Joseph Prince - Break Free From The Chains Of Condemnation
I just want to share with you a testimony that came in and during this time of the pandemic that's upon us, it's vital that we memorize, not just read through once a while, but really memorize and meditate on Psalms 91. I really believe Psalms 91 has all the fingerprints of God for such a time as this. Even in America, all right, Psalms 91:1, "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide". 911 is an emergency call number in America, right? And we know what happened, the world change after 9/11 as well. And I know that chapters and divisions are not inspired, but I know that God, God can just, you know, God can just work through them.
You know, God is sovereign, and God can do it in such a time he knows what's gonna happen in the future. And it so happens that Psalms 91 is the psalm of protection. And it's a New Testament psalm, even though it was uttered many years ago, some believed by David, some believed by Moses, I believe it was David. But nonetheless, you will find that that Psalm is so relevant to the times that we live in, amen. It opens up by saying, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty". And it talks about how surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Surely, not maybe, surely he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Any trappings that the devil has in the future, God promised that he will deliver you. Surely he will deliver you.
So, as we meditate on this psalm, you know, it's gonna rescue us from fear, worry, and anxiety during this time, during this pandemic. Just the other day, I was listening to the news and just for a moment, anxiety rose in my heart because I heard that how the cases of asymptomatic cases where people who don't show symptoms in their body, but they, they have the virus. All right, they are going around in, you know, in talking about not Singapore but around the world, and they are on the increase. It seems like more and more asymptomatic cases, and sort of like fear rose in my heart or just a little fleeting fear rose in my heart and then the verse came to my rescue from Psalms 91. It says, "You will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day". And listen, "You should not be afraid of the pestilence that walks in darkness".
Now, pestilence that walks in darkness, you don't even know it exists, amen. It's walking in darkness. You don't even know it's there. It's in darkness, right? It's walking in darkness. That, to me, is the asymptomatic cases, amen, amen. And even asymptomatic cases, God will deliver you from it, amen? Praise the Lord. Let me read you this testimony from a sister from Singapore.
I have been attending New Creation Church for 18 years. All of my children have also grown up in church. My youngest son graduated from medical school last year in the United Kingdom, and stayed on to do his internship. He shares a flat with three other housemates and a friend. Three months ago, one of his housemates caught the COVID- 19 virus. My son and his housemates had to serve a quarantine order for 14 days. When I was informed, our family gathered online and partook of the Holy Communion together with him. We also anointed ourselves with the anointing oil. Our care group members also supported us by praying for our son. Subsequently, another two of my son's housemates caught the virus, and all of them had to serve another 14 days of quarantine order. At the end of the quarantine orders, my son was tested negative, despite the close contact with his housemates. The Lord has kept my son safe.
Praise God. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord, for he is our mighty protector, amen. Another amazing example of Psalm 91 at work, praise the Lord. "Surely he shall deliver you from the perilous pestilence". Now, that can include any disease that today we hear about, you know, that is in front of us, whether it's diabetes, whether it's cancer, a tumor, whether it's all kinds that you see in the world today. The Bible says, "The Lord will take away from you all diseases", amen, amen. And the Bible says he will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, of Egypt, represents the world, upon you.
Now, friend, all the promises of God in Christ is yes and amen. We say amen to it. So, I want to encourage you to memorize Psalms 91, get your kids to memorize Psalms 91. You know, the other day, I was reading a story of a true story of a man, a colonel from the British regiment who served during the World War I. This is World War I that lasted for four years. His name is Colonel Whittlesey, and he was in charge of a British regiment in the front lines.
So, for four years, he served in the front line with his regiment and regiment is about a few hundred men. But what he did was he's a devout Christian, and he had his men carry with them a placard or something that has Psalms 91 on it. He made them memorize, memorize it. And not only that, he made them quote it. Every day, they had to quote it at least once, amen, memorize it, and quote it by memory or declare it as they read it, but they are to memorize it. And they will do it every day, they will recite it. In the course of these four years of World War I, there's not a single casualty in his regiment, not a single one. With all the bombs dropping and, you know, with all the chaos and carnage going on around them, just like Psalms 91 says, "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand".
Even the COVID-19, we are listening every day to, not just a few hundred, but around the world, thousands, thousands, thousands. You know, a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. The promise in Psalms 91. So, get our children to memorize Psalm 91, amen. Get them to memorize it. It's not that long. You can memorize it. And during times like what I experienced just now, the fear that rose in my heart when I heard that news, straightaway the Word of God comes, you know, rises up and banished that fear by saying that you will not be afraid of the pestilence that walks in darkness. Here is my eight-year-old son Justin reciting Psalms 91 from memory.
Justin Prince: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge. Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil shall befall you. Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you; To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra. The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. Amen.
Praise God, amen? So, get our children to memorize Psalms 91, and I want to encourage you, you yourself, memorize Psalms 91 and it's amazing how at the right time, you know, you hear a report saying that more people are dying young or, you know, the age span for people in this part of the world is around you. Straightaway, the Word of God will come to you and say, "With long life will I satisfy him". So, the criteria for long life is based on your satisfaction. With long life will I satisfy him. If he's not satisfied at 70, he can go on to 80. He's not satisfied at 80, he can go on to 90, not satisfied at 90, he can go on, hey, go all the way to where Moses was at 120. The Bible says when Moses died, his eyes was not dimmed nor his natural force abated.
