Joseph Prince - What To Focus On In Dark Times
Thank you for welcoming me into your home wherever you're watching this. You know, the Lord Jesus said, "Where two or three", and I've been saying this for the longest time, that this is the smallest plurality. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them". So, right where you are, if you have two there, the Lord Jesus is in your midst, amen? And he, when he says he's in our midst, we all know that even individually, the Lord never leaves us nor forsake us.
So even as we are alone, we are never yet alone because he's always with us. But what does he mean when he says "two or three"? In a corporate gathering, there is a special manifestation of the Lord, his presence, his power, and that's why in another place he says, "Where two of you agree", in the Greek, symphoneo, symphonize, where two of you agree on touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. So, friends, we are in for an exciting time. In the midst of all the chaos and the darkness that's happening right now, the most important thing for us to ask is what is God doing at this time? What is God saying to us?
You know, it doesn't take a very intelligent person, even, and a political observer or even those who study social sciences and all that, people who are trained in all these things to realize what is happening in the world, because even a child can see that the world is in fear. The world's in darkness. The most important thing is that we don't give the example of fear, we don't walk in what the world is walking in, unsure, hesitant, doubt, full of doubt, full of fear, hoarding goods and supplies and by that imparting a bad example to our children and imparting that spirit of fear that there's not enough. We learn, just last few weeks, that the Lord, even with five loaves and two fish, I mean, he can create from nothing, amen? I mean, he make the worlds in the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. Ex nihilo, out of nothing. He created out of nothing, amen? And he can do that again but the Lord uses means because he allows us to participate. He wants us to enjoy working with him.
That's why the Bible says we are co-laborers. So even with a little five loaves and two small fish, the Lord is able to feed many. You know, we are seeing that the Lord, the same Lord of Psalms 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures". He is the same Lord that fed the 5000 with 12 basketful left over. And, of course, we know prophetically, dispensationally, he's feeding Israel and the time is coming that the 12 basketful that is reserved for Israel will be open to Israel again, amen. And Jesus made them all sit down in groups of 50s, 100s, and I love it because the Bible says that when Israel came out of Egypt, Israel came out armed.
Now, if you look at the word "armed" in the Hebrew, it is the word they came out in group of 50s. So somehow, in the spirit world, group of 50s, groups of 100s, the multiplication of 5, the number of grace, sends fear down the ranks of darkness, amen. It sends fear to the enemy. It's as if Israel, a nation of slaves that just came out of Egypt, it's as if they are coming out fully armed. So the Bible says: "Israel came out armed", or the Hebrew, marshal by five, groups of five, multiples of fives. And the same happened in the feeding of the 5000. Jesus says, "Make them sit down in groups of 50s". "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures", and we learn that in this day where we are living in, in this midst of darkness and reports of financial famine, recession, we thank God that the Lord is still our supply, amen.
You know, the Bible doesn't say that he supplies according to the limited resources within anyone's country that's watching this right now. You don't have to worry if you believe the Lord, if you are a believer, you're a child of God, the Lord promises to supply all your needs according to his riches in glory. Notice his riches in glory, not according to our limited and scarce resources. He does not supply based on our scarce resources. He supplies us based according to the riches of his glory. In fact, not even out of his glory, out of his riches. Out of means he takes a portion out of all that he has. No, but according to the riches of his glory. According means he lays it all out and he says, "Every single one is yours", amen? According to the riches of his glory and who can measure the riches of his glory, amen? And not only that, the Bible says, our sins in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, hallelujah.
Just pause for a while and think of how are we forgiven? We're not forgiven in a scanty way, in a meager fashion, you know. We are forgiven as we go. No, no, God forgives our sins, amen, according to his riches in glory. According to his riches of grace, Ephesians 1, verse 7. In whom we have redemption, hallelujah. In Christ, if you are in Christ, that's why all your sins of your entire life... don't forget God lives outside time. God is in the eternal now, amen. We live in time. We live in space, but he's the Lord of time and space, so the Lord is able to see your entire life and when Jesus died on the cross, God took all your lifetime of sins and laid it on the Lord Jesus. Not one sin escape, amen. All your sins was placed on Jesus or else you cannot be forgiven. Or else, even the Lord Jesus cannot sit down, having purged our sins.
The Bible doesn't say that he sat down at the Father's right hand because he's the Son of God. That he always is, but he sat down because having purged, having forgiven us of our sins, having paid the price, he sat down. He sat down in virtue of the fact that all our sins are forgiven. Because the same body that bore our sins on that cross, rose from the dead without our sins, and that's why I always say that the Resurrection is the divine receipt of your forgiveness, amen? The Resurrection means that the same person that bore your sins is now raised from the dead without your sins. That means God has accepted his perfect work, amen, in putting away our sins. Our sins are effectually and eternally put away, hallelujah. Let's rejoice in that, amen? Now that doesn't make you wanna sin. That doesn't make you wanna live a lifestyle of rebellion, a lifestyle of disobedience. No, it makes you want to fall in love with him. It makes you love the one who first loved you, amen? Hallelujah.
During this time of uncertainty, darkness, and the world is all, you know, they are on social media, they're watching the news and they're trying to hear a word of authority, a word that will say, "This will end when we have this vaccine and we know this will", you know? And everyone is speaking in uncertainties and conjectures and suppositions. No one is really sure. And again, like I said, make sure that that fear is not imparted to your children, amen? You know, the Bible says something very interesting in Isaiah 54. It says: "All your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children". Great shall be the shalom, in Hebrew. Shalom is also health and wholeness, not just peace. It's the entire person being whole. Great shall be the peace of your children.
Now, how can we have our children being in a place of shalom, spirit, soul, and body? Because the Bible says in the next verse, "In righteousness, you", the parent. "In righteousness, you shall be established. You shall be far from oppression for you shall not fear and from terror for it shall not come near you". So when we, as parents, when we are established in righteousness, amen, we wake up every morning, declaring, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ". When we feel as if the enemy is attacking us with accusations, condemnation, guilt, you know, we just stand tall in the gift of righteousness and we declare, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ".
It's a amazing example to your children. They will see stability, and the Bible says that great will be their peace because their parent is established in righteousness. We'll affect them more than what we say, in being established in righteousness. And not only that, the Bible says: "Because you are established in righteousness, you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear. And from terror, for it shall not come near you". The same, Isaiah 54, the prophecy ends, and you know, Isaiah lived about 700, over, years before Christ came but it's a prophecy of what would happen when the Messiah of Israel would die on the cross for the world's sin, amen. His perfect work, the result of his perfect work, because Isaiah 53 talks about Jesus on the cross, Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastisement for our wellbeing was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.
That's Isaiah 53. In Isaiah 54 he tells you the results of that perfect work, how the Father honored that work, amen, and the fruit of his labor is found in Isaiah 54, hallelujah. And the Bible says in Isaiah 54, this is how it ends: "No weapon formed against you". It never says that no weapon will be formed. Weapons will be formed, even against you, but the Bible says: "No weapon formed against you". Even this coronavirus is a new strain of virus. Well, it's been formed by the enemy but no weapon formed against you, child of God, will prosper, amen? So the promise is not that it will not be formed. The promise is that no matter what weapon is formed against you, if it's against you, it will not prosper, amen? Why? Because the next line says, "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord".
