Joseph Prince - Live Out Your High Calling
I want to share with all of you something about who you are today, amen, of course, we'll preach about the Lord Jesus Christ because only in him can we see who we are but unless you know who you are, your doing is affected by your being. The emphasis in the world today is that if you're not successful, if you're not accomplishing what you are hoping or dream to accomplish, it's because you do not know what to do, okay? But actually it all begins with who you are, your being because you can actually do something noble but in a cringing spirit. You can do something generous with a stingy spirit. You can do something unselfish, but you have a stingy spirit. Likewise the Bible says you have not, child of God, listen, you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship by which we cry Abba Father, amen? We cry Abba Father.
Now, notice the spirit of slavery or spirit of bondage, you have not received a spirit of bondage again. The word "again" tells you once upon a time, the people had a spirit of bondage, the Jewish people especially because they were under the law. So, they had a spirit of bondage. Even though they fear God, it's a spirit of bondage again to fear. They feared God in a slavish fear, you know? Now, I believe in the fear of the Lord, but I believe that that means a reverence and a worshipful awe and adoration of almighty God who is our Father, amen, today. But this spirit of cringing fear, slavish fear is not something God wants.
So, because Jesus came, he gave us his place of sonship, amen, we are now sons of God, amen, even the ladies, the Bible calls it sons, amen, of course, daughters of God, sons and daughters of God, we have the spirit of sonship by which we cry, Abba Father. And Abba is closer than just Father. It is Daddy, Daddy God, amen, people? Praise the Lord. Revelations chapter 1, verse 8 and 9. You know, as the Word goes forth, I just want you to know somewhere there, lah, it's not verse, one of the verses. Revelations 1, please. As the Word goes forth, be expecting God to touch your body, amen, to set your mind free from depression, and for a restoration of mental poise, peace, shalom, wholeness to your body. Even believe that as you are listen toking the Word, renewal of youth is happening.
The Bible says in Romans 1 that the power of God is released when the gospel is being preached and this gospel is the power of God to your soteria. Soteria in Greek, salvation in our English Bible, but the word "soteria" is actually wholeness in every sense of the word. So, be expecting as the Word goes forth, you're getting younger, you're getting stronger, you're getting healthier, you're getting sharper, no more foggy brain, amen? God is restoring to you even your mental faculties, your memory faculties, amen. You're not gonna get worse and worse, amen. So, be ready to just receive whatever God has for you. Even a gift can be imparted as the Word goes forth, amen.
Revelations 1, "And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth". The word "ruler" here in the King James is the prince of the kings of the earth. It's very interesting that Jesus is the king as well as the prince. My son asked me the other day, why is he the prince when he's the King of kings? I stopped for I look at him, "because", then I think and I think. Okay, he is the King of kings and the is the Prince of peace, right? And as prince it shows he is, there's someone he submits to and that's his Father in heaven. As King he's sovereign, amen, over all.
Now, the word here should be prince over the kings like King James version, this is the New King James but King James says, "Prince over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed". Aren't you glad he loved you? This King of kings loved you. You know, when you think about it, you know, we talk about people that really know us, we think about our spouse or, you know, your spouse, somebody else, or best friends. It should be your spouse but for some people, it's the best friend whatever it's sad to say. But if you think about the closest person who knows everything about you and can accept you still or at least be your friend still, or still stay in marriage, amen?
That's the closest person but think about someone who really knows you throughout, even your spouse does not know those areas. Those areas even like your thinking, your private thinking, your emotions and who you are when no one is looking. There's one who sees everything, who knows everything about you, who knows you through and through and yet loves you. He loves you. And that's why he should be the one that we always go to, we can talk freely with and he loves you, and he's our Savior. And the Word of God says, the Scripture says that he loved us. But God loved us so much he sent his Son to die for our sins, and he who loved us so gave his life on the cross. His Son says, "Therefore does my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again".
No, Jesus wasn't murdered of his own volition, he laid down his life. When they came to arrest him, the one that was supposed to be arrested, arrested the arresters, amen? They came to arrest him and he says, "I Am" and they all fell, fell with all their swords and their spears, and he waited for them to get up to arrest him, why? Because in the declaration "I Am" is the pronouncement that he is God, God in the flesh, amen? So, he came to die for our sins. He wasn't put on the cross by wicked hands. Though that happen, amen, that wasn't the initiative. The initiative did not lie with them, it lied with God who loved us so, amen? It lay with God who loved us so and gave his Son to die for our sins, while what? We were set sinners, Christ died for us. You are loved. You are loved, amen?
And for those who believe it, when you believe it, you are saying what you did is real and actual and I believe you, all right, I believe that I'm a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe in the, you know the depravity of man, all men. The moment man sinned, they partook of that fruit in the beginning. All men have sin in their blood the moment they are born in this world, amen? I'm a sinner and God says, "No problem, I sent my Son to be the Savior". The only problem will be if you don't want to declare you're a sinner, then Jesus cannot be your Savior. He's only Savior to those who are sinners.
If you look at the gospels carefully, you'll find that the ones who really please the Lord the most are the ones who make use of his saving power, the ones who make use of his healing power, the ones who make like the samaritan woman at the well, the one who took from him, his saving, power, the gift of living waters, amen? And the disciples came and he says to them, "I have meat to eat you do not know of", amen? He was there tired when they left him, they came back, they saw him fulfilled. It's as if he has eaten. Yes, the food for the Savior is when a sinner comes and receive from him, amen. That's what satisfies him. What grieves him when he was on earth are self-righteous people, even those who know their Bible, but self-righteous.
