’s starting on the wrong foundation. Begin, he’ll teach you begin to follow Christ, all right, and do your best to love him.
Do your best to love him and then you will have peace when the work is finished. Don’t laugh. How many of us still believe this? And I’ve showed you the sequence of the appearance of these words. It is not natural. I tell you this, If I take the brain of a Christian by surgery, take their brain out, wash with the detergent of Jesus’s blood, all right, then I put their brain like this, the other way. Every Christian will become a victorious Christian from this week on. We’ll think like God. We still have thinking like, «The more I tell people who I am, what I’ve done, I’ll be great».
Jesus says, «The more you serve, the greater you’ll be». It’s all upside down, you know? Like we have, you know the barber chair? Like, someone beside you, you want to play oneupmanship you just make it higher. Then this guy realize, he was gonna make it higher. And at the end, you make it higher, he make it higher. Don’t even play the game, amen? Why look at each other? We’re to look at Jesus. Every disappointment comes when you compare yourself with somebody else. Do you understand this? This is the sequence. It starts with, «It is finished,» amen, church?