Joseph Prince - How To Be Unshakable In Times Of Crisis
Praise God, praise God, hallelujah. Thank God for all the testimonies we've heard. And I know that what God has done for all these precious people, God will do for you. We have so many testimonies that's coming in because so many people are tuning in. And every week, more and more people are tuning in to our online service. But I just want to encourage those of you who are watching, if you belong to a local church, I ask in the name of Jesus, okay, that you be faithful in supporting your local church, amen? Your giving should be to your local church, and your church needs your giving at this time. Don't forget the principle of sowing and reaping during this time.
The Bible says, "You are laying a good foundation for the time to come". And the time to come, the implication there is that it's bad times that are coming, financial famine. But we need not worry because God always, always supplies his people with more than enough during famine. In fact, like Joseph, God even made him the one to actually release the storehouse during that time to a hungry world. And even Abraham, the Bible tells us in famine, God favored him and God blessed him, even though he was out of the place where he's not supposed to be. And he was supposed to be in Canaan, but because he was delaying his coming, he ended up in famine in Egypt. But the Lord supplied for him. Even Isaac sowed in the year of famine and reaped a hundredfold.
So, I want to encourage you during this time, we know financial famine is on the horizon, but we can lay a good foundation for the time to come. In Timothy, chapter 6 I believe it is, it says that not to forget to do good works, to sow, to give. And we are laying, the next verse says, "We are laying a good foundation for the time to come". In other words, your harvest will meet you. When the financial famine is here, you'll have more than enough, amen? Never forget the principle of tithing and offering because God is really looking out at this time to bring us all back to his ways, amen. The world's ways of finances is collapsing. The world's ways of trying to raise children is collapsing. The Bible says, "Everything that can be shaken in these days will be shaken, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain".
Let's take a look at that real fast because we are seeing what God is doing in the world today, amen? We want to see, 'cause during this time, I want to preach the now word. And I want to say to you right now from the start that perhaps you are thinking that what you're going through right now and what the world is going through right now in this time and season might be a protracted time, might even be for years. It is something called the new normal. Perhaps that's what you're thinking, "Is this the new normal"? It's not very attractive, you know, with all the physical distancing and with all the restrictions and all that. But let me tell you this, I've got news for you, good news. I want to share with you from God's Word, from God's infallible Word that this will not be protracted, that this season we are in will not be the new normal.
Yes, some things will change, but it will not be a new normal where we cannot gather again or we cannot be in a crowd, okay? For now, yes. And please do observe, all right, the physical distancing and whatever the authorities are advising you in your various countries. And here in Singapore, we are abiding by what their advice, they are for us, they are not against us. Your authorities are watching over your needs and your concerns as well because, and that's the thing, you know, some Christians need to understand that this physical non-gathering at this time physically is only temporal. And I'll prove to you, keep on tuning in, all right? I want to prove to you from God's Word why this will not be the new normal, amen? But until then, I just want to tell you that God has spoken and God showed me a few things that we need to put into effect during this time.
And one of it is that, number one, the Bible says that even as God said, "I have shook the earth", when God gave the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, that was when God said, "I shook the earth. Yet once more, I shake not the earth, but the heavens also". Now, this once more we find in Hebrews chapter 12. If you look at Hebrews chapter 12, it says, "To Jesus we are come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who speaks". Notice that God is talking about the blood of Jesus. We are come to Jesus the mediator, amen, of the new covenant. And to his blood that speaks better things. Remember that the blood of Abel, when Cain killed his brother Abel, the Bible says God said to Cain, "The voice". That's the first mention of blood, by the way, in the Bible. "The voice of your brother's blood cries unto me from the ground".
Now, notice there's a voice in the blood that God hears, amen? The first mention of blood in the Bible tells us that blood has a voice. But what did the voice of the blood of Abel cry out? Vengeance, vengeance against the murderer. But the blood of Jesus, the Bible says, "The blood of Jesus speaks better things than that of Abel", amen? It speaks forgiveness, it speaks restoration, it speaks reconciliation to God. It speaks healing, it speaks supply of all your needs, amen? It speaks good things. The Bible says the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel, amen? Even though God so loved the world and gave his Son to us, the world took his Son and nailed him at the cross. And what did God do with that? God took what they did, amen, Christ dying on the cross to be the instrument of forgiveness of sins. Because when Christ hung on the cross, he bore our sins in our place, amen? And God raised him from the dead as a testimony, as a proclamation that all our sins have been completely put away, hallelujah.
So, notice the Bible tells us, "Don't refuse the voice that speaks better things". In other words, don't reject grace. Don't reject good things. You know, Jesus came to his hometown and they rejected him. He says, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country". And the Bible tells us that this rejection of the voice that speaks better things is the voice of grace. They rejected it because he talked, imagine, imagine in the synagogue, for the very first time they heard him say, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me". And he was quoting the parashat, the portion of Scripture for that week. And he says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to heal the broken heart, to proclaim opening of prison doors to those who are bound".
And all the way, and let's look at the portion real quick. And then he said this, "'To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord'. Then he closed the book". And where he closed the book, we need to close the book. "To proclaim", but notice in Isaiah 61, "to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord". And then he goes straightaway just by a comma there, it says, "And the day of vengeance of our God". In fact, in the original, there's no comma. It goes straight into, "The acceptable year of the Lord to the day of vengeance of our God". But Jesus closed at the acceptable year of the Lord. So friends, this times and seasons that we are in is not the day of vengeance. It is not the days of revelation, or what you see in the book of Revelation. In fact, all that will happen after we are raptured, after we are taken away to meet the Lord in the air, caught up together rather, amen? The Greek word there is harpazo.