Don't see themselves as sinners who despise other people, having an attitude of holier than thou, "Stand down there, I'm holy, don't come near me". These are the people that maybe not in action, but in thought and word and in attitude, these are the ones that they cannot receive from the Lord and these are the ones that grieve the Lord. So, the Lord has no problem with sinners. He died for sinners, amen? Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Aren't you glad we are saved? He loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. You know, again, if Justin washes, "Justin, can you wash my white shirt for me"? All right, I think it'll be worse than before he washed. It all depend on who is washing. All right, but if Jesus is the one that washed your sins, guess what. You are washed, bro, you are washed until your robe of righteousness shines brighter than the sop sun, amen? Praise the Lord.
"He washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests through His God and Father, to him the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen". And I think that this has been neglected in a lot of preaching today because we tend to be more evangelical, which is true, which is the most important. We talk about God's love, we talk about washing our sins, you know, salvation, and cleansing, and the washing of regeneration, but we fail to communicate to the body of Christ that they have now become kings and priests, kings and priests and it to his God and Father. It's not kings and priests to lord it over men, but to God and the Father, amen, to carry out his plans and purposes on planet earth, to establish his kingdom on the earth, amen, to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and then we are actually like Christ in this earth. That's why you're called Christians, amen? So here, made us kings and priests has gotta be preached like never before. Kings and priests, what are you? King and a priest.
Now, real quick, I want to talk about priest first. Priest is towards God, amen, it's more towards God because a prophet is like he comes from God's presence with a Word for the people. But a priest, he comes to God with prayers, with praise and worship, with gifts of sweet-smelling odor to God. Amen, today when you tithe, when you give, Paul calls it a sweet-smelling odor in Philippians chapter 4. So, good deeds, when we are good to each other, we love each other, it goes up as a sweet aroma to the Lord, but the greatest gift of all is the gift of his Son and he goes up like a sweet-smelling savor at the cross, like a perfume, sweet-smelling perfume to God. He sacrificed amidst a sweet odor that God himself deeply appreciates that none of us can, amen? And this you can find in all the teaching on the Leviticus.
So, we are in that odor, we are in fragrance, we are in that perfume of Christ to the Father. So, we worship God. Every time you say, "Praise the Lord, hallelujah, amen", do you know that you are emitting a fragrance to the Father, you are worshiping him? You are actually functioning as a priest. And let me tell you this about priests, priests in the Old Testament, you never find them having heart attacks unless they are stricken by God, and that's another isolated reason, all right? You never have them growing old, amen, too fast. You never find them fatigued. In fact, at the temple, they always have to climb up a number of stairs before they can go into the holy place, the temple of Solomon, for example. There are always stairs and before the stairs of the temple, there are stairs beyond that, the sovereign steps, and you find that people go and worship God with a priestly ministry, they are always strong and healthy. There's something about worshiping God and praising God, amen, that enhances your health.
So, again that's a priestly ministry, a priestly ministry is to God. Our praise and worship, that's what we do all the time, amen, like, you know, the Hillsong ministry is so strong in this area of worship, amen? They lead us in worship, amen. God raised them for this purpose to restore the priesthood ministry of every believer. Now, the priesthood is not a special elite group, the, you know, the clergy. No, there's no more clergy and laity. We're all priests to God. I said, we're all priests to God. Now, we have different functions, not all are fivefold ministry, not all are evangelists, not all are prophets, not all are teachers, all right, not all are apostles, but we're all priests, okay?
Now, kings, we are all kings as well. We are all kings. What's the function of a king? Now, a king is like a prophet. A king comes from the presence of God, amen, to carry out God's assignment. And how they do it is this, where the Word of a king is, the Bible says, there is power. Ecclesiastes, "Where the Word of a king is, there is power". Say it. There is authority, other translations say, "Where the Word of a king is, it is authoritative". Amen, a king speaks and it happens, amen. People do, king speaks, amen. The rest of the people do, amen? Power is released when you speak.
Now, Adam had that in the beginning before he fell. Now, you think that Adam, you know, God told him take care of the animals and take care of the garden and all that, and you think that he has a big stick with a chicken, you know? And with all the flock of sheep and all that and he probably has a shepherds rod and all that. But what about those big gigantic animals like dinosaurs which existed during that time, amen, which is like mammoths, and all those big elephants and all that, how does he deal with them? No, he doesn't have a stick. He speaks. He speaks and the animals obey. Amen, when he sinned, his crown rolled in the dust and that's what sin is.
The Bible says we say sin is this, sin is committing adultery, sin is telling a lie, sin is this. Yes, those are the outworkings of sin, but what is sin? The Bible says sin is coming short of the glory of God, nothing but the glory of God himself is who you were created to be. You were created to emit the outshining, the glories and the excellencies of your God. That's why Jesus came as a pattern man and we see moral beauty, we see glories, we see excellencies in every word, every thought, in his action, amen? We see beauty, moral beauty. We see loveliness. His words, his actions, even in his correction there's beauty, amen.
