These are notes on the sermon, The Lord Of Time And Space, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 5 January 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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2020 is going to be an amazing year for God’s people!
Every year has a theme, whether you want to acknowledge it or not. There’s a theme even for the world, e.g. the year of technological breakthroughs, etc.
God knows the emphasis of every year and right now, He’s giving us a fresh word for this new year.
Just because we have stepped into a new year doesn’t mean that we will not experience the blessings of the latter rain (theme of the year 2019), hesed wisdom (theme of the year 2018), or jubilee (theme of the year 2017). The Lord does not take away—He adds!
These themes are for God’s people, not for the people of the world. The world will get darker and darker but the glory of the Lord will rise upon you (the church) and will be seen on you. The darker it is, the more visible even a small glimmer of light is.
This year, even in the midst of the storms of life, God will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will take refuge (see Ps. 91:4).
Peace is not the absence of adverse circumstances, challenges, or battles. Peace is assurance and safety even in the midst of these things. We might go through challenges this year, but we won’t go through them alone. The Lord will be with us.
Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death (you walk through it, you don’t dwell in it), you will fear no evil, for He is with you (Ps. 23:4).
Be greatly encouraged knowing that even though we may not know everything that is going to happen in the coming year, we are not doing this alone. We are facing this year with our good Shepherd!
There are 2 places in which the presence of God dwelt in the Old Testament:
Pastor Prince shares that last year, he taught a lot on the Tabernacle of Moses, which is a picture of God’s grace.
This year, our focus is on the Temple of Solomon, which is a picture of God’s glory.
Glory always follows grace.
The theme of this year, Time and Space, is based on the Temple of Solomon.
The Temple of Solomon is larger than the Tabernacle of Moses.
This year, the Lord is bringing His people to a bigger, broader place!
Recap of last week’s sermon, where Pastor Prince teaches on the Temple of Solomon:
On the outside, the stones that made up the temple were left plain and uncovered. But on the inside, they were covered with cedar wood and gold. (See slide 23)
On the outside, people just saw plain stones. They didn’t see the gold and the glory that was within. Likewise, today, the glory of God is within us. And God leads us from within as well.
In the Old Testament, God gave many signs that were visible (water on the fleece for Gideon, a cloud the size of a man’s hand for the prophet Elijah) because God was on the outside. There was no perfect sacrifice that could make man clean enough for the Lord to live in him.
God is holy, and sinful man cannot come into God’s presence without consequences. Sinful man will perish in the presence of God.
But through the finished work of Christ, we have been made clean.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
— 1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV
You are a walking, talking, mobile temple of God.
Today, as the temple of God, God lives in you and He leads you from within!
This year, we’re going to see you, the temple of God, being built up.
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 2:4–5 NASB
“you also, as living stones” — The Bible says we are like living stones. Living stones are stones that have been chosen from the quarry and used for the purpose of building the temple.
Last week, we learnt that all these stones were cut and hewn in the quarry, in darkness. Similarly, we were once living in darkness, living a life without purpose, until Jesus came to us. He chose us, brought us out into the light, and gave us meaning.
Nothing we could have ever done could have brought us out of that darkness. No guide, no tools, and no laws could have done it for us. We had to be brought out by the Lord Himself.
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 2:4–5 NASB
“coming to Him as to a living stone” — Our Lord Jesus is the first living stone, rejected by man but choice and precious in the sight of God. Like Jesus, we are also living stones. Every one of us was specially designed by Him.
God has a specific purpose and a plan for you.
You have a destiny that no one else can fulfill. You are not an accident. You have a God-given purpose.
“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
— 1 Peter 2:9 NASB
“Royal priesthood” — The Bible calls us king priests. A king’s word has power; when a king speaks, it will be done. A priest brings glory and praises to God.
Today, we enter God’s presence as priests and we leave with His power to speak healing where there is sickness and to speak peace where there is disorder.
True holiness looks like royalty.
Jesus had a mien of royalty even when He wasn’t physically clothed in royal robes. He was princely yet He never had an air of pride about Him.
Our Lord Jesus is altogether lovely. Jesus is kind yet without being soft or sentimental. When He is humble, He is not servile. Even when He stooped down to wash His disciples’ feet, there was still a glory and regality about Him.
