Joseph Prince - God Is Good Even When Times Are Bad
Hello, church. Greetings once again in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace, mercy, and favor and peace be multiplied upon you and upon your family in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm sure you had a great week this past week. If not, then this message is for you today. You know, since this COVID-19 happened, no one was very sure when this thing will come to an end. And I asked the Lord actually last month, I began to ask the Lord about some of these things. And you know, what's more important is to have his mind about what is happening around the world. For sure, what is happening is major, okay? It's unprecedented in modern times.
So, I asked the Lord, I know that the Lord is able to put a stop to it, just like he did with SARS in 2003. You know, SARS just sort of like last for only a few months, and then it was put a stop. And I know that God put a stop to it supernaturally. Now, first and foremost, we must understand that the Bible says clearly every good and perfect gift is from above. God has no virus in heaven to send. Okay, so this virus is not from him. But we also know that God is orchestrating events in such a way so as to work for the good, whose good? The good of his people, the good of believers, the good of his church, amen.
So, everything that is happening is for your good. It has a beneficial effect for you, not the COVID-19, per se, but what God is doing in the midst of all this. For example, when I asked the Lord about what's going on during this time, and I know that he can put a stop to it, you know? In a one given month, it will be like everything is tapering down, and then it just sort of vanish. And I asked the Lord what is his mind about this, and he said to me. Here's what he said, "I want the church to be a church that will reach out beyond its walls. I want every pastor", and he's not just referring to our church, he's referring to all over the world. I want everyone to go online to bring this gospel of grace, this glorious gospel of grace and peace to all the four corners of the earth.
And the only way for that to happen, and I think, church, it has been because we have been selfish. Even though we put it online out there, at least my ministry has endeavored to reach out as far as we can, as much as we can with the broadcast, it's still not enough. And the only way for us to go online is not by something good happening. You know, if something good is happening, people will gather together and then they will celebrate, they will throw a party, right? It will take something like this virus, it will take something like this to cause people to have to go online and to put a gospel online to reach the four corners of this earth. God's heart is for people to hear this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, and for pastors.
And I had to do some repentance, repent means change your mind, amen. I had to do some repentance myself because for the longest time, we'll have physical services, but I will not want to have online live service, you know, of our church services because I felt, and now I know, of course, that it was something that's not of God. I felt like if I put it online, you know, there'll be people who will tune in from other places, other churches, and I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want people from other churches to tune in. I want them to be faithful to their church, and I'll just minister physically, in a physical location with physical people that are gathered there, and I will broadcast messages that I've preached in times past.
But obviously, God knows when the end is gonna be, amen. We know that a sign's pointing towards the end. The Lord Jesus says that the signs of the end, like the birth pangs of a woman, is this following. In Matthew he mentions this, he says that there'll be famines and now we are seeing famines, we are seeing locusts invasion like never before in a long time. And places that unheard of don't have locust invasion are having locust invasion. And we have famine as a result of that. We have financial famine that's hitting the whole world. It's not just localized, it is global. So, all these things are global and mention also like pestilences. These are caused by virus most of the time, pestilences, diseases, and pestilences is plural, more than just one pestilence in the end times. And these are not caused by God. He's just telling you this is gonna happen.
The birth pangs of a woman, like a birth pangs of a woman, because something glorious is gonna be birthed, something wonderful is coming, something good is coming. And we know that that's when Jesus returns, amen, and establishes his kingdom of millennial kingdom, and it will be a reign of prosperity and peace for his people, amen. So, I'm looking forward to that. And we know Jesus is coming back soon. And the Bible tells us truly our posture as a believer, the Word of God tells us, it's not to look to the grave, it's to look to the sky, amen. The Bible says, "Waiting for his Son from heaven". That's the posture of every believer. And the Lord Jesus can return anytime now, anytime, amen.
So, we are living in the last days. I believe we are living in the last days before Jesus returns for us, amen? And as he said, there'll be rumors of wars. He mentioned pestilences, famines, earthquakes, earthquakes in diverse places, and there'll be wars and rumors of wars, and all these things will happen and take place. These are the beginning of sorrows or birth pangs. And he says that this is not the end yet. These are the signs towards the end, but when you see these things happen, and they happen in a culmination like all at once, then you know that the end is near, amen.
The Lord is coming back for us, amen. And where he rules, there is no sickness, there is no pestilence, just as when he walked on the earth, amen, he went about doing good, healing, healing all that were oppressed, open the eyes of the blind, unstop deaf ears, cleanse the leper, raise the dead because there is no sickness, there is no disease, there is no death in his kingdom, and he's gonna come and establish that. And we, as believers, will live forever, amen, in our glorified body. And the only thing we are looking forward to is our bodies, amen. That's why Jesus said in the same discourse about the signs of the times, he also mentioned at the end he says that when all these things happen, don't look down. Don't be depressed. Don't look around, amen. Look up, lift up your head, he says, for your redemption.
What redemption? We're already saved. He's talking to believers here. Your redemption, your bodily redemption, amen. That's the only thing we're waiting for. We're waiting for our bodies to become glorified bodies, amen, a body that will never decay, never grow old, never be subject to sickness or disease, just like his body when he rose from the dead. It's a physical body, but it's an eternal body, amen, a body that will never die, for how long? Forever, amen. Praise the Lord.
So, we won't be like floating spirits, amen, floating in and through one another's mentions and all that. No, no, we'll be having bodies, amen, bodies, amen. And what we are right now will be, for the lack of better expression, all right, because I speak of the human infirmity, I'll say this, it's like a thousand times over. All the good feelings you have right now, you'll have a thousand times over, amen. Everything will be enhanced, amen. Everything will be great because we are so used right now to our bodily infirmities that we have learned to live with them. So, it won't be like that in our new bodies, amen. We are looking forward. So, keep on lifting up your heads looking for the redemption of the Lord, amen, your bodily redemption. Praise God.
So, remember this, church, the Lord really wants us to go online. He wants us to reach as many people as possible, because the time is short. And in this year of time and space, he's accelerating this. It is amazing how every month we are seeing more and more subscribers to New Creation Church website. Even my own Instagram, you know, there's a breakthrough like there was never before during this time. And I know for a fact that God is causing hunger to be birthed in many, many hearts for him, amen. And at every church that preaches Jesus Christ and him crucified, which is the only answer for a lost crying, sighing, dying humanity will be the one that he will allow it to flourish and prosper, because his Word will not go back to him empty, amen.
