Joseph Prince - The Promise Of Long Life In The Gospel Of Grace
Praise God. Are y'all ready for the Word? All right, we're gonna dive right into the Word of God. I want to tell you something,. You cannot be in New Creation Church for too long without hearing this. Even just now you probably heard it, all right? Every time Pastor Lawrence leads in communion, he will say, "Father, we thank you that we'll live to be 120," amen? Now, look up here on the screen in Genesis chapter 6, verse 3, and you'll find that God first mentioned it, all right, in the event of the flood. God is talking about life after the flood. And God says this, "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'"
If you look at the statement, the reason I want you to see the statement is because it's a statement actually, not of pleasure or joy on God's part, it's actually a judgment, amen? And even judgment God says, God says his days, man's days, will be at least, that's the idea there, will be at least 120. You can go on, all right, to more than 120, 125. Many Bible characters went on beyond 120, okay? But if you look at this verse, the reason I want you to see it is because it is a statement made in judgment. Yet even in judgment, God is saying man's life will be 120. So, what has happened to man, all right? Medical science, by the way, don't talk about God's Word alone, talk about medical science. Medical Science actually tells us, even there are doctors that tell us, all right, that technically speaking, okay, how much more with all the advance in medical science and, you know, the environment that we live in compared to the times that, you know, it was more difficult in those days, all right? But medical science, even medical, I know medical doctors who write books about it. Okay, they say that our bodies are designed to live to 120.
Have you heard that before? All right, even in the natural. Don't talk about God's intervention or God's miraculous hand into the five... But the thing is that just man's body is designed, all right, to live to 120. So, why are people dying before their time, okay? Now we're talking about 120 years. There are some people who l say, "Well, Pastor Prince, I don't believe that". You are right. As far as you are concerned, you will never see it, you will never experience it, amen? There was a story... you know, there are many stories actually in the Bible. There's a story of a man who heard Elijah said, all right, or Elijah said next day, all right, there'll be plenty of food. It was during the time of famine. There was no food. And one of the servants of the king said, "Even if God made windows of heaven, this will not happen". You know what? Elijah says, "You will see it, but you won't eat it". And he saw next day, all right, the abundance that was left behind by the enemies, all right? And God did a miracle.
And you know what happened to him? He fell down and the people were hungry. They rushed out, okay, because it was a siege. They rushed out, and they stepped on him and he died. So, if you don't believe, you won't eat it, don't worry. Those in the Promised Land, the 12 spies came back. All right, two of them, only two of them says, "We can enter the land". But ten spies, the other ten says, "We cannot enter the land". Don't worry, none of them did. All ten of the spies died, amen? Only two of them, Joshua and Caleb, they said they can go in, they went in. So, God is listening. When we say "amen" to something, God is listening. If you don't believe it, he will not force it in your life.
So, when Pastor Lawrence stands down here and says, "May we live to be 120," and you say, "Well, I know so and so, he died before 120". Hey, we are aiming for the sun, we might hit the moon. You aim for the moon, you will hit the earth. Instead of encouraging that, you know, some places, they don't even tell you to believe for 120. Of course, there is no finger pointing because they don't say live to 120. So, when people died, you know at 50, 40 or whatever, they don't have to explain. But just because we are encouraging you to believe it because somewhere, somehow, somebody's gonna break through. We are the end-time generation. And the Bible says before the Rapture happens, we who are alive... when we Rapture happens rather, when the Rapture happens, Jesus comes again. We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together.
Now, it's one thing to be alive because you are young, you are ten years old, you are 15 years old, you are seven years old. Those who are naturally alive. But the Bible says those who are alive and remain alive. That denotes power. They know something. They're attending a church that's teaching them how to remain alive. They'll be caught up. We who are alive and remain, remain alive. All right, I believe there'll be people who are hundred plus who will be in the Rapture. They know how to remain. All right, why just talk about in 2010, there were about 44,000 centenarians in Japan alone? All right, why talk about the Japanese? We have something better. you can live at 120 the way Moses did. Moses died at 120. The Bible says his eyes was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And that's a man under law. How much more you and I under grace? Amen.
But, you see, the thing is this, somebody has got to believe God. I said, somebody has got to believe God. It is not something that the Pastor Lawrence can deliver to you now. You gotta wait for about 100, no, less than that now. I won't tell you his age. All right, gotta wait for another 80 years to see whether it happens to him, all right? But, you know, there are people who criticize what he says, and then they don't understand. You are actually criticizing and short circuiting what God wants to do in your life, amen? God wants you to live to 120 at least. How many can say "amen" to that, all right? I can tell you a story about a Jewish guy in my message called, "All the Promises of God In Him Are Yes and Amen". And he's a Jewish guy. Many years ago and he heard his rabbi says, "May you live to be 120".
By the way, that's a Jewish blessing. "May you live to be 120". As a young man he says, "amen," all right? He said, "amen". Many years came and gone, all right? One by one, all his friends who mocked him for saying, "amen," all died. And he lived. I forgot the age. I mentioned it in my, you know, account of the story in that message. But he lived beyond hundred years old, the only one left. And you ask him the reason, this Jewish guy says, "Because when my rabbi was teaching, all right, many years ago as a young boy, I said, 'amen.' And then my friends all laughed at me. Said, 'You really believe you'll live to 120?'" All right, try out. May you live, this is your rabbi telling you, may you live to be 120 through the grace of Jesus. Amen? Hallelujah. Praise God. You see this gives hope. So, many of you are not even middle-aged yet. If it's 120, then you are in your 40s, hey, you're only in the first quarter. First part, first one-third, amen? You are hardly middle-aged. Middle aged will be 60 plus. All right, you got much more to go.
