These are notes on the sermon, Stay Near the Scent of Water, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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We need the Word of God daily. Though as believers, our spirit man has been redeemed and made righteous, we still live in a fallen, broken world and experience the effects of death because of Adam’s sin. Not only that, but because our bodies have yet to be redeemed, we also have the propensity to make mistakes and fall short of the glorious, abundant life that our Lord Jesus purchased for us at the cross. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), so these mistakes, sinful actions, or indulgences carry with them consequences that could lead to death in various areas of our lives.
Even though we are physically alive, there is a process of death at work. We might not be aware of this, but many of us have experienced some of its effects—constant tiredness, weakness, sickness, and depression. But beloved, take heart: God has given us His Word to offset the effects of death in our lives!
Let’s take a look at a beautiful portion of Scripture:
Have you ever seen a tree cut down to its stump? In the natural, such a tree would lose its life. But God’s ways are higher and transcend natural laws! Job 14:9 tells us that the very scent of water can cause this tree stump to sprout again and bring forth new branches.
This is a picture of what God’s Word does for us today. In the Bible, man is often referred to or described as a tree (Ps. 1:3, Ps. 92:12, Jer. 17:8), and God’s Word is like the water that revives and restores man, even in the areas that seem completely dead. So even if we feel cut off or are experiencing any deadness, at the very scent of God’s Word, the dead areas in our lives can spring back to life!
Job 14:7–9 also serve as a beautiful reminder for us not to be limited by natural and carnal ways of thinking. Beloved, you are a spirit being. While we might live in a natural world, let us always be conscious of our true selves as spirit beings and live in the heavenly realm! Instead of being limited by what you see in the natural, be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Eph. 4:23). And how do you do that? Through the Word of God! So, make time for the Word every day!
The book of Numbers describes a unique sacrifice involving the ashes of a red heifer (Num. 19:1–20). In this sacrifice, a heifer without defect or blemish is offered. After the red heifer is sacrificed, it is burned with cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet until all that is left is ashes. The ashes are gathered and put into vessels. When mixed with running water, it becomes the “water of purification” (verses 10 and 17) that is used to purify people who have come into contact with death.
What does this all mean for us believers under the new covenant? The red heifer without blemish represents our Lord Jesus, who did and knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:22). Since the red heifer represents our Lord Jesus, its ashes represent His finished work for us at the cross! Last, the running water used in this offering refers to the water of His Word.
What’s interesting about this sacrifice is that it is found in the book of Numbers instead of the book of Leviticus, where most of the Old Testament offerings are detailed. Why is that so? The book of Numbers records the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, mirroring our earthly pilgrimage to our home in heaven. And on this journey, in our daily lives, we will inevitably encounter situations, thoughts, and influences that bring deadness to our souls.
Pastor Prince shared a personal experience about how he “touched death” as he browsed through a book in a bookstore that claimed to be Christian but was actually based on new age ideas, and how that encounter left him with a severe headache. Similarly, exposure to harmful media, unwholesome conversations, or the negativity of the world can defile us and affect us spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. When this happens, we need to wash ourselves with the Word of God to get rid of the defilement we have experienced.
But why wait until we feel defiled? We can continually immerse ourselves in the water of the Word. Picture a moss-covered rock placed under running water. Over time, the moss is washed away, leaving the rock clean and shiny. Likewise, when we remain in the Word of God, reading Scriptures, listening to Christ-centered sermons, and meditating on God’s truths and promises, we are cleansed and refreshed. And the more we see Jesus in the Word and are Christ-occupied, the more we are transformed from glory to glory!
Pastor Prince also shared an image of a tree he saw while visiting a nature park. He was passing by a stream when he saw this log that had been cut off from its roots and fallen across a stream.
Notice how it’s lying above the stream but not touching the water? Interestingly, even though the log was not in contact with water, there were many green branches with leaves budding from it! Doesn’t this remind you of the verses in Job 14 that say, “Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant”?
This is a powerful picture of how the Word of God can bring life to every dead situation. If this can happen in nature, how much more can it happen in your life, O child of God? Whatever area you might be experiencing a lack or deadness in, just by being close to God’s Word, you shall see things turn around! Even if it pertains to a physical area, such as your health, the Word of God can cause life to spring forth as well.
Some of us might have been experiencing deadness in the area of our minds, and are full of worries, anxieties, and depression. Beloved, the more you spend time in the Word of God, the more you will experience His healing and restoration and see His light shine into the seemingly dark areas of your mind and thoughts. You will experience His shalom, His peace, and His joy, and watch the Lord Jesus turn your mourning into dancing. Keep on meditating on His Word, and it won’t be long before you’ll be looking to the future with hope!
Staying close to God’s Word is also key to how we can walk in victory. The Bible tells us in Genesis 3:14 that the devil’s food is dust. Dust is a picture of all the negative thoughts and emotions or defilements that we are exposed to and pick up in our daily walk. The more we are washed by the water of the Word and kept clean from dust or defilements, the more we become “undevourable” to the enemy and can walk in greater victory!
Some Christians mistakenly believe that they can lose their salvation when they are defiled or have made mistakes and fallen into wrong thoughts and behaviors. But that is far from the truth!