And friend, it's important that we rally behind the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ with our prayers, our support, our financial support as well. And wherever you invest in your time, your energy, even your finances, amen, with what God is doing right now and you come in line with what God is doing, God always prospers that. It's gonna affect your family life, it's gonna affect your health, it's gonna affect every area of your life, amen, when you come in support of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't need like that. Be right in the midst of what God is doing.
You know, God said to Elijah one time, God commanded Elijah actually, "Go to the Brook Cherith". There, there's a place of there for all of us. There is our provision. When you are there and not somewhere else, amen, you are there, God's provision flows like a river in your life, amen, and angels attend to you like they did with Elijah when he was there. And every day, the ravens would bring food, bread, and meat to Elijah, and he would drink from the fresh living stream that flowed in the Brook Cherith. And but the time came, after some time, the brook dried up. And God said to Elijah, "I want you to go there," another there, "and I've commanded a widow woman to feed you". And there is now the new place. Have you noticed that, amen?
Now, if Elijah insisted, "But God, I want to keep your Word. You promised that, you know, you said that go there, and I want to be obedient to you and I'm there at the Brook Cherith". But then God has given another instruction, amen. God says, "Go there," and there will be the new supply now, amen. So, we have to flow with what God is doing, amen. I'm definitely not saying that we'll never come back physically again. I'm believing and I know that God has it in his heart to bring us back physically again. But meanwhile, it is like the children of Israel going through the wilderness. It is not permanent. They are going into the land. What God had in mind for them is the land, the land flowing with milk and honey.
Yes, the manna is good, the manna comes every day. Yes, the provision, the protection is all there. Their feet did not swell. The Bible says their garments did not wax old, and God kept them in the wilderness, but that's not God's best. God's best is in the land. God's thought for them was in the land. God's heart for them was to be blessed in the land. And for us believers today, God says, "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest". Instead of land, God says rest for you and I. So, the place of rest is the place of flowing, of abundance, and a place of provision, a place where all our needs are supplied, and more on top of that, amen.
So, God says because the idea of land flowing with milk, you know? God can just say the land has milk and honey, but the idea of flowing in superabundance, amen? Where sin increased, grace superabounds, amen. Praise God. So, church, I'm looking forward for the day we can all come back together, but until then, let's learn. Let's treat this as a time of wilderness and its total is global, all over the world. All church, amen, when I say, actually in God's eyes, there's only one church. When I say all churches, I mean the local churches all over the world will have to adapt to the new there, amen. And we're gonna flow with God with what God is doing, and we need to repent of doing things the old way, the usual way. This is the way we have done it, we'll never change, amen. We have to change. We have to have a flowing nature about us, because that's how the Holy Spirit leads us.
Now, some things will never change. It will never change your spouse, amen, in terms of morality, it will never change, amen. Sin is still sin, amen, right is still right, amen, so that will never change. But in terms of like, for example, God wants to provide for you, but how to provide for you, that you need to follow the Holy Spirit. Yeah, God wants you to raise your children, amen, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but how to treat them, amen, is not disciplining them all the time, amen. It is not correcting or rebuking them all the time. How to rebuke, how to correct, when to correct, all that you need the Holy Spirit.
The Scriptures give us a general guideline, but you need to follow the Holy Spirit every day, amen. And today, I want to share with you something that I believe is gonna show us very clearly the children of Israel in the wilderness, amen, they're in the wilderness, but they're just about to enter the Promised Land. Don't forget the land is what God has on his heart. And when I study this passage, I'm looking for what is in God's heart, amen, because that's what I delight in, and that's what I want you to see, God's heart for you. You know, church, all the while his heart for you and for your families is that you prosper and be in health, even as your souls prosper.
So, your soul realm is the first area he wants to prosper you, and that is by knowing him, amen, when you know him. But how to know him? You know him through his Son and through what his son has done, Christ crucified on the cross for all our sins. We get to know a God, a God who loves us. Even before we knew him, even before we have a heart for him, he sought us out, amen. Like the song says, the overwhelming, never-ending love of God that pursues us, amen, fights for us, leave the 99, finds us, amen, that's the love of Jesus. That's the love of God. And God sought you even before you ever even have a heart to find him, amen.
So, we look at the children of Israel at this point in time in the wilderness, and they're in the final year, the 40th year, and it commences with the death of Miriam, the sweet singer of Israel. She sung once after they crossed the Red Sea, the sister of Moses, Miriam, she sang, "I will sing unto the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and the rider he has thrown into the sea," the Red Sea. Amen, that sweet singer of Israel passed on. Her lips are now sealed, no more songs. And because she was very precious to the children of Israel, that caused them to feel like, you know, they've lost something. And then they came to a place where there was no water, and this is what they said to Moses. "And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: 'If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!'"
Now, you need to know one thing, church, that these people are now in the 40th year of the wilderness wandering. Now, it wasn't God's will for them to wander for 40 years, but when God brought them out, always remember this, God did not bring you out to remain out in the wilderness. The wilderness is an interim period. God brought you out to bring you in. God brought you out of darkness to bring you into his marvelous light. God brought you out of bondage to bring you into his glorious liberty. God brought you out of sickness into his glorious health and wholeness. God brought you out to bring you in, amen.
So, God brought them out of Egypt, but God wanted to bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, but because of their unbelief, you all know the story at Kadesh Barnea. And what happened was that they could have actually entered the land so much shorter, amen, within the year actually, but instead of that, because of their unbelief, they wandered for 40 years. Because of their rebellion, they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. So, now they are now in the wilderness, and this is what they said. It commenced actually with the death of Miriam. And now they say, "Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness"?
Now, number one, Moses didn't bring them up, God brought them up. But they are contending with Moses and Aaron, saying, "Why do you bring us out of the wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink". You know how soon they have forgotten all the provisions and the goodness of God. All these 40 years, they had the tangible presence of God.