A lot of people expect, "You know, lah, old already, you know". You expect this to happen. You expect that to happen. No, don't. Reject that in Jesus's name. Moses lived to 120. The Bible says when he died, his eyes was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And we're not even under the law. We are with Abraham. Abraham lived to 175. Isaac, his son, a type of all believers, lived to 180. Wow, praise God. May you live to be 120. So, as I look at all this, the Lord began to speak to me. "All right, son, tell the people, there's one major reason why life is cut short. Whether people realize this or they don't realize this, they know this truth, they don't know this truth, there's only one major reason why people are dying before their time". All right, now, we're gonna look at a passage of Scripture, and then we're gonna look at the entirety in its context. And then we'll understand what is this one thing, okay? Say, "one thing".
Isn't it wonderful if I stop the message here? One thing, all right? Look up here in Psalms 90. This is a psalm of Moses. Moses says, "The days of our lives are 70 years". Ah, from 120 become 70 years. This is the norm, all right? If you live to 70 or 80, today they consider it long life. Something happened to man during the time of Moses. Now, Moses himself lived to 120. But here it says, "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength, gabuwrah in Hebrew, strength, they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away". Seventy, if you're strong, eighty in the natural. Now listen, we don't live in Psalms 90. Psalms 90 are the children of Israel in the wilderness when they were under God's judgment. That's why the gospel of grace is so important. If you think you are under judgment, all right, your life will be 70, 80, and they call it long life. We have settled for it. We don't live here. This is the psalm of Moses of the children of Israel in the wilderness when they were under judgment.
Now, the next psalm, the writer of this psalm no one knows, no one really knows, all right? Most likely it's not David. This one we know for sure is Moses, all right? But Jewish people have a way of teaching the psalms. They say that if the author is not known, all right, the previous author that wrote is the author. So, it's Moses again. And Psalms 91, the next psalm, it tells us here, "With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation". Say again. "With long life will I satisfy him". Say it again. With? Notice, with long life. Y'all memorize that, very good. With long life will I satisfy him. God doesn't say, all right, "How long is your life"? The criterion is your satisfaction. "With long life will I satisfy him," and it's very personal. If you think 80 years old is long life, you want to go back, yes, God respects that. If you think, you know, "Pastor Prince, I'm not into this long life business," God respects that. How many understand? It's your satisfaction. What is long life is a person's satisfaction.
There are people who want to go back to be with Jesus, you know? I mean, even during Bible days, they want to go back to be with the Lord. They see the Lord, they say, "Lord, receive me, Lord". All right, the Lord brought them back. Are you listening, people? Okay, so if you look at Psalms 91, that's for us. "With long life will I satisfy him". But I'm gonna prove to you right now and find out the reason why people are dying before their time. Let's go back to Psalms 90 again. "The days of our lives are seventy ears; by reason of strength it is eighty years". Now, if you look at this... now this is verse what? Verse 10, right? If you look at the context, go back to verse 7, all right? "For we," Moses saying "we" here, identifying himself with the children of Israel in the wilderness. "We've been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You". All this is before Jesus died.
Okay, God dealt with sin, listen, without any atonement, no blood shedding. He will deal with sin in the most severe way, as a judge, amen. Are you listening, people? Okay, God will not just play, you know, like ignorant that we have sinned. That's why they had to offer a lamb. Even though it's temporal, the lamb points to Jesus Christ. So, notice the reason they were living to 70 to 80 even. They were under God's anger, all right? Your anger, your wrath. And God was reminded of sins in those days. Can you understand why the gospel is so important? All right, go back to verse... no, go down to verse 9. "For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh". "Then the days of our life," we just read just now. Drop down to verse 11 again. "Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath". Now, look at the last line, verse 11, and I'll show you the Amplified translation, what it means. All right, Amplified says, "Who knows the power of Your anger? [Who worthily connects this brevity of life with Your recognition of sin?]"
Do you see that? Do you see that? This is what God said, and then God showed me Amplified and I got the interpretation for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is telling me the reason why people are dying before their time is they have lost the sense of God's love. They have lost the sense of God's provision and care, and they're under the sense of God's anger. And many preachers are responsible for it. Are you listening, people? The sense of God's anger will cut your life short. Hmm? And when God said that to me, he told me to look up Amplified which I have, God as my witness, I have never looked up the Amplified for this verse 11. And then he says here, verse 11, "Who worthily connects this brevity of life, this shortness of life, with God's recognition of sin"? In other words, because God recognizes sin, he's angry, all right? And that's why man's life is cut short. Are you listening, church? But is God still angry today with the believer? Hmm? What about the world? Is God angry with the world?
Now, this is the part where I don't think I'll get a complete amen. Is God angry with the world? No, not too sure, right? Because we have heard all kinds of things, all right? Well, the Bible says God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting their sins against them. And God has committed to us, believers, the Word of reconciliation by which we tell people, "Be reconciled to God. God is not mad at you". So, something has happened today, okay? So, for this, let's go to Isaiah 54. Isaiah 54 comes after Isaiah 53, people. And what is in Isaiah 53? It talks about Jesus's death on the cross. It's a great messianic passage, all right? It says, "Surely he has borne our diseases, carried our pains. He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities". All right, "The chastisement of our shalom was upon him. With his stripes, we are healed".
