Face Life Without Fear—Secrets Unveiled In Isaiah 53
Sunday, 1 March 2020
These are notes on the sermon, Face Life Without Fear—Secrets Unveiled In Isaiah 53, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 1 March 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince begins the service by reminding the congregation that in the midst of the turmoil in the news, we have nothing to be worried about.
God is not the one behind the COVID-19 virus. Yet, He is still in control and He will work everything out.
The events we see happening in the world today are signs that Jesus is coming back soon.
The disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His coming, and Jesus’ reply was:
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many”
— Matthew 24:3-5 NKJV
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” — In the last days, we will see leaders who will point people to themselves and not to Jesus.
True churches will always glorify Jesus. The pastor will always point the people to Jesus. The church is not reliant on just one pastor to preach and minister God’s Word.
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In Psalm 91, there are two Hebrew words that express “trust”.
The first word is:
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
— Psalm 91:2 NKJV
“in Him I will trust” — in Hebrew, the word is “batach” and it means, “I rely on you” and “to trust.”
The second word is:
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
— Psalm 91:4 NKJV
“take refuge” — The word in Hebrew is “chacah” and it literally means “to take refuge.”
In this time of turmoil, Pastor encourages the people to take refuge and trust in God. Pray for your entire family and put them under Jesus' wings of protection.
Pastor Prince begins a time of ministering, where he prays for:
When the church comes together in worship, we experience healing!
We live in a world where death seems inevitable.
God did not create the world this way. When Adam sinned, all creation fell along with him (see Rom. 5:12).
But everything changed when God sent His Son to die on the cross for us and raised Him from the dead, never to die again. Jesus is in a place where death can never touch Him.
Today, we have a Man in heaven representing us and He is praying for us. Jesus is calm and far above every virus, far above every principality and power (see Eph. 1:20–21).
Jesus went to the cross to represent you. He had no reason to be judged and executed because He was sinless.
As a believer, it is important to understand that Jesus went to the cross as you. The Bible says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us...” (2 Cor. 5:21).
In God’s eyes, whatever happened to Jesus at the cross happened to you.
Spiritually, when Jesus was buried, we were buried in Him. When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised in Him.
Today, we have resurrection life flowing in our spirits, even though we are in an unresurrected body that is subject to decay. When Jesus returns for us, we will all receive a brand new, incorruptible body like His—this is our final inheritance. In that body, we will never be sick, never grow old, never feel bored, and never ever die.
Right now, Jesus is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God (see Eph. 1:20). We are in Him, so we too are seated at the right hand of God! We are members of His body, and we are joined with Jesus as one spirit (see 1 Cor. 6:17).
That is why whenever we see symptoms of sickness in our bodies, we have the right to declare, “As Christ is, so am I in this world.” (see 1 John 4:17)—because we are seated with Him at God’s right hand. If Jesus isn’t sick, then we can declare that to be true for ourselves too.
In Christ, we have a new identity and we are on the other side of the grave.
In the Old Testament, God gave a condition for Israel to receive all the blessings found in Deuteronomy 28. The condition was:
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”
— Deuteronomy 28:1 NKJV
“to observe carefully all His commandments” — In order for Israel to be “set on high” and enjoy all the blessings of God, they needed to keep all of God’s commandments.
Therein lies the problem: We cannot keep all of God’s commandments. We cannot live under the law.
For this reason, Jesus came and He fulfilled the law for us and now all the blessings of God are ours because we are seated with Christ.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God”
— Deuteronomy 28:1–2 NKJV
“the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth” — Because Jesus has fulfilled the law for us, we are “set high above the nations.”
“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you” — Before the blessings come on you and overtake you, God positions you “on high” first.
Back then, Israel longed to be set on high, but they had to keep all the commandments. And they never made it.
But for us today under the new covenant, we are in Christ, who is seated on high at the Father's right hand.
We are seated with Christ. God raised us together with Jesus and He set us there. When God looks at you today, He looks at Jesus.
Our lives are all about seeing Jesus. When we see Jesus, we become like Jesus.
In Psalm 91, we see a similar picture of “sitting” and receive God’s blessings.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV
“dwells in the secret place of the Most High” — What is this secret place? It is in Christ. Back in the Old Testament, it was a secret because Christ had not come to fulfill the law. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, it was no longer a secret place. As believers, we are all seated with Christ in heavenly places. It’s not about fulfilling conditions so that we can get there—we are already there. That’s why all the blessings of protection in Psalm 91 belong to us.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV
“Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” — “Shadow” is a picture of protection.
As you go about your daily life, be conscious that you are seated with Christ (a place of protection).
