Joseph Prince - Five Times More Favor And Provision
Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Once again, we are together, amen, worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ and hearing the word that he has for us at this time. I wanna share about what God is doing around the world today. Therefore, you can also interpret what God is doing in your life today, amen, so that we can flow with God, amen. The Bible says: "Can two walk together, except they be agreed," amen? So we need to flow with God. We need to be in sync with his plans and purposes that he's accomplishing in our lives and also in the world so that when we see what's happening, we'll take courage, amen. We'll not be depressed or disappointed with what we are looking at in all the events in the world. We know that God is sovereign and God is working everything out for the good of his people, the church, and for the good of the nation of Israel.
And sometimes, you know, the Lord has to shake us because we are trusting in things that are shakable. We are trusting in things that has no foundation, no solid foundation, and when the storms come we think that house would hold and it falls, like what Jesus says. But if our foundation is right, and we built on his Word, amen, on Christ and his Word, our house will stand. Praise the Lord. And I believe that we are in exciting times. In spite of this pandemic, in spite of what we are seeing, all right, happening, God is accelerating everything to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ where he'll set the world right, amen. Praise the Lord. And as we are accelerating towards that time the Bible says: "The path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter".
So if you're a believer, even when the world is getting darker and darker, you know for you and your family, your path, your days ahead, can only get brighter and brighter. You have God's Word for it, amen? "Brighter and brighter unto the perfect day," amen? The path of the righteous. And we have established that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, amen. Praise God. Now, last week, we shared about Isaac and Ishmael. We left off from there. So let's continue from there, shall we, because God has so much for us in terms of what he's doing in the world today, praise God. And if you look at the Scriptures in Galatians chapter 4, verse 21: "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law"?
So Paul is now challenging those who are advocating that believers must still keep the law, they still need to be under the law, yes, they are saved by grace but they need to keep the law. That's what the Galatian heresy is all about. Paul wrote this book because people who are believers, and he got them saved in his previous missionary journey, and now some Jewish believers have come in amongst them and told them that, yeah, it's fine that you are saved and you're saved by grace. All that is good, but you need to keep the law, all right? You need to keep the law, you need to be circumcised, and keep the entire law. And this is what Paul is saying, this is a false gospel.
Paul says, "I'm shocked that you are so soon removed from him who called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel". Which means the grace of Christ is a true gospel and then you are shaken from that unto another gospel which is not a gospel, which is not good news, he says. And he pronounced a double curse on anyone who preaches a false gospel, and that's why we have established what is the true gospel, praise God, and we've been endeavoring to do that and I trust that you have received from the Lord these past weeks. And today God has something that he's gonna show us from the gospel of Jesus Christ here in the Scriptures and in the book of Galatian as well as also we'll see some insights from the Old Testament. Because, friends, the Bible says that all the things that happen to them, the children of Israel, are tupos in the Greek, types. They are actually types for us today, amen, so that we can draw lessons from it.
The Old Testament is actually the New hidden. The New Testament is actually the Old, open. You can say it that way. Or Old Testament is the New concealed, and the New is the Old Testament revealed. So when you study a doctrine in the New Testament, you can always find it, the details of it, in the Old Testament. And I have endeavored, you know, in my ministry for many years now, to bring out the riches of the Old Testament, and Jesus gave us the example, how to do that when he rose from the dead. You know, you would have thought that this is a small trivial thing for the resurrected Lord to do on the very first day of his Resurrection, but on that same day, that Sunday, the morning that he rose from the dead, that day, he walked with two of them on the road to Emmaus, and the Bible says they were discouraged. Why? Because they took their eyes off Jesus.
And then Jesus drew close to them and this is the secret to bringing them out of their unbelief, bringing them out of their discouragement: the Bible says he began to expound things concerning himself in the Scriptures, beginning at Moses, that is the first five books of the Old Testament, and the Prophets. He began to expound in them things concerning himself. So when we teach the Old Testament, it is always to bring out things of Jesus, things of Christ. When we look at the Old Testament, it's always to uncover Jesus and bring him out from the shadows, amen? Now, we are no more under the shadows. We're under the new covenant, but the Old Testament are shadows and types, and the New Testament is substance and reality. But we look at the details of the substance by looking at the Old Testament because hidden in it, you know, the Bible says: "It's the glory of God to conceal a matter," amen. "But it's the glory of kings," that's you and I, "to search it out," amen, for we have been made kings and priests unto God.
So to bring out Christ from the Old Testament is what I endeavor to do in all my ministry and I think that the riches of the Old Testament can only be seen when we unveil Christ, amen? It is not to bring out the dos and don'ts, bring back the law, and bring back all the rituals and the ceremonies, no, no, no, no. It is to see Christ in them all, praise God. And that is when the two disciples at the end of their journey, they said that, "Were not our hearts warmed"? In fact, the Lord restrained their eyes from seeing him himself in person. I asked the Lord one time, "Why didn't you just reveal yourself, show your nail-pierced hands to them, and reveal yourself to them," but he says that "it was more important for them to see me in the Scriptures, than to see me in person".
This is the answer the Lord gave me, because that will give you all, referring to us today, who are not there with them on the Emmaus Road, equal opportunity, amen? Because as they saw the Lord in the Scriptures, we have the same privilege to see him in the Scriptures. Praise God. Okay, praise the Lord. Let's go to Galatians 4:21. It says: "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman," now who is that son? The son of Hagar, Ishmael, right, remember? Hagar is not the legal wife. She's actually a slave that was given to Abraham when he, during this sojourn in Egypt and she was there. She was given, and she bore Abraham Ishmael. But Abraham's other son, the promised one, the one who came later, was Isaac. And that's by a freewoman, Sarah. "But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh," that means human effort. "And he of the freewoman through promise," that's Isaac, through Sarah, okay? So one was according to flesh, human effort. The other is through God's promise when human effort cannot avail. "Which things are symbolic," whoa.
Now here we have a lesson from the Lord himself, from the Holy Spirit, teaching us that even characters, even people in the Bible, in the Old Testament, are actually symbolic. They are types, they are shadows, of something that God wants to convey to us, amen? So many have the humility, amen, to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see Jesus in it all. Praise the Lord, amen, amen? Instead of, like, trusting ourselves that we, I can interpret the Old Testament, just bring out what you see, amen. No, no, it's more than just superficial. There is hidden in it, amen, all these wonderful antitypes, amen, of the types, amen. This substance of the shadow, praise God. And these things are symbolic. The two sons are symbolic. The two women are symbolic. "For these are the two covenants," old covenant and new covenant, "the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar".
