Joseph Prince - Believe His Love And Receive All Blessings

Praise the Lord, hallelujah. You know, in life, there will always be that ups and downs, your valley experiences, and then God always is merciful, he gives you a mountaintop experience, amen. But I see the Lord as I was praying having this posture with his hand raised, ready to bless you. I'm talking about you, your families as far as you are concerned. You who would put your trust in him, it's as if I see him, his hand is already yearning to bless you, amen, with the fullness of all that he has for you. And it's a storehouse of good things.

In fact, the word I received is a tsunami of blessings coming your way. You know when a tsunami hits, you cannot fight it. You cannot but be carried by it, amen? But this is going to be a tsunami of blessings in such a way coming into your life that it will just sweep you away. Won't be like the years before, where you feel like the old hymn, you know... "Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plea. There shall be showers of blessing, this is the promise of love". What's going to happen is that showers of blessings. I feel like God is just yearning to just rain on you, just bless you, amen? Are you all ready for that? Can you handle it?

So, there's a part. Our part is really to prepare bigger vessels to contain the blessings. So, God's word to you is prepare for growth, prepare for enlargement, amen? Prepare for increase, prepare for blessings this coming year, amen? You're not going to be at the same level you were, in fact, just yesterday, I went out for a quick lunch, usually I go out for a quick lunch, and then I go back to prepare for the service on Saturday. And I bump at the food court, I bump into... you know how Saturday lunch can be like. Everyone is out eating, right?

So, it was Saturday, and holiday is more. And I bump into our church people. I know they're our church people because the radiance on their face, the glory of God on them. So, when they smile at me, I know it's from our church, amen. So, I said hi to them, talked for a while. And what I want to share with you is this, that when I left them... one of them, by the way, was believing God for a life partner. And she looks glorious, she looks glorious. And she's still waiting for the manifestation of her "yachid" she calls it from my teaching how to find your life partner. I talk about the Hebrew word "yachid," which Is not just one person, but a complete person, amen? You're not a half waiting for another half.

So, I talked to her for a while. And then opposite her, her friends. And one of her friend just got attached, amen. Found someone in our church, hallelujah. And so, the manifestation came for her already. And I talked to her, and I told her that this year will be her year. I don't know why I said that. But anyway, when I left, the Lord said it was not by chance that I met them. It's all about couples, you know? And one couple already hitched. And this lady is waiting for a manifestation. And I feel like the Lord is saying for those of you who are believing God, amen, for a life partner, I feel it's going to be a year of harvest for you, amen? Harvest sounds like more than one, right? I mean one for you. Just one is all you can handle, I'm telling you, trust me, amen? Pastor Mark will say amen.

Amen, so it's coming, praise the Lord. I just feel that that's one of the manifestations that are going to happen, praise the Lord. You know, the Lord is able. Even today, he's in heaven, a location that is a specific place where bodily Jesus is. When he rose from the dead, he didn't rise like a spirit. Okay, he rose bodily, with a body that is glorified. And the Bible says that one day when the Lord returns for us, your bodies and my bodies will be transformed, this vile is to be transformed like his glorious body. Philippians tells us that. And we're going to be like him.

So, bodily he's in heaven at the Father's right hand. But in terms of what he can do and accomplish for us, there is no difference. As if he's beside you right now, as he was when he walked by the shores of Galilee 2,000 years ago, when he touched the leper and cleansed him just by the hillside not far away from the lake of Galilee, just as when he turned the water into wine, he's the same today. Because I'm telling you if I give you two gold coins, not gold coins. I keep on saying gold coins. But our $1 coin looks like gold, isn't it? Okay, so we have $1 coin. If I give you two coins of a dollar each, what value do you have now? $2, right? But let's say you return me, you give back to me a paper note of $2. Have I lost the value? I have not. In a different form. One is metal, the other one is paper, right?

So, when the Lord Jesus says, "It's expedient for you that I go away. But when I go away, I will send the Holy Spirit to you," I just want you to know that the Holy Spirit, it's just like Jesus. He's the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and today he's resident on earth. He's in you and I. The only difference is the form. And the form is this, Jesus bodily is at the Father's right hand, and one day he's going to return for us. But the Holy Spirit is now in us, and he's present with us and active on the earth, amen? The only thing is that the value is not lost because it's like the two coins and the paper note.

It's the same value, but now Jesus is no more localized like he was when he was in Israel. When he was in Galilee, he can be at once place at one time, am I right? Right? But the Holy Spirit is everywhere, amen. And it's the same power of Jesus, he cleansed the leper on the hillside over there, now he can cleanse lepers everywhere, amen? If someone would just reach out, touch him, believe, amen, and he's going to do it. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Lord Jesus. In fact, in the first service, we had different manifestations of healings happening. And it's not something that I can manufacture or I can do. We have great testimonies. But the Lord is a good God, amen.

And in fact, if you'd like to see some, we can show you some samples just to stir your faith, amen? We had a lady who stood up, actually I gave a word of knowledge, but she stood up to testify also of her healing that she received a number of services ago, this 2018. All right, I don't know which service it was, but apparently I called her out and prayed for her liver. And this is her testimony. The cyst has disappeared from where? From the liver. Oh, you stood up the other time? You are here to testify as well, praise the Lord. And which month was that? A few months ago. And you stood up because there was a growth on your liver. And you went back to the doctor. The growth is gone. To Jesus be the praise and the glory. Praise the Lord, isn't the Lord good? Isn't the Lord good, amen? And that was the first service just now, and the Lord was moving. But again, you cannot make the Lord just do... but notice that he's now everywhere, amen? What was localized, he's now everywhere.

You know, the miracle, even when Jesus was on earth, he demonstrated himself to be the Lord of time and space. There is no distance, there's no barrier. If you believe the Word of the Lord, even though he's in heaven, all right, at the Father's right hand, today he's with us by his Holy Spirit, amen? And one day, he will return for us bodily. Now, how many of you know that when we look at our children, the love we feel for our children, multiply that 100 times, 1,000 times over. We have this love because we were made in his image, amen? We are but his offspring, so it gives you an idea of what God has for you.