Someone says, "You know, Pastor Prince, there's no word as rapture in the Bible". Well, the word "trinity" is also not in the Bible, but the idea, amen? The truth is, amen? The triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, the truth of the snatching away of the church is true and real, amen? It is in the Greek word "harpazo", that's catching away, the seizing away. So, we are looking forward to that, amen. But notice very clearly the Lord's first coming is not to bring judgement. It is not the day of vengeance. His first coming is to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, in Hebrew ratzon, the year of favor, amen? That's his first coming, it's lasted for 2,000 years now, amen. But very soon, we know the signs are showing, the Lord is saying that once you see all these signs, nation rising against nation, and famine, and pestilences in different places.
Notice the word "pestilences", it's plural, pestilences he said, more than just one pestilence. And already we have seen different kind of pestilences, MERS, SARS. And 17 years ago, we had SARS. And then now this Coronavirus things. So, all these are signs. They are not the days of vengeance, but these are signs, the birth pains. They are signs, and the Bible says all this are the beginning of sorrows. In other words, it's a prelude to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Now, God is not sending these signs to show or demonstrate. The devil, and also the earth is groaning in travail and in pain because of all the sins, you know? Ever since Adam's sin, this earth has been groaning and travailing, and there's something just, even when Cain killed Abel, the Bible says God said to Cain, "From now on, the ground will not yield its strength to you". So, that's a reaction from the earth to man's sin, man's rebellion.
So, earth has fallen, and now we are seeing the earth literally faltering and shaking. But there's also a shaking where God is shaking things that are manmade, things that man have trusted that is totally unreliable, unsafe, but man have put their trust in it. And this is what we are coming to, back to Hebrews chapter 12. And it says that, "See that you don't refuse him who speaks". In the context there, the verse before that talks about grace, talks about the blood that speaks better things. Now, this voice that speaks better things, the blood that speaks better things, don't refuse the voice of grace. Don't refuse the voice of grace. In other words, you are speaking the voice of judgment during this time. That's not the word in season. God says, "Don't refuse the voice of grace".
There is a greater consequence to not accepting the voice of grace. Look at what he says, "If they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven". So, from earth, he's talking about Moses's time. When God gave the law, that's God's speaking, amen, on earth. He came down to Mount Sinai, he spoke on earth. Back then, there was a shaking. But now, much more shall we not escape. And those people who rejected the Ten Commandments, who rejected the ways of the Lord in Moses's time, died. They died under the judgement of God. But how much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven? That's the voice of grace. Don't reject grace, amen. Grace says, "I died for your sins". Grace says, "I love you. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest".
So, I just want to say a word to all my friends out there who are preaching the Word of God. Make sure during this time, under the dispensation of grace, we are not there yet in the day of vengeance. Let's not use the fear of judgement to try to produce holiness. You know, can you imagine a child, you're trying to inculcate obedience in the child, you're trying to produce true obedience. Can there be true obedience if the child is always afraid that the father will cast him off? Is that the kind of fear that we want to produce? Yes, there is the fear of the Lord, I know that, but the fear of the Lord is not a fear of judgement. The fear of the Lord is a worship of the Lord. That's how Jesus defines it in the temptation in the wilderness.
So, what we are doing, actually we are killing true holiness because false gospels, true gospels is totally so subtle that people missed it. Half gospel sounds like the true gospel. It talks about holiness, it is for holiness. In trying to produce holiness, they actually say, "Your salvation is conditioned upon your works". That is a killer of true holiness. Because friend, until you know you are loved by God, until you know that God sent his Son to die for your sins and that Christ has completely and forever put away your sins, his work is a perfect work. His blood has efficaciously removed all your sins from the sight of a holy God, and that you're no longer facing to what's wrath. Wrath is behind you, amen? And in front of you is all the favor of God, hallelujah. You are highly favored in Christ, Ephesians chapter 1. You are highly grace, highly favored in Christ, amen? You are not going into wrath.
And the book of Revelation is about the seven years of tribulation, it's also called the day of the Lord, as well as the days of his wrath. We are not there, friend. And for the believer, all wrath has been removed from your future, it's all behind you now. Look at John chapter 5. In John 5, Jesus says, "Most assuredly, or truly, truly I say to you, he who hears my Word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life". Now listen, "And shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life".
Friend, we are not going into judgement. There's no judgement in our future. "Well, Pastor Prince, what about the judgement seat of Christ"? Well, the judgement seat of Christ, remember this, we're not judged in terms of whether we go to heaven, amen? Or cast into the lake of fire. That's the great white throne judgement, amen? We are saved. At the judgement seat of Christ, the word "judgement" doesn't appear in the original Greek, all right? It is the bema seat of Christ. You know, the Olympians, like when they appear before the seat where the honorary celebrity or whoever it is is presenting the wreath, the stephanos, the wreath of victory and glory, that seat where he presents it is called bema. Amen?
So, we stand before the Lord for rewards or loss of rewards. That's all, it's not about salvation. And don't forget, when Jesus comes again, he'll come for us first, we are raptured. And in the rapture, don't forget when he comes again, our bodies are transformed like unto his glorious body, forever young, forever healthy, forever strong. Forever is quite a long time, amen? When he comes for us, the Bible says, "He will transform our vile body like his body, and then will come the bema seat of Christ, where he'll present rewards". Amen? And anyway, you stand before him, don't forget you are standing at the bema seat of Christ or the judgement seat of Christ, the term used in the Bible, in your new body, in your glorified body. You are assessed in your glorified body of the things that was done when you were on earth to receive rewards or no rewards. That's it.
But there's a verse that says, "Every man shall receive praise". Amen? And I believe that every true believer will receive something there. So, don't worry about the judgement seat of Christ, it is not for people that are concerned that that's where they'll be judged for their sins. All your sins have been judged at the cross. Your sins have been removed. And if you believe that, that is your future. There's no wrath in front of you, only the favor of God, amen? Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Preach myself happy, hallelujah. Amen? And also 1 Thessalonians, now this is a Christian posture. We're not looking forward to death, amen?