Don't forget the law came from Mount Sinai. We are not on Mount Sinai. In fact, in Hebrews 12 it says: "You are not come unto the mountain that burns with fire, that shakes", there was trumpets and there was thundering and all that, that even Moses, the Bible says he said, "I exceedingly fear and quake". So the best of them said, "I was so frightened, I was so afraid". No, you're not come to the mountain. That's Mount Sinai. But, child of God, "you are come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God," amen? "To an innumerable company of angels". Notice, angels are not mentioned in Mount Sinai, in Hebrews 12. They have moved mountains. Even God is not mentioned there. God has moved mountains, amen, and God has moved mountain and we are still camped at Mount Sinai.
May we all and preachers, amen, move our pulpits from Mount Sinai to Mount Zion, amen? From preaching doing, doing, doing, to preaching "It is done," praise the Lord. And when you rest on it, even the things you need to do now will be accomplished in and through you. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. So these two things are symbolic. "For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar," that slave girl, "for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children, but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written: 'Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate,'" Sarah, who for many years had not even one child, even her younger years, she was barren.
Well, "'she will have many more children than she who has a husband,'" all right? "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise," amen. You and I, we are born again. Are we born again by our own efforts? No, we are born again supernaturally, amen. We are born again by the Spirit, amen. It was God's promise and now all of us are the fulfillment of that promise. He promised Abraham, "In your seed all the nations will be blessed". "But, as he," now watch this. "But, as he who was born according to the flesh," now that's Ishmael. Ishmael was born according to the flesh, and he's 13 years older than Isaac. "He persecuted him," as he who was born according to the flesh then, "persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now".
So right now we are seeing that happen, that the people of the... according to the flesh, because to keep the law denotes that you are under the flesh because only by human effort can you keep the law, but can you keep the law? No, all right? But it denotes the idea of you shall not, you shall not, you shall not means your efforts, amen? So when men try to keep the law, they do the very opposite. Remember in Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, they said that "all that God says we will do it". "We can do it," actually. They boasted and in Exodus 19 when they said that, God had not yet even given them the Ten Commandments. So they boasted that they are able to keep all the Ten Commandments. What happened? They broke the very first one: "Thou shall have no other gods before me".
Next thing you see, you see a golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. So they attempt to want to keep it. Even the good, you know, the good intention is actually belies the fact that man doesn't know he cannot, amen. That whatever he does will be born out of the flesh and the flesh profiteth nothing, amen. The flesh cannot accomplish. Only what God can do in and through us, praise God, amen. So notice there, it says that Ishmael who was born after human effort, persecuted Isaac, okay? When did this happen? When did this happen? This happened during the time when Isaac was weaned from milk. He's able now to take solid food. Do you remember that verse in Hebrews that says: "He that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness".
So when they hear righteousness, what do they think of? Action, I must do righteous to be righteous, amen? But the one who is mature when he hears it, the one who is born again, the one who has come to maturity and sonship, when he hears the word "righteousness," he knows it's a gift, amen. It's a gift to be received and that gift when received would transform you, amen. Will transform your life and cause you to reign in life, praise God. So the Bible says that someone who thinks of the word "righteousness" as something that you do, he's an infant, amen? He's still on milk. He's not ready for solid food, okay? So when was this persecution? When did Sarah see this Ishmael persecuting Isaac?
Let's look at Genesis 21: "So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian," Ishmael, "whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing," making fun of Isaac. "Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.'" This is serious because it's talking about inheritance. It's talking about heirship. Can you receive under the law? Can you receive under human effort? Or we can only receive by grace through faith, amen. Which is the one? Notice what Sarah said: "Cast out the bondwoman and her son," she told Abraham. What she said in Genesis became Scripture and is God's counsel and God's command to all of us.
Let's go back to Galatians and see this. "Nevertheless what does the," not Sarah say. "What does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son.'" God is saying, "Cast out the entire system that comes from Mount Sinai and her son," "'for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.'" So every time we are trying to receive, for example, we try to receive healing, we try to receive this breakthrough in the area of our addictions. We try to receive something from God that we want to receive but we still feel we must qualify for it. We don't trust his love. We still feel that there's a part for me to play. There's a part for me to do, and then that causes you to be doubting yourself, yet, the more you doubt yourself, the more you want to do to eradicate the guilt that you feel, that sense of being far from God. All this is opposite of a spirit of sonship.
The Bible says: "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for that bondwoman, that son of the bondwoman, will not be heir with the son of the freewoman". Only by grace can you inherit, amen. It's serious, when God says, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son," amen? So, you know, think about it. When did this happen? When Isaac was weaned from milk for solid food. When the church is coming to maturity, and all over the world right now the church is coming to maturity. The church is what are called in spiritually, having teeth now, amen? Able to go beyond milk, which is the law. You see, the law was valid. It had a stage. When Ishmael was an infant, God gave them milk, the law, amen? The foundation principles, amen. But now, amen, Christ has come and, by the way, when we are born again we don't start from here. We start with sonship straightaway, amen. Everyone that's born again is born a son.
Now there is a process in terms of subjectively we can grow from babyhood. I understand that, amen, and that's covered in 1 John, the three stages of growth. But in Galatians, the sonship there is immediate sonship, amen. It is from law to grace. When Ishmael was under law, he was an infant. Now, sonship has come, okay? So we need to possess that sonship. We must not go back to the spirit of a slave. Jesus says, "Henceforth I call you friends and not slaves, not servants; for a servant does not know what his master doeth," amen? "But I have shared with you. So I call you friends," he says.
So all of us, we are friends of our Lord Jesus Christ because he call us friends and not only that he is our Savior and our Lord, but more than that, we share the same spirit of sonship as our Lord Jesus, amen, to the Father, amen. He's our heavenly Father. He is Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon. He is Jehovah Nissi, he is Jehovah Tsidkenu, to Israel, okay? But all that is in the name "Father," to us, amen? And we receive all the benefits of what that name is meant to produce in our lives, just by calling him Father.
Look at this verse in Jeremiah 3:19. I discovered this verse by chance or, you know, the Lord would lead me but, you know, just one day I was reading and I just opened my Bible at random and I came across this verse recently and see what you think of it, praise God. God is talking to Israel, and God says, "How can I put you... but I said," God is talking. "'How can I put you among the children and give you a pleasant land?'" So the question is how can you inherit the land flowing with milk and honey? "'This pleasant land, a beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?'" And God said, "I said, 'You shall call Me, "My Father," and not turn away from Me.'"
So the secret is Abba. When you call him Abba, you possess. Why is Israel not able to possess the land, even though she is in the land today, amen? Because they believe in God but not as Abba, not as intimate. For them to say "Abba," would be irreverent, it would be like, "Whoa, what makes you think that you are God's son"? Even when Jesus says he was the Son of the Father, they pick up stones to stone him. So we are no more under the spirit of slavery, we are no more under infancy, we are no more under the law. We have come to sonship, praise the Lord. We can inherit, amen, and we don't have the spirit of slave anymore, but the spirit of sonship. And the Holy Spirit bears witness with us, that we are children of God.