Now, if you love someone very much, if you love a spouse, or your girlfriend or boyfriend, or you love your child, what is that feature in that person that you love the most? Amen, what, the cuteness, the lovableness, the charming ways the person does something? Whatever it is, think of this. All beauty come from the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the source, the created cannot be greater than the creator. You look at puppies, you look at all the beautiful flowers and all that, these are created. Even our children, they are created. We love them, and multiply that beauty that you see in your loved one 1,000 times, 10,000 times over, and that can still not fully describe the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, you got to know that we don't realize how beautiful he is. Can I have a good amen? And it's always good to invite him from the beginning of the year into your life, amen, to walk you through the entire year because he has gone ahead. You know, when you invite Jesus to your occasion, whatever it is, there was once in the Bible in Cana of Galilee, a couple invited Jesus and his disciples to the wedding. And it was a wedding of a wealthy man. We know he's a wealthy man because of the way he lavished his spending on the wedding. In Jewish culture, it is the... like Indian culture. The father of the bride pays for everything.

So, obviously he was a wealthy man, but the wine ran out. It's the most embarrassing thing to have happen when the wine that you are boasting about runs out. And wine is one of the features of celebration in Jewish weddings, okay? And the mother of Jesus was there, and she went to Jesus and said, "They have no wine". And listen, Jesus, there was six water pots there, right? What were they made of? What were they made of? There are a lot of people say clay, it's not correct. It's six water pots of stone, six water pots of stone, not jars of clay.

Now, stone water pot is so much more expensive. All right, in Israel today, you still can find those stone water pots. It is very expensive because for a jar of clay, if it's marred or cracked, you can always sort of fill it up. You don't have to destroy it, you still can fill it up. You can repair it, amen. You can fill in the cracks. But with a stone water pot, you must design it in such a way, a mason must carve and sculpture it in such a way that it forms the shape without cracking it. So, it's a very, very expensive thing. And it's something that many a times the father, usually it's a patriarch of the family, he wants to show off for a wedding, he will bring up like how many water pots of stone he has, two or three. This man has six, six water pots of stone. And six is the number of... there's no insignificant details in the Bible, six number of man, right?

So, when you fill the water pots with water, it is like stone. God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone, cold, amen, legal stone, like a legal document, amen? And the law being the law being the law, it cannot bend to accommodate your weakness because if it bends to accommodate your weakness, that's why you have the picture of the law, the lady, fair lady justice, you know, with she's blindfolded. She's carrying the scale of balance. And the law is like that, right? Cold. But Jesus said, "Fill the water pots with water". He was demonstrating something. The six water pots were filled to the brim with water. That's the water that God gave Israel, the nation of Israel, which is a microcosm of all mankind. God gave man the law, and man cannot keep the law.

So, the law was written on stones. This water, like a picture of the law, was put in stone. So, that's man. Man cannot keep the law, amen? And water is not for celebration. In this occasion, it was the wine that ran out. But Jesus says, "Show it to the governor of the feast". As the water pots pass by the Lord Jesus, the water must have blushed in the presence of its master. And by the time it reached the governor of the feast, the one who runs the entire wedding, he realized that after he tasted some of it, he says that, "Whoa". He had to call for the father of the bride, called the bride, call the groom, and said, "Look, you guys are amazing. Most people will give the guests good wine first".

Right, why? Because when they start drinking and they start getting intoxicated and all that, you can give them anything, they'll drink later on because they can't tell the quality anymore, right? Am I right? Yeah, because they are drunk. But you, you have kept the best wine until now. So, not only Jesus turned the water into wine, he turned it into best wine.

Now, for you to get wine, you got to have grapes, right? Grapes come from vine. I don't want to say vine trees, they're not actually trees. In fact, the vineyard is made of clinging vines. And the vine don't exactly have a trunk like a tree, it clings. And the trellis, you can see pictures of this, or you go to when you travel in Australia or some places, you go to the vineyard, you will find trellis. And they are shaped like a cross, usually in the shape of a T, hallelujah. And the cross, Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches".

And you plant your vine tree, and your vine will start growing, your vineyard will start producing grapes, right? But it's not quality grapes the first few years. For quality grapes, you got to wait for three, four years. And even then, after three, four years, you don't get good wine. You have to prepare for a few more years for good wine. And then after that, amen, when you have your wine, to really, really have very good wine... not that I am experienced. All this I asked from Pastor Mark. No, no, I'm just teasing. But to have very good wine, as some of you will know, wine connoisseurs and all that, those who can appreciate wine, they say that the longer the wine is stored, the better it is. So, if a wine is at 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, the value increases.

So, wine and men are very much the same. Okay, okay, okay, the ladies don't agree. Ladies also. Okay, but everything in life degenerates. Everything in life dissipates. Everything in life grows old. Everything in life becomes decrepit. Everything in life ever since Adam fell, ever since Adam sinned against God, everything in life has gone downwards. You leave a hot coffee in one place, it become cold. It never becomes hotter. That's why a lower form did not rise up from an amoeba swimming, became a tadpole, and then finally became a creature, and finally become an ape. Ape is A-P-E, right? An ape, okay, an ape. Then from an ape, it became a man.

There's no such thing as lower form going to a higher form. Even common sense will tell you that. Everything in life breaks down. From a higher form, it goes to a lower form. It degenerates. You leave a garden patch by itself, you come back just a few... matter of few weeks, it's all grown up, right, with all kinds of weeds and tall grass, and you need to mow your lawn. It doesn't become shorter. It's not, you know, everything, everything. But then Jesus demonstrated in this wedding that what he did was this. To get good wine four, five years, then you squeeze the grapes, you go through the process of fermentation and all that, get good wine. But even then, really good wine, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, very expensive wine now. What Jesus gave to them was he gave the very, very good wine in one instance. He compressed time, demonstrating that he's the Lord of time, amen?

I just want you to know that the Lord said this one time, the second miracle actually. The first miracle of his ministry was turning the water into wine. The second one was actually the healing of the noble man's son. A noble man, the Bible says, came to Jesus, again in Cana of Galilee. And the Bible says he said he had a son that was very sick. He wanted Jesus to go with him to lay hands on his son, just like many of us say, "Lord, if only you will come down, come down, like when you did by the shores of Galilee, when you cleansed the lepers. Will you just come to me and touch me, Lord"? But the Lord said to the man, "Go your way, your son lives".

