God appears to Jacob and reassures him that it is His will for his family to move temporarily to Egypt. Notably, the Lord calls Jacob's name twice, and Jacob ...

     

Jacob’s life was given prominence in the book of Genesis. He was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. Though Jacob cheated his father to get the firstborn blessing, the Bible records his life as one filled with faith.

At River Jabbok, God changed Jacob’s name to “Israel,” meaning “prince of God.” One would think of this event as the crowning achievement of Jacob’s life. Instead of being known as “Jacob” (meaning “supplanter” or “grabber”), he became a “prince of God,” and this change of name marked his life. However, this change of name is not what the Bible records as his greatest achievement.

In Hebrews 11, which is the chapter known as the “hall of faith,” we read this about Jacob:

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
— Hebrews 11:20–21 NKJV

“By faith Jacob . . . blessed each of the sons of Joseph” — The account of his faith recorded in Hebrews 11 is the act of pronouncing the blessing over his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When Joseph brought his sons Ephraim and Manasseh before his father Jacob to impart the generational blessing of Abraham, Jacob crossed his hands when blessing them. Joseph had positioned his firstborn Manasseh on the right side so that Jacob’s right hand of blessing (the firstborn blessing) would go to him. But Jacob, under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, crossed his hands and gave the firstborn blessing to Ephraim instead. This is to show us that the undeserving will receive God’s blessings.

God loves to bless your children. This act of blessing children is singled out in Hebrews 11 when it records Isaac blessing his children and Jacob blessing his grandchildren.

These are notes on the sermon, New Covenant Keys to Interpreting the Bible, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 25 September 2022, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!

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Overview

1. Introduction: By the Holy Spirit we speak as the oracles of God
2. The four gospels reveal the different facets of our Lord Jesus
3. We are living in the end times, the last days before Jesus returns
4. The answer we need in these last days is in the Word of God
5. How to study the Bible and interpret the Scriptures in a personal and practical way
6. Key #1: Interpret everything you read in the Old Testament in the light of Jesus’ finished work
7. Key #2: Always understand the Scriptures in the context of the entire passage
8. Key #3: Don’t let obscure passages rob you of the assurance and confidence of clear and certain passages!
9. A powerful example from Hebrews about how to accurately interpret passages in context
10. Salvation Prayer
11. Closing Prayer
12. OWN THE WORD (Life Application)

Introduction: By the Holy Spirit we speak as the oracles of God

Pastor Prince shares how he always endeavors to speak as the oracles of God whenever he gets to preach (1 Pet. 4:11). It’s not about preaching about man’s opinions. The word preached must come from the Lord.

In ancient Greek practice, people would go to an oracle—someone who was possessed by an evil spirit—to get direction, like a fortune-teller. But God-ordained ministry involves prophets, preachers, and teachers who are there to proclaim God’s voice.

The Holy Spirit is able to guide us by inspiration to speak a word in season to someone in need. One word from God can change our lives forever.

The four gospels reveal the different facets of our Lord Jesus

Look at these beautiful alliterations hidden in the themes of the four gospels!

The Gospel of Matthew—the Sovereign and His Sermons
When it comes to royalty, it’s important to trace lineage. Hence, the Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus, in which He was first introduced as the Son of David.

The genealogy written in Matthew is also important because it is the only documentation left that tells us who has the claim to the throne of David, which is a picture of the throne of God.

The gospel of Matthew is also filled with many sermons that Jesus preached during His time here. These sermons teach us about the foundations and principles of God’s Kingdom.

The Gospel of Mark—the Servant and His Service
Mark doesn’t start with a genealogy because Jesus is represented here as the divine Servant. You don’t ask a servant for his pedigree.

The book of Mark is all about Jesus as a servant and His service to the people. It is filled with recordings of Jesus performing miracles. You can even feel a sense of urgency and immediacy as Jesus goes from place to place to heal and redeem people.

The Gospel of Luke—the Savior and His Salvation
In the book of Luke, Jesus is portrayed as the Savior, the Son of Man who came to save mankind. We can see this even before His death and resurrection—when Jesus was saving and healing many as the Messiah.

God created the earth and creation, and He committed it to the stewardship of Man. He never meant for sickness, death, sin, lack, famine, or wars to come in. He created a perfect creation.

But Man gave up creation when he sinned, and death came into the world. Where the first Adam failed, God sent the Second Adam—Jesus—to recover all that was lost (Rom. 5:17).

The Gospel of John—The Son of God and His Supremacy
In John, Jesus is God come down in human flesh (John 1:14).

Pastor talks about how Jesus predicted in the gospels that the temple of Herod then would be destroyed and that not even one stone would be left on top of another (Matt. 24:2). However, in AD70, during the siege of Jerusalem, General Titus, son of the Roman Emperor, gave specific commands to his troops not to destroy the temple.

During the fog of war, chaos, and fire, the soldiers, seeing the gold of the temple melting in between the stones, began pulling down the stones to retrieve the gold. In the end, not one stone was left on top of another. You can see these same stones when you go to Israel today.

We see the supremacy of the word of Jesus, the Son of God, prevailing over the commands of the son of the Roman Emperor.

We are living in the end times, the last days before our Lord Jesus returns

“All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
—Matthew 24:8 NKJV

We are living in the end times. While we may experience all sorts of “sorrows” such as natural disasters, plagues, and wars. These are just part of the signs of the end times. We can take heart when we know God’s heart to care for those who believe in Christ.

“Sorrows” in Hebrew refers to “birth pangs” or contractions. When giving birth, the contractions become increasingly frequent as the baby is about to be delivered. This tells us that when we experience more of these “birth pangs” more and more frequently, we know that the Lord’s coming is drawing closer. We do not have to be afraid but we can rejoice knowing that our bodily redemption is near (1 Cor. 15:51–53, Luke 21:28).

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
—2 Timothy 3:1–2 NKJV

“Perilous times” is a result of mankind being lovers of themselves. We will see mankind being increasingly full of themselves during these times, resulting in wars and conflicts. They will also be lovers of money and boastful/proud.

The answer we need in these last days is in the Word of God

God doesn’t just tell us the problem in 2 Timothy 3:1–2. It gives us the solution. In the same chapter a few verses down, it says:

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
—2 Timothy 3:14–17 NKJV

“continue in the things which you have learned” — In the end times, it is more crucial for us to continue in the things we have learned, to spend time in the Scriptures and study the Word of God.

Even when the world seems to be falling apart, we can find assurance and hope—a confident expectation of good in the future—in God’s Word.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” — In its original Greek translation, this means that the Bible is God-breathed. The thoughts and ideas in the Bible were not created by man, they came from God Himself. All that we need for life can be found in the Scriptures!

Spending time in God’s Word is also able to “make you wise for salvation.” This means that the Scripture is able to make you wise to receive not just salvation from hell but also wholeness, healing, restoration, and provision, such that you will have nothing lacking in your life.

“that the man of God may be complete” — The word “complete” is the word “fitted.” God can fit you with a special aptitude: wisdom, intelligence, sharpness, ability to understand, and see things and solutions that even more knowledgeable people can’t.

All the knowledge in the world (especially on social media) can confuse, depress, and make you feel disconnected or isolated, but God’s Word will “thoroughly equip” you for all the challenges that you will encounter.

God wants you to prioritize and spend time in His Word. When you delve into His Word, God is able to drop gifts, talents, and impartations in you!

If the Word of God contradicts a belief that you hold to be true, know that the Word will last forever—every belief we have will eventually bow to the Word, and we will have to acknowledge that His Word is truth. The truths found in the Bible will never bow to any facts, “truths”, or beliefs that do not align with it.

God’s Word is more scientifically advanced than we realize!


Blood-letting was a common medical practice in the 18th century that was found to be harmful to most patients. If only someone had read the Bible which says, “. . . the life of the flesh is in the blood. . . ” (Lev. 17.11), many deaths could have been prevented!

The Bible is accurate in everything. Even in the oldest book of the Bible, Job, we see scientific truths and prophecies that have come to pass. For example, Job foretold that man will be identified by their fingerprints (Job 37:7) and that the moon doesn’t shine (Job 25:5).

Unfortunately, the devil has had much success in making the church look old-fashioned and traditional, like something that has not kept up with today’s times in terms of thinking and practices.

How to study the Bible and interpret the Scriptures in a personal and practical way

Pastor’s heart is not to train us to be academics when it comes to the Word, but for us to be able to open the Bible on our own, understand what is written, and receive from the Lord the encouragement and word we need.

God has given you the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Always ask the Holy Spirit to teach you when you open the Word of God. You can pray, “Father, let Your Holy Spirit teach me all things” before you begin to read the Word. More than just revealing God’s heart in the Bible, the Holy Spirit can also show you things to come through the Word.

Here are some keys that will help you as you study God’s Word:

Key #1: Interpret everything you read in the Old Testament in the light of Jesus’ finished work

Pastor preaches a lot from the Old Testament, but he takes time to help interpret the passages in the light of the new covenant of grace.

“You shall eat the old harvest, and bring out the old because of the new.”
—Leviticus 26:10 NKJV

How we are about to bring out food/nourishment from the Old Testament is through understanding it in the light of the new covenant!

An example:
“For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
—1 Timothy 5:18 NKJV

For example, the verse above, read in its context, is actually referring to paying those who labor in the Word and doctrine. In fact, Timothy is saying that these servants of the Church deserve double honor, which means a double salary (1 Tim. 5:17)!

Key #2: Always understand the Scriptures in the context of the entire passage

When we read the Word, we must interpret it in its context.

“It shall greatly help ye to understand the Scriptures if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goeth before and what followeth after. ”
—Miles Coverdale

Miles Coverdale, the man who translated the Bible and wrote the first English Bible, gave us this piece of advice above about reading the Bible in its context.

Even the words of Jesus during this earthly ministry (printed in red in some Bibles) need to be interpreted in relation to His death on the cross and resurrection.

An example:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
—Matthew 10:5–6 NKJV

Does this verse still apply to us today? No, because even though Matthew 10:5–6 is written in red, after Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He now tells His disciples, 18 chapters later:

“‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
—Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV

Key #3: Don’t let obscure passages rob you of the assurance and confidence of clear and certain passages!

It’s important to not let obscure passages rob you of the assurance of clear and certain passages.

An example of a clear and certain passage from what Jesus says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
—John 3:16 NKJV

When reading and studying obscure passages such as Hebrews 10:26–27 (explained below), it’s important to hold on to the assurance that John 3:16 (a clear passage regarding our salvation as a believer) brings.

A powerful example from Hebrews 10 about how to accurately interpret passages in context

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
—Hebrews 10:26–27 NKJV

This verse is often misinterpreted because people do not read it in its context. They do not see what comes before and after. They conclude erroneously that if one sins willfully repeatedly, there is a place that a believer can end up without a means of salvation.