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 10, this is the true Christian posture. "To wait for his Son from heaven". That's what we are doing right now, we are waiting for his Son from heaven. No, we are not waiting for the antichrist to appear. We're not waiting to see who will be the antichrist. We're not waiting to see more bad things happening, amen? Even when Jesus talked about the birth pains, the bad things, famines, and pestilences, what did he say? "Lift up your heads", amen. "Your redemption, your bodily redemption draws near". He didn't say, "Look at all these things and meditate on them. Tune into them day in, day out. Focus on them". He didn't say that. "Lift up your heads", amen. Lift up your heads, it's time to soar high above all this Coronavirus and all the bad news that you hear every day. Don't tune in to those things. Just know roughly what is happening, amen. Read the general news and just know what is happening. That's it, don't go into all the detail. Don't meditate on all the deaths that's happening and all that.
We feel for what is happening right now and I want this to end. I feel for all the people that have lost loved ones and who are struggling during this time, even financially and all that. You know it's not God, it is the devil. Jesus said, "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly". Yes, friend, he's coming again. So, our posture is to wait for his Son from heaven, not look towards the grave. You know, when I hear people saying that, "One of these days, we're going to die", that is not what I'll say because that's not the Christian posture. We're not to look forward to death. Even Paul's time, amen, they don't look forward to death, they look forward to be with Christ. Amen, which is far better, Paul said, amen. "And to wait for his Son from heaven", that's our posture, "whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come".
Notice that? Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. There is a wrath to come. There is a day of vengeance of our God, that seven years that Daniel talked about, amen? The 70 weeks of Daniel, the prophecy, that will happen. That is in our future, amen? Don't try to spiritualize what God does not spiritualize. Just like hell, there are some people who want to spiritualize hell, saying there's no such thing as hell, it's all a figurative of speech, a figure of speech. And you know, but friend, listen, the Bible says, Jesus specifically took pains to say, "The worm dies not and the fire is not quenched". There is no way you can spiritualize that away. That is literal. He took time to mention that more than once, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, amen?
There is a hell to shun and a heaven to gain, amen. But you know what? God wants to do something for you during this time and season, so I believe that, prophetically, we are in a time where God is shaking things for good. Listen, we don't like it, we don't like to hear that. It's not for judgement, it's for good. See what God is up to, amen? It says that, "Don't refuse the voice". Next verse, it says, "Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven'". And you say, "Pastor Prince, why would God want to shake heaven, where he dwells"? No, this heaven is not where he dwells. This is the heaven where the principalities and powers that is the brainchild behind this Coronavirus, these principalities and power, the powers of darkness, there is an enemy. And to believe the devil doesn't exist is the enemy's own crowning achievement.
There is an enemy, amen. Nor do I believe that we need to focus on him too much, amen. We focus on the Lord, hallelujah, we look unto Jesus. But there is an enemy of your soul, and he is the one behind this Coronavirus. He is the one taking lives. He is the one killing, stealing, destroying. Not just satisfied with taking lives, he's not satisfied with that, he wants to kill, he wants to even remove financially, all right, the things that God has blessed you with during this time. Look at what he's doing, he hates. You know, don't think that for one moment that the devil has any compassion in his heart. He will kill a child, a baby if he gets the chance. But Jesus says, "I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly". Hallelujah.
So, what is God doing in this shaking? God is shaking even the powers of darkness so that all their strength will crumble. All that they are doing is crumbling, amen? The victory has been accomplished at the cross, amen? But God is enforcing it. And that's what's happening. When Jesus comes again, even our bodily redemption has been purchased at the cross. But the only thing left for us to inherit, the only thing that we are looking forward to is our bodily redemption. Lift up your heads, for your redemption, bodily redemption draws near when you see all the signs happening. Ooh, hallelujah, amen? Keep your eyes upwards and onto Jesus, amen? See him high above all. See him sovereign, Lord of all, amen? And see him above the floods, above this crisis, above this Coronavirus that's going on, amen? And as far as you and your family are concerned, when you see him like that, you become like the one you behold. Not by your own efforts, but by the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord needs you to look to Jesus for him to work in your life. As you look at Jesus, you see him above the Coronavirus, you are above the Coronavirus. Can I have a good amen, amen? Look, let's continue.
Now notice this, "Now this, 'Yet once more', indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, manmade, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain". So, it's something good, friends. What is happening is something good. God is shaking that everything can be happening, amen, that can be shaken that are manmade. So, only the things that are manmade, you know, when you shake something, you know, I remember when we were in the army and we were learning to camouflage, you know. And some of us would put different kinds of camouflage leaves, you know, and try to blend in with the background in the jungle. And then the sergeant would have us stand in one line and then jump. And you will see the things that can be shaken, those are the things that start dropping, amen. But the things that are stable, if you put it in a stable way, the things that are stable cannot be removed, amen.
You know, everything that can be shaken that is manmade will be shaken so that man's trust will turn to God, amen. We forget we don't even say thanks for our food. You know, we don't thank God for our food. We just go through our food, we eat. But the Bible says, "Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. And when you have eaten and are full, bless the Lord your God", amen. The Bible even tells you to bless the Lord after you have eaten, amen? And friend, you know, even financially, we are trusting the banking system. We are trusting Wall Street. We are trusting the economies of the world, which can be shaken. Don't put your trust in it. You can't be involved in it. If the Lord leads you to be involved in some stocks or whatever, you know, by all means, follow the leading of the Lord, but don't put your trust in these things. These things are all being shaken, and what cannot be shaken? God's system, amen.