May we be more like Him this year.
Holiness is not about how you dress, or how you look on the outside. God is more concerned about what’s in your heart (see 1 Sam. 16:7).
God wants to bring you to a greater place of prosperity this year—prosperity according to His Word. Prosperity is not just a matter of having lots of money. The greatest prosperity is to know Jesus, and to know Him more and more.
In the Temple of Solomon, the stones that were hewn from the quarry (a picture of us) are overlaid with cedar and then with gold.
Cedar wood speaks of Jesus’ incorruptible humanity, untainted by sin.
Gold speaks of Jesus’ divine righteousness.
The moment you believe in Jesus, God sees you as righteous as Jesus is today. That does not mean that we are perfect and not prone to making mistakes, but God does not see us in our errors; God sees us in Christ, overlaid by His humanity and His righteousness.
The world outside sees only the stones, but for those of us who are in the church, let us also see one another this way—glorious, in Christ, and built together.
The world may not be able to see the beauty and glory, but let us see the gold in one another.
Today, we’ll see God’s glory in the design of the Temple of Solomon.
“Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit…”
— 1 Chronicles 28:11–12 NKJV
“Then David gave his son Solomon … the plans for all that he had by the Spirit” — Even though the temple was built by Solomon, all its design and dimensions were written by David under the anointing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
“and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things;”
— 1 Chronicles 28:12 NKJV
“the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things” — It is God’s desire for us to step into His treasuries and to possess them this year.
There is still much more for you to possess this year!
To those of you who are constantly stressed out by deadlines or worried about the future, God wants you to be at rest.
This year, God wants you to really enjoy His rest and experience it at a deeper level.
There is a key to dealing with stress found in David’s process of designing the temple.
“All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.”
— 1 Chronicles 28:19 NKJV
“the Lord made me understand in writing” — The Lord will speak to you, and there is wisdom in writing it down. If you’re worried about the future, just write down what God is telling you first. That’s what David did.
This is not passive, nor is it what some people call “automatic writing.” God works with us; He doesn’t take control over you and force you to write something.
God wants you to partner with Him. The Bible calls us co-laborers with Christ.
David was the one writing out the design of the temple, but it was God who gave him the plan through inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
We are co-laborers with Him and He works through us!
We can pray for people and lay hands on them but it is the Lord who heals.
We work, and God gives the power. Without God we cannot, without us, He will not.
God speaks through His people.
Pastor Prince shares how even as he is preaching, he knows that it is the Lord who is supplying the words for him to speak.
One of the best ways to get stress and worry off your mind is to sit down before the Lord and ask Him for wisdom.
Say, “Lord, I need your wisdom and your grace.” Before you start making plans for the year by your own knowledge, ask the Lord first.
Pastor shares how he applies this as he prepares his sermons. In the natural, it can be a very stressful task because he is speaking to a congregation with a voracious appetite for spiritual food.
What he does is open his notebook and jot down the first verse or thought he has about it. It might not be much, it might be only one verse, but he writes it down anyway. And once he writes it down, he doesn’t worry about it because he knows he won’t forget it, and he knows that the Lord will expand on it and give him the rest of the sermon.
Sometimes, that one verse or thought can trigger more or deeper revelations.
“...And in His temple everything says, “Glory!””
— Psalm 29:9 NASB
This verse says that every part of the temple, not just one stone, speaks of the glory of God.
“And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.”
— 1 Kings 6:4 KJV
“windows of narrow lights” — In the Hebrew, this describes windows that are broad within and narrow without.
In the temple, the purpose of this design feature was to allow more light in. It spreads the light in all directions of the room.
“The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130 NKJV
Don’t depend on natural light for knowledge and direction. The accumulation of the knowledge of good and evil can bring about confusion because there is so much contradicting information out there.
Instead, seek God’s Word. It is reliable, true, and unchanging.
Broad windows that let God’s light in = how much you open the Bible
This year, be mindful of what you are giving your time to, and guard your peace.
Feed on God’s Word and watch how it will edify you and build you up.
Pastor Prince prays that this year, the windows in our lives will become so broad that the light of God’s Word will be dispersed in every part of our being and our lives.
In 2020, shine for His glory! There shall be a radiance upon you that even your worldly colleagues and bosses will notice.
