Overview

1. Introduction: In our Father’s house, there is no lack—only blessings of health, provision, and protection
2. With every fresh challenge comes a fresh opportunity to rest in Christ and receive His abundant provision
3. When you dwell in the secret place, you will enjoy long life and see many good days
4. Closing Prayer

Introduction: In our Father’s house, there is no lack—only blessings of health, provision, and protection

As the world grows increasingly worried about the COVID-19 virus, and as extra measures are being taken by governments worldwide advising against large gatherings, we as the church can still gather as one online.

This year’s theme, Time and Space, is more relevant and apparent now than ever.

VIDEO: The Theme of the Year 2020 video, featuring the Temple of Solomon, is shown on screen.

The Temple of Solomon is a representation of us—God’s glorious church.

The church of Jesus Christ is not a building or place, but a coming of God’s people together.

In the Temple of Solomon, there were side chambers attached to the temple where the priests dwelled. The priests are a picture of us—the body of Christ. We dwell near to God, our position being at the Father’s right hand.

Recap of the three chambers in the Temple of Solomon:

1. The first-floor chamber is where the grain, the wine, and the oil are stored. The grain and wine represent the holy Communion, which God has given us to be healthy and strong. The oil represents the anointing oil, which God has given us for healing and breaking of bondages. The elements also speak of the firstborn blessing, which is plentiful and holds the best blessings.
2. The second-floor chamber is where the sleeping quarters of the priests are, and it represents rest.
3. The third-floor chamber—the highest floor—is where the gold and treasures are stored, which speak of the blessings and provisions that await us. It also speaks of the Lord Jesus Himself, for knowing Him is the greatest blessing.

As the chambers extend upward, it grows larger, from five cubits, to six cubits, and then to seven cubits.

The first-floor chamber stores an abundance of grain, wine, and oil, and it speaks of the firstborn blessing that Isaac pronounced over Jacob (see Gen. 27:27–29).

The backstory of Jacob and Esau: The firstborn blessing is a blessing pronounced only on the firstborn son of each family in Israel, and is considered to hold the best blessings. Esau was the firstborn son and Jacob the second, but Jacob cheated Esau of his firstborn blessing by disguising himself before their father Isaac (who had poor vision and was unable to distinguish between his sons). While the act of cheating is wrong and in this case, had its own set of consequences following this situation, the Bible points out the spiritual significance of the Father’s firstborn blessing when Isaac gives it to Jacob.

Only in the firstborn blessing do you find the blessings of the grain and the wine (a picture of the holy Communion—the Lord’s Supper, which brings healing for God’s people).

The holy Communion has brought many testimonies of healing across the world and is precious to God’s heart. It is the way Jesus wants us to remember Him.

It’s interesting that the grain and the wine are only mentioned in the firstborn blessing because actually, many places in the land had grain, wine, and oil. Esau would have also had access to these necessary provisions in abundance! This tells us that the grain and the wine in the firstborn blessing is more than just natural grain and wine—it also carries spiritual significance. It’s talking about the holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper.

God wants us to value our firstborn blessing (which includes the grain and the wine), for they are His best blessings for us. As His children, it is for us to claim as our birthright.

The first-floor chamber in the Temple of Solomon where the grain, the wine, and oil is stored.

Concerning all the evil that is happening in the world right now—our provision and protection are found in the grain, the wine, and the oil.

Oil in the Bible represents the Holy Spirit. Being anointed with oil represents the power of the Holy Spirit applied on you.

Pastor Prince reminds us not to despise the physical symbol of the oil (as something that cannot make a difference), for God has ordained it to be holy and set apart. When we use the anointing oil, it is not just a ritual. It is us placing our trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring healing and protection.

“Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
— 1 Peter 1:5 NKJV

“kept by the power of God” — The word “kept” used in this verse also means “sealed,” which speaks of protection. Back then, the Roman seal was a seal that no one dared to break, and it protected whatever it sealed (for example, it was used to seal Jesus’ tomb). We are protected by an even greater power—that of the Holy Spirit today.

You are under the protection of the highest power—the Holy Spirit.

During this time, partake of the holy Communion and apply the anointing oil.

Pastor Prince points out that our theme of the year (Year of Time and Space) is not only relevant to our church, but to the rest of the world as well.

In light of the COVID-19 virus, both time and space have been restricted and constrained. People are advised to stay at home, and time seems to drag on endlessly as the world waits for an end to the virus.

Even as the world grows darker, the Lord will manipulate time and space for you and your family.

The Lord declares to you today that He is the Lord of time and space, and He will accelerate time, add or subtract time, and facilitate it to work in your favor.