So it's the people of the new covenant, amen. People who are walking not in their own manufactured righteousness, not in their own self-righteousness which produces pride and arrogance, but people walk in the gift of righteousness, hallelujah. Praise the name of Jesus. What is God doing during this time? That's the most important thing. And not only that, what is God saying to us during this time? We look at the world and we know that, you know, it doesn't feel like God is whispering anymore. Oh, he's speaking loud, if we only had ears to hear. But for us, child of God, I just want you to see in the passage that we've been meditating on for these past few days and it's John chapter 6 and we end off last week with Jesus sending the multitudes away after he fed the multitudes and he sent them away.
Now that's a picture of our times, amen. Right now, between the time where Jesus has been rejected and then he fed the multitude, he sent the multitude away, which represents Israel, the turning away of Israel for momentary blindness in part has happened to them, the Bible says. And notice that this miracle of the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on the water at the end of it is mentioned in all the four Gospels, not just the synoptic Gospels; in all four, including John. Why is this miracle, of all the miracles mentioned, in all four Gospels? There must be something very significant that the Holy Spirit wants us to know, and it's this. It's the times that we're living in because this feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on the water, happened after the rejection of the Messiah by Israel. And you will find in Matthew 14 account of this feeding of the 5000 happened in Matthew 14, but Matthew 13 you have the kingdom parables. Matthew 12 is when you have the rejection of Israel, of the Lord Jesus, in all his threefold glory.
In chapter 12, Matthew 12, it talks about them rejecting him as the one who is greater than Solomon. The rejection of him as King and then in the same chapter he talks about them rejecting him as the greater priest than any priest, amen, the one that's greater than a temple, he said, is here. And then they rejected him as the prophet. The prophet that God promised Moses, "I will send a prophet like unto you and if anyone does not hear his voice, that person will be cut off". That prophet came and his name is the Lord Jesus and they rejected him as the prophet, the voice of God to the nation of Israel. In the same chapter, Matthew 12, it says that a greater than Jonah was here and you rejected him, amen? So they rejected the Lord in all his threefold glory and then Matthew 13, for the first time, the Lord began to speak in parables because parables are not actually to reveal and to help people understand better, but actually is to hide wonderful truths.
"You don't cast your pearls before swine", Jesus said. Wonderful truths to people who are hungry to know him more. Hungry to walk according to his ways. So he says that "unto them it is not given for them to know but unto you, my disciples, those who value me, those who walk with me, those who follow after me, unto you it is given to know the meaning of these parables". So the seven kingdom parables in Matthew 13. Then Matthew 14 is the feeding of the 5000 so, once again, we wanna see this because we need to understand, prophetically, all this is happening in a way it speaks to our times, as I'm gonna show you presently. So what happened is that as we see in Matthew 14, the feeding of the 5000, we see that in John 6 which I'm taking a lot of my reference from, last few weeks. But now we just look at Matthew 14 and we see the whole working out of the principle as to why this miracle is mentioned four times in the Gospels because it's the time that we're living in. Is between the rejection of Israel, right, and the coming of Jesus in glory, amen?
So meanwhile, what is he doing? He's feeding his people. He's protecting his people, walking on the sea, calming the storm, amen. So we're gonna see more of that, praise the Lord. Because right now we are there, amen? Just like in the book of Psalm. Psalms 22 is the suffering of Jesus on the cross. In fact, the very first verse says: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? It's the very cry of our Lord on the cross. We call it the seven sayings of Jesus but I believe that what is recorded is the seven sayings. I believe on the cross Jesus actually cried out the Psalms and he quoted the Psalms, Psalms 22, all the way from the first verse, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" until the very last verse. It says that he has done this or in other words, it is finished. It is done, amen.
So, Psalms 22 speaks of the cross of Jesus, at the cross, amen. That's what happened, amen. That's in the past, right? Now, we are living in Psalms 23, after Psalms 22. What is Psalms 23, people? "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters", waters of Manuka, waters of quietness, waters of rest. "He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake", and all the way down to the very last verse. "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me".
And that's what we saw last week. The Lord, after the feeding of the 5000, he sent his disciples into a boat to go to the other side, and then what happened? He saw them in trouble, amen? He saw them in the fourth watch of the night and that's the darkest time, before dawn breaks, amen. Dawn is coming, people. Dawn is coming. I know it's very, very dark, but don't forget, I'm sharing about where we are right now, prophetically speaking, and what God is doing and what God is saying, amen. And what we need to see during this time. Praise the Lord.
So he saw them rowing and they were rowing hard against the winds. The winds was contrary against them. It's like the picture of the church in the world, amen. The Bible says: "Tossed to and fro with... we shall not be tossed to and fro", the Bible says, "with every wind of doctrine but we have been tossed to and fro with every kind of doctrine". Wrong doctrine produce wrong believing. Wrong believing produce wrong living, amen. Whenever you have a wrong emotion, it's a clear sign you have a wrong thinking. Now, sometimes, we don't even know we are thinking, all right, but the barometer to tell us what we are thinking, is actually our emotions. When you feel fear, when you feel worry, when you feel anxious all of a sudden, stop for a while and ask yourself, you need to be conscious, "What was I thinking? What thoughts went through my mind", amen? Because thoughts are a result of your believing.
That's why I always say when you believe right, you will live right. When you believe wrong, you will live wrong. Not only live wrong, have the emotions that are negative, that will indicate to you that you are believing wrong. So whenever you feel fear, worry, what are you believing? Are you believing the worst is yet to come? Are you believing that, no, friends, we are not in the book of Revelation yet and we won't be around in the book of Revelation when those events take place, the seven years of Tribulation. The Bible says: "The Lord cometh with his saints at the end". We are those saints. He's gonna come with us, amen? We'll not be on earth, amen. It's the day of God's wrath.
The Bible says, once the blood of Jesus has saved us, in the book of Romans it says we shall be saved from wrath as well. "Those are the days of God's wrath, the days of vengeance", Isaiah 61. And what the Lord quoted... did not quote in Isaiah when he pronounced the parashah, the reading of Scripture in his hometown, he just read that last part, "this acceptable year of the Lord", and then he closed the book, amen? Let's take a look at that right now, and I just wanna show you what happened in his own home town in the synagogue. "He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me'". Now, this is a quotation of Isaiah 61. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted", ha, ha.
You know, it's amazing. You know, folks, I'm just thinking to myself that the synagogue, as in every synagogue, probably they always hear about what you need to do. On the Sabbath, you must avoid doing this, avoid doing that. You must not do this, must not do that. And the synagogue in Nazareth is the same, you know, it's always focused on what you need to do, what you need to obey, laws and more laws. But for the first time, it is not about men's doing, it's not about what men need to do but a proclamation of what God is doing, amen. Our eyes are taken off from ourself and to another one, the perfect one, the lovely one, the altogether lovely one, our Lord Jesus, and we are told about what he will do. He's gonna heal the brokenhearted. He's gonna proclaim liberty to the captives, to those who are bound, whether you are bound by depression, by addiction, by a sudden, you know, these panic attacks that is now running rampant in the world.