And the man is many miles away, you know, where he came from. He had to spend the night there, and then proceed to go back home the next day. When he reached home, they shouted to him, the servants shouted that his son is healed. And the son came out and all that. And he asked when his son was healed. Exactly the same time when Jesus told him the day before, "Go your way, your son lives," and he believed. This time, just like the first miracle demonstrates he's the Lord of time, this demonstrate that he's the Lord of space.

All right, the Lord does not need to be physically present with you to touch you or to heal you, amen? He loves you, and I feel the anointing right now coming on, amen? Some of you are feeling it already falling like a blanket in this place. If you've been diagnosed with cancer this year or whenever, okay, you may stand to your feet right now, there is a healing to touch you in Jesus's name. And I want the body of Christ also to believe if you are... the person is standing near you or whatever, just touch their shoulder.

All right, stand to your feet if that is you. We are family. Amen, this is family here, it's family time. The Lord is healing people right now with cancer, dissolving tumors. In the name of Jesus, sir, he's touching you right now, you are feeling the warmth come on your body. Lift your hands. Just receive that healing right now. You don't have to do anything, just receive. Receive it in Jesus's name. The lady at the back down there, the Lord is healing you completely. You are feeling the fire of God come on you, and it's dissolving that tumor in Jesus's name. What you are feeling is not psychological. That warmth that you feel, it's not psychological. It is the demonstration of God's Spirit upon you right now. Sir over there, God is healing you, dissolving that tumor, that growth in the name of Jesus. Be healed in the name of the Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for touching them. Thank you, Lord, for healing them. Lady over here, thank you, Lord, for touching her, Lord, and making her every whit whole in the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.

Now, while you are standing, I'm going to ask you to do this. If there's someone, if there is someone in your life that you are very bitter towards, you know that if you see that person, you don't want to spend time talking to that person, you hate that person, I'm going to ask you right now in Jesus's name to release that bitterness, release that fear. All right, release that fear of that person, or hatred of that person. Forgive that person right now because many a times bitterness that you hold in your heart, you hold in your emotions even, becomes a disease in the body, okay? Now, not all cases. And not all case of people who are standing here, okay? But sometimes, it can because your body is not designed for bitterness. It’s not designed for hatred. It's designed for love. And that's why love heals, amen?

So, right now if there's someone that you know, a husband that betrayed you, a friend that hurt you badly, amen, even though it's a memory, the person is dead, all right, forgive that person right now as you are standing. Forgive that person, release it. Bitterness and unforgiveness is like preparing poison for somebody, but you yourself drinking it. The person can be very happy still, but you yourself are drinking the very poison. So you know, let go of that bitterness for your own sake, amen? Say, "I forgive that person. Lord, I trust you and I release that person into your hands. I forgive that person. I don't demand reparation. I release that person unconditionally. I forgive that person in Jesus's name".

The healing is flowing like a river. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord. To Jesus be all the praise and the glory. How many of you who are standing right now, you're feeling something coming on you right now, the power of God coming on you? Sister over here, you're feeling like fire over you, the sister over here. Yes, the Lord is touching you right now. Do you feel that? It's precious. He loves you. He loves you. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Up there in the balcony, I see you and I also see the lightning of God touching your body right now in Jesus's name, healing you, dissolving that growth in the name of Jesus.

Quite a few of you up there at the back down there, I see you in Jesus's name. Thank you, Lord, Jesus. You don't have to be seen by me. You only have to be seen by the Lord and he sees you over there. Over there, I see you, sir. Thank you, Lord. Ma'am, thank you, in Jesus's name. Thank you, thank you for standing. Thank you for believing in my Lord Jesus who loves you so. He loves you so. And then you're feeling the warmth of God, the peace of God. As you're standing, I want you to receive this right now. Receive that shalom peace in Jesus's name.

This sister is receiving it in a strong way. Sir, receive that peace, that rest, that freedom from fear, worry, and anxiety about your future. Release that right now in Jesus's name. Just take a deep breath and just imbibe, take in that shalom peace, amen? Many a times, it's the lack of rest that causes us, lack of peace, causes us to be diseased. Now, once you are healed, get back into the peace and the ease, amen. You may be seated. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Okay, I want to go here. I want to go into the Word, amen?

I want to share with you a testimony that came in. Now, for the sake of privacy, we'll keep this lady's, it's a lady, her identity anonymous, okay? And it's a condition. It's a problem, a habit that usually man suffers from, pornography. But in this case, it's a lady. She's says she's not from our country, okay, another country.

I was fighting a long battle with pornography and I had no way out. I knew it was wrong and yet I could not stop myself. I tried so hard to stop in my own strength, but I just couldn't succeed. I felt ashamed and disgusted with myself. I nearly gave up but praise God, he will not let me go that easily. I began listening to Pastor Prince's sermons and was inspired by the testimonies he shared. The desire to watch pornography did not go away immediately, but I kept listen to and believing in God's Word. I also began to declare that I am the righteousness of God in Christ. God knew there were so many issues inside me. For three long years, he led me to deal with each one of them. He literally uncovered the depths of my soul. It was so embarrassing but at the same time beautiful that the creator of the universe would take time to help me. I had never believed that he cared or listened, yet he does. He heard my cry for help and he answered.

Now, the next paragraph is important because this is the reason why I'm sharing this, one of these ladies' testimony that came in.

Freedom from pornography happened when I heard Pastor Prince preach about Samson in his sermon, Walk In Greater Faith And Victory. And finally understood how lust could stem from rejection during one's childhood.

I shared about how Samson, you know, because of his unique call, he had to keep a long hair. In those days it's the vow of the Nazarite, cannot cut his hair. But children being children can be quite cruel and they would call him names like his name in Hebrew is Samson, Shimshon. They will say, Shimshona, which is the female version of Samson. They'll make fun of him. And vow that they must, the parent did before God was that he cannot touch grapes and all that, all right? And during the time of grape, the harvest of grapes and all that, it is a most joyous occasion and how Samson can only watch from afar.

And I shared about how the father should be the one to bring Samson out for hunting, doing manly stuff, telling Samson that those boys are doing playful, you know, childish stuff. You and I, we are men, amen, make him feel special. But the father was a weak father, Manoah was a weak man. And in my sermon, I share why he was a weak man. And many a times, weak men produce children that grow up to be having problems with lust and later on it manifest in adultery or pornography, and how many a times lust problem can be stemmed back from rejection or from a feeling of rejection. You know, it is amazing that many a times, children are innocent but when they're abused, they grow up to abuse others. If they are sexually abused, they sexually abuse others.

Now, you don't have to, you know, look far to know that statistically, many children that are abused sexually when they grow up, they have the same problem and that's why we gotta break the curse in Jesus's name, amen? Many people try to deal with the lust only to find themself falling into it again. No, deal with the rejection. Deal with that feeling un-love, you know, that you're not wanted or you feel like you grew up and your father is, even though you have a father, but your father is non-communicative, you know? He has a shield called the newspaper or the laptop, you know? This means don't come near, don't talk to me, all right? So, he's present but he's absent emotionally. So, you feel the rejection.

And children are amazing. You know, it's like their thinking is like this, you know, I don't know why but many children feel this way, when they are abused, they don't blame the culprit. They blame themselves. When their parents divorce, they don't blame their parents, they blame themselves. They feel like they are to be blamed for their parents' divorce, they are to be blamed for being sexually abused. They feel shamed from young and shame, when you receive shame, shame will cause you to repeat that cycle of addiction. Are you with me so far, all right? So, she heard the sermon about Samson and understood how lust could stem from rejection during one's childhood.

I had to deal with the rejection and pain of coming from a single-parent family and believing the lie that I wasn't loved

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Now, you can be from a single-parent family, but the Lord can be your Father, amen? The Lord can be your older brother. You can enjoy the love that cast out every fear, that cast out that rejection but she says, this was her background.

It was when I accepted and dealt with the feeling of rejection that I accepted the spirit of sonship, given to me by my heavenly Father. Now, I am free from pornography. I have no fear of dealing with rejection when it rises for I know that in Christ, I am strong because he has won the war. Thank you, Pastor Prince, for sharing the gospel of grace, it is truly changing lives.

And all the people said? Amen, amen, amen. Bobby, all right, not his real name from Texas.

I was tormented by a past that saw me molested by my brother and uncle. This made me mad at God, and I questioned if he was even real. I became angry and self-centered. I turned to alcohol and drugs, and I told myself if God didn't care, then neither did I. This road led to even darker areas as I began living an alternative sexual lifestyle and gave myself to worldly lusts and drugs. Years went by and I went deeper and deeper into this unhealthy lifestyle. I was drugged up one day in a bathhouse when a man just came up to tell me that God is good. That struck a nerve with me.

Later when I went to a friend's house, he happened to be listening to Pastor Joseph Prince. I listened to the message and my ears open and my heart was moved. I was hearing someone tell me that even in my all my filthiness, Jesus loves me. That was the turning point in my life. Pastor Prince said even though I was broken, I am the righteousness of God in Christ. It was not my own righteousness, but Christ's righteousness given to me. I took hold of that and ran with it.

Every day and every night, I listened to Pastor Prince. I would go to sleep listening much my Lord loves me and I would wake up reminding myself that I am loved, that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I no longer walk around defeated and I tell others of the great love that my Father for us through Christ Jesus has shown. My focus is no longer on me and my failures, but on the perfect work of my Lord Jesus on the cross. I cannot explain how much I'm indebted to my brother in Christ, Pastor Prince. He saved me from my previous destructive lifestyle. I'm now living a life of victory, prosperity, and joy, all in Christ Jesus. To him, be the honor and glory

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And all the people said, amen, amen, amen, amen. Praise the Lord. All right, Romans 3 tells us very clearly, being justified freely. How many of you know that you are justified? Justified is like a play on the words, "Just if I'd never sinned". How many of you'd like to come to God and God treats you like, not that you don't sin, but just as if you'd never sinned? Well, justified has that idea you're acquitted. And not only that, there's no reason for God to do that, all right, but based on the work of Jesus Christ. So, for you, it's freely. You don't have to earn it, it's freely. You are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation, big word, I'm gonna come to it. By his blood through faith.

Now, what is this propitiation? Propitiation is a word that we don't talk about nowadays, but it is literally in the Greek, which the New Testament is written in. In the Greek, it is the word mercy seat. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat is called hilasterion. Here it is hilasterion, the Greek word for mercy seat. Now, let me share with you what's a mercy seat, all right? You can take this, keep it with you, it's gonna bless you. You have the confidence that God hears your prayer. Can I have a good amen?

Now, let's look at the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant, this is how it looks like, amen? It is made of an oblong wooden chest, if you would, all right? And the wood is a special wood. It's incorruptible wood. It is a wood that's very sturdy and strong, and it's incorruptible because it is almost immune to every other disease. And God used that kind of wood, acacia wood, to demonstrate the physical humanity of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ that is incorruptible. And then they overlay it with gold. You know what? Let me demonstrate to you, okay?

There's a video here I'm gonna show you. First of all, the wood. The full humanity of Jesus Christ, the Christmas story. He came as man, overlaid with gold, deity. Outside without and within, also inside overlaid with gold. These are the staves, wood, and overlaid with gold as well. And then what covers it? The mercy seat. It is made from one slab of gold. The whole thing is chiseled, or beaten rather, into one slab of gold. That's the mercy seat. The mercy seat covers the ark. If you lift it up, it's an empty box but there's ingredients, I mean, there are things inside and predominantly three things. But for our focus today because of time I'm just gonna tell you the main thing it housed is the two stones of the Ten Commandments, the tablets of the Ten Commandments. That's why the ark of the covenant is also known as the ark of the law, the ark of the covenant because of the two tablets of stone that has the finger of God's handwriting, the Ten Commandments.

And in Exodus 25 it says this, "The cherubim shall stretch out their wings". Drop down. "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark". So, here is a box, it houses the Ten Commandments. Don't forget, this box in the Old Testament is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a visual aid for the children of Israel to understand. He's fully human, wood. He's fully divine, God. In Hebrews chapter 1, it says of Jesus, "Who being the brightness of his glory". That's the gold outside, gold without. "And express image of his person". That's the gold within, amen? "And upholding all things by the word of his power".

