Joseph Prince - Dare To Pray Bold Prayers
Greetings to all of you in Jesus's name. We are in for an exciting time in the Word of God and I want to, once again, remind you that you don't have to wait, all right, for God to move in a special way like the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit by the gifts of healings or of working of miracles, and we thank God when if that happens we just flow with that but, you know, as the Word goes forth, this is not like a motivational talk, all right? You don't come and sign up for a successful seminar and then the speaker gives you the seven steps and then when you fail they say that you don't keep the seven steps. Or you fail in one, okay? But it is contingent on you applying it, all right?
In other words, the action doesn't happen while the speaker is talking. However, the New Testament preaching is different. As the Word goes forth, God saves, God sozos, God heals, God delivers, amen? God restores. Many a times, people go back to a new home, new family, new husband, new wife. It can happen in an instant, a little adjustment of attitude, a little viewpoint that God just drops in your spouse's heart, in your boss's heart, in your colleague's heart, and that student that you're trying to reach with the gospel, God can just drop it. As you worship the Lord, God fights your battles. And that's what the Bible says. The glory of the Lord is your rearguard. You never look behind. All the armor of God is for the front, amen?
God covers your back. You're not to look back. Remember Lot's wife, the shortest sermon Jesus ever preached, amen? Remember Lot's wife. Don't turn around, amen? Keep your eyes forward. And good advice for those who are driving as well, amen? Is that Pastor Mark behind? Amen, don't worry, your car is not going this way, it is going that way... That's why the rearview mirror is this small, amen? And your windscreen is this big. You're not to look back. You're to look forward. And when you are there, remember this. That God also has gone forward.
The Bible says he makes the crooked places straight. I love it. John the Baptist, he said that he's the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the path of the Lord. That tells us that Jesus's deity is established there because he was quoting Isaiah. Isaiah says: "Make straight the paths of Jehovah," yud, hei, vav, hei. And here, he's talking about the Lord Jesus. "Make straight paths for the Lord. Every mountain shall be brought low," and the context there refers to the proud, holier than thou, cultured, Jerusalem, which is on a mountain, way above sea level, and then he contrast that with every valley. Way below sea level is Galilee, and in Galilee of the Gentiles, that's where Jesus did three fourths of his miracles.
He didn't do it in Jerusalem. Three fourths of his miracles were done along the shores of the Lake of Galilee. They call it the Galilee of Gentiles where the people who were social outcasts, tax collectors, they all gathered there. Every valley shall be exalted. Every mountain brought low, every valley exalted, so he can make straight paths for the Lord, amen? And before the Coming of the Lord again, there'll be voices of John the Baptist, "Bring down the pride of man, comforting those who are afflicted, lifting them up," and John means grace, amen? Yohannan grace. Only grace. The voice of grace will usher in the Coming of the Lord.
You know, it is very popular now, it seems, to forget that there is a teaching in the Bible called the Rapture. The word "rapture" is not used. The word that's used there is in the Greek "harpazo" which is a snatching away, a seizing away. And it won't be the first time. Enoch was seized away before the flood came, amen. In fact, the Bible tells us that there were saints who rose from the dead when Jesus rose from the dead. They went with the Lord, amen, against the law of gravity. Jesus says: "In my Father's house are many mansions. I'll come again and I'll bring you to myself that where I am, there you may be also".
Paul talks about mystery hidden that can only be revealed now. He says that we will not all die but we shall all be transformed in the twinkling of an eye, amen? Our bodies will put on incorruption in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye. That's how fast it will happen. You will now be young forever, hallelujah. There's hope for Pastor Mark. He and I will be young forever, hallelujah. Healthy forever, in an instant, in atomic second, in the Greek, atomos, in the twinkling of an eye. We are not appointed to wrath, and what is left here is that God will pour his wrath, is the day of vengeance. Meanwhile, we are not there.
And the Bible says we are not appointed to wrath so people who believe that we'll be raptured after the wrath of the day of the Lord, okay, is sadly mistaken because they don't understand that the Rapture is God's way of removing his people before he pours out his wrath. And the Bible says we are not appointed to wrath, can I have a good "Amen", but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus went to his home town, we've been covering this for the past weeks, let me start off with this again: "And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. When He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the ratson year of the Lord.'"
In Hebrew where this passage was taken from it is the word "ratson". Keep that in mind. The acceptable year of the Lord is the ratson year of the Lord. "Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He began to say to them, 'Today is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing.' So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, 'Is this not Joseph’s son?'" If you ever wonder what the charis logos, words of grace, how they look like, you just heard it. They wondered at the grace words that came out of his mouth and what are the words? "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to heal".
Grace always gives. Grace imparts. Law demands. You can tell that you are under law when you feel like things are being demanded of you. And that's why people fall into sin because they come under law long before they sin, they come under law. And the Bible says: "The strength of sin is the law". And the essence of the law is demand. The essence of grace is supply. If you wake up and you are conscious that God is supplying you the wisdom for the day, supplying you the daily bread that you need, amen, God is supplying you the protection for you and your family, you live knowing that God is always providing, so always supplying you the spirit, amen?
And the word there in Galatian is constantly supplying is a present tense. If you realize you live your life like that, you are effectively living under grace. But if you live, you know, as if everyone demands from you, and even God demands from you, you know, my family demands from me, my spouse demands from me, my boss demands from me, you'll be stressed. Effectively, you are under law. So law demands: "Thou shall not, thou shall not, thou shall not". Grace imparts, amen. So on the day of Pentecost, the first Pentecost, God gave the law and 3000 people died. On another Pentecost, "when the day of Pentecost was fully come, God gave the Spirit and 3000 people were saved," amen?
So we've got to remind ourself that we are not living under law. That dispensation has been fulfilled by Christ. Yes, Jesus says, "Think not I'm come to destroy the law". He didn't come to destroy. He came to fulfill, and that he did. And once you have fulfilled your obligations to the bank, my advice: stop your payment, amen. Christ has fulfilled. Christ is the end of the law. So we are no more under law but we're under grace, amen? And here in his home town, they wondered at the gracious voice.
In other words, it's a dispensation of grace where the Lord moves around, not imputing people's sins. He doesn't wait until: Are you qualify before I lay hands on you for me to heal you? Are you clean enough? Are you holy enough before I touch you, before I give that child, your child, that deliverance? Are you close enough to me? Do you know enough? No, he went around imparting. He went around giving. He went around doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. It's as if he walk around not noticing their sins. God was in Christ, not imputing their trespasses unto them. They had sinned. In fact, most of the people that received from Jesus were sinners, social outcasts. Everybody is a sinner plus a Pharisee.
