These are notes on the sermon, Give Me This Mountain!, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 9 September 2018, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Child of God, it’s time to take what’s yours. Learn from the story of Caleb who boldly said, “Give me this mountain!” and claimed it as his inheritance.
We hope these notes will help you understand:
In this sermon, Pastor Prince talks about the importance of knowing your position and inheritance as a child of God, and how to keep believing and keep possessing what’s rightfully yours!
Pastor Prince greets the church and tells us to greet the people around us. Sometimes the people who seem the happiest or the most positive are the ones who need encouragement the most.
That’s why it is so important for the gift of prophecy to be exercised in the church. Prophecy edifies, exhorts, and comforts people (see 1 Cor. 14:3).
We need comfort in this world. The world values profit; people of the world value each other for what they can gain from each other. But the church is a place where we love each other without an agenda.
The Church is the earth’s bastion of hope.
It’s the only place we find true love and the answers we’re looking for.
It’s Heaven’s cure to earthly cares.
Another place of hope is family.
Family should always be a refuge.
An oasis of love.
A place where you are always accepted no matter what mistakes you make.
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The body of Christ is here to support you. To help you resolve your problems, to help you make wise decisions.
Don’t let the first thing you do when you are facing a dilemma be to go to the world for advice. Seek counsel from the church first. Seek people who have a walk with God. Seek people who hear God. They are wise.
In the multitude of counselors, there is safety (see Prov. 11:14).
Jesus says that when 2 or 3 are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them (see Matt. 18:19–20). Why does He say that when He already said He would never leave or forsake us (see Heb. 13:5)?
Because there is a corporate anointing when people are gathered in His name. Jesus’ presence manifests in a special way.
Pastor Prince ministers to precious people in the congregation who are unwell and prays for those who have these conditions:
Pastor Prince explains how this is the manifestation of the Spirit—this is what happens when God’s people come together in Jesus’ name!
Jesus as our sacrificial offering to God is the fulfilment of all the animal offerings in the Old Testament (see Leviticus). But torture was never something the animals ever had to endure. They were always killed humanely.
So why did Jesus have to go through such horrible torture?
Because He wanted us healed. He was beaten and scourged so that “BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED” (see Isa. 53:5).
He went through something no sacrificial animal went through to pay the price for our health and wholeness.
Pastor Prince closes this time of ministry by saying a prayer over the entire congregation.
“Receive your healing right now. From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Father in Heaven, I release into their bodies the healing virtue that was purchased by the stripes that fell on Jesus’ back. By His stripes, you are healed. Be healed in Jesus’ name. Power goes into your body right now, effecting a cure in that organ, in that function. In Jesus’ name, receive it right now. Amen.”
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
— Galatians 4:1–7 NKJV
The devil does not want us learning about grace and the spirit of sonship because it will cause us to possess our inheritance.
When people received their healing earlier in the service, that was them receiving their inheritance.
Pastor Prince shares a story that illustrates the condition of believers who do not receive their inheritance. There was a homeless man in Bolivia who didn't know he had received a $6,000,000 inheritance. When the police came to bring him the news of his inheritance, he ran from them, thinking that they were going to arrest him for some wrong he had done.
Today, many believers are like that homeless man. They are running from God, thinking He is after them to punish them. As a result, they are not possessing their inheritance.
Galatians 4 talks about our inheritance—what it means to be a son and own our inheritance.
“the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” — The word “child” in Greek is “nepios,” which means “infant.” There is a difference between being a son and being a child. A child cannot drive his father’s car, not because he misbehaves, but because he is a child. He’s too young.
“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world” — To be a child is to be under the elements. The word “elements” is the Greek word “stoicheion,” which refers to rules and regulations, i.e. the 10 commandments.
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” — The moment we are saved and are no longer under law but under grace, we are sons. No longer children, but sons. Yes, there is a journey of spiritual growth, but that is found in the epistles of John. Galatians 4 is talking about our immediate position as sons once we are born again.
Once you are a son, you can take your father’s car. You have an inheritance that you can claim!
Galatians 4 talks of our position as sons of God. It is not a position that we have to earn. It is a position that we have been given because Jesus has redeemed us.
Jesus came to reveal God as “Father.”
The name “Father” that Jesus came to reveal changes the way that we relate to God.In the upper room right before He went to the cross, Jesus introduced a new kind of prayer to His disciples. He told His disciples, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24).