So when did all this persecution start? Remember this: Ishmael and Isaac share the same father. Their father is Abraham, right? So again, the typology is this: you know, people who come against grace because our mother is Sarah, grace, and Ishmael, the group, the Ishmael company, their people, it's actually our brother in Christ. They share the same heavenly Father as us, but not the same mother. Their mother is law, Hagar, from Mount Sinai. And they'll fight for her, amen. Whereas they'll say, right, "We are people that betrayed the truth and we are preaching heresy, when actually this is the truth that will set you free," amen. We are, our mother is, grace, Sarah, amen, the one that God has chosen, amen. And we are spiritual Isaacs, so to speak. But notice that these brothers of us, they are still our brothers. We share the same heavenly Father but not the same mother, amen?
So you can say that, you know, "Are you my brother or are you a brother from another mother," amen. Same father but not the same mama, right? Our mama is grace, their mama is Hagar, law. Okay, but the Bible says what? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son". And the Bible is very serious. As long as you are in that state, you cannot receive from God, amen. So a lot of us, we are trying to receive by being in a spirit of slavery, and the Bible says: "Even in the Promised Land, you cannot inherit the Promised Land, this beautiful inheritance until you say, 'My Father'", okay, praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. So when it all happened, notice that when did Sarah say, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son"? And yet when did the persecution start? When did Ishmael start persecuting Isaac?
By the way, have you noticed it's always Ishmael persecuting Isaac, the child of the law persecuting the child of grace. It is never the child of grace persecuting the child of the law. Not the other way around. Even so, it is today, amen. Our greatest problems come from people, amen, who write poison emails, who will preach against us, amen, but they share the same heavenly Father. I bless them, amen, amen? But they share the same heavenly Father, but not the same mother and you know what? We don't have to make our stand or try to dispute them and all that because they are to be... we need to pray for them because they cannot inherit. As long as they are under the law, they cannot inherit, amen? So we need to pray for them that they'll come to the place of sonship, they'll come to the place of possessing that sonship and become mature to be able to take solid food and not milk, praise God.
Now, using all this, amen, remember this. All this happened when Isaac was weaned. So I see prophetically the whole church of Jesus Christ now coming into grace. They realize that to have part grace, part law, is mixture, amen? It's trying to put the new wine into the old wine skin. You will lose both, amen? You will lose the severity of the law and the freeness of grace. You will lose both. You cannot mix the two. It's not balanced. What man calls balanced, God himself calls mixture. Jesus says, "It's mixture," amen. Cannot put a new patch of cloth on an old garment, it will tear, it will not work, okay? You must cast out the old system. You must be completely under grace, amen, to inherit, hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
When did all this happen? When Isaac was weaned. I believe the church right now is being weaned and this is why God is throwing a great feast. Can you hear the sound of music and dancing? Praise the Lord. God is throwing a great feast. And all over the world the body of Christ is realizing grace, amen. It's a grace generation, amen. It's what I call the Benjamin generation. And for that, I just wanna call your attention to the fact that of all the characters in the Bible, the one that typify Christ the most, amen, in its details is actually the person of Joseph in the book of Genesis, amen? Of course, we see Christ in the life of David. We see Christ in the life of Moses. We see Christ in the life of Isaiah, even Elijah and Elisha. But Joseph typifies Christ more than any of them, okay?
Now, you look at Joseph. He was loved by the father. So is our heavenly Father. He love Jesus, amen? When Jesus came out of the River Jordan, the Father opened the heavens to him. I love it. Opened the heavens to him and said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased". Right after that, Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tested of the devil, all right, to be tempted of the devil. And notice, the devil said, "If you are the Son of God", amen, the primary word temptation he used was "If you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God". I was reading that one day and I realized the devil dropped out one word. He left off one word. What is that? "Beloved". The Father just said to Jesus, "You are my beloved Son," and the devil tempted Jesus by saying, "If you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God". He cannot remind Jesus that he's beloved because you know what? It will contradict all that he's trying to do. It will not serve his purpose to remind Jesus. He knows that all his temptation will be destroyed and everything will come to nothing if he reminds Jesus of his belovedness, amen?
So our job, pastors and leaders, is to remind people that they are the beloved of the Lord, that the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. You know, Paul could have said, "The Son of God loved us," but he said, "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me," amen? You know, I love the fact that sometimes we think that the Lord loved us yesterday, he loved us last year, he loved us five years ago. I remember his presence was so close and I knew that the Lord loved me. But does he still love me today? Sometimes we wonder, does he love us today, amen? Will he love us tomorrow? That's the question. It's no more he loved us. We believe he loved us. But will he love us today? Will he love us tomorrow?
I wanna show you this Scripture in John 13 in the Upper Room: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end". I love it. He loved them, "having loved," past tense, "He loved them to the end". My friend, he's gonna love you to the end, amen? Every single day he's gonna love you. And the apostle Paul made it very personal for himself. He says, "The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me," amen? If you are faced with any challenge right now, just forget about the challenge and just put your hand on your heart and say somewhere where you can be alone and say, "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me". If you are waiting for the doctor's report, amen, just say, "The Son of God loved me. Jesus loved me," amen. And keep on meditating on it and relish it, savor it. That's why we take communion. Every time we take communion, it's to remember him. In what aspect? His love for you, demonstrated at the cross, in which you are holding the elements of his broken body and his shed blood, amen?
God wants you to always know that he loves you, just like you love your children, you know, and many a times you want to be close to your children. Why? Not because you want them to love you. You want to hold them. Of course, you enjoy them loving you. So does the Father in heaven, amen. So does our Lord Jesus. But you want to pour your love on your child. Your child just have to be in your presence, amen? And it's wonderful your child is not facing somewhere else but facing you. You love it even more. You love to look into his eyes and say, "I love you," right, amen? So the Lord is like that. The Lord wants us to, you know, just be still at times. Our prayer life need to be a time where we just sometimes just be quiet and just know that he loves us. "Having loved his own, he loved them to the end," amen.
So back to Joseph. Joseph was loved by the Father but rejected by his brothers. Now, who was Jesus's earthly brothers? The people of Israel, amen? Jesus came to Israel and very soon we'll celebrate Christmas once again, amen, and the birth of our Lord Jesus. He came into Israel. "When the fullness of time came, God brought forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive sonship". So God sent his Son, amen. So the Son always existed with the Father, amen, and they are one. But at the right time, the fullness of time, the Bible says, God sent his Son, okay? So his Son came. And the Bible says that "Jesus came to his own, and his own received him not," amen.