You know what I mean when the Bible says, "Then drew near to Jesus the Pharisees, no, the sinners". The Pharisees were there. "Then drew near to Jesus the sinners," all right? So the sinners there means overt sinners, the social outcasts, the prostitutes, whereas the sinners of the Pharisees is more subtle, is a holier than thou, is a pride, an arrogant attitude which God hates, amen. I was saying the other day, you know, people say there are no degrees of sin. There are degrees of sin. Now, one sin is enough to send anybody to hell, all right? But there are degrees of sin. Jesus told Pontius Pilate when he stood before him, "He that delivered me to you has the greater sin".
If there's a greater sin, there's a lesser sin. In fact, Jesus said and I remember this when this came to me in Bethsaida, I was doing some taping for my broadcast and some of the pastors were there, Pastor Lawrence and all that, and we were standing over there and I was looking at the camera and I was preaching at Bethsaida, the place where Jesus did a lot of miracles. There I was preaching from the woes. Jesus says, "Woe to you, Capernaum, you are highly exalted to heaven. You shall be brought down to the lowest hell". Because why? Capernaum saw miracles like no other city.
Jairus's daughter was raised from the dead in Capernaum. That woman, the issue of blood, she got healed in Capernaum. The centurion servant got healed in Capernaum. Many miracles that the synagogue there, by evening, the Bible says, the people brought all their sick and everyone was healed. So Jesus looked at Capernaum and they still rejected Jesus. So he says, "You are highly exalted to heaven. You shall be brought down to the lowest hell, then Jesus said this: "If the mighty works that were done in you was done in Sodom," you know what's Sodom? "If the mighty works that was done in you, Capernaum, was done in Sodom, Sodom would have remained to this day". Another place, he says, "They would have repented in sackcloth and ashes".
Even another city, Tyre and Sidon, which is full of immorality. Reminds you of some cities of the world today. Jesus said, "If the same miracles that you experienced, Capernaum, was done in Sodom, Sodom would have repented. Sodom would have remained". That tells me something I was doing a recording, right? So I said, "Guys, stop. I'm getting a revelation. I think God just spoke to me and said that the sin against grace, the sin of rejecting Jesus, because grace is not a doctrine. Grace is the person. The sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ is worse than the sin of sodomy". Preach it, Pastor Prince. Now, that is still a sin. But Jesus said if they had experienced the mighty works, they would have repented. They would have remained.
So the key to reach this generation is not just to try to get laws and legislation of laws and making stands and saying, "Are you for this law? Are you for that law? Let's get this law done". The key is to go to them and demonstrate the mighty works. Pray for them. Pray for them. Don't judge them. Go to them, pray for them. Many of them have physical problems, many of them are suicidal and many of them have challenges. Go to them, don't judge them. Say, "I'm here and I have got the power of God on me," amen? "The Lord loves you. Any requests? I'm not here to judge. I'm here to pray".
Gave the mighty works. He gave us the key. The key is the mighty works. The mighty works that was done in Capernaum, it was done in Sodom, Sodom would have remained. I had to stop the entire broadcast because I was reeling from that light. I'd been praying for this generation, it seems like, you know, people are saying, "Well, it's very difficult to be a Christian right now. You know, the moral depravity and all the kinds of darkness". Well, the Bible says the world will get darker and darker, but the glory of the Lord will rise upon you when it gets dark. In fact, when it's really dark a little light will shine brighter than anything. The darkness actually accentuates any light that you have, amen?
Praise the Lord. Jesus closed the book. When he came right to the end, let's go back again to... once he came he was quoting Isaiah 61, and when he came to the last part, "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord," the year of ratson, where God's favors profusely abound, the Bible says in Isaiah it is separated with a comma, "And the day of vengeance of our God". But when Jesus quoted it, Jesus stop at the comma, and he "closed the book". And where the Lord closed the book, we need to close the book.
It's not time to talk about the vengeance of our God, the day of vengeance, the day of the Lord, yes, God is judging America and all that. It's not here yet. Not only America, all the nations of the earth, amen. But you know what? We are not in the day of vengeance of our God, amen? And why is the Lord not coming for us just yet? The Bible says: "Know this. There'll come mockers in the last days, saying, 'Where is his Coming? Where is his Coming?' But because of the longsuffering of our Lord, that he's not willing that any should perish", that right now the dispensation of the law was 1500 years but the dispensation of grace is 2000 years already. That shows us that God is not willing that any should perish.
When God told Enoch, "You'll have a son. His name is", Mephibosheth! Methuselah. Methuselah, how can I miss that? His name is Mutuu, he's Indian. "His name is Methuselah". Methuselah means death in Hebrew. When he dies, it will come. What will come? "My judgment. I've been enduring all the sins in this world, all right? People are perverting everything that I have created and all that I've done and they are rebelling against me and they're giving glory to other beings," other so-called works of their own hands and God is saying that "I'm going to judge. I'm gonna judge. Enoch, tell them I'm gonna judge. And your boy... call your boy Methuselah which means when he dies he will come, all right? Tell the world that this boy, he's a sign". When he dies, God will bring the judgment.
So everyone watched the boy. Every time he sneezed, there'd be a double take. Every time he coughed, they watched him. And God made him the longest-living man. The longsuffering of our God. His mercy is compassion. He's not willing, he takes no joy, no pleasure, in the death of the wicked. But don't forget, he's just. He has to judge. Finally, he has to judge, or else the whole universe which is based on his righteousness and moral order will all disintegrate into chaos. God has to judge, but God is love. How can God judge your sin and my sin and still receive us? The answer is the cross. The cross gave God the righteous foundation to forgive us our sins because our sins have not escaped.
Don't think that God forgives us because our sins escape. Every iota of our sin, every single sin that we have ever committed was all paid at the cross. We are forgiven righteously, amen? I said amen. And now God is righteous. He's not merciful in making us righteous. His mercy, his love, sent his Son. But God is now righteous in making you and I righteous. Can I have a good "Amen"? That brings forth another question. But what is it that makes us righteous? Romans 5:19 and somehow believers still, you know, you gotta remind them every time they hear a teaching on obedience and all that, we have a new obedience called obedience of faith in the New Testament, and it's hardly even taught. Obeying the truth or obedience of faith or where is your obedient obeying the truth? You did obey the truth. What is obedience in the New Testament? It is right believing. Obedience of faith is right believing. When you believe right, you will live right. Can I have a good "Amen"?
So we look at the Romans 5:19. It says: "For by one man’s disobedience". Say, "One man's disobedience". Who is that? Yeah, not your mother-in-law, okay? One man's disobedience. Whose disobedience? Adam. "Many," as in all, represent all, "were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience". Whose obedience is now? "By one Man's obedience many will be made righteous". Now a question. Why are you righteous? Because of one Man's obedience. Now, if you say "Jesus," yes, but to be more specific, what about Jesus? "His obedience". And actually, if you study carefully Romans 5, it refers to that one act of obedience at the cross.