Everything in the chambers within the Temple of Solomon speaks of what God wants us to experience this year.
“And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: 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 6:5–6 KJV
“The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad” — Each floor of the temple becomes progressively larger and broader as we move up the different levels. As you go higher spiritually, the Lord will bring you to better, broader places.
How do we go up from the first floor, to the second, to the third? How do we experientially and practically ascend to the higher and broader places that God has for us?
It’s all about having more light.
Some people are possessing their possessions in Christ more than others. It’s not because they’re better Christians. It’s just that they have received more light from God’s Word.
To see more is to ascend.
Yes, we are seated with Christ today, but in our daily walk, our understanding of the Lord is growing day by day.
What’s in the 3 chambers that we get to look forward to this year?
1. The first floor of the temple
The first floor of the temple is where all the harvested grain, wine and oil are stored. It is also where the tithes are kept.
In the year of the latter rain, there was great emphasis on the grain, wine, and oil. The grain and wine speak of the holy Communion that brings healing. The oil speaks of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Even though 2019 has passed, we will still continue to enjoy these latter rain blessings this year. Still, the Lord wants to bring us to an even higher place.
2. The second floor of the temple
The second floor is where the Levites and the priests sleep. It is a place of rest.
The beds speak of both spiritual rest and physical rest. This year, God wants you to come up higher to a place of deeper rest and greater health.
How do you get to this place of deeper rest?
Be in a place where you can receive the light, e.g. open God’s Word for yourself, listen to anointed preaching and hear the rhema word.
3. The third floor of the temple
The third floor of the temple is the treasury, and the whole floor is overlaid with gold.
“And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.”
— 2 Chronicles 3:9 KJV
The Temple of Solomon is approximated to be worth 200 billion dollars today.
All that gold on the third floor speaks of God’s glory.
When we look at the gold, we may think of material wealth and possessions, but true prosperity and true treasure is knowing Jesus.
In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (see Col. 2:3).
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon says,
“Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.”
— Proverbs 4:7 NKJV
When you get wisdom, you also receive these five things:
“Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.”
— Proverbs 3:16–17 NKJV
You want money because you think it’ll give you long life, riches, honor, pleasure, and peace. But you can get all of that by simply getting the wisdom of God.
When Solomon asked God for wisdom, God also gave him what he did not ask for—riches and honor (see 1 Kings 3:13).
The 3 levels of chambers are visual aids to help us navigate the year ahead.
The Lord wants you to ascend higher into a place of deeper rest, greater wisdom and glory, without compromising on the grain and the wine (the holy Communion) and the tithes.
“And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.”
— Nehemiah 10:38–39 KJV
All these things represent the people in the house of God:
Let this be our prayer this year: that we will not forsake the house of our God and the assembling of His people.
Pastor Prince encourages us to keep coming to church. Don’t just come for one service and expect to be fed for the entire year. That one word you hear will not sustain you for the rest of the year. Get fresh food every Sunday.
Practically, the way that the priests went up from the first level to the second and to the third was via a winding staircase.
“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
Why are the stairs winding?
Winding stairs, compared to straight stairs, allow you to climb the maximum height, in the smallest possible space, in the shortest amount of time.
God wants you to gain great spiritual ascendency this year.
Notice that the winding staircase helps you get to the top in the shortest amount of time.
Time is made up of three elements: past, present, and future.
“So I will restore to you the years...”
— Joel 2:25
“years” — This is the Hebrew word "shaneh," which doesn’t just refer to a calendar year, but also any duration of time.
God is outside time. He can manipulate time for you this year.
Pastor Prince shares his personal testimony about having his son Justin at a relatively late age (49 years old). Today, reaching 57 years old, he gets to live his dream of being a dad to a young child again.
God can restore, accelerate, reverse, and suspend time for you.
—
Space is also made up of three elements: length, depth, and height.
Notice that the chambers get wider and wider with each level.
This speaks of God enlarging your space. This can refer to promotion, etc.
God can do it for you in an instant of time.
How can we experience this?
The secret of the winding staircase is this: it brings you to a higher place one step at a time. Because it’s winding, you can’t see the final step. You can only see the next few steps.
The Holy Spirit won’t show you the entire journey. He will show you step by step.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.”