All that is in Isaiah 53. It's pointing to Jesus Christ. And because of Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54 comes in, okay? Now, what does Isaiah 54 tells us? Because of what Jesus did. God says this, "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you". Isaiah 54 comes after Isaiah 53. God, in essence, looked at what Jesus did, and God is saying, "This is like how I swore to Noah. I swore to Noah the earth will never again be flooded with a universal flood, all right, that kills all man. Never, never again". The next one will be fire, all right? We won't be here. Okay, God has sworn the earth would... what is a symbol and a token of God's covenant with Noah? The rainbow, okay? God made it in such a way that light, all right, and water vapor will produce the rainbow. God designed it that way, all right? We can explain. We can even produce it in a lab, but we can't say why and how it happens. We can explain water vapors and light and all that, but God designed a beautiful rainbow to come out of it. And God is saying, "This rainbow is a sign that".
When you see a rainbow after the rain, it's a sign that God will never flood the earth with a universal flood that destroys all man. So, all the movies from Hollywood that indicate that is not accurate. It's not real, okay, so don't frighten yourself. But God is now saying, when you see a rainbow, it has a different meaning, all right? Of course, that first meaning is still kept, but for the believer it is this, because of Isaiah 53, what Jesus has done for you at the cross. Jesus, all right, one of these days, I'm gonna show you a special, we are designing it right now, a special animated video of Jesus on the cross. I see this always in the Spirit and how, like a cyclone, all our sins and our curse and our condemnation and our filth and all our judgment and all our punishment, all fell upon Jesus like a whirlpool. He sucked all of that into his very person and shouted, "Finished"! Hallelujah. And God is satisfied. God will never again judge you for the sins he's judged his Son for, and his Son was carrying your sins.
If God judged you today for that sin that his Son was judged for, God is committing a miscarriage of justice, all right? The same crime cannot be tried twice. It's the law of double jeopardy. God will be unjust. So today, God has put his righteousness on our side. Can you understand that, people? And not only that, God is saying what? "I have sworn, like I swore to Noah, I swear I will never be angry with you". Now, does God have to swear? People, does God have to swear? God doesn't have to swear. We swear to each other because we both know each other. God doesn't have to swear. Why does God swear? God swore, all right, because he knows our weakness, how slow we are, how our, you know, pathetic hearts, we are so slow to believe a good God. If a pilot tells us, all right, "We are now cruising at, you know, at this level, this height, and all that. In the next one hour, we're gonna arrive, blah, blah, blah," you'll sit back, you'll sleep. Some of you even snore.
We have faith in man that is fallible. For all you know, he has a huge pile of debt, his wife just left him. All right, but we don't even question. We don't ask that. When it comes to God, it's almost like, "Are you sure? Give me a sign". God cannot lie, people. All right, not that God will not, God cannot. There are a few things God cannot do. God cannot lie, amen? I said, God cannot lie. And here it's almost like a double ironclad guarantee God is telling us, "I swear, because of what Jesus has done for you, I will never again be angry with you, nor rebuke you, nor condemn you". Do you see that? He swore. Even if he says it, it's good enough. But I'm talking you about a sworn oath that God will never be angry with you. Therefore, if you find any passage in the New Testament... by the way, this is after what Jesus did. Don't talk about the Old Testament. That's before Jesus came. Was God angry with sin? Yes. Did God punish sin? Yes. Did people die before their time? Yes. Did God send judgment direct? Yes. Was God really, really angry in the Old Testament with sins? Yes.
So, why today there's no condemnation for us? I've heard of people making fun of that. "you know, these grace people they just claim Romans 8:1, 'There is therefore now no condemnation,'" without even talking to the people why there's no condemnation. And this person goes on to say, "Only if you walk in holiness". Now, I believe in walking in holiness. It's the fruit of the root. If I believe in God's love for me and I believe that he's forgiven me of my sins, I forgive because I've been greatly forgiven. I love because I've been greatly loved, amen. Holiness is a fruit. It's not the root. The root is grace. And if you say only those who walk holy, there is therefore now no condemnation, use your common, sanctified common sense. Why should that person who walked in holiness be condemned? In the first place, if somebody is walking in holiness, why should they be condemned?
That verse only means something if you and I don't have it all together and God says, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". Then it makes sense. Doesn't make sense if you tell me, "This person is walking right, therefore I don't condemn him". That is no grace. That's not grace. I mean, why should you condemn him if he's walking in holiness? But because of what Christ did, and we are all in Christ, even when we fail, there is therefore now, now, no condemnation. And then you stop and you think about it. That sin that you just did, all right, Jesus died and he was punished for it. Can you continue in that sin? Do you want to live in sin knowing that it cost God his Son and he died on that cross? But nonetheless, when you sin, he will still embrace you, he will love you into wholeness. But do you want to live a life that shamed his name? Do you want to live a life not worthy of your high calling? Of course, not. Now, will there be some people who are not grateful? Yes, but they cannot change the gospel, people. We cannot compromise on the gospel just because a few people refuse to respond to the love of God and the benefits they have received from him. We're not gonna compromise the gospel. The gospel is the greatest treasure that you and I have. Are you listening?
"But, Pastor Prince, God has sworn he'll never be angry with us. Then we should be living to 120 and beyond". But the thing is that Christians, many believers still they're not settled on this fact. Don't talk about God swearing. They're not even settled on the fact they still think that God will be angry with them. So where do you think this comes from? Years ago I remember, some of you are with me, you still remember this. In fact, my pastors remember that we were on our way to Israel. This was in the 90s or rather early 2000, all right, when I was with my pastors. And I remember on the way to Israel with them, I was reading the scriptures and the Lord gave me an answer, all right? Now there are people preaching this all over in America, all right, but first it was original in an airplane El Al on the way to Israel, all right? It came from here. I'm telling how it came.