What comes before this verse is important for us to be able to understand the meaning of what the writer is saying here.

In the earlier portions of Hebrews 10, we see these 3 “W”s:

1. The first “W”: The Will of the Father

“Then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
—Hebrews 10:9–10 NKJV

You cannot try to keep the law and produce moral excellence because the law highlights your imperfections. That was how sin had dominion over God’s people in the Old Testament (Rom 5.20).

The Father’s will was to remove the old covenant of the law (sin and death), which condemns us as sinners, so that He can establish the new covenant of Grace, where because of Jesus, we can be accepted by God and counted as righteous in Christ apart from our actions.

Yes, God’s desire for us is to be holy, and have high moral conduct and excellence so that we can bear good works unto God (Col. 1:10). But we can never attain this by our own strength! God gave the law to show man that we cannot achieve this excellence by ourselves. It was given to demand from us what we cannot produce and expose our weaknesses (Rom. 7:8–9).

Now, when we realize how wretched we are, we are ready to receive grace. God provided His Son Jesus to fulfill these demands that we are unable to keep completely once and for all, so that we might receive grace apart from our works (Rom 8:1–2). You see, God’s heart was never to judge us. His heart has always been to rescue and redeem us!

2. The Second “W”: The Work of the Son

“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,”
—Hebrews 10:11–12 NKJV

In this passage, we see how the animal sacrifices and sin offerings made in the past were not able to completely redeem the one who offered, and make him perfect with regard to his conscience. If it was able to, then the priest would have offered it once and then stopped.

He then contrasts these offerings to Jesus who offered one sacrifice for sins forever, and who has sat down at the right hand of God! This means that Jesus’s perfect sacrifice has completely redeemed us such that we who have now been cleansed should no longer have any consciousness of sin!

He didn’t sit down because He was the Son of God, He sat down because He had completely finished the work of our salvation and redemption!

3. The Third “W”: The Witness of the Holy Spirit

“But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,”
—Hebrews 10:15–20 NKJV

This is the witness of the Holy Spirit: “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Because of Jesus’ finished work, God no longer remembers your sin. There is no sin in your past, present, or future that will take you out of fellowship with God. And the gift of the Holy Spirit within us is a witness of this truth.

This does not mean we can go out and do whatever we want and sin. Because we are no longer under the law, we are not under the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14). We are alive to the Lord and His Spirit is able to lead us and transform us (2 Cor. 3:18). The Holy Spirit will never lead us to do things that are immoral.

Because of this witness and strong assurance from the Holy Spirit, we can have boldness to enter the holiest and have an intimate and personal relationship with God, because of Jesus’ finished work. This means that we can talk to God about anything at any time. God’s doors are always open to us.

“by a new and living way” — “New” means “freshly slain”. When you partake of the holy Communion, see Jesus freshly slain on the cross for your sins. “Living” here means that each time you come to the presence of God, you get healthier and experience more life.

Back to Hebrews 10:26–27:
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

Now, only after reading the entire context of what precedes Hebrews 10:26–27, we can understand that this “sinning willfully” doesn’t apply to us who have believed in the Lord Jesus. It does not refer to just any sin, but specifically the sin of unbelief on Jesus, even after receiving the knowledge of the truth (the 3 “W”s above). This refers to people who, having heard the good news of Christ repeatedly, choose to not put their faith in the truth that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior.

Salvation Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the truth that I receive right now. Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. I believe Christ died on the cross for my sins and I believe He was raised from the dead. I have been acquitted of my sins and I am justified in Him. Baptize and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. All my sins are forgiven, and death and judgment are behind me. From this day forth, I live as a child of God forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Closing Prayer

I ask in the name of Jesus that all that has been shared will go deep, not just in your minds but deep into your Spirit man, where it begins to govern everything you do. I pray that you will go about your days this week established in the consciousness of God’s love—that He no longer takes into account your sins. You are the beloved of God. And even when you fail, I pray that the Lord will remind you once again, through the Holy Spirit as a witness, that God no longer remembers your sin, and all you have to do is repent and continue your journey with God. In Jesus' name, Amen.

OWN THE WORD (Life Application)

Have you ever thought “Wow! I want to see what Pastor Prince sees when he reads the Bible?” The good news for all of us is that the same Holy Spirit that has revealed these things to Pastor Prince is the same Holy Spirit that is inside you! God desires for you to get to know Him in every way possible and the Holy Spirit that He has placed in you is more than able to guide you in all things.

This week, involve the Holy Spirit when you read the Bible. You can do so by praying, “Father, let your Holy Spirit teach me all things” as you begin to read the Word. As you continue to read the Bible, keep in mind the keys shared in this sermon:

Key #1: Interpret the Old Testament in the context of Jesus’ finished work
Key #2: Always understand the Scriptures in the context of the entire passage
Key #3: Don’t let obscure passages rob you of the assurance and confidence of clear and certain passages!

You can write it down and place it near you to remind yourselves of these important guides as you interpret the Bible and see what the Lord reveals to you! You can expect the Lord to refresh, reveal, equip, and redeem you as you spend time in His Word.

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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Introduction: The benefits of studying God’s Word

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MAIN IDEA

God’s Word provides you with God’s solutions and wisdom for the situations you are going through. Take time to study God’s Word!

key scriptures

Prov. 4:20–22, Hos. 4:6

‍

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • We need to spend quiet time with the Lord during the week instead of only listening to God’s Word from Sunday to Sunday. God’s Word has answers to questions we might have about the situations we are going through right now. 
  • We are to be students of God’s grace. We are beginning to see many signs of the end times (e.g. plagues, wars, and rumors of war) which indicate that the Lord is returning soon. As we approach the end times, it is even more important for us to continue to learn about God’s ways and feed our spirit with teachings on the new covenant. 
  • The best way to study the Bible is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God can speak to us and invigorate us through His Word. Our minds come to life and our bodies become healthy and energetic because His Word is life to those who find it and health to all our flesh (Prov. 4:20–22)! Whichever stage of life we are at, we can ask the Lord to speak to us and learn from His Word. ‍
  • God wants His people to be knowledgeable because He knows how destructive it can be to have a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). God’s Word reveals to us the true nature of things and His solutions and wisdom to what we are going through.
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We are lifelong students of God's grace

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MAIN IDEA

To be a “disciple” is to be a “learner” or “student.” We are students of God’s grace. As believers, we cannot help but be hungry to learn about the new covenant.

key scriptures

Matt. 28:19, 1 Pet. 2:2, 2 Cor. 5:17

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
    — Matthew 28:19 KJV
  • “teach all nations” — In many translations of this verse, the phrase “make disciples of all nations” is used. The Greek and Hebrew translations of the word “disciple” are “mathētēs” and “talmid” respectively, which refer to teach. This means that a disciple is simply someone who is learning. To make disciples is to make students of God’s grace!
  • Pastor Prince addresses the misconceptions that some people have about being a disciple. Unfortunately, some have portrayed being a disciple as superior to being a Christian, as if being a Christian is just an entry point or baseline. They believe that being a Christian alone is not enough and that to be a “holier” Christian or to progress further, we have to be disciples.
  • However, being a disciple simply means being a student. As Christians, we are all students of God’s grace. As believers, we cannot help but be hungry to learn. Just like newborn babes, we desire the sincere milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2)!
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You are first a son and daughter!

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MAIN IDEA

Under the new covenant, discipleship has been replaced with sonship. Being a son and daughter of God is greater than being a disciple alone. We are part of God’s family and as His children, we learn from Him.

key scriptures

1 Tim. 1:2, 2 Tim. 1:2

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • It is not right to say, “Being a Christian is great and all, but there is no cost to it because Jesus paid it all. But to be a disciple has a great cost.” The flesh loves to hear teachings like this because the flesh always wants to use the arm of strength. Actually, teaching like this is a form of regression. There were disciples before there were Christians. Jesus’ disciples were disciples before they became Christians and before they were called new creations.
  • In the Epistles and all the letters to the Church after the book of Acts, the word “disciple” is not mentioned. Instead, the Holy Spirit has replaced the word “disciple” with sonship—we are sons and daughters of God! This does not mean that we stop learning. It is in the heart of every son and daughter of God to learn! 
  • You can be a disciple and not be part of God’s family. However, as sons and daughters of God, we are both a part of God’s family and students of His grace!
  • While Paul discipled Timothy (in the sense that he taught Timothy), he regarded Timothy as a son. Sonship is greater than discipleship alone! As children of God, it is only natural that we learn from our heavenly Father.
  • Practical Handles on Rightly Dividing the Word: All the Bible is for us; every Scripture is God-breathed. But it is also important we understand that some portions of Scripture are written for the Jews while other portions are written for the Gentiles. While we can still learn and benefit from every scripture, we need to know when they are not written directly to us so that we do not take things out of context and inaccurately apply them to our lives.
  • The only letters written to us believers directly are the Epistles—love letters from the Holy Spirit to the Church—written by the apostles Paul, James, John, and Jude. This does not mean that we neglect the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There are still principles for us to learn, but we need to discern the different groups of people these letters were written to.
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How to be strong in grace

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MAIN IDEA

Be strong in grace when you lay hold of the Spirit of sonship.

key scriptures

2 Tim. 2:1–2

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”   
    —2 Timothy 2:1–2 NKJV
  • While Timothy was discipled (taught) by Paul, the Holy Spirit never used the word “disciple” because Paul’s mentoring of Timothy was done in the Spirit of sonship that went beyond the relationship of a master and a student. Sonship encapsulates discipleship. The greater always includes the lesser—Sonship is greater!
  • “commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” — God looks for faithfulness, not ability. The Lord can give us the gift of teaching when we choose to be faithful. 
  • “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” — Being strong in grace starts by first receiving our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul received the revelation of mentoring in Sonship from our Lord Jesus [1]. Paul [2] then discipled Timothy [3] who went on to teach faithful men [4], who went on to teach others [5]. 
  • Notice how there are five people involved in this! Five in the Bible represents the number of grace! We can be strong in grace when we receive the Lord’s grace for us.
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You are divinely called in Christ

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MAIN IDEA

The Holy Spirit divinely and purposefully renamed the disciples “Christians.” Under the new covenant, being a Christian is greater than being a disciple.

key scriptures

Acts 11:26

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called (‘chrématizó’ – divinely called) Christians in Antioch.”
    —Acts 11:26 NKJV
  • “the disciples were first called (‘chrématizó’ – divinely called) Christians” — The Holy Spirit deliberately and purposefully renamed the disciples “Christians.” Christ is the Anointed One, so as Christians, we carry the same anointing that He has. When the Lord’s anointing is on us, whatever we do prospers effortlessly! 
  • This is why it is not accurate to say, “Being a Christian is not enough. You need to be a disciple.” Under the new covenant, being a Christian is greater than being a disciple.
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Be established in the Spirit of sonship