Before this, Jesus had taught His disciples how to pray the Lord’s Prayer. And His disciples had healed the sick and cast out demons, etc. So what is this new prayer that they had never prayed before?
It is the prayer that carries the Spirit of the Son. The prayer “in Jesus’ name” that sees God as Father.
God wants us to see Him as Father. He wants us to have a sense of family, of love.
We can’t get New Testament blessings with an Old Testament position and mindset of slavery. We need to know that we are sons, not slaves.
The only way we can inherit is to know that we are sons.
Galatians 4 is all about inheritance: “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Many times in the Bible, we are given 2 characters that show us a contrast between a victorious Christian life and a defeated Christian life. And we can learn from their stories.
For example, Abraham and Lot. Abraham was a victorious righteous man. Lot was a defeated righteous man. Lot was righteous but he touched things of the world that brought negative consequences on him and his house. From his story, we learn not to bring junk from the world into our homes. It will affect our families.
Today, we are looking at another 2 biblical characters who show us an important contrast: Joshua and Caleb. There came a time when Joshua grew old and stopped possessing his inheritance, while Caleb never grew old and never stopped possessing his inheritance.
“So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.”
— Joshua 11:23 NKJV
“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.”
— Joshua 13:1 NKJV
Is there a contradiction between these 2 verses? No. It’s one thing to go to war and fight for the land. It’s another thing to get what you fought for but not take possession of it.
“The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting…”
—Proverbs 12:27 NKJV
For example, today, people have many Christian books, sermons, DVDs, and sermon notes. But they don’t feed on it. It’s not a matter of not having enough time. It’s a matter of slothfulness.
Make time to read and consume all the books and materials you bought. Meditate on it. Chew on it. Savor it bite by bite!
Joshua conquered all the land God had given them in chapter 11. Yet in chapter 13, there was still much more land to possess.
The children of Israel were not enjoying the possessions that were theirs.
When you don’t possess the land that is yours, the enemy will step in. If you don’t take up the role that God has given you to parent your children and instead you leave them alone, the enemy will step in. Whether it is through the negative influence of their friends, the media, etc.
“all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon as far as the Brook Misrephoth, and all the Sidonians—them I will drive out from before the children of Israel; only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you.”
— Joshua 13:6 NKJV
Is there still a fight to be fought even after the land has been conquered and has been given to you as an inheritance? Yes, but it is a fight of faith. A fight to possess what is already yours.
In contrasting Joshua and Caleb, we find the secret to staying young, staying strong, and having the faith and ability to possess our inheritance.
“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.”
— Joshua 13:1 NKJV
Joshua grew old. But there was someone close to Joshua’s age, only 7 years younger, who didn’t grow old: Caleb.
There’s a lesson from Joshua’s life that if you spend your life always fighting, always being stressed out, you’ll wear out and grow old real fast.
Caleb stayed young. How?
“Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.” And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”
— Joshua 14:6–13 NKJV
“You know the word which the LORD said” — Caleb knew God’s Word. Many children of God don’t know God’s Word. They know what preachers say. But they don’t know what God says. Get familiar with the Word of God!
“concerning you and me” — Caleb knew what God’s Word said about him. Today, we read the Bible to see Jesus, but also to see what God specifically says about us. What does He say about our inheritance?
Ephesians 1:3–14 shows us what God says about us. It shows us the magnitude of our inheritance.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
— Ephesians 1:3–14 NKJV
“blessed us with every spiritual blessing” — Continue reading these verses to see all the spiritual blessings God has given us.
“without blame before Him in love” — Because you are in Christ, God sees you without blame. Not only does He see you without blame, but He sees you in love. God is in love with you!
“accepted in the Beloved” — The Word “accepted” is the Greek word “charitoo,” which means “highly favored.” It is the same word to describe Mary whom God chose to be the mother of Jesus (see Luke 1:28). That same level of favor is yours. And notice that this phrase in Ephesians 1:6 does not say “highly favored IN CHRIST.” It says “highly favored IN THE BELOVED.” God wants you to feel loved when you think about your inheritance. He wants you to feel warm.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” — The word “have” is the Greek word “echo,” and it is in the present active tense. It means to actively hold on to the fact that we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness of sins.