Do you all know the Scripture that says the devil goes about as a roaring lion, all right? As a roaring lion, okay? The devil goes about as a what... like a? Roaring lion. You see that phrase roaring lion? And always remember Bible interpret Bible. So how does the devil go about? Like a roaring lion, okay? In all my experience, I've never seen a lion attack because all the lions I see are at the zoo, but the lions that I see attacking on television, all right, documentary Nat Geo or whatever, I find them, you know, that they creep slowly. They never roar. They roar other times when they see a female or when they see, you know, or whatever. They can roar other times, but roaring is not a common practice of a lion. They do roar, don't misunderstand, but when they are going after a victim, they'll prow slowly. Have you seen that before? All right? And before you know it, out they come, okay? That is real power. The ones that roar a lot are the old lions who have no more power. "I am king, all right? This is my territory". You try to worn, so the thing is that with the devil roars, he's trying to frighten you.
Always remember that. True power won't even want the roar. They'll just get you, all right? And notice, "Seeking whom he may devour". That means there are some he cannot, for what. If every believer can be devoured, he won't be seeking. As far as you and I are concerned and our families, keep the devil seeking not our house, somewhere else. Amen. Are you listening, people? So I didn't want, you know, I heard teachings that says that means he tried to put fear in you. And that's not wrong. But Bible interpret Bible. So on my flight to Israel, this was early 2000, I remember that God spoke to me from a passage in Proverbs 19. Look at this: "The king's wrath," verse 12, "is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass". The king. Who is the king? Our Lord Jesus. Notice the king, his wrath is like the roaring of a lion, and in the future he will come back as the roaring lion, Lion of Judah, and there'll be judgment on the earth. You and I won't be here. We'll be raptured, okay?
Regardless of what people teach, all right, the Bible teaches rapture. The word rapture is not there like the word Trinity is not there, but the truth of Trinity is there, the truth of rapture is there. All right, we'll be raptured. Amen. We who are alive and remain will be caught up all of a sudden, forever young, forever strong, forever healthy. For how long? Forever, okay? The rapture can happen anytime. Amen. We are waiting for it. It's called the blessed hope, all right? But the Bible says the king's wrath. So we're not living in the days of the king's wrath. We are not, okay? Jesus is not angry. God is not mad at us, all right? Nonetheless, the Bible teaches the king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor... we are living in the days of grace. We are under his favor. His favor is like dew on the grass. Amen. Are you with me? Okay?
Now the king's wrath is like the roaring... so if the king is not angry of us, who is impersonating his wrath and then he makes you think it's the king that's angry with you? Notice the phrase roaring of a lion. Bible must interpret Bible. We cannot interpret Bible based on some famous men saying this, this, this. We cannot interpret Bible based on Pastor Prince even, all right? Is always based on Bible interpret Bible. Scripture is its own best interpretation. And here it says the devil goes about like a roaring lion. That means what? He's always giving you the sense God is angry with you, the king is angry with you, all right, God is angry with you. It's a cloudy sense of... you can't put your finger on it, but it's like you live under a cloud of God's anger. Many of it is caused by preachers, people in my department, my career. The pulpit has been responsible in putting people under a sense of God's anger instead of a sense of his love. And it's always this.
People have this perspective: "You people are backsliders. You people are, you know, just rebellious. Therefore, you must be reminded of God's anger". Remember in the Old Testament somebody reminded the people of God's anger when God didn't want that reminder, who was Moses. He hit the rock angrily and God says, "Moses, because you did this, you did not sanctify me. You didn't put me apart as holy and gracious to the people when they were murmuring. I want to give them water, but you smite the rock. You were angry," God says. This happened at the end of the wilderness journey. And God says, "Because you didn't represent me correctly, you didn't sanctify me, you didn't set me apart as gracious and compassionate, now the people think, when they look at you and they see you angry, they think I am angry. And because of this, Moses, they are entering the land, but you are not".
I used to think, "How come God is so severe"? I have an entire message on that. Some of you heard me preach on that. I expounded on that. But the thing is this: a leader that misrepresent God and they appear always angry, angry, angry, at the end, people always think that the pastor and the preacher in front, he represents God. He's a man of God. He knows God. So the thing if he is angry at you, you will think that God is angry at you. Are you listening, people? Some of this is not preachers. Some of this is the way we are brought up, whether it's patriarchal like the Jewish people, but most of it is matriarchal. Parents sometimes look at children with a face that says, "Beware of the dog". Children grow up looking at the face. And the mood, the happiness of the dinner table is commensurate with the level of the face, either the father or mother or both or sometimes they live with a grandparent.
And you heard the saying, "When mama ain't happy, nobody's happy". But the thing is this, church, all right, sometimes we are absorbed in some challenge that we are trying to resolve or whatever, and our child looks at us and we look at our child with a angry face, all right, when truly we are stressed, but the child doesn't know. You want a word of advice? One powerful key of parenting, smile deliberately at your child sometimes for no reason. Don't always smile when they do something good. Sometimes just tap them, smile at them, all right? From afar, smile at them. When they catch you reading a paper and your brows are knitted, when you look up, you look at them, remember to let go, smile, so they can differentiate, all right, you're not happy about the news, but you're happy with them. So many of them they grow up with this sense of, you know, "My father is not happy. My father is not happy. My father is not happy". And it affects their atmosphere. And many are times they end up doing even worse. They have done something wrong, okay, now I know the place of discipline.