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MAIN IDEA

Because of the finished work of Jesus, you are a son and daughter of God. It is when you establish yourself in the Spirit of sonship that you can enjoy your full inheritance in Christ.

key scriptures

Gal. 3:23–26

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons (‘huios’) of God, through faith.” —Galatians 3:23–26 ESV
  • “we are no longer under a guardian” — The guardian here refers to the Ten Commandments. When Israel was under the law, they were held captive under the law (the Ten Commandments). But under the new covenant, we are no longer under the law. This does not mean that we have the license to sin; it simply means that we do not need to be instructed by the Ten Commandments because as believers, the law is written in our hearts and we are guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit on the inside.
  • “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons (‘huios’) of God, through faith.” — There are different Greek words for sons depending on their level of maturity. A child at infancy is called a “népios,” while a full-grown, mature son is referred to as “huios.” This word “huios” carries dignity—it is dignified to be a son of God. Being a son of God is more dignified than being a disciple. 
  • “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child (‘népios’ – infant), is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children (‘népios’ – infant), were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” 
    — Galatians 4:1–7 ESV‍
  • “as long as he is a child (‘népios’ – infant), is no different from a slave” — A child cannot enjoy his full inheritance. It takes maturity to enjoy certain blessings. ‍
  • “elementary principles” — This refers to the Ten Commandments. Again, this does not mean that we can be lawless or immoral. Instead, when God writes on our hearts, not only are we able to lead moral and upright lives, but we end up exceeding the standard of the law because of His grace, e.g. we not only refrain from committing adultery, but we fall more in love with our spouse. ‍
  •  It is important for us to establish ourselves in the Spirit of sonship and be conscious of our positions as sons! 
  • Example of how we can pray with the Spirit of sonship: Pastor Prince gives an example of how we can pray with the Spirit of sonship when it comes to praying for healing: “Father, I am Your Son, You are my Father. And I know You want me to have this more than I want it. Father, You want me healed because You love me. Father, thank You that this is the children’s bread and I receive it.”
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07

Stay conscious of the Father's love

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MAIN IDEA

Regardless of what you are going through, your heavenly Father’s love for you remains unconditional. When you fall or make a mistake, know you cannot lose your position as His son.

key scriptures

Luke 15:11–37, Luke 15:29–32, Luke 15:11, Gal. 4:6–7

‍

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • In this section, Pastor Prince shares about the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–37). This parable talks about a son who squandered away his father’s inheritance. After reaching a low point in his life, he decided to return home because he was hungry and penniless. Instead of condemnation, the son received his father’s love and compassion—his father clothed him with the best robe and shoes and threw a feast to celebrate his return.
  • When Jesus preached this parable, He was revealing the Father’s heart to us and to those who heard Him! 
  • While this reconciliation and restoration were taking place, the prodigal son’s older brother was upset that his father was throwing a celebration for his younger brother:
    “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son (‘tecknon’), you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
    — Luke 15:29–32 NKJV
  • “Lo, these many years I have been serving you” — The older brother’s focus was on what he did to deserve his father’s blessings. 
  • “‘Son (‘tecknon’), you are always with me,” — The Greek translation of the word “son” in this verse is “tecknon,” which refers to a child. 
  • Even though the older brother was initially referred to in this story as a full-grown son (‘huios’) in Luke 15:11, he forgot his identity, which led to his self-righteousness, bitterness, and anger. He was performance-oriented instead of conscious of his father and his father’s love toward him. 
  • The prodigal son came home and found grace. Even though he had sinned against his father and his only intention for returning home was to have something to eat, he still received his father’s love and compassion, he accepted the robe of righteousness. Come back to Sonship! 
  • You are a son and an heir through God (Gal. 4:6–7)! As heirs, you can receive and access the full inheritance that the Lord has for you today—not in the future, but right now.
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08

Is Jesus your Savior or just another teacher?

PLAY FROM THIS POINT
MAIN IDEA

The Lord wants you to see Him first and foremost as a Savior, not a teacher. He delights in saving and loving you!

key scriptures

Luke 14:25–27, Luke 15:1–4, John 6:65–69

FOLLOW PASTOR PRINCE AS HE EXPOUNDS ON THESE POINTS
  • In this section, Pastor Prince compares the two crowds in Luke 14 and 15. In Luke 14, the crowd that came to see Jesus saw Him as a teacher, not a Savior. They came to Him thinking they were smart in wanting to learn more from this man. Jesus responded to them by telling them they had to bear their cross in order to be His disciple (Luke 14:25–27). It was not enough for them to merely learn from Him, but they would have to die and be born again in order to follow Him. 
  • After this group of people heard Jesus give such a tall order, they dispersed, and another group of people came to Jesus: the tax collectors and sinners who saw Jesus as a Savior. 
  • “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
    — Luke 15:1–2 NKJV
  • Because this group of people drew near to Jesus seeing Him as a Savior, Jesus responded very differently to them. He shared three parables of grace (the third one being the Prodigal Son) to minister to them. God’s reason for saving people is clear in these parables—it is simply because it brings Him joy to save. He loves being a Savior. 
  • “And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
    — John 6:65–69 NKJV 
  • One can be a disciple (a student) and not be saved. The seventy people who followed Jesus were disciples yet many of them walked away from Him. They could not accept that it was the grace of God the Father that drew them to Jesus and not their own intellect and desire to learn. Being a disciple does not give you a special status above being a son and daughter of God. Jesus wants us to see Him as our Lord and Savior, not just a teacher. 
  • Through our Lord Jesus, we are born again as sons and daughters of God, and we are called “Christians.” 
  • The disciples in Antioch did not name themselves “Christians,” but it was the Holy Spirit who divinely revealed them as such (Acts 11:26 YLT). And after that, God never used the word “disciple” again in the New Testament. 

Who are you that angels are looking into all of your lives and looking at the mystery of salvation. You are now a son and

daughter of God. It's a family thing now. It's sonship! The focus is on sonship! A company can have a lot of people working

but sons have a special place. He might be "El Shaddai" to Jacob. He might be "Yahweh" to Abraham. But He is Father, the

name that Jesus came to reveal. It's a family feel. It's love!

I'm telling you, the answers to prayers like that when you pray in the spirit of sonship is amazing!

Hi there, I just wanted to take the time to personally update you on the amazing work that the Lord is doing through the Gospel

Partner Initiative. Since its launch at the beginning of the year, when I put my latest sermons on YouTube for free to

reach more people with the gospel, we have seen an overwhelming response from people all over the world. Every

day now, about seven thousand new people are discovering the gospel of grace for the first time on our channel. And

recently, our Gospel Partner episodes just crossed 1 million

watched hours. That is 1 million hours that we have taken back from the world and helped people connect with the life-changing

message of God’s grace! What an incredible milestone! The gospel

is indeed going out faster and stronger than ever before. We could not have done this without the help of amazing Gospel

Partners like you Because of your support, thousands of people were able to encounter God’s grace over the last few

months. I want you to know that the impact you’re making is not just wide, but it is deep. People’s lives are being changed

at a personal level. We have seen so many testimonies in the comments, especially healing testimonies, from people who

were blessed by the Gospel Partner episodes. Thank you for helping to make a real difference in their lives. If

you are not yet a partner, would you consider subscribing today? You will get access to up to 1,000 sermons I have preached

that will ground and grow you in the gospel of grace. In addition, your subscription will also go a long way in helping us

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would like to bless you with your first month of subscription completely free. Head on over to GospelPartner.com to redeem it

now, and let’s make a real difference together.

Praise the Lord, hallelujah. Church, I have a very exciting

announcement to make today. For the first time in New Creation

Church, we are launching Grace Academy. Grace Academy will

provide a structured learning for you to grow, for you to

learn, for you to discover and fulfill your destiny in Christ.

We'll have many exciting topics like how to study the Bible, how

to rightly divide the Word of God, discover your spiritual

giftings, praying for the sick, biblical finances, marriage,

relationship, career, parenting, and many more. Are you excited?

If you are, we're gonna encourage you to register your interest with us by going to our church website. So, sign up

there, and when more information is available, we will share it with you. Aren't you excited that this year, in the year of

rest and acceleration, we can receive a fresh anointing from

God so that we are blessed to be a blessing, amen? Right now, let

us welcome Pastor Prince.

Hallelujah. Grace Academy. Amen.

I can see all the graduates already. Praise the Lord. You know, we are always learning, amen. We never stop learning.

The reason we came up with this, actually, it all came up from my heart, all right, sharing with the pastors, and I felt like,

uh, we need to embark on a teaching program for our people that instead of just waiting for every Sunday, you know-- I know

that there are many of you also doing your own devotional every day, whether you're using my devotional book or any other

book, doesn't matter. You're spending the quiet time that we all need to spend with the Lord, right? You are doing that,

right? Besides watching TV, are you all doing that? I'm sure

you're all doing that, amen. But you cannot just wait for Sunday to Sunday to Sunday, because there's so much that God wants

to teach us. And do you know that, uh, what we-- what I have on my, uh, JPM app and what our gospel partners have access to

is more than 1,000 sermons. Now, I started preaching way before

that, of course, right? But we only take the year 2000 until the year 2022. Exactly 22 years, hey, think about that, 22.

Twenty two years, amen? So, it's been more than 1,000 sermons,

and we have covered so many things, so many areas that you may have, uh, a question about, that you may be going through in

your life right now, that perhaps you are faced with a situation that those answers God has given in His Word in those

sermons. In fact, we are a teaching church. How many of you realize that we are a teaching church? Every church has its

emphasis. Yeah, you can give praise to God for that, amen, hallelujah. And we are always learning, learning from the

Lord, amen, first of all about Jesus, and then about His ways and the New Covenant. We are to be students of God's grace. But

I find that time is short, and because time is short, Jesus is coming back. We all can sense that, we all can sense that. You

know, and we sense--we see the signs of the times, you know, and we-- Yesterday I heard something I never heard before,

I think it was yesterday or two days ago. There's a new, uh, like, pox. It's monkeypox. Don't look around. There's no

monkeypox here, amen. There's only Pastor Mark. No, Pastor

Mark is healthy and strong. So, there's no--don't, don't worry about it. But, you see, all the sudden it's like one thing after

another? We don't know how far this thing, you know, may go and all, but we do not know, all right? So, let's not be alarmed.

The thing is this, that in the end times Jesus says about plagues. Plagues will increase. It's always been there, right?