Right even before the law was given, Abraham tithed to Melchizedek and Jesus today is the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. No one told him to do it. It was a revelation straight from heaven. He tithed and from then on, the tithe is taught, even under the law. And even the time of Jesus, Jesus taught it, amen. The principle of the tithe, that 10% represents the whole. Just like when Abraham sent his servant, we know he's Eliezer, to get a bride for his son Isaac, his beloved son. Remember this, the Bible says he took ten camels with him, amen? And ten, and yet the Bible says he took all his master's goods with him. So, ten camels, all his master's goods. Ten represent the whole, that's God's way. And the word, the Hebrew word for tithe is the word maaser, and the word aser, mem makes it a noun. Maaser is the tithe. Remove the mem, you have aser, which is rich, the word for rich. Where you find the same chapter, Abraham says, "I don't want it to be said that you say I made Abraham rich, aser". Amen, so the rich is in the tithe.
Let's not forget at this time to be true to God, amen, to his house, to tithe to the Lord, amen. And if you are not from part of New Creation Church, you are from another church, I encourage you once again to tithe to your local church, amen. Your church needs it, at this time especially. And the Lord is telling us the things that can be shaken, all right, economically, not grace-based economy. Everything that's not grace-based will be shaken. So, we're gotta follow grace-based economy, amen. The tithe is grace-based because the tithe is the response for those who have a revelation of the present day high priest, who is Melchizedek. That's why the Bible says Melchizedek was the one that received the tithes from Abraham in the first mention of the tithes. It's to tell us that today, and Hebrews 7 authenticates that, it says today he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Amen, praise the Lord.
So, we see, even the manmade economy is being shaken, amen, where the grace-based economy system remains. It's unshakable. And then parenting, to use the methods of the world, amen, to use the methods of if you love your child, let them be, amen, you know, and not to correct them. And God's Word is full of parenting wisdom in the book of Proverbs. Read them, amen. So, the things that can be shaken are shaken, even the area of family life, so the things that cannot be shaken may remain, amen. Praise the Lord.
What about our health? Our health, we are trusting medicine. What if I tell you that the medicine you are taking right now, if you have eyes to see in the future right now... now please, if you're on medication, all right, the doctor prescribed you, please continue your medication, amen. But even the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies will tell you a lot of warnings, amen, that people don't read sometime, even the contra-indicators and the factors of that go into one tablet. It is still manmade. Your trust must be in the Lord. By all means, if the doctor advise you, take it, amen, but do not put your trust in it. Your trust must be in the Lord's Supper, amen. But do you know this is the first time, the first ever Passover where all Jews will be confined in their homes. It has never happened before since the very first Passover.
In the very first Passover about 3,500 years ago until now, there has never been a Passover where all the Jewish people all over the world, and for them at that time, it was all over Egypt, were commanded to stay in their homes, put the blood on the doorposts. It's the first time ever, and I think there's something significant about this Passover, perhaps for us who observe it, amen. I'm not saying you need to observe it every year, amen. For us, we live in that life, amen, of partaking of the Lord's Supper. But you see, if the blood of the lamb... they killed a physical lamb, and God says put the blood on the doorpost, right? And then what were they doing inside the house? They were eating the roasted lamb, and God says, "Do not eat it watered down. Do not eat it raw, but eat it roasted with fire".
Let me show you this. This is important, right. "They shall eat the flesh on that night roasted in fire", amen, "with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire". Now, if you eat it raw, it's like you believe the teachings of Jesus. There are many, many people who say, "I respect Jesus. I think he's a great man. I think if the world follows his teachings and also especially the Sermon on the Mount, the world will be a better place", and still not be saved. It is not eating him raw, that is eating him raw. Eating him roasted in fire is to see what he did for you at the cross, amen. He bore our sins. The judgment that was meant for you and I fell upon him because he loved us. He took our place, and now he's taking our place also in the presence and in the glory of God at the Father's right hand, hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
So, don't eat it raw. Don't just admire Jesus, amen, and water down the cross and what he did. You see, if you believe all the teachings of Jesus but don't believe in what he did at the cross, it's useless. It is eating him raw. So, he says eat him roasted in fire. They're eating the lamp, it's talking about the lamb now. "Its head with its legs and its entrails". Now, the Holy Spirit is very specific and there's a reason for it. Every time God is specific, there's a reason for it. It's the head of the lamb so that the children of Israel, on that night, they will eat the head. They will eat the the legs, amen. And they will eat the entrails, the inside, or King James says the inwards, in the inward parts.
Now, you look at all these three, the head. The Bible says he knew no sin. The legs, legs represent action deeds. He did no sin. The inward, in him is no sin. No wonder the Father's so delighted in him. The Father opened up the heavens to him. In those first 30 years, we do not know what transpired in his earthly life as a boy growing up. We only have a glimpse of it at the temple when he was 12 years old. But it was enough, having done no miracle even. At the age of 30 when he came up from the River Jordan, the Father, I love this expression, the Father opened the heaven to him and the Father said, "This is my beloved Son. In Him, I am well pleased". When they ate that lamb, you know what happened to them?
Psalms 107, show them Psalms 107. He also brought them out, from Egypt that is, he also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among his tribes. When they came out, there was none feeble, none feeble, hallelujah, none weak, none sick, and there were about two to three million of them. And there were elderly people, very elder, elderly, old people, amen. They were running around healed because they partook of the legs that night, amen, their legs are strengthened. Their head, they are healed, completely healed. You know, we have a testimony, in fact, more than one testimonies of people being healed from Alzheimer by partaking of the Lord's Supper every day. We're talking about Alzheimer and dementia, completely healed, having their faculties coming back, restored. I mean, God restores. It's always greater, 120%. It's never back to what it was, praise God, Hallelujah, amen?
So, they partook of the head, the legs, and the entrails, amen. And the next day, they walked out strong, every one of them. Every one of them walked out, none feeble among the two to three million people. And not only that, God promised, if you look at Exodus 12, verse 35, it says in Exodus 12, verse 35, "Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses", and the same night, "they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians". The same night they observed the Passover, amen, the Bible says they asked, the children of Israel asked the Egyptians for silver and gold, and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptian so that they granted them what they requested, plus they plundered the Egyptians.