You know, I hear some people say, and in fact, I hear more than one time where people saying things like when they go to Israel, and it's hot and all that they say, "No wonder they murmured in the wilderness", all right? That's not true, friend. They did not even feel the heat of the sun. It's because they had a pillar of cloud. It was like natural air conditioning all day. And at night when it gets really cold, you know, the desert is a place where it gets very, very hot in the day but very cold at night when the temperature plunges. But at night, they have a pillar of fire, a natural heater, amen.
So, they always kept cool, amen. And their feet, as they marched through the wilderness, their feet never swelled. God saw to it that their feet never swelled. And the clothes that they wore, the Bible says, never grew old, amen. I want that blessing, amen. Every man of God, amen, who has a wife that want to spend, amen, my wife spends wisely, but, you know, if you think that you need some help here, claim the promise, it's there in the Bible, amen. Praise the Lord, amen.
So, God took care of them, and this is what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 2. It says, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all", say all. Not just in some parts of your life, but bless you in all the work of your hand. Everything you do prospers. He knows you're trudging through this great wilderness. These 40 years, the Lord your God has been with you, you have lacked nothing. You have lacked nothing. Lacked nothing, blessed in all that they touched. Just think about it, and God kept them cool, amen, in the day and warm in the night. God provided for them. Breakfast was ready every morning. It's a breakfast of angels food, amen, that kept them healthy.
The Bible says that when they came out of Egypt, out of the three million people, approximate, two million plus, not a single one, not a single one was sick, not a single one was feeble. They came out with gold and silver, the Bible tells us, amen. And yet now you find them at the end of the 40 years. In fact, just before they entered the Promised Land, they are now murmuring. They are very short memory of all the provisions of God. Isn't that true for all of us? You know, we go through a time like this in the COVID-19, and we forget all the provisions of God in times past, how he came through for us. We have great testimonies that he has done for us. But instead of looking at all that he's done, we start thinking of what God could have done, but he's not doing in my life now.
So, during such time, we call it testings, time of testing. Now, I do believe God does test, but God never tests like the way the devil tempts. The devil tempts to produce evil in your life, that you might do something bad. God tests to prove good in your latter end, amen, to unveil something in yourself so that that thing is causing you to travel on a destructive path, maybe he's unveiling something that is a negative for you, that is working against you, amen, but you're not aware of it, you have a blind spot. So, God allows sometimes when bad things happen, amen, it is a time of testing. Nothing happens to the child of God by accident, amen. You're in the palm of his hands. He protects you, he keeps you. If God allows something, it is for testing, and God tests for to do you good.
And the Bible says clearly in Deuteronomy 8 about the wilderness experience to try you to see what is in your heart, amen, to do you good in your latter end. I love that, to do you good in your latter end, amen. But God doesn't want you proud so that the Bible says when your gold and silver is multiplied. By the way, doesn't say if, it says when. So, it's gonna happen to the children of Israel. When your gold and silver is multiplied, don't say, "My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth," amen. But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he that gives you power to get wealth. So God wants to humble us, amen, in our testing experiences. So there's a test that comes to every child of God, amen.
So right now, it's global, amen. This testing is global, just like the children of Israel, see? This is why I'm taking from this story lessons for us for the now word right now because we are about to have Jesus come back for us, amen. You can see all the times, it's very clear now. I mean, even people in the world are saying, "Is it all coming to an end"? Even for those of them who have heard about the Coming of Jesus, they're saying, "Is Jesus coming back," amen? All the signs are pointing and it's global. We are in the midst of things that's happening on an unprecedented scale in modern times, amen. So during this epoch of time that we are living in, God wants us to know that we are exactly where the children of Israel is in the 40th year just before they entered the Promised Land.
So are there lessons for us? Yes. You know, the Bible says all these things that happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness happened to them as examples, tupos, types. They are lessons for us that we can learn from, amen? So God put all these stories there, not so much for their benefit but more for the benefit of all of us who will read these stories and even the timings, the kairos moments, amen, the time that they were in. They were just about to enter the land. We are just about to be raptured, amen. We're about to be raptured, we're about to see Jesus face to face, and the Lord is putting us right now in the same place where the children of Israel were.
Are we having an attitude where we are saying, "Where is the provision? Where is the protection? Where is the breakthrough? Where is the blessing? Where is the goodness of God"? Are we complaining like them, like they did here, hmm? And they said, "'Why have you made us to come out? It's not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.' So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces".
Now, that's always a very good approach, okay? When people complain and murmur and all that. Instead of coming against the people, go to God, amen? Fall on your face before the Lord and get God's mind about it. Now, that's what Moses and Aaron always do and many a times they are transformed by the presence of God, but in this particular instance, they didn't allow the glory to transform them. See what happens. So the Bible is saying: "The glory of the Lord appeared to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron.'" "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron".
So notice that there's a specific instruction that God gave to Moses where people complained that there was no food, no grain, no figs, no vine, and no water. So instead of God rebuking the people, instead of God judging the people, I want to show you something because we are talking about God's heart, God's mind, amen. Church, it's always important for us to realize that it's the same God in the Old Testament that he is the God of the church, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
People think that the God of the Old Testament and the God of New Testament is a different God or, you know, it's like he has different natures. No, no, it's the same God. But what happened in the Old Testament is like a God who's only able to be showing his back parts, amen, to Moses because the back parts means Moses always saw him leaving, amen, because of their sin and his righteousness, his heart is full of love, compassion, amen. He has all goodness to give, and he has all blessing to dispense. But because of his righteousness, because of his holiness, it's like it bars the full expression, the full vent, of his heart of goodness and blessing and provision for the people but the righteousness, because the righteousness has to judge sin, amen. Just like we expect our judges to be righteous, fair, just.
So likewise, you know, God is a just God, a fair God, a God with whom is no variableness, no shadow of turning, amen. He's a righteous and holy God, amen. So he has to judge sin but man has sin. But until then, there was no cross of Jesus Christ so when God blesses man, he has to bless man, whether it's giving men salvation, whether it's giving men provisions, refreshment, all goodness, you know, God has to do it judicially. God has to do it righteously, without sacrificing his righteousness, amen. God cannot sacrifice his righteousness and we don't want him to also, because God is righteous. We worship him for that, amen. God is holy. We honor him, praise the Lord.
