These are notes on the sermon, Rise Up And Reign Over Your Enemies, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 12 April 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
When Jesus was raised from the dead, He rose in a glorified body, never to die again. But what does His resurrection mean for us today?
The Bible tells us that when Jesus comes back for us in the rapture, we shall not die, but our bodies will be transformed like unto His glorious body (see Phil. 3:21).
In that glorified body, we will not be confined in time and space, and we will never again suffer the effects of man’s fall (sickness, poverty, tiredness, boredom, etc.).
Life might feel restricted and confined right now due to the COVID-19 virus, and you might be wondering if this quarantine is the new normal. But raise your hopes because the Bible has prophesied that life will go back to normal before our Lord Jesus comes for us again.
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
— Matthew 24:36–39 NKJV
“of that day and hour no one knows . . . eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” — No one knows when the rapture will happen, but before that occurs, life will go back to normal. There will be social gatherings and celebrations right up to the day that our Lord Jesus comes again for us.
You can rest in hope today knowing that this Coronavirus will come to an end, and life will return back to normal.
Through a prophetic word that Pastor Prince received two years ago (long before the Coronavirus), God revealed that He had released a new strain of healing and anointing into our world. Unprecedented miracles are set to take place.
The virus that we see now is the devil playing catch-up to what God has already done. When the devil does things, he does them in the physical realm—where we can see it, hear about it, and feel it. But let’s not forget that every time this happens, God has first released something powerful and good into the world and into our lives.
We see this happening throughout history. For example:
At the end of the day, God’s plans and purposes always prevail.
When God initiates something, we might not be able to see it immediately. But that is why the Lord calls us to walk by faith and not by sight.
God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing (see Eph. 1:3), and those spiritual blessings will bring forth the visible, tangible blessings. For example, the wisdom of God (invisible) brings forth the provision of finances (visible).
What we see now is a virulent virus that medical science has no answer for. But we can have confidence, knowing that God has already released a new healing anointing and revelation of divine health.
Now, let’s pray together for an accelerated development of a medical solution.
Until medical science comes up with a cure, there is a place of protection for God’s people. It is found in the promise of protection in Psalm 91.
“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
“dwells” — The Hebrew word for “dwell” is “yashav,” which means to sit down and rest.
Those of us who are seated in the secret place of the Most High are in the place of protection.
“The secret place” is not limited to a select few, and it is not a place where we are sometimes-in-sometimes-out. As a believer, you already dwell in this secret place and cannot be removed from it.
“secret place of the Most High” — The secret place is where Jesus—the Messiah is. The reason why it is “secret” in this verse is because in the Old Testament, the Messiah was in secret form, not yet revealed to Israel.
Today through Jesus’ finished work, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Eph. 1:20). When you are seated and at rest in this secret place, all the blessings of protection will be on you and your family! It’s time to realize your position in Christ!
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves 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 toward us in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4–7 NKJV
“made us sit together” — When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised together with Him and today we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
What happened to Jesus at the cross happened to us. At the cross, we were crucified and buried with Christ—all our sins, sicknesses, and failures were put away once and for all. And when we believe in Him, we are baptized and then raised together with Him.
When God raised Jesus up from the dead, He raised Him up “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).
Is COVID-19 a name? Yes, it is. Because you are raised with Christ, you can speak out in faith saying, “Thank You, Father, that my family and I are in Christ risen, far above the COVID-19 virus.”
Today, your position is in Christ, and you cannot be removed from that place.
Even if you fall into sin momentarily, you are still in Christ. And Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness. Despite your failures, you can say, “Jesus is my righteousness,” and experience His grace toward you and every blessing He has for you including protection.
“in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace” — God wants to show you the exceeding riches of His grace. This show is not just for a certain period of time, but this beautiful show of grace goes on forever.
The world is in a state of worry and panic due to the Coronavirus, but we as believers can sit down and rest because we are seated in Christ where we are safe and secure. Instead of worrying, let us choose to use our position in Christ and pray prayers of protection over our families.
This secret place, far above all principality and power, is our reality—even when we cannot feel or fathom it. God is outside of time and space, and so is the cross where Jesus died for us. This is why, even as we are physically here on earth, living in our physical bodies, our spirits are seated together in Christ in heavenly places, unconfined by time and space.