Friend, he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives. The opening of the prison doors to those who are bound, telling you they are no longer locked. You are no longer locked in. The prison doors are open. It's talking about what he's doing for us, amen? So for the first time, all those in the synagogue are not hearing about what they need to do. They're hearing about what he wants to do and what he is doing. And the Bible says, at the end of it, "All the eyes of all of them were fastened upon him". He is the Anointed One. He is the Messiah. He is the one sent from heaven, amen. When he send the blind man to the Pool of Siloam, he was telling the blind men, "Unless you see that I am the sent one, you cannot see". So our spiritual blindness will remain if we can't see that he is the sent one, amen? The Father sent him. Why? On a mission of love, amen, to die for our sins. Praise the Lord.
So, notice, this is from, he's quoting Isaiah 61. It's called the "parashah", or the reading of Scripture for that week. But at the end of it, he says it's "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord". The reason I'm saying this, folks, is because there are people who are saying that we are now in the beginning days of the day of vengeance of God. Yes, the Lord did say that, before he comes again, there'll be plagues, there'll be pestilences on the increase, not just one pestilence, pestilences, amen, and wars and rumors of wars, and there'll be pestilences. And one of these weeks, I'm gonna share on that, and God is giving me a revelation, amen, that I believe is gonna bless you in regards to even the end-time signs and all that, but these are not... in fact, he specifically said these are not the end, but "The end is not yet". That's how he said it: "The end is not yet".
These are the birth pangs. But some would want to put this, even this coronavirus thing, "This pandemic that's going on and all that is the beginning of the seven-year tribulation", or "The days of Revelation is here", or "God is judging the earth". In terms of God judging the earth, there's something, a mysterious thing that I wanna share as we go on, okay? Praise the Lord. I'm getting excited, hallelujah. And you glad to know what God is doing during this time? That's the most important thing because God's Word is sure. Man talks about theories, conjectures, possibilities. God, when God speaks, it is certain. It is unshakable, amen? It is the truth, hallelujah. Men may speak a lot of true things, but only the one who is truth himself can speak the truth that will make you free, hallelujah, amen?
So the Bible says, right at the end of Isaiah 61, he says, "'To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' Then he closed the book", once he came to the last line there. And it is not the last line. It's actually the second last line of Isaiah 61. The second to the last line is actually, "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord", the year of favor. He closed the book, amen? And where the Lord closed the book, we need to close the book, amen. We preachers and teachers of the Word, we need to tell the people that we are not in the day of vengeance because, let me just show you what Isaiah 61 says on the other side. Now, on the left is Jesus in the synagogue, quoting Isaiah 61, but he stopped, "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord", and he stopped. Then he closed the book because his first coming is to bring grace and truth. His first coming is to save, not to judge. His first coming is to love the people, amen, but in his Second Coming, that is the day of vengeance.
Notice in Isaiah 61, it's actually separated by a comma. Of course, we know that there's no comma in the original Hebrew, but just to give you the idea, it's actually one reading. It goes like this: "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God". That is the seven years of tribulation that we see in the book of Revelation. That's the day of vengeance of our God. Yes, there's a day of vengeance of our God against all the blood that has been shed, all the hatred of men, and all the rebellion and how man has even destroyed this earth in so many ways, men killing one another, hating, glory in their shame, all these things. There is a day of reckoning. There is a day called the day of vengeance of our God, amen? And don't forget, God is the King of the universe. He's the Creator of all things, and he's a just God, so he must punish sin. But, friend, God is also love.
In fact, the essence of God is defined, doesn't say, "God has loved". It says, "God is love" but there is justice with God. But notice how we are safe. God so loved the world that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, and Christ on the cross gave his life for you and I so that God, who is just, all his requirements upon your life and my life of holiness and righteousness is fully met by the blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary's cross. Christ took our sins, and God is the one that designed this to be so. Don't forget, some people favor the Lord Jesus, and they say that God is a judge, but Jesus is a Savior. No, it's not, God is love. God sent his Son. It's God who planned this plan for us. God knew there's no other way for men to be saved, and God gave his Son. What a great sacrifice.
You know, "A song is not a song till you sing it. A bell is not a bell till you ring it. Love is not love till you give it". "For God so loved the world that he gave, he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish". Now, God, having done so, that Christ died for our sins, he has put his justice on our side. In other words, if you believe on Jesus, God's justice declares God cannot punish you. God cannot punish you or put a curse on you for the sins that Jesus has borne, amen? If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, amen, God cannot bring his condemnation and judgment upon your life because all the judgment and condemnation that was meant for you and me fell upon Jesus at the cross. God ordained this to be so, so that not only he's merciful and he's loving, but his justice is fully satisfied by what the Lord Jesus did at the cross so that today God's justice or righteousness is on our side. God declares that you have no right to remain sin-stricken, guilty, under condemnation. You have no more right to remain bound, depressed, sick, mentally in a mental torment.
"I've come, and I've sent my Son, and he's died on the cross so that you have the right to freedom. You have the right to be justified in my eyes". The Bible used this term: "God is righteous in making you and I righteous", hallelujah. So we need to stand tall in what Christ did. This is not pride. "Pride" is when you are self-righteous. You are manufacturing your own righteousness. That's when you are proud, but when it's a gift, someone did it, you are grateful, amen? Hallelujah, hallelujah. God is a good God. But the day of vengeance is coming. So his first coming is not the day of vengeance.
So what is happening in this coronavirus thing and all that? It's not the day of vengeance, folks. It's not the day of vengeance. When the disciples wanted to call down fire, you know, to burn up the inhabitants of a certain Samaritan village because they rejected Jesus, you could tell they rejected Jesus. They didn't want to welcome Jesus. Then John, the apostle of love... you know, it's amazing that God uses people that are legalistic like Paul, who was the Pharisee of Pharisees, to preach the Gospel of grace. God uses people that are like John, who want to call down fire, amen, to become the apostle of love. Truly, God's grace is manifest in your area of weakness.
So what's your area of weakness? Are you someone who is naturally fearful and timid? Then, you know what? God's boldness can flow through you, for his strength is made perfect in your weakness, amen? For me, I grew up, as a teenager and not as a young boy, as a teenager, in my teenage years, I was a stutterer. I was a stammerer, and now God is using this very area, my biggest hindrance, my place of shame as a teenager, as a place to manifest his glory, amen, and so that none of us can boast. And those who know you will say, "This must be God", amen? So God gets the glory. Praise God, hallelujah. Let's go back to the story itself in John 6, but this time I'm gonna show you something. Even the events that is happening, the Lord brought this to my attention. Go back to John 6: "Then a great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased".
So Jesus was doing miracles. I love it, the Lord Jesus always going about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. "And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming towards him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' But this he said to test Philip, for he himself knew what he would do". Now, verse 4, again, "Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near". That is so telling. There's no insignificant details in the Bible. "Now the feasts of Passover was near".
Let's talk about our times right now, today. We are in the last days of March. Do you know that we are just less than two weeks away from the Passover this year? The Passover this year falls on 8th, April, 8th, April, and this story, when God was telling me that this is what he's doing at this time, he's walking on the water, amen. He was telling me that this is prophetic of the time that we are living in, specifically of the time of we are living in, and he showed me, even right now in the world, we are, the Passover feasts draws near. It's a now word for you and me, amen? So what is the word? The word is this: He's gonna supply. He's gonna be the Bread of Life, amen? Spiritually we know that he's our bread. He's our spiritual bread. We feed on him, amen, on a daily basis, but also let's not negate the fact that he also demonstrate that he's able to fill the hungry soul, amen. He's able to fill you when you're hungry. You don't have to rush for supplies and, you know, jostle with one another, and in some cases, there's even fights that break out that I hear about. No, child of God, you don't have to be like that. He'll provide for you. Even with the meager resources, he will multiply it. These are the days for us to consider the miracle power of God, amen.