"Pastor Prince, there's a place of discipline". I believe in that. I preach on it. But you can discipline without anger. You can be firm. "No, all right. This is the final time I'm saying this". Or even when they are small, all right, "Listen carefully. You do that one more time, all right, daddy will make sure that you are chastised for it. Okay"? And make sure you carry out. "Go to your room". All right? Whatever it is. The thing is this. You can be firm without anger, instead of like, you know, when the moon is full and, you know, you're growing hair and, you know, the claws are coming out, you know. I'm exaggerating to prove a point. But many are times they are simple thing, your face, your expression, you know, they...
I remember Jessica. There are times Jessica would tell the mother, "Why is daddy so angry"? Now I know I wasn't angry at all. I was driving my car, but my face was showing like I'm angry. I was thinking about some usually challenges in the church or whatever. I'm thinking about some situation, all right? And Jessica was very small at that time, and she would say, "Why is daddy angry"? That's how a child interprets it. And when a child grows with that sense, you know something? They will shunt it. They like to be around people who are happy. So they start seeking their friends, and you'll wonder why and you start getting angrier. And I tell you this: people who live, even wives who live under a sense of the husband's wrath die young. I can tell you stories of the stories. Nervous. You look at them. They're so nervous about what the husband, you know, this is wrong. It is so wrong.
"But, Pastor Prince, God is angry". God's anger is never disproportionate. God's anger is always righteous and holy. God can snap off the life of a person because if God allows this person to live on, he would destroy thousands. Are you listening? People will ask questions like, for example, "If God destroys, then why didn't God destroy him"? When God doesn't destroy, they say, "Well, how come God didn't destroy Hitler". So this one, they're not happy. This one's not happy. And there's a purpose for everything that's beyond your little peanut brain, but God is always just. You must believe that God is just, God is righteous, and this God sent his son to exhaust all his anger in his own body at the cross so that today when you and I fail, God is not angry, but he will show you love and his goodness, and the goodness of God will lead you to repentance. Amen. But you continue living in sin, all right, like Jesus didn't die for your sins, something is wrong. Either the person is not safe or the person is not saved. Okay. All right? Or something's really wrong.
I always suspect when a Christian lives in sin as a lifestyle, they are professors of the faith. They're not possessors of eternal life. Those who are saved may sin here and there, but they don't sin as a lifestyle. Are you with me? So that's not a message altogether. I got so many messages, but back to the topic at hand. This sense of God's anger is cutting down people's lives. In the Old Testament, it was actual, it was real, but today this sense that God is angry with me... "But, Pastor Prince, Jesus got angry". You sure? "Yes". You're right. In what incident? "Well, when he overthrew the money changers table and all that". Do you find the word anger there? I'm sure he was angry. He was zealous, all right? He drove them out with his whip and cord, yes, but it's not recorded for us. He may be angry, but what I'm saying is not recorded. The word anger doesn't appear. The only time the word anger, Jesus's anger appears, would you like to see it? 'Cause remember Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So what makes him angry back then is the same thing that makes him angry today, all right?
Mark 3, "And Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched him closely, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him". Now who is watching? The Pharisees. They are watching real close to see whether Jesus would heal him. Now, did they doubt Jesus can heal? No. But you know what's important to them? Not the healing of this man. Whether you will break the law, that's more important. It's sad sometimes when I see people, all right, claiming to be exponents of the law, but there's no love. Now Jesus never breaks the law to show love. I mean, one thing about beauty about Jesus, he shows love and compassion, but his standard is so high. His Moral Excellency is to be worshipped, all right? I mean, he never compromises, but you know something? When it comes to all of us, he's compassionate. So there was a man with a withered hand. This guy probably is without a job or his family depends on him. He's a breadwinner like in those days. He cannot work. His hand is withered. He had a withered hand. Another gospel account says it was his right hand.
Now, they watched Jesus to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath. See how cruel religion can be? How many realize we don't have a religion, we have a relationship? What they had was religion. So they watched him closely. Verse 3, "And Jesus said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Step forward.'". I love that Jesus doesn't back away from a challenge. "'Step forward. Then he said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill it?' They kept silent". Next, "And when he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.'. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees rejoiced and praised God, that God has miraculously healed this man, given him back his livelihood, and all the city rejoiced for the grace of God". Sorry, I read wrong, is it? "Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Jesus, how they might destroy him". For what? For healing a man on the Sabbath day.
That's how cruel religion can become. You can argue a case they're trying to defend the law or they're trying to keep the law. The law of the Ten Commandments has the Sabbath, is the fourth commandment. But what makes Jesus angry. The only place in the gospels that's recorded Jesus was angry is here. "He had looked round at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts". And this word grieved is the same word used in Ephesians, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. And, man, I'll tell you, when I grew up as a believer, I had all kinds of preaching. "Be careful, your hair color. Today is purple. Another day is blue. You're grieving the Holy Spirit. I can sense it. I'm grieved". Every time someone is jealous like a care leader, a female care leader is jealous of another girl, they'll say that, you know, "Her skirt is too short. My spirit is grieved. Actually, I don't believe in short skirts". What's the problem? Not enough cloth, is it? But I'll tell you this, okay, the thing is this, sometimes is not even short, but you know, the makeup is too thick. And all the while the problem is not discerning. You're not feeling the spirit. You're feeling a wrong spirit of jealousy, and it's not from God. You understand, folks?