So, collectively, Israel did not receive him. Yes, there are those who receive him. It goes on to say: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God," amen, that's you and I as well, praise God. But collectively, as a nation, they rejected him, all right? In their leadership, they rejected him. And Jesus with tears said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I wish I would have gathered you," and that reminds me of the tears of Joseph over his brothers as well. And let's go back to the story of Joseph once again. So he's loved by the father but rejected by his brothers. And he was sold for 20 pieces of silver. Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Think of it. See, the story is so similar, amen, because God, you know, God hides his Son's story, the story of his Son, it's all about his Son, amen? You know, if I come to your house and you start showing me all your photo album, okay, of all your son when he was young and your children, your daughter, and, you know, all your life and your holidays and all that, and I sort of like, look far away and I'm not interested in all that, very soon you will know to close the book, amen? Why? Because I'm not interested. So the Bible is nothing more than God's photo album of his Son, amen. As we look at it with great interest and delight and asking God, "Holy Spirit, open my eyes to behold Jesus in your Word," you know, God will open more and more. God will open more and more to you, amen? Praise the Lord.
So Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, Jesus was betrayed or sold for 30 pieces of silver. And even though his brothers rejected him, Joseph became the bread of life to the Egyptian world, to the Gentiles, so to speak. So for 2000 years now, Israel who rejected Jesus and ever since they rejected Jesus, their temple was destroyed and they have gone around the world until the day, Jesus says, when they say, "Blessed is he," when they recognize him. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord". He will come back and rescue them. And that is the day we are fast going towards to because I believe that God is accelerating things. We are seeing the signs already and this pandemic is only one of them and we are seeing the signs accelerating towards the end and don't forget all these signs are not from God, but God foresaw them and God says, "As the", like the birth pangs of a woman, all right, he's gonna bring forth something greater and the powers of darkness and the devil and all, knows that their time is short, so they're angry and they're trying to work as many things as possible to cause confusion and destruction and mayhem.
But you know something? God will always accomplish his purposes. No one can stop God, amen. Praise the name of our Father, amen. And our Father wants you to know that you are his son and you are part of this plan, the dream that he has for all of us, amen? It's gonna be a most wonderful world when Jesus comes again, amen. Best of all, we get to see Jesus face to face and we'll behold him in his glory and so shall we ever be with the Lord, hallelujah, amen, amen. So the rejection of Israel became the bread of life to the Gentile world. So predominantly, the church of Jesus Christ has been made up of Gentiles, you and I, amen, non-Jews. We are part of the church of Jesus Christ and we are married to Jesus. We, as bride of Christ, we are married to Jesus.
And Joseph, in Egypt, took a Gentile bride: Aseneth, her name. And she brought forth two sons for him. One is, his name is Manasseh, and the other one is Ephraim. And Manasseh is to help him forget. That's why the boy was called to forget. And Ephraim means fruitfulness, amen? So that Jesus is comforted by the church given to him, amen, during this time of rejection, amen, by Israel. But his love affair with Israel has not ceased, amen. It is only put aside. Just like a railway track, sometimes you have one of those wagons that's put one side, right, put at a side, amen. Doesn't mean that it's lost its purpose but it's put at one side for repair work or whatever it is until the time comes at the right time, amen, Daniel's prophecy of the 70th week will come to pass, okay? So right now, predominantly, we are right now where Jesus is giving us bread, amen.
When the world is starving, when the world, and the Bible says in Amos 8, verse 11: "'Behold, the days are coming,' God says, 'that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'" So we, we have bread because we are hearing the words of the Lord. You are hearing the words of the Lord, amen? The world is not. For them it's famine and they don't realize, "Why is it that after I go through all this enjoyment and I thought that the answer is found in entertainment, I thought the answer is found in these drugs, I thought the answer is found in this person, in this relationship, and all that, I always come up confused, empty, and famished. I feel like my soul is famished".
You can be a very wealthy man and your soul is hungry. Your soul is famished, amen? You can be, really, a poor man with plenty of money, but still poor inside because only Jesus can fill that void, okay? And the Bible tells us that Joseph, with his wisdom, amen, was able to cause Egypt to be a bread basket, amen, ready to feed the world. Do you remember that the brothers of Joseph, they were born off slave girls, bondwomen, all right? Like Bilhah, all right, Zilpah, and all the rest, except that Jacob had two legal wives: Leah, the first one, and Rachel. Now, Rachel's name means lamb so she's a picture of, like Sarah, the new covenant, grace, amen? Leah came first. Like, the law came first before grace, 'cause man needs to know that he cannot, to see his need for the Savior. God didn't bring grace first. God brought the law first. The law came by a servant but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, the Son, okay?
So Leah came first. Jacob married her first. And for Leah, a picture of the law, the rest of the children actually came from slave women, bondwomen, okay? And all of them that makes up the 10 tribes of Israel, the 2 tribes, there are 12 tribes of Israel, I know, but the 2 is actually Joseph as well as Benjamin, okay? So we have Joseph and Benjamin from the same mother. Who was their mother? Rachel. Now, ladies, y'all know that when you have competition in the house, amen, if your husband's love is divided, it's hard. It's hard to maintain the kind of peace. There's always gonna be bickering, strife, jealousy, strife. But nonetheless, out of this chaos, God is showing us that he can work everything out for his glory, for his purpose. I'm so glad that God doesn't, you know, whitewash all the sins of the people in the Bible, you know, so that we see them clearly and all the more magnifying God's grace. That's why it's called the God of Jacob shall defend thee. The God of Jacob shall help you, amen? Even though Jacob's name is Israel, when God gave him his name, his new name was Israel, but Jacob is always kept as the God of Jacob.
When you find the God of Jacob, it's an expression of grace. In other words, you are about to read a verse about God's grace, all right, the God of Jacob, a man who deserved nothing, who received everything because of God's grace, amen. So we find that Joseph shares the same mother, Rachel, as his brother Benjamin. So who is Joseph again? Our Lord Jesus, amen. And he shares the same mother as Benjamin. Who is Benjamin? There's a question. Who is Benjamin? Because whoever Benjamin is, he shares the same mother, not just the same father, in fact, all those born that make up the 12 tribes of Israel, they were all born of the same father, Jacob. In other words, they had the same father, just like Isaac and Ishmael's story all over again, okay? They shared the same father but not the same mother. Their mother is a bondwoman, okay? Their mother is a picture of the law, Leah or the bondwomen that brought forth all the other sons, the ten sons.