Because you are seated with Christ:
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you
— Psalm 91:7 NKJV
Start to see the way God sees—that you are seated with Christ, far above all danger.
Don’t go by what you can see in the physical realm.
Going by what we can see with our physical eyes is extremely limited. Even though this virus is in the physical realm, we can’t even see it!
We cannot go by what we see in the physical realm. What is visible is temporal, what is spiritual is eternal.
In the first place, the physical came out of the spiritual. God is a spirit, and He brought forth the physical. The way we change our negative physical situations by is believing and declaring what Jesus has done for us in the spiritual realm. When we see ourselves seated with Christ, when we believe it and declare it, our physical situations will line up with that.
Don’t claim and confess God’s promises out of fear and restlessness, claim them from your position of rest. It is already done. You’re confessing it because it is true, not in order to make it true. You are already in the secret place of the Most High.
During your day, take the time to pause, relax, and remind yourself that you are not trying to be protected—you are already in a position of rest and protection because you are seated with Christ.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, there were no seats because the priest’s work was never finished. They were constantly atoning the sins of the nation with the blood of bulls and lambs which were only symbols of Jesus’ blood.
But Jesus, “having purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). Jesus sat down for this reason—His work was finished because He purged all our sins.
Jesus, once and for all, paid for all our sins. You must rest in the truth that your sins are fully forgiven.
When our hearts and conscience are rested in this truth, we experience healing.
In Hebrew, the root word of “heal” is “rest.”
When we relax, we will see God’s healing.
Because our sins are forgiven and we are seated with Christ, we do not have to be afraid of any possible health concerns. We do not have to fear the pestilence that walks in darkness.
You might not know where the virus walks, but the Lord does. And you are protected in Him.
The devil wants you to stay home and do nothing but be fearful. We cannot live like that. We are meant to live life with the assurance that our safety is in the Lord.
This does not mean that we shouldn’t walk in wisdom and practice good hygiene. We should do all that, but still place our trust in the Lord above all else.
A Christian does not automatically come under God’s promises of protection. His protection is for the Christian that says, “Lord, under your wings, I take refuge.” (Ps. 91).
Don’t let anyone make you feel like you do not qualify for God’s promises and blessings. Today, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are seated with Him. Even if you are a young believer, or a believer who does not have much Bible knowledge, you are seated with Christ.
The secret place is not a position earned by merit, it is a position you inherit once you believe in Jesus and everything He did for you at the cross.
The reminder for us to “sit” also appears in the very first verse of Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV
“He who dwells” — The Hebrew word for this phrase is “yashav” which means “to sit down.” The first word in Psalm 91 tells us to sit down. God is telling us that we dwell in safety when we rest.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV
“Most High” — The name of God here is “Elyon.” The first time “Elyon” appears in the Bible is when Melchizedek brings bread and wine to Abraham (see Gen. 14:18).
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
— Genesis 15:1 NKJV
“these things” — “these things” refer to the bread, wine, and tithe because prior to this verse, Melchizedek brought the bread and wine to Abraham, and in response, Abraham tithed.
After the bread, wine, and tithe, God tells Abraham, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
— Genesis 15:1 NKJV
“Do not be afraid” — this is the first time this phrase appears in the Bible, and it is spoken by God. God’s heart is for His people to never be afraid. Later on, Jesus also uses this same phrase to encourage His disciples.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
— Genesis 15:1 NKJV
“I am your shield” — In the midst of this virus situation, God is telling us that He is our shield, He is our protection from the virus.
Put your family and loved ones under His wings of protection. Honor God with your faith and say, “Lord, I receive you as my shield.”
Pray over yourself and your family: "Father, You are my shield. I trust in You. In Jesus’ name."
Not only is God your shield, but He is also your exceedingly great reward.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
— Genesis 15:1 NKJV
“your exceedingly great reward” — “Reward” literally means “salary” and “compensation.” He is your “exceedingly great” compensation.
When God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you,” (Genesis 12:3), He really meant it.
This promise still applies for Israel. Because God made a covenant with Israel, He watches over this nation and will protect them.
This Abrahamic blessing “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you,” (Genesis 12:3) applies to us too, and that’s why Jesus asked us to pray for our enemies. They need it.
If anyone does something to you, pray for them because God is watching out for you.
Pastor Prince shares about a man who kicked his wife’s hand when she was reading the Bible and his feet swelled up the next few days.
It is not true that there is no judgment in the New Testament. The judgment in the New Testament is for those who stand against the gospel or hurt God’s people.