You know, and charismatics have a field day of sensing, sensing, sensing. Go by the Bible. Bible interpret Bible. What grieved Jesus back then grieves the Holy Spirit because he's a spirit of Christ. What grieves him? In fact, the verse before that says let only words of grace come out of your mouth. In other words, this person does not deserve for you to say nice things. That's why some wife says, "I will never say I love you to my husband. I will never express affection until he starts treating me right". Well, there's no grace coming out, all right? You want tit for tat, okay? And both of you are in legalism. You are under law. "No, no, I belong to New Creation church". You are under law, man, woman, all right, or man. "You know, I will never tell my boy, all right, well done or whatever if he has done nothing". There's no grace coming out of your mouth, all right? You can just affirm your boy. You can just share your love with your boy before they accomplish anything so they know it's grace.
The Bible says when you don't speak words of grace, the verse before grief, not the Holy Spirit. If you don't speak words of grace, that's grieving the Holy Spirit. And we think when you speak profanity, that's grieving the Holy Spirit. But having said that, don't use profanity. All right, so this is the only place in the Bible it says Jesus is angry and he is grieved. It makes me angry when I see people abusing the Scriptures, all right, and all of a sudden, you know, people are suffering, people's lives have been cut short. I can't begin to tell you because it's too close to, you know, some situations, and people might suspect and know who is it and all that, but can tell you my pastors and I we have dealt with people, all right, when we look carefully, they're under a sense of wrath. Some of them had died before their time. And the wrath is perceived as God's wrath, but sometimes manifested through a parent or through a overbearing husband.
Now don't divorce that rascal, all right? Pray for him, but learn to cut off the anger, all right? Look at the face and they're angry, say that, "It got nothing to do with me. Your face is your face. Your anger is your anger". Smile. Somebody is always controlling and has a bad face, all right, smile. Don't let the person rob you of your joy. "But you know, Pastor Prince, if I respect the person, I must not show joy". No, the person needs your joy to turn around. That's true respect. Whether it's a parent, whether someone else, we are grown up. We are in our 40s, 50s, 60s, and we are still afraid of our parent. Honoring parent doesn't mean you're afraid. And why are you afraid? Because you grew up under a sense of anger. Amen. Honor your parents, yes, but honor them enough to cut free, and don't allow them to control you. All right?
Meanwhile, children, listen. The Bible says, "Honor your parents, you will live long". Samson did not. Samson died young. All right? Honor means what? Honor, respect, give way. It doesn't mean you allow your anger to make you morose, melancholy. Learn to cut. When I see someone's face sometimes, you know, quietly, I just cut. 'Cause they want their face to affect me. All right? I cut it, spiritually speaking. Your face is your face. It's not my responsibility. Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln says everyone above the age of 40 is responsible for their own face. If you look grumpy, it's because you are grumpy. All right? Don't blame it on anybody. Okay? Are you with me, people? Are you listening? This sense of, you know, God is angry with you, God is angry with you, all right it may come from the pulpit. It may come from a parent. It may come from an authority figure, okay? But it's not from God. Hallelujah. Look at Jesus. Look how beautiful he is.
I remember the first time I read the Bible, in the New Testament, someone gave me a New Testament. I was just a young boy, probably about ten years old. I read the gospels real fast, you know, and I was fascinated by the fact that Jesus, even as young I was, I wasn't even a Christian then. Young as I was, as I was reading it, I looked at all the stories, a simple, you know, translation, and I was fascinated by the fact that Jesus is angry at people who abuse others. I felt that's someone that I can admire. He's a hero. I felt like he's someone I can worship, and I wasn't even a Christian. I still remember how attracted I was by the stories of Jesus. I was thinking, as a young boy, I was thinking this is not like church, so frightening. And the music, "Mm, mm". I'm not against organ playing, okay? I'm not against organ music. I'm not against that, but I'm against all this, you know.
And they say the minister comes out, and he looks grief. You wonder why they use the word grief. And best of all, they love to wear black. I'm not against people wearing black. And then they want to point the finger and say, "He's too trendy". I couldn't help it. My wife dressed me up. You know, but the thing is this. None of these things matter. This wearing trendy won't get you to heaven. Wearing black, you won't escape hell. If you're not saved, it doesn't really matter to God. Amen? "Pastor Prince, your hair is too long". Honestly, so was Jesus's. I know many of them like me to comb back, put, you know, gel. But I can tell you in those days they never wore gel. You are too trendy. So, stop being religious, and let's get real. All right? Come on, let's be honest with people. The gospel is the greatest thing that we have in our possession. Amen?
"Well, Pastor Prince, what about people who, you know, that the world, the world is doing all kinds of crazy things, all kind of"... Don't assign judgment to them. And then you have a saying which I believe that a person who coined this saying meant well, is a good person, all right, but I dispute the statement, not the person. Someone says, "You know, if God doesn't destroy America, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah". Heard that before? Now, it sounds very logical. But can I say this? If God destroys America, God has to apologize to Jesus. How about that? Do you know that God did not even want to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? God didn't want to. Read the Bible, yo. You know, God had someone intercede. It was Abraham. Abraham says, "God, if you find 50 righteous, will you destroy"? God says, "No. For fifty's sake, I will not destroy". "How about 45"? He went down all the way to ten. If only he went to one, because there was one righteous, his nephew Lot. Remember, God said, "For ten's sake, I will not destroy". And Abraham stopped at ten. God's heart is not to destroy. And even God cannot stand fire and brimstone until Lot was out of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now, the Bible says Lot lived among the ungodly people, and it vexed his soul. "Now, Pastor Prince, you know, we are vexed with the ungodly people". But the thing is that at the same time there was another righteous man. His name is Abraham. He was on the mountain. Was he a compromiser? Why was he not vexed? He was fellowshipping with the Lord, breathing the fresh air of heavenly worship with the Lord. And when the judgment fell, Lot had to be delivered. Abraham had to look down. So, listen, back then Jesus had not even died yet. So, after that, we have prophets like Elijah sending judgment, fire from heaven. Remember that? They sent fire from heaven. You know, they came to arrest him one time, a captain with 50 of his men, said, "Come down! Elijah, come down"! And Elijah says, "Come down? If I am a man of God, let fire come down". They were all fired.
