020116- Vision Sunday sermon (Pastor Prince)

God wants to do a new thing in your life today. 
GRACE- as we beheld the glory of our great God, today no matter what our past is, God’s heart is to bless us and He loves us. Our God is full of grace and truth. He is for u today so look to Him. 

As Long as this earth remains, day and night, summer and winter… Seedtime and harvest will never cease. Sow an Apple seed not knowing how many apples will come from it. 

God’s church is a blessed and prosperous place to be. The most powerful and successful and glorious and eternal Organisation. Heaven and Earth will pass away but the only one that remains is the body of the living Christ- the church. 

We thank God for buildings but the church of Jesus Christ long after the building crumbles into dust, the church goes marching on. 

Pastor went into the cave where King Solomon got his limestone for the walls of the temple from. Was pleasantly intrigued by something on the wall- had right angle cuts on it and there were some stones left in the cave. The cave prob only held torches so those stones would stay in the dark. 

We are called out of darkness to be living stones. We could be left in the darkness but God called us. 

Some stones cut halfway but not all the way. Almost redeemed but said no and said they have grown accustomed to the darkness. God will never violate man’s free choice. Will leave them as they are. They are like those stones that were cut halfway. 

The world is getting worse but our blessings will get better. 

Pastor never plans that the vision Sunday will be the largest number. He would expect Christmas to be the largest. Hope those from other Churches will attend their church to hear their own pastors’ word for their church. This is for those who have attuned to our church’s ministry over the years. 

Before SG entered Asian financial crisis, Pastor was shown revelation that it would happen and shared with us. The experts said four years but God revealed to Pastor it would be cut in half and it was so. Pastor was shown revelation that the weather phenomenons will get worse and he said it last year and the experts have said El Niño is the worse ever. 

Don’t have a critical heart but have the equipment and armory to deal with that problem. 

God wants u to see what He wants u to know. 

Numbers 13:1-2

The place where Israel walked with God. God brought them out with the blood of the lamb. All the judgments and plagues and punishments can’t do what the blood can do. Judgments only strengthen rebellion. The shed blood and what it has done is what will open prison doors. 

No lack. Not smitten by the Sun by day- pillar of cloud. Not chilled at night by the pillar of fire. 
God provided breakfast for them every day- manna from heaven. Came quietly in the little form of a baby on a silent night. 

Mitzrayim- Egypt= double pressure, double stress 

God wants to bring us out of that this year into a big place. What you are leaving is nothing compared to what God has for you. 

Food of Egypt- food from the ground (melons, leeks, garlic, onion), water from the Nile (hard work watering it by themselves)

 Food of Canaan land- heaven rains on that land and the land is verdant. Fruit fixed on the trees- promegranate, olives, grapes. Easy pickings. Easy and bright. 

If u don’t trust that God has only the best for u and u trust the ways of the devil, u will be in the place of back breaking and 2016 won’t be easy. 

Walking for two years- 

2016- are u going to continue wandering or start walking?

Walking is easy. Working can be laborious. 

Walking- one foot in front of another. 

Walk with God. Not work with God. Israel walked with God under His directive. 

God made a way where there’s no way through the Red Sea. 

Grace is attracted to your weakness and not your strength. The stronger u feel your weakness, the greater grace is upon u. 

His strength is med perfect in our weakness. 

Walked for 2y and wandered for 38

Deut 2:14

Everything changed at Kadesh Barnea. 2016 is about coming from Kadesh Barnea. 

John 5:5

Man with disease for 38y. Man is a pic of Israel.  Israel couldn’t stand for himself or walk or fend for his family. 

6 water pots into wine. – first miracle of Jesus. Wine represents joy. 

Law demands righteousness from bankrupted man. Grace gives righteousness to bankrupted man. 

What happened at Kadesh Barnea that caused them to wander? 

Make sure u walk WITH God. Enoch walked with Gid and was raptured. In Eden, God came walking in the evening (cool of the day). 