Notice, all around there's golden crown. That's the word of his power. "When he had by himself purged our sins," that's the entire mercy seat. So, you find the ark of the covenant in the very verse in Hebrews, amen, demonstrating our Lord. Now, look up here. So, it housed the Ten Commandments. The Bible says of Jesus saying to the Father, "Your law is in my heart". I told you just now, no one can keep the law, no one. Thou shall not commit adultery, for example. Jesus said, even if you undress a woman mentally, all right, you commit adultery with her already in your heart.

So, in other words, he's not there to crush us, but he's bringing us to place to realize that we're all sinners. We all need a Savior, amen? I said, we all need a Savior. We cannot keep the law and yet there are people who believe they can keep the law and in other words, "I'm doing my best. Pastor Prince, I'm doing my best. God knows that I'm doing my best". The law does not understand "I'm doing my best". When you go to a court, you cannot say, "I'm doing my best, I'm doing my best not to speed". They'll go by whether you speed or you didn't speed, right? Okay, don't want to say amen. "Amen, amen, Pastor Prince". Amen?

You know, it's amazing we all judge each other by our actions. We judge others by their action. We judge ourselves by our intention. Have you noticed that? We judge others by their action, we judge ourselves by our intention. "But I meant, actually what I wanted but I actually meant, I actually meant". Well, the court don't recognize what you meant. They only recognize what you did, am I right? So, the law can be cold, right? So, God says the law is only in one place, in one person's heart, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one that fulfilled all the law. Now, as far as you and I are concerned, God says, build a mercy seat and put it right over the ark.

Notice the four sides of the mercy seat fully covers the ark that house the Ten Commandments. And God says never let the Ten Commandments come out. The mercy seat must cover it and that's why propitiation is the word mercy seat, in Hebrew kapporeth, which means covering from the word kaphar. Actually, it is the third form, third voice, the intense form of the Hebrew, kaphar. It's not just cover, cover. It's the intensive form of the word which means fully cover, fully expiate, eternally cover, eternally remove our sins because on the mercy seat is where the blood is sprinkled. So, the high priest, once a year on Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, he comes in.

Okay, let's say this is the mercy seat, okay? Let's say this is the mercy seat. He comes in the Holy of Holies, the very extremely holy place, Holy of Holies, and he comes before the cherubim and he sprinkles blood on the mercy seat. As long as the blood is on the mercy seat, God will continue blessing Israel. Israel can expect a good harvest in the coming year. Israel can expect all their enemies coming against them to be defeated. Israel can expect their family blessings, that they will leave each man under this vine tree and his fig tree, everyone having a rich, rich harvest, amen, their family life blessed. As long as the blood is on the mercy seat, amen.

So, the ark of the covenant is also a picture of God's throne, okay? Now, what are the cherubim there for? The cherubim, what are they there for? Why are they there? The first mention of cherubim, we actually, cherubim from the cherubim I-M is actually the plural. They're actually called cherub or in Hebrew, kruwb, kruwv, all right? We think of cherub as a baby with diapers with an arrow, bow and arrow, you know, cupid, right? The song, "stupid cupid you're a real mean guy, I like to clip your wings so you can't fly", you know? In the earlier service, one of my services says he knows that song. That locates us straightaway, our generation. And he looks like he's a victim of cupid, I don't know why but I asked whether he was deceived in marriage, but he didn't want to say anything.

Anyway, you know cupid is a picture of a chubby, you know, little... But actually, of all the angels, the highest form of angels, the highest level actually are the cherubim, all right, the kruwb or plural, cherubim. Now, there are two of them down there now. I believe originally there was three 'cause God works in three, three groups, threes, right? Three because Lucifer was one of them. The Bible says that in one of the passages in the Old Testament, God spoke of Satan. Before he was Satan, he was Lucifer and God said to him: O, you anointed cherub, he was an anointed cherub, a very powerful archangel. He took one-third of the angels with him who became demons and that's why they're angelic. There are activities today that are demonic.

You know, Chinese people they say that hong, you know, I feel the wind, the wind. You know, they feel pain here, they feel pain here, they feel pain here. They deal with their mother-in-law, they feel the pain in their eye, you know? And sometimes the pain can jump. The pain can jump from here to here and the pain can jump from here to here, and it's amazing that medical science can do as best as they are. We thank God for doctors, they are doing a very noble, you know, altruistic work in blessing and helping humanity, alleviate their sufferings, but no one can deal with spirits. Things that jump, pain that jump from one part of your body to another, address it, it's a demon. Address it, it cannot be cut off. Even it's cut off, it can jump to another organ, that's why only the name of Jesus can put a stop to it. Are you listening?

So, one-third of the angels followed Lucifer and became Satan and all his minions, not yellow ones. Now they qualify everything. Cherub be also become cute. You see how the devil try to turn everything, huh? It's like things that are exciting, it's like, "Oh, he's handsome like the devil". Have you seen the devil? Handsome like the devil. You know, it's like devil's cake. Oh, you know, things that are good is to die for. You die, you cannot eat. You should be lived for. We be speak death. Anyway, that's another sermon all together but the thing is this, watch out for the, you know, the re-branding of words and all that, amen? It's as if the devil is more exciting and all that.

Let me tell you this, you do not what excitement is. All the organs put in your body is designed like this by God, not the devil. The devil can only take what is there and pervert it, amen? Okay, so, watch this now, once a year, blood is put on the mercy seat. Now, I was talking about cherubim just now, the first mention of cherub is in Genesis 3. So, God drove out the man. God drove out the man. The first time automobile is mentioned in the Bible is here. He drove out the man. I'm just joking, okay? Some of you are taking down notes. Joke, brother, joke. "God drove out the man; and God placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life".