— Psalm 119:105 KJV
When David was just a youth, before he was a king, he just obeyed step by step. Imagine if he didn’t obey his father’s request to bring food to his brothers in the battlefield. He wouldn’t have ended up exactly where he needed to be to face Goliath. He would have missed that trajectory that made him king.
Live life step by step. Don’t worry about tomorrow.
Pastor Prince encourages people who may be facing challenges in their mental health to live one day at a time. Take one step a day. Even if the steps look small and insignificant, they are still steps forward. It could be as simple as get up. Eat. Go for a walk.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
— Matthew 6:34 MSG
Pastor Prince shares a testimony of a lady who suffered from depression and was delivered from it as the Lord led her day by day, step by step.
There’s only enough bread for one day. Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread,” (see Matt. 6:11) not weekly bread or monthly bread.
The grace you need for tomorrow will come tomorrow. There’s more than enough grace for today, and God has promised that there will be fresh bread every day.
Don’t be so caught up with the past or the future that you completely miss out on enjoying the present with your loved ones.
Because God is outside time, He can touch your past so that what the hurt you felt back then loses its sting. He can touch your future and bring forward that promotion or breakthrough.
We see this in Jesus' first miracle when He was on earth.
Jesus proves He is the Lord of time
Jesus’ miracles in the gospel of John are called signs (see John 2:11), because they reveal something about Him.
Jesus’ first miracle: Turning water into wine
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
— John 2:1–2 NKJV
The bridegroom and bride ran out of wine, and Jesus’ mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5).
God directs in steps, small as they may be. Sometimes, the Lord may prompt you to go out and take a walk and get a breather.
Pastor Prince encourages us to start walking again this year.
Whatever Jesus says to you, however He leads you, do it.
When Jesus turned water into wine, He compressed time.
A good bottle of quality wine takes many years to produce. First, you need to plant seeds in the ground and let the grapes grow, which takes 5–7 years. Then you need to extract the wine and keep it for 20–30 years for it to become good wine. At the wedding in Cana, we see how Jesus compressed time, turning water into the best wine in an instant.
This miracle is a sign to us that He’s the Lord of time.
Man can also produce excellent wine, but it takes much time and labor. This year, as you follow God’s ways, you’ll see the Lord accelerating, suspending, and reversing time in your favor.
The second miracle that Jesus performed was also performed in Cana of Galilee.
Jesus’ second miracle: Healing the nobleman’s son
“Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee...So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”
— John 4:43, 46–47 NKJV
The distance between Cana of Galilee and Capernaum is about 40.4km or 25 miles.
“Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”
— John 4:50–54 NKJV
“Yesterday at the seventh hour” — This shows that the father actually spent the night in Galilee. He didn’t rush home with worry, wondering if Jesus had really healed his son. He trusted that his son was healed.
Jesus’ second miracle shows us that He is the Lord of space.
Jesus is the Lord of time and space. He can accelerate time and transcend space for you. Get ready for the promotion or that healing you have been believing Him for!
Pastor Prince screens the video of the theme of the year 2020: The year of time and space.
This year, we are not confined by natural time and space.
Don’t worry about tomorrow. The grace for tomorrow will be there when you get there.
The Lord will show you great favor this year because He loves you.
Both miracles were done in Cana of Galilee.
“Cana” — in the original Hebrew means “to acquire” or “to get.”
“Galilee” — in the original Hebrew means “circular” or “a circuit,” which is a picture of the winding staircase.
This year, you will acquire blessings God’s way, one step at a time.
Don’t worry about what you cannot see in front of you. Just heed the voice of the Lord as He is leading you step by step.
Ask the Lord for wisdom and He will show what to do one step at a time this year!
Remember that the winding staircase indicates the greatest height, in the smallest space, in the shortest time.
You will experience this in 2020!
“The Lord bless you, and the Lord keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you throughout this year. The Lord favor you and your family throughout this year. And the Lord protect and keep you from every harm, danger, and accident throughout this week. The Lord protect you from every strain of virus. The Lord protect you from all the powers of darkness. The Lord protect you and your loved ones throughout this week. In the name of Jesus, and all the people said, Amen.
God bless you and see you again. Get ready for more!”
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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