Notice ten, number of the law. The other two sons is Joseph and Benjamin, amen. So, only Joseph and Benjamin was born from the lamb. Rachel's name means lamb, amen? And we need to establish who is Benjamin, all right? Because in the Scriptures, the Bible says he's the most favored of them all. He's the most loved by the father and the most loved by Joseph, by the heavenly Joseph, our Lord Jesus, as well. And when did Benjamin make his appearance? During the time of famine. Look at Genesis 41. "So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, 'Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.'" Whatever he says to you, do. Just like Mary said at the wedding of Cana when they ran out of wine. She said to all the servants, "Whatever Jesus says to you, do it".
And friend, the water will turn to wine. Sight will come to the blind, amen? Whatever he says to you, do it. "The famine was over all the face of the earth". Isn't that true? The pandemic, we can say the pandemic is all over the earth. Right now I'm setting the scene to show you when Benjamin made his appearance. Because for many years now, Joseph has been separated from his brother, Benjamin. When Benjamin was born, when was sold, Benjamin was still very, very young. All right, but he always longed for Benjamin, why? Even though he longed for his brothers as well, and the brothers represent the same father, not the same mother, right? But he longed especial Benjamin, who shares not just the same father, but the same mother as him, Rachel. When was Benjamin revealed? Brought on the scene again before Joseph, during the time when the famine was over all the face of the earth. Isn't that what we are seeing right now?
Even right now, talking of famine, talking about... I read the global bank says that the global economy will shrink by 5.2%, and they say it is the worst recession since the Second World War. That's severe, okay? And we are not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of this famine, in terms of this pandemic yet, right? But we rest easy in our Lord, amen. We know, "Yea though I walk through", I'm not going to stay in the valley. We're all going through, as long as we have a shepherd. And when we have a shepherd, we will not lack, amen? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Okay, so right now we are seeing the famine over all the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouse. And this is exactly what's happening. If you look at the Young's translation of the Hebrew here, "The famine had been over all the face of the land, and Joseph opened all the [places] which have [corn] in them".
Joseph, our heavenly Joseph, is now opening all the churches and ministries which have corn in them on the digital highway, amen, amen. During this time, he's opening the storehouses, amen, not just one, all the storehouses, every place that has corn, that has grain, that has bread, amen. Aren't we all going online now, amen? And now the grain is being spread all over. And who is doing it, who is doing it? Our Lord Jesus. Is he the one behind the famine? No, amen? He is the one behind the supply, amen, but he'll take advantage of what is happening during this time when the famine and the pandemic is all over the earth. So, it fits the bill. It cannot just be a pandemic in one spot of the world. In fact, it's not a pandemic then. It is just an outbreak, but it's going to be all over the earth, and this is what we are seeing now during this time.
Joseph said, "There'll be no more bread," he told his brothers. The first appearance, when he appeared before his brothers, he looked like an Egyptian, with all his makeup and all that. They didn't recognize him. So, the first time Jesus appeared to his brothers in the first coming, Israel didn't recognize their Messiah. But the second time he revealed himself. The second time when he appeared before them, the Bible says he revealed himself, amen? And let's go to the second time now. The first time, by the way, when he saw them, he accused them of being spies. And seeing their reaction, will they support their brother? He actually bound Simeon, Simeon. Now, Simeon, his name means hearing. So, when the Lord bound Simeon, he says that "You go back and get your youngest brother here. There'll be no more bread. You won't see my face anymore, and there'll be no more bread for you until you bring Benjamin".
He didn't say Benjamin. "You bring your youngest brother here, and then I'll release your brother," amen, "to prove that you are not spies". Yet, he gave them back their money in their sacks. Yet, he told his servant, make sure that you give them as much as you can in their supply. He sent them back, okay, and then sometime passed, because the father was unwilling to part with his dearest son, his youngest son, Benjamin. He's lost Joseph, or at least he thought Joseph is dead. And now he's not willing to give up Benjamin. And all the while, when Israel is thinking all these things, "All these things are against me," when Jacob is thinking that God is against him, and all these things are not working for him, actually, everything was working for you, Jacob. He didn't realize it.
Isn't it like us many times, we look at the circumstances around us. We look at the news. We look at everything happening, and we can only have one mind-set. "All these things are against me". No, all things are working together for your good, because you are a child of God. You're a son of God, amen, amen. The Lord is your shepherd. He loves you. And God Almighty is your Father, amen, amen, hallelujah. So, we see that when the famine is all over the earth, finally, the Father... you know, hunger has a way of making you compromise. And then he said that, okay, you can thank Benjamin. But make sure you take care of him. And Judah says, "I'll be his guarantor. I'll make sure he comes back". And they appeared before Joseph again. And notice, this is the first time Joseph looked at his brother after so many years. The last time he saw him, he was a young boy. Now he's an adult, and he looked at his brother, probably right now a young adult, I should say. And he looked at his brother, and he realized, he see the similarity. That's what our Lord Jesus, waiting, during the time of famine, the raising of the Benjamin generation.
Look at this. "When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, 'Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready.'" Slaughter what? An animal. When did this happen? When Joseph saw Benjamin. The brothers came for bread. Joseph, our Lord Jesus, gave them solid meat. They expected bread, they got meat, amen. The Lord always exceeds our expectations. He answers our prayers. No, he over-answers our prayers, amen, with exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, amen? Once I asked for a companion for life. God gave me Wendy. Hallelujah, amen. Over and above. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. And just the other day I was telling someone, you know, I was supposed to meet Wendy for lunch, a lunch date. And I was doing something, and I was like, I was in a hurry to finish everything and just be with her, amen? I still have that for her. That girl still gets me going, hallelujah, praise the Lord.
And you know, God will always over-answer your prayer, amen. So, keep on praying big prayers so that he will top that, amen. He will exceed that. Hallelujah, praise the name of Jesus, amen. So, notice, when he saw Benjamin, he released solid food, meat, not just bread, okay? When Joseph saw Benjamin, he said to the steward of his house... Now, the steward is always unnamed in the story of Joseph. Why? He's a picture of the Holy Spirit, unnamed because the Holy Spirit does not call attention to himself. He has come to glorify Jesus, and he loves it when you talk about Jesus. When you glorify Jesus, he comes beside you and gives you all the help that you need, amen. He's come to glorify Jesus, just like Abraham send his unnamed servant in Genesis 24, the longest chapter in Genesis, to find a bride for his beloved son. So, the father in heaven has sent the Holy Spirit, who came on the day of Pentecost, amen, and to prepare a bride out of many nations, for his beloved Son, amen? Amen, praise the Lord.
So, we are part of the bride, hallelujah. And he told his unnamed steward, right, to prepare a meal. And let's drop down and see what happened. The moment Joseph came back, right, they were all in the palace already, and he sat down for the noon meal with them. And the Bible says that Benjamin's portion, look at this. Oh, I need to show you this. Look at this. "Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, 'Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?'" Now, he saw him from afar just now and said to his steward, right, "Prepare a feast, for a lunch," right? "Later, I'm coming back, and bring the men to the house first," right? That's when he saw him from afar. But now he saw him up close. And what did he say to him? He said, "God be gracious," and he said, "God be gracious to you, my son".
This is the first word of Joseph to his brother Benjamin: same father, same mother, amen? "God be gracious". Grace will locate this generation. When Benjamin was born, his mother died giving birth to him, amen. The grace generation was born out of the death of the Lamb of God on the cross, amen. And out of his side came the bride of Christ, hallelujah. And the mother, as her soul was departing, the Bible says she named her baby, with her last words, Ben-Oni. Ben-Oni means the son of my sorrow. Oni, my sorrow; ben, son; son of my sorrow. And for many, many, many generations now, the church of Jesus Christ has named the church, the church itself named the different, different moves of God. There's the Elijah movement, the Joshua generation, the Davidic movement, and all that. And you know what? The church has named, you know, the mother has named all the movements.
Finally, the father spoke. The father says, "No, his name will not be Ben-Oni. His name will be Benjamin, son of my right hand. I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness". Right hand means righteousness, amen. It means power, the place of privilege and favor and power, amen. "Sit on my right hand", the Father said to the Son, "until I make your enemies your footstool," amen, the Father said to Jesus. Jesus is the true Benjamin, amen. But here we have a picture of the Benjamin generation, amen. Jesus is the heavenly Joseph looking at the Benjamin generation. How he longed for the Benjamin generation to rise, a generation that's not mixed having the same heavenly Father as him, right, but different mother, like the children of the law, right, the ten of his brothers represent the law and born of bondwomen. And now he sees a generation that is totally grace, amen, and he wept.
You know, he didn't weep over the brothers earlier on, but he wept because he heard them say, "It's because we sold Joseph, because of what we did to Joseph". And that's the reason he cried. But for Benjamin, the moment he laid eyes on Benjamin, he wept. He had to go somewhere. The Bible says, "Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, 'Serve the bread.'" Serve the bread, amen. Serve the bread, pastors and leaders. Serve the bread. The Benjamin generation is here, amen. Remember when he said, "You will not see my face, and there'll be no more bread for you until Benjamin stands before me". Amen, the Benjamin generation is here.
When did Benjamin make his appearance? When the famine was all over the earth, amen. We are coming in all his fullness. The Benjamin generation is here. I say the Benjamin generation is here, hallelujah, amen. "Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him". Benjamin's serving was five times as much. Amen, amen. If one brother got one drumstick, Benjamin got five drumsticks. Hallelujah, amen. He had five times more portion. What is God saying to us? Amen, the Benjamin generation will be a generation, five is the number of grace. The fifth time Noah's name was mentioned in the Bible, it says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord". Amen, the fifth time Ruth's name was mentioned, Ruth said to Naomi, her mother-in-law, "Let me go to the field and glean in the field, in whose sight, the owner of the land, in whose sight I will find favor". That's the fifth time Ruth's name is mentioned. The fifth time in the same book of Ruth, Boaz's name is mentioned. The fifth time it says that Ruth looked at him and says, "Why have I found favor in your eyes"? And the fifth time David's name is mentioned, Saul said to his servant, right, "Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight".
Five is the number of grace, the number of favor, hallelujah. In these last days, amen, child of God, you that are in the Benjamin generation, you who are under grace, you will trust in the grace of God, you will have five times more, hallelujah, by grace, compared to all those brothers who share the same heavenly Father but not the same mother, amen. Five times more, five times more revelation, bread, amen, five times more food in the natural. And food and provisions are always in the same idea. Like today we say, you know, "I need some bread. I ran out of bread". You know the expression, which means, "I have no money," amen, represents provision. You have five times more provision than those who have the same heavenly Father, but they are under the law. When you're under grace, friend, your portion is five times more. Not only that, not only the food, look at what Joseph gave to Benjamin in terms of the garments.
It says here in Genesis 45, "He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments". So, all the brothers got garments, just like all the brothers got food. "But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments". Hallelujah, hallelujah, five changes of garments. Ladies, hallelujah, imagine that, five changes of garments. And Joseph didn't apologize. He gave Benjamin special favors that the other brothers don't have. Amen, the other brothers can only look and see, amen? They still have changes of garment, but Benjamin have five times more, amen? He had five changes of garment, and garment is always a picture of the anointing, amen, your occupation, your anointing, your flow. You're able to flow in what the Bible calls a manifold grace, amen. But let's not take away from the fact there's also natural provision, amen, where there's five times more food, five changes of garment.
Remember the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Don't worry about what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or what you shall wear," amen. The Benjamin generation, people who are under grace will have plenty to eat, amen, both spiritually, as well as physically, and plenty to wear, amen? Not just physically, amen? But let's not take away from that. The provision is there, but also in terms of the manifold grace, wherein the manifold grace of God operating in greater dimensions, amen, and greater offices, praise the Lord, that the Lord has for you. Amen, amen, amen, amen. Don't forget bread is also a picture of healing. Healing is always typified as bread, the children's bread. Amen, you'll be five times healthier, in the name of Jesus, amen, amen, amen, amen. Others are served healing still. You are served five times more. Amen, amen, praise the Lord, thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus.
Oh, I just feel the Spirit of God saying, this is Psalms 103, amen? "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name," amen. And he says, "Forget not". Many a times we forget. He's not telling someone else. He's talking to himself. "Bless the Lord, O my soul". Once in a while when you're in the shower, on your way to work, if you're driving in the MRT, you know, wherever you are, you know, just meditate, talking to yourself, and reach yourself, amen, feed yourself, nourish your soul by saying, "Hey, bless the Lord, O my soul, forget not all his benefits". And think about the benefits. "Forget not all his benefits," and exactly five, "who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction".
One translation says the grace. The Hebrew can refer to the grace. "Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good, so that your youth, your youth is renewed like the eagle's". Five benefits. "Forget not all". Don't just say, "We believe in forgiveness of sins. We don't believe in healing. We believe in healing. We don't believe in renewal of youth". No, five times more for the Benjamin generation. Hallelujah, hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. The Lord loves it, something happened to Joseph when Benjamin was before him. You know, his words, this came forth, "God be gracious to you, my son". He calls him my son. There's a spirit of sonship, amen? And Benjamin had an effect on Joseph that the other brothers never had. And I believe that as the Lord looks down, he wants us, just like Paul, with holy jealousy, yearns over the Galatian believers, that they would just forget the law and come completely under grace. Even the law, under Christ reforming you. He says, you know, "I stand in doubt of you, because you are trusting Christ and the law". No, you've got to trust in Christ alone, amen? And your mother is grace. Find your nourishment from her, amen. Listen to messages of grace, hallelujah, amen.