Wars, are we seeing something now? And then rumors of wars, which means news of wars, Jesus says will all be on the

increase, amen. We are living in these times, people, and because time is short, you cannot just wait from one week to another

week to another week to learn. Embark on learning God's ways, amen. Feed your spirit in a way that's convenient for you.

We'll--we'll give you more details later on, whether, you know, you can do it online as well as participate or whatever,

we'll let you know, but a-a-are you excited about the Grace Academy, that you can be a part of it, amen? And, uh, you know,

right now all our gospel partners of Joseph Prince Ministry, they all have access already to more than 1,000

sermons, and this is the same report that keeps coming back, "It is like my own Bible school." You know, sometimes I

do not know where to go, and I just ask God to lead me and then I just choose at random, and God speaks to me from there. You

know, it's time and time again, it's like, uh, the urim and thummim. It just shines out. Just the other day I was sitting

down with the pastors, and I was sharing with them things

about--learning about the Bible, how to study the Bible in ways that it's not the traditional way. You know, most of the time

what I-- what I shared with them that night compared to what you see on YouTube, for example, how to study the Bible--you know,

there's a--there's-- Those methods are not wrong, right? There's a lot of methods, all right? There's, uh, inductive

method, there's, uh, uh, a discipline method, you go through, you know, M'Cheyne's way of reading the Bible and you

study that, but the best way, I believe, right, the way I've learned from the Lord, and I've tried these methods, but the

best is really the Holy Spirit way, all right? And I was sharing to pastors how I do it and how God speaks to me. You

see, Bible study becomes really, really fun when God speaks. When

God speaks, it's no more just words. And they're all the word of God, the logos, but it becomes the rhema. "Thy words

were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart," amen. It becomes a rhema, it

speaks to you. Oh, I'm telling you, it's like everything about you becomes reinvigorated, because the Bible says God's

words are health to all your flesh, amen. Everything about you, your mind comes alive, your body becomes healthy, vivacious,

amen, energetic, and, uh, you just--you just leave that moment, leave that place of Bible study after that

different. I want you to experience that. We'll be teaching this also in the Grace Academy, all right, and

materials that--that--we-- I want to share. Many times I share in a sermon, like, uh, today and every Sunday, but then

I got so much more. Do you hear me saying that? Oh my goodness, I just got the introduc--introduction into the

main body, but then time's up, because you all have to go and? Eat. Pastor Mark will have to go and eat. Pastor Lawrence

especially must go for his steak. Look at that body, amen. So, because of that we have to let you go, amen. You need to

collect your children and all that, and, uh, um, a lot has--a lot-- There's still a lot there, amen. You know, when God shows

me something, it is like--it's concentrated. It takes week to slowly dispense of it. You know, it's like, uh, you have to not

dilute it, but break it down, unpack it. It takes time to unpack it, amen. So, I pray that you will avail yourself of this

Grace Academy, amen, and nonetheless, already gospel partner, you have access to more than 1,000 sermons. Whichever

stage of life you go in, right, just ask the Lord to speak to you and learn from His Word. One of the saddest indictments in

the Bible is when God said, "My people--" not the people of the world-- "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Not--not

the lack of good intentions, not the lack of good works, charitable, you know, contributions,

being--being--being involved in a lot of social work, not a lack of all that. It's a lack of knowledge. And lack of knowledge

can be quite merciless, how many know that? God wants His people

to be knowledgeable because God knows how evil it is, how terrible it is that there are people whose lives are cut short

because they don't have knowledge, all right? Even in the natural, for example, on a dark, stormy, heavy you know,

rainfall, uh, uh, all around you, and, uh, you can hardly see the road as you're driving, okay? Then you see the--the

cable, you see a cable has dropped across the road, and,

uh, out of the kindness of your heart because of other motorists and all that, you thought you wanted to remove the debris,

right? But it's a cable, right? So, you pick up the cable, thinking it's a branch, and it's live. What happens? You don't

imagine that, right? Now, can I ask you a question? Do you have good intention? Yes. Do you care for others? Yes. Were you doing

something selfish? No, you were trying to remove the debris, right? But there was a lack of knowledge, a lack of knowledge

of what that thing really is. This is what God's Word reveals to us, the true nature of things, and then God's solution,

God's wisdom, amen. So, let's dive into the Word of God today, praise God. Along the lines of what we are sharing, we wanna

share with you also that we are always students. Actually, Jesus

said in the Great Commission, "Go into all the world." Now, many of your Bibles says, "Make disciples of all nations," but

actually the word down there is "make students." "Make students of all nations," make--disciple, the word disciple-- okay, learn

this. The word disciple, people, is from the Greek mathétés.

Mathétés, say mathétés. Okay, mathétés. Now, in the Hebrew it

is talmid, say talmid. Talmid from the Hebrew limmud. There's

a--there--you know the Hebrew alphabet, A to Z, there's a letter there called lamed. Lamed is actually to teach. That's

where you get the word disciple, limmud. So, a disciple is nothing more than someone who is learning. Okay, someone who's

learning. The unfortunate thing today is that disciples, discipleship programs and all that, are--are--are portrayed as

if it's something that makes you a superior Christian, makes you a greater Christian than what you really are. Actually, it's

nothing more than always be a learner, always be a student of God's grace, amen. Now, I am not against the word disciple, I'm

not against the-- the concept of learning, because we have to learn. In fact, all that I said just now is to encourage you to

learn and continue learning. How many know that we'll continue learning until we see Jesus face to face or until your old age,

amen? You will continue--you are a lifelong of God's grace, come on. We are lifelong students of the-- of the New Covenant, amen,

we are still discovering it, amen. So, I'm encouraging you to be a student, but what happened is that people take the word

disciple and they say that, oh, to be a Christian is no cost, but to be a disciple is a different area--level. So, be a

Christian is at this level, but you gotta be a disciple at this level, okay? Now, the thing that I wanted to ask is this. If you

study the scriptures, you find Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you find Jesus has disciples, amen. Gamaliel, a very famous

rabbi in Jerusalem, he has disciples. In fact, even today in Israel there are rabbis having disciples. Disciples

means followers of a certain teacher, followers of a certain rabbi. Are you with me so far? All right, you're all disciples,

amen, strictly speaking. But the idea that being a Christian is

not enough, right, if you wanna be a holier Christian, a more

devoted Christian, you must be a disciple. Actually, we are regressing. A Christian cannot but be hungry. The Bible says,

"As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word." Are you all hungry for God's Word? That's why you are here this

morning, amen. Come on. Praise the Lord. Amen, this is your

real self. This is who you are. You are a new creation in Christ. You are the righteousness of God in Christ.

You don't--don't for one moment think that you are defined by your failures. No, no, no, no. You might be a righteous man,

like, a butterfly sometimes fall among trash, but it is still a butterfly. It doesn't metamorphosize into a

caterpillar again because I fell among trash. No, you are still a

butterfly. Get up, be who you are. That butterfly needs to go to New Creation Church and be told who you are. We're not

telling you who you are to make you who you are, we are telling you who you are because that's who you are. Amen. A new

creation in Christ. Old things are passed away, all things have become new. So, every failure, every, uh, uh, uh, expedition

into the sinful realm that you find people going to, every addiction, every fall, everything that is negative in

our lives that we think they should not be there anymore, but we are still experiencing it, whether it's sinful habit or

addictions or depression, whatever it is, let me tell you this, it's because we don't realize who we are or we are

fighting an enemy that has been defeated. We are repressing a nature that doesn't exist, but the, the echo of it is still

there. We fail to realize that the enemies, the Egyptians are

dead, washed on the seashore. We are not on the side of Egypt, we are on the other side. Christ has died on the cross. But what

happened first-- I feel this temptation to lust, I feel this temptation to anger. It is telling you it's alive, right?

It's not. That is where the reckoning comes in. Pure, raw

reckoning. You do it in spite of this is who I am, this--I'm not what I feel. I'm not this lying symptom coming in my body,

telling me that I'm depressed. This is who you are, amen. You

look at the world, it becomes dark, bleak, amen. You think the worst of every situation, you think the worst of every person,

your mind is clouded with darkness. The devil says you are depressed, don't accept that label. Amen, you are not

depressed, and you have the peace of God, amen. Then what is this, Pastor Prince? It's trying to tell you this is who you are.

It is from the outside trying to come in, it is not from the inside declaring itself. Are you listening? So, I am against the

idea of, uh, people saying that "Now you're a Christian, great," all right? "There's no cost, Jesus paid everything, but to be

a disciple, there's a great cost." People love that. I mean, the flesh loves to hear that. I wanna--I wanna--I wanna pay the

cost, I wanna pay the-- You know, it's not, my friend. Actually, all right, we are regressing. There was--there

were disciples and discipleship before there were Christians.

Long before there were Christian, there were disciples. You find them in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus' disciples

were disciples long before they were Christians, long before they were called new creations, and then something interesting

happened. I challenge you to look in the scriptures. Look at all the Spirit-inspired epistles of Christ through the Apostle

Paul. All the letters to the church through Peter, James,

Paul. Paul wrote most of it. Jude, John, in all the

Spirit-inspired letters to the church after the book of Acts, you don't find one single mention of disciples anymore.

Does that mean we stop learning? No, but why did the Holy Spirit choose not to use that word? Because the Holy Spirit knows we

tend to put these kind of wrong ideas about being a student, we complicate it, as if something you have to do to progress

farther. Actually, it's a regression. Pastor Prince, don't

we all need to learn? Yes, but let me tell you this, it's in the heart of every believer to learn. In fact, when you heard

back-- uh, Grace Academy, I don't have to tell you, you need to learn. You know. I'm just reminding you of that hunger

that you have, and now we give you, uh, an avenue for you to learn even more faster. You can even learn every day. But to

say, you know, teach people how to learn, it's like saying to a baby-- A baby is a son, am I right? A true son of the father

and mother, am I right? We are saying, "Baby, now that you are born, now you're in the family, it's good you are born, but you

got to learn to be hungry." Trust me, babies will let you

know they are hungry at all the different hours of the day and

night, and all the parents, and mothers especially, because fathers can sleep through, amen, mothers all said? Need your

support here, mothers, come on. You don't have to say, "Now, now, baby, listen, I'm gonna teach you seven steps to

hunger." That's the kind of thing that I'm not for, because

rather than, you know-- and that's why the word disciple does not appear, because the Holy Spirit has replaced it with

sonship, with sonship. You are now a son and daughter of God.