“according to the riches of His grace” — You are forgiven ACCORDING to the riches of God’s grace—not OUT OF the riches of His grace. This means that the vast extent of God’s grace is the vast extent of how forgiven you are!
Continue to read the book of Ephesians (especially chapter 1) to learn about your inheritance.
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Back to Joshua 14:6–13: Caleb’s secret to staying young and possessing his promised land.
“Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.” And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”
— Joshua 14:6–13 NKJV
“I was forty years old” — Caleb remembered and marked the age he was when he stopped aging. Pastor Prince shares how when he turned 40, he marked it as the age he would stop growing old.
“I brought back word to him as it was in my heart” — Caleb had God’s Word and promises in his heart (see Num. 14:7–9). He treasured the Lord’s words in his heart. The inheritance was in Caleb long before Caleb was in the inheritance. God’s Word was in his heart before his body was experiencing the promises in God’s Word.
“Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.” — Caleb wholly, completely, followed the Lord.
“Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.” — Caleb knew that he was not fighting for new land; he was simply possessing what was already his. He understood that his inheritance already belonged to him.
“the LORD has kept me alive” — Caleb knew that it was the LORD who had kept him alive. We need to know that it is God who is keeping us alive. Not what we do, not our exercise, not our doctors.
“ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses” — Caleb wholly believed God’s word through Moses that they would claim their inheritance. That’s when he stopped growing old. He WHOLLY believed God’s promise. He wholly kept it in his heart.
The result? God kept Caleb young and strong to possess his inheritance!
“As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in” — Caleb had strength for war, and strength for daily life. This is not just spiritual strength. He had physical robust strength! Isaiah 40:31 says, “... those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
“give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day” — Caleb was 85 years old and still strong, still young! God never told Caleb that he was old, but He did tell Joshua that he was old. God kept Caleb young. God honored the word that Caleb had been keeping in his heart.
“It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said” — In the Hebrew, it is not a tentative “it may be that the Lord is with me.” It is a strong and sure “SINCE” the Lord is with me. Caleb knew the Lord had been with him all this time.
Caleb’s daughter was just like him—she carried the spirit and ability to possess what belonged to her.
“And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.”
— Joshua 15:16–19 NKJV
“He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife” — In Hebrew, “Kirjath Sepher” means “city of the book,” which represents the Word of God. “Achsah,” Caleb’s daughter, represents the most precious possession. Those who claim and master the Word of God will have the power to possess what is most precious to them.
“Othniel” — He is the one who conquered Kirjath Sepher. His name means “lion of God,” and he represents Jesus. In Revelations 5, only the Lion of Judah could open the heavenly scroll. It is only Jesus who can open the Word of God to us. With Him, we can master the Word and possess what is precious to us.
“Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” — Caleb’s daughter is just like him. She keeps possessing. She was not pleased with there being squatters in the land, so she asked for it. She asked for the upper and lower springs.
What do these springs signify with regard to our Christian walk?
When we master the Word of God, we will have the power to possess our inheritance. But sometimes, the Word of God gets dry. When that happens, ask God for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be UPON you (the upper spring) and WITHIN you to lead you (the lower spring).
Upper Spring = When the Spirit comes upon you, you have the power to do mighty exploits in Jesus’ name. You are able to function in the assignment He’s called you to do.
Lower Spring = The Spirit within you to lead you on a day-to-day basis. He is always with you in this way.
Another pair of characters that shows us an important contrast: Peter and John.
Peter was the disciple who boasted of his love for Jesus (see Mark 14:29). John was the disciple who boasted of Jesus’ love for him (he called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his gospel).
The result?
“This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.””
— John 21:20–22 NKJV
“Follow Me.” — Jesus had to tell Peter to follow Him.
“Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] following” — Jesus never had to tell John to follow Him. John was already following Him.
John was already following Jesus and didn’t have to be told to do so because he knew that Jesus loved him. Peter, on the other hand, had to be told to follow.
So how come Caleb could follow God so wholeheartedly? Because, like John, he was conscious that God loved him.
“Stand to your feet, children of God. The more we address each other as children of God, the more we are helping each other to inherit. The more we have a spirit of sonship, the more we inherit. The more we call God “Father,” the more we inherit.”
Pastor Prince closes the service with a prayer for family blessings and protection.
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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 2018
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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