But, church, in the Old Testament it was like it bars the fullness of his expression of love and goodness because of man's sin. But now, that barrier has been removed because Jesus on the cross, his blood was shed fully meeting all the claims of a righteous and holy God. God is not just satisfied with what Christ did in bearing our sins so that today, God can give full vent of all his heart of grace and goodness to you and I, that the blessings of God will just abound in you and your family, and there's nothing, it will abound unabated, amen. Unceasing, praise the Lord. I want you to have a vision of that, amen. Expect that, praise the Lord.
You know, God's heart right now is like Jesus's death on the cross has removed the barrier. In fact, it fulfilled his righteousness because Jesus met his death, met all the claims of God's holy law upon you and me, amen? All the claims of his divine righteousness upon us have been fully met by the blood of Christ. God is not just satisfied. He is glorified in all his attributes by the death of Christ so that today the Bible use this language: God is just. Not that God is pitiful or merciful, but God is just is the judicial, traditional word. God is just in justifying you. God is righteous in making you righteous, amen.
So today, the God that was like, you know, you see the back parts of him, you see only part of him, amen, like in a shadow in the Old Testament is now the God in the glorious light and as he is in the light, we walk in the light, amen. We are now like Jesus when the woman took the healing and she literally took her faith, she took the healing of Jesus. Jesus turned around and said, "Who touched me"? 'Cause there ain't no way he's gonna allow that woman to go away feeling like she stole her blessing, she stole her healing. He wants her to know that he wants her well more than she wants to be well, and that can only be seen in his eyes.
So he turned around because the God of the New Testament is the same God of the Old Testament but in the Old Testament he's always leaving so they saw his back parts. He told Moses, "You can only see my back parts". But now this wonderful glorious Jesus whose face reflect the glory of God. You wanna see God? Look at Jesus. Look at Jesus, amen? Whatever he is, God is in his fullness. So Jesus is the fullest expression of who God is, amen? You cannot go to the Old Testament and find that. Yes, you know, you'll find God in his attributes and all that, but he's still partial, amen. But in the fullness of it, you're seeing the face of Jesus Christ, amen, in the New. And the Lord turn and look at the woman, amen, and she saw the glory of God on his face and he says, "Daughter, be of good comfort. Your faith has made you well. Go into peace". Not in peace. Go into peace, literally. It says: "Go into shalom. Know that I want you to be well. Be at peace about it. I want you to be healed. Not that you stole my healing. I want you to be well," amen?
So that woman was healed the moment she touched the hem of his garment, but now he says to her, "Be made whole," amen. And she was whole from that hour. It's one thing to be healed, it's another thing to be whole. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. I'm so excited. And back to this story again. So we see here that God is about to do something that is not common. You know, we don't understand grace because we don't understand God, all right? And likewise, when we don't understand grace, we'll never understand God. Therefore, what God was after was this. God wanted to teach the people about the grace of the priesthood.
Notice that he didn't condemn them for complaining here in this story, and why we're looking at this story is because it's exactly where we are today. Even right now in this epoch of time that we are in, we're actually at the boundaries of the Promised Land, amen. Jesus coming back for us, hallelujah, amen. C'mon, church, get excited. No more pain, no more sickness, no more poverty, no more shortcomings, amen. No more tears to shed for anyone passing away, our loved ones. No more of all of that, amen. Forevermore we'll be happy, amen. Forevermore we'll be with him. Praise the Lord.
So at the brink of the Promised Land this happened and notice that God did not condemn them for their complaining here 'cause God was about to reveal to them the grace of the high priest, the grace of the priesthood. Now, priesthood and grace are actually synonymous. When you think of priests in the Old Testament, always think of grace, amen. When a prophet may be representing the law, but the priest always represents grace. Do you remember the story where they were complaining earlier. There was about 18 years before this event, they were complaining and the Bible says: "A plague has begun". Moses was in the tabernacle with Aaron and the people were complaining and Moses said, "Aaron, the plague has begun. Take the incense".
And the incense is the sweet-smelling incense that goes up in worship to God, fragrant incense. It represents all the minute and little beauties and perfections of our Lord Jesus Christ and when we offer it to the Father, it, anything that reminds the Father of Jesus, he is so pleased, amen. So he says, "Take the incense and go out there," and Aaron, the high priest, notice high priest is synonymous with grace, he took the incense, he ran out there. Today, friend, the plague has begun. We are in the midst of a plague that is affecting the entire world. It's global. And I don't think by any means this is final. It's gonna be like a global plague, but there's no answers in the natural.
So wherein lies the answer? In God's Word. In God himself, amen? And the answer is in the perfection of Jesus because when Jesus died at the cross, not only he bore our sins, he bore all the COVID-19 virus, he bore the plague in his body. So we need to know how to apply this high priesthood in our life and when you think of high priest, think of grace. So Moses says, "Aaron, take the incense. Go out there quickly. The plague has begun". And Aaron ran out there. By then, thousands have died and the Bible says that Aaron stood between the dead and the living.
When he lift up the incense before God, the incense went up in sweet perfume to God, a reminder of Jesus and what he has done. The perfection of his Son went up to God. The moment God is reminded of his Son, God stop the plague, amen. Don't forget in the Old Testament, God has to show his judicial side, and the plague stop and Aaron stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped, amen, because of two things. Number one, the high priest represents grace. Grace means God is not dealing with you based on what you deserve.
Here, God is no longer dealing in chapter 20 that we read just now when they complain, God is no longer dealing with them based on what they deserve. Grace is not grace if God measures the people based on what they deserved, amen. God is not dealing with you based on what you deserve. God is not dealing with me based on what I deserve. God is dealing with us based on his Son, amen. That's grace. It's based on the high priest, amen. If God treats you and I based on what we deserve, we'll be done for. Friend, if the truth is known, even before the COVID-19 virus, if the high priest is not praying for us, this world would have been annihilated and all its inhabitants gone, perished, a long time ago.