Yet, if we look at the Scriptures, you find that 120 is the age that God actually says in Genesis, where God says, "My Spirit will not always strive with men, yet he is flesh, but his days will be 120". So, what happened then was that men lived hundreds of years, amen. In fact, Adam himself lived 900 over years, short of a number of years before 1,000. But you see, God said to Adam, the day that he sinned, he will die. And I want to share this today with all of you. God has been showing me some things from the Word in regards to death, and how God hates death, and how God wants his people in these last days to live a long good life, amen, yes, a long, good life. Praise the Lord. With long life will I satisfy him.
My friend, the Bible teaches us there's some things that we do that can shorten our life. In the Book of Proverbs, for example, it says, "The fear of the Lord," and we know the fear of the Lord is defined by our Lord Jesus in the wilderness temptation as the worship of God. The more you worship God, the worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs days. It will prolong your days, hallelujah, amen? The Bible says there are certain things you do to shorten your days, amen. The Bible says honoring your parents, your days will be long upon the earth, not in heaven, upon the earth, amen. And you know of cases, even like in front of the Bible Samson, who had dishonored his parents, he died young.
You know, and the Bible promises, not just God's statement, God doesn't have the promise. God's Word alone is enough. God cannot lie, not that he will not lie. The Bible says God cannot lie. But when God promised, there's a double ironclad guarantee it's gonna happen, amen, my friend. So, God never meant for man to die. It's not his heart. It's not his dream for man to die. In fact, the Bible says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of sin is death. Hey, quit before payday. Wages of sin is death, but the gift, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now, eternal life does not start after your heart stops beating. Eternal life starts the moment you are born again, the moment you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, as your Lord, you confess him as Lord, you believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you believe that Christ took your sins at the cross, the moment you are born again, amen. At that very moment, eternal life. Eternal life is a quality of life that God lives by. And Jesus himself said to Martha at the tomb her brother Lazarus, he says, "Whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die".
So, for a believer, even if his heart stops beating, amen, he lives, he lives forever, amen. Death is just putting off like if I put off my jacket right now, it falls on the floor, but I'm still alive, amen. So, death is just putting off the body of corruption anyway. And the Bible says either way through the Rapture if Jesus comes for us and we don't see death, amen, or if we put off our mortal flesh, the Bible says that we'll be clothed, amen, with a glorious, incorruptible body, and that's what we look forward to in the Rapture when Jesus comes for us. The Bible says, lift up your heads, your redemption, and that redemption day is your bodily redemption.
So friend, I believe that there are secrets in the Bible that teaches us that we can live a long, good life. You know, the Bible tells us that, twice it tells us about the terminal generation, the final generation that will see the Rapture. And we really believe that we are that generation. I believe that the coming of the Lord Jesus is soon. I believe the Rapture can take place at any time, friend. And what is the Rapture? Nothing more than us in a twinkling of an eye, our bodies are changed, amen, into a glorified body, amen, that will never grow old, never decay, never have disease, never have pain, never feel boredom, never feel anything that is a fallen, right, but a glorified body forever. You'll be forever young, forever healthy, forever strong.
Forever is a long time, my friend, and that's what we are looking forward to when Jesus comes again, and he can come anytime. In fact, what is happening around the world right now is unprecedented, amen, in modern times, and it's global. So, we know that God is sending a message to the earth, though he is not the one who sent COVID-19, God is allowing this to happen because of all the sins of a world. The Bible tells us the creation, the creation groans because of man's sin.
You know, when man sin, there is, you know, it's unseen, but there is like a vibration. I can't explain it, but it seems like the earth respond when man sinned against God. The earth, like when the Bible says that Adam sinned against God, God says the ground will bring forth thorns and thistles. It will no longer yield to you its strength, the same thing to a Cain who murdered his brother Abel. God says the ground will not yield its strength to you.
So, there's a double curse on the ground now. The ground, the Bible says in Romans 8, creation groans and travails because of man's sin, and it's waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, amen. And I believe with all my heart that we are gonna see Jesus come in our generation, amen. I believe the Rapture is imminent, it can happen anytime. But there is a beautiful verse that occurs twice, a phrase that occurs twice in pertaining to the Rapture. It says that we who are alive and remain shall they caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
Notice he says, "We who are alive". It's one thing to be alive because you are ten years old, amen, you are young, you are 20 years old, you are 30 years old. But it's another thing to be alive and remain. Remain alive denotes strength, denotes power to stay alive, amen? Which means the end time generation they will see Jesus in the Rapture, okay, will be a generation that will have a secret to overcoming death, amen. Praise the Lord. Amen, I believe that. I believe we have to be open to what God is doing at this time.
And it's repeated again, "Then we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will not precede them who have gone before," amen. They'll go up first, and then we'll be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Hallelujah. So, soon and very soon, we'll see the king face to face. Hallelujah. Are you ready? If you're not ready, you can be ready in an instant you can be ready, amen. I don't believe in conversion. I believe in being born again. It will take God, it will take a miracle of a new birth, amen, to go from darkness to light, amen. Amen, praise God.
The moment you put your trust in Jesus Christ, believe in your heart that he took all your sins at the cross, confess him with your mouth and believe in your heart. Say, "Jesus Christ is my Lord," and believe in your heart that he died for your sins, and that he was raised from the dead for your justification. God has justified you freely without your works. You cannot lift one finger to save yourself, and that's why I don't believe in conversion, amen. Conversion denotes man's will, amen, involved in it. No, no, it's born again. God caused a miracle to be birthed in you. It's called the new birth. You are born again with the nature of God in you, with the life of God, amen, flowing through you, amen. Praise God.
Then it behooves us to ask the question, why is it that we see like death overtakes believers so easily? Why is it that death takes, overtakes believers so easily? Now, I'm not talking about the people of the world, amen. It's obvious the wages of sin is death, but believers who have eternal life in them, they should not be the experience, amen. Now, I don't claim to know everything, but what I know I'm gonna share with you, amen, and there's some things that the Lord has been showing me I just want to bless you with. Praise the Lord. The Bible tells us very clearly in the Scriptures that the ministry of death is written and engraved on stones.
Now, I want to tell you something about the law. The Bible says, believers, those who have believed on Christ, we are not under law, we are under grace. Now, how is law defined? Law is defined as man working, man laboring. How is grace defined? Grace is defined as God working, God's supplying, amen. So, either you are supplying yourself, you are providing for yourself, you are working for yourself, you are laboring to produce result, or God is working. You choose, amen? Now, you will say that, "Is there nothing for me to do"? Yes, believe, believe.
Now, when God is working for you, God will also work, if you live under grace, God will also work in you and through you, and then you just follow after him. Like right now, you can say, "I'm laboring," isn't it? I'm laboring to preach the Word of God to you, but yet, I'm conscious that it's God who is working in me both to will and to do of his good pleasure. I believe that God is working for me, God is working in me, and God is working through me, amen, to produce the results that he once produced in your lives, amen. So, even that becomes a life of rest. Amen, amen.
That's a believer's life. In all his labor, outwardly he's busy, amen, but inwardly he's at rest. It's like the tabernacle of Moses, which is the first, what we call the habitat of God that God told man to create like the first temple, but it was a mobile temple in the desert. When the children of Israel wandered for 40 years, the Bible tells us God told them to build him a tabernacle, a Mishcon in Hebrew, where he would dwell in the Holy of Holies. So, there are three compartments to the tabernacle of Moses, and the first part is the outer court.
Okay, and there you have sunlight, natural light, amen. And that speaks of the people of a world, you know, they have natural light. What they see, what they believe science can tell them, all right, and but then it's very limited because you are confined based on what you see and what you see is very limited because there's an unseen realm, amen. It wasn't until not too long ago only, in fact modern time, that people discover atoms that you cannot see, but yet every particle of substance is made from these atoms that you can't see, amen. And now the world is at a standstill because of something they can't see. Yes, they can see it ultimately under a microscope or whatever. I'm just referring to naturally, we cannot be confined with our natural eyes. That's all I'm saying, amen.
And we see that, that God wants us to walk by faith and not by sight because there's a reality beyond this reality, amen. The Bible says the things that we see are temporal, amen. Think about it, everything that you can see here, this pulpit, this chair, and anything any building you see, it's temporal. In a matter of time, it will decay, it will become rubble, it will dissipate, you know? But the things that cannot be seen, amen, with me on the stage right now are angels, amen. We can't see them, all right, but they are there. The Holy Spirit is in me, you can't see him, but I know he's there, amen. God is with me. Praise the Lord. I can't see him, but I know he's there. Praise the Lord.
And you know what? The things you can't see, the Bible says are eternal, amen. That's why your body, this body here, is not eternal. In fact, when Jesus comes again, we'll have a glorified body, a body that will live forever. Anything you can see is temporal. That's good news, that's good news. That means even the tumor that you can see on the x-ray is temporal. God's promise of healing is eternal, amen. But people say, "You know, I cannot believe what I can't see". Friend, you got it wrong because of Adam's fall. Know that you are in a unnatural state. Reverse yourself, believe, believe, amen. Walk by faith because God meant for man to walk by faith and not by sight, which limits you drastically, amen.
So, here we go. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. We gotta live a life of rest and you move into the Holy Place, there is the light from the lamp stand, the menorah, and there's the picture of the Church of Jesus Christ. Today, that's where we are right now. We are living in a time when the Church of Jesus Christ is shining the light upon this world, this world that is in darkness, amen. This world, God has compassion for this world. You know, man's thoughts towards God are thoughts of rebellion, thoughts of unbelief, but God's thoughts towards men are thoughts of love, pity, and compassion. God's posture towards man is to save man and not to bring man to destruction.
Even in the Old Testament when God had to judge, the Bible says in Lamentations chapter 3, verse 33, that God does not afflict willingly. It says God does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. He does it with an unwilling heart, even though he's just and he has to punish sin. But he does it, not with a willing heart, amen. So here we see the tabernacle. Finally, we go on to the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwells right in the Holy of Holies. And there you don't find the lampstand, there you don't find the sunlight, there you find Shekinah glory, the brightest light ever, amen. The presence of God lights up the place, amen. And that's where we are moving into, people. Our next, our next destination, amen, for all of us believers is to step into that Shekinah glory, amen. Praise the name of Jesus. So, friend, if you're a believer, eternal life is already in you, amen. Praise the name of Jesus.
Now, I wanna share with you that whatever you do, friend, work from that rest inside you or else you'll be stressed and if you are stressed, it's gonna have an effect on your body, amen. It'll cause you to grow old, it'll cause you to have problems with, like, your mental disorders and also some diseases can be traced back to stress and that's been proven. Medically, it's proven that there are quite a number of diseases you can trace it back to stress, like high blood pressure, amen, heart troubles, and many others.
And, friend, if we can settle in our hearts to be at rest. You know, God said to me many years ago, "When you rest, God works. When you work, God rests". And yet, does that mean we do nothing? No, like I said, all those people that are in the temple, those who were outside working under the sunlight, they were killing the animals, putting them on the altar of sacrifice, amen, worshiping God, washing. They were busy, amen, all right? So that's a picture of our bodies because the Bible says: "Know you not your bodies are the temple of God"?
So we were at the temple of God. Outside is busy, amen? Even the Temple of Solomon, outside is busy. That's where the animals are being sacrificed. That's where a lot of work is going on. But inside the temple, inside the Holy of Holies, there's perfect peace. There's stillness, there is perfect shalom, amen? And there's our spirit man, for, friend, you are a tripartite being. Like God is a triune God, one God, but three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So God make you in his image. You are a tripartite being. You have a spirit. You are a spirit, I should say that. You are a spirit. The real you is you are a spirit, you have a soul, that's your mind, your emotions. And you live in a container called the body.
So there's three parts to you, just like the egg. You have the yolk, you have the white, and you have the shell. You are a tripartite being. So the Bible says: "Know you not you are the temple of God". What does that mean? Outside you can be busy, just like they were in the outer court. But inside, you've got to be at rest. You've got to be at rest. And whatever you do, God will prosper, amen. Whatever you do will have the touch of favor on it. Praise God in Jesus's name, amen.
So why is it that believers are experiencing this? But one thing, though, it's all tied up with the gospel that saved them. The gospel that saved them is the gospel that they should continue in, the gospel of grace. And because we don't believe in... it's amazing, there are people who will reject grace and they'll say that by grace you are saved through faith. It's as if that grace is only good to get you saved, but after that you better be on your toes and all that. Not knowing that it is a form of self-righteousness. Just like Israel, Paul's burden for Israel, his kindred, his fellow men, he said this: "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness," today we'll say you ought to establish your own righteousness. No, God says, "They being ignorant of God's righteousness," which is a gift.
God's righteousness is a gift to be received. "But they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God". So you do not have it both ways. Righteousness is being acquitted from all guilt. Righteousness is right-standing with God. Oh, hallelujah. What a blessed God we served, amen? He has conferred upon men righteousness. He has conferred upon sinful men righteousness to stand in his presence, amen?
In the brightness of the glory of his presence, men, sinful men can stand because of conferred righteousness, amen. And men must receive it, but if men is trying to establish their own righteousness, they are not receiving that righteousness that is a gift. You cannot have it both ways. So Israel did that. They went about establishing their own righteousness and, as a result, they have not submitted to the gift of righteousness, the righteousness of God by faith. I hope you're getting this, friend, because this is crucial. This is the gospel.
So the question is that how is this gonna do with the fact that believers, some of them are dying young, some of them are cut off in the prime of their life. Why is this so? If Jesus took care of the sin problem and he has, amen. His perfect work at Calvary's cross has removed all our sins efficaciously. If that is true, because of death came by sin, the Bible says, then it ought to stand to reason that if righteousness is established, amen, in the believer's life, then he ought to produce life. The Bible keeps on saying, "Righteousness produces life". But where is that life, amen? And that life ought to translate not just in our spirit, not just in our soul, but in our bodies as well, amen. Because Adam never died until his sin, right?
So and after Adam sinned, this is the language in the Hebrew and this is what God said to Adam: "The day that you sin, all right, the day you partake of it, dying you shall die". In our King James Bible it says: "You shall surely die". But in the Hebrew it says, "Dying, you shall die". In other words, the very day you sin, all right, you die spiritually on the inside. You die. The real you is cut off, is dead. But death has not touched the body yet, all right? So "dying, you shall," that's future tense. "You shall die one day". And Adam happened to die at about 900-over years. Think about it. You know why? Because he didn't know how to die. No one has died before him; he's the first man, amen. He didn't know how to die and he lived a long good life.
You think about it. I wanna show you something that is very interesting in the Scriptures and I believe is gonna help you. We who are in the gospel of grace, we know that we don't just get saved by grace. Grace is our food, grace is our health, grace is our provision, grace is our protection, amen. Praise the name of Jesus. Not only are we saved by grace, we need to continue in grace. Like Paul rebuked the Galatian Christians for going back to the law, he says, "Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? Are you by your own efforts," flesh is your own efforts, "trying to establish your sanctification, your holiness, amen, by keeping the law"? The law was never designed for you to keep. It was designed to show that you are a sinner. No one can keep the law.
So let me just show you this real quick and we all know Romans 5:17, right? It says: "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more those who receive," what? "Abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign," where? Reign where? After death? No, "In life. In life through Jesus Christ". So it's giving us the secret of reigning in life. "Basilio," in the Greek which is use for basilica, amen, it's empirical rule, just like death came in and it was empirical, it was supreme, because everyone dies. No one can escape death. They can eat the best organic food, exercise all day, live up in the high mountains where there's fresh air and all that, and one day they still die. Death is total. The wages of sin is death. Why do people die? Because of sin, amen. But the gift of God is eternal life, zoe life, zoe aiónios which is eternal life, the life that God himself lives by, amen?
Many years ago, God gave me a picture of, like, a food pyramid. But what I saw is a life pyramid, and right below the very first life there is, it was plant life, amen, vegetation life. And you know, plants, they have life, amen, but their life is not compared to our life. Ours is bios life, amen. Then you have animal life, amen, animal, they have a psuché, a soul, but they don't have a spirit like you and I have. They have life. They have life but it's animal life, amen? And then come bios life, human life. We have life, amen. Human beings have life. And then comes to the apex, the highest life there is, the life that Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly," the Lord says, amen.
The life that he lives by, amen, the life of God himself, amen, the highest form of life, and that's the gift of God. The gift of God is eternal life. Eternal life is not living forever because those who are in hell also live forever, in hell. But eternal life is a quality of life, the apex, the highest form of life. The life that God himself lives by, amen. God gives to us as a gift through Jesus Christ, amen. Praise the name of Jesus.
Now, follow me now and we look at 2 Corinthians 3 to discover secrets as to why. Why people are missing it and they're sincere but you find that people are still subject to death, when the Bible says clearly we have been set free, amen? "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God". So Paul is always very careful to say that we are not qualified. You know, this sufficiency even, is actually from God himself. If not, we cannot be ministers. What kind of ministers are we? "God who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life".
Now we have the word "kills". "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life". What is this letter and what is this Spirit? Now, there is a teaching going on that says the letter is when you read the Bible, and you are just superficially reading the letters. So that is the letter that kills. And then they say that the Spirit part is the part where you get a revelation, then that's the Spirit. Now, friend, that is negating Scripture altogether, amen? It is going into areas where God never meant it to be. Friend, many a times even the superficial reading, the letter itself, is very important for us to take note and to live by, amen. So it's not the explanation. So what's the letter here? You look carefully. The very next verse tells us: "Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone," there's only one ministry that came carved in stone.
So God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone. Notice, "carved in letters on stone". So this letters is the same Greek word for "the letter kills" just now. So he's telling us the law, the Ten Commandments, kills, but the ministry of the Spirit grace cause you to live. Many years ago, the Lord said to me, "Condemnation kills, but the Spirit gives life". Condemnation kills, but the Spirit gives life. So every time we condemn our children, we are ministering death. Look here, look at this. The Bible tells us: "If the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses's face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end".
So the glory that was on Moses's face when Moses came down the mountain, amen, when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God and the people saw his face, he had to put a veil on his face to hide the glory that was fading. Now, he was a smart leader because he knew that the glory was fading. If the people saw his face had glory today, tomorrow half the glory left, the day after, no glory left, people would think something wrong with Moses, he's backslidden, something happened to him, amen? The other day he had glory, now he doesn't have glory. But Moses knew the glory was fading away.
So there is glory to the law. The law came with glory, but that glory, God himself testifies, is fading away. It is not an ever-increasing splendor. It's not an ever-increasing glory. It is a glory that is fading, amen, from good to lesser, amen, to lesser, amen. Whereas the grace itself, the glory of grace, I'm getting ahead of myself but let's go back to verse 6. It says here: "The letter kills". "The new covenant is not of the letter, but of the Spirit". And how many of us ministers of the new covenant, number one, are we ministers of the new covenant? We are if we are preaching grace, the Spirit that gives life. But we are not ministers of the new covenant if we are preaching letters of the law, all right?
If we are combining them, it's even worse because it's a deception. It's a deception. Because the letter kills. There's no other way. The day that God gave, listen, Israel celebrated their first Pentecost, just like they celebrated their first Passover on the night that the angel of death passed through Egypt and they had the blood on the doorpost, that was their first Passover. Number 50 days and the Jewish people say that today they celebrate Pentecost. They still celebrate Pentecost. They call it Shavuot, but not for the giving of the Holy Spirit. It is for the giving of the law, the Ten Commandments.
So when God gave the law, 3000 people at the foot of the mountain died. Three thousand. So when the day of Pentecost in the New Testament happened and took place at Mount Zion, not Mount Sinai, at Mount Zion, when the Holy Spirit came. Notice, this time, the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, and the Bible says 3000 people were saved, which goes to show the letter kills. But the Spirit gives life. If I live my life always working, always working, always laboring, always trying to produce for myself, I gotta fend for myself, I gotta tend to my family, I myself must come out with my answers.
You know, friend, you're living under law and you are living a daily life. But if you live a life where you look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, trust him, amen. What you don't have, you trust him that he's supplying it, amen? Even when things look contrary, you know, to God's promises, amen, you still believe and you trust that he's supplying. He doesn't give, you cannot have, amen. You're always trusting him. Another way of saying is like this: The Lord demands like the Lord demands you shall not, you shall not, you shall not, you shall not, but grace supplies. God says, "I will, I will, I will, I will," amen? Which are you more conscious of, amen? One of it's deadly: the letter kills. The other one, the Spirit gives life, amen?
So here it says: "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life". And then the next verse, verse 7, says: "If the ministry of death". You know, what's ministry? Ministry means you're always ministering, you are giving out, you are conferring. This ministry is a ministry that confers death. With the law, comes death. Nothing wrong with the law. The law is perfect, but the law because it's perfect, when it does not find perfection, amen, in its recipient, it cannot but be true to itself and confer the curse. Confer death. So that's the design of the law and we need to keep that in mind.
I don't want to rush through this. I just wanna show you in Scripture that many believers are still on this side, amen? Then they are wondering why death is working in their emotions, death is working in their minds, death is working in their relationships. Death is working in the bodies. Death is working in their life. Why is that so? And you tell them, "Remove the law," and they say, "Sacrilegious. How can you remove the law"? And my friend, I'm not saying when you remove the law, you become lawless. On the contrary, you become lawless, listen, when Jesus says, "Remove the stone from Lazarus's tomb," they were afraid because the man has been dead for four days and the sister says, "By this time he stinks". But Jesus says, "I am the Resurrection and the life. Remove the stone".
Now, prophetically, in every action the Bible is so pregnant with meaning, in every movement, in every gesture of Jesus there's a purpose. He said, "Remove the stone first," amen? Now, you know that Jesus transcend even the space and all that in the Upper Room but he says, "Remove the stone". Listen to, my friend, the stone is the Ten Commandments. It was written with God's finger on stone and God says, "Remove the stone". Jesus says, "Remove the stone". Now, it all depends, are you removing the stone from stinking flesh or are you removing the stone from someone who is resurrected? Makes all the difference. If you remove the law from people, from stinking flesh, the flesh will manifest, yes. But if you remove the law from people who have the Holy Spirit, resurrected spirits, amen, we are all resurrected spirits, hallelujah. You remove the law, we come forth in resurrection glory, amen? Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus.
So follow me now and look at Galatians chapter 3. It says here: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse". Friend, read it again. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse". It does not say, "As many as break the law". We have assumed and read that in this verse. This verse says the moment you are off the works of the law, the moment you think you stand for your justification, for your sanctification, for your blessings, upon the law, you depend on the law, inwardly you depend on the law, you fight for the law, you stand on the law, the Bible says, "Immediately, you are under the curse". "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse". And this is in a present tense in the Greek. The tense there is present tense.
And you think about it, he's writing to believers so even believers who's not supposed to be under any curse, can come under the curse. The moment they go back to the law, they're under the curse, and then they are wondering why I don't see the provisions of God. Why I don't see the manifestation of his promises in my life. Why I don't see life surging in and through me when Jesus promised me life and life more abundant. Where is it? And the Bible says that "those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness," gift, not a reward for something you do. "And those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ," hallelujah.
Oh, I pray that you receive this. I pray that you receive this, and yet, the devil has hoodwinked people into thinking, "No, you must have some law in your life or else you become lawless". Like I said: it all depends. You remove the law, the stone from people who are stinking flesh, not saved, not born again. The flesh will manifest, amen? But you're removing the law from people who are born again, Spirit of God in them, amen? Resurrection glory comes forth. Life comes forth, amen. And you will see the glory of God like Jesus told Martha. And yet people are so afraid. They think this is a heresy.
And Paul even pronounced another curse in Galatians 1. If you read carefully, he says here, "I marvel", I'm shocked, "that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel". Now notice, what is a true gospel? If there's a different gospel, what is the real gospel? The grace of Christ. "Who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel". Anything that's not the grace of Christ is a different gospel. "Which is not another, but there"... Not another means it cannot be a gospel. Even though I call it a different gospel, it is not another gospel. "But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ".
Now he calls it the gospel of Christ. Earlier he calls it what? The grace of Christ. Now he calls it the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is a gospel of his grace. Amen? And then he says this: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven," not from hell, "preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed". Now, what is that again? What is another gospel? Whatever is not of the grace of Christ. If someone is preaching to you of the gospel but it's not the gospel of grace, it is a different gospel, all right? And Paul says, "Let him be accursed". And it's a double curse, my friend, because he goes on to say, "As we have said before, so now I say again. If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed".
He said it again, twice in case we didn't get it the first time. There's a double curse on anyone who is not preaching the gospel of grace. What do you think happens with people preaching something else and they're coming against grace? Today, it's as if you preach grace. Grace is a different gospel because there are not many voices preaching the gospel of grace. Therefore, when you... by the way, that's changing all over the world right now; but at one time, it was like, you know, you preach grace, grace is a heretical doctrine. Amen? They'll call you all kinds of names about this teaching.
Now, obviously the devil will always have some people on the tangent, you know, that will preach to, "Everybody is saved. You don't have to get them saved". You know, that kind of thing. That is heresy. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the pure gospel of grace. It's called the gospel of grace. Anyone preaching any other gospel which is not the gospel of grace, the Bible says let a double curse rest on him. "Though we", Paul includes himself, "If I do that, I've preached to you the gospel of grace, but in future if I come back to you and preach any other gospel, let myself or an angel from heaven," not an angel from hell. "If we are people who preach to you in any other gospel, let the double curse rest," Paul says, "on him and on the angel".
Wow. I wonder sometimes, you know, if there are people under this double curse today, or else Paul wouldn't have warned us. And then we're wondering how come there's no provision. "How come that guy is preaching heresy and it seems that God is moving in his life, God is providing for him, God is providing for his ministry"? Friend, wonder no more. Amen. It's not by human works, it's by the grace of God, and God wants us to live like this. Whereas when the curse is on someone, it seems like everything they do freezes. It's as if the Bible says about in Jeremiah, that those who are blessed even in the year of drought, and it is the year of drought, isn't it, in the world today? Even in the year of drought, the Bible says, he will not cease from yielding fruit, the blessed man. But the cursed man, the Bible says, he will not even see when good comes. Even good comes in his way, he's not able to see it.
That's why, friend, murmuring is a sign of people, you know, I don't want to say that, necessary that they're under the curse, but I'm just saying that it is a cursed lifestyle to be always there, you know, there are people who always find a problem for every solution. You can always trust them to find a problem for every solution. Amen? You tell them the solution, they'll try to find a problem. They always have something negative to say. So even for our country, let's start proclaiming the good, let's start seeing the good, and let's celebrate our nation. Amen? Praise God.
So the good man, the man that's blessed, the Bible says, amen, even in the year of drought he will not cease from yielding fruit. His leaf will always be green. Leaf speaks of his health. He will remain green. He'll be ever green, ever young, ever healthy. Such is a man blessed of the Lord, and the Bible says a New Testament way of getting blessed is to put your trust in Jesus.
Let's go back in closing to Galatians 3, and he says here, "As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse". We saw that just now, but look at the preceding verse before this. "So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham". Saw that? "Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham". Those who are of faith are blessed. Those who are of faith are blessed. Blessed with who? With believing Abraham. Abraham is a picture of faith. He's a man of faith. Abraham lived 400 over years before the Ten Commandments was given. Abraham wasn't a perfect man. He lied. You know, he made mistakes and all that, but God never held that against him because he was a man living under grace, and the Bible says he was a man of faith. Grace and faith always goes together, just like law and unbelief always goes together.
So we are blessed, those who are of faith. Are you of faith, my friend? Don't tell me you're born again. I'm asking you, are you of faith? "What faith, Pastor Prince"? Well, since you asked, let me show you the context. Look at verse 8 for the context of this faith. "And the Scripture," the Bible, "foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles," the non-Jews, that's you and I, "by faith". Justify how? By faith. Made righteous, in other words. By faith, not by their works. So the subject here is justification by faith. "Preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.' So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham".
So then those who are of faith are blessed. So what faith is it? The context tells you justification by faith. Now, don't put here healing by faith or trusting God for provision. No. No. The context here is talking about justification by faith. You believe you are righteous by faith with the righteousness of God. Amen? God made Jesus at the cross to be sin, amen, with our sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Hallelujah.
You know what? I preach myself happy, my friend. I'm telling you, you know, you might say, "I've heard this so many times, pastor". But you know something? You know, there's a freshness when I saw this again pertaining to how death is seizing upon people before their time, even sincere people. They are sincere, but they're sincerely wrong in what they are preaching, in what they are believing, in bringing themselves under the law. They don't realize that the more they're under the law, death starts working because it's a ministry of death. It's a ministry of death.
You know, the next time we're going to cover some more. We'll continue this, this might be a series, amen, but I got so much more. I'm just getting started, friend. "So how do I apply this in my life, Pastor Prince"? Well, simple thing. Keep things simple. The Bible says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you". And sin there is a noun. You can put down there sickness shall not have dominion over you and you won't be wrong because sickness came from sin. Amen? Then you can put down there death will have no dominion over you because the wages of sin is death.
So sin there is a noun. For Satan shall not have dominion over you. Same thing. Amen? "Sin shall not have dominion over you". Why? Because you are not under law, but under grace. But are we really under grace, friend? No. Sometimes in our mentality, no one can see it. We are actually under law and no one knows it, and then, you know, someone commits a blowout sin and all that, and then they start, "What happened to him? He's such a good deacon. You know, he loves God. He talks about the Bible all the time, you know". But, friend, inwardly he's under law. You'll never know that. You'll never know that.
So everyday ask yourself, the moment you start feeling anxious, you start feeling, doubt starts to creep in your heart or fear try to seize you, just stop and ask yourself, "What did I just think just now"? Amen? "Did I think that I must provide the answer? I got so many things to do. Am I demand-minded? Am I demanding from myself? No wonder I am impatient with my loved ones, with my family members". Because what I demand from myself, I'll demand from them. And why do I demand this from myself? Because I think that God is demanding. In my mindset, God is demanding this from me. So I demand this from me, and I demand also this from my loved ones and from my family members.
So there are people who are religious and they are very bad tempered. It's because in their minds they are actually under law. They are demand-minded. Once again, keep things simple. Amen? What is the law? Demand orientation; which means law is demand, grace is supply. Amen? Law is demand, grace is supply. Law demands, grace supplies. This is what the Lord showed me many years ago. Law demands. "You shall not. You shall not. You shall not". Poor man, bankrupt man says, "But I cannot help it. I can't. I don't have the will to do it. I cannot even perform it". No way. Amen? You can't perform it, the curse comes because the law cannot bend for anybody or else is no longer the law.
I talk about the perfection of the law. Those who preach grace believes in the perfection of the law. The law should stand in all its severity, in its perfection. Amen? You cannot water down the law by saying, "Where you can, you try your best". Amen? "And God's grace will cover the rest". There's no such thing. Amen? The Bible says you break one law, you break all the ten. Amen? That's what James says. Now, are you demand-minded or are you... what is grace? Grace is supply. You see God supplying you. In the new covenant God says, "I will. I will. I will". So you see God supplying you.
So every day, let's say I have assignment, amen, in my future, and the more I think about it, I feel the demand on me. I've not prepared for it yet. Maybe it's a conference I need to speak at, for me as a speaker. Amen? It's a conference and I'm not prepared for it, or you need to do presentations before your boss, amen, or nowadays on Zoom, whatever, and you find that you're not prepared, or something you need to do; you need to get ready your children for school, for some studies, for their PSLE or whatever it is, and you are concerned that you're not equipped, you're not ready.
Friend, be careful about this. You are now being prime to be a candidate of stress. Amen? So don't fall into that. Stop for once and say, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. God foresaw all these needs long before it happened. Long before I had a need, God has the supply. Even for my children, whatever they need, God will supply me the wisdom. I may not have the answer now, but I believe that God is supplying me and God will supply me in the future". Amen? "My part is not to worry about when. If God doesn't supply the answer now, then it's for me to trust him and take my time and rest". Amen? And just trust that God is working in you, through you, and for you. Amen?
Even in parenting, you need to see God's supply is there. "Oh, I'm so concerned about my son. He seems to have this problem". Stop for a while and say, "What can I do? What can I produce from myself that will cause this problem to be rectified"? You'll find many at times you don't have the answer. Amen? So stop demanding from yourself and start looking to the Lord. Amen? The Bible says our life is a life of looking to Jesus. Amen. Say to the Lord, "I thank you for your supply of wisdom in handling my child or the presentation. I thank you, Lord. The supply is coming my way. I will know what to say. Yes, the supply is coming my way. I'll have the words from you. Unless the words come from you, it will just be words of the flesh. It will fall flat. But if the words are from you, they are Spirit and they are life". Amen?
So I am supply-minded, and I can't tell you that I'm always supply-minded. There are times I fall into this, but thank God for the Holy Spirit. He always tell you, "You know, you can't blame the person. You started demanding this from yourself". Amen. "And after that, you fell into stress and then you got angry with that person. So it's not that person's fault". So I need to be reminded all the time. But, friend, that's how you practically live under grace. Amen? We have more to share next week. So tune in because part two of this message is coming up. And I just want to tell you also that if right now you're experiencing stress in all these areas, stress is a good indicator. Amen?
Stress, experiencing fear in some of these areas, whether it's your bodily health or whether it's a child you're concerned about, whether it is finances, amen, as we're doing this time, you know, I just want you to know one thing, that fear cease you because of your thinking. Amen? The thinking has been wrong. In other words, you're still thinking the same old way, as if you don't have a Savior, as if you don't have a Father in heaven. So you're to stop that thinking right now. Don't try to handle a fear. Stop the wrong thinking, amen, and start asking yourself, "Has God ever failed me"? Amen. "Has God supplied me before? Has God healed me before"? Amen. "And God's supply is still coming my way".
I see God as a God who is more willing to give than you want to receive. I see a God whose provision is greater than your need. After he satisfies your hunger, amen, there's 12 baskets full left over. His supply always super exceeds, amen, your needs or even your expectations. He always answers... no, he over answers our prayer. The Bible says God answers us, in Ephesians, exceedingly above all we ask or think. If God answers above all we ask or think, then ask God for big things and let him exceed that. Amen? Friend, praise the Lord.
So this wonderful Father in heaven, amen, the Holy Spirit's in us to teach us about him and about the Lord Jesus. Hallelujah. And one of the things we need to know is to rightly divide the Word, where it is under law and where it's under grace, so we understand the life we are to live by today. And every time you are under law, it seems that provision is freezed, no supply comes, health is frozen; but the moment you're under grace, health springs forth speedily, the supply comes in unabated, amen, and it seems like peace reigns in your heart. The moment you start to think right, amen? When the devil tells you, "You know, the pain you feel in your body, all right, it could be this; it could be that" answer back, "God is supplying health in me". Amen? "What if that pain is nothing but your lie"? Amen? Amen.
Doubt your doubts, amen, and start believing God's Word and his promises. Praise the Lord. Amen? Praise the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. I see, like, parents concerned about their children, whether it's in the area of studies or their health. I want to say to you right now in the name of Jesus, he's supplying you, amen, he's imparting to you his peace, his shalom wholeness, and that's how the Holy Spirit will lead you. He will lead you by that peace. And, friend, you might think that, "I need to rebuke my son more. I need to demand more from him". But follow the peace. If there's no peace in doing that, don't do it. Don't do it. Amen? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Amen? But at other times in not correcting you don't feel the peace, then correct. Amen? Correct. Follow the Lord. Follow the Lord.
And I see parents are having this challenge. You have the Holy Spirit in you, my friend, and he leads you with peace. Amen? Or the absence of it. Amen? You don't have the peace, don't do it. Amen? You have the peace, do it, act on it. Sometimes you rebuke and you have peace. Amen? Sometimes you rebuke and you don't feel the peace, withdraw, amen, and trust the Lord. Praise the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
I want to pray for all those of you you're without Christ, without a covenant with God, without the forgiveness of the Lord, but having heard the message today. Number one, you need to know it's not by chance, not by accident. Amen? There's no such thing as coincidence with God. The fact that you're watching this, God has brought you to watch this today because he loves you. He loves you. Friend, he loves you in everlasting love. Amen? "God so loved the world," Jesus said, "that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever", that includes you, "Whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life". Pray this prayer with me. Amen? Would you?
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love for me. I thank you that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that you raised him from the dead when I was declared righteous by you. Jesus Christ is my Lord, my Savior, and my God. Thank you, Father. I am now saved, I'm born again, and I have your life and your nature in me. Teach me your ways, Lord, the ways of grace. Thank you for loving me, and I look forward, Lord, to a life of rest in Christ; constantly supplied, constantly provided for, constantly protected, constantly and living and empowered in Jesus's name. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Praise the Lord. You're born again. You know, I wish I got born again with all these things assisting me, with all this knowledge assisting me, but I got born again almost by accident. But I know I'm saved now. But, you know, I prayed that prayer so many times not believing I'm saved, you know. But, friend, you are saved. Once you prayed that prayer in faith, you are saved, you are born again. I don't like to use the word conversion because I don't believe you are converted. You are born again. Amen? But you're like a baby inside, and you need to continue listening to the Word because the Bible calls the Word of God like milk for newborn babes. And the more you imbibe and take in the milk, the more you grow in grace. Amen? Praise the Lord.
And the rest of you, whatever challenges you are faced with right now, in the name of Jesus, first of all, posture yourself in the right covenant. Amen? You are in the new covenant. Know this; that God will put in your mind his laws, his instructions, his direction as to what you need to do and all that. Believe him for that. Amen. Be constantly conscious of his supply. Amen? And I pray for you in Jesus's name. If there's anyone who have lost your job, I pray in the name of Jesus that God's supply will overwhelm your need, that the job in the future will be one that you'll be overwhelmed by. You were, in a good way. You'll be so blessed by it, and the supply will be great in your life in Jesus's name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord.
And I pray for every parent, Lord, they're having challenges with their children. In the name of Jesus, impart to them, Lord, I pray, that wisdom that they need to follow the Spirit in every situation of their life in Jesus's name. Amen. I pray for people that are sick, that are having challenges in your body. Right now, Father, release into their bodies your healing, your zoe life, and cast out that sickness. That sickness cannot exist. Where that sickness is, grace of healing super abounds and that grace of healing evicts every sickness, every growth, every tumor out of your body in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive the healing of the Lord. Health is springing forth speedily in the name of Jesus. Amen. Praise the Lord.