These are notes on the sermon, Hope For The End Times, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 9 October 2022, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince starts the service with a time of worship and ministers to the congregation for afflicted areas and various health conditions. During this time, he also releases a word from the Lord that he received—God is releasing His creative miracles in our bodies, renewing parts that need to be renewed and restored.
As the Word of God goes forth, we receive our healing. As we listen to the preached word, we receive faith to believe. And as we believe, we receive God’s promises for us!
In Jesus’ second coming, all Bible prophecies will be fulfilled. We can look forward with hope (a positive expectation of good) for the Lord’s return!
Even though we are entering into dangerous times, we need not be afraid.
“Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven.”
—Jeremiah 10:2 KJV
“Heathen” — These are people who do not know God. There will be more and more signs of the end times, but we as believers need not be dismayed, unlike people who do not know God.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
—Matthew 24:6–8 NKJV
We are beginning to see more signs of the end times—wars, rumors of wars, and pestilences. While it is easy to fear when we are faced with these things, our Lord Jesus encourages us not to be troubled.
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
—Matthew 24:37 NKJV
“as the days of Noah were” — The times before Jesus’ second coming will be like the days of Noah. In Noah’s time, the wickedness of man was great (Gen. 6:5). There were many fallen angels who went around teaching men to be wicked. The fallen angels also took on the form of man and came to the daughters of men, producing wicked giants of enormous size (Gen. 6:1–4). At this point in time, Noah and his family were the only people left on earth who were pure human.
This was why God sent the flood but preserved Noah and his family—to wipe these wicked giants out, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth (Gen. 6:10).
After the flood, the second eruption of fallen angels came to the daughters of men, and produced the other giants like the Anakims and among the Philistines. And God raised mighty men like David and Joshua to exterminate these giants.
In our times (which will be as the days of Noah), there will be more manifestations of demonic spirits. These evil spirits may attempt to afflict or harass our bodies. If you are under attack, use the powerful name of Jesus in this spiritual warfare! As believers, we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore . . ."
—Matthew 28:18–19 NKJV
“In My name they will cast out demons . . .”
—Matthew 16:17 NKJV
There is power in the name of Jesus! Pastor Prince shares an analogy of a policeman who has the authority to stop traffic on the road. His authority is not his own but comes from the government who has authorized him to do his work. In the same way, our Lord Jesus has given us authority in His name. This is why we can command evil spirits to leave our circumstances by saying “in the name of Jesus.”
Names in the Bible have significant meanings. We may not fully understand some obscure passages in the Bible at first, but the Lord can reveal many important truths to us when we take time to understand the significance of names mentioned in these portions of Scripture. An example of this is found in Genesis 5, which records the genealogy of Adam.
“So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters . . .”
—Genesis 5:5–7 NKJV
Adam’s genealogy continues all the way to Lamech and Noah. Back in the days before the flood (before the fall had taken full effect), man could live for hundreds of years. Adam lived for 930 years, and the longest living man is Methuselah who died at 969 years of age. Even though they sinned, they lived long lives.
Today, those living under God’s wrath live until seventy or eighty years old (Ps 90:9–10). But for us under the new covenant, God has promised that with long life He will satisfy us (Ps. 91:16)! Our Lord Jesus has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Going back to Adam’s genealogy: notice that God dedicated a whole chapter to talk about it. We see the significance of this chapter when we study the meanings of the names mentioned here.
God’s heart of mercy revealed in Methuselah’s name
Methuselah was the longest living man who died at 969 years of age. But why did God prolong his life? In Hebrew, his name means “his death shall bring.” The times before the flood were filled with wickedness. God was so grieved that he prophesied judgment over mankind after Methuselah’s death. Even though God had to send judgment, His heart was not for men to perish and He prolonged Methuselah’s life.
The gospel story revealed in Bible names
When we read Genesis 5:5, we might wonder why the verse merely records Adam’s genealogy. There is a beautiful message in the meaning of these names. Looking at the Hebrew translation of these names, we see:
When we put everything together, the names tell us a story:
Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow, (but) the blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring powerful rest.
These names point to the gospel story!
There is no irrelevant passage or name in the Bible. Every word of God is God-breathed! When we take time to study the passages more deeply, God can reveal powerful truths to us.
Another example of powerful truths that can be found in Bible names is in 2 Samuel 6. In this chapter, we see King David desiring to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, to the center of God’s people, after it had been captured by the Philistines.