Proverbs 18 tells us more about our spirit man:
“The spirit of a man will sustain (‘kul’ – protect) him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?”
— Proverbs 18:14 NKJV
Pastor Prince refers to Targum Jonathan, a translation of Jewish writing that is written by Jonathan, son of Uzziel, about a few hundred years after Jesus died. His writings are believed to hold oral traditions from prophets Malachi, Zechariah, and Haggai.
“sickness” — When you look at NKJV’s translation of this verse and specifically the Hebrew word “sickness,” you’ll find that the generic term for “sickness” is used. There’s no specification about the type of sickness. However, the Targum Jonathan translates “sickness” as “corona.”
“sustain” — The Hebrew word for “sustain” is “kul,” which means “protect.”
Using the above references, we can interpret the verse as:
What a revelation!
Instead of trusting your immune system and the food that you consume to bring you health, be established in grace—put your trust for your health in redemption. Do this by partaking of the Lord’s Supper!
Every day, speak out in faith and hold on to the promises of your position in Christ. It always brings health, provision, and protection for you and your family.
If you are facing health issues, know that because your spirit man is seated in heavenly places, it will defend and sustain you.
“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”
— Song of Solomon 2:14 KJV
“the secret places of the stairs” — When you pray, realize that you are in a place of nearness to God—seated at His right hand.
“let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice” — Notice that Jesus tells us to let Him see our face before He hears our voice? The Lord wants you to come before Him because He wants to love on you even before He hears your voice.
“My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
— Song of Solomon 2:10 KJV
“Rise up” — The Lord invites us to go up to a higher place where He is, far above every earthly trouble.
The grace response is not about becoming what we are not, but about becoming what we already are.
In God’s eyes, you are risen in Christ, righteous and complete. Experientially, we might not see it fully yet. But when we know what our true position in Christ is, we will walk it out day by day. Let us walk out our completeness in Christ in all that we do!
Aside from being raised up with Jesus and brought to a heavenly place, Jesus has also promised to defeat every enemy and obstacle we face in our lives.
“For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:25–26 NKJV
“For He must reign” — The Latin word for “corona” is “crown,” and crowns are a sign of reigning. Even though the Coronavirus seems to be reigning in the world right now, it won’t be for long. Jesus is the only One who reigns eternally, and He is constantly putting enemies under His feet.
In ancient times, when a king conquers other nations, he calls for the defeated kings of those nations to come before him so that he can put their foot on their necks as a sign of victory. Likewise, Jesus has already defeated every enemy at the cross. But today He is putting them under His feet to assert that victory.
Whether it is sickness, poverty, depression or any other problem, Jesus counts it as an enemy. He has defeated all of them at the cross, and He assures us that with every passing day, another enemy is put under His feet.
With every fresh challenge that comes, there must be a fresh “sitting.”
Mark 12 quotes a psalm of David that David wrote when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit:
“For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘The LORD said to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’’”
— Mark 12:36 NKJV
“The LORD said to my Lord” — In this verse, it is God the Father speaking to Jesus. In Hebrew, “The LORD” is “Yahweh,” and “my Lord” is “Adoni.” Because the verse is authored by David, he calls Jesus, “my Lord.”
“Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” — To sit down is to be at rest. When you rest, God will make every enemy your footstool. If you want an enemy defeated, let your first response be to sit down! We have been risen with Christ and now sit together with Him in heavenly places. We get to enjoy the blessings of being in the same position as Jesus today.
To sit down does NOT mean to do nothing and even ignore the Holy Spirit when He leads you to do things, e.g. go and see a doctor. If God leads you, follow Him!
To sit down is not to be irresponsible or lazy, but to have a posture of rest on the inside. It means being unworried and fear-free, knowing that you are seated with Jesus above all principalities and powers where nothing evil can prosper against you!
When you are rested in Christ, you will even find the promptings of the Spirit getting clearer.
The Bible says that we are the temple of God, and the temple has three parts:
While we can be busy on the outside, we should be at rest on the inside.
Have a throne attitude, which is to sit down and let God take care of your enemies.
Every time a worrisome thought comes, say to it, “The battle is the Lord’s!”
This year, in the Year of Time and Space (the theme of the year for our church), God wants to bring us all to a higher place.