Listen, when people hear of miracles, sometimes, "Oh, you know, I don't believe in miracles and all that". And there's a consequence to not believing in the miracle. You know one reason why that, when Jesus walked on the water, they were not able to perceive? You might say that, "Oh, it was dark, Pastor Prince". Yes, I agree. It was the darkest time at that time, 3 to 6 a.m., and they thought they saw a ghost. Yes, I agree with that, but when he says, "It is I, I Am", in Hebrew, "Ani Hu", "I Am", "Don't be afraid. Be of good cheer". The Bible tells us that the fear that they had wasn't because of the winds and the waves. They feared seeing him, and this is the reason, the Bible says. In Mark 6, verse 51, "Then he went up into the boat to them, and the winds ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled".
Now look at the next verse, the reason given. "For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened". Now, this is the New King James Version. In the Old King James, I like the Old King James definition of this word, "They did not consider", "They considered not". I looked up that word. It's a word used in Greek to put two and two together. "They did not consider", "They didn't meditate on the miracle of the loaves for their heart was hardened". So here we go. Their heart was hardened. Why? They didn't meditate on the miracle, the miraculous power of God. Then their heart is hardened. You know, when your heart is hardened, then you get fearful, then you get panicky, then you start, you know, trying to go about self-preservation, and me, my, "every man for himself". That's a result of fear, but fear is the result of a hard heart. That's what the Bible says.
And why do they have a hard heart? Because "They didn't meditate on the miracle of the loaves", the Bible says. Had they done that, and that just happened a few hours ago. Had they done that, they'll identify the Lord Jesus. It won't be a surprise to them that he's walking on the water, amen? But the Bible says that they were greatly amazed. Look at verse 51: "They were greatly amazed". You know, when God does his thing, amen, we should not be greatly amazed. I mean, we can give praise to him and sing beautiful, amazing God, amen? But it's not really, you know, all of us shocked as though... be greatly amazed, because he's God, amen. They didn't consider. The reason they had fear is because their heart was hardened because they didn't consider, so not meditating on the power of God, not meditating on the Lord and considering what was the miracle of the loaves all about. Put two and two together. He's telling you, "You can have as much as you want".
Remember how he fed them? The Bible says he broke the loaves and fishes and gave it the them, "as much as they would", not "as much as God's will is" or "what is God's predestination for them", or a portion enough just nice for them. No, the Bible says, "He gave them as much as they wanted", John 6, "as much as they wanted". And when they were filled, when they were filled, there were 12 basketsful left over. They didn't consider all that. They didn't consider all this. They didn't meditate on Psalms 23. "Hey, he made us sit down on green grass. That's the promised Messiah. That's the one written oft by David in the Psalms", when he wrote that Psalms, "He has come, and he's with us", amen? So let's follow the story now, Mark 6. Praise God. Let's go to Mark 6. I'm excited by Mark 6 because this is what's happening right now and mentioned in all the four gospels. "Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sent the multitude away. And when he had sent them away, he departed to the mountain to pray".
Now, this is exactly what is happening right now. Now, exactly will be when he walks on the water, but right now Jesus has gone to the Father's right hand. He's ascended, amen? We all know that, and he's at the Father's right hand. And what is he doing at the Father's right hand? He's the great High Priest, amen. Now, Israel has many high priests, ever since God appointed the first one, Aaron, all the way to Jesus, but Jesus is not after that order, and there are many high priests, but no great high priests. Jesus is not just a high priest. He is the great High Priest, amen, after the order of Melchizedek, which is just blessing on man and blessing God. The words of Melchizedek, we need to meditate on that, on those words. It's a priesthood of just blessings, no curse, whereas the Levitical priesthood is you are blessed if you obey, but you are cursed if you disobey. But the blessing that came out of Melchizedek's priesthood in Genesis, when he blessed Abram, "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God".
So man is blessed, and, "Blessed to be the Most High God". God is worshiped and honored and blessed, hallelujah. That's the priesthood of Jesus Christ, and what's he doing right now at the Father's right, even right now, what is he doing? He's praying for you and I. Just the other day, I just told the Lord, "Lord, include me and my family in that prayer", amen? Include you, the church, in that prayer, and that's what he's doing. He's praying for his church, amen. You know what? I believe that we are enjoying a lot of things in our life because of that prayer at the Father's right hand, and that's what he's doing. He's making intercession for us, and right now in the wonderful picture, he sent them away.
Now notice, "He made his disciples get into the boat". "He made his disciples", first and foremost, we saw earlier he made them sit down in groups of 50s, and it's very hard for us. Sometimes God has to make us sit down, made us sit down, like, "What's happening in the world today"? Before we can have a revelation of Jesus, we are "One day, I'm gonna spend time with God", "One day, I'll tune in to watch that broadcast", "One day, I'll listen to that CD", "One day, I'll listen to my podcast", "One day, I'm gonna listen to my digital download on that sermon. I've been wanting to hear that sermon", and that one day never comes. You're so busy running around.
Now, perhaps what's happening in the world right now... what would cause people to stay at home? If there's something good happening, right? Everywhere around the world, something amazingly overt and overtly good, that people would all be out there and still be serving gold, silver, running after the latest, being materialistic, not caring for their souls. And believers (I'm talking to believers now), believers can actually be very distracted with so many things being offered to them. And online, these things are not wrong by in and of itself, depending on how you use it, even like Netflix and all that. It all depends on what you are watching, amen? But I'm just saying there's so much time that is shouting for your attention, that is telling you, "Pay attention to me".
And the world is now, you know, in a place where they are sitting down at home. What would cause the world, if you sit down and you discuss in the courts of heaven, what would cause the world to sit down in their homes and make time? What would cause the church to sit down? Let's talk about the church. Don't talk about the world for a while. What would cause the church to sit down and take time to watch online service? And there are many of them, excellent ones, all over the world. What will make them, you know, if it's just the blessings of God, many a times, we get the blessings of God, but we get accustomed. We don't meditate on his blessings. Like, they were fed. They were fed just a few hours ago, and they were fed supernaturally, but, yet they did not consider the miracle of the loaves. They did not put two and two together. The Lord is telling me that he will supply. Don't worry about supply. Focus on the Lord. He wants me to know him more. He is the Bread of Life, amen. It is him that he wants my eyes on.
So what would make the church sit down and spend time with the Lord? So we know that this thing is only, "Are you saying, Pastor Prince, that this thing is from God"? Let me just tell you this: God allows things to happen so that we see our need for him. Israel, when they came out of Egypt, the Bible says, you know, it's like God waited until they were in front of the Red Sea, and they saw soldiers coming behind them to kill them. That's when God opened up the sea, and it happened. You know when it happened? When they started moving into the sea, it was the earlier part of the night, but halfway through, the soldiers also start going into the sea, and during that time, it was the morning watch.