Now, what's the difference? Disciple, you can be a disciple, but it's not a family. In fact, in those days the rabbis,

whichever rabbi it is, Gamaliel and all that, to be a disciple, you have to renounce your family, you have to renounce

your natural occupation, whatever, and come and follow him. Now you are a follower of Gamaliel, you know? We--we--now

a follower of Gamaliel. That's why I don't like to say, okay, Pastor Mark is my disciple, I don't like to say Pastor Lawrence is my disciple. No, no, no, they are sons of God. But

are they disciples in the sense of the Greek word mathétés? Yes, they are students of God's grace. Now, I said just now, in

the Great Commission Jesus says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel," and many translations says, "And make

disciples of all nations." It just means--the word there is the verb of mathétés, of being a student. Mathēteuō, and you know

which translation has that? The King James. You look at the King James Bible, it says, "Go into all the world and teach,"

mathēteuō. It just means teach. "Make students," amen. All of

you here, you got saved because I taught and preached on the gospel of Jesus Christ, right? And then after that you keep on

coming because you want to learn more about the New Covenant,

become a student of God's grace, amen? That's why you keep on coming, you keep on hearing, am I right? So, we are making

students of all nations. I just let you know something, it's okay to put, "Make disciples of all nation," because as long as

you understand make disciples means make students, amen. But

actually this is Matthew's Great Commission, and Matthew was written to the Jews, and they understand clearly the concept

of discipleship, because before Jesus came there were disciples and there were rabbis, amen. So, Jesus is telling them, when you

preach the gospel, make students. They understand that, the Jewish would understand that, but in the Great

Commission of Matthew, He didn't say to them, "Go," He says, "Wait." So, which is it Pastor Prince? "Wait until you receive

the promise of the Father from on high, until you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, don't go just yet." And the Great

Commission, all right, not in Matthew, but in Luke you find Him saying, "When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit,

then you start preaching where? In Jerusalem, in Samaria, all right, and in the uttermost parts of the earth. So, Matthew

says, "Go into all the world," because the Jewish people tend to feel like the gospel is only for them, amen, the good news is

only for them, so Jesus is saying, no, it's for the whole world. So, He spoke against the natural tendency to think that

we are the only ones. But for the--Luke, return to the Gentile, amen? Now we can all benefit from it, of course, it's

all returned for our benefit, okay? But strictly speaking the--the--the different ones are written for different groups.

Luke is written to the Gentile, and what did Jesus say? Wait.

And for the Gentile, amen, there's a message there. The--the good news must be preached in the guiltiest city,

where Jesus was crucified, where they rejected Him. Isn't this grace? Beginning in Jerusalem and then Samaria and then the

uttermost part, that's into all the world. So, there is--you--you must take--you must take all the Great Commission

together. And Jesus never breathed one word about the church. He never breathed one word about the mystery of the

church, why? Because that will come with Paul's ministry, and

Paul wasn't saved yet at that time. So, even on the night--the--think about it, three and a half years, and

finally the night before Jesus was crucified, do you know what He said to His disciples? "I have many things to say to you,

but you are not yet able." And we think Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John encapsulize-- encapsulize all the entire

teaching of Jesus, and then Paul-- many people think Paul's letters as, you know, Paul's opinions here and there. My

friend, Paul's letters are the words of the ascended Christ. When He was here, even on the last day before He was crucified

after three and a half years of teaching them, you know what He says? "I have many things to say unto you, but you are not yet

able. But when He, the Holy Spirit, comes, He will guide you into all truth." So, if you wanna follow the--the--

strictly, the--the Great Commission, right, you gotta follow Luke's account as well, and you gotta start preaching in

Jerusalem first. Does that mean we stop preaching the gospel? No, the idea of preaching the gospel is there, but you talk

about being strict about every little word, all right? Then you gotta--you gotta tarry and preach in Jerusalem first. Every

missionary must start preaching in Jerusalem. What makes us put

Matthew's Great Commission above Luke's Great Commission? It's the same Jesus giving the commission. We have to study and

study the context as well. By the way, the disciples go, the one that He spoke to go into all the world, they didn't. They all

stayed in Jerusalem. You know what the Bible calls that? Disobedience. So, even then, they didn't go. Even after they

got baptized in the Holy Spirit, they still didn't go until there was a persecution. Then they were scattered. They actually

went, they obeyed because they were scattered. Now they are

going into all of Samaria, uttermost part of the earth, and then God raised Paul, amen. And then listen carefully, something

happened. So, the word disciples are there throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the word disciples are there in the

book of Acts throughout, but something happened in Acts 11. Look at this, this is interesting. Acts 11, when he

had found-- Barnabas found Paul. Paul had just got saved, and he brought him to Antioch. "So it was that for a whole year they

assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And

the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." What are you? You are not a disciple anymore. The disciples are now

called Christians. And from then on in the books-- in the letters

of Paul, which is written directly to the church, all the

Bible is for us. I repeat, all the Bible is for us. You gonna quote me, quote me, ah, saying that, ah? Every scripture is God

breathed, amen. But some in the book of Ezequiel, Nahum, Micah,

are written for the Jew. Can we benefit? Of course, God put it in His Word. We can benefit by example, we learn, all right,

but the words literally is not written to you, amen. What can

we learn? We can learn principles, yes, but remember it's not written directly to you. The only letters that are

written to you directly are the epistles, the love letters of

the Holy Spirit to the church through Pe-- Paul, Peter, James, John, James, Jude. That doesn't mean we neglect Matthew, Mark,

Luke, John. No, I love Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John because it gives me a vision of Jesus. I see Jesus in Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John. What about His teachings? Remember, His teachings were kingdom focused. Which kingdom they rejected,

because they rejected the King. There was no revelation. In fact, Jesus only spoke two words in all three and a half years

about the church. "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them," amen, and church

discipline, He talks about that, and about "The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church," but the mystery of the

church, He knew that they weren't ready to receive the--the-- the mystery of the New Covenant and the church, and

that came through the Apostle Paul, who was born again very much later on. So, here the disciples in the book of Acts--

and by the way, the book of Acts is the one that ends the word disciples. You don't find them anymore. Does that mean there's

no more students? No, we con--like I said, we continue to be students. Paul taught--by the way, Paul taught Timothy. Right,

yeah, Paul discipled Timothy, uh, Pastor Prince, Paul discipled. You can use that word, you won't be wrong, but,

again, I said the idea of that word carries that connotation of, like, the way it was taught by the rabbis. It's been brought

back to the church. So, did Paul disciple Timothy? I said the word disciple didn't appear. Then how did Paul regard

Timothy? My disciple? No, my son. It's a family thing now,

it's sonship, the focus is on sonship. Amen, look at, uh, 1 Timothy, chapter 1. "To Timothy my true son in the faith," not

my disciple. Disciple is less, son is greater. Today we have

reversed the whole thing, we have regressed into discipleship, amen, and the spirit of sonship has suffered.

My con--my greatest concern is that the spirit of sonship has suffered, because it's--I'm a follower of Jesus, I'm a

disciple. You are just Christians, all of you, you are sons of God, yes, but I'm more than a son, I'm a disciple, like

you have achieved something greater. No, you are regressing, and if you don't watch it, you'll catch the spirit of

discipling and lose the spirit of sonship. Sonship is greater,

the greater has come. Are you listening? In chapter 2 of 2

Timothy, again he addressed Timothy. He says, "To Timothy, my dearly beloved son." Mark, "My dearly beloved son." Come

here, come here, come here. Come here. Amen. God bless you.

Don't--don't forget. Call me father--he just called me father. Yes, my beloved son. Don't forget your monthly

allowance. Amen? That's how they did it. Why--what's the idea?

You see, you can have, uh, uh, uh, uh, a relationship of a disciple and a master, it's a student kind of thing, but it's

not family. But do--do--do--do children families, do they learn

from the father? Yes. At least, they're supposed to. The Bible standard. Now, yes, Lawrence, you're also my beloved son. Yes,

Gabriel, you're also my true son in the faith. Which other pastor here? Not--not--not once I start, right? They're all

wondering, "Does Pastor Prince only love Pastor Mark?" Mark, be

careful, and as many as I love, I rebuke. Of course. So, we have

this. Now, in, uh, in, um--he discipled Timothy, right? But he

never used the word disciple. Disciple means teach. Because why, why did Holy Spirit--didn't--didn't--I mean,

re-- Not one instance in the New Te-- in the epistles did the Holy Spirit choose the word disciple, being the noun or the

verb. You don't find it. In fact, in 2 Timothy chapter 2, it

says that "You therefore, my son--" again, my son-- "be strong," Paul is writing to Timothy. "You therefore, my son,

be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus," strong in grace. The focus is on grace. Strong in grace, then he tells

him, he teaches him mentorship. All right, you can call it disciple, student, apprentice, then you get the right

definition of the word disciple, all right. He's saying, "The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit

these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Okay, Mark, come, Lawrence and Gideon, come. When I say come,

come fast. Don't walk like old men, eh? I know you're 75, but

you must spring up. He always tell me, people ask my age,

right? I always say, you know, 75, 80. Then they look at me and say, wah, so young. I don't know, is that wisdom or not?

But-- okay, Paul is saying, if you look, how to be strong in

grace, how to be strong in grace. The idea of grace is there, right? Okay? Strong in grace. He says that "The things

that you have heard from me," all right, Timothy, my dearly beloved son. All right. The things that you have heard from

me, so the things that you have heard from me, what I've taught you, commit to faithful men. Commit to faithful men. The

things you heard from me, now you continue, commit now to faithful men. But Pastor, that's discipleship! But why did the

Holy Spirit never use that word? It's done in sonship spirit,

it's done in a family spirit, not a master--master-student. We

must--we must--we must learn in that spirit. Sonship is greater, sonship--see, the greater always includes the lesser, come on.

The greater always includes the lesser. Sonship is greater. It en--also encapuslizes discipleship. But don't--don't

let anyone make you feel like, you know, sonship and all that, it's not enough. You are regressing. So, the things you

heard from me, all right, in Grace Academy, 'cause you are my gospel partner, you've been with me all the time, you're my son

in the Lord, you imbibe my milk, amen. I take the food, I chew, chew, chew, make it soft, and then I put it in your mouth.

Amen. What I feed, you swallow. The things you heard from me. Now, this is talking about teachings, right? The things you

heard from me, commit to faithful men, commit to faithful men who are able to teach. Now, the faithful men, you see, God

looks for faithfulness. God doesn't look for people with ability to teach. This is a secret of teaching. The gift of

teaching comes later. If you are faithful, it will come. Watch this, commit to what? Able men who can teach? No. Sometimes

it's dangerous to give to men of ability, because they get proud very fast. Amen, look for faithful men. People are always

that day in, day out. Commit to faithful men "who shall be able

to teach," that's future. They are now faithful, but one day

they shall be able to teach. "Who shall be able to teach

others." The things you heard from me, commit to--you can face

him. "The things you heard from me, commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others." Okay, now watch this. Where did

Paul receive his revelation? Not from himself. From who? Jesus. Watch this, it starts from Jesus, right? Jesus gives to

Paul, Paul gives to Timothy, Timothy gives to faithful men,

faithful men teaches other faithful men. You can call it apprenticeship, you can call it discipleship as long as you

don't miss the spirit of what the Bible is saying. Watch this, grace is what number in the Bible? Five, the fifth time Noah

was mentioned, it says, "Noah found grace." Five is--stems the

measurements of the Tabernacle, it's full of grace. Okay, now watch this, Jesus one, he's always the first one, he's

number one. Jesus, Timothy, two. Timothy--sorry, Paul, two. You

are awake. You are a good student. Good disciple, amen.

So, one, two, three, Timothy. Timothy to faithful men, four.

Faithful men to others, five. To be strong, it start with be strong in grace. All right, give them a hand, praise the Lord,

thank you, Jesus. And there are so many things to learn about

marriage, God's plan, God's paradigm, parenting, amen, how to study the Bible, our gifts and calling. Each one of you

have a calling, you have a gift. Don't die, and, you know, make-- Don't die with that gift latent, hidden, unused, unutilized. The

greatest fulfillment is to do what you dream of doing and then you get paid for it, and you never dream you'll get paid for

doing something you enjoy. Do what you enjoy, the money will always follow. Don't worry about the money. Do what you enjoy,

the money will come, the money will flow. Don't go for the money, and then you find you end up with this empty feeling,

amen. Day in, day out, looking, looking, looking until your eyes are burned, until your eyes nearly fall out, amen, looking

at the stock market or whatever. Unless you're called, be very careful. You know, don't go into areas whereby it is not your

joy, it is not your pleasure. I have so much more to teach about gifts and calling and how you can be alert, how you can flow

into it. Can you increase the gift? Yes, amen. Gift can be increased, amen. You can stir it up, you can even increase it,

you can cultivate it as well. For more, join the Grace Academy. It's not possible to teach everything in one session,

right? So, back to this again. Why did the Holy Spirit not use the word disciples in all the Spirit-inspired letters to the

church? Because he knew that sonship has come. So, he renamed

the disciples for the first time in Acts, again. He named them what? They--the disciples were first called Christians in

Antioch. So, which is more important? The disciples are now--the names are changed to Christians. We should be calling

each other sons of God or Christian. The word--you know

what's Christian or not? Once upon a time, there was the Christ. You know what it means? Maschiach in Hebrew, the

anointed one. That means whatever He touches that is evil, evil departs. Anointing breaks sickness that's a yoke,

amen. When anointing is on you and you speak, it's effortless, and the words go deep. All right, it's like the oil, this

way it's like the oil, it's always, uh, uh, typified like the oil. If the door sounds creaky, all right, something's

getting old, something is falling into disuse, what do you do? You put oil on the hinges, and then you don't hear the

noise anymore. You know why there's so much complaining? People are--people's--the oil, either the oil has become

stagnant, because oil can become stagnant. You need fresh oil.

And in Psalms 92, which is a psalm they use for the Sabbath every Sabbath, Psalms 92 comes after Psalms 91. See, whoo. And

Psalms 92 is a song of the Sabbath. At the end it says that "Even in your advanced age, you will flourish like the palm

tree," and the palm tree doesn't grow old. It keeps on producing even in its old age, all right? That's--that's the--the last

part of, uh, Psalms 92, but somewhere in between it says, "I shall be anointed with fresh oil," amen. So, that is the song

of Sabbath. Every Sabbath you are supposed to be anointed with fresh oil. We gotta be students of God's grace. But sonship is

most important. Now, back to this again, this is important. I asked God to speak to me further because I-- I knew about this

sometime ago, and many of you, you-- you know that I have a teaching. If not, I'm letting you know now. I have a teaching

in 2013 that I did on discipleship and, uh, sons of God, and-- but back then I don't have some of the revelations

that I have even now, because I asked God to confirm before I preach it. You know, I always ask God to confirm further and

further, and this one is a fresh one. You know what the Lord said to me? All right, study the Word. The disciples were first

called Christian, and I found out this word is no ordinary word. It is the word chrématizó. All right, it's pronounced

chrématizó, it's a glottal sound, chrématizó. All right, try, try. You have your mask on, so nobody will feel like you're

spitting on them. All right, say chrématizó. There's a glottal sound. Chrématizó, all right, chrématizó is--the word chréma,

you know what is that? The oracles of God, you know what's oracles? Prophetic oracles. You know, the new age peoples,

they--they--they go to oracles, and, uh, they believe that, uh, you know, a spirit being will talk to them. They call it

oracular, oracles. Oracle, back in the Bible times, oracles of God, God's voice. This word here chrématizó is literally divinely

called. The disciples were divinely called, the Holy Spirit changed disciples, the name disciples to Christians,

anointed ones. You are all anointed one. Christians means what? Anointed one. Christ-ian, amen. We are all part of--our

Lord Jesus is Christ, the Messiah. There's only one Messiah. We're all Christians, like Him. When he's anointed,

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with fire, amen. The Holy Spirit and with power, who went

about doing good and healing all. With anointing, there's a power to heal. You find it easy to pray for the sick, amen. Why?

Where there's the oil, bondages break. Evil spirits don't like

oily places. They seek what? Dry places. Jesus says when the evil

spirit leaves a person, it seeks dry places, amen. I got another

teaching altogether, oh, so much to share, so little time, praise God. So, let's go on. Divinely called, now this word, divinely

called, chrématizó, look at the Youngs. Youngs is the only that--so this--I noticed-- I searched the whole thing, and

Youngs put down that "the disciples also were divinely called in Antioch Christians." Have you noticed the Holy Spirit

changed the name? And how often do we say Christians? Now, I--I

think I've--I've heard people say, "To be a Christian is not enough, you must be a disciple." We have just downgraded what was

a revelation peculiar to the New Covenant. It's greater. It's

like this, remember last time I taught you all that Israel, they were under the law? Right, when they were under the law, what

were they? Real quick, Galatians 3, "Before faith came," before justification by faith came, before Jesus came, before grace

came. Now, "Before faith came," there's the idea of faith, justification by faith, "Before faith came, we were held captive

under the law--" under the Ten Commandments-- "imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was

our guardian until Christ came--" watch this now-- "in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has

come, we are no longer under a guardian," and who is this guardian? The law, the Ten Commandments, right? It says

that very clearly. God married Israel at Mount Sinai, amen,

before the day was, you know, before that--that--that--that time of they stayed there was over, 3,000 had died. And then

on Mount Zion God gave the Spirit, and 3,000 people were saved. We are no more under law, under the guard--under the

guardian. At one time the guardian tells you when to wake up. You know, in those days, right, the guardian of the

Romans ready-- I speak for established, wealthy families and all that, they have guardian for their young son. In fact,

the guardian-- guardian have authority to tell, want them to wake up, go to your gym, do these exercises, all right, do

this homework, algebra or whatever, and then come back, he will give you more lessons, more physical exercise, whatever,

tell you when to sleep and all that. But once he comes to maturity, the guardian has no more say to him. Will a

Christian--will a Chris-- Does a Christian need the Ten Commandments to be told don't lie, don't commit adultery,

really? You have to be--no, it is written in your heart. You know it. Sonship is greater. So, after faith has come, we are no

longer under the guardian, are you with me so far? So, if you go on, it says, "But now faith has come, we are no longer under

guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." Now, people, sons of God here is the word huios, say

huios. Now, keep this in mind, there are different words for sons, different periods of growth. Baby stage is népios,

say népios. Think of nappy, nappy, diapers, nappy, all

right? Népios, all right? Népios is infant, huios is full grown sons. They can drive their father's car. They can run his

business, amen. Pastor Mark--or Mark and--Mark and Sons, which is Mark and Sons, Private Limited, except that the word

limited is there, but for God, God and Sons Unlimited. So,

you're a son, a full grown son, amen. Then we go to chapter 4

real fast, it says that, "I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child," a népios, infant. "As long--" the heir, the heir!

Let's say that a billionaire, he has only one son. The son is the heir, right? But as long as he's a child, "He's no different from

a slave, though he is the owner of everything," am I right? He cannot enjoy filet mignon. He's a baby. He cannot enjoy the

father's private jet plane, right? He can be on board, but he cannot enjoy it. It takes maturity to enjoy, right, things

like this. He cannot--he cannot drive his father's car, amen.

Why? Not mature. So, he's--Paul is saying, "As long as you're a

child, infant, you're no different from a slave, though you are the owner of everything--" technically

speaking the owner of everything-- "but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father." Now, this is referring to the time of Israel under law, when Israel

was under law, under the guardian, they were népios, infants. "In the same we also, when we were children--"

népios-- "we were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world." Real fast, I'm gonna tell you this Greek word for

elementary principles is the A-B-C. It is the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments actually is the

A-B-C. You read up, it's referring to the law. We were

under that. Now, again, I said, doesn't mean you become lawless,

without moral. No, when God writes on your heart, okay, not

only you don't commit adultery, the very thought down here, all right, it's like you're averse to it. More than that, you fall

in love with the woman that you married, because you can don't commit adultery and not love the woman that you married. That

comes from the Lord. And all of a sudden, you realize that God forgave me so much of my sins, why can't I forgive her for her

mistakes, for her failures? People need grace in their marriage, and we'll be sharing grace as well, it's part of the

curriculum, amen, in marriage. Praise God. Hallelujah. I can't

tell your face with the masks that you wear. The sad thing is that when you laugh, right, must indicate, amen? Try to laugh

with your eyes or move your head. Praise God. All right, so,

"In the same way we also, when we were children, we were enslaved to" these A-B-Cs of the faith, which is the--the law.

Drop down. "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to

redeem those who were under the law," so that we might receive what? Sonship. "When the fullness of time had come, God

sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law." Now, listen carefully, strictly speaking, Matthew, Mark, Luke,

and John is Jesus still under the law. All His disciples were under law. In fact, let me tell you this, none of the disciples

were saved or born again. How can they be saved? Nobody was saved. They were followers, yes, they were disciples, yes, but

they were not saved. Why? How do I know that? Because Jesus has

not yet died. He has not risen again. So, they were followers of Jesus. Were they Christians? No, they were disciples. Put

that right. He has not yet died, he has not risen, how can--how can they be saved? Now, after He died and rose again from the

dead in the Upper Room He appeared, right? Says, "Shalom," and then He breathed on them. That's when they were saved.

They received the Holy-- that's when they were saved. But they were baptized in the Holy Spirit when? Fifty days after, right?

On the day of Pentecost. They were baptized in the

Holy--but--then what is the first breathing? They were born again. Was--was Judas there? No. Judas didn't lose his salvation,

he never had it to begin with. He never followed all the way with the disciples to the Upper Room where Jesus breathed on

them and they were born again. They were the first group to be born again. So, until then they were followers of Jesus, they

were disciples of Jesus, but we are saying right now, you can be a Christian, oh, that's good, but you know, being a Christian is not enough, you gotta be a follower of Jesus. You know,

that--that phrase is not used. The closest I can find is Peter saying, "Follow His steps." Right, Paul is saying, "You are

one with Jesus. Allow Him to express himself in you." Follow

means He's outside, I follow, all right? No, He's inside, I listen. The New Covenant is you are one with Jesus. Don't fall

from your high place that God has given you. Are you listening, people? So, the word used is sonship. What are you

all? Sons. You know, um, one time I was praying, I was

praying, and I don't know what happened to me, but somehow-- maybe I had a stressful season at the time-- I started praying

with earne-- like, I--I think it's earnestness. People think earnest is something that means you, ooh, you are very--you know? But actually earnestness is the power of the Holy Spirit

generating in you. But so I pray with more, like, kind of intense. You know, I say, "God, please, God, God, please, you

know, I need this to be done, Lord. Lord, Father, I pray in Jesus' name, Father, please," you know? And uh, all the sudden

I felt the Holy Spirit correct me. This was years ago. He correct me, and from this came the teaching on sonship. He said

this to me. "Why are you praying to Me like that? I'm your

Father. Why don't you talk to Me like a son?" If you know father

loves you, it's a family thing, sometimes somethings you take-- you don't even ask your father. The father will say you can

take. You go to the fridge, you take, you drink, right?

Some--it's a family relationship. Family relationship is that you know the father's heart. It's a

fam--family speaks of love. The word huios for full grown sons has the idea of dignity of the relationship. Disciples, no.

Sons means you are in the--you--it's a dignity to be a son of God, I'm telling you. It--it--it--hallelujah. It

carries the idea of dignity and character. Who are you? Who are--who are you? The angels are looking into all of your lives

and looking at the mystery of salvation. Are these the people? They see us losing our temper, they see us impatient, they see

the things we say to our spouse, and then the angels say to one another, "These are the people He died for?" The other angel

probably think, "What is it about them? We are--we are powerful, we can-- we want, bat of the eyelid, we are in--in,

uh, the other part of the--of the earth. We want another bat of the eyelid, we are back in heaven. There's no time or space

for us. We move really fast, at the sp--greater than the speed of light. Oh, but these people, they move very slow, and they

call their bike, hmm, they call their bike, hmm, this is as fast as they--and they call that fast? What about these people

that the Son of God, the Son of God gave His life for?" Do you

know, people, Jesus never died for Lucifer even though he fell?

That's why there's something in him, when he looks at men, right, he hates men. Jesus did not die for angels. There's a

verse in Hebrews that says, "He did not give aid to angels that fall, but He gave aid to the seed of Abraham." He loves you.

Another angel will come and say, "These are the people. Never speak against them. These are the people that He redeemed.

They must be precious. Watch over them." All right? The archangel will say, "Watch over them." Sons of God. So, I was

praying, and all of a sudden I stop. Yes, I check myself. I feel a sense of distance, like God is far away. All of a

sudden, become God, not Father. So, I slowed down, and I say

that, "I'm trying to get the answer, I'm trying," causes stress. So, I stop, and I reestablish the sense of

consciousness of son. And I say, "Father, Father," sometimes the

word Father alone is enough, just to say Father a few times. "Father, Father." See, notice? He might be El Shaddai to Jacob,

He might be Yahweh to Abraham, He might be El Elyon to

Melchizedek, but He is Father. The name that Jesus came to

reveal, it's a family--it's a family feel. It's loved, love.

You know, a company can have a lot of people working, a lot of students as well, but sons have a special place. A son sometime

can not come on time, but in the end the inheritance goes to the son, the company goes to the son. Are you with me so far?

Sonship, I begin to rest-- oh, yeah, why am I-- Father, I'm Your son, You are my Father, and I know that You want me to have

this more than I want it, 'cause I've seen in Your Word that You want me to have it. Maybe it's a healing or whatever. Father, You

want me healed because You love me. Which Father? Some fathers would take--rather take that disease on himself than see his

child suffer. Many mothers are like that, right? So, Father,

thank You this--the children's bread, I receive it. I'm telling you, the answers to prayers like that when you pray in the spirit

of sonship is amazing. And I always have to guard myself, because, you see, the prodigal son, right? Remember the

prodigal son? Two sons, there was two sons, say two sons. And

then they left, one of them--uh, sorry, they actually both left in a way. One left in heart, one left in presence, right? The

pro--younger son went to his father's inheritance and squandered, told his father, "Give me my inheritance now, I can't wait for you to die, give me now." So, the father gave it

to him, he went to a far country and spent money, uh, on harlots and, uh, all kinds of, uh, riotous living and all that, and

then when his money ran out, his friends ran out, and then the only job he could have to feed his stomach was to-- to feed the

pigs in the pigpen. Uh, that is really the--the worst place to

be, that--that place for a Jew. Because Jews and-- you know Jews

don't eat pork. I know you like wonton and all that, but they don't eat. I know you like bacon and all that, they don't eat.

So, for him to want to f-- even want to eat, not the pig, want

to eat what the pigs are eating. You know what pigs eat or no? They want to eat what the pigs are eating. That is the--the

pits. Then he says, "My father's house, there's more than enough. I know what I'll do. I'll go back to my father and tell him,

because my-- the servants in my father's house--" and the word there is hired servants, all right, the employees in my

father's house, "They--they are--they are, uh, well fed. I'll go to my father. Make me an employee." The word literally is

wage earner in the Greek. "I'll go to my father." You realize his speech. "I'm no more worthy to be called your huios, make me

a wage earner," all right? But hardly those words come out of his mouth, the father saw him from far, the father ran. And

who is the one telling this story? Jesus. And the father hugged him, the father kissed him all over, amen. And before

he can say his rehearsed speech, "Make me-- I'm no more worthy to be called your son," amen, "make me your wage earner," he never

got the last part out. The father says, "Bring forth the best robe! Bring forth the ring!" In those days the ring is

your, like, your--your credit card, right? Your--your checkbook. You just, uh, punch the clay tablet, it is a sale.

It's greater than those things, actually, it's a direct sale, amen. It carries your family emblem. "Bring forth the--the

ring, and put shoes on his feet." Under the law God told Moses, "Take off your shoes, the place you're standing is holy."

Under grace, the father says, "Put shoes on his feet, he has a right to stand in my presence," amen. So, now then, the father

said this, listen carefully. "My son," but pastor, by now he's-- he's back to a népios, really. This guy, he's back to a népios.

But the father says, "My huios was lost but now is found." So,

while they were celebrating and the father says, "Bring forth the fatted calf," right, "kill it, let's celebrate and eat."

So, there's a picture of Jesus, there's a price to our forgiveness, amen. A ho--for a holy God to take sinful men in,

amen, Jesus paid the price. So, God can unleash His heart of

love for all men, because that--that--that--that-- that righteous and holy barrier has all been fulfilled by Jesus at

the cross, He paid the price. So, it was killed, then there was music and dancing. There should be music and dancing in

God's house. All right, I know many of you are 50% there, but there should be music and dancing in God's house. All

right? Then the older brother came from the field, the older

brother came from the field, and he says--and he heard music and dancing, and he says, "What is this? Music and dancing?" And

the--one of the servants said-- you see, an older brother, a self-righteous person doesn't know how to celebrate. They hear

music and dancing, all right, they--they cannot--they cannot accept it. So, what is this? "Oh, your brother has come, and

your father killed a fatted calf because he's received him safe and sound." He was angry. He was mad. He refused to go in the

celebration. He refused to celebrate. He was outside. So, the father came out, and the father says, uh, "Come, celebrate." He says, "No." He says that "What is this?" Then

he says these words, look, look. "All these years I've kept your commandments." His eye was on what he did, all right? You

asked me whether there is a spirit of sonship or no. "I've kept your commandments." He didn't even say, "Father, I kept

the comm--" No, he said, "Lo." Now, unless the father is a Chinese, all right, you don't say, "Lo, I have kept your

commandments." But then he--you know how he address--he address

his brother? Not as my brother, but "As soon as this son of yours came who devoured your living on prostitutes," that's

what he said. The word prostitutes never appeared. He did live a sinful lifestyle, I mentioned prostitutes just now,

but I'm just referring to the brother, what the brother said. That could be, all right, but that was his focus for some

reason, strange, hmm. "As soon as this--this son of yours came

and devoured--" He didn't even say my brother. "Spending, your spending on harlots, you gave him the fatted calf." And then

the father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I

have is yours. It is only right we celebrate, your-- your brother was dead, now he's alive. He was lost, and now he's

found." Listen, when the father called him son, the father used

a different word than huios. The father said, "teknon." You know what's teknon? Child. But was he a son? Now, the Bible says when

the older son was in the field earlier, and he heard music and dancing, the word the Holy Spirit used is the "the older

huios." He was a huios, but he meant in a spirit of slavery. "I

kept your commandments. I never violate anything. You never gave me," he told the father, "you never gave me even a kid--" a

goat, small goat-- "to celebrate with my friends," not with you, "with my friends." Can you see it? He was a son, but he lost

the spirit of sonship. He went into the spirit of slavery. No wonder he was self-righteous, he was condemning. Have--you--do

you know of Christians like that? Self-righteous, bitter, angry, resentful. The problem is not trying to remove all those

things, look for the root. The root is that you become legalistic, and you're looking at your performance, not your

Father and His love. You're looking at your performance. Okay, ah. I do all this for You, ah. All right, You must give me, ah. The prodigal son came home and found grace. When the father

says, "My son was lost and now he's found, bring forth the best robe, bring forth the ring, put shoes on his feet," you know

what the--the-- the son who came back, you know what he said after he saw all these things put on him, you know what he said? Nothing. That means he accepted what was given. Some

people cannot accept the best robe, the robe of righteousness. I'm just telling you, come back to sonship spirit. Amen. But do

you--do you stop being a student? No, we are lifelong students of God's Word. In fact, I'm encouraging you to be even--

get involved in a program to learn God's Word in all the different areas of your life. Can I have a good amen? Is this

blessing you? You want one more, one little--you want it? We

still have a bit of time, one more? You don't want, I don't give, no. So, we--we go back to--this is Galatians 4. Drop

down to verse 6, do we have verse 6? All right, here's--okay, "Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of

His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if you are a son, if you are a

son, if you're a son, brothers and sisters, if you are a son,

if you are a son, then you are heir through God." But Pastor,

does that mean that only one day in heaven I receive everything? No, no, the word heir and heir apparent is different. Prince

Charles in England right now, he's an heir apparent. Is he the

heir? Yeah, you can say--heir usually means right now you--you--you--you inherit. Heir apparent means you are waiting

to inherit. The Bible doesn't call you heir apparent, you are an heir. Amen. Sons and daughters of God, what a

privilege to wash your feet. Well, I wanna share with you,

and I close with this, this the last part, Luke 14 and 15. You know, in future we'll share with you more on this. Luke 15, Luke

14 and 15. I always like the compare and contrast. Luke 15 open, I share you a story just now, the prodigal son, right,

you know where is it from? The parables of grace, from Jesus in Luke 15, but Luke 15 begins like this. "Then all the tax

collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees," the older brothers, "and scribes complained, saying,

'This Man receives sinners and eats with them.'" Drop down, "So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 'What man of you, having

a hundred sheep--'" You all know this parables of grace, the third one is the prodigal son which I shared just now, all

right? But notice the context, the context is before He shared the parable of grace, the sinners came to Jesus. Jesus

love it when sinners come to Him. He loves it. You see, why? How do I know He loves it? Because of the way He shared the

parables of grace. Talking about the joy of the found, the joy of

recovering the lost, the joy of finding the lost coin, the joy of finding the lost sheep. When asked, when God is asked,

"What's your reason for saving people," you know how He answers in all these parables? There's only one answer. "I find joy in

it." What an answer. What an answer, that--that warms our

heart. "I find joy in it," amen? Apostle, I still feel he might

be a disciple. Listen, before Luke 15, okay, go back to verse 1 again. "Then all the tax collectors," look now, for the

word "Then all the tax collectors came," there must be a precedent something, right? Look at the last part of chapter

14 before this. "Then great multitudes went with Jesus." Now, I'm gonna teach you how to thin a crowd. 'Cause Jesus

didn't always grow the crowd, you know? I mean, He would thin the crowd. "A great multitude went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 'If anyone come to Me and does not hate his father

and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.'" Why? Why did He

say that? In this context here, the crowd came to Him not to see Him as Savior, but to see Him as just a teacher. Ah, this is the

last part of Luke 14. That's why Luke 15 opens, after this crowd went away, then drew near the sinners, 'cause how do sinners

look at Jesus? Not as a teacher, as a Savior. When you are drowning and somebody come by and say, "What

happ--what--what's wrong?" "Oh, I'm drowning, help, help!" "Okay, I got a book, 'How to Swim,' nah!" You don't need a

teacher, you need a Savior. Sinners look at Him as Savior. "I need Him." "Where's teaching? Give me the teachings. I don't

have to have you, give me the teachings." So, many of them, they don't-- they're not adverse to coming to Jesus. They--they--they just see Him as a, "Wah, he's another, um, a

great teacher. I wanna learn from Him. It's because I'm smart. I know who to go to." See, their pride--but Jesus--

you can see that Jesus is not comfortable, so He--He turn around to the crowd and says, "If anyone come after Me and hate not his father and mother and all that and forsake all

that you have, you cannot be My disciple." In those days, all right, all this not repeated in the letters to the church by

Paul, Peter, James, or John, but in that day and age when Jesus was there, yes. "If you wanna be My disciple, it'll cost you

everything. Take up your cross." You know, when you see a cross in those days, someone carrying a cross, you know he's on his

way to what? Death. Because to be a Christian, actually, is to

pass from death unto life. Jesus is telling him, telling them, it's not enough. "Following Me is not just, you know,

renouncing this and renouncing this or take My teachings. It is to be born again." Are you listening? And I believe many of

them left. "Then drew near," the next chapter, "Then drew near to Jesus." You look, Luke 15, "Then drew near, therefore then," Luke

15, Luke 15, verse 1. Luke 15. Verse 1. Where? All below.

Pastor it's your fault! I agree. I always aim high, I don't look

lowly. Okay, verse 1. Next time put Luke down there so that I

can look at Luke. All right, so, can you see verse 1 down there?

So, all this come down here, "Then all the tax collectors, then all the tax collectors," which means what? That group,

they are not there to be saved, they are there to learn. Then Jesus says, "Just give-- give them a very hard--" I mean,

let's agree it's hard. In those days, to follow a rabbi is to renounce your family, renounce your job, and follow him full

time, itinerant. And I'll show you another one, all right, and

with this we close. John 6, John 6, "And Jesus said, 'There I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been

granted to him by My Father.'" Wow, that means what? If you--how many of you are saved, let me see your hands? I'm

saved, hallelujah. One more time, saved. Saved, shout saved.

Amen. If you are saved, you know how you are saved? You know who drew you? If there's no drawing, you'll never be saved. The Holy

Spirit drew you. In fact, in the parable of the--in Luke 14, I wish I can go there, but never mind, there's no time. God drew

you, but many of the disciples that followed Jesus, not the 12, there was 70 that followed Jesus in those days, do you know that?

Not just the 12, there were 70 others, and they were disciples. The Holy Spirit used the word mathétés, but look at this. "And

Jesus said to them, 'No one can come unless the Father draws you,'" right? "From that time many of His disciples went back

and walked no more." So is it possible to be a disciple and

not be saved? Yes. They--you know why they were offended?

"I'm here to learn from You. I came because I was very smart. I

saw You have good teachings, so I come to learn. Maybe there are some things I can learn, can You see how humble I am? But then

You come and tell me that no one can come to You unless the Father draw me? No, I came to you because I see how smart and

intelligent You are, how erudite a scholar You are of the Torah, so I come because I wanna learn more. I have a few other rabbis

as well I follow." This is disciples in those days. They

were disciples, and they walk away. It doesn't mean it gives you special status above sonship. "From that time many of

His disciples--" I like this, because you know why? It's John 6:66. "Many of His disciples went back, walked no more," 666,

the spirit of antichrist. You know why? They cannot take grace. Grace is always the demarcation line. And then I'll

close with this, Jesus turned, 67, "Then Jesus said to the twelve," now the twelve are left, all the 70 are gone. How

to grow a church. I told you, Jesus is not interested in crowds. He's interested whether you come to Me because you see

your need of Me. "I am your bread and life, I am your--your--the truth. The truth is not precept or whatever you

apply, it is Me, and I'm the life. If you're sick, I am the life. Amen. I am the resurrection." You--he's gotta

be everything to us. Like, the sinners, when they come to Him, they don't come to learn, although they did learn. They

learned of God's grace, but they came to see Him as Savior. The rest see Him as teacher. "Then Jesus turned to the twelve," all

right, "and said, 'Hey, you guys wanna go also?'" I love it, the Lord is so cool, you know, amen? "Mark, you gonna go also?"

People are saying some bad things about me, Mark, you gonna follow them? So cool, he's not--he's not hard up. Peter

answered, "Who else?" There's always a Peter, Mark, among the

pastors, you know? "Simon Peter answered and said, 'Lord,'" you see, he called Him Lord. By the way, just to let you know, ah,

on the night of the Passover, when Jesus, "One of you shall betray Me," each of them turned to Him and says, "Is it me?" You

know how they address Him? Lord, is it me? Lord, is it me? Lord-- Came to Judas, you know what Judas says? "Rabbi, is it me?"

See the difference? It's there in the Bible. Each of the disciples says, "Lord, is it me?" Judas says, "Rabbi, is it

me?" That's, like, it tells you, it belies where he's--how he views Jesus. "And Simon Peter says, 'Lord, to whom shall we

go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the

living God,'" amen. Have you believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? God bless you, praise the

Lord, amen. And for those of you who are watching right now at home or wherever you're watching this, Jesus wants to come into

your life. Primarily not to be the teacher. Yes, he's the greatest teacher I know, amen, he's the greatest teacher, but

more than that you have to be born again, born as a son of God, amen. Now, the word son is generic, it includes daughters

as well. Sonship, God wants to bring you into a sonship, amen, but don't--for those Christians, all right, who are truly born

again, remember the word there is that God called you to be a Christian. The same word, chrématizó, the disciples were

first called Christians, was first used by God warning Joseph

in a dream with the baby Jesus, "Don't go this way," all right? The word there is chrématizó, divinely warned. Another time,

Luke, remember Simeon, Simeon, who came and carried the baby Jesus, and God said to him what? The Holy Spirit said he will not

see death. You know what the word there? It was revealed to Simeon by the Spirit, and the word is chrématizó, the same

word used, divinely revealed. The disciples were first chrématizó Christians in Antioch. It's not just man

saying, "Let's call ourselves Christians, lah? Let's have a nice ministry of disciples, huh?" No, no, no, God called

them Christians. God never used the word disciples after that in the church anymore, amen? But we continue to be learners, praise

the Lord. Every head bowed, every eye closed all across the places that's watching this right now, here, in MBS, in GRC,

also at home. This is your moment to be born again. I'm not

asking you to embrace a religion, I'm not asking you to, uh, follow Jesus, amen, and do your best to implement all His

teachings. No, I'm asking you to be born again, to see Jesus as your Lord and your Savior. Only He can save. There's salvation

in no other name, amen. If that is you, wherever you are right now, pray this prayer with me. Say, heavenly Father. Say it,

heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of salvation, the

forgiveness of sins. It is a free gift, but it was paid for

by Your Son, my Lord Jesus Christ. He died on that cross

for all my sins, and You raised Him from the dead, conquering death for me. I stand before You right now, born again, filled

with Your Spirit, a new creation. And let me continue,

Father, to be a student of Your grace. In Jesus' name, Jesus

Christ is my Lord, amen. Praise the Lord. If you prayed that

prayer, you are now a child of God. Welcome to family, amen.

And because you got saved here, New Creation Church or Grace Revolution Church is your home. Praise the Lord, thank You,

Jesus. Amen, amen, amen, praise the Lord. Stand to your feet, church. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Okay, I was about to dismiss you

all, but I gotta obey this. Real quick, somebody just got diagnosed with, uh, a liver, uh, uh, you just went this past

week, uh, a liver condition, amen. It can also be people in the later service, but let me just say this. God is healing

your liver, all right? I see, like, uh, there's a marker, like, a-- I see black dots. You know who you are, amen. Those

black dots are disappearing, amen. I just saw the Lord gave me that word, and He wants you to know that. He wants you to

know that, praise the Lord. This coming week the Lord bless you,

and the Lord keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you

and be favorable to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on

you and grant to you and your families His shalom wholeness,

well-being, and peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

and all the people said, amen. Hey, I love you all, family. Say, family. God bless you all, see you all again.

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