And then Joseph told his brothers, "Go bring my father here," amen? And he sent ten donkeys full of all the good things of Egypt. By the way, let's go back to the previous verse again. I want to point out that also he gave him 300 pieces of silver. Now, 300 is the number of the chosen, chosen of victors, chosen victory, amen, people who are chosen for victory. Don't forget there is also 300 used for Gideon's 300 men. So, he's got thousands that God could use, because he had thousands available, but God chose the 300, amen? "And by them, I will deliver the Midianites to you". So, 300 is a picture of people who are chosen for victory, and silver is redemption. The idea of silver is redemption. So, in other words, it's through the redemption of Jesus Christ we can have this victory. And this victory will multiply, amen, in our lives compared to our brothers who are under the law.
The Bible says that the brothers can only see Benjamin receive 300 pieces of silver. Can you imagine the journey back? No wonder the Lord... in fact, Joseph told them, "Don't quarrel along the way". If you keep on reading, it says as he sent them to the father, he says, "Don't quarrel along the way," he tells them, why? Because they'll look at Benjamin and they'll say, "Wow, 300". I mean, imagine Benjamin open his sack. Three hundred pieces. You know how many there is? It's clinking all the way back, amen. And for them, it's not mentioned that he gave them any pieces of silver. At least we know that many years ago they got 20 pieces of silver, all right? So Benjamin received 300 pieces of silver, amen, amen. They have revelations about redemption.
By the way, it was in Benjamin's sack earlier on that, they brought sacks to fill up the grain, right? It was in Benjamin's sack that you find the empty silver cup, Joseph's silver cup. Joseph hid his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Now what is a type showing us? The cup, number one, is a cup that the Lord himself drank, amen? The cup, he prayed to the Father in Gethsemane, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done," and he drank the cup to its very dregs, okay? The cup of judgment, the cup of all our sins, the cup of iniquity, the cup that's supposed to be shoved under us, and we're supposed to drink it, the judgment and the torment. He drank it for us so that the empty silver cup, and silver is a picture. Metals all have meanings in the Bible. Gold is divinity, amen. But silver is always redemption, and the empty silver cup in Benjamin's sack means of all the brothers, the one that the Lord trusts to tell the world, "God has no more wrath for you".
Remember the book of Revelation, the vials poured out God's wrath? Well, there's no more God's wrath for you and I who have put our trust in Jesus. The Benjamin generation will have a message: "No more anger, no more wrath, no more judgment". Silver speaks of redemption. It's all been emptied by our Lord Jesus at the cross, amen? And because we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no wrath in our future. There is no judgment in our future, amen. Praise the name of the Lord. He loved us. He loved us to the end, amen, amen, amen. Praise the name of Jesus, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You know, friend, it was when Benjamin came before him, Benjamin was already in existence when Joseph was in the palace in Egypt, serving, right? As a viceroy, the second-most powerful man in all Egypt. Benjamin was growing up, but yet nothing happened until Benjamin came before Joseph.
So I just wanna close by saying this. Benjamin generation, he wants you to come close to him. He wants you to be in his presence. I know, you want this blessing, you want this breakthrough, and sometimes you come to him to get a breakthrough, but you know something, he just wants you to come and see him and to know that he has only grace for you, five times more for you. He only has gracious words for you. He wants to love on you. Will you allow him to love on you? Will you enjoy that love in his presence? It was when Benjamin came to Joseph that things began to turn around, even for Israel, amen? Even for the nation of Israel represented by the brothers. As well as today, those brothers that don't believe in grace, amen, having the same Father but not the same mother, well, they are turning around. Everything start turning around when Benjamin comes before Joseph, amen.
The Lord Jesus when he chose his disciples in Mark chapter 3, this is what he said. The Bible says: "Then He appointed 12, that they might be with Him". He appointed 12, that they might be with him. That they might be with him. That's the first reason, his primary reason, his greatest desire. His foremost desire is that they might be with him. And then "And that He might send them out to preach". All that comes after, "And to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons". We all want that. We want to have power to heal sicknesses and cast out demons, amen, but all that comes after he appointed you so that you can be with him. He wants you to be with him. He wants you to see how glorious, how beautiful he is. He wants you to see who he is to you, amen. And he wants you to hear his words: "God be gracious to you". He wants you to hear his gracious words. He wants you to be like Mary, be at his feet and listen to his word. You know, Jesus said this: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".
Many a times, we try to become fishers of men but our heart is not really for him. We're not following him. He says, "Follow me, and I will make you". I will make you. We don't run after ministry. In fact, ministry can take us away from the Lord, and that's why many a times we are discouraged. When you see, even after great demonstrations of power, you see the power of God and all that, if you don't have that time with him, where you don't see him and there's no personal, like, Emmaus Road experience, you know, the warm heart for him, amen, your ministry can become something like what Elijah experienced after great victory at Mount Carmel. He became very discouraged after that, why? Because he experienced the power of God, the ministry in its great success, right? But he was not with Jesus, amen. And that's why sometimes ministers also, you find them, some of their greatest times of discouragement, even in some cases, their fall, has been after great victory, but there's no coming back to Jesus and just being with him.
Lord, as I open your Word, Lord, I wanna see more and more of you, Lord. I pray that has been your delight when I open up the story of Joseph, because Joseph reminds me of Jesus. And when you open up the story of Joseph, the more you look at Joseph, you know, the more you see Jesus. How he interpreted the dreams of the two men that one of them's a butler in the palace, and also the other one is a baker. And two men, two thieves that probably stole from Pharaoh, and he threw them into the dungeon and Joseph interpreted their dream, right? One of them was a message of life, the other one is death. When Jesus was crucified, there were two thieves on either side, and he gave a message of life to one of them, amen? Praise the Lord. So it's a picture of Jesus all across the story of Joseph, amen, amen, amen.
And you know, the more I read the story of Joseph, I was reading just yesterday, and I saw the turnaround happened also when the brothers began to talk for the first time to the steward of the house. The brothers started talking to the steward of the house, and they were afraid, actually. But the steward of the house says, "Peace be to you. Peace be to you, fear not, amen. I have your money". And the next line says: "And then he released Simeon". Remember Simeon? Israel's hearing has been locked. Israel is not able to hear the gospel, why? They rejected the Messiah. Remember that? And when was Simeon released? When Benjamin came before Joseph, Simeon the brother was released from prison.
The hearing of Israel is restored when the Benjamin generation stands in the land, hallelujah. And it's a picture of when Jesus came in the book of Luke, the Bible tells us that there was a man called Shimon, same name as Simeon, amen? Hearing was lost. Hearing was lost. And that's why in the prophecies of Moses, Simeon's name is not mentioned. The hearing of Israel is lost, all right? Simeon wasn't mentioned in terms of the blessing of the tribes. When Moses blessed them, he's the only tribe not mentioned, why? Because Israel's hearing is locked up. But Shimon came, Simeon came, when baby Jesus was dedicated, and he said, "Lord, now I've seen your salvation. I've seen your Yeshua. Let me depart in peace," amen.
So even the law, because all the law, the greatest commandments, starts with "Sh'ma," hearing. "Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Ehad". "The Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God". It starts with "sh'ma," and there was a law saying, "I now see your grace. I now see your Yeshua. Let me depart in peace". Even the law was glad to see Jesus come. And you know who came after old Shimon left? You know who came in? A very old lady called Hannah. And Hannah means grace. And you know what she did? She proclaimed about this baby to all in Jerusalem, amen. When law goes out, grace comes forth and says, "This is the one". Only grace can proclaim. The law cannot even proclaim. The law says, "Let me now depart in peace". But it was grace who proclaimed redemption. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
I pray that this has been a blessing to you. I'm believing God that whatever you are lacking in your life right now, whether it's in your health, you will receive five times more, amen. And 300 pieces of silver, amen, the benefits of redemption in your life, amen. Whether it is provisions, whether you find that right now you need a breakthrough in this area, the Lord is able to give you five times more, my friend, amen. And when I say that, five being the number of grace. There is no limit. If we say God is all based on your grace, that means you are free in God. If you say, "Lord, you know, I will try to be obedient to receive this, I will try to", you know, in the back of your mind, that's your attitude, you will receive, you won't be able to receive, okay? But you just depend on God's grace as much as your grace... sometime I pray like this: as much as your grace can do it, Lord, do this for me, Lord, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And the Lord wants to see you dependent on grace so that all the glory goes to the Lord Jesus Christ alone, amen? Praise the Lord.
I wanna pray for you right now wherever you are, amen, if you are suffering in any area of your life. There is someone called Jennifer and you've been diagnosed, the doctors told you that you have a growth, a tumor, and you've been praying. I see you praying and asking God to heal you. God has heard your cry, Jennifer, and there is a growth that has been... the growth has been growing, and the tumor's been growing, but right now in the name of Jesus, I see the Lord smiting it and it dissipates, all right? It's not removed completely in one fell swoop, but you will see in the days to come it gets smaller and smaller. Go back to the doctor, have it verified in the name of Jesus, praise the Lord. Your healing has begun. Praise the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
I see a man and you have, like, a eczema, a breakout, ever so often around this area, your torso. And especially when you are perspiring, and you're out in the hot sun even, you have prickly feelings and next thing you know you have eczema all over and you have the breakout. And right now you're feeling the same prickly feeling, but it is not eczema. It is the power of God right now, the warm healing driving out the eczema in the name of Jesus. Receive that healing right now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus, amen.
I see a man, recently there was a deal that fell through. You'd been looking forward to that deal to pull through. By all natural circumstance it seems like in all likelihood it will pull through, but at the very last moment something happened and it did not pull through. I see you devastated right now. I see you crushed, but your heavenly Joseph watches over you, and the Lord is your Shepherd and you have confessed him as so. And I hear the Lord saying they're gonna call you back. It's gonna turn around. It's gonna turn around. It's a huge deal, it's a big deal. It's gonna turn around in the name of Jesus. And when it happens, please write and let us know about it. Praise the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Now, wherever your pain is right now, place your hand on the afflicted area, all right? I wanna pray for you right now. You do not know where to place your hand, just place your hand on your head. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, I rebuke that spirit of infirmity in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I command you to loose these people and set them free in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be gone from their lives in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, receive that healing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen, amen? This is how you receive. Be conscious of his love for you, amen? And say in your heart: The Son of God loves me. Jesus loves me, amen? And in that flow, receive in Jesus's name, amen, amen, amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus, amen, amen. Every joint condition, every nerve condition right now, heal in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ cures you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen, amen, amen. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Lord Jesus, amen. Father, touch your people, Lord, right now, and heal their bodies, Lord, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Someone just got healed of quite a serious infirmity, and you are not a believer. You are not a believer. You think it's by accident that you tuned in. You thought it was just your curiosity, right? But you are tuning in and now you're feeling fire, a burning sensation in the area of your affliction, and it's been driven out. You feel the pain leaving you. You know you are healed, amen. Take one more step, friend. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive him as your Savior, amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
If you're watching this and you have never made Jesus your personal Savior and Lord, amen, he's been watching you, amen. He's been loving on you, amen, and he's drawing you. It's not by chance that you're watching this, amen. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is your Lord, believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Friend, it is not by your obedience, it's not by your law-keeping, it's not by your doing your best that you are saved. It's by the blood of Jesus. Because we cannot, Christ died for our sins on that cross, amen? Look to him alone, amen? Away from self, look to him alone. His blood alone cleanses. His blood alone makes you righteous. His blood alone sanctifies, amen? Pray this prayer with me right now. Say:
Heavenly Father, I thank you that you love me and you gave your Son to die for my sins on that cross. I thank you that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I thank you that you raised him from the dead as a declaration that all my sins are gone. Father, I thank you that Jesus Christ is my Shepherd, my Lord, my God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, thank you, Father, amen, amen, amen, amen.
Friend, right now you are no longer the same person you were just a few minutes ago. You are now born again. You are now a child of promise. You are now heir to the inheritance that God has for you, amen? You are part of the church which is the bride of Christ. Now, when you think of church, don't think of traditional ideas. The devil like to put traditional ideas on the church, something boring, something... no, the church is the greatest organization ever in the whole universe. Not just on earth, in the whole universe, amen? It is made up of called-out ones from every nation, amen, and you're one of them now. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, amen.
Stand to your feet. Right now, if you can, amen, for the blessing, we don't take the blessing of protection for granted. We believe that as we call, God answers, amen. God has devised a system by which I'll share another time, and I've shared before, how by covenant, amen, as we pray, God hears our prayers. He longs to hear your prayers, amen? And he will answer exceeding abundantly, amen? Lift your hands all across this place, amen. All across wherever is watching this right now.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, the Lord bless you with the blessings of Father Abraham, you and your loved ones. And the Lord bless you also with all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28. The Lord release upon you all the blessings of Ephesians 1 in your life. May you see many of it manifest, even this coming week. And the Lord raise his face to smile upon you throughout this week, amen. The Lord grant you, amen, grant you supernatural favor everywhere you go. Doors of favor will open to you, amen. New levels of favor. I speak new levels of favor for you throughout this week in Jesus's name. And we experience the favor of God, you know you have been favored, amen. Praise the Lord. The Lord lift up his countenance on every single family under the sound of my voice and grant to you and yours his wonderful shalom peace, wellbeing, and wholeness, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.