Now, the morning watch in the Old Testament is exactly the fourth watch, 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. It says, "In the morning watch", right? "It came to pass, in the morning watch, the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud. And he took off their chariot wheels". May God take off all the DNA of all this virus, coronavirus, all over the world, in Jesus's name, amen. Muddle up, amen, muddle up the double helix, amen. Muddle up all the DNA. I was studying about the DNA of these viruses, and they have DNA or RNA. You know, I think, "God, in Jesus's name, Father God, mess up their DNA, Lord. Destroy them, Lord, in Jesus's name", amen? Can I have a good "amen"?
That's what I'm believing God for. I'm still believing God for a quick end, amen, to this entire thing. So we see here that the Lord Jesus at this point, he's praying for us, amen. He's praying for the church. The church is like the disciples in the boat. In the midst of the lake, the sea always speaks of the nations. We are, you know, that's why they call it fellowship. Fellow in a ship, okay? So we are in, the church is like the boat, amen? Or you can use the analogy right now, because the now word is that you are definitely in a boat. You are confined to your homes. Your home is your boat. Now, get ready for something when this happen, and the storm is raging outside. It's loud, it is.
You know, I received a verse from the Lord, and I want to share with you. It's from Psalms 57 and David's Psalm, and he says: "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me"! And I love the word "Be merciful", because it is the word hanani from the word hanan. You know, hesed is grace, right? Hanan is favor, like, I have a Grace and Favor Conference that I do. So grace and favor, they are distinct, all right? But they have the same kind of unmerited favor and blessing in it, amen? So grace and favor. Grace in Hebrew is hesed; favor is hanan, like your name. Yohanan is favor. God's favor, God's grace. You can say that. So many a times we'll use these two words, even in English, we use it interchangeably because they have the same characteristics, amen? But favor is more favor with man, all right? Favor is more like experiencing good fortune, if I can use that word, good circumstance, good happenings, amen. But it is still unmerited.
So grace is defined as unmerited favor. So, friend, here he says hanani, show me favor. Show me favor, God, "For my soul trusts in you; and in the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by". So let's all say this to the Lord. Show me favor, Father, and he is right now. He is. And now say to him: In the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge. My family and I, we take refuge underneath your wings from this COVID-19 virus. We take refuge until these calamities, they pass by, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Let's go back to Mark chapter 6 and "He made his disciples", so there is a compelling. Notice that he made his disciples get into the boat. Maybe there's a reluctance on their part for some reason. In the King James it says, "He constrained them to get into the boat".
You know, something about, I believe that the disciples didn't like the fact that Israel was rejected. Remember, Israel came to Jesus after the feeding of the 5,000. They wanted to make him king, but the time has not yet come. He has to go to the cross, and he has been rejected by Israel. Now, the ones that he fed are the remnant. It's a picture of the church. But basically, this happened at a time after he was rejected by Israel as a nation, typified by their, represented in their leadership. And he knew it wasn't time. It's time for him to die on the cross. They want to force him to become king, and he sent them away. How he did that I do not know. It's amazing crowd control. He sent them away. Probably the disciples didn't like that, because, you know, sometimes they want to hang around perhaps for the praise, perhaps for a feeling of being, you know, the feeling of adulation from the crowd.
And sometimes we must learn to walk away from the praise. We must learn. I know there are people like, you know, they want you to take the praise and all that. I understand, you know, like, you know, people making fun of people who give God the glory and all that. But there is a truth. Just remember that everything good that happens in our lives, we must give God the glory. In and of ourself, we don't deserve it, amen? We say thank you when someone compliments us. We say thank you, but in my heart, "God, you receive the praise. It is you, Lord". If it's not the Lord, that would not have happened, amen? So they want to hang around so Jesus made them go into the boat, why? We need to be in a place of rest. They can actually go around and start ministering in other areas or whatever and they would be burnt out. This tell me, the Lord has to make us to rest. The Lord has to make us sit down. Even Psalms 23 says: "He makes me to lie down in green pastures". He makes me lie down.
Why are we so creatures of activity, laborious activity, amen? Running around ragged, stressed, that the Lord has to make us sit down. Friend, learn to sit down, amen? And here you find the same thing. I love the shoulds. One time, the Lord told me to study on the shoulds and the coulds and the oughts of our Lord Jesus. For example, the oughts, you know, there was a woman who was sick in a congregation, and the Bible says that she's been bound for many years, 18 years, and Jesus called her to the front, and the leader of the synagogue said, "There are six days that man ought to work", so the leader's mind is on legalism, all right? Man ought to. So that's the mind of the failure, amen? Ought to work, ought to work, ought to work.
Jesus says, "Ought not this woman be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day"? Sabbath is a day of rest, and there's a principle there. When you are rested in Christ and also rested physically, sometimes we need to rest physically, amen? But true rest, because you can sit down, you know, on your lazy chair and your mind is working and worrying and wondering and speculating, and you're not at rest. So true rest comes in Christ. "I will give you rest. Come unto me. I will give you rest". And friend, I can't explain it, but you know, when I go to the Lord Jesus, I don't even have to ask him for rest. Just spending time with him, worshiping him, talking to him, I get up a different person. And my wife can tell when I don't spend time with the Lord, and after I spend time with the Lord, she can tell, amen? That's true for all of us. Nothing about us is from ourself. If it's good it's because there was a time of impartation as you sit before the Lord. You don't even have to ask for rest. Just being with him.
In fact, the Word uses "I will rest you. I will rest you. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden. I will rest you. He makes me to lie down in green pastures", amen, amen? Another word, must, you know, Jesus never rushes. There's a rhythm of grace. He's always cool. He's always calm and collected, even when he move among the crowd. He has time for the multitudes, but he also has time for the individual, for the woman at the well of Samaria. He has time, and he moves in a rhythm, in a cadence of rest. But there was one time the Lord says "I must", all right? When he tells you to rush, make haste, what was it? It's in the area of salvation.
He looked at Zacchaeus, "Zacchaeus, make haste. Come down quickly. I must abide at your house". When it comes to salvation, he says get it now. Get it now, amen? The only time he rushes you is because he rushes you to be saved, he rushes you to be healed, he rushes you to be blessed, hallelujah. I love all these words from the Lord when he uses ought not it's so beautiful. "Ought not this woman be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day", amen? So here we go. "He made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side". Now, he's praying on the mountain now, for all of us. He's praying for all of us. And the ship, the fellows in the ship, they are fellowshipping, but they're struggling against the winds and now the winds are contrary, isn't it?
All over the world the winds are blowing and blowing strong. There's a storm, amen. We are in the midst of a storm, and the Bible says that... there's a beautiful phrase in Psalms 107. It talks about, let me show you Psalms 107. I love this. And "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! For his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy". "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! For his mercy endures forever". In Hebrew... Because he is good. Because forever... His grace reigns. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! For his grace endures forever. The word mercy there is translated in different versions of the Bible, NIV, NASB, one will say kindness, one will say lovingkindness, one will say love, one will say steadfast love. Because men are just trying to find a word for this rich word, hesed. Hesed.
But you know what? Today in Israel, the believers in Israel, the Messianic believers in Israel, they use New Testament, and we know the New Testament is in Greek, but theirs is in Hebrew and translated by that great Hebrew scholar, Delitzsch, himself is a Jew. And he, that great scholar, Delitzsch, everywhere that says hesed, it says grace, or rather, wherever it says grace in our English Bible, it says hesed. For example, it says: "For the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ". In their New Testament, if you read it in Hebrew it says hesed ve emet, "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ". The law was given by Moses.