When David first attempted to bring the ark to Jerusalem, he chose to transport it on an oxen cart. Transporting the ark via oxen cart was actually the way that the Philistines (Israel’s enemies) moved the ark (1 Sam. 6:10–12). This was not God’s ordained way. God’s way was for the ark to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites (the priests). As a result of David using the oxen cart to transport the ark, the oxen stumbled, and one of David’s men named Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark and was struck dead (2 Sam. 6:6–7).
One key lesson for us from this story is that we ought not follow the ways of the world (just like how David followed the ways of the Philistines). When we follow the ways of the world, we get the same results as them. God does not want us to be conformed to the world, but to follow His Word, His patterns, and His instructions for us. This applies to our marriage, parenting, career, and any other facet of our lives. While God’s ways may sometimes seem unconventional or unpopular and we might be inclined to follow advice from the world, Pastor Prince cautions that following worldly advice can lead to undesirable consequences.
The Hebrew translation for the name “Uzzah” means “human strength.” This shows us that we are not to rely on our own strength but to rely on God’s favor and His ways. When we rely on God’s ways, His grace, power, and favor follow!
Pastor Prince explains being led by the Lord by sharing an analogy of someone driving a car without power steering. When we depend fully on our own strength, it’s like driving a car without power steering—we have to use a lot of effort to make a right turn. But with power steering, we just have to move in a certain direction, and the power takes over. Similarly, this is what it’s like to flow with the Holy Spirit! When we step up to do what the Holy Spirit leads us to, His power comes to us.
“David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.”
—2 Samuel 6:9–12 NKJV
Frightened by Uzzah’s death, David took the ark aside into the house of Obed-Edom for three months, and during that time, the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
“Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” — For David to hear of these blessings and people to talk about it must mean that the blessings were evident! A Bible scholar, Josephus, records that Obed-Edom and his family were tremendously blessed. His crops were plentiful, his marriage with his wife was sweet, and his children were blessed. Obed-Edom was initially a poor man but the presence of the ark of the covenant in his house (a picture of the presence of our Lord Jesus) made him rich in many ways. Likewise, the presence of Jesus will prosper us in all areas of our lives.
When David saw that the ark brought blessings to Obed-Edom, he brought it to Jerusalem. It could be that David caught a revelation of Obed-Edom’s name—the importance and value of the blood of Jesus. The Hebrew translation of the name Obed-Edom is “servant of the blood.” This is a picture of our Lord Jesus!
“Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.”
—2 Samuel 6:12 NKJV
David’s decision to transport the ark to Jerusalem the proper way the second time, and him offering sacrifices to God every six paces, shows that David understood the importance of the shedding of blood for covenant blessings. This is a picture of our Lord Jesus shedding His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.
These are examples of how we can glean powerful truths that can benefit us when we take time to study the names in the Bible. When we read the Bible, we can ask God to speak to us through these names and expect to be exceedingly rewarded through these revelations. Today, through the finished work of our Lord Jesus, we are all called by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—Christians.
“Heavenly Father, I confess, Jesus Christ died on that cross for all my sins. He bore my judgment and His precious blood has washed me from all my sins—past, present, and future, completely washed by the blood of Jesus. And on the third day, You raised Him from the dead. He is alive today. His victory over death is my victory. Thank You Father, Jesus Christ is my Lord, now and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“This coming week, the Lord blesses you and your families. The blood of Jesus covers you and your families. The Lord keep you and your loved ones through His blood, from every sickness, from accidents, harm, danger, from all the powers of darkness, and from the power of the evil one. The Lord makes His face to shine on you, be favorable to you. He lifts up His face, smiles on you throughout this week, and grants to you and your loved ones His shalom, peace, health, and wholeness. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
If you’ve ever wanted to understand the Bible better or gain new insights into a specific passage of Scripture, consider studying the meanings of names in those passages!
Bible names carry important meanings that can benefit us when we understand them. When we take time to dig deep, we can often find that these names give us fresh revelations of our Lord Jesus and the perfection of His finished work, which always brings God’s grace and answers into our life situations.
This week, take time to read a portion of Scripture with Bible names you’ve always been curious about. You can think about how this points to our Lord Jesus and His finished work. Ask God to speak to you and to drop in you fresh revelations of Jesus! Let these revelations of Jesus and what He has done for you at the cross give you faith to receive your inheritance and supply for the breakthroughs you need today!
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 2022
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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