Friend, if you think that is something that is unfair for the Egyptians, remember, the Egyptians made use of them as slaves without any pay, no pay. And this is all the backpay that came back with interest, amen. God is just. God watches over his people. And the key here is the Lord gave them a favor. I know that during this time, you look around and you see that even the economy is crumbling, amen. It seems like the experts are saying we are going towards a global recession. But friend, every time there's famine, the Bible tells us, God provides for his people. Isaac sowed in the land in the year of famine and reaped a hundredfold.
Friend, God will take care of his own. It was at midnight they observed the Passover. It was the next day when they came out in Psalms 105, they came out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble, none sick, none weak, silver and gold. You can say, "Well, you believe in the health and wealth". You know, forget the terms. Read this verse and tell me what you think. Tell me what did God do for his people? If this silver and gold is bad, then you just have to reject it, amen. And Lord, what they reject, give it to me, amen. Praise the Lord. I will take anything that God gives, whatever God instructs. Praise God.
Now, God doesn't want us to be greedy and materialistic. He doesn't want the love of money to possess us. We can have the love of money with no money. Just thinking and dreaming of money, obsessed with money. The love of money is the root of all evil, the Bible says. But, friend, when you tithe, it breaks the love of money. That's why God instituted the tithe, and a lot of people can give a lot of grandiose ideas, religious, you know, "All my money belongs to God". But practically, hardly even 10% goes to the Lord. So, here we go back to the tithe, which is not my message today, but I just want to let you know that everything that can be shaken is being shaken so that things that cannot be shaken will remain. God's system, God's way of things, grace cannot be shaken. Amen, amen, amen, hallelujah.
So, back to Hebrews 12 now. It says, "Those things that are being shaken are things that are made", that is manmade, "that things which cannot be shaken may remain". The next verse, "Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which can be shaken", can you say amen? We are receiving a kingdom, people, which cannot be shaken. Hallelujah. Let us have what? Let us have what? Grace. I know my cameraman is now about to shout. I can see the mouth moving. Let us have what? Grace, amen. Let us have grace, amen. So, the very thing God says, Don't reject grace, don't reject the voice of grace. A lot of people are doing that. Instead, they are speaking the words of judgment. They are saying that you can be under judgment. No doubt there's a judgment coming for the world, but not for the believer, amen. And it says very clearly, "Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear".
Friend, you want to talk about reverence and godly fear, it can only be produced when you have grace. When a child knows his love, amen, that love controls the child. We are so afraid to remove fear from the hearts of people because we are afraid, you know, we remove fear, then we enthrone Satan in the heart instead of God. No, friend, perfect love casts out fear. It's our job as pastors and ministers of the gospel to preach the Word to our people and have that fear removed, but how can the fear be removed or evicted, how? By the perfect love. The Bible says perfect love casts out fear and perfect love is not your love, or my love for God, you know that. It cannot be perfect. It is us, it cannot be perfect. It is his love for us. When we realized how much he loves us, it casts out that fear, and that fear has torment. He goes on to say that fear has torment.
And the idea there, and the Amplified brings it out, fear has the idea of punishment. We must remove that from our hearts. A believer is not looking ahead with a fear that one day that he doesn't know which sin might produce again punishment. No, friend, when we realize that all punishment, all wrath is behind us, all our sins are all put away, we look forward to his Son from heaven, we will live godly lives. We'll have grace and we will serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. It will produce true holiness because until you have peace with God, you cannot walk with God, amen. Many believers are at peace with God, but they don't possess that peace. In fact, that word down there, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace", if you read it in the Greek, "We have peace" is in the active tense. In other words, let us possess peace.
Let us realize we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And when you hear preaching and teaching that tells you that you can be under judgment and all that, that doesn't produce peace. That brings back that fear, and some people think that the fear of judgment in a heart of a person can produce holiness more than the love of Christ can. They are trying to affect by the fear of judgment what only the love of Christ can produce through holiness. Godly reverence will only come forth when we realize. Notice, "Let us have grace by which", notice that? It's only by grace. "Let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear". When we realize how much God loves us, you know, you become godly by accident. You become holy without even realizing it.
Have you seen people who are holy and they are conscious of it? So, perfect love casts out fear. 2 Corinthians 5 very clearly tells us, "For the love of Christ controls us". What controls us? Fear of judgment? And, you know, sometimes we try to put fear of judgment on people, thinking that it will control them. No, it's the love of Christ that controls us. Remember during 9/11, how churches were packed. You know, when 9/11 happened and all that, people went, they go to churches like they have never done before. The churches were overflowing all over America. But what happened after for a while? It started back to normal. In other words, those people attend church because of fear. People think about God during this time and season because of crisis. People think about God during times of crisis. And friend, it's important that they see a God, the God of the Bible, amen.
Now, you might say, "Well, the judgment that God talk about in Revelation is still the same God of the Bible, the same God of the Bible in Jeremiah and Isaiah where the prophecies of judgment and all that". Yes, but he's talking about the time to come, the day of vengeance, which is not, you cannot preach that today. We are not in that day and age. God is reaching out to the world, not imputing their trespasses to them saying come home. During this time, God wants the world to see a Father who loves them. And, you know, even in the book of Revelation, do you know how the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, you know how they were protected? The Bible says they were protected, every single one of them were protected from all evil, even from the Antichrist, from being killed, from being swarmed with diseases that were running rampant on earth at that time.
You know how they were protected? The Bible says they had the Father's name sealed, the 144,000 God said. Sealed them with what? The Father's name on their forehead. So, that's one reason why we read Bible prophecy. Even though it's in the future, we gather comfort and instruction, even by seeing how God provided for them, amen. We can receive counsel and instruction even for today. If God did it for them, today what is the truth of protection is that we have a Father mentality. They have the Father's name on their foreheads. Today we have this Coronavirus, and God is saying to you, "Don't worry. Don't worry about what you shall eat, what you shall drink. Your Father who clothed the lilies of the field and feed the birds of the air, are you not much more value than the birds"? If you clothed the birds of the field, amen, and he feeds the birds of the air, he clothed the lilies of the field and, you know, he will clothe you so much more. How much more will he clothe you, that means so much more?