Yeah, Jesus lived an obedient life throughout his entire life but it's that one at the cross that fulfilled all the attributes of God. It harmonized everything. Even the law was magnified at the cross. He magnified the law, because the law received like never before its just honor and proper righteousness when exacted all its fullest demands and punishment from the body of Jesus when he hung on the cross. He magnified the law. Therefore the law is fulfilled. We are no more under the law. We are under grace. Satan is silenced. Satan has nothing to say about the cross. He never expected the cross. Are you listening?
So now we are what? Righteous. Why are we righteous? One Man's obedience. Before we were righteous, before we were born again, why were we sinners? One man's disobedience. "That's not fair, Pastor Prince". But is this fair? It's not fair also, isn't it, right? But we are righteous because of one Man's obedience, amen? Are you listening? I'm talking about fairness and all that. If you just ask your friend the question. If he disputes this idea about one man's disobedience and ask him, "If your grandfather died when he was three years old, where would you be today"? It's not a question of fairness. It's commonsense, amen?
Our lives are all tied up, amen? And God ordained it in such a way so that by one Man's obedience, we are all made righteous. So the warfare here is the devil wants you focused on your obedience because when he knows you keep on looking at yourself, your thoughts, am I saying this right, am I praying right, do I have enough passion, do I have enough faith, this introspection and all that, you'll become sick, you become stressed, you become worried, amen? And then you have very hot thoughts, you have hot thoughts towards God. No, God wants you focused out of yourself, away from yourself, to Christ. Look at him and say, "It is his obedience that has made me righteous". That's what warfare is all about.
In 2 Corinthians 10: "For the weapons of our warfare are not material". They're not palpable or carnal, "but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds," amen. Now, how do we pull down strongholds that the devil has erected in the lives of people? How do we pull down strongholds, plural, strongholds? "Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ".
Now, look at the last part. The way we walk with the enemy, okay, is to realize this. The paramount objective of the enemy who is the accuser of the brethren is to point you to yourself. Your weapon is to point the devil, but you don't have to spend time pointing to the devil. Don't spent time talking to him, okay? I shall say this. Your warfare, your weapon, is pointing yourself to Jesus, looking away from self to Jesus. That's your answer. So the entire warfare is about your obedience is not enough. But it was his obedience that made me righteous. So we are to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, in the Greek: to the obedience of the Christ.
Now, some new translations like, for example, the New Living Translation, I like the New Living Translation, okay, I speak for narratives, stories, and all that. It's easy to read. But when it comes to some parts of it, like for example, this verse, is very bad. They say that, "Bring every thought, every rebellious thought, to obey Christ," okay? Now, let me just tell you this. It is very clear in the Greek that this is not your obedience, it is the obedience of Christ. And, in fact, in the Greek, it says, "To the," there's a definite article. "To the obedience of the Christ". Not only that, if you are called to obey, in the Greek it'll be a verb. In other words, you obey God. You obey God. Obey there is a verb or a noun? Verb, very good.
So if it's you and I obeying God is a verb, our obedience is a verb. But here, it's not a verb. It's a noun. It's referring to Jesus's obedience, amen. To the obedience of the Christ. And I agree with the New King James, I agree with Amplified, I agree with many translations agree with this, okay? So there's no way he can bring every thought to obey Christ. But your thoughts are all this, look at the obedience of Jesus. No, no, devil, it's not my obedience. It's his obedience that made me righteous. What's gonna happen when people believe this? Well, great things happen. Right believing always leads to right living. Now if people went, "Preach like this, Pastor Prince, you're saying that our obedience is not important"? I'm gonna read to you a testimony from this brother from Louisiana, United States:
Pastor Prince, I was raised in church from young but I have always carried the burden of sin and the Ten Commandments. As a youth leader, I got my girlfriend pregnant and so cut myself off from everyone I knew. I still love the Lord but I was punishing myself for my sin. We got married before our daughter was born and built our family the best I knew how. Three years later, I came home to an empty house. There was a key and a business card of my wife's divorce lawyer on the counter. I was so broken. I had no one to turn to except a long-time friend back home. I started calling on him and he began talking about you and your ministry. I was contemplating suicide. When I first heard you preach the gospel of grace I felt free, I felt alive, and most importantly, I felt loved and no longer alone. I got your CD sermons and sometimes I could listen to two or three sermons a day. I no longer feared my circumstances, like not having enough money but I started trusting in Jesus and really believing that I'm righteous in Christ.
Not because of his obedience, right? Okay.
I started speaking over my marriage and that God is a God of reconciliation, that he could and would restore my marriage. A couple of months into our separation, I was forced to sign the divorce papers. As I stood there, signing the papers, I spoke out loud and said, 'God will restore our marriage and we'll not get divorced'.
Remember why we've thought that God's restoration is always greater, amen? Greater.
As I signed those papers, all I thought about was Abraham who was about to sacrifice his own son and God interceded and gave him an offering. I just saw that God would intercede for me.
Notice, he's looking to the Lord. He's looking to the Lord. That is grace. That is living by grace, amen? Looking to the Lord. What is faith? What is strong faith? Looking to the Lord more and more. Little looking, little faith. The secret of all faith, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. It's okay to study all the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, but Hebrews 12 is a summary. He opens up by saying, "Looking unto Jesus. He is the author and he is the completer of our faith". Faith is not a... you subscribe to a teaching. You subscribe to a truth, even. Wonderful as those things are, as much as faith is in a person, the wonderful person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures testify of him, amen. And faith cometh by hearing and hearing the Word of Christ. Not just the Word of God, amen? There are some parts of the Word of God is not meant for us today, amen? And there are some parts of the Word of God is actually law. It's still the Word of God, but faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. It's a revelation of Jesus from the Word. Okay, pressing on.
When I called my wife to talk about our marriage, she told me she hated me and never loved me. I felt God telling me to stop calling her so often.
That's wisdom. Guys, do you hear that? Girls? It's from Proverbs. "Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house lest he grow wary of you and he'll hate you". Don't outwear your welcome. So God told him, all right, don't call her so often and that he was working on her. That takes faith... not to call, amen? If you keep calling your boyfriend and all that, you'll kill all the romance because you're trusting your own efforts. Let go. Let God. "Well, what if he goes to Mary instead? Then he marries Mary"? You know what? You are delivered. He didn't love you in the first place, amen? "My name is Sue and I'll sue him". No, it's not... trust God. Can you all let me finish this or not? Okay.
So she hated me and never loved me. I felt God telling me not to keep on calling. He was working on her. Eight months after I signed our divorce papers, I got a phone call from my wife asking to come back home. By now, we both thought we were legally divorced. When we called her lawyer to find out what we could do, we were told the State of Pennsylvania had rejected our divorce. We later discovered the reason. Errors in the paperwork.
I'm in love, I'm all shook... oh, now he's in love with her, okay, praise God.
The lawyer had misspelled some words. I knew it was God who had intervened and restored our marriage. When you know your place in Christ, all things are possible. Praise God. I was defeated and going through life without hope but I'm now alive in Christ and have forever been changed. My wife and I are blessed with a wonderful godly marriage and we have four beautiful children. My heart is so thankful for you, Pastor Prince.
Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Hey, hey! Put your thoughts on him, amen? You know, if he was discouraged, you know, he would not dare even claim from God. I wanna bring this one step closer to what the Lord wants to emphasize to us today. He wants you to see that sometimes, in fact I will even say most of us, every one of us, we go through times where, depending on the teaching that we are hearing, we could even say things like, as you are praying, "Oh, my thoughts are wandering. Because of my wandering thoughts, I wish I don't have these wandering thoughts. I wish I have more fervency in my prayer". Or maybe you say, "I wish I had more faith". Or "I wish that I knew how to pray like Pastor Lawrence. I wish that, you know, I had more passion for the Lord. Then I know my prayers would be answered".
Somehow, we still fall back into this. We want to be complete in ourselves, not complete in him. All these things show that we are trying to be complete in ourselves when God says you are complete in him. Looking away from yourself and just know that you're complete in him. So we see ourselves and our worship and it's incomplete. We see our thoughts, our actions and all that, our feelings and it's incomplete. And even when we worship, we are worshiping God, we feel like it's incomplete. But then, we are looking to ourselves. God says you are complete in him. Show them that Colossians chapter 2, which is where it's from: "You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power". Or we say, you know, "I wish I had more zeal, Pastor Prince. I wish I had more passion. I just wish that I had more," you know, whatever it is. And ask what is it you're after.
"Well, I just believe that if I had more fervency in my prayer, more earnestness and all that, and if I know how to pray, I have more knowledge, I think God will answer my prayer". You are right in that, you know, knowledge is power when it comes to the Word of God. But it's not the kind of knowledge you talk about. It's revelation knowledge and many a time strong faith is all about knowledge of Jesus. Are you listening, people? So we are trying. In all these things, we are saying, "If this was more in my life. If I had this more, if I knew more, if I had more, more, more, more," you are trying to be found in yourself some righteousness. When God says you are found in him who is your righteousness. Paul learned that in Philippians.
Now show them Philippians. Paul says, "And be found in Him," not be found in myself. Look away from yourself. The devil is pointing you at you and sometimes some people do that also. Therefore you know who's using them. When they point you to you, all right, you know it's the devil. Let me teach you the art to be depressed, all right? Think about you all the time. When people are talking, one corner, they are talking about you, all right? When there's a new legislation in the land, whatever, it's all about you, to crush your joy, all right? Anything happen. If the guy cuts in front of you, all right? It's not because his wife is rushing to go to give birth to the... you know, whatever it is. It's always because he hates you, all right? Make it personal, amen?
Right now, think, Pastor Prince is talking about me again, amen? And you will successfully be depressed. That's the work of the enemy. He points you to what is legit. He'll tell you you're praying but you're not praying enough. Yes, you are worshiping but look at your worship. It's so, you know, compared to the sister over there, she's so sincere. And you know your thoughts are wandering. Or look at that. As you would raise your hands, you started so well. You were thinking about the Lord, but halfway through you're thinking about yourself. Do I look good here? I wonder how I... you know? And what about all these things?
Well, let me just tell you this. There is a provision that you need to understand. And this is what the devil doesn't want you to hear. The Bible tells us we have a high priest. Yes, we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus. I said we are made righteous by the blood of Jesus. But then, even today, we are still imperfect. We are to be "found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God by faith". Once you know that, the next verse can happen: "That I may know him". Then you will know him, "and the power of his resurrection". But it's because the church has not been taught this. Look up here. Even for us who know this, we are trying to be found in ourselves some righteousness for God to bless, for God to answer our prayer. No, God says you are to be found in him. So in and of yourself you're still not perfect. Are you listening?
Now, we have a high priest. The Bible says, Hebrews 9, that "Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands," material, like the tabernacle of Moses, "which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear". Say "now". "Now to appear in the presence of God for us". Say "for us". Why is he there? For us. You see, Jesus is always the Son of God. But the Bible says he sat down, having purged our sins, Hebrews 1. The reason Jesus is seated at the Father's right hand, he had no right to sit. Let me say this reverently, if all our sins had not been purged. If the sin issue has not been dealt with, Jesus cannot sit down.
"But, Pastor, he's the Son of God". That he always is. In fact, he's the Son of God even before he came. But he came as a man, 100% man and he's 100% God. When he went back, he went back as man in heaven, just like he's the Son of God here, he's not a son of man at the Father's right hand. Only a man can be the high priest. So, don't forget, he's still God but he's also man, something that he never was before he came. And as man, listen, as man he sat down having purged our sins. The right to sit down is because your sins were taken care of. So if there's a fresh sin, he doesn't get up, all right? Now, there are moments he gets up, all right? The Bible tells us when Stephen was welcomed home, another time when he walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks in the book of Revelation, but sit down means like we would say, the queen is seated on her throne. That means what? She's reigning.
Queen Victoria, all right, is queen of England, like Queen Mary, all right, King Richard. What do you mean? They're seated on the throne all the time? Everywhere they go, they go around it on the throne? No, of course, not. It means they are ruling but the right for Jesus to sit down is because having purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of Majesty on high. So every time you see Jesus seated, it's always, he did a good job because the Old Testament scenes were always standing. They were killing sacrifices, offering, washing their hands, lighting up the menorah, all right, changing the table of showbread, but never, never seated. Jesus sat down, having purged. And one of the provisions we understand, we need more preaching on the high priest because it's his present-day ministry, amen?
As the priest goes, so goes the nation. If the nation is moral, the nation is good, but the high priest is bad, the high priest or issue is bad, God rejects the entire nation, regardless of how good they are. Are you listening? That happened in the story of Eli and Samuel in the early part of 1 Samuel. You find also if the nation is bad, which is usually the case in Israel, the nation is, you know, is not having it all together and they are rebelling and they are sinning, but the high priest is good, God accepts the nation. That's why when they worship other gods, they stop having their high priest. They send them away from Jerusalem to fend for themselves, amen. And they have their own high priest who isn't corrupted.
So where there's no high priest, as the high priest goes, so goes a nation. Just like David went down the Valley of Elah. His battle is Israel's battle. If he was defeated, it'll be Israel's defeat. He won. Therefore, we conquer, we are more than conquerors because he conquered through him who loves us. The greater son of David conquered a greater Goliath for all of us. Can I have a good "Amen"? So, the high priest represents the people. A high priest is not a prophet. He doesn't come, like God is behind, this is God's throne, let's say, behind me. And I come to you like this and I have a voice from God, that's a prophet, amen?
Sometimes, there's prophetic preaching going on because I'm speaking on behalf of the Lord. I always pray that God make me speak as the oracles of God, amen? So, you're speaking for God, that's not a priest. Priest is representing the people like this, the people are behind me, to God. Amen? And God is not looking at the people, God is looking at how good the high priest is. Therefore, all the high priest garments... my high priest please. All the high priest garments has a purpose. The return of the high priest of Israel. Episode seven. You still look good, brother. It's been a long time. So, the high priest, whatever you see outside here, I don't have time to go through every one of them. I got an entire series of teaching, you all know that. But whatever is outward today... don't imagine Jesus wearing all this, okay?
What all these are outward, extrinsic to show you what's intrinsic of our Lord Jesus Christ, what is real. Because this is just a shadow, amen? You know, you carry around your wife's photo, right, amen? But if she's around, you don't kiss the photo, right? Amen, you kiss the substance. The photo is not as good as a substance, amen? When I kiss my wife's lips, those lips of wine... I don't drink, but... okay, never mind. Back to this. So, we are all represented here on his jeweled breast because breast speaks of the love of Jesus. And all his people are here. And they are all individual jewels, which represents all the 12 tribes of Israel. All of you are individuals. God doesn't just put all of you, like lump you together, all are diamonds or all are rubies. No, different beauties. God sees you unique, amen? Yet all have the same love of his heart, amen.
That's why God put it on the priest's heart, amen. But the names, the six tribes here, six tribes here on the two onyx stones represent his power. Breast represents love, your shoulder represents power. When it comes to power, all of us are equal. God bears us equally. He bears us like the lamb or a sheep on his shoulders, his strong shoulders. And what do you do when the Lord carries you? You rest. Years ago, I remember asking the Lord, "Lord, give me something else on repentance, Lord. You know, people are saying, 'You need to preach more on repentance.'" And then the Lord brought me to Luke 15, where a shepherd had 100 sheep. He lost one, he went to look for the one. So, the shepherd went to look for the one that was lost.
Now, no shepherd does that. You'll just cut the cost because you don't want to leave behind 99. But this shepherd is not ordinary. He went to look for the one. He found the one that's lost. He pick him up, he put it on his shoulders, he brought him back. He asked all his neighbors, "Would you care to join me for a celebration? I found". No shepherd does that but one. Came a long way to look for all of us who are lost, amen? So, and the Bible says Jesus said this, "Likewise there's joy in heaven over one sinner that repents". Then I asked the Lord, "Where is the repentance"? Remember I asked him to teach me about repentance. Where is the repentance here? The sheep didn't repent, not that I know of. In fact, the sheep didn't come back. No, the shepherd went, the shepherd sought, the shepherd found, the shepherd carried, the shepherd put, the shepherd brought home, the shepherd celebrated. It's all the shepherd. The only thing that the sheep did was consent, that's repentance.
By the way, the next story was the prodigal son. The prodigal son only came back because he was hungry. You think about that, wrong reason to come back. "In my father's house is bread enough and to spare. All my servants, they have enough to eat. I'll go back as a servant". He came with the wrong premise, wrong reason, wrong motive, and the father still took him in. The father ran to him where he was. Where is the repentance? The father didn't allow his full confession. He said, "father, I have sinned against heaven". He want to say, "Make me one of your hired servants," which he rehearsed. The father never allowed him to do that because you cannot earn the lavish blessings, goodness of your God. You can only receive it, and that's true repentance. Can I have a good amen?
One more provision. Look at Exodus 28. If you're tired, let me know, anytime. You should also... because the last time, one of the last times we had was that I think the forehead, the plate was too tight. He was feeling a bit woozy. And I turned around and I saw him, you know, shifting a little bit. Now, it will really defeat the purpose of my illustration if the high priest falls and falls down flat. Or maybe I can say, "But our priest lives after the power of an endless life," amen? Priests here, you know, they fall, but he lives after the power of an endless life, amen? Nonetheless, I won't let you fall, okay? Love you, bro.
Okay, so here it says, "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holiness to the Lord.'" So, reading from right to left in Hebrew, it says holiness. Here it says kadosh L'Adonai. Actually, it's Yahweh. But because Hebrew people won't use the name Yahweh, they say Adonai. So, kadosh L'Yahweh, holiness to the Lord. In other words, Jesus's mind today, right, is all holy to the Lord. How many can say amen? When you look at someone, you look at their forehead. You look at their face, right? The forehead is very prominent. And what you see of Jesus is holiness to the Lord, amen. And this is all for the Father, representing us. Don't forget he's there for us. He's not there for God. Let me say that, I mean, ultimately it's for God, but he's there for us. Everything is for us. This holiness to the Lord is for us.
So, it says here, "And you shall put it on a blue cord". Heavenly, it's a beautiful picture of a heavenly cord, his thoughts are all heavenly, ours are not. "That it may be on the turban". You know, people say you are too heavenly minded for earthly good. I have yet to meet Christians like that because if they are really heavenly minded, they are really of earthly good. So, you say heavenly minded, too heavenly minded and all that, honestly what they mean is religious. If you are religious, you won't be any earthly good. But if you're heavenly minded, you think of Christ at the Father's right hand. He is my standing, he is my righteousness, you be of earthly good. Amen. So, here it says you put this golden plate. Next verse, "So it shall be on Aaron's forehead". Who is Aaron? The high priest, a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a type of Christ, "That Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things".
Now, underline that in your Bible, the iniquity of the holy things, not the iniquity of the wicked things or rebellious things. "The iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts. And this crown shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. It shall always be on his forehead," always, perpetually. And our Lord Jesus, his thoughts are holy, forever. "It shall always be on his forehead, that they," the children of Israel, in our case our heavenly Aaron, our Melchizedek, our Lord Jesus Christ is our high priest today. We, "That they may be accepted". Now, this accepted is the word "ratson," to preach the ratson year of the Lord we saw just now. In his hometown, Jesus says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, to preach the year of great favor so that all the people of God, they have great delight, great favor in the eyes of God.
Now, watch this. "That Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts". Do you know that in all your prayers, there's iniquity? Do you know that in all your worship, there is sin? Do you know, this is not the high priest bearing the iniquity of your bad things. It is the high priest bearing the iniquity of your holy things. In other words, whenever you come to God and you pray and you get wandering thoughts and all that, you know, our prayers are not pure. Our worship is not undefiled. It's not exactly always in spirit and in truth, is it? No one, so okay, never mind. Our best gifts can be tainted with ulterior motives. I give to you, I hope now one day you know what a good friend I am. Oh, I give to you because you gave to my son. You gave to my daughter. I give to you because I want to change your thinking about something, that's called a bribe. But it's still a gift, so you can't tell what is the reason, right? But suffice to say the Bible says in all our best gifts, not our unholy gifts, our best sayings, our best doings, there's sin in all of them.
Now, what that does is that it encourages me because when I read this that the high priest represents you and I before God, and because his thoughts are always holy, God does not look at your thoughts to judge you. God does not look at your gifts that's imperfect. God looks to him and God says your gifts are perfect, your prayers are perfect. If you know that, you know the secret of what Jesus said in the upper room when he says, "Up till now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full".
Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, Jesus taught the disciples much earlier, a few years ago he taught them on this prayer, the Lord's prayer, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come". Now, by all means please don't misunderstand me, continue praying that prayer. I pray that prayer, okay? But what I'm saying is that that prayer is not praying in Jesus's name. It's called the prayer of the kingdom. Jesus actually said to the disciples who had been praying because they asked him to teach them how to pray, and he taught them, "Say this, 'Our Father, who art in heaven.'" That was much earlier before the upper room. The upper room is the day before he was crucified. He said in the upper room... upper room means what? Church teachings. Up till now, they are not ready yet because he's been preaching to the Jews. "I am sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel". When Israel finally rejected him, his salvation is for the entire world. He had to come for Israel first.
Now, in the upper room, all the church truths are all revealed for the first time. The permanent abiding of the Holy Spirit, the new commandment, that's not a law. A new commandment is your nature. We love because he first loved us, amen? So, in the upper room, Jesus said, "Up till now". Even though they were praying the Lord's prayer, he said this, "Up till now, you have asked nothing in my name". There's a new prayer coming, "Ask in my name and you shall receive. Whatever you ask the Father in my name you will receive". Now, I think, all right, when I study the entire thing he's not just referring to tagging the name of Jesus at the end of your prayer. It is not just saying, "After you pray, at the end: 'in the name of Jesus".
Now, I'm not saying stop praying that way, no, no. But if you understand Bible terminology, when they say "in the name" or "in the name," it's always representative of the person. When you ask in my name, at the end, you know, you can feel like a distance from God, not know your place in Christ. And at the end, in Jesus's name, doesn't mean your prayers will be answered. In fact, in the entire episode, when you come to God, you do not come in truth. You come as if God is far away and you are far away. And as you pray, you believe you are getting closer, getting closer, when actually God says you are complete. "When you pray, you must know you're already close to me. You are praying to use your influence with me. And I love it," God says. "You are my child".
You must start there. The world says you're not complete. One of these days, you will be complete, amen? Are you listening? Complete is not a journey. We start, it's a starting point for the believer. We start complete. We walk out our completeness. When we realize we are complete, we walk it out, okay? Now, your prayers is not perfect, but once you know the truth that God is not looking at the imperfection of your prayer, the lack of fervency, the lack of faith, the lack of sincerity, God is not looking at all of that. Your prayers go to God. that's what it means by him, we offer the sacrifice of praise. Even worshiping God, it's defiled, it's tainted with sin. But you know what? God doesn't see it, you know why? Our high priest is there. And God is looking at the high priest, and our high priest purifies everything we prayed.
You know that in the Old Testament, when they offer the burnt offering, the largest offering is the burnt offering? And the burnt offering has three grades. All right, you have the bullock, you have the lamb, and the smallest for the poor is either a pigeon or a dove. The rich bring bullock, bullock size. The middle income bring a lamb. The poor bring either a pigeon or a dove, okay? Today, it's spiritual. If you have a large revelation, a big revelation of Jesus Christ, you offer to God a bullock size offering. You offer to God a bullock size worship. You offer to God a bullock size service. If you are poor, your revelation of Jesus is, "Oh, he came from heaven," it's a bird. He came from heaven and he goes back. Your revelation is very small. Your revelation of the blood, the bullock has a lot of blood, okay? In fact, for the dove, when they kill the dove, they pour out.
All right, they decapitate the dove and then pour the blood. The blood is very little. That tells us those who are rich spiritually are people who have a great understanding, all right, of the blood of Jesus. They have studied all the Scriptures on the blood of Jesus. It grows you when you understand that. And those who don't have, you know, their capacity is very small. So, when the Lord looks at you and the Lord says little faith, strong faith, what he means that how you see me. All right, his biggest indictment against his own disciples is always, "Oh you of little faith". Never, "Oh you of little fasting. Oh you of little fasting, I can tell. Oh you of little praying. Oh you of little service. Oh you of little this". It's always, "Oh you of little faith".
What is faith? The hand that takes. In other words, "Why do you take from me so little? Why do you take from me so little"? Always remember that. When you pray, I want to excite you. You know, just come to God and pray. And when the voices come, whether it's from your flesh or from the devil saying, "Hey, look, your thoughts are wandering. Hey, hey, you don't even have enough faith. Hey, hey, hey, you don't have enough fervency. Hey, your prayer's not earnest enough. Hey, your prayer doesn't sound like Pastor Henry. Hey, your prayer". All kinds of thing, just keep on praying, knowing that God is hearing you because it goes through Jesus Christ. Now have a seat, high priest. More scriptural, okay.
So, look at the offering of the dove, the smallest one. It says here in Leviticus. "the priest shall remove its crop with its feather and cast it beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes". When you enter the tabernacle of Moses, the east side, this is the place of sunrise. The very first thing you see is ashes. The very first thing God wants you to see when the sun rises, the first thing in the morning to always remember your sins are ashes. It's a finished work, amen? So, the Bible says kill the dove, and then cast it beside the altar on the east side, the feathers, the place for ashes. It's a place of ashes, so cast what is superfluous, what is extra, what is not needed, throw it there.
Isn't it amazing that they offer to God something, and then God said some parts he doesn't want? Some parts are superfluous, like the feathers. Then he says, "Split it at its wings, but don't divide it completely. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire". Watch this, "It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord". If you read all the three grades, whether it's a bullock or even a small pigeon or dove, it is still a sweet aroma to the Lord. Anything that speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, even your revelation is small, it is still a sweet aroma. Because you know why? Christ is in your worship, Christ is in your service, Christ is in your praise, Christ is in your works. Amen? It goes to God as a sweet aroma. Are you listening to what I'm saying?
Okay, so when I pray, let's say I've been wanting to get married for a long time, so I pray, "Okay, time is passing. I'm now 50 years old, still not married. So, I believe that God wants me to marry because I have no gift of celibacy. But then I've read many books, okay, I've read one great man of God says you must be specific when you pray". What do you want, a Caucasian, you want a Chinese, you want an Asian? What do you want? Must be specific. Then what else you want? You want him to be a musician? All right, what kind of music? No, I kid you not, there's a book that tells you that, you know, must be very specific. The more specific you are, the more your faith can work.
Oh okay, must be specific. But I really do not know what I want. Doesn't God know what I want and what I need, amen? In fact, what I think I want now I may not want ten years later. And I cannot say, "I give you back, you know. Can I have my refund"? You know, they got no refund, one, no, okay? So, I'm a bit confused. Then they hear another person saying trust God, God has your best interest. When you say, "God, give me someone, Lord," he won't say, "Here, take this person, nobody wants her". All right, he won't be doing that, all right? You must trust your Father's heart, he loves you more than you love yourself, amen? And God gives the best to those who leave the choice. But then this contradicts specific prayer. And this... you know, trust God.