There are two examples of this. The first is Elymas the sorcerer who tried to interrupt Paul’s preaching and Elymas became blind for a season (see Acts 13:8–11). Another example is of a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who were not believers. They came into the church to deceive God’s people. When Peter confronted them about their lies, they denied lying and both of them died.
As believers, this will not happen to us because Christ bore all our sins.
The judgment fell upon those people because they were trying to hurt God’s people. This shows us how protective God is over His people.
God’s heart is for us but He will not force His protection upon us (see Matt. 23:37).
If you do not want Jesus, He will walk away. The town of Nazareth rejected Jesus as the Messiah and He walked away. Because they did not receive Jesus, only a few people received their healing. This in itself is judgment.
The gospel is preached for your sake. When you receive Jesus, you are the one who benefits.
God’s heart is not to punish and we see this when the people of Samaria rejected Jesus. John suggested calling down fire like Elijah did, but Jesus rebuked John for such a suggestion and simply just walked away.
That city lost because no one was healed and set free that day.
When we see the word “LORD” in the Bible, it is actually “Yahweh” in Hebrew. We read Hebrew from right to left.
“Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.”
— Isaiah 53:4 NKJV
“Surely” — is “aken” in Hebrew which means a positive assertion. God wants to emphasize that not only did Jesus pay for our sins, He also bore our sickness. Healing is in the atonement.
“griefs” — “kholee” which means sickness.
“sorrows”— “makov” which means pains.
When you put these together, it is clear that Isaiah 53:4 is talking about how Jesus’ atonement was not just our sins, but also for our healing.
Another example that shows that Jesus bore our diseases at the cross:
“that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
‘He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.’”
— Matthew 8:17 NKJV
When Jesus hung on the cross, He looked hideous because He was bearing all the diseases of the world, all the growth and all the tumors, of mankind. So much so that the Bible says, “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14).
Jesus was punished because of our sins. He carried our sins and our diseases at the cross.
Secrets found in the Hebrew letters of Isaiah 53:4
God’s name (Yahweh) can be found in the last part of Isaiah 53:4.
The letters “yud hei vav hei” can be found exactly 4 letters apart.
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
— Isaiah 53:4 NKJV
God’s name is found in this portion of Isaiah 53:4 because God wants us to know that when the world despised His Son, God honored Him by writing His name down.
We see God hiding His name in the book of Esther too. This is the only book in the Bible where God’s name doesn’t appear, but it’s hidden in the acrostic form of certain verses. You can find out more about God’s name in the book of Esther in this sermon: Where is God in the Midst of Your Trouble?
When Jesus hung on the cross, there was a sign hung above Him in three different languages. The words in Hebrew translated in English were: Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.
Reading from right to left, the first letter in each of the Hebrew words spelled “Yahweh.” This is why the Pharisees demanded that Pontius Pilot change the sign.
Jesus loves us very much. He's the only one who could choose where to be born, yet He chose to be born in a manger. He chose to walk among the lowly and the poor. He is kind but powerful. He is humble yet full of dignity and glory. He is full of virtue and holy, however, His holiness doesn’t alienate, His holiness draws people with needs.
With Jesus, everything is in perfect balance.
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Besides God’s name “Yahweh,” the Hebrew word for anointing oil can also be found in Isaiah 53:4.
Pastor does a quick recap on the Hebrew word for oil which is “shemen”.
We can find the word “shemen” in the first portion of Isaiah 53:4. The letters of “shemen” are all 13 letters apart.
The bread (of the holy Communion) can also be found in the finished work of Jesus, in Isaiah 53:5.
“Bread” in Hebrew is “lechem.”
The word “lechem” can be found in Isaiah 53:5. The letters of the word are all 9 letters apart.
Bread (“lechem”) is found in reverse (left to right) because God wants you to know that every time you partake, He is reversing your condition. He is also reversing the years the locust has eaten. He is renewing your youth like the eagles!
God will reverse whatever the devil is doing. He is in control!
“The Lord bless you with the blessings of father Abraham, the blessings of Deuteronomy 28. This coming week, the Lord bless you and your families with more than enough. The Lord bless you to be at the right place at the right time. The Lord is smiling on you and your loved ones throughout this week and the Lord will position events, position people, all to work for your good.
Surely His goodness and mercy will accompany and hunt you down. You'll run smack into His goodness this week. Amen. You do not need to be afraid of the pestilence that walks in darkness for He has given His angels charge over you throughout this week and they will keep you, they will keep you from the COVID-19 virus and from every sickness and from every evil and from the power of the evil one. The Lord lift up His countenance on you even now to impart to every one of you His shalom health, well-being, renewal of youth and strength like the eagles. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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.
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