Friend, you don't have to run ragged like a chicken with his head cut off, you know, trying to find provision, what's gonna happen, you know? At the most sometimes, you know, we'll see the things that we put our trust in being shaken, but we thank God for it so that things that cannot be shaken will remain, and those things are the things that God will build your house on. You don't want to build your house on an earthquake fault line, isn't it? And prediction is that next month the earthquake will happen. Well, you wish someone had told you, isn't it? If the experts didn't tell you that, all right, you wish someone had told you. I'm telling you right now, you should feel encouraged that God is shaking things that are manmade in our lives so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain, and that you will remain, your family will remain strong, blessed, favored, healthy. Hallelujah, amen.
So, this particular Passover is a special time, amen. All Jews all over the world, they are all gathered in their homes to observe the Passover for the first time. It's never happened like that. All over the world, amen, they have to stay at home, amen. We know there are secular Jews who don't do that, but now they're all at home, amen. It's never happened before since the first Passover. And that first Passover was also because of a plague. God says, "I'll bring one more plague". Let's look at what God said. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out". It's almost like, get out of here, you know? That's how he will drive you out. "Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman". The very moment God talked about the plague, God talked about his people going out with silver and gold. So, we are in the midst of a plague right now.
My friend, there's a spiritual pattern in the things that God does. In the midst of this plague, God will provide you with silver and gold. Now, don't be looking out for it because that's putting your eyes on riches. No, put your eyes on Jesus and the silver and the gold will come. God will provide for you during this time. Praise the Lord, amen. And let's go to Exodus 12. Exodus 12, the very first verse says, "The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you'". Now, this month shall be the beginning of months. Friend, this is the month Nisan in the Hebrew calendar. Do you know today they celebrate their New Year in the seventh month, in their seventh month, which is our September. But the month of Nisan is this month, which is April for us. It's the day that God says in the beginning originally, "This is the New Year for you. This is the beginning of months".
And I feel prophetically when I read this as I was preparing, the Lord said, "Tell them there's gonna be a new beginning. As they partake of the Lord's Supper, there's gonna be a new beginning". I'm not saying that the virus will end overnight, but I know it will end. And I'm gonna show you a Scripture for it, amen. And life will go back to normal. I'm gonna give you a Scripture for that, but something will happen in the atmosphere around you and your family, something will happen when we observe the Lord's Supper, amen. It's as if the plague has passed over you, amen. When exactly it will happen, I'm not saying it will happened the very day itself or the day after, but something will happen in the spiritual condition and atmosphere around you, as we observe the Lord's Supper, amen? Praise the Lord.
So this month, the Bible says this Passover that they will be the New Year for you. Later on, they observe Rosh Hashanah on the seventh month, the month of Tishri, okay, but originally it wasn't so. Originally it was the month of Nisan, amen, that is the New Year. This is the beginning of months. It's a new beginning. Hallelujah, praise the Lord. Amen, amen, amen. So friend, God is not judging you. In fact, he's loving on you right now. He's gonna cause the church to have light in all her dwellings, amen, that the world may see and come to know Jesus. We have more people tuning in than we have in a normal physical gathering service on a Sunday, so we give glory to God, and more people are saved than we know, amen, than we realize. Praise the name of Jesus, hallelujah.
Now, the Bible says that, drop down, it says, "Tell them on the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a house". Okay, and this lamb is the lamb of the first year. If you keep on reading, it says the lamb of the first year. The lamb of the first year is a very cute lamb. You know, imagine taking it and bringing it to your house in the very first day of the house, all right? You start to fall in love with the lamb. You know, your children, especially, they start loving the lamb, but it's not killed yet. It is killed on the 14th. It's five days later. On the 10th you take it in, on the 14th it's killed. And this tells us about Jesus.
If you read the gospels, you'll find that on the 10th of Nisan he rode, amen. He rode the triumphal entry. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as a prophecy of Zechariah that says, "Your king is coming to you lowly, humble, lowly and just riding on a donkey", amen, in his first coming. Second coming, he will come riding on a white horse, but in the first coming, he comes to bring grace and it's on the 10th of Nisan. And he walked in. You know what happened? He cleared them out. He cleared them out. And then four days later, five days later, rather, he was crucified. And during that five days in the temple, he was being questioned. He was being asked questions after questions like, you know, "Shall we give tribute or pay taxes to Caesar"? He says, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, give to God the things that are God's", amen? Taxes belong to Caesar, amen, and the tithe belonged to the Lord. You can say it that we as well, give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, to God the things that are God's.
Now friend, during this time, amen, the Passover was instituted at midnight. It says at midnight God says, "I'll pass over". Let's drop down. Now, by the way, I want to show you this, verse 4 says, "If the household is too small for the lamb", it is always the household is too small for the lamb. The Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than Israel's need. In his first coming, God sent Jesus to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but you know that he's greater than just one nation. His death was for all the nations, all the Gentile nations as well, for all the people that are lost, amen. So friend, when you have Jesus in your life, his supply super exceeds your need. His love is lavish love. It will fill all the empty places in your heart. His love is an overwhelming love, amen. He is greater than all your needs. He's greater than all your depression. He's greater than all your problems, amen.
And when you see Jesus in that way, we need to hear preaching and teaching more and more that glorifies the Lord Jesus because the spirit of antichrist is to make Jesus small and the devil big, amen. True Holy preaching is, anointed preaching is making much of Jesus and making nothing of the devil. Amen, hallelujah. Praise the name of Jesus. Remember the Passover was observed at midnight. It's a midnight season, that's what God is saying, in the night season. That's why it's called the Lord's Supper. We partake of the Lord's Supper.