Every rain that falls, every raindrop that falls, every ray of sun that shines, is a declaration. All these are the goodness of God who makes the rain to fall on the good and the bad, and the sun to shine alike on the bad and the righteous. Jesus said that in the Sermon on the Mount. Why? Because of Jesus's death. All the goodness, the food you eat. Actually, the food you eat is based on death, isn't it? You eat fish; the fish has to die to become nourishment for you. It's a picture of the cross. Even God is telling us in all this little daily parables, amen. You eat the meat; the cow has to die, amen. It has to perish. Even you take olive oil or any fruit and all that, it has to be crushed. You drink wine, it has to be crushed, amen.
All the pictures of Jesus Christ, the grain has to be beaten before it becomes bread, have to be pounded like Jesus was, amen, leading to the cross and at the cross. Bake with fire, the fires of God's judgment, and then it becomes bread of life, becomes our food. Even the food we eat every day has to be pounded, has to be burned. So if the truth was known, all the population of earth would have been wiped out if it's not for the cross of Jesus Christ. Yes, even for sinners who have not believed on him, there is a dispensation of mercy, amen, that's based on the work of Jesus at the cross. Every good and perfect gift is from above, amen? Good for the people of the world, amen, and perfect for his children. And all these gifts is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning. Not even a shadow of turning. He is good all the way, hallelujah.
So here, God wants to show them the grace of the priesthood, amen? Always remember this. When you think of high priest, think of grace, amen? So high priest comes because of the grace. God wants to show the grace and here, God told Moses, "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron". And it was very obvious to them what rod God was talking about. God was talking about the rod of Aaron. Now, Aaron and Moses are brothers, okay? Now, they both have rods. All the leadership, all the patriarchs and all that, all the leaders of the clans and the tribes, they all have a rod, amen? In fact, every head of the family will have a rod and they will put notches on the rod for landmark events in their life and they pass on to their sons, and the sons will carry the same rod. Now, Moses's rod, remember Moses's rod that he threw on the ground, it became a serpent. He pick it up again, it became a rod again. That rod is the one that God used earlier.
Now, there's another smiting of the rock earlier on. In the commencement of the wilderness, just the very same year they crossed the Red Sea, they were thirsty on the other side, and the Bible tells us that God told Moses to take this time around it's in Exodus 17. This is the first year of the wilderness experience: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river.'"
Now, why did God say, "Take in your hand your rod which you struck the river"? Why mention the river? So that we all know it's the rod of judgment. Because with that rod of judgment, Moses turned the river into blood, which speaks of judgment and death. So the rod is a rod of judgment. It's a rod of authority, a rod of the law, amen. It is a rod that brings penalties, amen, and in this case, it was on Egypt. Execute judgment on Egypt, amen?
So "Take your rod, by which you smote the river". And God says, "I'll stand before you on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink". Now listen, this happened in the first year of their wandering experience. Numbers 20, just now we read, is the 40th year, the last year just before they entered the land, so there are two rocks we are talking about that brought out water. Now let's establish once and for all the rock is a picture of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10, it tells us that "They drank of that Rock, and that Rock was Christ".
So that's very clear, amen. So the rock was Christ. In the beginning, God told Moses to smite, hit the rock, amen? So that's a picture of Jesus on the cross, amen. He was smitten by the rod of God's judgment, amen, because he was carrying our sins. Friend, he has no sin. He did no sin, but he was carrying our sins, and the rod of judgment of God fell on him. So once he's smitten, reverse of life can come to you now, amen, you and I, because he died for our sins.
So sin is no more a barrier in your life to all the goodness and all the refreshment and all the blessings of God in your life, amen. The salvation of God comes fully and totally unhindered to you and your families, amen. Why? Because Jesus took your judgment. So it's like God's heart is opened up judicially, righteously. He's glorified, not just satisfied. Jesus did always, what he did on the cross is much more. God is glorified, hallelujah. Praise God. So once is enough. The Bible says once Jesus had done it. One sacrifice. The word "one sacrifice for sins forever," amen, he once died having purchased our sins once and for all. All these words means, the Greek word "hapax," one sin for all. You cannot repeat the death of Jesus.
So remember that, one death is enough, amen, where he took our sins to the cross. And as a result, all the bounty of God flew, I mean, come rushing into our lives like a mighty river because of the death of Christ. So Christ crucified is the basis by which all the blessings of God come into our life, amen. Now God is saying, "Take the rod. You and your brother", now we're coming to the 40th year now. So this time, notice, God says, "Take the rod". And what rod is it? Moses's rod? The rod of judgment? No, "Take the rod. You and your brother Aaron", it was referring to Aaron's rod.
Now, Aaron also has a rod, but Aaron is a high priest, so his rod, remember, his rod in Numbers 17. In Numbers 17, there was, again, a murmuring among the people of Israel, saying, "Why should Aaron be the leader? Why should he be the high priest over us"? So God says, "Okay, all you leaders," the 12 tribes, "each of you bring your rod". So they brought all the 12 rods together and plus Aaron's rod. Moses put all the rods in the tabernacle, and after a night, they all came to collect their rods, and only one rod budded and blossomed, amen. Aaron's rod budded and blossomed. It brought forth almonds. It brought forth almonds.
You know, in Israel, one of the things that you learn when you go and study the fruits in Israel, which is a very interesting and fruitful study, is that you find that the almond is the firstfruit to show itself after winter, amen. It's the first ripe fruit, amen, to say that winter is coming to an end, amen, and it's the Hebrew word for "watch". It's the firstfruit. So it's a picture of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, who rose from the dead. How can a rod that is cut off from its source, amen, it's a dead rod in the natural, right? How can it bud and blossom? Because of the power of Resurrection, amen?
So Jesus rose from the dead with Resurrection life, amen. Only death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ can bring us true and out of the wilderness, amen. Nothing else will suffice. The rod of judgment won't suffice in this case. In fact, the law cannot bring us into the Promised Land. Moses cannot bring us into the Promised Land. Only Joshua, whose name in Hebrew means "Yehoshua," the name, same name as Jesus, "Yeshua". Only Yeshua can bring us in. Moses cannot. The law cannot bring us in. Only grace can bring us in. The law has no answer for this COVID-19 virus, but grace does. Where the COVID-19 virus, "pleonazo," increases, measurable, God's grace and healing and protection and blessings over it, superabounds, immeasurable. One is quantity. Cannot be measured.