I know you can say pray in tongues, pastor. No, I'm talking about you got to pray your understanding as well, okay? What do you do? So, both are like doesn't really matter. You pray this prayer or you pray that prayer, doesn't really matter. Going to be specific and all that, just pray, "Father, in Jesus's name". At the end, all right, it still goes through Jesus. This is what happens, it goes to Jesus, all right? Your prayer is like a bird, that's why it's like a bird, superfluous, all right? There's a lot of confusion in this prayer, a lot of I don't know about... you know, I'm praying, God, but I don't know, so and so says that I must be specific, Lord. I would like to have an American one. I'd like to have an Asian one, I'd like to have a Russian one, have a Timbuktu one, I'd like to have whatever, you know?
And then must know martial arts, Lord, because, you know, I need someone to protect me. You know, must play the violin at the same time. Must be a choir member or, you know, worship, you know, must be able to sing. I like to hear her sing when I'm not feeling well at night or whatever". You all laugh, but see, the pastors, I'll tell you the counseling they do, right, these things are realities, you know. So, the thing is that as long as you know you are in the presence of God. Now, praying in my name is this. Stop and realize that do you know that the words you are praying right now, it's as if Jesus is praying? That is praying and asking in my name. Yeah, at the end tack in Jesus's name, no problem with that, all right? But more than anything else, in my name means you know that he is representing you. It's as if he's praying that prayer. Have that consciousness, Father, Son, and you are in the Son. And your prayers are not perfect, but the imperfect prayers goes up like a dove, right? Goes up to the high priest, this is your prayer, all right? Messed up prayer.
Okay, so he looks at the prayer. All right, it's been many years since we touched on this, right? Do you still remember what to do? Okay, what do you do now? Okay, normally we don't have to tell Jesus what to do. Jesus knows what to do, all right? But what do you do? Okay, you take it out, you throw. Now, he removes what is superfluous. He removes what is unnecessary. Are you with me so far? He removes what is not needed. All right? And then not only that, the Bible says he adds his perfume, he adds his sweet aroma to the prayers. Doesn't Paul say it's your gifts are a sweet aroma to the Father? In the New Testament. All right, he adds his, his beauty, he adds his ratson, his favor. He adds his perfume, and then he turns to the Father, now I'll be the Father. He turns to the Father and he gives a perfect prayer. "Angels, go, bring the answer, bring the gifts, send forth". That is what God does.
Now, doesn't happen this slow. It is this slow because we are all slow, okay? So, I'm just freezing for you. That's what it means by him we offer the sacrifice of praise. It's always through him, in him, amen? And you can pray from your heart, just pray from your heart. Your prayers are not perfect, don't worry about it, see this. Even as you serve, your service is tainted with self-glorification, or ego, or whatever, you know, selfishness. But still serve and the Lord will change it. Can I have a good amen? But the devil usually will stop you then and there with this lie, "You're such a hypocrite. Look at your thoughts as you are praying". He's the one shooting the thought. Remember that?
"Hey, look at those thoughts. Terrible you think of those thoughts". And then after you have the thought, he knocks you on the head, "Imagine you having that kind of thought in the midst of service. How can you have such a bad thought about Pastor Prince"? How many have been through this before? Come on, I'm just trying to break it down to let us see this is what real people experience. Are you listening, people? But it all goes through our great high priest. He bears the iniquity of the holy things, and it's always on his... go back again to that Exodus. It's always on his forehead, holiness to the Lord, "That they may be accepted before the Lord".
The only way this can change is for Satan to go into the Holy of Holies today, to God's throne, and remove this. And you know he cannot, he cannot. He cannot. He doesn’t even have access anymore to the throne of God. I know he did in Job, that was before Jesus. Jesus sprinkled. All right, that's another sermon altogether. He cannot come. The only way is God the Father, all right, turn around and rip it off. But no, the Father sent him for this purpose. The Father is the one that ordained the high priest. If God is for us, who can be against us? So, as long as it's on his forehead, that's how long your acceptance, your ratson is before the Lord. And all your prayers in the context of your prayers, your gifts, even your best sayings you must know.
Some people don't like to hear this, but those who are humble when they hear this thank God for Jesus. But there are those who say they are still, "Pastor Prince, I still believe they got to pray". You know, almost like you got to pray perfect prayers. How you come is important, so they are so busy introspecting instead of just come boldly. Come boldly. The prodigal son came home with all the wrong reasons. I mean, do you really believe he came back because he loved his father? No, read what he says in his mind at the pig pen, "My father's house, even the servants eat well. I know what I'll do. I'll go to my father and say, 'Make me a servant,' because servants eat well. I'm hungry". But the father took him anyway. All of us when we got saved, we didn't have good reasons, "I came because for your glory, oh Lord". No, you came for your glory sometimes, amen. So, God accepts you. But the thing is that come, just come, just worship, just serve. Get involved. And when the thought comes, straightaway think of this verse, of what your high priest is doing, amen? Everything accepted before the Father. Can I have a good amen?
Can you stand again? All right, your high priest is alive, okay? As long as the bells ring, you know he's alive. And the Bible says God sent the Holy Spirit when Jesus came back and sat down, God sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit left in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel saw just before Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, invaded Jerusalem, after years and years of idolatry, of turning from the God of Israel to idolatry, God says, "Enough". God says, "I'm delivering this nation to the Gentiles". And the Bible tells us that Ezekiel saw in Jerusalem the temple, right over the Holy of Holies he saw the glory of God. And the Bible says it was lingering, as if it refused to leave. And then from there, it proceeded to the patio of the temple. Again it stopped, as if to look back and say, "Would you have me"?
So, the Holy Spirit, his glory left to the eastern gate, which is now in Israel sealed, the only gate that is sealed. And the prophecy of Ezekiel is that it will not open until the king that rode through it returns, amen? Until now, it's still sealed. And don't think for one moment that it is sealed because there are people who don't want it opened. There are people who tried to open it. Either they died or there was a war. One sultan tried to do it, you know, he died before he could open it. So, today it's sealed. He saw the glory of God over the eastern gate. Then from there, it's almost like lingering, and it went to the Mount of Olives.
The last Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord was at the Mount of Olives. The Holy Spirit left. Lingering, it was so slow, it's as if he didn't want to leave. But when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they heard the sound of a rushing, rushing, mighty wind. When he leaves, he leaves ever so slowly. But when he comes in, it comes in like a rushing, mighty wind. It was 50 days after Jesus went back to the Father and he gave the Holy Spirit. And this time, he comes in not to anoint you for a task, for an assignment, and then leaves after that. He comes to abide in you forever.
Now, you are the temple of God. You are the temple of God. You've got God in you, you got God in heaven, amen, one God, right? You are protected. Will I take the members of my body and give it to a prostitute? Will I go to a massage parlor and use the members of Christ... look, my body is the temple of God, amen? Live like that and the glory will shine from your life, amen. In fact, then you start having compassion for those people that, you know, they go to such places and all that because they're crying, they are empty on the inside. You are not, amen. Realize you are complete in Christ. Can I have a good amen? Amen, he is completing you even more.
I want those of you with pain in your chest, you've been experiencing it even while I was preaching, can you stand up right now? You are in this service, stand up, there's a healing right now for you. Stand to your feet and the power of God's going to hit you right now. All right, chest pains, you've been experiencing it for the past few days as well, on, off, on. You've been very concerned. Stand to your feet right now. Way back there, I see you, there's still some more, all right? And everywhere that's watching this right now, do so in Jesus's name. The power of God is hitting you, my friend, right now in Jesus's name. And also those in the overflow... You may sit down.
Wherever you are right now that's watching this in all the different venues, if that is you, stand up to your feet. The power of God knows no distance, no time. God is outside time. And we have so many testimonies of people who got healed even in the later service. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Now, among the ones that are standing here, who is the one that's feeling the pain even now, you are feeling the pain right now? All right, if that's you, just wave your hand. Okay, okay, wave real big so I can see it. Someone is... who is that person, that lady? Okay. And over here. He's having pain? Okay. In the name of Jesus, put your hand on your heart.
Father, in the name of Jesus, right now I curse this pain in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I release, Lord, your healing to effect a cure right now in that part of the bodies, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. I want to pray for those of you who have problems sleeping. All right, and it's been quite a while now you have not been able to sleep well. When you do sleep, you do get up, only to go back to sleep and get up again. So, if that is you, just stand to your feet, just stand to your feet in Jesus's name. Now, even if you are on sleeping tablets or whatever it is and you are addicted now, I'm going to pray for God to release you from that. But I just you to say this under your breath to the Lord. Just tell the Lord, "Lord, I don't want to depend on sleeping tablets. Deliver me". Would you say that? Would you say that? Because as long as you depend on that, you cannot depend on him.
You know, the Bible says one of the things he gives, he loves to gives, right? He gives his beloved sleep, okay? Now, he's not going to do it now, but he gives his beloved sleep. Now, if I give you something, what do you do? You take it, all right? So, you take it. Listen, when God gives sleep, it's not like people, when you take a sleeping tablet, you still wake up groggy. You didn't sleep actually, you were knocked out. This is what these things do, they knock you out. I want you to come back to sleep as God ordained it. When God ordains sleep, it's always you wake up, you feel fresh, and there's something beautiful in front of you. That's the original one. I hope it's still the same, guys. "No, I wake up, I still see her". Okay, never mind. "In fact, when she's sleeping, I'm happy, I'm peaceful".
Okay, okay, stop joking, guys, come on. All right, I'm going to pray for you, and then you got to trust God. And I want those of you who have been forgetting, forgetting, and forgetting, whether it's names and all that. You're a bit concerned whether you have a condition. Not to worry, stand together with these who are standing for sleep. Amen, just stand. If you've been having problems remembering things, it's not a matter of your age. Young people can also forget, amen? Do you know that God gave Adam a mind to name all the species of the animals? And how many species are there? In one category itself, how many are there?
And yet he could name them, next day he could name all of them, amen? And it's amazing. But more amazing is the mind of Christ. Amen, the Bible says we have the mind of Christ, praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Now, tell the Lord. If you don’t want to be free, I'm going to pray for you. Okay, you are depending on the sleeping tablet, okay? I'm not saying that, you know, you stop immediately or whatever. Maybe you need to talk to your doctor, but the thing is this, God can set you free. Just tell the Lord you want to be delivered from that, okay?
Father, in Jesus's name, right now I pray for everyone under the sound of my voice that's suffering from insomnia or sleeplessness. Father, I pray in Jesus's name, oh Father, right now from this day forth, Father, I pray, Father, that you'll bless them, grant them sleep. As it is written, "He gives his beloved sleep". And even in the Hebrew, the idea of you give while they are sleeping, you give gifts, you give blessings, you give fresh healing, Lord, while they sleep. Grant them that kind of sleep, Lord, because it is your blessing. Bless their sleep, it is your blessing that maketh rich. Father, I pray, Lord, that they'll enjoy sleep from now on. They'll look forward to sleep, Lord. And cause them to wake up refreshed, rejuvenated. For those who are bound, Lord, who are addicted to sleeping tablets or tranquilizers, I pray, Father, in Jesus's name that this day marks the day they are totally free and delivered in Jesus's mighty name. I pray, Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus that everyone who's concerned about memory loss in any shape, form, or fashion. I pray, Father, right now for them in the name of Jesus that you'll restore their brains, and all the functions and the mental capacities, Lord, and all the memory capacities, Father. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Father, that you will cause them, Lord, to even have a greater capacity, Lord, from this day forth. That they are able to utilize their brain even better than before because when you restore, it's always greater. So, restore, Father, our brains, Father. Me included, Lord. Thank you, Father, in Jesus's name. And all the people said amen.
Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Be seated. Now, you see, this sounds a bit funny, right? Be seated, right, now stand up. We are done, praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Stand to your feet. You see how funny it is? Sit down then stand up. That's why I don't believe in the Rapture... some people believe the Rapture will happen, right, at the end of the seven years. In other words, the people of God get raptured to heaven, halfway right? The Lord will meet them in the midair, right? And the Lord says, "Reverse," and they all come down again. All right, you see how absurd that is? So, we're just illustrating to prove a point. No, we are all raptured, amen.
Thank God for the blessed hope. I said we are all raptured before the great day of the wrath. Men has his day. The Lord says, "I'll have my day too," amen? Lift your hands all across this place. Thank you, Father. If you are that person and you say, "You know, Pastor Prince, I don't think I can say that Jesus is my high priest, that Jesus is my righteousness. I know now that by his obedience we are made righteous. I want to believe". Well, friend, that's why God brought you here. And that's why you are watching this right now. Pray this prayer from your heart after me.
Father in heaven, thank you for loving me, for the gift of your Son, my Lord Jesus Christ. Christ died for my sins. He was punished in my place so that there's no more punishment ever in my future for me. You raised him from the dead as a proclamation that all my sins have been put away. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, in Jesus's name, amen.
Amen, now you're a child of God. You are saved. God is your Father. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, amen? Be careful what you pray because your prayers avail much, so pray for me. Amen, lift your hands all across this place. This coming week, the Lord bless you with the blessings of father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, the blessings of the gift of sleep. And the Lord make his face to shine on you, be favorable to you throughout this week. May you experience the ratson, the supernatural favor of God. Everywhere you go, everywhere you turn, may doors of opportunity open to you. May everything you touch prospers, even your mistakes. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and your loved ones, and grant to you and yours his wonderful shalom peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus, and all the people said? Now listen, once you know this truth, go out there and live for his glory. Amen, God bless you.