The Lord can do that because He lives outside of time. When Jesus died for us on the cross, it happened outside of time—He died and paid for all the sins of those before us and in the future.

This is the reason why, when we partake of the Communion today, we are to receive it fresh from Jesus’ hands as though Jesus just died on the cross for us.

The first two miracles of Jesus depict Him as the Lord of time and space:

1. Jesus turned water into wine: This happened at a wedding in Cana, where the couple had run out of wine. Knowing the importance of serving wine in the Jewish culture, Jesus over-answered their need by turning twenty to thirty gallons of water into excellent wine. Naturally, excellent wine takes many years to mature, but Jesus compressed time and blessed the couple with fine wine to serve their guests (see John 2:1–10).
2. Jesus healed a man’s son while being miles away: This occurred when Jesus was again in Cana and a man travelled there to ask Him to heal his sick son, who was in Capernaum, many towns away. Instead of travelling there personally, Jesus spoke a word of healing, which the man believed by faith, and in that exact same moment, the man’s son was healed (see John. 4:46–54).

These miracles show that the Lord can manipulate time and space in your favor!

With every fresh challenge comes a fresh opportunity to rest in Christ and receive His abundant provision

This is the place that Pastor Prince believes is where the feeding of the five thousand took place in the Bible.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down (recline).’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down (recline); and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”
— John 6:10–11 NKJV

“much grass” — This picture of sitting down on the grass reminds us of Psalm 23—which talks about how the Lord is our Shepherd who makes us “lie down in green pastures.” To “lie down” also means to “sit down.”

“sit down (recline)” — In the Bible, when people sat down, it was the norm during those days to recline while seated at a table.

Position comes before provision.

As believers today, the Lord wants us to assume our position of rest, which is to sit down and recline.

Before there can be provision, the Lord has ordained for us to sit down, to recline, and be restful.

When we choose to sit down in rest instead of run around in stress, then the Lord is able to help us.

Pastor Prince shares from the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10, and encourages us to be like Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and received from Him by hearing His Word. Because Mary did that, she was able to do the right thing at the right time.

When you sit down and receive Jesus’ supply, your hands will know what to do, and your feet will know where to go—you will be at the right place at the right time.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”
— Psalm 23:1–2 NKJV

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures” — For sheep, green pastures is a picture of an abundance of food. This verse tells us that as Jesus’ sheep, He causes us to rest in His more-than-enough provision for us!

When you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (which is a gift), all these things (provision) shall be added unto you (see Matt. 6:33)!

Every fresh challenge is a fresh opportunity to sit down and rest!

If you are worried or stressed, pray Psalm 91 over yourself and your family, and claim the protection blessings that God has written for us to fuel our faith during tough times.

“He who dwells (“yashav” — sits) in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
— Psalm 91:1–2 NKJV

“dwells (“yashav” — sits)” — The Hebrew word for “dwell” is “yashav,” which also means “to sit.”

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4–7 NKJV

“made us sit together” — Our position in Christ is one where we are seated with Him in heavenly places.

What does it mean to be seated with Christ? It means that we are “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (see Eph. 1:21).

When you feel worried or stressed, remember that you are risen in Christ, far above anything that looks like it can hurt you. It doesn't matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, you are seated with Christ and you can rest in that high position of authority over all harm and danger.

You are healed, righteous, protected—not because of your own merit, but because of your position in Christ. So receive your promised blessings by faith!

The more you sit, the more you will see His grace.

“show the exceeding riches of His grace” — The reason God asks us to sit down is so that He can show us His undeserving, unmerited favor in the ages to come!

When you dwell in the secret place, you will enjoy long life and see many good days

In Hebrew, letters and words are read from right to left. So “yashav” is spelt: ”yod”, “shin”, “bet”.

“He who dwells (‘yashav’ — sits) in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV

“abide under the shadow of the Almighty” — To abide means to spend the night. This verse is extremely applicable to us now as we are all going through a night season. To abide under the shadow of the Almighty means that those of us who are seated with Christ will spend the night season under His protection.

In the Hebrew language, the emphasis is given to the first word of every sentence.

When you read Psalm 91:1 in the Hebrew Bible, you will see the Hebrew word “yashav” (to sit down) at the start of the verse. This tells us that God is placing an emphasis on sitting down—resting.

Using the Bible Code (see video at the end of these notes to find out more about the Bible Code), Pastor Prince shows how God has hidden in His Word truths about the life of rest He wants us to live.

When you count in equidistant patterns of three, you will see the Hebrew letters, “yod”, “shin”, and “bet”, which form the Hebrew word, “yashav” (to sit down), at the end of the verse.