Walk before God (walk in front of His face, place of favour). Walking behind God (place of darkness, cursed)

All Moses saw was God’s back part- like someone leaving. But when Jesus came, and the woman of issue of blood touched his robe and was healed, he stopped, turned around and looked her in the face so that she would continue and remain well. 

The wisdom God gives us is greater than all the experts of the world- walking with the Spirit is what we desire this 2016. Covers every area of our lives. 

Deut 8:7-9

For those who don’t believe that God means to prosper us, God should have said then that he brings people to place of prosperity to learn some lessons there & a place with no copper to force you to be Creative coz no iron or copper. 

God is a good God who desires to bless us. 

Deut 6:10-11

Eat and drink and live in places they did not plant/ build. — image of rest

Only one place in the bible that says we should fear—> the fear of not entering His rest, not being restful. 

Hebrews 4:1-3

We who believe what He has done enters into rest. 

This is the year we enjoy blessings restfully

In Hebrew—> land replaced by rest

Rest in His finished work is the greatest glory we can give God

Numbers 13:1-2

As Moses was dying & recounting the past –> Deut 1:21-22

V22- all the people came to Moses and said let us send men 

Do we need spies when God has spoken?

The Scientist who coined the term Big Bang, he said his atheist belief has been shaken as the more he studied, the more it seems to be designed by a Creator. 

God never meant for Israel to have a king but asked for a king like other nations. So God commanded the prophet to give them a king. Not original command but he permitted it to happen as they choose. 

So the twelve spies went out but were not part of His original command. 

Numbers 13:23-33

Grapes represent joy. Oil represents revelation. 

The joy He has for His people far outstrips the joy out there in Egypt, in the world. 

Eschol- means cluster. 

Egypt- go down 
Canaan- go up

2016, walk with Him and go up 

Kadesh- doesn’t just mean holy, go study it. Word of the hour. 

There is always a nevertheless with what the man said. “Yes, but” That’s why God separated goat from sheep. Goats like to but. God has settled it whether u believe it or not. Yes is yes. Not yes, but. 

Faith doesn’t deny difficulties. Joshua and Caleb never said there are no Giants and said there is nothing. That’s not faith. Faith isn’t reckless or indifferent. Faith looks through the difficulties and sees Jehovah. 

Anak- descendants of the nephillim. Scientists have found bones belonging to Giants and wondered how it is possible on some Nat Agro docu. Message of Noah and the flood- Pastor explains it there. 

Walls are high, our God is higher. Giants are strong but our God is mightier. The devil wants us to focus on the nevertheless and sees ourselves as normal people. He knows when we are fixed on the visible, he can bind us. When we are fixed on the unseen, we are unstoppable. Our flesh craves for the visible but visible is not forever. The unseen is. 

Flesh always wants the calf or a leader to take them back to Egypt. 

The devil wants u to focus on what he wants u to focus. But Joshua and Caleb saw the LORD. 

Hittites- fear
Jebusites- fear of being trodden down

Looking everywhere can see the Giants. The 10 spies compared themselves with the Giants. 

V30- Caleb’s declaration vs what the men said in v31.

Focus this year determines on whether u can enjoy the promises of your salvation. 

God never mentions the Giants when he described the land because what are the Giants to God? 

Faith reasons from God to the difficulties. Unbelief reasons from the difficulties to God- starts with the difficulties. 

The devil wants us to focus on how and why we can be devoured. Some are so eloquent on the disease they are suffering from. Be eloquent on the word of God. 

Pastor says he is a revelation junkie who is addicted to Jesus. 

V33- grasshoppers in OUR own sight 

They saw themselves as grasshoppers as assumed others see themselves ‘no up’. 

Unbelief can give a thousand and one reasons. Faith has only one reason- God. 

V32-33 they didn’t mention God once.

Later Joshua sent two spies, he learned the lesson not to send 12… Just 2 like him and Caleb.

This is 40y after. 

Joshua 2:9-11

“The terror if u has fallen on us”
“Faint hearted because of u”
— she lived on the lofty walls of Anak. The enemies they were afraid of were afraid of them! 

Those who didn’t believe God will bring them through didn’t make it into the promised land. Those who did, made it.  

Exodus 15:12-15

After crossing the Red Sea

That’s how we write songs in church today. YOU YOU YOU (aka God), not I I I (aka us). Focus on Him. 

Pastor shared this with Ps Brian Houston and this affected the songs that have been coming out of Hillsongs since. 

The triumphant Singers of Exo15 became the mournful weepers of Kadesh Barnea

The Giants were always there but when your heart is full of God, u don’t care about the Giants. 

Start living and stop caring what others think of u. Haters will hate. 

The cluster of grapes they carried, when they squeeze it, they call it blood

Num 13:20 

They brought to God a tithe of the land. 
First fruit of the spirit – HS
Pic of Jesus on the cross- The grapes btw Teo poles. Jesus btw two theives. Blood of the crushed grapes

First Adam failed. Second Adam brought us a greater restoration beyond what the first Adam had. 

Numbers 18- 

as you said will happen to u–> God to those who complained and said they should have died in the wilderness. 

Exceedingly good land– Joshua and Caleb described the land AND knew God’s heart, not just God’s hand.

The reason the abundant land was given is because love is supplying and wants to bless them. 

Joshua and Caleb never used the terms ‘giant’ or ‘Anak’ but called these ‘the people of the land’

The problems of 2016 exist not to devour us but for us to devour them. 

God Honours faith because faith Honours God. 

Our problems are our bread, our roti, chappati and naan. 

Joshua and Caleb looked past their difficulties  to focus on Him and His surroundings and His circumstances. Those who are unhappy are always looking at their own circumstances and their own difficulties. 

Our disease and problems tremble before Him. 🙂 

THE LORD IS WITH US. DO NOT FEAR THEM. 

Do not fear= 365 times in the bible. 

We live not in facts but in the truth. Facts change but truth never. 

Human heart has no place for truth. Many prefer to believe lies over truth. If u preach the truth, many will stone u but fear not. God is with u. 

Numbers 14:24

Caleb had a different spirit. Let us have a different spirit – a spirit of faith- this year. 

Caleb had a following spirit. Knew the LORD delights in us. 

Since the LORD delights in us, He will keep us. 

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 

Deut 1:26-27

Unbelief paints the most horrible picture of God

Need to be strong in 2016 in the love of God. 

God loves me so much, why should I hear a grudge so much. Stop being so small and finding fault in others but yourselves. Lean hard on God. 

Numbers 14:29-30

V16- The Angel = Jesus

God sent The Angel and brought us here. No mention of the wanderings in the wilderness. 
Numbers 20:16 

Num 14:30- u shall by no means (referring to men- anything left in the hands of men fails and breaks into pieces)

Num 15:1-3- when u come into the land (matter of time)

God will never change his original purposes. Where men failed, Jesus made good. So 14 we come to the end of men and from 15 dependence on God’s goodness through Christ. 

Obadiah 17

There is a family protection package in your name paid for by Christ. But you just take it. 

Israel refused to enter the promised land with God so Grace wandered with them for 38y. When the Hebrews didn’t believe God about the promised land, God waited for them to pass away and entered it with Joshua, Caleb and he new generation. Lived with them in the tents during the time of wandering. 

Wanted to get nearer to us, became man. Grace. 

2016- possessing our possessions – this year’s theme. 

Faith isn’t a formula. It is seeing Jesus, possessing it. Israel saw the land but didn’t seize the land. Joshua and Caleb seized the land. 

Walk. This year pastor will share how to walk with God. As you walk, you will possess your possessions. Not the OT way but the NT way. 

God knows the year ahead and wants us to lean on Him, draw from Him and enjoy His provision. No longer let the squatter sit on your land and no longer not possessing your possessions. 

No matter who you are now, your accomplishments cannot follow you into the eternity. How then is your soul? Where will u be? 

Pastor reminds us that the devil doesn’t take holidays even when we are on holiday. Always take time to pray first. Don’t take prayer for the protection of the family for granted.