I love it when, you know, John the Baptist doubted whether he was the Messiah. There came a time when John the Baptist doubted. You know, and believers, sometimes, you know we have moments where we start doubting the things we've been believing. And John was in prison, started doubting. So, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one or should we look for another"? Jesus's answer is so beautiful, emits a fragrance to the Father when I think about it. His words he says to John's disciples, "Go tell John what you just saw", and they spent some time with him and they saw him do miracles. The eyes of the blind were opened, the deaf were listening, and all kinds of miracles happening. And he says, "Go tell John what you heard and seen. The deaf hear, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, amen, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And tell John, blessed is he who is not offended with me".
Now, he didn't say, "John, you're offended". Even the disciples did not know the message was for John. The correction was put in a special box with ribbons. It's only for John to open it and realize, "John, blessed is the one who has not stumbled with me". Beautiful, I love the way, what's the cure of unbelief? Tell people what Jesus has done. Tell the people what Jesus has done in your life, amen? That's a cure for John. Tell them what you see and hear. Tell them what you saw and hear, amen? Praise the Lord. I love Jesus, don't you? Even the correction is beautiful, amen? Even when he corrected his disciples, "O, you of little faith", notice he always like to say, "O, you of little faith, O, you of little faith. Why you so... O, you of little faith", all right?
When you think about it, "O, you of little faith is beautiful", because love gives, love is the hand that gives, faith is the hand that takes. Without faith it's impossible to please God, amen? God wants you to take from him. You take from man, man is depleted. You take from God, it's as if he becomes stronger, he becomes fuller. That's God, amen. And the Lord says to his disciples, "Why, O, you of little... why do you take so little"? In other words, "O, you of little faith" means, "Why do you take so little from me when I'm so full? Why do you take so little from me when I have so much to give"? Hallelujah, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, thank you, Jesus, amen. Oh, no wonder we love you, Lord, praise you. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Don't you just love him? Amen, so praise the Lord.
And let's go to 1 Peter 2, but you are a chosen generation. Child of God, listen and all of you together, amen, wherever you're watching this, remember this, if you believe on Christ, you are a chosen generation. The very one that God has chosen, God dreamed of this generation, God dreamed of you, amen. You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. Chosen is something else, okay, like two kids were fighting one time they are both brothers but not blood brothers. One was adopted, okay, and the other one is the, you know, born in the family. So, the one that was born said, "You know what? You were adopted? You got no say in this family". The other brother looked at him and says, "I'll tell you one thing, when mom and dad had you, they had no choice, but I was chosen".
Okay, so the idea is that, but I don't want you to think that we were not flesh and blood, born of God. Okay, we are born of God and the sonship adoption there is the word "sonship" actually, amen, but the word "idea" here is chosen. You're a chosen generation, a royal, now, look at this, royal priesthood, not just any priesthood, a royal priesthood, a royal priesthood. What's a royal priesthood? A priesthood that's kingly. It has the mean of royalty. It has the air and bearing of royalty. It's regal priesthood.
Now, I tell you why this is not the priesthood of the Old Testament because under the Levitical law, the priesthood then was just priests and the kings of Israel and kings of Judah, they were just kings. There were very few exceptions, for example, Melchizedek appeared to Abraham, which I believe is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, and I got no problem with people saying that he's a real person and all that, I got no problem, as long you keep to the fact that he typifies Christ. He's unique in the sense that he's mel, king, chizedek, righteousness, king of righteousness, but he was also king of shalom and priest of the most high God.
So, you see king and priest combined in one personage, very rare. When David came back with the Ark of the Covenant, remember that? He was rejoicing, amen? He was so happy the ark is brought from Obed-Edom who has been blessed for days, amen? And Obed-Edom, by the way, decided to follow David. If the blessing is going, I'm going where the blessing is going. See, y'all are very smart. You know why you are here today? 'Cause you know how to smell blessing, amen? Instead of sleeping at home or jogging on a Sunday morning, you are here, praise the Lord, hallelujah. Or Sunday evening, depending on when you're watching this, amen? He followed David and David came back and he was girded with a linen cloth.
That's a priestly garment, by the way. And he was a king so we see another exception and that was a typifying the day and age we live in. The age of grace where it's a royal priesthood, but in the Old Testament for the most part, a king cannot become a priest. There was some attempts like King Uzziah. He tried to be a priest. He was a king, but he tried to be a priest and he went into the holy place with the incense to offer the incense to God. His motive, I mean, you think about it, he wants to offer incense to God, not to himself. He's not making an idol, a God, all right, he was going to, but he cannot function as a priest. God make a clear demarcation is a king is a king and a priest is a priest because God wants to protect the glory of his Son Jesus Christ who will be the king priest when he comes, amen?
Zechariah prophesied a priest shall bear rule and sit on his throne, amazing prophecy. A priest shall bear rule and sit on his throne. Who is that? A throne for a priest, that's Melchizedek, that's our Lord Jesus Christ. Can I have a good amen? So, Uzziah tried to do that, and what happened? The priest came and priest says, "Don't do this, all right, you're not supposed to be doing this, king, you're not supposed to be doing this". It's almost like, "I'm king, who cares"? And the Bible says as he was arguing and chiding with the priest in the holy place, the leprosy started on his forehead, the worst kind is the one that starts with the head and all sin starts with the head, it starts with the head. And then he realized he became a leper. Until the day he died, he became a leper.