Then the next batch came, all right? They didn't learn their lesson. "Come down"! With weapons and all that. Elijah says, "Fire, come down". Whoosh. Critics fried, barbecued. Then the third one, the third one, the captain, he's smart. He says, "Have mercy, please. Hold your horses. Oh, prophet, I have to do what I'm told by the king. Please have mercy on my soul. And please come down". Elijah went down. Now, that's Old Testament prophet. And some will say, "Well, we've gotta use our authority". You know, our authority is not to destroy. "Well, Bible says that, you know, you've gotta frighten people sometimes, you know, call fire down". But let me show you Jesus, and with this we'll close. All right? Look at Luke 9. "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not", the Samaritans did not receive Jesus, "because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem".
Please understand this. The Samaritans believed that their mountain, and I've been there with my pastors. They believed that their mountain is where God has instituted the true worship of the God of heaven, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They believe the same God, but they believe it's their mountain. Whereas, the Jewish people, rightly so, believe it is Mount Moriah, rightly so. And seeing the time of Jesus until today, all right, they don't see eye to eye. Okay? So, the moment Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, because he knew he would die. This is his last journey by the way. He knew he was going to be crucified. All right? He set his face. I love it. He's not afraid, he doesn't back down. I love, I love the Bible. Like, you know, in movies like "David and Goliath," they show David backing away, backing away. But if you read the Bible, it said David ran to Goliath. That was something you never expect a 17-year-old to do. "You're a famous champion. Ha, ha, ha". And the boy is running. Most likely, he's got no chance, and, you know, he swung his stone, and you know the story.
Read the Bible for yourself. It's better than man's interpretation. All right? So, no delusion. But Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, and they knew he's going to Jerusalem, so they didn't receive him. All right? See the response of the disciples. Next verse, "And when His disciples James and John", you know who's John. The apostle of love. John says, "Let us love one another. Love is of God. Everyone that loves is born of God. Brothers, let us love one another". This same John, during the time of Jesus, with James, said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did"? Now, question, "Is there a Scriptural precedent"? Yes. Is it in the Bible? Yes. Are they following a great man of God? Yes. Who? Prophet Elijah.
Somebody said, "Well, Pastor Prince, you know, it talks about different dispensation; and but, you know, the Old Testament has a lot of"... Yeah, but look at what Jesus says, "Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of". He corrected them and said, "You don't know what manner of spirit you are of". Oh, by the way, Jesus does correct. To the seven churches he says, "Change your mind, repent, change your mind". He does correct. "As many as I love," he says, "I reprove". All right? By the way, just like you saw the word "rebuke," God promised he will never be angry with us nor rebuke us. The word "rebuke" there in the Hebrew is the word only used for God rebuking the Red Sea. It opened. It's used in another passage where, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan". Right, do you see that? And then in another place, the Lord will rebuke the devourer, Malachi, about the tithe. It is used in this passage just to show you it is not a correction. God will still correct us, but he has sworn he will never condemn us. He will never be angry with us. Correct us, yes, but correction doesn't have to be with anger. Amen. Are you listening, people?
I love my children. I correct them. I will never condemn them. But there are people who condemn their children, okay. And you can correct without anger. Learn that. Learn to be firm but not angry. Okay? So, "Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' And they went to another village". Some people say Jesus compromised. "Well, Pastor Prince"... But because it's Jesus, they do not say that. But ask yourself, isn't it the same today? Will God destroy America? There are more than ten righteous in America. Come on, people. There are more than 1,000, more than 10,000. Come on. There are millions of believers.
Let me tell you this. He's not in the business of destroying any cities now, any countries now. God is not in the business, he's not stating, all right? All right. And God is not shocked that sinners act like sinners. That's why he tells us to preach the gospel to sinners, because they are sinners. They're called sinners. If you say I work as a driver, that means that you drive all day long. All right? If you're a cook, that means you cook all day long. Does it mean if you're a CEO, you never cook? Yeah, you never cook, that's right, but what I mean is that let's say, you know, you're a lady CEO. You might love to cook, also. That doesn't mean you're a cook. We're not sinners. We were sinners. We got saved.
Now we are sons and daughters of God, but sometimes we sin. We don't have sin, but we sin. Okay? And there is no condemnation. We just pick ourselves up and live a life worthy of his name. And that gives me the platform. Which one will help your performance in holiness? To know that when you fall, there's no condemnation, or to think that unless you live holy, God will be angry with you, or the sense of God's anger or judgment is coming? Which will help you? Let me ask you this question. You know a flying trapeze in a circus, you know, there's a flying trapeze. They swing down, and then they do a double somersault or whatever. Okay? There are times when they remove the net. The drums will roll, the people will gasp, and then the person without the safety net, he will do it how many times? Only one time. The whole show, only one time, all right? And probably they'll do a double somersault, a triple somersault or whatever. Okay? And bang, people start clapping right now. They won't repeat and repeat and repeat. But before the show starts, you will find them with a safety net. They are doing all kinds of movement, and their movement is better than the one without the net. Some of them, they can go backwards, they can go, you know, they flip four times. Why? They know if they fail, there's the net.