And not only that, "huperperisseuo" means, "perisseuo" is already "over and above". "Huper" means "over and above, and on top of that, some more". Where sin increase, grace superabounds, amen. I'm using that analogy. Yet we are so conscious of the COVID-19 virus. We are so conscious of sin increasing instead of the grace that superabounds, the "huperperisseuo". So here God says, and notice that verse 9, says, "So Moses took the rod from before the Lord", so this is not the rod of Moses because Moses is always holding his own rod, but he had to take the rod from... where? Before the Lord.
So where did God say to put Aaron's rod? Remember after it budded and blossomed, God says, "Put it in the tabernacle," amen? Where in the tabernacle? In the ark of the covenant. There are three items. One of them is Aaron's rod that budded, and now God is telling Moses, "Take the rod from before me". So Moses took the rod, so it's not his own rod of judgment. It is the rod of grace. It's Aaron's rod of grace. It is the high priesthood of grace, hallelujah. And he took it from before the Lord. And notice what God said, "Gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes", not smite, "Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water". In the Hebrew, it says, "He will yield his water". "Speak to the rock".
Now, by the way, just to let you know this that the commencement of their wilderness, the smiting of the rock, God told Moses to smite the rock because it's a picture of Jesus Christ smitten once, never to be smitten again. And the word "rock" there in the beginning, previously, is the word "tsur". "Tsur" means a "large boulder," a large boulder. Here at the end of their journey, all right, the word for the "rock" is different from the previously one. It is the word "sela". "Sela" means a "cliff". A cliff.
Why no more boulder? Because Jesus is risen from the dead. He's at the Father's right hand, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and he's there for you. He's not there for his own benefit. He's there for your benefit, for the benefit of your families, amen. He's there for you and I. He's there for us, representing you and I before God, hallelujah. He's there for us. He is for us. If God has given us salvation, amen, which is the greatest of all blessings, how will he not, with him, our High Priest, give us freely all things? Amen, so God says, "Take the rod of Aaron, and I want you to do this, Moses. Stand before the sela, the high cliff, and hold the rod of the high priest", all right.
In fact, it wasn't Moses holding it. It will be Aaron, both of them. God says, "Both of you stand," amen, "Both of you, you and your brother, Aaron," and Aaron beholding it, and God wants to demonstrate what grace is like. You don't have to beat the rock again. Just speak to the rock, and it will give you his water. Friend, today, you and I don't have to ask Jesus to come down and die for the COVID-19 virus. You don't have to ask Jesus to come down and die for your sins. You don't have to ask Jesus to come down and die every time you commit a sin. You don't have to ask Jesus to come down and die for your sickness or whatever disease you may be having in your right now.
Jesus took that disease in his own body 2,000 years ago, and what is required from you now is just to speak to him and tell him, "Lord, you are my healer. Lord, you are my redemption. Lord, you are my wisdom," if you need wisdom. "Lord, you are my redemption. Lord, you are my hiding place, my protection from the COVID-19 virus. You are my provider, my Yahweh Yahweh, my Jehovah-Jireh. You are the one that provides for me". Just speak to him. Whatever you need, speak to him. You only have to speak. You don't have to hit him again. You don't have to have Jesus come down and die on the cross again.
Remember, last week, we talk about crucifying Jesus again. Some people crucify Jesus again in their mind, in their thoughts. He cannot be crucified again, but when they reject Jesus, when they don't believe in him, it's as if they're crucifying him again, and we see exactly what happened here. See, what a glorious picture it would have been if only Moses would've asked Aaron, in front of all Israel, ask Aaron to stand before the rock, and then Moses and Aaron speak to the rock with the rod of the high priest that budded and blossomed.
All Israel can see the rod that blossomed, amen, and then the water will flow out, and this time, the Bible said, "The water flows out abundantly". The word "abundantly" is not used in the first year, the first occasion. But here, what a beautiful picture. Just have to speak, and the water will come forth. Your provisions, your refreshment will come forth. But instead of that, you know what Moses did? The Bible says, "And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and Moses said to them, 'Hear now, you rebels. Must we bring water for you out of this rock?'" Wow, this wasn't the language that we see in Moses all these years.
Now, when I first read this, I told myself, you know, you gotta cut him some slack. You know, after all he's been with the murmuring, complaining, contending, you know, unhappy people of Israel, and you know, but then God began to show me the lesson in this story, and I had to understand that, with God, when God wants to show grace to his people, never, ever misrepresent him. And here, by his anger, Moses got... no matter what's God's heart, in spite of their murmuring, God is not dealing with them based on their murmuring. God is dealing with them based on the grace of the High Priest, our Lord Jesus.
And, Friend, there's no measure to God's goodness when God measures our blessings by Jesus, not by our deserving, but by what Jesus deserves. But instead of that, you know what he did? He shouted at them, "Must we, you rebels, he calls them 'rebels' and says, 'Must we fetch you water out of this rock'"? Now, the people cannot see God, but they can see God's representative, God's man. You know, leaders, pastors, I include myself, you know, people don't see Christ today, but the people of the world, as well as our people, they see Christ in us. What kind of representation are we giving to the people? Are we giving the people that God is angry with them, God is measuring them based on what they deserve?
Remember this: Grace is not grace if it's dealt with people according to what they deserved, amen. Grace is an expression, is the measure of God's heart towards the people. If God is dealing with what is in my heart and your heart, friend, we are done for, but God is not measuring based on what's in our hearts. God is dealing with us based on what is in his heart, amen? His heart is full of Christ, and God wanted them to learn the lesson. God wanted the honor to be given to Moses actually. Look at what God said to Moses earlier. God says what? "Speak to the rock. It will yield its water. Thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock".
What an honor for Moses, and stand before there, glorify God in his grace of his priesthood. And then, you know, have Aaron just speak to the rock, and then the waters start flowing out. Moses speak to the rock, the water flows out, and then God give him the credit. It is "You shall bring water for them out of the rock," amen? Even though we know that we can talk to the rock all day. Without God's grace, without God's power, there's no way water will come out of the rock, and, yet he missed the whole point of what God wants to show. Instead of not just that, he misrepresented God. He made God appear angry.
And, friend, in this particular case, in other situations and all that in the past years, God was angry, but in this case, he misrepresented God. God was not angry. Because God wanted us to learn this lesson, and it applies to the time just before the Promised Land, just before all of us, the church, enters the Promised Land, heaven, all right? And just before we are Raptured. We are living in the end times. What is the lesson God wants us to learn? God wants to magnify his Son Jesus Christ, and the more you magnify Jesus Christ and the more you talk about him, not about how bad you are, but how good he is, not about how poor you are, but how rich he is, not about how weak you are, but how powerful he is, not about, you know, how you fluctuate, you know, every day in your walk with God, but how he's perfect and altogether lovely, and you are in him, and in him you are holy, blameless.
You are the righteousness of God in him, but instead of giving glory, amen, to the high priest, Moses shouted at the people and says, "Hear now, you rebels. Must we fetch you water"? And he took the rod, now watch this, now, Aaron was with him, and obviously Moses was also holding his own rod, the rod of judgment, but notice what he did. The Bible says that "Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod". Notice that: "With his rod". God says what? "Speak to the rock," but instead, he hit the rock twice with his own rod, not with the rod with Aaron. But even the rod of Aaron, you cannot hit it. You will spoil the blossoms. The flowers will fall off.
But you know what? God never meant for the rod of Aaron to smite the rock. God wanted them to speak, just speak. Once Christ is crucified, you don't have to ask him to come down and die again for a fresh problem, a fresh sin, a fresh sin that you have committed or a fresh need in your life. One sacrifice avails for all time. It's not as if God says, "My goodness, I forgot about the COVID-19 virus when Jesus died at the cross". No, it's all covered. "Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses". He bore it all. But instead, Moses took his own rod, the rod of judgment, and he hit the "sela," the cliff. He hit the rock twice.
And, friend, in spite of that, in spite of that, notwithstanding, the Bible says, "The water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank". If Moses will not sanctify him before the people, he will sanctify his own holy name, and he provided for the people. But nonetheless, Moses has sinned in a major way, at a time when God wanted them to focus on the...
When God says, "Take the rod of the staff of Aaron, take the rod", God is telling all the people, Israel, look away from yourself to the high priesthood and his grace. Look at the high priest, your high priest and his grace. Don't look at how bad you are. You know how bad you are. In fact, the moment you said it, you know you have sinned. But look away from yourself and look at your High Priest. "I'm gonna measure you, I'm gonna measure my blessings upon your life, based on your High Priest". How glorious we have become, and I believe it's the goodness of God that will cause Israel to repent, even repent of their murmuring. I believe, friend, it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance, to change their minds, amen.
So the waters came out abundantly because God is honoring his own holy name. By the way, just to let you know that there is a ancient writing, the Jewish, you know, they have different Talmud and they have different targums and all that. And some of the targums, they claim that this is handed down orally. We don't have to accept it. This is just an interesting little fact, amen. And according to the Targum Yonatan it says that when Moses hit the rock twice, the first time he hit it, blood came out. The second time he hit it, water came out.
Now remember this. These writers, they are not, shall we say, friendly to Christians, to believers, even to the Jewish believers, amen. So they wouldn't write something that would confirm what happened at the cross. Remember John? John the beloved disciple who knows he's loved by Jesus, that same John wrote when he was at the foot of the cross and he's the only one besides the ladies who was at the foot of Jesus's cross. And this is what he said: "One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out". What came out? Blood and water.
Now, that's what Targum Yonatan says: "blood and water came out". And, for sure, Yonatan would never have read the New Testament. For them, it is taboo to read the New Testament, amen? And yet he said this. And John said, "Blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe". Now, friend, God wanted Israel to know that they have a high priest. And the Bible says that again and again and again in the book of Hebrews: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest". "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest". You must see it. You must also know that you have. You're not trying to get him. You have. Say, "You have, we have". Say, "I have".
My family and I, we have a great high priest. When you're faced with a situation, amen, you are perplexed as to what you are going through, a trial, a time of testing, say, "I have a great high priest," amen. "Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace," don't forget, again, high priest and grace goes together. When you think of high priest, think of grace, amen. When you think of grace of God, think of the high priest, amen. "That we may obtain mercy. Come boldly to the throne of grace," not the throne of judgment, "that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
Whatever it is right now, the time of need, and we have all kinds of needs in today's world, amen, in the times we live in, but even specifically in your own life. Come boldly. Come boldly because we have a great high priest over the house of God. When you come down there, come boldly because the high priest is there for you. He's there to present you holy, righteous, blameless before God because he was one struck at the cross with the rod of God's judgment so that you and I can enjoy the refreshing waters of salvation, amen, and all goodness from God.
So, friend, the Bible says time and time again in the book of Hebrews, having a great high priest, let us confess we have a great high priest. And you find this again and again. Having a great high priest. We have a great high priest. Let us draw near to the house of God, having a great high priest. We have it. We have him. We have him, friend. We have him. So we have him always. So God is always dealing with you based on grace. But if you do not know that, you don't understand that, you can actually be in bondage, you can actually be, instead of the liberty of salvation, you're actually in the place where because of your wrong believing, you're living wrong, amen? Right believing will cause you to have right living.
You know, I was reading about how in 1974 in the Philippines jungle, a place called Lubang, in the jungles there, all of a sudden, you know, a Japanese soldier surrendered in 1974. He's been in the jungle for 30 years. He's a military officer and for 30 years he survived in the jungle because he knows guerilla warfare, and he didn't believe that the war has ended. He didn't believe that Japan lost, even when they were dropping leaflets and all that, he found a leaflet in the early days when the war ended, and didn't believe what he read. He didn't believe that the war is over, it is finished.
So he lived within the means of the jungle. He lived cut off from loved ones and family. When they found him finally, it took one of the Japanese, one of his officers who was now a librarian or something like that, who came over to have to persuade him to give up. And he still had his sword, he still had his, you know, his uniform and the first thing he did was salute and he came out of the jungle. When he came back to Japan, Japan was transformed after 30 years, of course. And you know what he said? His first words were: "I'm very embarrassed, but I'm home," amen. So all the while when he was in the jungle, first year after the war ended, was he free? Yes. The fifth year after the war ended, was he liberated? He had to live within the means of the jungle. No. But he lived nearly 30 years, 29 years, to 1974.