So, it's a dangerous thing to try to be something that you are not that God has ordained you to be. But for us, amen, Jesus has made us king priests and the reason he protected that in the Old Testament is because so that no one will take the glory from his Son, amen? There's only one king priest and we are all offspring of him, amen, we are his branches, amen? We are the body of Christ, can I have a good amen? And that's the message I want to bring across to you today that because we are a royal priesthood, notice the function, "A holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light".
You know, the Bible says we're all living stones. If you go to Israel, you find that the temple where they built, Harris Temple, the quarry, I was in the quarry with all my pastors, right. Amen, we're all in the quarry, and we took some pictures but it didn't come out so well because of the darkness in the quarry. But the quarry's in Jerusalem and the quarry still had the cut marks and all that, and some were left like that, you know, his square-shaped block, all right, but it's cut halfway. And we have pictures of it, all right? But it will take time for me to show you all that, but there was some taken out of it. You can see the shape of it, the square shape where all of these are made into stones for the temple.
In other words, God called you as living stones out of darkness to build a temple to the Lord, amen. Out of darkness, he brought us out into his marvelous light, amen, and he cut us into shape. A stone outside, a stone on the wall, part of the wall, is not a living stone. But when God touches it, and God shapes it, and God cultivates it, it's now a living stone. Amen, it functions as a temple. And we're all together side by side, amen, fulfilling our role. So, here, praise God, the purpose is what? Why did God make your holy nation a royal priesthood? "To proclaim the praises of Him, who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light". To proclaim the praises of him.
Now, we think of this, all right? Years ago I used to read this and I think that, oh, it means to say hallelujah, sing songs of praises to God. "Come and praise him royal priesthood. Come and worship holy nation. Worship Jesus our redeemer. He's so precious king of glory. Come on and praise him royal priesthood". Yeah, that's what you are. So, our priesthood function is to praise him, right? But the kingly function is to proclaim the praises, these praises here is not the, you know, getting worship or praise to God. There is a place for that. That's the priesthood function. But this is actually the word, "moral excellence" in the Greek. We are called forth, let me show you the NASB points it out, "That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him", our life especially, who you are.
When people meet you, do you proclaim the excellencies of him? Your business dealings, do you proclaim the excellencies of him? Your marriage? Some people say, "You know what, Pastor Prince, you talk about being dead to the law and alive to God and all that". No, no, listen carefully. The moral, the morality that God talks about is not the morality of the world. The world says, as long as you don't do it, it's fine. You're good man. But what's the definition of good? That means don't get caught. Don't do it, especially in terms of people, right? Don't hurt people. You can do it at home, but you don't hurt people. But the moral excellence goes even beyond outward show. It starts in your mind in your heart. When you have moral excellence, that's what being dead to the law, the law, the more you tried to do the law, it produces the opposite. Nothing wrong with the law.
I've touched on that before, amen. But the moral excellence that God wants to produce, by the way, the morality of the Ten Commandments, what it wants to accomplish is exactly what God wants in his people. But God knew when God gave the Ten Commandments, man cannot. Do you think that God only has his mind, don't commit adultery? No God has in mind love your wife, amen? Amen, love your wife. It's not just don't commit adultery. You think God has in mind just don't steal? No, he has in mind, be a giver, be a blessing to people, amen. Be generous. He has a generous life for you, amen. You think his mind is just don't, don't? No, but the don'ts were necessary to show men their sin. It's like a mirror. The more they try, the more worse they become.
So, we are normal under law, we are under grace. That doesn't mean we are not under any morality. But again, I don't use the morality. It's actually higher than morality, it's moral excellence. And when I say higher, it is not a morality that say, "Oh, I'm so well off. I'm so good, you know, in my behavior, in my character and all that. You are, you know, you stay down there". No, no, his moral excellence involves humility. Our Lord Jesus has a choice of where he could be born. He chose the worst place, one of the smaller place rather, amen, and grew up in the worst place, notorious, infamous for because there's a cross way of all the continents and that's where people stop to go to the brothel, like a nightclub gambling, dance, you know? It's like, a terrible vice, a place of vice, and it's not a place of virtue.
And that's what Jesus grew up, and they call him Jesus of Nazareth. Are you listening, all right? But he transformed that place into something fragrant, that the word "Nazareth" today is something so beautiful, Jesus of Nazareth, amen. But God chose. And where was he born? In Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, it was a feeding trough of the animals. It must not try to whitewash it with Christmas pictures and all that. It's a smelly place, it's a dirty place. Animals are there, animal dung is there. Animals are making noise. It's not a romantic place. It's not a peaceful place outwardly, but then the feeding trough, the Son of God was born. Do you know he has a choice where to be born? You can choose to be born in a palace. It's a moral excellence that the humility, it's a humility that's beyond. And man try to be humble, have you seen before?
"Oh, it's not me. No, no, no, no, don't say that. It's not me. It's not. It's not me. No, no, don't say that. Don't say that. You know, I know, I know". And when Jesus heals, he doesn't come, you know, he doesn't heal like a patron. You know, a patron can do good things, but there's a distance. A patron remains in a position of dignity. Jesus never heals, never delivers, never does good among men like a patron. He comes to where you are. When he forgives you, he's there with you. When he cleanses the leper who by now stinks and it's terrible. He smells it. He touches him. He gets close, not as a patron, not as a benefactor, but here with us. There's a beauty in Jesus, the moral excellence. It's not just be ethical.