Now, isn't the Lord, I mean, isn't the law true? Yes, but it's not the truth that sets you free. The truth that sets you free is grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And by the way, they're actually one. In the Greek it says, "Came there" is singular verb. Should be plural verb because if hesed ve emet, grace and truth are two things, it should be plural. But instead, it's singular verb which means both are combined. It's truth grace, true grace came by Jesus Christ. Praise God, why? He is good. But praise God also because his hesed endures forever, amen? Amen, and "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy", hallelujah. Drop down. It says: "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men"!
Friends, we are considering what the disciples failed to do in considering the miracle of the loaves. Right now we are considering, and God is saying, the Spirit of God is saying, "Consider what I am doing". Consider what I am doing. Consider what I am doing. It says: "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness", amen? Give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. During this time, we're at home and all that, he wants us to take stock of all that he has done in our life and thank him for it. Live a life of thankfulness, amen. It's hard to feel thanks because you feel like your freedom is restricted, you feel bound and all that but my friend, what a great place to be, and we're only in this place temporary, amen. We are not in the days of vengeance yet, and we won't be in the days of vengeance, amen?
Here it says: "Give thanks to the Lord for his goodness". What is goodness in the Hebrew? Now, that's what I thought also, I thought is the word tov, tov, like... "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good", that is tov. Ki tov, ki tov, because of his goodness. But here it's not goodness. It is the word hesed. Give thanks to the Lord for his grace. Give thanks. Have you ever thanked God for his grace? The Holy Spirit is telling us, "Give thanks to the Lord for his grace and for his wonderful works to the children of men". And that's what the disciples failed to do. They forgot to give thanks for his grace and they forgot to consider his wonderful works that he just demonstrated a few hours ago, up on that mountain or down the valley I believe the feeding happened in the valley area of the Mount Arbel.
Now, "For he satisfies the longing soul". Why give thanks to the Lord for his grace and for his wonderful works? Because "He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness". Isn't that John 6 and Mark 6, the feeding of the 5,000? Okay, praise the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? Friend, when you are sick, drop down. Same portion here. "Fools, because of your transgression, because of your iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his hesed, and for his wonderful works to the children of men"!
Now, let's go back to Mark 6, hallelujah. In Mark 6, the Bible says he went up to pray and drop down. "When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and he was alone on the land. Then he saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night", that is 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., the darkest. It wasn't the first watch, which is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., that's the first watch; 9 p.m. to midnight is the second watch; third watch is midnight to 3 a.m., but it's the darkest time of the night, 3 a.m. to 6. But friend, it's just before dawn, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings", amen. So the fourth watch, the darkest time, he came to them.
Now, I was saying just now, what is God doing at this time, near the Feast of the Passover? We are now near the Feast of the Passover. What is God doing? What is the Lord Jesus doing in the world, especially in the church? He's doing an extraordinary movement. Some people say this is the Rapture, a picture of the Rapture, because he was praying for us just now but now he's coming to where we are, so they say it's the Rapture. Number one, it is not the Rapture, because here it says something. It's a extraordinary movement before the Rapture. Because it goes on to say, verse 48, the last part, "He came to them, the fourth watch of the night, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by". It's an extraordinary movement. He's appealing to their affections. Do you want me? Yes, he's telling the church, "Do you really want me? Do you want me, the person? I've loved you so".
We love him because he first loved us, right? But if we don't love him as we should, it's because we don't realize how much he loves us. We need to go back again to the truth, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Because the more you realize how much you are loved, the more you will love him, amen. John practiced that love. John knew the Lord loved him and every time you look at John, five times he mention in the Gospel of John that he's the disciple whom Jesus loved. He never draws attention to him, or else he'll put his name there. But it's always the disciple whom Jesus loved asked the Lord, the disciple whom Jesus loved outran Peter, the disciple whom Jesus loved was quick to discern who was the one standing on the beach and asking them, "Children, do you have any food"? It was a quick discernment, and the one who followed without being asked to follow. Peter had to be told, "Follow me", but John was following.
You know, you don't have to tell John to follow. Just like Caleb, he follows because he wants to. Why? 'Cause he has a revelation that I am the one whom Jesus loves. And once a while we need to do that, friend. Once a while we need to just sit down and just affirm this. The Son of God, like Paul. Paul make it very personal. He didn't say, "The Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us". He said, "The Son of God who loved me, who loved me". Say that right now. Make it personal: "The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me", amen? And because of failure to know that we are loved by the Lord, and we are truly loved by him, a very personal love, the Lord now makes an extraordinary movement. It's not the Rapture. This is not the Rapture. The Rapture, he will not pass anyone by who is saved. Everyone, we all, it says "We all who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air".
It's an extraordinary movement of the Lord. Even though he's seated at the heavenly place, there's going to be a special manifestation of the Lord in a way that he will show himself sovereign over the waves. He'll say, "Look unto me, my child. I am superior over the power of evil. I am superior over the evil of coronavirus", because the Bible says that God exalted him from the dead. God raised him, and God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. And how far has God exalted him? In Ephesians it says: "Far above all principality and power", and listen, he's not exalted alone. The Bible says we are raised with him. And because of time and space, God is not bound by time and space, it is true of us now. We don't have to wait until we die and then sit with Jesus on his throne. No, we are seated with Christ, because with God, there is no time and this is in the spirit world, amen, which is the real world, the world that is everlasting. Whereas, anything you touch and see is not everlasting. It's temporal. But right now we are raised and seated with Christ.
How far are we? Above all the principalities? No, "Far above all principality and power, might and dominion", and listen, listen, "over every name, far above every name that is named". They just named the coronavirus COVID-19. It is a new name, isn't it? So, "Far above every name that is named", every name that is named. Not only in this world but also in that which is to come. It covers everything. We are far above the COVID-19 virus as far as... when God looks at you, God sees you protected. God sees you far above the COVID-19 virus, yet understanding time and space doesn't relate to God, amen?
And that's where God has placed us. We are now seated already. Through experience, we are saying that one day I'll be seated, you know? But no, the Bible says we are not walking by experience. We're walking by faith and faith is real. Faith is not pretend it's happening. No, faith is seeing the way God sees it. We are seated right now, present tense. Take a deep breath. And every morning, say, "My family and I, we are safe and secure in Christ at the Father's right hand". That's the secret place of the Most High, amen?
And let's go on. Now, "He would have passed them by". In Luke 24 the same thing happened. He walked with the two on Emmaus Road, and the Bible says when they reached their house, he would have passed them by. He acted like he was going farther and they had to ask him, "No, stay with us", and show them that verse. It said: "He would have gone farther. He indicated that he would have gone farther. But they constrained him, 'Abide with us'". Remember when they saw him, the storm and all that, the Bible said, show them John, and they willingly received him, right? "They willingly receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going".
So immediately the boat was at the land. This transcends time and space. You can say it's teleportation, right? Immediately. The boat was in the middle when Jesus came, amen, and he stepped in. When they willingly receive him, so it's a extraordinary movement of the Lord right now, the Lord is telling, but you say, Pastor Prince, I am a Christian. I have received the Lord. I'm not talking about the kind of belief in the Lord in the first place. I'm talking about he's doing an extraordinary movement at this time in the midst of the darkness when the storm is still raging at a time when the Passover Feast draws near. Right now the Lord is making an extraordinary movement, and he is appealing to our affections. He would have passed by. It's almost like, "Do you want me? Do you really want me"?
It's the same movement in Laodicea, the end-time church, the church, the seventh church, the last one, in Laodicea that was proud. A church that was wealthy and they boast in their wealth. A church that says, "I am rich. I have need of nothing", and the Lord says, "You do not know you are blind". And that church in Laodicea, Jesus did an extraordinary movement. He knock, of all the churches, he made a personal appeal. He knocked on the door. We use it as a salvation verse, but actually it's a verse written to believers. It says: "He knocks on the door, and he says".
Notice he doesn't open the door though he has the power. He says, "Would you welcome me? If any man hear my voice and open the door, I'll come in, and I will fellowship with him". And it's the same movement here. And notice, "When they willingly received him". You need to willingly receive Jesus. Even child of God, you are saved. Yeah, we use the term receive Jesus. Actually, it's believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. But nonetheless, it's time for us right now to receive him into our homes and say, "Lord, it's you that I want". Amen? And take time with him.
Even this Coronavirus and all that, you know, he's serving his purpose. Listen, it's not from the Lord, but the Lord is definitely using it. I see it like this. All the while, this world is protected by the hand of the Lord. You know, it could have happened 10 years ago. It could have happened 20, in fact, 17 years ago the SARS thing happened. You know, once a while the Lord may just lift a finger to show us, to demonstrate what life is like without his divine protection. Because, friend, ever since Adam sinned, this world is thrown into chaos. The whole creation is groaning. All kinds of viruses has been released in this earth ever since Adam sinned. God never meant for men to die, but sin brought forth death. Amen. And God told men the consequences; but because God gave men a free choice, God will not intervene, men committed the wrong thing, made the wrong choice and sin came in, and now God has redeemed us. Praise God.
But listen, friend. God is still protecting the world as a whole from all kinds of pestilences, and all he has to do is just to lift one finger, and sometimes he does that. Also, because in the day of vengeance, it's not God doing the judge, but God is sovereign. It cannot be like the devil has his way around the world and God can do nothing. I don't believe that. You know, I believe that God does not send evil because he has no evil to send. In the Old Testament it says the Lord does something like bad or whatever, right? Bring destruction. It is in the permissive tense. He allows it because he allows it. He allows it because we are so proud, we are so smart, we act like we can live without him.
Even us believers, it's time for us in our homes to just have that, "Lord, do I have this personal relationship with you that I know you more or am I giving time for Korean dramas, you know, and giving time to commerce? I'm giving time to think about how to make money? I'm giving time". And these things, the devil will always have you on a merry-go-round; always. One thing is solved, there'll be another problem. That thing is solved, there'll be another problem. That thing is solved, there'll be another problem. He has you in a play ring a rosy and he will just keep on making sure he starts fires here and there, but focus on Jesus and let the blessings of God follow you. Whatever you need will follow you if you look at the Lord Jesus. Spend time with him. It's a special move on our affections. The Lord wants his peoples' love and affection, and we love because he first loved us.
You know what happened right at the end? Immediately the boat was there. Call it teleporting, whatever. This is a unique time. In this year of time and space, amen, he just supernaturally transported the boat right to their destination. They were there. You know what happened on the other side? Dawn was breaking, and the Bible says, "When they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might just touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made well".
Friend, after this darkness, there's going to be an unprecedented revival like this world has never seen, the church world has never seen. Not like the revivals in the past. This time, the manifestation will be such that everyone, "As many as touched him were made well". He's talking about personal touch. He's making an extraordinary movement for us to have a personal touch with him, personal relationship with him. And then the Bible says, "As many as touched him were made well". We're going into that time where everyone will be made well; everyone that touch him. Hallelujah. That's our desired haven. But something happened in between that is not told, and I'll close with this. But before that, let me show you again. "Praise the Lord for his goodness". Drop down again. In Psalms 107, "They reel to and fro".
The people in the boat, they are reeling to and fro because of the storm and the strong winds. "And they stagger like a drunken man. They are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet. So he guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his grace, for his wonderful works to the children of men". What is God after? He just wants us to be grateful for his grace. His grace fed us when we don't deserve it. If he go by how we are behaving, what we are doing, we'll never be fed, we'll never be protected, but he's telling us give thanks to him because he's demonstrating grace during this time. He's going to protect you even though you don't deserve it. You only have to believe him.
Protection is not something that I have to earn it, and sometimes I hear people saying in such a way like, "You know, it's a place where like special elite few. Those were extra holy". It's not that, friend. We are all there. We just have to realize it and give thanks to him for his unearned, undeserved favor, for his grace, and thank him for his wonderful works, thank him for his miracles. Amen? Now, I want to close with this, as I said just now. I want to close with this. There's something that happened in between, when Jesus was on the water and they cried out. They thought he was a ghost. He says, "I AM. Don't be afraid". And the Bible says Peter actually said, "Lord". And you find this in Matthew's account, Matthew 14. And Matthew 14 says he says, "Lord, if it's you, bid me come". Right? "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water".
Same account, same story. "So Jesus said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me.' And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped him, saying, 'Truly, you are the Son of God'". So this account is not mentioned in Mark, Luke, and John, but it's mentioned in Matthew. Something happened. When they saw Jesus and he says, "Be of good cheer, Ani Hu, I AM. Don't be afraid". And the Bible says Peter said, "Lord, if it's you, bid me come". Jesus said, "Come".
Listen, my friend. It's a special movement. You can be like Peter. There are a lot of people saying, "Oh, you know, this sounds like... I don't believe it. Oh, this miracle of protection and all that, I don't believe it. Or this miracle". You know, let them say what they want to say, but there's a special thing that if you ask the Lord, "God, can I be, Lord Jesus, can I be like you, above the COVID-19 virus, above the storm, above the fear, above the worry, above the care"? And he'll say to you, "Come". The Lord loves for his people to be conformed to his image and something about the principle of transformation. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians, it says, "We all with unveiled face, the law has been removed. Beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory even by the Spirit of the Lord". In other words, you are transformed by beholding.
How do you see Jesus now, friend? He's above, far above the COVID-19 virus. He's the Lord on high, as the psalmist says, above the floods, above the waters. And when Peter saw that, Peter says, "I want to be where you are. I want to be like you". And Jesus says, "Come. Even the whole boat people don't believe, you come. You believe me? You come". And he step out, and the Bible says he started to walk on the water. As long his eye was on Jesus, amen, he started to walk on the water. How you see Jesus is how you will be. Friend, the exhortations of grace in the New Testament, responsibilities that we talk about responsibilities is just, responsibility of grace is like this. Let us be that which we are, the law says let us become what we should, but the responsibilities of grace is, let us be that which we are.
So all the exhortations of New Testament is just to behold him and supernaturally, not with human effort, not with the flesh; being transformed just by beholding him. If your problem is addiction, whether it's porn addiction, whether it is a depression, whether it's some other sinful habit, look to Jesus, he far above it, and say, "Lord, you are far above my depression. I can see you, Lord, above the storm, above this affliction". And keep your eyes on it and talk to him all the time, seeing him above your problem. You know what? All of a sudden, effortlessly you'll be transformed. We have so many testimonies of people writing in to tell us that's what happens when you see Jesus. Amen?