So likewise, friend, if we believe we have a great high priest, we'll act accordingly, amen? We'll live life with joy and peace, trusting our Savior, trusting our Lord, amen. We'll have a robust faith, amen, and an unshakable confidence in the Lord in all that we do. We expect good things to happen and not like the book of Hebrews talking about people who have a fearful expectation of judgment because they crucify to themself the Son of God again.
I wanna close by saying this: Just a word also to all the pastors and leaders and I include myself, like I said just now, friend, how are we representing God to the people, the people of the world? They think that we are all a bunch of people who are out to get them, point out their sins, you know, find fault with them. They think that we are mean people, and our holiness has no joy sometimes. We look like we are baptized in lemon juice.
You know, friend, I don't think that's the way to represent God. I believe that we represent God according to the grace of his heart, according to the goodness of who he is, amen? We tell the people, "God loves you," but they'll say, "I have sin in my life. I know I don't qualify". No, you come to Jesus as you are and he will qualify you. He's not counting your sins against you, amen. He love you. While you were a sinner, Christ died for you. Your sins is no more a barrier between you and God, so come home. Christ took care of your sins. And you believe that. The Bible calls it, it's a holy faith.
Notice what happened, I'll close with this. And go back to Numbers 20. What did God say to Moses? "The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe me, to hallow me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'" Very sad. He came, finally, to the 40th year and he could not enter the land. And here he is seen dispensationally. Sometime he is seen like a type of Christ who went up to the mountain, amen, and came down. But here he's seen dispensationally. He represents the law. And the law cannot bring God's people into the Promised Land. Only the grace of the high priest can bring the people through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
And notice what God says: "Therefore because you didn't believe me, to hallow me". And look at the ESV. This is what it means: "To uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel". Showing grace to the people is to demonstrate that God is holy. We think that, when we talk about dos and don'ts, people will see a holy God. But here, God is saying that "if you demonstrated grace, if you had believed what I said just now and just speak to the rock, and demonstrate the grace of a high priest, you would have hallowed me. You would uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people".
Reminds me of what Jehoshaphat when he was outnumbered by so many armies, it's like ten to one, all right, he had thousands of armies across the mountains, and the Bible says that no man can number. And he sent praises in front, people to praise God. He sent, like, praisers instead of commandos. He sent them to the front. And what did they sing, the song? The Bible says that they, listen, "should praise the beauty of holiness". Holiness? What was the song? This is the song they sang to praise the beauty of his holiness: "Praise the Lord, for he is good," for his hesed, grace, "endures forever". Whenever we talk about God's goodness, and you talk a lot about God's goodness and God's mercy and God's grace, it is demonstrating the beauty of his holiness.
Friend, what is it with you today? What are you faced with? Do you know that you're a child of God and God loves you, amen? That whatever needs you may have, it is not as if God doesn't care, God is oblivious to it. God wants to demonstrate to you the rod and the rock. God wants to show you how Christ is enough, but so often we forget and our words demonstrate that we forget, amen. We'll say, "Where is God in all this? How come God didn't come through for me," you know?
And all the while, God is presenting the high priest. He's presenting to you when he says, "Take the rod. Take the high priest's rod, the high priest's staff". Our hearts should leap for joy. He's saying to you, "The provision is coming because you have a high priest". It's not like you don't have a high priest. You have a high priest and because you have a high priest, amen, good things are coming your way, amen? You might be in trouble but that trouble is temporal, amen, friend? You have a high priest. Therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, amen, amen, amen, amen. Praise the Lord.
If you do not know Jesus, you say, "But Pastor Prince, I am not a child of God, I'm not a believer," well, friend, you've heard the good news today. I don't believe it's by chance you tuned in today. I believe God brought you into this online service to hear this sermon because God is reaching out to you, he's loving you. Nothing is happening by chance, friend. He is arranging your footsteps, amen, that you might hear of his goodness. And he wants you to know that he's not dealing with you based on who you are, what you have done, amen. He's not dealing with you based on your sin. He's dealing with you today based on his Son.
If you will but believe and don't be like that Japanese prisoner who stayed in the jungle, all for nearly 30 years, amen. Come into the light. Come into freedom. Come back to the Father, amen? Amen, if that is you, pray this prayer with me. I want to lead you to the Father's embrace, amen? Pray this prayer with me. Say:
Heavenly Father, I believe Christ died for my sins. I believe you raised him from the dead when you declared me righteous. Thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to die for my sins, and thank you, Father, that because you raised him from the dead today, I have a high priest in heaven, and I thank you that every day you deal with me based on your grace and not based on what I deserve. Thank you, Father, because grace is not natural. Please let your Holy Spirit convict me of righteousness. Teach me every day of who you are and not what I am. In Jesus's name I declare Jesus Christ is my Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.
Now you're a child of God, you're a believer, and you have a high priest, amen, at the Father's right hand. And he's praying for us. Sometimes, even I will tell him, "Lord Jesus, I don't have a prayer left, you know? You pray for me", amen. I just rest in him. I rest in his prayer. You have a high priest. High priest means what? God is dealing with you, not based on your deservings. Not based on your merits. God is dealing with you based on his Son's merit, amen? He loves you. Praise the Lord.
Let's say this together. "We have". Say it: "We have a high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ," amen. Keep on saying that: "We have a high priest". The Bible says: "We have a high priest. Let us hold fast our confession of this high priest," amen. And be expecting, amen, rivers, rivers of refreshing coming your way. Be expecting that God will do a turnaround for this trouble that you're in, amen. Be expecting good in your future. Be expecting health to spring forth speedily, even though you have received a bad prognosis, amen, expect health to spring forth speedily. Your best days are yet ahead of you. Why? Because you have a high priest in Jesus's name, amen?
The Lord bless you and keep you throughout this coming week. The Lord keep you and your loved ones from the COVID-19 virus. The Lord keep you, your high priest keeps you safe in his embrace from all evil and from the power of the evil one. The Lord make his face shine on you and be favorable, be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and on your family and grant to every one of you his shalom, wholeness, wellbeing, and peace, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And all the people said, "Amen".