You know, the world can be ethical, but usually it's outward. Many countries are civilized, all right? You know, even Singapore. What happens if anarchy rules? That's when the heart of men is shown? Will there be rape? Will people be blundering? Will they be, you know? If there's no order, law and order, anarchy rules, what's gonna happen? Come on, come on. So laws cannot change man's heart 'cause the moment the law, they fear not doing some things because that's not moral excellence. That means the only reason they don't do it is because there's a law. But God, God changes our want twos.
Moral excellence, you know, it's like, it's not thou shall not commit adultery. When you are like Jesus, you proclaim the excellencies of him. When you look at him and you become like him. It's not even like if I have a thought about being unfaithful to Wendy, amen? Even the very thought, no one knows about it, even my wife doesn't know about it. But it's repugnant to me? I don't like it. I hate it. Now, I'm not saying I'm something, but that's what God wants, you know, it's not just don't commit adultery outwardly. But if you're scared there are consequences because if you got a boss wife, boy, the consequences should become the big boss how? And then her fists are fists of fury, how, huh? Then she bring the dragon. Your last game is The Game of Death.
Let me tell you this, this is a parable by itself, don't you think so? It's a parable, amen? It is a moral excellence that's just so beautiful. You know, let's go to John 13, John 13, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel, girded Himself. Poured water into a basin and washed the disciples' feet". But notice what the Bible says. There's moral excellence here. That's humility. He washed his disciples' feet because in that day and age, nobody will wash one another's feet. You know, except for the role of a servant of the house, the servant will come with the water. But because this was a rented upper room, there was no servant there. And usually, amen, one of the disciples would have done it, right? But they all sat looking at one another.
So, Peter says, "Don't look at me. I'm the oldest here". Thomas says, "I doubt, I doubt it's my turn". John says, "I'm busy resting on Jesus's bosom". None of them did it, but Jesus rose up, put aside his garments, girded himself with a towel, and wash the disciples' feet, amen? But before he did so, the Holy Spirit found it necessary, found it he must say it. He must record this down. "Jesus, knowing the Father had given all things into His hands, and that he came from God". He was going to God, rose from supper. Didn't just say he rose from supper just like that, but knowing who he is, knowing where he came, knowing all things are in his hands, he can afford to be humble.
So, when I read this many years ago, I concluded only the insecure are proud. Those who know who they are, those who know what God has given them, they know their place, are the ones who can afford to be humble. Beautiful moral excellence, amen. It's not a, you know, like men are tempted, when men are tempted, the flesh are tempted. The flesh will do anything to stay alive, you know? The flesh want to do anything to get some glory. That's one of the... if you hear people coming against grace, rest be assured, it's a hankering after self.
Somehow, it's not as easy as saying, "Pastor Prince, all of Christ, none of us". We also have our part. Yeah, your part is to believe. He did all your part. You have to believe and that belief, it's not a simple thing, you know? And I mean, that belief is the strongest labor, quote, unquote, that you can ever do. It's easier to do than to believe for the flesh. Tell me what to do, instead of tell me what to believe. Can I have a good amen? So, this moral excellence is something so beautiful and the Bible says that we are like him. You know, basically what I'm trying to say is that God wants his people principally because you're already a prince. He made you kings and priests and mad you a royal priesthood.
You know, wherever you go, your workplace, your school, people should sense like, you know, it's not in your dressing. It's not these outward trappings. It's not ecclesiastical. It's not got to do with anything outside, but something that emits from you. You can be wearing a T-shirt and a short going for a jog and people sense, as you pass by, there is a mean of royalty. There is a bearing. There's something about you that's regal. A prince doesn't say, "I just do my part, enough". A prince goes the extra mile. Jesus taught us go the extra mile. Do what people don't expect. Do what your boss don't expect, and go the extra mile because you love, you have a revelation of your job. You have a revelation of your role. You have a revelation of who you are. A priest, a prince doesn't say, "Must I do it"? A prince asks, "Can I do it"? Can I have a good amen?
In number seven, it talks about a list of princes of the 12 tribes, and they all brought offerings and covered wagons for the tabernacle, for the work of the tabernacle. Nobody asked them. Read carefully, there wasn't any call for them to do that. Princes don't just do the bare minimum. They go beyond. There is a largeness of heart. There is a generosity about princes. Now, I'm not telling you do this so you can become. I'm telling you, you have to have a revelation of who you are and what you do comes out of who you are. You are a prince and a princess. Stop dreaming to become the princess, you are. Stop trying to fantasize, "I wish I'm that princess in that movie". They're your children, they are. They are princes and princess, amen? Can I have a good amen?
So, let me let me bring this to a close. There's something about this, showing forth the excellencies of him. You know, when I see a Christian and, you know, they sin or publicly, or things happen, it's sad, it is sad. You cannot blame the world, the world expect the highest standard from us. Shouldn't they? I said shouldn't they? The Bible says of us in Ephesians that walk worthy of the vocation of the high calling of God, walk worthy. Now, before we walk, the first two chapters talk about sit. You must sit. How well you walk is how well you sit. You must know what has been accomplished for you. You must know how to rest. How well you what is how well you rest, rest in what Christ has done, rest in the power of the Holy Spirit even today, amen? Don't try to do before you are, amen.