So Psalm 91:1 starts with sitting down and ends with sitting down! This is a picture of our lives—it starts with resting, and ends with resting.

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.”
— Psalm 91:3 NKJV

“Surely” — Out of all the promises of protection in Psalm 91, God chose to use the word “surely” here to give us the double assurance of His promise to deliver us from the perilous pestilence (which includes COVID-19).

When you look at the Hebrew word for “fowler,” and count forward in equidistant patterns of three, you will once again see the Hebrew word, “yashav” (to sit down) split up in the Hebrew letters, “yod”, “shin”, and “bet” (see Ps. 91:3).

When you sit down (rest), the Lord will deliver you. He says to you today, "Do not fear for the battle is Mine!" All you need to do is to position yourself in rest and see His salvation.

The Lord will fight for you and save you.

The word “salvation,” in Hebrew is “Yeshua,” which is actually Jesus’ name. It means “to save, rescue, and deliver.”

The verb form of the word “salvation” is the Hebrew word “yasha,” which means “to save.”

According to the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, this is the full definition of “yasha”:
“To be spacious, ample, broad, figuratively to be opulent. The signification of ample space is in Hebrew applied to liberty, deliverance from dangers and distresses, as on the other hand narrowness of space is frequently used of distresses and dangers.”

While the world is experiencing narrowness of space, we are enjoying ample space!

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.”
— Psalm 91:3 NKJV

“fowler” — A fowler is someone who sets a trap, and in this context, it is the devil. When you are not seated at rest, he leaves a trap. Sometimes, you can have lying symptoms in your body, but instead of falling into the devil’s trap of questioning your healing, you can rebuke those symptoms with Jesus’ authority and maintain your position of rest, knowing that healing is already yours to claim.

God’s desire is for us to live days of heaven on earth (see Deut. 11:21).

God has promised His people good days (plural), compared to an evil day (singular) that we will experience in the end times before He returns for us.

When you are planted in the house of God, you will flourish.

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
— Psalm 92:12–15 NKJV

“palm tree” — Palm trees speak of fruitfulness.

“cedar” — Cedar speaks of majesty, and a tree that can live for hundreds of years.

When you are planted in the house of God, you will flourish outside in the world (courts).

God wants us young and flourishing to show that He is upright, and the Rock of our salvation.

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
— Psalm 92:12–15 NKJV

Here, we find the secret to growing young.

“flourishing” — “Flourishing” also means “green”—a picture of youth. The Hebrew letter, “yod” is found in the Hebrew word for “flourishing,” which is “ra’naniym.”

When you count in an equidistant pattern of nine backwards, you find the Hebrew letters “shin”, and “bet”.

Here in Psalm 92:14, you will find “yod”, “shin”, and “bet” in reverse, which tells us that:

God reverses your old age as you rest.

“old age” — The Hebrew word for “old man” is “seybaah.”

When you look at the Hebrew word, “seybaah”, you will see the Hebrew word “yashav” in reverse (“yod” — “shin” — “bet”).

God wants to renew your youth like the eagles, which is a literal renewal.

Pastor Prince closes the service by declaring a blessing over the congregation for the renewal of youth, and for rejuvenation of memory. He also reminds the church to follow the rhythm of grace and to always start with a posture of rest.

He also calls out these physical conditions to be prayed for:

1. Migraines
2. Growths in the chest
3. Joint conditions

Closing Prayer

“The Lord bless you throughout this coming week, you and your family. The Lord bless you and your little ones. The Lord bless you with the blessings of Deuteronomy 28, the Lord bless you with the blessings of father Abraham. The Lord bless you richly this week. May the blessings of God manifest, and when you see it, give God all the glory and the praise. The Lord keep you, the Lord preserve and protect you. Surely He shall deliver you, you and your loved ones throughout this week from the COVID-19 virus, from every infection, from every disease, from evil people, from all the powers of darkness, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And the Lord lift up His countenance on you, smile on you and grant to you His wonderful favor—His favor that opens doors of opportunity, doors that are otherwise closed. His favor is upon you. The Lord grant favor to you and your loved ones. In Jesus' name, you will walk in the favor of God, everywhere you go, and the Lord will lift up His countenance on you. The Lord smile on you, and the Lord impart to you and your loved ones His shalom peace, wholeness, well-being and health. In Jesus' name, and all the people said, Amen.

God bless you. We'll see you again!”

Bonus content

To find out more about The Bible Code that Pastor Prince uses in this sermon, watch this video:

This is an excerpt from: Secrets Of The Bible Code Revealed. C3 Entertainment, 1999.

We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.

© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2020
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.