So, the net is not like, ah, there's a net. I bounce, boom, boom, boom. I love to bounce on the net. They're not a flying trapeze performer. And there are people that are saying the people of grace, they're saying that we love to jump on the thing. No. We love to perform well, but thank God let's preach the safety net, as well. Amen. It enhances performance in holiness when you know there's a safety net. In fact, your performance is more like stressful when there's no net. And so, the drums roll to increase the stress. And you can't live that as a lifestyle. You will fall. Being afraid to fall, you will fall. Not being afraid to fall, most likely you fall less. That's the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you with me?
"For the Son of Man did not come to destroy". Please keep that in your heart. You do not know how to stand sometimes in all the different voices that's coming out, even from church, all right. In the last days, remember this. There was judgment, and there was anger, all right, before Jesus died on the cross. But for those who believe on Jesus, I think for those who believe on Jesus, God's favor is on them. God has sworn to them there's no anger nor judgment. And how is God's attitude to the world? There's still sin, and it's not covered by Jesus' blood. God is waiting, in love; but one day, when he raptures the church, Jesus returns, there'll be judgment poured out. Because if you don't receive the judgment poured out at the cross, you will receive the judgment, all right, that will be poured out after Jesus comes. The first time he came, he came as a lamb. This time he'll come as the lion. All right?
Don't forget, church, we are not there yet. So, let's not preach like we are in the dispensation of judgment. We are now in the dispensation of grace. Are you with me, people? So, will you please smile at your children? And you know something? Smile at your wife. And learn to kiss again. That's a word of knowledge right there, man. I'm telling you that's a word of knowledge right there. All right? Learn to kiss without it being a prelude. Kiss, stop there. Let her know that you're not trying to lead her somewhere to a promised land. All right? Okay? Very simple homework after this message. Look at your children, smile. Not after they've done something good. Wonderful to smile also, but especially when there's no reason, you smile at them. Probably they'll say, "What's wrong, Dad"? The first time, okay? The same for your spouse, the same for your parents, your grandparents, smile at them. Okay? It takes more muscles to frown and less to smile.
Turn to your neighbor and smile. Say, "From now on, I will not be angry with you". Some of you, you cannot do that, right? I cannot do that also. I cannot swear, I cannot swear to my daughter, my wife, even, I cannot even swear to my friends, I cannot swear to them that I will never be angry. I cannot, but God did, and God did it righteously, and God did it judicially. He has sworn, he has lifted his hand, so to speak. He will never be angry at us. Thank God for that. All right, there's judgment, yes, but we are under the dispensation of grace now. Amen? There'll be things that you don't understand when you read the New Testament, some parts that's meant for the professing believer, not believer but professing. And there's some that's the real believer, some things you don't understand. Just go by the plain Scripture. God has sworn. That's plain. Is it plain? All right? God has sworn.
And my friend, he loves you. I said he loves you. Do you know what he did? He sent his Son, Jesus, at the cross. Look at Jesus. If God thinks sin is light, then why the cross? No, sin is sin, and I hate sin. It cost God his Son. It cost Jesus untold suffering. I hate sin. But I tell you what, all right. I know that the way to overcome sin is to be absorbed in his love, to hear messages, more and more messages about his love, to come under the stance of his love and his grace. Pastors, preach more to the effect of putting people under the sense of his love. He will produce more holiness that way, and it will be a fruit. It will be genuine. It will be real. All right? It's very easy to put people under a sense of anger. It's natural. The flesh loves it. But it takes the anointing of the Holy Spirit to put people under the sense of his love, amen, people come under the sense of his love. They love him, and they will experience true morality and holiness. And all the people said: amen.
Every head bowed all across this place, everywhere that's watching this right now. My friend, God loves you very much, and God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. When you think about it, all right, this really happened. It's a love story, you know, and I never get tired to share it. It's a love story of God and mankind. Whatever passages you have read, or you have heard read to you in times past, that portray to you a God who is angry and all that, I would like to point you to the greatest meditation and focus you have, you can have of God, and that is this God sent his Son. This God loved you. Jesus himself said, "For God so loved the world," a world that blasphemes his name, a world that is wicked, killing one another, a world that glories in their shame, a world that is selfish and self-centered, and yet the Bible says, "For God so loved the world". He didn't love a holy world. He didn't love a clean world. When God loved the world, God knew that only his love can cleanse them from all their filth and sins. And God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. There was no other way. If there was a way, Jesus didn't have to die.
And on that cross, he bore your sins, he carried your sins, literally carried your sins. The Bible tells us, the Hebrew word nasah, to bear the burden on himself. All my sins and your sins was born in the body of Jesus Christ. And when he cried, "It is finished," my friend, it is finished. All of God's judgment, anger, condemnation against sins have all been finished at the cross, and that's why we are dead to sin. How are we dead to sin? Not through feeling sin ever again. No, you'll still feel sin, but you're dead to sin in the sense that you'll never, ever, ever be condemned for sin, because that's the only way Jesus died to sin on the cross. He never died for doing sin, because he never did sin. He died to the condemnation and guilt of sin. That's how we have to reckon ourself dead like he died. Friend, it's once and for all. There's nothing for you to perform or do but to receive. If that is you, wherever you are, pray this prayer with me and Christ will save you right now from all your sins. Say this:
Heavenly Father, I thank you that you sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for sinners. I'm a sinner, and I thank you that you love me and sent your Son. The greatest gift that you can ever give is Jesus Christ, and he died in my place, in my stead. He bore all my curse, my judgment, and condemnation. His blood washes me clean, whiter than snow, and you raised him from the dead to testify that all my sins that he bore have been put away. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, in Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen.