These are notes on the sermon, What To Focus On In Dark Times, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 29 March 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince begins by encouraging the church to unite together, pray together, and shine in the midst of darkness.
The Bible says that when two or three are gathered together in Jesus’ name, there He is in the midst of us (see Matt. 18:20). So when we watch church services online in our homes, when there are 2 of us (the smallest plurality), Jesus is in our midst!
Even if you are alone, the Lord never leaves you nor forsakes you, so you are never by yourself because He is always with you (see Heb. 13:5).
In the midst of all the chaos and darkness that is happening right now, the most important question believers need to ask is: What is God doing at this time? What is God saying to us?
The world has been plunged into darkness and fear. But the most important thing right now is that as believers we do not walk in the same spirit of fear, doubt, and lack as the world. When we do so, we end up imparting the spirit of fear to our children.
We are not like the world. We have nothing to fear because we have a God who created the heavens and earth out of nothing, who fed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. The same God is taking care of us and providing for us today.
In the midst of bad news about the COVID-19 virus and reports of financial famine and impending recession, we thank God that He is our supply!
The Bible doesn’t say God supplies us according to our nation’s resources. If you are a child of God and you are a believer, He will supply all your needs according to the riches of His glory (see Phil. 4:19). He doesn't supply based on our scarce resources but according to the riches of His glory.
“Riches of His glory” means God has given us everything He has. All that He has, is ours. And His riches are immeasurable.
We not only have God’s abundant provision, but we also have His complete forgiveness. The Bible says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).
We are not forgiven in a meager manner. God forgives our sins according to “the riches of His grace.”
If you are in Christ, all our sins have been placed in Christ. This can happen because God is the Lord of time and space and He resides outside of time. He has seen our entire lives and when Jesus died on the cross, God took our lifetime of sins and laid it on Jesus.
All our sins were placed on Jesus and not one sin escaped. Because Jesus paid for all our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus sat down, not because He was the Son of God (He was always the Son of God). The Bible says that “after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, [He] sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). Jesus sat down (rested from His work) because all our sins have been forgiven!
The same body that bore our sins on that cross rose from the dead without our sins. His resurrection is the divine receipt of our forgiveness. The same person who bore your sins is now raised from the dead without your sins. This means that God has accepted Jesus’ perfect work in putting away our sins.
Now that our sins are effectually and eternally put away, as a child of God this shouldn’t compel us to live a lifestyle of sin, rebellion, and disobedience. Instead, it makes us want to fall deeper in love with Jesus because we know how much we’ve been forgiven, how much we are loved.
During this time of uncertainty and darkness, the world is looking to the news to find a voice of authority that will say this virus is coming to an end. But everyone is speaking in uncertainties and conjectures because no one is really certain.
How do we ensure we do not impart this spirit of fear to our children?
“All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
And great shall be the peace of your children.”
—Isaiah 54:13 NKJV
“And great shall be the peace of your children” — “peace” here is “shalom” which is not just peace, but also health and wholeness. “Shalom” means the entire person is whole.
So how can our children be in a place of shalom—spirit, soul, and body?
“In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”
—Isaiah 54:14 NKJV
“In righteousness you shall be established”— “you” is referring to the parents. Your children experience shalom when you are established in righteousness!
Not only that, but the verse goes on to say:
“In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.”
—Isaiah 54:14 NKJV
As parents, wake up every morning declaring that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. When you feel the enemy is attacking you with thoughts of condemnation and guilt, stand tall in the gift of righteousness. Parents, when you do this, you are an amazing example for your children. They shall see stability and great will be their peace because their parents are established in righteousness!
Isaiah 54 is a prophecy of the result of Jesus' perfect work at the cross. Isaiah 54 speaks of how God honored what Jesus did at the cross and the fruit of that labor.
Isaiah 54 applies to us today and it ends with:
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the LORD.”
—Isaiah 54:17 NKJV
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper” — The promise here is not that “the weapons” will not be formed, but that even if they are formed, they will not prosper. The Coronavirus has been formed but it will not prosper against you, child of God!
The reason no weapon will prosper against you is that “their righteousness is from Me” — No weapon can prosper against the people who are walking in the gift of righteousness.
What we need to know during this dark time in the world:
Today, we are continuing from last week’s teaching on John 6: The Feeding of the 5000.
Pastor Prince does a quick recap of last week’s teaching on John 6:
“Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”... And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”
— John 6:10–11 NKJV
Not all of Jesus’ miracles are recorded in all 4 gospels but the feeding of the 5000 is a miracle mentioned in all 4 of them: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Why is this miracle mentioned in all 4 gospels? Why is it so significant?
Because it speaks of our present times.
From the story of the Feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water (which happens right after), God has a prophetic word for us for the times we are living in!
Today, we are living in the period between Israel’s rejection of Jesus and the church awaiting Jesus’ return. And the Feeding of the 5000, as seen in Matthew 14, is a reflection of the period we are in because:
In Matthew 14, Jesus is feeding the people, calming the storms, and protecting His people. This is what Jesus is doing for us today, He is taking care of us and we are going to see more of His provision and protection in the days to come.
Psalm 23 is also a reflection of the times we are in because Psalm 23 happens after Psalm 22 (a psalm which speaks of Jesus’ suffering at the cross). Right now, we are also living in the promises of Psalm 23—a place of rest where goodness and mercy shall follow us.
In this time, God wants to pour His goodness and mercy on us!
—
Jesus walks on water
After the feeding of the 5000, Jesus walked on water toward His disciples who were caught in a storm:
“And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining and rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.”
— Mark 6:46–48 NKJV
“fourth watch of the night”— this the darkest time of the night, 3–6 AM, the darkest before dawn.
Pastor Prince encourages us not to lose hope even though the situation now is very very dark. Because dawn (breakthrough) is coming!
The disciples on the boat in the middle of a storm are a picture of the church today—how we are tossed to and fro by every kind of doctrine.
Wrong doctrine produces wrong believing which leads to wrong living.
The way we can tell whether we have wrong thinking and believing is when we have wrong/negative emotions.
Believing → Thinking → Feeling
When you are worried and anxious, that’s when you know you’ve been thinking or believing something that’s not the truth of Jesus. Because the truth sets you free!
Thoughts are a result of your believing.
Whenever you feel fearful or worried, ask yourself: What are you believing?
Some people have said that we are living in the times described in the book of Revelation. But we are not there yet. We won’t even be around when the events in Revelation (the seven years of tribulation) unfold. We will not be on earth because we’ll have been raptured by then, and God will return to earth with us (see Jude 1:14). Once the blood of Jesus saves us, we will be saved from wrath as well (See Rom. 5:9).
What we are experiencing in the world today is not the “day of vengeance” as described in Isaiah 61:1–2. How do we know this?
In Luke 4, Jesus was in the synagogue reading the Scripture of the day, Isaiah 61, and He purposefully cut off his reading at a certain point in the scripture.
Isaiah 61
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
—Isaiah 61:1–2 NKJV
But in Luke 4, Jesus stopped after “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” and closed the book:
Luke 4:17–20
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
—Luke 4:17–20 NKJV
“Then He closed the book” — Jesus closed the book before “the day of vengeance” in Isaiah 61. He didn’t read this part.
What Jesus read out in the synagogue was a proclamation of what He was doing and what He will do for us. Jesus has come to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to those who are bound by addictions, depression or panic attacks, He has come to proclaim liberty and set us free.
For the first time, people in the synagogues were hearing what He would do, not what they needed to do!
We are not in the days of vengeance. Jesus did say there will be pestilences and plagues—but the end is not here yet. They are just signs that we are living in the end times.
The most important thing for us believers is to know what God is doing at this time. God’s Word is sure. When He speaks it is certain and unshakeable.
Jesus closed the book and did not complete the reading of Isaiah 61, and we also need to close the book and stop before “the day of vengeance.” We need to tell the people that we are not there!
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
—Luke 4:17–20 NKJV
Jesus stopped at the “acceptable year of the Lord” because Jesus’ first coming was to save, not to judge. He came to love us.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
—Isaiah 61:1–2 NKJV
“And the day of vengeance of our God” — This describes His second coming. His second coming is to judge—this is the seven years of tribulation. There is a day of reckoning and God is a just God and He must punish sin.
But God is also a God of love. For this reason, He sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross for us.
Because we have received Jesus who was sent to the cross to die for all our sins, God’s requirements upon our lives for holiness and righteousness have been fully met by Jesus.
God has designed it to be so. God knew there was no other way for man to be saved so He gave us His Son.
If you believe in Jesus, God’s justice declares that He cannot punish you or put a curse on you for the sins Jesus has borne. The moment you are a believer, you have no right to remain sin stricken and live under condemnation because all the judgment and condemnation that was meant for us fell upon Jesus at the cross.
Only by Jesus’ sacrifice, God can be loving, merciful and just in blessing us and taking care of us!
God’s justice and righteousness is on our side, we have no right to remain under condemnation and guilt. We need to stand tall in what Christ did. This is not being prideful, it is being grateful for what Jesus has done.
The Coronavirus is not the day of vengeance.
The Feeding of the 5000
“Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.”
—John 6:2–6 NKJV
“Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near” — As of today, we are less than 2 weeks away from the Jewish Passover which falls on 8 April this year. This passage is prophetic, and God is giving us a “now” word for this season we are in.
As we see Jesus healing the sick and feeding the multitudes, God is doing the same for us now.
God is going to supply and He is going to be our bread of life. We know that He is our spiritual bread and we feed on Him on a daily basis. But just like He provided for the people in John 6, Jesus also wants to feed our body and soul!
He will supply your needs, and you don't need to jostle and fight for resources. Child of God, He will provide for you. Even with the little resources you might have, He will multiply it.
We need to believe in God’s miracles because there is a consequence when we don’t. We see an example of this when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water (after the miracle of the Feeding of the 5000) and they were afraid:
“Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
—Mark 6:46–52 NKJV
The disciples were not afraid because it was dark, or because they thought Jesus was a ghost. Because even after “they saw him,” they “were troubled.”
The reason they were afraid was that “they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
In the King James Version, the same verse reads, “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” The disciples did not meditate on the miracle of the loaves and as a result, “their heart was hardened.”
When the disciples did not consider the miracle Jesus just did a few hours ago, they became fearful and afraid.
If they had considered and meditated on the loaves (Jesus’ miracle), they wouldn’t have been greatly amazed to see Jesus walk on water. When God performs a miracle, it shouldn’t overly shock us because we should know that He is well capable of it and His heart is to love and help us!
If the disciples had meditated on the miracle of the loaves, if they had asked themselves what the miracle of the loaves was about, they would have remembered that this miracle spoke of Jesus’ abundant provision for the people.
In the feeding of the 5000, the people took as much as they wanted and when they were filled, there were still 12 baskets leftover.
Jesus walking on water in Mark 6 is a reflection of the times we are in:
“Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.”
—Mark 6:45–47 NKJV
“He was alone on the land” — At this point, Jesus went up to a mountain to pray. This is a reflection of what He’s doing right now. Today, He has gone to the Father’s right hand and He is the great High Priest praying for you and I. He is praying for His church. We are enjoying a lot of things in our lives because of the prayer at the Father’s right hand. Jesus is making intercession for us.
“He made His disciples get into the boat” — This reminds of the earlier miracle where Jesus made the multitude sit down in groups first before He multiplied the five loaves and two fishes.
Today, because of the COVID-19 virus, we are all made to sit down at home. And now, we have the time to do all the things we’ve been putting off. Right now, we have the time to do the things that we always wanted to do but never had the time to do.
The church has suddenly found that it has the time to watch online services and feed on God’s Word at home!
Sometimes, when we are inundated with the blessings of God, we get accustomed to His blessings and we cease to meditate on His miracles, like the disciples in Mark 6.
Don’t worry about the supply, focus on the Lord, keep your eyes on Him and He will take care of you and your family.
This Coronavirus is not from God. But God can turn the situation around so that people end up seeing their need for Him through this situation.
Pastor Prince prays that God will destroy the virus in Jesus’ name and encourages us to keep believing God for a quick end to this entire situation.
__
“Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
—Mark 6:45–48 NKJV
The Lord Jesus at this point is praying for the church. The church is like the disciples in the boat and they are in the midst of the lake (which represents nations).
We are like the disciples in the boat because we are confined in our homes. But get ready, because God is going to do something even while the storm is raging outside.
God will give us favor in these perilous times.
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.”
—Psalm 57:1 NKJV
“Be merciful” — “merciful” is the word “chanan” which means favor.
Pastor Prince encourages the church to ask of the Lord: “Show me favor, Father. In the shadow of Your wings, I will make my refuge. My family and I will take refuge under Your wings from this Coronavirus. We take refuge until this calamity passes by.”
“Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.”
—Mark 6:45 NKJV
“He made his disciple get into the boat” — “made” means there is an element of reluctance on the disciples’ part. But Jesus made them leave so that they would be able to rest instead of have to deal with crowd control.
Humans are such creatures of activity and we like to run ourselves ragged. The Lord has to make us sit down.
True rest is not about just sitting down and being inactive while your mind is still full of worry. That’s not resting at all.
There is a time of impartation when you spend time with the Lord. You don’t even need to ask Him for rest but you will find rest because He will be the One who rests you (see Matt. 11:28)!
Jesus always had time for the crowds and He had time for the individuals. The only time Jesus rushed is when it came to salvation. He said to Zacchaeus, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5)! He needed to go to Zacchaeus to bring salvation. He wants you to be saved, healed, blessed, and have your life transformed for the better!
We can rest in the midst of the storm because Jesus is praying for all of us.
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”
—Psalm 107:1–2 NKJV
“Mercy” — In the Bible translation by Delitzsch, a Jewish scholar, the word “mercy” is “hesed.”
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
—Psalm 107:8 NKJV
“give thanks to the LORD for His goodness” — Give thanks to the Lord for His grace. The disciples failed to give thanks for His grace and failed to consider His wonderful works.
"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
—Psalm 107:8 NKJV
“Goodness” — This is the word “hesed” as well, which means grace. Give thanks to the Lord for His grace.
Have you ever thanked God for His grace?
When we give thanks to God for His grace, this happens:
“For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
—Psalm 107:9 NKJV
This verse reminds us of Jesus feeding the multitudes in John 6 and Mark 6.
“Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.”
—Mark 6:47–48 NKJV
“fourth watch of the night” — this story takes place in the darkest period between 3 AM to 6 AM. This period is just before dawn.
Remember, this miracle happened when the Passover was near. As of today, we are nearing the feast of the Passover too.
What is God doing in the world and especially in the church at this time? He is doing an extraordinary movement.
What is this extraordinary movement?
It is not the rapture because:
Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
—Mark 6:48 NKJV
“would have passed them by” — Jesus will not pass anyone in the rapture. Here, Jesus is doing an extraordinary movement by appealing to the disciple’s affections, giving them the opportunity to invite Him into their boat/their situation.
We need to go back to the truth in Galatians 2:20: “the Son of God who loved me and gave His life for me.” Personalize this verse because the more you realize how much you are loved, the more you will love Him.
Just like the apostle John who had a revelation on how much the Lord loved Him, so much so that he called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He ended up loving the Lord the most and doing all the right things.
Our failure to understand how much the Lord loves us compels Him to make this extraordinary movement. There will be a special manifestation of the Lord in the days to come where He will show that He is sovereign over the waves, and we should invite Him into our situation.
God will show Himself superior over the power of evil. Over the evil of the Coronavirus.
We are raised with Jesus and seated far above all principalities. We are seated far above the Coronavirus (see Eph. 1:21).
Every morning, say, “My family is safe and secure at the Father’s right hand, far above every virus.”