In the first two miracles that Jesus did, we see Him as the Lord of time and space:
VIDEO: The Theme of the Year video showcasing the Temple of Solomon is shown on screen.
Recap of the three chambers in the Temple of Solomon:
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).
God has given us plenty of grain and wine, and invites us to enjoy the benefits of our firstborn blessing by partaking of the holy Communion often.
Are you feeling unwell today? Keep partaking the holy Communion.
“The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house”
— 1 Kings 6:6 KJV
“The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad” — The chambers get bigger with every floor up—from five cubits, to six cubits, and then to seven cubits.
During this time, we might feel our physical spaces decreasing, but the Lord is actually expanding our spaces. For example, even though our church is unable to gather physically now, the Lord has blessed the online reach of our live Videostream services. We have seen increasing numbers of viewers tuning in each Sunday!
Even though the virus is not from God, He will use it for our good.
“And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.”
— 1 Kings 6:7–8 KJV
“winding stairs” — In practice, people used the winding stairs to get to the next level. The truth behind the winding stairs is that you gain maximum height in the smallest space and in the shortest amount of time.
Bonus material:
A church member who is a certified architect did her own study and proved that a winding staircase, compared to a straight staircase, allows one to climb the maximum height, in the smallest possible space, in the shortest amount of time. See below, or see slides 27 and 28.
When using a winding staircase, you cannot see the end of it, unlike a straight staircase. Our situation might feel like that today, where no one can see the end of this virus. However, the secret of the winding stairs is that we climb it one step at a time. We only need to see the next step and take it. In other words, God wants us to live one day at a time and trust Him daily for fresh grace to go about our day. Before you know it, you’ll be at a higher place.
The second-floor chamber is where the Levite priests rest. This is one floor above the ground floor. God showing us that as we ascend, He is bringing us to a place of rest—not just physical rest but spiritual rest.
“Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, ‘Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’’ Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
— Mark 14:14–15 NKJV
“a large upper room, furnished and prepared” — A large upper room is usually in the second story of a wealthy Jewish home. The Greek word for “furnished” is translated as “prepared ready.” This is a prophetic word that tells us that God is preparing and furnishing a place for you and your family!
Right now, we are ascending to the next level where everything has been prepared and provided for us. Choose to see the supply by faith—for finances, career, and every provision you need. The Lord will supernaturally supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (see Phil. 4:19).
When Jesus fed the 5,000, before He multiplied the bread and fish, He made the people sit down on the grass first. This is a picture of Psalm 23:2, which says, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” The act of lying down or reclining is a posture of rest. Psalm 91 also tells us to sit down (‘yashav’), and when we sit down, we experience God’s protection (see Ps. 91:1).
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
— Galatians 5:25 NIV
“keep in step” — Don’t be worried about what will happen tomorrow, but be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading within you, and take one step at a time.
Pastor Prince shares that the pale horse depicted in the book of Zechariah is a picture of famine and death. In Revelations 6, the pale green horse that comes from the north also brings famine and death. The north is a picture of adversity.
When you look at the Tabernacle of Moses, the Table of Showbread (a picture of the Communion) faces north, which tells us that in times of adversity, we are to respond by partaking of the Lord’s Supper!
We don’t need to struggle or labor on our own to receive healing or provision. They are gifts that we receive by the finished work of Jesus.
“Who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.”
— Romans 4:25 YLT
“was raised up because of our being declared righteous” — If Jesus did not fully pay for all our sins, He would not have been raised from the dead. It’s only because He fully paid the penalty for our sin and we were declared righteous that God raised Him from the dead! Today we have this full assurance that we stand in the place of righteousness!
Pastor Prince closes the service by sharing that he will expound more on the third floor chamber in his next sermon, which holds the silver, gold, and treasures for God’s people. He also reminds us that God is providing for all our needs, and we are stepping into His storehouse of supply.
He also prays for the following conditions:
You can pray this: “Father, I thank You that Your grace comes to me one day at a time. So, give me grace now not to worry about my needs for the future. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, I receive the grace to walk one step at a time, to walk by being led by the Spirit, to focus on what You have for me. I will not worry about tomorrow. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“Friend, this coming week, may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and grant to you and your families His shalom-peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
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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