Look to him. And how do you look to him? In the Scriptures. That's the number one way we see him. And preaching, proclaim Christ in the Scriptures. He taught us in the Emmaus road, all right, things concerning himself. Even then he wanted to win their hearts before he wins them all over by showing them things concerning himself. So, friend, let us praise the Lord for his goodness. He's making a extraordinary movement at this time all over the world to his people. To his people he's saying, "Will you willingly receive me? Yes, I can put a stop. Yes, I can do it". But you know what? If he put a stop too fast, too early, we'll go back to our usual ways, our selfish ways, our materialistic ways, just somehow people, the church, you know, as a whole... let me just say this. It's not that we are bad, involved in wickedness, things and all that. If you're like that, you are probably not born again. But usually it's just a matter of, like, we don't spend time with him. We just don't think that that's that important.
The Song of Songs, how he appealed; he knocked on the door of his bride and the bride says, "You know, I'm all washed up. I'm all nice and all that. You know, I don't feel like getting up and opening the door". And he withdrew himself. Now please understand. He will never leave us nor forsake us, but there is an experiential part to our relationship that he's appealing to. I'm talking about that today. I'm talking about where there is a dynamic of intimacy, and you want that. You don't want a legalistic relationship just knowing, "Yeah, I'm in Christ. I'm the righteousness of God in Christ".
You know, that's not legalistic I understand, but that's positional. You know, you want something that you have an experience with him, and that's what he's appealing to all of us. "Will you willingly receive me? I stand at the door and knock, will you open the door"? And Peter says, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come". He says, "Come". It's like he's waiting. "Come". But the moment Peter looked at him, he started to do what he did. He started to be above the waters. So if the Lord is above this plague, Peter was to begin to be above the plague. Because as he is, so are we in this world.
And, friend, it was when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and there's a story of our lives. Every failure, every fear, worry that has ceased whole upon our heart is because we took our eyes off Jesus. We started looking to this expert and started looking to this person. We started looking at men instead of looking to the Lord. We start to hear men's words. We are feeding off men's words that is not bread at all. They cannot nourish you. We are feeding on that. We are looking at social media, and we are looking at the news and our Facebook and all the different venues of information and we are, you know, really trying to feed on these things and these things don't feed. The true bread of life, he wants to feed you. Spend time with him. Will you do that? Doesn't take hard. Remember this. The moment you take one step, he takes ten steps towards you. I'm talking to the church. That's what's happening right now, friend. Amen? Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his grace.
Friend, the Lord loves you, and right now he is walking towards you. He's ministering to you. He's loving on you. Remember that he's doing an extraordinary movement in this fourth watch of the night in this world, but he's walking towards you. Will you willingly receive him into your family, receive him into your life, receive him into whatever ministry or occupation or career that you're in? Receive him.
Lord Jesus, I receive you into my life. I receive you, Lord, even in the areas of my family relationships, in the areas of my career (whether you're operating at home or at work). Lord Jesus, I receive you to be my protection, Lord, in these days. I receive you, Lord, into my boat. Lord Jesus, I know, Lord, that this receiving, Lord, is a special time, Lord, where you want my affections, Lord. And how can I not love you, Lord? Lord, you are altogether lovely, and you have done so much for me, and I give you praise for your hesed, for your grace in my life. I don't deserve it, Lord, but, Lord, you lavish it on me. And I know my family and I know my family and I will be well taken care of even during this time of the fourth watch, this dark season, Lord. My family and I will have more than enough, 12 baskets full of leftover to be a blessing to others. I thank you, Lord Jesus. And, Lord, I do want to know you more. I do want to have that relationship that is intimate with you, Lord. So unveil more and more of your love for me because I can only love, Lord, because you first loved me. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
In Jesus's name, I feel that there's someone watching here that you are on heavy medication. Not just on medication, but you are medicating yourself with all kinds of tranquilizers and different kind of medicine because there's panic that has set in. You have panic attacks that happen more often now. In the name of Jesus, right now the love of Jesus, that perfect love, cast it all out from your life in Jesus's name, and I speak release and freedom from all that bondage, in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, receive right now that peace, that aggressive peace, that peace that garrisons your heart and mind. Receive it right now, in Jesus's name. Friend, that's the peace of God that you're feeling right now, in Jesus's name. Amen?
Someone has been having a problem with your back, I think you got a back condition, that's watching right now. If you'll just right now stand up in Jesus's name. Stand up quickly in Jesus's name. Amen? Jump a little bit if you can or else stomp your foot up and down. The Lord is healing you right now in Jesus's name. Amen. Amen.
Somebody's watching and you have a toothache that's been bothering you for some time, and you are afraid to go to the dentist at this time. The Lord is healing your tooth right now in Jesus's name. There's a supernatural thing. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen.
And there's someone that's watching right now that you have a heart condition that you felt it's gotten worse. It's gotten worse these past days. Again, you're also reluctant to go to the doctor at this time, but right now you are feeling like warm coming to your heart. The Lord is healing you, my friend, in Jesus's name. Jesus makes you well, in the name of Jesus. Receive that healing right now in Jesus's name. In Jesus's name, amen, amen.
All kinds of joint conditions, and also there is someone with a elbow, you cannot move your elbow in certain direction, all the way, move it right now in Jesus's name, and all kinds of joint conditions are being healed. If you'll just move that area right now in Jesus's name, the Lord is healing you, friend. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
And there's a miracle that's happening to a family right now, a miracle of restoration; husband's heart is turning back to the wife, the wife to the husband. And, friend, this is a miracle of the Lord. It cannot be done by our human works, it's just a supernatural miracle, and there's a supernatural love right now in your heart for your spouse. Receive that in Jesus's name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus. If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, friend, pray this prayer with me right now.
Lord Jesus, come into my life. Be my Savior and Lord. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, and I believe you rose from the dead because all my sins have been put away. And, Lord, I thank you that I'm risen with you and I'm seated with you in heavenly places in Christ. Jesus Christ is my Lord, and I fully expect that every day of my life from now on your goodness and your grace will hunt me down all the days of my life. In Jesus's name, amen.
Friend, you prayed that prayer, you are now saved. You're a child of God. Your sins are forgiven. You are in a place of special privilege of nearness to God, at the Father's right hand. You are in Christ. That's where you are, and that's where you will be forever. Amen. Feel safe and secure. God wants you to take that place and feel safe and secure in these days that we are living in. Every child of God that's watching, amen, feel that safety, feel that protection around you, amen, because you are in Christ, the secret place of the most high.
Let me pray this prayer for you for this coming week. And, friends, all those that are watching, if you have received that miracle in your body, in your life, in your family, will you please write to the church? Please write to the church and let us know what's happening. Give Jesus the glory. Oh, that men will praise the Lord for his grace, amen, and for all his wonderful works. Will you do that, please? I appreciate that very much. Amen. Praise the Lord.
This coming week, the Lord bless you the blessings of father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, and the Lord make his face to shine on you, preserve and keep you from the COVID-19 virus, you and your loved ones. Total preservation, supernatural preservation from the COVID-19 virus and from accidents, dangers, harm, and from all the power of the evil one. The Lord raise his face, smiling on you and blesses you with Shalom wholeness, peace. See him smiling and see a Lord that loves to be close to you, and draw close to him every day throughout this week. Will you do that? Amen. God bless you. Until then, we'll meet again in Jesus's name.