Now, remember this, they partook of the roasted lamb, and none feeble the next day. If a shadow of a lamb, what they had was a shadow. We have the substance, the Lord's Supper. Jesus says, "This is my body". What they had was a shadow. If a shadow can heal them to the point that none feeble, none weak, none sick among them, how much more we who have the Lord's Supper today? And the Lord tells us, "Every time you do this, you do this in remembrance of me". Think of that when you partake. Hallelujah. Praise the name of Jesus.
Now, I want to share with you why what we are going through right now from Scripture is not the new normal, okay? It won't become the new normal. There'll be some changes, yes, of course, but if you're thinking that oh, you know, like some of you are not married, you're thinking that, "Boy, you know, I won't be getting married in with a lot of people coming together because of all the physical distancing and all that". Well, you know what? This physical distancing is only for temporary, only for this time. And wherever your authority of your country is telling you to do to it, please submit. The Bible says submit yourself to the higher authority of every land. And when Paul wrote that by the Spirit, Israel was under the iron fist of Rome. I'm sure your country is not the iron fist of Rome, my friend, amen. And yet he told them to submit to the higher authority, amen.
So, but I'm just telling you that from Scripture. Let's go to Scripture right now. We know that we are at the end. We know that Christ is coming back anytime soon because before the day of vengeance, before the seven years of tribulation, there is coming the catching away first, amen. Jesus says, "In my Father's house are many mansions". In the upper room he said this, "In my Father's house are many mansions". The night before he died, amen, the night where he instituted the Lord's Supper, amen, in place of the Passover, he said this, "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to", what? "Prepare a place for you". Now, watch this. "And when I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself", not the entire world, receive his church, his bride, his body, those of who are his, he will you bring you. And when he comes again in the rapture, remember this, child of God.
Real quick, Hebrews 9, show them Hebrews 9. "Christ having been offered once", and the once there is once and for all, "to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin", not to deal with sin, not to deal with sin. That's the second coming. He will deal with sin in the day of vengeance. But when he comes for us in the rapture, it is not to deal with our sin. And that's why the judgment seat of Christ or the bema seat is not a place of dealing with sin. It's been dealt with.
So, when it comes again for us, it's not to deal with our sin, all right, but to save. And here bodily is implied. That's the only saving we need now. Those who are eagerly waiting for him, that's all of us who are saved. Praise the name of Jesus. Now, Matthew 24 to prove to you once and for all that this won't be the new normal for years to come, okay? Until Jesus, I don't even think that there might be years to come because Jesus is coming back. But he comes back, he tells us in Matthew 24, "But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also were the coming of the Son of Man be".
Now, listen carefully. He's talking about his coming again. He's talking about the rapture, in these few verses, I don't believe he's talking about, at the end of seven years tribulation because once the tribulation starts, you can number the years. Seventh year he will come back. That's the bodily return of Jesus for Israel to rescue Israel. But the church, there'll be a quick rapture. No one will see him come, amen. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only". But watch, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be".
And friend, why I'm showing you this is this, even though Jesus is warning the people, he's telling them, his disciples, he's telling them, "This will be like the days of Noah before my return. It'll be like the days of Noah". People will be eating and drinking. They'll be marrying and giving in marriage, so life is normal. And we know Jesus is coming back for us soon. So, this thing will end soon because life will go back to normal. In fact, the problem here Jesus is saying that people will forget him. They will forget about coming of the Lord, amen. The world won't care about it. They'll think that there is something that someone cooked up, amen. And it's like the flood that came and took them all away, but before that, they were eating and drinking, no physical distancing. They were marrying and giving in marriage.
In fact, the idea there is crowds. People live life as normal. The Coronavirus fiasco and crisis is forgotten. People don't think about God anymore. And then the flood come, or we are raptured and they don't realize it. So friend, this portion tells me that there will, this physical distancing thing and this Coronavirus crisis is only for a season, amen, then life will go back to normal. In fact, it's because of the normalcy of life that people will start to forget God. They'll be eating and drinking, amen, carousing. They'll be marrying and giving in marriage, life becomes so normal that they forget the Lord, and Jesus says don't do that, amen. But these are the signs. These are the days just before he comes, he tells us. So, that tells me this thing will come to an end because Jesus Christ is coming for us, I feel in my spirit, amen. The Bible says so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Now we can see the day approaching and I'm telling you, I see the day approaching. In his first coming, the angels told shepherds, not to the King Herod, not even to the palace, but to shepherds. God always works in patterns. I believe the coming of the Lord, even the rapture. No one can tell you the day nor the hour, but he has spoken to his shepherds and all shepherds all over the world are sensing he's coming back for us soon. And I'm telling you, I feel he's coming back soon. So before he comes back, life will go on as normal, marrying, giving in marriage, drinking and all that, and it's the very problem that cause people life is so normal that they forget all their crisis. Because people only think about God when they're in a crisis, so don't do that, amen. Praise the Lord. In Jesus's name, hallelujah.
I hope you're blessed by this session. And I want you to know that during this time, what you're going through, it's a very precious time. I know you don't seem like it. Everyone is stuck in their house and all that with their families. It's a precious time that one day you'll look back and say, "I had that opportunity to communicate with my daughter. I had that opportunity to talk to my son. I had that wonderful time to learn patience with my spouse, and instead I lost my temper and all that". Then you pray, "Father, strengthen me with all might unto all patience and longsuffering". Those are the moments God is training us only for a season during this time. Good things are happening, friends. We are learning what is valuable, what is precious like family, hallelujah, praise the Lord.
And you're watching this and you've never, never put your trust in Christ, never realized that Christ laid down his life on the cross, not because he was a martyr. No one can take his life from him, he said. He laid down his life because he loved you. Friend, he loved you. And it's the love of Christ that transforms us. It's the love of Christ. Everyone is controlled by something, love of money, avarice, greed, lust, but we are to be controlled by the love of Christ. And the word their "control" is the word "constrain" in the King James. It's as if you're walking against a torrential river, and you're trying to, let's say there is a river that's not so deep and you're going against the current, but you are constrained to go backwards. The love of Christ will constrain you. That's why it's the goodness of God that leads people to repentance, amen. So friend, if you've never heard received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, pray this prayer with me right now. Will you do that?