So, after Adam and Eve sinned against God, the first man, man and woman, the first one. You know what's the story of man, Adam and Eve? Eve who asked Adam, "Do you love me"? Adam turned around and says, "Who else"? All right, the first man and the first woman, all right, when they sinned, their sin brought... you see, that's why sin is in the blood. Sin is not a matter of learning, sin is in the blood. And ever since then, all have sin in their blood. So, God drove the man out, but notice the instrument, the agency by which he did it, the cherubim. They're strong archangels. They drove the man and woman. I believe the other two is Michael and Gabriel, Pastor Gabriel. Gabriel, Michael, and the third one fell.

So, here you have the drama of the ages, the reason why suffering is in the world. It's not God's design. God never meant for you to grow old, have disease, die, you know, God never meant for that. That's why Jesus wept at a death, at a funeral. Jesus wept. He remembered the Father's design. He remembered his design for man. It was never, never for man to die. That's why everything in us fights against sickness. Everything in us fights against death. Everything in us fights about growing old and losing our faculties and all that. You know, everything in us fights against that because we know we are not born for this. Jesus said when he came, "I come that you might have life". Jesus, why did you come? "I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly".

So, there are people with plenty of money, a lot of properties, who don't have life more abundant, who are full of depression, who are full of strife, who are full of anxieties. Their blood pressure goes up and down like the stock market. Their happiness is contingent on whether China and America become good friends. No, Jesus says, "I come that you might have life and have it more abundant". Why do you come, Lord? "I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly". Okay, are you with me so far?

So, notice that they have a flaming sword. That means they are guardians of God's, what? Glory. They are guardians of God's holiness, God's glory. They drove the man out the moment man rebelled against God, disobeyed God, they drove the man and woman out into a world that was slowly falling, falling, falling because man has fallen. The crown of all creation has fallen. It's affect nature, it affect the creation. And now, by the way, that's the first mention ever in the Bible, first mention is very important, law of first mention. There's also a law called the law of last mention. In the Old Testament, the first mention of sword, a picture of judgment is here, amen, to bar the way to the tree of life. The last mention of sword is in the Book of Zechariah, all right in the Old Testament where it says God the Father is talking. He says, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd". Who's the shepherd? Who is God's shepherd? Our Lord Jesus and God is saying, "Awake, O sword of judgment". Sword in Genesis 3, "Awake, O sword, and sheathe yourself in the bosom of the Savior, the shepherd's Savior".

Do you know something? There's no more sword there to bar us from God's presence. Jesus walked in on the cross, amen? And the sword of judgment is now forever shielded, sheathed. You can come freely. So, once a year to sort of like reenact this, the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies, amen, and he sprinkles blood, once on the mercy seat. Once is all that's needed for God, the death of Jesus once and for all. He shed his blood, amen? It's all that is needed. Now, before the once on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat seven times; why seven? Number of perfection. You and I today when we come before God, we have a perfect standing. You have a perfect standing, amen? Not only that, why seven times?

Again, because we need to be reminded again and again and again that in spite of our sins, in spite of us not having our act all together, we can come to God and we don't look at ourselves, good things that we have done or the bad things that we have done. We look to the blood of Jesus. As long as the blood is on the mercy seat, and Jesus has shed his blood. God today, the cherubim, is not looking at the broken law. If there's no law, they will see the law and the law says, "If you disobey me, I will curse you". But the cherubim is now looking at the blood and the blood says, "You deserve death. You deserve death. You deserve death. You deserve death". But somebody has died! Blood is the metonymy of death. Blood means death. Jesus shed his blood.

So, the fullest judgment, the curse, can exact from sinful man besides disease, poverty, depression. The ultimate is what? Tong, tong, chang. Mati, death. That's the final thing, right? Am I right? That's the final thing. The ultimate punishment for man is death. So, at the cross when Jesus shed his blood, remember this, God so loved the world. Another thing I must tell you is this, even believers have this wrong. Do you know that nowhere in the New Testament does it ever say that God must be reconciled to man, never? Even our hymn says, our Christmas carol... "God and man reconciled", Actually, there's no such thing as God being reconciled to man. Nowhere in the New Testament says that. It's always man is reconciled to God, which the implication is what? The enmity is not in God's heart, it is in man's heart.

Man thinks of God, "God is out to get me. God is out to judge me. God is not a good God. God is holding things back from me". And the devil comes along and say, "You see, of all the trees you can eat, you can't eat this tree". But think about all the trees you can eat. But the devil is always saying, trying to produce hard thoughts in your heart towards God. And that's why Paul says, "I preach repentance towards God". Change your mind towards God. He is a good God. God does not need to be reconciled. Jesus's death did not put God in a good mood. Jesus's death did not put God in a favorable posture. God was already favorable before Jesus died.

Which one came first, Jesus's death or for God so loved the world came first? God loved us even though we were in our sins even before Jesus came. It is the reason why Jesus came. For God so loved the world, that he gave. He gave his only Son because he loved you and I, and his Son died on the cross for our sins, amen. So, the price for our sins has been paid and the blood is now sprinkled on the true mercy seat in heaven. Jesus is our mercy seat and right now, because of the blood, when you come to God, listen, the only thing the blood of Jesus does in terms of God receiving man is it makes God righteous in making man righteous in his eyes. God is not merciful in making you righteous. Because the blood of Jesus, the holiness of God, all the claims of God's holiness on your life is fully met by the blood of Jesus.

There's no more claim on you. It's all fully met. All the claims of the law is fully met in the blood of Christ, amen? All the obedience God demands from you from the law is fully met in the blood of Jesus. In other words, the blood of Jesus, when you see what it has done, for God, the only thing is that it makes God righteous. It gives God the righteous foundation to make you righteous. Can I have a good amen? And do you know that today, you and I, we are still not perfect, not even Pastor Mark? So, when it come, when we come to God, even though we know we have come short, even we know we have areas in our life, it's not a matter about looking at you, good or bad. It's a matter of looking at the blood of Jesus and knowing that God has nothing but good for you. God has nothing, no judgment. There's no more judgment for the believer. Are y'all hearing what I'm saying?

It was man. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. God wasn't reconciling himself to the world. God needs no reconciliation. The enmity's in man's part, and God is saying to all men, "Come back home to me, be reconciled to God, be reconciled". So, man has evil thoughts about God. Man has this thought that God is not for me, amen? And then they do their best and they get angry, "God, what's wrong? My best". But, you know, your best is not good enough. It's lowering God from his standard. "Why, why, why can't God just forgive me without the blood being shed? Why can't God, I forgive everybody"?

Well, you don't say the thing for a judge, right? A judge must be a just judge. To be a just judge, he must punish where there's wrongdoing, amen? If God just presumptuously forgive everybody without a basis, hey, where is his justice? The whole universe will collapse. So, God says the soul that sins must die, but he himself provided the death. He sent his Son, the one that he loves the most to die for our sins on the cross and now today, God has no, listen, there is nothing in God's heart but love for you. Are you listening?

However, there was a case in the Bible where somebody removed the mercy seat. The mercy seat is supposed to cover the Ten Commandments, right? Somebody tried to remove it. That's the only instance in history. Oh yeah, another one was "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Indiana Jones. But the only time in history is a place called Beth-shemesh. When y'all go to Israel to visit, ask the guide to bring you there, Beth-shemesh. In Beth-shemesh, the ark returned back to Israel from the land of the Philistines and the people of Israel were excited. The people of Beth-shemesh, more specifically. They went to the ark, you know what they did? Of all the things instead of worshiping the Lord, all right, and appreciating, they looked inside the ark.

You're not supposed to do that, why? God wants the law under the mercy seat. If you bring out the law, guess what. Either you keep all of it, and the law says you must keep all. You fail one, you fail all. It's stands as a composite whole. Never expose the law. Once you expose the law, you expose everybody to the curse of the law. The law says, "Unless you keep me perfectly, I cannot but curse you, curse your family, the judgment will come". You know what they did? The people of Beth-shemesh, they looked into the ark, which means they pushed away the mercy seat to look into the ark. And the Bible says many of them died. So, today Jesus is our mercy seat, and no one can remove Jesus from his place. I said, no one can remove Jesus from his place. Can I have a good amen?

So friend, I want you to know something in closing, bring 1 John 4, please. I want you to read this with me as we close. "We have known", talk lah, the whole service I'm talking, you know? At home, my wife talk, my wife don't talk, my son talk. Actually, Wendy doesn't talk much, I wish she does, you know, but my son talks a lot, okay? Down here I talk, then y'all don't talk. I talk for so long, talk lah. Let's try gain. "And we have"? One more time. We'll close with this. It's not enough just to know. Some of you have heard Pastor Prince teach God loves you. It's not enough to know. You have to believe, you have to believe that God loves you.

Notice, it's not just one. It doesn't say we know the love that God has. No, we have known and believed the love that God has for us. Did you hear that? You gotta believe that God loves you. How did God love you? Look at the cross. The greatest demonstration of God's love for you is at the cross, amen? And also every day there's personal demonstrations. Not everything in life is rosy, right? There are a valley of experiences, but even a valley experience, when God shuts a door, it's because he's opening a big door. Someone leaves you that love is very much it's because God knows that person is not good for you in the future. You gotta believe that God loves you, he protects you. Even when you are not happy with him at the moment, he will love you enough to disappoint you because he see good is coming in your future. But we don't have the full picture, so, you know, let me just say this, it's not enough to know about believe, why?

Let me illustrate with a story in the prodigal son. People forget it was Jesus who shared this parable of a man who had two sons and the younger of them says, "Father, give me my share of inheritance". In Israel it's like saying, "I can't wait for you to die. I want my inheritance now". So, the father gave him the inheritance. He went to a far off country and spent all his money on riotous living. When his money ran out, his friends ran out. He had nothing left, but his life began to take on abject poverty. His only meal was in the pigpen looking at the... and for the Jew, that's the pits to be with the pigs. Looking at the pig's food and actually envying what's they eating, wanting to eat what they eat. And the Bible says he came to himself and said, "Even in my father's house, there are bread enough and to spare. I think I'll arise and go back to my father and say to my father, father, make me one of your hired servants".

In other words, he still does not believe the father loves him. He's trying to go back to earn his bread. Let me ask you a question, okay? And this is also for believers. You may have heard me preach that God loves you. I'm asking you, do you believe it? All the while when the son was out there, did the father love him? When the son was depressed at the pigpen, did the father love him? The reality, did the father love him, but he was still depressed, why? He didn't believe in it. When he fell into shame, when he fell into social disfavor, did the father love him? Has the father forgiven him of all his sins? But was he still in that state? Yes. So, the fact that God loves you does not change your life unless you believe it.

So, there are those who say, "Pastor Prince, I listen to your sermon all the time". It's not a matter of hearing my sermon, do you believe that God loves you? So, all the while when he was in abject poverty, does the father have bread enough and too spare and the riches of the glory of his resources available for the son? Yes, yes. The fatted calf, was it waiting? Yes. Did the father hold any grudge? No. Has the father forgiven the son? Yes. But was the son still in poverty? Yes, why? He didn't believe. You understand? Repentance is nothing more than turning around, repentance towards God.

A lot of people think repent means, I repent of this action, this action. You can't repent enough of any action because only the actions that you're cognizant of you repent of. What about those that you're not cognizant of? We sin against God more than we realize. Thank God, God forgives based on his knowledge of our sins, not based on our knowledge. If I go home right now, I think that I'm happy. God forgives us according do his riches, thank God not according to my, I can't say riches, my pauper state, my poverty of spirit or based on my knowledge of my sins. How poor is that? Based on my confession, how little I confess. No, he forgives us according to the riches of his grace.

So, all the while, when they say... Hey, let me illustrate another one. I'm closing with all this. Another one is this, David cut a covenant, blood covenant, with his friend Jonathan, and he loved Jonathan. The Bible says they were truly bosom friends and not only just covenant friends. And the Bible says later on, Jonathan died. Jonathan died in the mountains of Gilboa and the Bible says David wept over Jonathan's death. And David was looking out with a hand to bless. "Any sons of Jonathan left, is there any son of Jonathan"? He's waiting to bless the son but all the while, Jonathan had a son called Mephibosheth. He has a long beard because Mephi is his name bosheth, Mephibosheth, got it? It's the best I can do, you know?

So, Mephibosheth was a young boy when he heard news that Jonathan died and all the while, people have been feeding this young boy, has been feeding this five-year-old, when he was at that age, his father died, telling him that, "David is out to get your father's throne. David's out to destroy your family. Don't let David find you. If David find you, he will kill you". Same thing today what people say about God. "God is out to get you. God is not for you. God is out to punish you. He's not for your best interest. When he tell you to do something, it's like a dictator. He doesn't have your best interest at heart. God is out to judge you".

So, the first area of repentance is repentance towards God. Change your mind towards God that God is for you, that he love you. We don't have to do anything to make God love us. When we're all sinners, God so loved that he gave. When we don't care about him, when we don't care that we don't care, God cared and God so loved that he sent his Son to die for our sins on the cross. So, all the while Mephibosheth lived in a place called Lo Debar. In English, the bar is very low. In Hebrew, lo means no. Debar means no word from God. A place of no pasture as well. It means no pasture. No pasture, no word from God, no fertilizing rains to ripen the crop. He lived in abject poverty. He lived in rejection. He lived under the notion all the while in his mind that David's out to get you, David's out to get you, hide, hide, hide, hide all the rest of your life.

And one day David found him and all the while he found out later on that David loved him. All the while, he was, all the while when he was in poverty, all the while when he was in depression, all the while when he was in his pessimistic thinking about David and all that, did David still love him? Yes. Did he have a title to the king's table? Yes, but he didn't believe it. So, it's not a matter of whether you know God. Do you know God loves you. "Oh yeah, yeah". Do you believe it? If you believe it, you'll line up your life with that love. You will act like God loves you.

There's something about someone that believe God loves them. Let's say somebody doesn't believe. Let's say Pastor Daniel here doesn't believe God loves him, but he knows him mentally. He can teach it. I can choose him because I know he believes so I can illustrate. Let's say, Gabriel believes God loves him. So, even though they are so close together, something about Gabriel that makes God pour more blessings. It's not that God loves him more, it's that his door for blessing is bigger. You see, the sun shines on every house but those who have a bigger window get more sun. It's not that God is saying, uh, "Wah, the sun favors you more, huh? You got more light in your house". No, no, it's that he opened up the house to the sun.

But those who put up the shades all the time like your neighbor or those in first class when you fly, they look at you and then they... right, almost like if you work harder, you won't be there, you know? Toilet, first class. Someone that believes is opening the door. It's not that make God love you more. God cannot love you more than he already is loving you. It's that your faith is actually the window that opens up to the sunlight. More faith, bigger window. Small faith, little pinhole, you know, little light comes in, but all the while the sun was shining. The sun could have got up and say, "Father, I believe you love me". Even when he came back, he still tried to earn. He didn't believe the father's love.

It's not a matter, you see, there are children today, there are teenagers today who don't really believe the father loves them. "All you raised me up for is to go downstairs and buy coffee for you. All you want is to educate me so you can boast to your relatives that your son went to university". They don't in their heart they really believe. And, you know, what? As fathers, we have failed. Many a times we have given impression our face is more important, our relative's obedience is more important. No, so, we may live but actually I know many fathers love their children, but if it's not communicated in a way that they feel it. No matter how much you love them, it comes to nothing. My son must know I love him. My daughter must know I love her. My wife must know that I love in a way that she understands, right? Don't say right it's still right, lah, you know what I'm saying or not? "Preach it, Pastor Prince, good preaching, hallelujah. Pastor Prince, preach some more. They don't say yeah man, you preach another hour".

I'll bring this to a close. Friend, I don't claim to know everything but I do know the one who loves me, the one who loves you, amen? And he wants us to put our trust in him. And when you come to him, see the blood. Don't see yourself. Don't see your good or even your bad. Don't see yourself, see the blood. The blood is there at the true mercy seat in heaven sprinkled on the throne of God, and you have a perfect standing to come before God. And your prayers are not to make yourself feel good, to soothe your soul. Your prayers are to get real, solid, concrete answers from God. Yes, God is in the business of miracles that transcend time and space. He can do it. God can reverse.

In fact, the Bible says God can restore to you the years the locusts has eaten. So, all the wasted years and wasted time, God can restore it. God can give you new wine, amen, in an instant, what takes other people laborious work, amen. Don't envy them, don't envy them. If you knew the truth, they'll envy you. And all the people said? Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Now, perchance there's someone here you say, "Pastor Prince, I'm like that prodigal son. I'm like that Mephibosheth. I'm like the person who really, really, you know, begin top see right now that God loves me but I never believe it. Pastor, can you pray for me? I believe".

That's what being a believer is, believing in God. What, what, what about God? That God loves you, God is for you, God sent his Son to take care of the sin problem, amen? His Son is the mercy seat, he's not a seat of judgment. If that is you wherever you are right now, I want to lead you in this prayer. Say this after me from your heart, are you ready? Only God knows whether you say it from your heart because this is a personal time in the midst of the multitudes here, it's still a personal time. Say this from your heart.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love for me, a love so strong, undying love, great love. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. Lord Jesus, thank you for bearing the judgment and the punishment that was supposed to fall on me but you bore it all on yourself, that from today, there is no more sword of judgment in my future. There is no condemnation for me now in Christ because you bore it all. And Father, you designed it in such a way that today because Jesus shed his blood, all your attributes are completely and fully satisfied. You are for me, not against me. You are not a God far away now. You're a Father very near. Jesus Christ is my Lord. And Lord, I thank you that though you bore my sins on the cross, you rose from the dead without my sins. They're all gone, gone forever. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. In Jesus's name, amen.

Praise the Lord. Now you're born again. If you prayed that prayer from your heart, you're born again, you're saved. You're now in the family of God. There is no more judgment for you, no more punishment. You can expect life more abundant, amen? Praise the Lord.

Stand to your feet. This coming week, the Lord bless you, you and your families, the blessings of Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, the blessings of the firstborn. The Lord make his face to shine on you, smile on you, make the crooked places in this week straight, no stress, no fear, no anxiety, but shalom peace in your heart to govern everything that you do. The Lord lift up his countenance and keep every one of you safe till the next year, safe from all harm, safe from all danger, safe from overeating, safe from all evil. The Lord grant to you and your loved ones, his wonderful peace that protects your heart and mind from all fears, anxieties, and worries. In Jesus's name, and all the people said, amen.