Beloved, the blood of our Lord Jesus has washed us thoroughly of all our sins—once and for all. He has washed us from our sins using His own blood, making us kings and priests to God and His Father (Rev. 1:5).
But what about John 13:8? Doesn’t that refer to our salvation?
Let’s look at what the verse really says:
Notice how the Lord said that Peter would have no part “with” Him and not “in” Him? This tells us that the washing of our feet does not refer to our salvation but to our walk with the Lord and to our friendship and communion with Him.
The Lord goes on to tell Peter in John 13:10 that “he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.” Since we are already cleansed or “bathed” by the blood of Jesus (Rev. 1:5), we only need to have our feet washed by the water of God’s Word.
Today, you can have full assurance of your salvation in our Lord Jesus. Does this mean that we have a license to sin or can live loosely, anyhow we want? Certainly not! As believers, we are called to a life of moral excellence. And the way to cleanse ourselves of defilement and avoid temptation is to continually allow the Scriptures to wash over us.
This verse reveals that being cleansed from our filthiness comes from spending time in the Word and inheriting God’s promises! Pastor Prince highlighted this point using an illustration of a gold bar that had been dropped in the mud. Although dirty, its value remains the same. All it needs is to be left under running water to be made clean again.
In the same way, because of our Lord Jesus’ finished work, we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. When we fall into sin, we become defiled. But like the muddy gold bar, our righteous identity in Christ remains the same! And to be cleansed of the defilement, we simply need to be washed by God’s Word.
So, never judge your position based on your actions or circumstances. Remember that you are already forgiven, still righteous, and are a king and priest through Christ. Only when we are secure in our position in Christ will we be unafraid. And we need to be constantly reminded of who we truly are in Christ because all of us are insecure to some degree.
From now on, whenever you fall short, don’t condemn yourself, because your heavenly Father doesn’t condemn you. Instead, wash yourself, not with the blood (because you are already righteous) but with the water of His Word.
The Word of God does not only wash us of the defilement of death, but it also comes with many other benefits. And one of them is divine wisdom.
Wisdom does not just mean being smart. It may encompass intelligence, but it is more than that. In fact, godly wisdom can lead us to do what is right even if we may not fully understand the logic of what we are doing.
Divine wisdom also produces in us a love and desire for moral excellence. As believers, we must walk with moral excellence, especially in these last days when we are seeing more evil and moral ugliness around us, such as people deceiving and cheating each other, as prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:1–4.
Here, the Bible goes on to encourage us:
These verses exhort us to continue in the things we have learned in the Scriptures. The more we do so, the more we receive God’s wisdom to navigate these times that we are living in. And God’s wisdom can make us wise and cause us to prosper and have good success in our lives!
Take a look at Joseph. Genesis 39:2–3 tell us he was a successful man and the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hands. Joseph was so successful that Potiphar, his master, was able to see the hand of God in Joseph’s life and made Joseph overseer of his house. Joseph’s success was not limited to his career. He was a man of character—he was able to flee from temptation when seduced by his master’s wife.
To God, character success is more important than circumstantial success. In the words of our Lord Jesus, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26). More than chasing after worldly knowledge, let’s desire to receive divine wisdom that can teach us to live morally excellent lives that are pleasing to the Lord and cause us to prosper in every area of our lives.
Pastor Prince also shared a piece of practical advice for parents: Teach your children the Word of God! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 that we should “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Encourage your children to memorize scriptures such as Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and John 14:27. The Word of God they have learned from childhood will make them wise!
Besides wisdom, we can also experience salvation in every area of our lives when we remain in the Word of God.
Going back to 2 Timothy 3:14–15, we learn that the word of God can make us “wise for salvation.” Salvation here does not only refer to being saved from hell. In the original Greek, salvation is sozo, which also means “to make well, heal, and restore to health.” This means that when we spend time in the Scriptures, we will get to experience wholeness and restoration! How wonderful is that? There are so many more areas in our lives that God wants to save, restore, and make whole. So, let’s be desirous to possess and inherit God’s promises and blessings for us detailed in the Scriptures.
In the original Greek, the phrase “given by inspiration of God” is the word “theopneustos” from the root word “pneō,” which means “to breathe.” In other words, every scripture is God-breathed! This is the same life-giving breath that God breathed into man when He made man from the dust.
So, when we spend time in the Word, it’s not just about receiving our heavenly Father's words and instructions; we are receiving His very breath and life! We might come into contact with death in our daily walk, but when we spend time in the Scriptures, we experience life! This is why the Bible tells us that God’s word is “life to those who find them and health to all their flesh” (Prov. 4:20–22).
Last, the portion that says “the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 refers to us being fully equipped with everything that is necessary for life through the Scriptures. In other words, whatever we need, whether it’s in an area of weakness, sickness, or lack, we are to look to God’s Word for an impartation of His provision.
So, beloved child of God, His Word doesn’t just wash you clean. It sets you apart and makes you complete. It restores you and imparts the strength and wisdom that you need to prosper in the different areas of your life. So, stay near the scent of water, dive into the Word, and begin to experience the life-giving benefits of God’s Word in every situation you are facing!
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 2024
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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