Joseph Prince - Stand On Favor Ground
Praise the Lord. Our Father in heaven loves us, and he sent us his Son to die for our sins on the cross, and he raised him from the dead on the third day. And that's what we celebrate today all over the world, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, I think it is more to be celebrated than even Christmas. I know the world makes a lot of Christmas, but Resurrection is what ends all of the old creation and begins a new creation, hallelujah, in Christ. The Bible says in Romans chapter 4, it says, "Christ was delivered up because of our offenses, and he was raised because of our justification". Can you see that? He was delivered up because the reason for him being delivered up, that is, on that cross, is because of our offenses, our sins against God.
That's why Christ came. God did not send his Son, not knowing that his Son is gonna die. God sent his Son for the very purpose for him to die on the cross for our sins. Why? Well, Jesus said it like this to Nicodemus, one night, a Pharisee, and he came to Jesus by night because he didn't want his colleagues to see him coming to Jesus. And he was hungry to know the truth, and he asked Jesus some questions, and Jesus looked at him. It was to him that Jesus said, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". And he says, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother's womb again and be born"? And Jesus says, "Unless you are born of water and of the Spirit", it's a spiritual rebirth on the inside, amen. He's talking about that. He's not talking about physical birth. He's talking about being born again on the inside, praise God, our real man, the spirit-man. This body is just a house you live in, but the real you must be born again.
And then Jesus said this to him: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life". So, notice, God sent his Son. It's the love of God that motivated him to send his Son, and he came for the sole purpose to die for us on that cross. Why? Because the Bible says, "The wages of sin is death". You have sinned. I have sinned. "All have sinned," the Bible says, "and come short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death", not just physical death, but spiritual death, amen, where the real you dies. And there is a second death the Bible talks about, where the Bible says he'll be cast into everlasting fire. And that's a eternal death, and God doesn't want anyone to go there.
The Bible says, "God is not willing that any should perish". But then you ask the question, "Well, Pastor Prince, why didn't God just force men not to sin against him? He has all the power, doesn't he"? Well, if God forces man, then what happens to the gift that God has given to every man, free choice, amen? That free will. God doesn't want robots to love him. God doesn't want, you know, us to just obey him, being compelled to or being threatened to. No, God doesn't want that. God wants us to respond freely to him in love. But whenever you create a creature or someone with free choice, you must allow them to exercise that free choice, and that's the reason why God put that tree in the midst of the garden. God put the tree of life that God wants man to partake of, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God says, "The day that you eat of it, don't eat from that tree. The day you eat of it", "dying," in the Hebrew, it says, "dying, you shall die". You die spiritually first on the inside. On the very same day that you partake, you will die spiritually, and then you will die physically, which we know, for Adam, was many years after. And the Bible says very clearly that God gave man that choice.
You see, if you say, "Why did God put that tree right in the middle of the garden then"? Well, friend, if God made everything good in the garden for man, if everything God made is good, the Bible says, "God saw everything that he had made, and it was good," including that tree of knowledge of good and evil. But it is not good for man, amen? So why then did God plant that tree there, amen? Because God wants man to exercise free choice, either to not take from that tree or to take from that tree, because, if everything is good for man, wherein lies the exercise of his free choice? He has nothing to choose but good. How then can he show and demonstrate his love for God? So God allowed one tree to be there, and God commanded man, and we all know the story. Man sinned. Man partook of that by his own volition. He chose to eat from that, and God cannot say, "Boys will be boys. Let's sweep all the sins under the carpet".
You know, God already told man the consequence, and God cannot lie. God has to keep his word, amen? It's like, for example, if I tell you, "Don't put your finger in the flame, in the candle flame, because your finger will burn". Later on, you put your finger there. It's just a consequence, amen? And God told man the consequence: "If you partake from that tree, the day you do it, dying, you shall die," all right? So man partook, and "The wages of sin is death," but the Bible says, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". Right there in the garden, even though the curse has come on man, and that's why people start to have disease and weaknesses in their bodies, and then they grow old, you know, and then they die. Why? All this is not part of God's plan. God never planned for man, God didn't create man to have disease or sickness in their bodies. God never created man to grow old, and God never created man to die. The Bible says God considers death as an enemy. The last enemy that we put under Jesus's feet is death, the Bible tells us.
So death is an enemy. It's foreign, amen? And God told man not to bring death by his choice, amen, any more than you would say to someone, "Don't put your finger in the fire. It will burn". And man did that. Man sinned against God, and God cannot just say, "Well, if you put your finger in the fire, all right, you won't be burned," because "burned" is the consequence of putting your finger in the fire. You cannot say, "I choose with my free choice to put my finger in the fire," but you cannot choose the result. The result remains, amen? You can choose, but if you choose to put your finger in the fire, it will burn. So man sinned against God, and as a result, man is separated from God, but God's love for man has been throughout, since Adam, and God promised Adam and Eve that he will send his Son. The very first prophecy, the woman's seed, and woman, we know that they don't have seed, amen? It's the man that has the seed, but God prophesied the virgin birth, and God says, "The woman's seed will crush", speaking to Satan, "will crush your head", and that was what happened, "and you will crush his heel".
And at the cross, Jesus died for us, amen? In that sense, his heel was crushed, but he crushed the serpent's head. Hallelujah. He crushed the devil's head, hallelujah, and he conquered death, amen. This day, 2,000 years ago, but with God, it's all outside time, amen? God lives outside time. So it's as if Jesus just died just now for all our sins. And that's how we are to believe with fresh faith, amen, my friend? And something else happened at the cross. Here it's very clear. Christ was delivered for our offenses. Now, I want you to think with me, all right? Like, a circle, a circle of darkness and a circle of light, okay? So the cross, you see Christ, and in both circles, Christ is in the center. So for the first circle of darkness, you see Christ in the center, right at the cross. He's in the center of darkness. There you see the judgment of God. There you see all our sins put on Jesus. There you see unmitigated suffering. You see him in pain. You see him carrying all our sins under the curse of God. He took our place. He did no sin. "He knew no sin". He had no sin, but on that cross, he took your place and my place, amen.
And here's what the Bible says. Right there, you see the judgment of God. You see that God cannot bypass sin, amen? But God loves the sinner. And God hates the sin, but God loves the sinner. You know, if you have someone that you love very much, maybe a family member, but that person has cancer, do you hate the cancer? Yes, of course, you do, but the cancer is in that person just like sin is in us. God hates sin. Why? Because he loves us so, amen? And why do you hate that cancer in that child? Because you love your child. You love that child, and you know that cancer is destroying your child's body. So how much do you hate that cancer? As much as you love your child, amen. And God love us so much. That's why God hates sin because sin is destroying everything beautiful that God has planned for us, amen? And at the cross, we see Christ in the center of that darkness, bearing all our sins, the wrath of God.
You know, he was born at night, and we know that the whole place was filled with angels and it's as if the midnight became midday when he was born, but right at the cross, he was crucified, and at midday, 12 noon, when the sun should be the brightest, the Bible says, "Darkness covers the earth". And this darkness was recorded in the Chinese Annals of History. It is recorded that there was a worldwide eclipse, and that happened at that time when Christ was crucified, 12 noon. Midday became midnight so that he can bear all that darkness, suffer for us, amen, pay the price for our sins so that you and I can walk in eternal light, amen. "He was raised because of our justification". He was raised because of our justification. Now, all that Jesus bore on that cross, our sins, all that belonged to the old man, Adam, all that was the outcome and the result of being children of Adam, all ended at the cross. He took it all away, hallelujah, amen, and when he died, he finish it all.
And the Bible says he was buried, and on the third day, God raised him from the dead, but this time, when God raised him from the dead, God raised him without our sins, without our condemnation, without our judgment. God raised him, hallelujah, because of our justification, amen, because we have been declared righteous. God raised him without our sins. What does that tell us? That tells us he did a complete sweep of all our sins. And all the outcome of the fact that we were children of Adam, amen, all that finished at the cross, hallelujah. When Jesus cried, "Finished," it's truly finished. And when Jesus rose again from the dead, he rose without them. He rose without our sins. He rose without our judgment on him. He rose without the curse, hallelujah. It's all left behind, all put away, praise God, hallelujah. And the Bible says he was raised from the dead because of our justification.
Now, this subject of justification is very interesting. We, who are sinners, amen, we, who have sinned against God, we, who have sin in our blood steam, how can we be justified before God? We can do our best. You know, it can be a most moral person, give to the poor and do all kinds of things, but how can we ever reach that standard of perfection that God is, amen? God's standard is perfect, amen. We don't measure one another. You measure one another, no wonder we can feel self-righteous because we are comparing horizontally, but when you compare with God's standards, amen, it's perfection. None can achieve that. None can arrive at the point of perfection. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". But when God raised Jesus from the dead, the Bible says it's because of our justification, amen?
Now, this word "justification" is a very interesting word, amen. In fact, it is the crux of New Covenant teaching, amen? It is the center of the Gospel message, amen, that Christ died for our sins, yes, but we have forgotten that "Therein in that Gospel is the righteousness of God revealed". God raised his Son because we were declared righteous. I like the way Young's Translation of the Bible says it: "He was raised up because of our being declared righteous". "He was raised up because of our being declared righteous". Friend, you have been declared righteous by God, and that's the reason why God raised his Son.
Now, how does that happen? "What do you mean, Pastor Prince"? It means that God cannot raise his Son if you have not been declared righteous because his Son took the responsibility upon himself to become you at the cross, amen. All that you are and all that you have done against God in rebellion in disobedience, in sinning against God, Jesus became liable for it. Jesus became the Lamb of God. He took your place at the cross, amen. So now, when God has put away all our sins through the blood of his Son, before God can raise him from the dead, we have to be declared righteous, amen, and that's the reason God raised his Son from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, it tells us, "If Christ has not raised, you are still in your sins". That means he didn't do a good job. He didn't finish it all, amen, but praise God, hallelujah, blessed be his peerless name, amen, he rose from the dead. That means we have been declared righteous.
And on that foundation, as we celebrate this Resurrection Day, remember, Christ will not have been raised from the dead if you have not been declared righteous apart from your works, apart from your morality, apart from you. It's got nothing to do with you. God declares you righteous in another, his Son, amen? In all that Christ has done, in all that he has accomplished at the cross, amen, God declares you righteous. And on that foundation, because God declares you righteous, he raised his Son from the dead, amen, amen. Look at the result. "Therefore", the next chapter tells us, actually it's all one argument. And the next chapter tells us in Romans 5, "Therefore, having been justified by faith", there you have the word "justified". Notice, by faith, not by our works, not by our performance, amen? "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ".
Now let's go to Young's Translation. It bears it out, "He was raised up because of our being declared righteous. Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ". Notice that, "Because you have been declared righteous, you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," amen, amen. And not only you have peace with God... isn't that wonderful to know you have peace with God? You know, I believe that the mother of all fears that people have is the fact that, in their hearts, they feel that they're cut off from God, amen. Even for people who don't want to acknowledge God's existence, amen, they rebel against that so hard, but if there's a nonentity, why are you rebelling against it so hard? The Bible says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God,'" amen.
Friend, God loves you. He sent his Son to die for your sins on that cross, and he raised him from the dead because you have been declared righteous. Now, "Having been declared righteous, we have peace". Just receive that right now, that peace. Appropriate it, amen. Possess it. In fact, the language there in the Greek, "Let us hold fast, let us possess it," in the active tense. "Let us possess it. Let's appropriate peace with God," amen. "Therefore, being declared righteous, let us have, let us possess it, let's enjoy it, amen, practically, peace with God," amen. When you know you're at peace with God, you know that you can look forward to the future with hope, with a positive expectation of good in your future, knowing that, even if there are troubles along the way, and there will be, amen, God will either resolve it for you or give you the wisdom to resolve it or allow you to go through it and then get a testimony of his glory, amen, amen. God always will cause all things to work together for good because you know you have peace with God. And not only that, the Bible tells us, it goes on to say in the very next verse, "through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God".
One more time, "through whom," through Christ, "we also have access by faith into this grace", this "grace," here, "grace" is "unmerited, unearned favor," amen, "into this favor in which we stand, we have access by faith into this favor in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God". I like the Darby's Translation for this. It says, "By whom we have also access by faith into this favor", he brings that out, "undeserved favor". That's "grace", "in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God". You know, child of God, let me just say this: You are standing in the favor of God, but what God is saying is that, "we have access by faith", notice the word "by faith"? God wants you by faith to possess it, amen? You are standing on favored ground because of what Christ did at the cross, amen, and by his Resurrection, you are now standing on favored ground, amen. You are no more on cursed ground. You are no more on condemnation ground. You are on favored ground, praise the Lord.
You know, there is an old city in England where they have a well-known fair every year. You know, we don't have much fairs now days, but in that old city, they have a fair that they have floats and all that. It's a small city, but people flock to the city. And then, when you go to the city, near to the fair, the event, you'll find that along the streets of the city, you'll find square boxes, amen, drawn on the streets, all over that city. All over the streets there are squares, and in the squares, names written in white letters. If a stranger goes to that town and asks, "What are all these squares with all these names"? These names are names of people who have bought the right to stand in that square during the parade, during the fair, all right? They have a right, amen, to stand in that square, and they bought it. They bought that square. That's where they'll be standing.
Now, I submit to you, I don't think that those people who bought those squares to stand in, okay, they will just be satisfied with the fact that, you know, "I have my name on that square, you know, and whether I go or not, it doesn't really matter". I submit to you that they bought that square, all right? They will want to stand in it on that day. They'll want to possess that position of privilege, amen. Do you know that there is a place, a circle of favor, amen, the ground of favor that God, Jesus, paid for you to have with your name on it, amen? Are you just satisfied with the fact that you have your name on it, amen, or do you want to possess it, enjoy it in this life even, amen, amen, to see the favor of God translate into your life, amen, in all the things that you see and do? And whatever you do, when you know you have favor with God, just like Noah, of all the people on the earth, the Bible says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord," and God saved him and his entire family in the ark, amen.
And there was a beauty contest one time, and there was a woman, called Esther, who was not part of the Persian people, but she had favor in the eyes of the king, and because she became queen, that's what the beauty contest was all about, all right? She became queen. She was able to be in a position to deliver her people, the Jewish people, against an enemy. So here we have the favor of God operating in the daily grind of life, in our battles of life. In all that we do, we have the favor of God, and it translates into something practical, amen, favorable results, favorable outcome, but you must first possess that place of favor, amen. Don't just know it. Don't just be satisfied, the fact that you have your name, amen, on it. Possess it practically, amen. Notice the phrase says, the Word of God says, "We have access by faith," appropriated by faith.
Say, "In the name of Jesus, I take my place on favored ground. I'm on favored ground". When trouble comes on me, when people say things about me, God turns them all around for my good, amen. The devil throws a lemon against me, amen, God makes a lemonade for me, hallelujah. God will work all things for my good. Why? I'm standing on favored ground. I have favor with God. I'm a man, a woman of favor, amen. Declare that every day in your life because, "I have the favor of God. I'm in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty. And no evil will befall me, nor any plague coming near my dwelling. Angels are given charge over me, and they keep me in all my ways. With a long, healthy life, God satisfies me and shows me his salvation," hallelujah. You are standing on favored ground. Possess it, amen? Don't just, you know, know about it, but the Bible says by faith you have access, just like a pass, you know, your password gives you access, amen, into your special domain, whatever it is. You know, nowadays, a lot of it needs special password, amen?
Bible says we have access by faith through Jesus, amen? Through Jesus we have access by faith. That name on that square has been given us by our Lord. He paid the price for us to stand in that circle of favor, amen, with God. So, now we see Jesus in the Resurrection, when he was raised from the dead. He was raised in a circle of light, and he's in the center of light. No one would ever think that Jesus is now out of favor with God. No, no. At the cross he became us, amen? Literally, he was our substitute and God treated him as if we and all our sins were there on the cross, but God has raised his Son after we have been declared righteous, amen? And now that we're declared righteous, Jesus, we see him the center of that light, amen? Under God's unclouded favor. And not only he's there alone. The Bible says we are raised with Christ so that we have access to this favor. It's the same favor that is on Jesus. It is on us, and that's why the Bible says, "As he is, so are we in this world". As Jesus is under God's unclouded favor, so are you and I, amen, if you believe on Christ. Amen, amen. Praise the name of Jesus.
Now, if you look at 2 Corinthians 5, verse 19, it says, "That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For God has made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him". Hallelujah. There you have it. In verse 21, God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The Bible says that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, amen? And not imputing their trespasses unto them. Even when he was on Earth, you find that Jesus dispense of all God's goodness, healings, and miracles. He cleanse the leper. He raise the dead. He unstop deaf ears, amen? He heal the blind. And everywhere he went, the Bible says he went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Freely. Freely. He dispense his healings, his miracles freely. With 5 loaves and 2 small fish, he multiplied them to feed 5,000 people, amen? All over. Praise the Lord.
And there's 12 basketful left over. His supply, his giving, his generosity is always overabundant, amen? I always say that, you know, God doesn't just answer prayer, amen? The God of the New Testament over-answers prayer. He answers exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. I remember, many years ago, where I was when I pray this prayer. I was in a staircase in a flat, and I pray this prayer as a young man. "I wanna marry a woman, Lord, from you, Lord, but make her pretty, as well". And you know what God did? Wow, God gave me Wendy. He over-answered me, amen? God always over-answers you. Praise the Lord. He oversupplies, with 12 basketful left over, amen? And that's the heart of God. You know, God is always in the business of, you know, always wanting to bless, always wanting to give, always wanting to dispense. In fact, our posture today in the new covenant is a posture of rest and belief, amen? Because God wants to give so much. It is hard when you wanna give and the other person wanna give, just like, you know, you're in a restaurant and with a dear friend, and after that time to pay the bills and all that, and you're fighting your friend.
Now, you probably, if a friend really loves you and wants to be a blessing to you, you're robbing the friend of that pleasure. That's what a lotta people are doing with God. God is the eternal giver, and we wanna take pride that we can be the giver. We can be the doer. We can be the worker, but God says, "No, no, let me bless you. Let me give to you". Only when we can receive from God, after we have received from God, can we gift. After we have received from God can we perform or do, amen? The Bible use words like this, amen: "According to the energy that worketh in me". "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," amen? So, when we receive from God, we become very active people. We become not lazy people, but people who always serve the Lord. But, best of all, not stressed out, not burned out, not worn out, but actually in the rest of God, amen? That's the heart of God.
One time there was a widow. The Bible tells us a widow that her husband has died and there's a huge debt that they owe, and the creditors were coming to get her sons, to sell them. That was the culture in those days. You can't pay, your sons will become slaves, and that's how you pay off your debt. And she cried out to the man of God, Elisha, and Elisha says, "What do you have in your house"? You know, the Lord is always asking, right, us, "What do you have in your house? Whatever little you have, watch. It is not that that you have. It is my blessing on it". God said to Moses, "What is that in your hand"? "A shepherd's rod". And, with the shepherd's rod, God used that rod to perform miracles, amen, even to bring the people out of the land, to bring them water out of the flinty rock, and all kinds of miracles. Just from a simple rod that is supposed to be lifeless, dead, cut off from its roots, amen? God can do miracles. God ask you, "What do you have in your house"? Or the man of God, speaking on behalf of God, said, "What do you have in your house"? She says, "I only have a small bottle of oil, a vessel". And he says, "Go borrow from your neighbors bottles, empty bottles, empty vessels. Shouldn't be hard to find empty vessels, amen? So, go find".
And she sent her sons to borrow all those empty vessels, amen? There's a lot of noise, amen? And they brought the empty vessels into the house, and she kept on pouring. And when she poured the oil, she just kept on pouring. Because why? The oil never ceased, amen? As long as she was pouring out, the oil never ceased. Now, there's a lesson here for us to learn. When we are favored by God, we're standing on favor ground, amen, having peace with God, you know something? It is no more like the ordinary people, a child of Adam. We're now a child of God. We're no more from the old stock, amen? We've been born again. The old stock that we were in Adam all died and was finish off at the cross. We're cut off from its very roots, amen? And we are born again. When Jesus rose from the dead, we rose in him, the Bible says. That's reality, the way God sees it. We rose in him.
Now, watch this. The world, when they pour out, they get depleted. They get tired. But the more you serve the Lord, the more you give out, amen, the more you pour out, the more there is left behind. Mm. Amen. The more you give, amen, even of your time, your energy, your efforts, your love, your attention, amen, even money, amen, it all comes back even more in you because you are on favor ground. Praise the Lord. And the way to have more is to pour out, and she kept on pouring out the bottles of oil. And guess what? It just kept pouring. The oil was unceasing, amen? Just kept on pouring, until she says, "Bring me another bottle". And one of the sons says, "That's the last one". And you know what happen? The oil ceased.
So, the oil waited on the vessels. It wasn't the other way around. It wasn't that there's a little oil in a little bottle and there's not enough. There are so many bottles around. No, my friend. With God's supply, it is us. We limit the Holy One of Israel. We limit the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God wants us to keep on pouring, believing. He's always equipping. He's always blessing, amen? The oil cease when she stop pouring. The oil ceased when she stop pouring, amen? The same prophet, Elisha, was about to leave to be with the Lord. He's about to pass on, amen, in his old age, and the Bible says the king came, and he gave the king some arrows. He says, "This is the arrows of God's deliverance". At that time, Israel was being persecuted, being attack always by Hazael, king of Syria. And he told the king of Israel. He told him, "Take these arrows and beat on the ground". And this king was a little bit timid, and you know what he did? He beat on the ground three times, and the man of God, Elisha, was angry. He says, "You know, why do you beat three times? You should have kept on beating. Now you only have three victories". And that's exactly what happen. He only had three victories.
Again, he limited God. You know, the man of God say, "These is the arrows of God's deliverance. How much deliverance do you want"? Amen. I'll keep on beating 24 hours on that day. Hallelujah. Praise God. Amen? Amen. We limit God. We limit God. The Bible says they limited the Holy One of Israel in the wilderness. The children of Israel did, amen? Every time, God wants to do more for us, amen, in us, through us. And that's what the Bible says in Ephesians 1, which we have encouraged our church people to pray this prayer every day as a part of the vision that God gave me for this year, for our people, amen? In Ephesians 1 to pray this prayer, and Paul says he pray this prayer without ceasing. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know," first of all, "what is the hope of your calling".
You know, we're all born for a call, amen? You have a purpose. Even your physical makeup and all the gifts that you have and the talents that's in you is all designed, and all the training that you go through is all designed for your calling, amen? You're not just floating around with no purpose, amen? There is a purpose for which God gave you birth into this world, amen? Hallelujah. And we pray and our eyes become enlightened to know the hope of our calling. Number two, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. It takes a revelation. It takes our inner eyes to be open, so we pray for God's Spirit of wisdom and revelation to open our eyes. All these things don't come by study. They come by prayer. They come by praying that our eyes will be opened so that we say, "I see it. I see it," amen?
So, the second thing that God wants you to see is the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. And the third thing is what I wanna focus on today, is this: God wrought in Christ or work in Christ. How God wrought in Christ the exceeding greatness of his power. God wants us to know what he wrought in Christ: the exceeding greatness of his power when he raised Christ from the dead, amen, and seated him at his own right hand, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named. Not only in this world, or in this age, but also in that which is to come. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So, the prayer is to help us to know the resurrection power which God wrought or God work in Christ. And all the words down there, the greatness, God wants us to know the greatness of the power that raise Christ from the dead. And all the words there in the Greek is words like "mega". The greatness of his power, dunamis, where you get the word "dynamite".
And then, "according to the working of his mighty power" you have ischus, kratos and ischus, other words for energy and power in action. And dunamis is also for miracles, amen? God use all the power to raise Christ from the dead, amen? And that power is in you and I because why? You know, when God raise Christ from the dead, we are in him. The Bible says you were raised with Christ, just like you were crucified with Christ. He became you at the cross, amen? Your old man, your old identity, with all its curse, with all its physical hereditary defects and all that from Adam, amen, all that is all gone. Praise the Lord. Gotta believe it. Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things have become new," amen? Believe it. When God raise Christ from the dead, you are in Christ now, just like you were in Christ at the cross.
Now you are in Christ, amen, the new you, born again, amen? You come up out of the grave with Christ. When God makes Christ to sit down at his right hand, amen, that prayer says, "And sat him at his own right hand, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come," amen? God sat Christ, amen? God seated him at his right hand, amen? And guess what? You and I are in him. God raised us, amen, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named. You are raised far above them all. Whatever you're challenged with right now, it has a name, doesn't it? Well, the Bible says in Christ you are far above it, amen?
When God make Christ sit down at his right hand, the center of the universe, amen, you sat down in Christ. That's a posture of rest. That's the winning posture, amen, where you sit down expecting all his enemies and your enemies to become Jesus's footstool because you are in him. That same attitude that Jesus has expecting the enemy is to come under his feet, amen, that same posture, amen, is your posture today. That same attitude, the throne attitude, is your attitude. Even this challenge that's facing you right now, amen, you cannot work against it. You cannot perform against it, amen? All you can do is what? Expect. Why? It's all been done. It's all been done, amen, at the cross. You expect that thing to come under Jesus's feet, or your feet because you are in Christ, amen? In fact, the prayer goes on to say, amen, that God wants us to know the resurrection power in Christ, but not only that.
When God raised him far above all principality and power and all that and seated him at his own right hand, all that he is, the next verse tells us, "He put all things under his feet". Now, you are in him. You're seated with Christ. Guess what? All things are under your feet. "Pastor Prince, it doesn't seem like, you know, I feel like many a times I'm under the circumstances. I'm under the weather. In fact, that's what I tell people". What are you doing under? God says those things are under you, far, far, far below you because you're far, far above it, amen? That's the true posture. That's how God sees you, and no one sees reality of realities the way God sees it. Hallelujah. Our eyes can play tricks this side of heaven, amen? Amen. We can see like the pool look shallow. And if you're not a swimmer, you jump into it, oh, man. Woebegone.
Lemme tell you this. No one sees reality like God, and God says God's perspective of you today is that you're seated with Christ far above all things. Now watch this. God put all things under Jesus's feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church. Head over all things to the church. I like the New Living Translation, brings it out. "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Christ head over all things," why? "For the benefit of the church". Amen. He's head over all things. Listen carefully, amen? We know he's head over all things, but where we need to be head over all things in a practical way is here on Earth, amen? But the reason God did that for Jesus is because God has you in mind, the church, amen? The church is not a physical building. Whenever you see the church in the Bible, think this, right? It's something established by God. It originated in God's heart and mind, and then it was born of God on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, amen?
That was the birthday of the church and since then God's dream has been fulfilled to have people, amen, Jew and Gentile from all walks of life, to bring a people for his name out of every nation of the earth, amen. A church is not a physical building. The church of Jesus Christ, according to God's Word, is the greatest and most successful organization, if I can say it, or cooperation, amen, that the world has ever seen, and it's the devil's device to cast aspersions on the name "church," amen. You have sayings like, "as poor as a church mouse". Why "church mouse," not just "mouse," you know? The world has put all this, and I believe that the devil is behind, you know, this idea that church is a boring place, that church is a place where, you know, old people go to and worship God. No, no friend, the reality of the New Covenant, the New Testament, is that the church is far above all principality and power, might and dominion.
The church is a many-membered, Jesus is the head, and we are the body of Christ, amen. In fact, the Bible says, "If two of you come together and believe," amen, "all the power of the universe is at your disposal". Why? Because you are in Christ, and Christ has been given, "All authority, all power is given unto me," he says, "in heaven and in earth," amen. Jesus says in Matthew 28, after he rose from the dead, he says, "All power", that leaves out nothing, amen? "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth". If Jesus has all power, he has authority, the devil has none, amen. But we fail to see this glorious fact of Resurrection and what it means for ourselves in terms of forgiveness of our sins and us being born again and our position now as the many-membered body of Christ, called the church. We have failed to see how the Resurrection has accomplished all this for us, and as a result, we are living in defeat. We are living under the circumstances. We are constantly struggling, stressed, depressed.
Friend, that's not God's will for you. God loves you, amen? God wants you to be at peace. First of all, peace with God, and then peace with yourself, and peace with people around you. Yes, the Bible says, "As much as possible, live peaceably with all men". Whether they are believers or not, "Live peaceably with all men," the Bible says, hallelujah. God wants peace for you, amen. He delights to see you in peace, not in strife and stress, amen, depressed. God loves you, my friend, amen. Praise the Lord. Now, many a times, we want to know Jesus more. We wanna know the Lord more. We wanna know God more, and as a result, we get into all these religious ideas of, you know, you gotta spend more time in the Word. Now, don't misunderstand me. You got all this truth that I'm sharing with you from his Word, amen?
You know, if you don't read your Bible, you ought not feel guilty. You ought to feel hungry, amen. Our reason to come to the Bible is not to score points with God. You're already on favored ground. You already have peace with God. All your sins have been put away at the cross, amen, by the blood of Jesus Christ, amen. So you are favored with God, amen. And God sees you under the same favor that his Son is under at his right, amen. So why do you come to the Bible? Because this is our inheritance book, amen. This is the book that tells us who we are today in Christ: number one, who God is, who Christ is. I mean, everything is all in him, amen? What he has, we have, amen? Who he is, we are in him. So it is our vested interest to learn all we can about Jesus because the Bible is actually a photo album of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the more we see Jesus and who he is and what he has, we also possess because the Bible says we are joint heirs with Christ, not heirs apparent.
"Heirs apparent" means the prince is waiting. One day, he'll become king 'cause the father is still alive. No, that's an heir apparent. We are not heir apparent. The Bible says we are joint heirs with Christ, amen. So we see, what Christ has, we have, amen, for your faith to appropriate. When you see who he is, you are in him. There's only one thing that you will never be, okay, and that's who he is, God himself, amen? Praise God. Praise the name of Jesus. If you look at the Bible, what the Bible tells us, how to know God and this power of his Resurrection. Notice what Paul says in Philippians 3: "I wanna be found in him," Paul says, "not having my own righteousness, which is from the law", the "law" is the Ten Commandments here, amen? "Law" can mean the entire five books of Moses, or it can mean, amen, the 613 commandments that's in the Torah, or it can also mean the Ten Commandments. In this context here, it's always, "the righteousness from the law" is the Ten Commandments, righteousness which is from the law. "Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith," amen.
Paul says, "I want this righteousness". I wanna be found in Christ, not having the kind of self-righteousness where I perform this, I perform that, and I think I'm better than others, amen, because I'm extra-holy. No, no, not that kind of righteousness which you get from the law. "I don't want that," Paul says, amen? God has given us a new righteousness, which is Christ himself. I wanna be found in Christ, who is my righteousness, the righteousness which is by faith, amen, not by your performance, not by your works, the righteousness, which is a gift given to you, paid for by the blood of Jesus. You take that righteousness we read just now, "God made Jesus to be sin for us," so at the cross, Jesus knew no sin. He did no sin. In him is no sin, but he became sin. Why? He took our sin so that today we who know no righteousness, amen, in us, it's no righteousness. We become the righteousness of God in him. How? We receive he gave, amen? He gave himself to us, and he is our righteousness.
So all our sins was transferred to him at the cross, and all that he is, righteous before God, is transferred to our account, amen, so that God gives with us as if we are truly the hottest thing, amen, on planet Earth, amen. All the favor of God, the best of all his favors, amen, is abounding towards you, child of God, amen, as if you deserve the very best blessings that God has. And that's what God has given us. Praise the name of Jesus. Seated with Christ is the greatest blessing of all. If only we have eyes to see, amen. And once we are there, every other blessing is now upon us, "blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ". Praise the Lord.
And notice what Paul says in Philippians again. It says, "This righteousness of God by faith is the one I want", why? "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection". In other words, the more you believe that you are righteous by faith, not righteous by your works, now you're believing the Gospel. You are believing the truth. You are believing the very thing that thrills God's heart, amen, the very thing that God wants people on earth today to hear is this truth, amen, that God has taken all their sins and put them on Jesus. Jesus paid it all, amen, and died and rose from the dead when they were declared righteous. Now, that square with your name on it, that standing of favor is there, but it must be possessed, amen. If it's not possessed, you cannot be born again, amen? You must take that place, hallelujah. You need to identify yourself with what Christ has done, believe, amen, and receive. Praise the Lord.
Notice, he says, "Only by the righteousness of God by faith, that I may know him". The reason I want the righteousness of God by faith, only through this avenue can I know him. "That I may know him" is "in order that I may know him". In other words, if you are trying to know him by your own efforts, by really just ideas that you bring into the Gospel and by other things that you see is necessary, "Jesus plus my holiness," "Jesus plus, you know, church attendance, a Bible reading," or whatever, and good as these things are, listen carefully, they cannot be used as merits to gain favor with God. It must be Christ and Christ alone, nothing but Christ alone, amen. And Paul says, "I want that. I want to be righteous by faith". In other words, "Faith in Christ makes me righteous before God".
Now, once you believe that and you keep on believing that, the Bible says you'll get to know God, hallelujah. Oh, did you hear that? You will get to know God. The secret of knowing God is found there, the more you declare every day, "I'm the righteousness of God in Christ". Say it right now, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ". That's your true position, amen, seated with Christ in heavenly places, righteous in God's eyes. But notice, "in Christ Jesus," not in yourself, amen? You still have the flesh, and the flesh, you know, it still wants to do wrong. Still has the sinful tendencies, amen, but that's not who you are in God's eyes. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. God has declared you righteous in Christ. So the more you declare that, the more you get to know God. How? Intuitively. Like, the New Covenant says, "Because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins I remember no more".
If only we'll preach the truth, people will get to know God, will come to know God. They will fall in love with the Lord, amen, and know him intuitively. It's amazing, like, I see people sometimes, you know, with no Bible background, no church background. You know, when they encounter the forgiveness of God, amen, and receiving Christ and seeing Christ as the way the Bible declares him, amen, the Savior of the world, amen, Lord of all, and then they fall in love with Jesus because they see how much the Lord loves them, it's amazing how the wisdom comes to understand the Word without even knowing the Greek and the Hebrew. I mean, they know God intuitively. And the Bible says that, "All shall know me".
You don't have to teach people to know the Lord. "All will know me in this New Covenant," from the least to the greatest. Why? Because "I'll be merciful to their unrighteousness", and that part is not being preached, "and their sins I remember no more". That part has not been preached, and as a consequence, people do not know the Lord. In fact, all the clauses before, prior to this last clause that makes all the former clauses happen, amen, tells you, "I'll be your God, and you'll be my people". That denotes the power and the miraculous aspect of our relationship with God. And then it tells us, God says, "I'll put my laws in your heart and your mind". In other words, it won't be outside. You will know what to do on the inside, amen. Very intimate. But, all this, why is it that people think that they are following, but only to find that they are not? Because they are not strong in the forgiveness aspect. All these things happen because "I'll be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins I'll remember no more".
So, friend, I pray that you have seen the light, amen? And not only know the Lord, but you will know the power of his Resurrection which is what we are talking about.
"Pastor Prince, you talk about the Resurrection and all that, how we are raised far above all principalities and powers against every difficulty that comes against us that has a name. But, Pastor, how do I see that in my own life"? Because we do not know the power of his Resurrection, but how do I know him and the power of his Resurrection? By understanding more the righteousness by faith. Once you declare, "Yes, God," you are agreeing with God, God declares you righteous. You declare yourself righteous, amen? Not in and of yourself, amen, but in another, in Christ, "I'm the righteousness of God in Christ". You will get to know God. You will come to know him intimately, and then not only that, you will know the power of his Resurrection, hallelujah, amen? If that is you, you wanna put your trust in Christ, if I ask you this question, "Today if your heart should stop beating, are you sure heaven is your home? Are all your sins forgiven? Is God your Father"? If there's no assurance in your heart, pray this prayer with me right now, amen. Put your trust in Christ. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house," amen? Are you ready? Pray this prayer with me right now:
Heavenly Father, I thank you, Christ died for my sins. I thank you, all that I was as a child of Adam was finished, died with Christ on that cross, all of my sins, all of my diseases put away. And I thank you, Father, that I rose again when you raised Christ from the dead. I rose in him. Thank you, Father. Jesus Christ is my Lord. Jesus Christ is my Lord, and I believe that I've been declared righteous by you. A holy God has declared me righteous. Thank you, Father. And Jesus Christ is my Lord, in Jesus's name, amen.
If you prayed that and you believe that, you are now a child of God. You have just been born again. And in one fell swoop, in an instant, you've been translated from the power of darkness, from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of light. You are no more in that circle of darkness. You are now in a circle of blessing, a circle of light, the circle of glory, hallelujah. Welcome to the family of God, amen?
If there is anyone that's watching this right now and you're suffering physically or you are having problems with your mind, I see, like, someone struggling with sleep for quite some time now, and it's got to do with your mind being very active, and you're tired in your body but not tired in your mind. I wanna pray for you right now. If you are depressed, been suffering from depression or some sort of manic depression or any sort of depression, I wanna pray for you right now. If that is you, whatever needs you may have, just stand to your feet right now. I wanna pray for you in the name of Jesus. Now know this: Pastor Prince has no power in and of himself. It is all in the name of Jesus, but God made Jesus head over things for the benefit of the church, amen, those who believe in Christ, and we use the name of Jesus. That's the power of attorney that we have in the name of Jesus.
Now, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command that darkness, that spirit of darkness that has brought this depression on you to loose you and let you go in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command the spirit of infirmity that has attacked your body to loose you and let you go in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pronounce your body healed. I command your mind to be at peace, poised, calm, possessed, and imbued with a shalom peace of God in the name of Jesus, and I release upon you the blessings of Abraham. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, be thou made whole from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, some conditions, you can't tell until you go to the doctor. If you know it's no more the same, you are healed, God has done something in your life, please write to us and let us know about it so we can rejoice with you, amen? Stand to your feet church. Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Thanks for joining us today. Keep on tuning in every Sunday at all the different times that you see displayed, amen? Invite a friend, amen, and keep on hearing. There is so much more I wanna share about our inheritance in Christ and who you are in Christ and this wonderful Savior who died for us, who loved us so, and our Father in heaven, who wants to watch over you, care for you, and have a relationship with you in a practical way, amen? So keep on tuning in so we can learn all this at the feet of the Holy Spirit, amen? Praise the Lord.
This coming week, the Lord bless you with the blessing of father Abraham and the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, and the Lord keep you and your families throughout this week from the COVID-19 virus, from every sickness and disease, from every danger, harm, evil, from all the powers of darkness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord favors you in a special way throughout this week. May you see the manifestation of that favor because you are standing on favored ground. May you see it manifest in practical ways this coming week, in Jesus's name. Praise the Lord. And the Lord smiles on you and pronounce upon you right now his shalom wholeness, peace, and well-being in every part of your body in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all the people said, "Amen". Praise the Lord.