Heavenly Father, I thank you you sent Christ to die on that cross for all my sins. And I believe Jesus bore all my sins, all my diseases, all my pains, all my judgment, and all my condemnation. And I thank you that you raised him from the dead without them all. His perfect work. In Jesus's name, I receive right now this gift of salvation. I receive right now this gift of righteousness, of being in right standing with you. It's a gift. I received that gift and I confess Jesus Christ is my Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.
Friend, if you prayed that prayer just now, that salvation prayer, you are now a brand-new creation in Christ, the name of our church, New Creation. And the Bible says old things are passed away, all things have become new. Welcome to the family of God, amen. Don't look at the crisis. Don't look at this Coronavirus thing and all that. Don't obsess yourself with the news in detail, just know the rough, you know, the daily news, the headlines, roughly about that, that's enough. But look to Jesus. Every day, spend time, start off with the gospel of John, amen. Will you do that. Praise the Lord.
I want to pray a blessing over every family that's watching this right now. In the name of Jesus, the Lord bring your family into a new realm from the lower chamber to the higher chamber, a new dimension for your family, in your family relationships. In the name of Jesus, the blessing of favor with each other, in that home. In the name of Jesus, I pray that for you, and I feel like God will turn the hearts of husbands to wives and wives to husbands. Maybe before that happens, you know, you will see some conflicts here and there. It's because you are spending so much time together that all these things are being surfaced, but it's good that they're being surfaced because when something is surfaced, the light you get rid of it. And God is turning hearts of parents to their children and children to their parents, amen. May, like the tune of Israel, may you have light in all your families, in all your dwellings, amen. And no disease, no plague, the promise of Psalms 91, no plague, no Coronavirus will come near.
Notice that word there, it is not you, it is your dwelling. The idea of family, God has your family in mind, amen. No plague will come near your dwelling, your family. What an appropriate Word for us at this time. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Let me pray this prayer of protection over you, everyone that's watching right now. I just feel like in my heart there are a lot of people who are worried about their jobs, their finances. In fact today, yesterday I received a testimony of someone who actually got a job, a job that he's been looking for. Before the Coronavirus hit Singapore, he was looking for a job and his mother was praying for him. The mother attends our church, and he attends our church, but the mother bumped into my wife in a mall, asked for prayer. My wife prayed for her and recommended the son talk to Pastor Darren.
Pastor Darren prayed for him. And he was unemployed during the time before the Coronavirus, and during this time it's so difficult to find a good job, and he got the very job that he wanted, amen. He just got the job in the midst of this, the times and the seasons that we are in. God can do the same for you, amen. Praise the name of Jesus, the Lord gave them favor. Before the gold and silver came into their hands, God gave them favor. It was the favor of God that caused the supply to flow and that will happen. Somebody will be favored. Somebody will be looked upon with delight and joy, might as well be you, amen. Ask God for that favor, amen. I'm gonna pronounce it over you right now in Jesus's name. This coming week, lift your hands everywhere that's watching this right now.
The Lord bless you this coming week. The Lord bless you with the blessings of father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 even as you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. The Lord keep you and your loved ones safe. The Lord keep you and your families protected and protect you, keep you from the Coronavirus, from every plague, from every sickness, from every disease, from aging prematurely, from death itself. The Lord keep you in his shalom peace, guarding your hearts and minds from stress, worry, and care. In Jesus's name I speak shalom to someone that's watching this right now.
And there are a number of you who are depressed. I say hush to your emotions in the name of Jesus. The one who calmed the storm heals you now, completely heals you, the one who said, "Peace be still". Hush your emotions now. And in the name of Jesus, the Lord grant you shalom peace. Peace, I speak peace to your emotions. I speak peace to your mind. Father, grant not just peace, but great peace as you promised in your Word, Lord. Great peace have they that will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you. Let that great peace, that perfect peace come upon everyone, Lord. Feed those who are depressed. In the name of Jesus, I speak to your depression and I command you to leave in the name of Jesus.
All kinds of depressed, people who are depressed are being set free right now. I'm seeing in the spirit right now what God is showing me. People are being set free. Stand up in Jesus's name and give praise to the Lord, hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Say, "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for setting me free". And notice that your mind is now like empty, amen. I don't mean that in a disparaging way. I mean that in the sense that it was filled with bad, dark depressive thoughts. Now fill it with God's thoughts, amen. Get hold of teachings that point you to Jesus because the Bible says thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed, focused on, thee, when your mind is on Jesus, amen. All of a sudden, you look for your fear, your fear is gone. Every time we are fearful, we took our eyes off Jesus. You can go to the bank with that. You can know for sure every time you are fearful, it's because you took your eyes off Jesus, amen. Praise God.
Let's continue the blessing. The Lord bless you, amen, and keep you. The Lord make his face throughout this week to shine on you and grant you favor everywhere you go. May you never worry about your physical needs, be it finances or your health. For the Lord supplies you first with favor, and then the favor and grace of healing. Grace of healing, my friend, means you don't have to earn that grace, whether it's through exercise and your diet and all that, observe good diet, exercise, please, but grace means it's unmerited, unearned favor that God gives you right now. Receive it in Jesus's name, amen, supply for your finances. Receive it. Grace is supply. Law is demand.
So receive it. Say, "Father, thank you. I receive it right now in Jesus's name, and I receive it even this week in Jesus's name". And the Lord lift up his countenance on everyone that's watching this, every family, grant it to you and your loved ones his wonderful, great, shalom peace, in Jesus's name. Until then, friend, I'm praying for you and I love you. Keep tuning in.