Rest and out of the rest comes spirit directed activity, and you're walking worthy of the high calling and people sense that they're in the presence of heaven. And yet, like Jesus, they don't sense like, "I'm holier than you", ecclesiastical kind of like, you know, clergy laity or so-called holy man, you know? There's no distance or reserve with Jesus and yet, his disciples who slept with him day in day out, they traveled together, they were with him all the time. There were moments, you know the saying, no one is a hero to his valet? They see you day in and day out, right? They're saying no one is a hero to his valet, a valet is someone who serves you day in day out, right, like Alfred and Batman, okay. Help this generation understand.
But no one is a hero to his valet, hero to everybody but not hero to his valet, why? Valet see everything, warts and all, and all the blemishes on it. But Jesus's disciples were around him. They weren't afraid to ask him questions like what they will be discussing, who will be the greatest, who will sit beside him? When he asked them, "What did y'all talk about just now"? They didn't want to... Jesus knew what they were talking about, he brought a child. Such a moral excellence that you're afraid, some people are afraid that they get close to people, you know, people see their blemishes, their faults and all that, they won't respect me anymore. It means yours is not real. It's not real. It's time to own it. It's not real. It must stand the test of close scrutiny.
All right, if you are generous in public, you gotta be generous in private. You know, I mean, I'm trying to say this. Again, I might leave the impression that to do this means to become. No, you gotta own it, you gotta realize that all of us must have something of the princeliness of our Lord Jesus. You know, in Jesus, I mean, he dressed like a rabbi, like most likely I think he has a blue, of course, a blue tassel at the end but a blue robe with white. But when he walked, he can be like another rabbi and all that, you can't tell. But I've seen him in the Spirit and I'm telling you, there's something regal about him.
When I still see him, it's like the Bible say in Song or Songs, his appearance is like the cedars of excellent as the cedars of Lebanon. His whole appearance, his stature, one translation say his posture even, his appearance is like the excellent as the cedars of Lebanon. On those mountains of Lebanon, those white, you know, snow, big mountains of Lebanon, there are trees growing steadily, and the cedar trees steadily and majestic. And I've seen him among the poor, among the afflicted, among the sick, and yet he allowed them to use him, use his power. He loves it when he's being used. How beautiful is our Lord.
Now, Bible says in 1 John 4:17, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is", not as he was, "as he is at the Father's right hand, so are we in this world". Y'all know if you follow the ministry for some time, y'all know that even in my books, there are testimonies of people. It all started many years ago when I preached a sermon called As Jesus Is So Are We In This World. And I said, let's take this one step further. It doesn't qualify all, right, as he is in what sense, right? Today, as he is princely, so are you in this world, amen? But even if you're sick, I said back then, you can take this as he is. Is he sick in any way? No. So, are we in this world.
So, many years ago when I preached this, one lady to took it seriously, and she was diagnosed with lumps in her breasts and all that, supposed to go for another test to see, you know, whether those lumps are just benign or not. And she wrote across her medical sheet these words, "As Jesus is, so are we in this world". She showed me and she said, "Jesus, you don't have lumps in your breast, right? As you are, so am I". Went back to the doctor, the doctor cannot find the lumps. And since then in America, we have all kinds of testimonies of breast cancer being healed, and many of them are motivated by this testimony, but it's based on the principle of, "As he is, so are we in this world".
I have with me today four testimonies based on as Jesus is, so am I in this world, not just healing, another one also of lumps in the breast healed, and not just healing of bodies, but also deliverance from addictions. "Jesus, you're not a drug addict, as you are, so am I in this world". Just by beholding the Lord, it's not a magical statement. It's just like, I am who you are. I really am, in the eyes of God, I am who you are. The moment I declare that, there's something that's falling short in my life, the Holy Spirit will swallow it and transform me as I behold his glory into the same image. Can I have a good amen? Amen?
So, we are testimony. Ask him, "Are you depressed, Lord? As you are, so am I in this world. Are you discouraged, Lord? Amen. As you are, so am I in this world". It's amazing and the Bible says: "As he is". As he was is good enough when he walked by the shores of Galilee and the multitudes sought to touch him and there went power out of him and healed them all. That was as he was, now as he is glorified. Wow, amen? Now, something happens.
There was a king in the Old Testament and this king, his name was Jehoshaphat, and King Jehoshaphat, the Bible says, is a good king. He loved the Lord. He's the king of Judah. At that time, the kingdom of Israel was split in two, like this, like, North and South. The kingdom of Israel in the North and the kingdom of Judah in the South. For the most part, the kings of Judah are good kings and for the most part, the kings of Israel are evil kings, wicked kings. For some reason, Jehoshaphat, God blessed him so much. In fact, the chapter opens up with him having abundance of riches and honor and yet, King Ahab, the king of Israel in the North, the wicked king, whose wife is Jezebel, he went down and asked him, "Would you like to come with me to do battle because I'm now being besieged, I'm under attack by the king of Syria, is coming down with his army to attack me".
Now, the king of Syria is not attacking Judah, he's just attacking Israel. Yet, King Jehoshaphat said, "You know what? I'll go with you". And this is exactly what he said. I was reading this some time back, quite some time back, and these words jumped out at me. Look at what he said: "Ahab, king of Israel", the North king, the wicked king, "said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah", the godly king, "'Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead'? And he answered him, 'I am as you are'". I am as you are. I am as you are. What a thing to say. Number one, he has no business fighting this war. The enemy is not coming against him, all right? He's getting involved with another man's war. And moreover, he said, "I am as you are".