Jesus also does this extraordinary movement of appealing to His people’s affections when He encounters the couple along the road to Emmaus:
“Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.”
— Luke 24:28–29 NKJV
Back to John 6 where Jesus walks on water toward His disciples:
“Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.”
— John 6:21 NKJV
The boat was in the middle of the sea, but when the disciples willingly received Jesus and He stepped into the boat, the boat transcended time and space and reached the land.
The world right now is in the midst of a storm, but Jesus is doing an extraordinary movement for us. He looks as though He “would have passed by,” but He is appealing to our affections and asking us if we want to willingly receive Him.
It is time for us to receive Jesus into our homes and say, “Lord, it is You that I want!”
The Coronavirus is not from the Lord but He is using this situation so that we will draw nearer to Him.
The Lord wants our love and affection. This is the time for us to delve deeper into our relationship with Him.
What happened after the disciples received Jesus willingly?
“And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.”
— Mark 6:54–56 NKJV
The same is going to happen for us. After this darkness, there will be an unprecedented revival that the world has never seen. As many as touch Him will be made well.
Jesus is doing an extraordinary movement during this dark and stormy time for us to have a personal touch with Him.
Everyone who touched Him will be made well. We are going into the time where everyone that touches Him will be made well.
“They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”
—Psalm 107:27–31 NKJV
What is God after? He just wants us to be grateful for His grace. His grace fed us when we didn't deserve it.
Give thanks to Him because He is demonstrating grace during this time. Believe that He will protect you.
Protection is not earned. We are in a place of protection and we just need to give thanks for His unearned and undeserved favor. Thank Him for His miracles.
Before the boat reached land, Jesus did another extraordinary movement:
“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
— Matthew 14:28–33 NKJV
During this time, we can be like Peter. He looked at Jesus and wanted to be like Him. And as long as his eyes were on Jesus, he walked on water. How you see Jesus is how you will be.
Today, we can be like Peter and ask the Lord, “Can I be like you? Can I be above the Coronavirus? Can I be above the fear and worry?” And He will say, “COME!”
The Lord loves for His people to be conformed to His image (see 2 Cor. 3:18). We are transformed when we behold Jesus.
How do you see Jesus? He is far above the Coronavirus, He is above the floods and above the waters.
All the exhortations in the New Testament are for us to simply behold Him and become like Him.
If you are struggling with an addiction or depression, look to Jesus. He is far above depression, above all afflictions. Keep your eyes on Him and talk to Him about your struggles and you will see yourself changed effortlessly.
We look to Jesus by seeing Him in the Scriptures and in preaching that proclaims Him and His finished work for you.
Today, the Lord is doing an extraordinary movement all across the world for His people. He wants to win your heart and affections.
He will never leave you nor forsake you, but He doesn’t want that to be knowledge you keep at the back of your mind. He wants a dynamic and intimate relationship with you. This is what God is appealing to you for. Will you open the door to Him? Will you invite Him into your boat? Will you ask to be like Him?
When Peter took his eyes away from Jesus, he began to sink. When we look to the world and start trying to find nourishment from social media, the news, etc, we will be anxious and afraid.
Feed on the true bread of life. Spend time with Him.
In the darkest moments, He is doing an extraordinary movement.
Pastor ends the service with a time of ministering, praying for:
“Say this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I receive You into my life. I receive You in the area of my family relationships. In the area of my career. Lord Jesus, I receive you to be my Protector, Lord, in these days. I receive You into my boat. And Lord Jesus, I know that this is a special time where you want my affections, Lord. And how can I not love you, Lord? You are altogether lovely and You have done so much for me. I give You praise for Your hesed, for Your grace in my life. I do not deserve it, Lord, but You lavish it on me. I know my family and I will be well taken care of even during this time of the fourth watch, this dark season. My family and I will have more than enough, 12 basketfuls leftover, to be a blessing to others. We thank You, Lord Jesus. I do want to know You more. I do want to have that relationship that is intimate with You. So unveil more and more of Your love for me because I can only love because You first loved me. Thank You, Lord Jesus. 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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