Are you sure, Jehoshaphat? This is Ahab, a wicked king. This is the man that Elijah called to Mount Carmel for a battle. This is the man and his wife especially who turned the heart of a nation away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and as a result, there's famine in the land. And he says, "I am as you are". Remember this. Always remember this. Whoever you say that to, huh, whoever... that's why, watch who you marry. Watch who you get into contracts with. Now, contracts is slightly lesser. It doesn't involve your life but marriage especially, involves your life. To get married to someone is "I am as you are", right? The moment you say, "I am as you are", I was reading, and these words jumped out at me: "I am as you are". That's why I want them to be jumping out at you as well.
I read this story so many times, and never, you know, I realized that, but a number of years ago when I read this, these words jumped out at me and I said, "Wow". The moment you say that, you will enjoy the fate of the other person. Are you listening? The moment you say that, even though you're a blessed man, you will... I say, "enjoy", suffer the fate of the other person. So they went to war, both kings with their armies. They went to war. And then in the battlefield, the king of Syria had said to this men, quite smart move, maybe he read Sun Tzu book, "Art of War", and he says, "Fight with no one but the king", and this Ahab, you know, he had this cunningness of telling the king of Jehoshaphat, "You go in your kingly array. I will go in disguise".
Maybe he heard the plan of the king of Syria with all his men, "Attack no one, just the king". So they all cornered the king and it was Jehoshaphat. Look at the story here, let's drop down: "So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they say, 'It is the king of Israel'". Now, he's not the king of Israel, right? He's the king of Judah. But they thought he was. "They surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him".
By the way, the Lord help him, and God diverted. There's no coincidences in the Bible. One is Lord, one is God. It's the same person, same wonderful being, our Father in heaven. In the Old Testament, God is Elohim, the mover, the creator, the doer. He's God, all right? The world knows him as Elohim, that all the earth that, it says, may know there is a God. Today, the Lord will save, the Lord, the Lord is Yahweh. Yahweh is covenant relationship. Then he says, "The Lord will deliver you". Put Goliath, that all the earth may know there is Elohim. Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, that all the earth may know there's Elohim. Earth doesn't know Yahweh. Neither do the earth know Yeshua.
That's why we need to tell them. They know God. They know Elohim. And here, he cried out to who? The Lord. Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord help him, but God, Elohim, diverted. He's the mighty mover, the mighty creator. When God Elohim, usually deals with the nations, not Israel. Although, of course, he's the same God. Just a little tidbit for you. "For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him". Now, thank God he was saved. Thank God he was delivered. But do you think it was a trouble that God... the fact that God delivered him doesn't change the fact that it wasn't his fight to begin with. Sometimes we get delivered and we say, "Oh, praise God", as if that business deal was from God when actually God delivered you, you thank God for his mercy, amen? That is not to encourage you.
You know, let me just say a word to all believers under the sound of my voice. If you're a businessman, conduct your affairs with moral excellence. Pay on time. Be honest. Be transparent, amen? Okay, one last example, we'll close. Do you want this? You want some more? I'm just telling you who you are, people. Some of you are not living up to your princely thing and people hurt you and you don't realize how much they respect you. Yes, the world may despise you. The world may say things about you. Now, I shouldn't say "despise". The world may say things about you. They may persecute you. Many a times, when you stand up for what you believed and you conduct your affairs with integrity, the world respect that.
They won't come to you and say, "I respect you", they won't. Just like the, you know, they call it the Madras crabs. I don't know why, but you don't have to put a cover, a lid, on the basket because you put all the crabs there. One crab try to climb out, another crab pull him down. Another crab that climb up, another crab pull him down, all right? And no one shall make progress. You must just live at a low level where we are, amen? But what if you are not a duck, you're a swan. What if someone come and tell you that you are not a chicken, you were picked from the eagle's nest and put among the chicks. No wonder you always look up, look up, and they look down. And they peck, peck, peck on the ground but you look up, look up. Every time there's a cry in the sky, you look up.
Deep response calls unto deep. Something about you and you know you're called to higher things. You're not called to wallow in adultery with this woman and this man and that kind of thing. You feel dirty, don't you, after that, amen? I mean, you can try to be politically correct about such things but you still feel dirty. And you know what? They can say all they want but you go home with a dirty note in your heart, no? I'm just telling you that it's not what you're called for. You know you're not called for that.
And that's how we correct our children as well. We don't tell them, you know, "You shouldn't have done it". Don't give them the law, you know, "Don't, don't, don't, don't". Tell them, "Justin, this is not you. This is not you, Justin", amen? By saying it's not you, they know they are called for greater things. They know this is not them. Identity is how you deal with your children. Correct them but tell them, "This is not you. I know you're better than this", amen? "I know you are generous. I know that you're not the lying type. The world can be. You're not. You're an eagle, you're not a chicken", amen?
Judges, we'll close with this. "And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna", okay, look up here first. Like, don't show them first. Look up here. Okay, look at NCC. Look up here. Zebah and Zalmunna are two evil kings involved with their own tribes, attacking Gideon, attacking Israel, all right? It's terrible. They are named Raven and Wolf. So they prey on the lambs, they've been stealing from them, they attack them, they kill them. Finally, God raised Gideon and Gideon has them on the run. Finally, these two kings are caught, Zebah and let's follow the story. And Gideon asked them both, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor"? So obviously, they killed some men at this place, Tabor. "So they answered, 'As you are, so were they'". They told Gideon, "'As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king'. Then Gideon said, 'Those were my brothers'".
Do you know why you resemble the son of a king? Because Jesus is your brother. He is your Savior. You are from his stock. When you are born again, you are members of his flesh and of his bones. If he's excellent as the cedars of Lebanon, so are you. So are you. You can tell someone who has a revelation because the moment that lady walks into a place, all right, that place comes alive. You have seen time and, I've said it before, we're seeing it happen again and again, even among ourselves. A lady walks into a boutique, nobody there. Once she's there, other people come in. Go into a restaurant, no one there, you know, you go there, people come in. You're a blessing everywhere you go, all 70 kgs of you. You are a blessing, amen? You're a heavyweight, cavort, princely, amen. If you're gonna get excited, get excited properly, c'mon. Amen, praise God.
So out of the mouth of the enemy came these words: "Those men", who were actually Gideon's brothers, they killed those men, they were Gideon's brothers, and they told Gideon, "As you are, so were they". Each one resembled the son of a king. So, in other words, Gideon's appearance, Gideon's persona, amen, was like that of a son of a king. And those people they killed were like sons of a king. How sad many believers don't realize the light that they have. There's something about us, we don't realize that there is a testimony, there is a light, there's a princeliness, there is a means of royalty that you are shining out.
That's why the world wants something real but when they see you compromise, they see you lying, like Proverbs 17:7 says: "Excellent lips does not become a fool, much less lying lips a prince". A prince doesn't lie. We don't expect a prince to lie. The world say we can lie but we don't expect you to lie. And they have a right to ask for that. They have a right to ask for that. So you know what? Don't try. Just realize who you are and proclaim, declare, by your life, your behavior, your testimony, the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, amen? Give him praise. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. Amen, amen, amen.
So I just wanna ask you, every head bowed all across this place and everywhere that's watching this right now, first to the believer, why don't you just tell God, okay, you're called for greater things. Stop if you are living with someone that's, you know, and you're not married and you know what you're doing. Stop it. You're not called for that. And lady, don't allow that to happen to you. Don't allow that. Unless he's willing to put the ring on your finger, unless he respects you enough to commit himself 100%. That's why marriage must be a covenant. Don't sell yourself short. I know it's easy to find many frogs. Frogs you can find a lot in a garden, especially on a rainy day. A prince takes longer to find, but they're all around if you'll wait, a right time, a right place, amen.
Businessmen, especially, you are out there in the world, you are so precious to God because your ministry especially, you are in a place where you are in position to proclaim the virtues, the moral excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And I'll tell you this. At the end of the day, those who cheat, those who lie, it all comes back. It all comes back to haunt them. But if you're honest, sometimes people might not know, you might lose out on a deal or two, but ultimately you win.
Something about Joseph when he stood there, probably only in his loin cloth, sold as a slave, the Bible says: "The Lord was with him and he was a prosperous man". Prosperous? In what sense? Is his person. There's a bearing of regality, of royalty about Joseph and, soon enough, he was clothed with royal clothes. It's who you are. And God has made you kings and priests, a royal priesthood. Remember that and proclaim the excellencies of him in your workplace, in your schools, at home. The world can say all kinds of things about you but they cannot stop themselves from respecting you, deep down in their hearts.
And if you're here today, you never know this wonderful salvation that we are sharing, this wonderful Savior who left heaven's glory, came a long way to die on the cross, a terrible death, a cruel death, yet he chose to die for you. Why? There was no other way. If there was any other way, Jesus's death would just be foolish. There was no other way. Sin must be punished. Like what I shared just now, it was a sin against the God of the universe, not just a president. The God of the universe. But Jesus died in your place. He bore your judgment in his own body. Not only he bore it, he exhausted it, he finished it. There is no more judgment for you if you will put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done. And on the third day God raised him from the dead as a declaration that all your sins have been put away.
So, friend, if you're here today and do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, as your Lord, he loves you. He loves you so much. To him who loved us and washed us, will you allow him to wash you of all your sins in his blood, and be a king and a priest unto God and his Father, Jesus's Father? Would you do that? If that is you, wherever you are right now, pray this prayer with me and you'll be born again. You'll be a king and a priest. You become a new creation. Old things passed away, all things become real, actual, and new, brand new, in your life. Say:
Heavenly Father, what a gift, your Son Jesus Christ. I believe that when he died on that cross, all my judgment for my sins died with him. Thank you. You no longer see sin on me because all my sins have been put away. But I don't want to live this life that is a lowly life subject to sin, to death. Bring me, Lord, into the high life, the true life, the eternal zoe life, of Jesus Christ, that princely life where sin, death, is overcome by the spirit of life. Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior and I thank you I'm saved. I'm a king and a priest. I am a new creation in Jesus's name, and all the people said, Amen.
Stand to your feet. You've been a great audience, amen? Praise the Lord. You people are amazing today, all right? Praise the Lord, amen. Okay, praise the Lord. Lift your hands. The Lord bless you this coming week and the Lord keep you. The Lord keep you from all the dengue mosquitoes. The Lord keep you from every infection, from every disease and from all evil, you and your loved ones, and from all the powers of darkness, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord lift up his countenance on you, smile on you, and grant to you and your loved ones his wonderful favor and his amazing peace and his great shalom, health, and wholeness and wellbeing, in Jesus's name. And all the people said, "Amen". God bless you. We'll see you again.