Sermon notes (Hillsong Conference sermon by Pastor Prince)

(Was late today because our second son was in a cranky mood this morning and refused to get out of his PJs. Will update the notes later. This is what I currently have.)

(updated)

We are never too far from His forgiveness. – special item

DARE is recruiting. 🙂 If you’re interested SMS to 73333 Dareishome (your name) 30 July (or 5 Aug) (time- 7pm, 730pm, 8pm, 830pm, 9pm) 

—— Experiencing Explosive Growth

It is AT THE NAME OF JESUS that every knee bows. Not just the name of God. The spirit of the world today is anti Christ and not anti God. Jesus has lost a place of centrality. JESUS was in the midst of he church, the seven golden lampstands. He wants to be in the centre of your marriage and your church. When two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them. When Jesus is in the midst, all things are held together. Not what holds together but who. 

One thing Pastor hates in his relationships are people lying or who are dishonest. Flattery is dishonest but Pastor Brian Houston is a very good leadership coach. Shared his dark seasons and setbacks and wounds in his book, LIVE LOVE LEAD. 

The  Hillsong worship team and the pastors have a sparkle in their eyes which are beyond words. New covenant glory. The glory of the new covenant are always increasing. Amen. 

John 1:17- for the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

Law given from a distance. From the servant. 
Grace came close. From the Son. 

Cannot rob the Son and enrich the servant. 

Law is holy but cannot make u holy. Righteous but cannot make u righteous. 

Grace is on the side of truth. 

The Jews memorize the Torah from young yet Jesus said, you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set u free. Not the Law. 

The only way to grow is in grace and through the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. 

True growth is not feeling of strength, but the awareness of how weak you are and a growing dependence on Christ and a greater revelation of Jesus. Paul said he is the chief of sinners= that’s growth. Still somehow there is an idea that grace is basic and holiness is intermediate. God is holy but the aspect of Him that He wants us to dive deep into is His love. 

The valley you go through will supply and enrich- for the furtherance of the gospel. Some things we go through coz God wants to enrich His bride. 

Some people feel they understand love and grace already but must know his holiness. But the reason many people are in bondage is because he still doesn’t understand grace. 

Romans 6:14- for sin (sickness, oppression) shall not have dominion over u for u are not under law but u are under grace

Abba preach on stopping the storm- Little Justin’s suggestion to Pastor on what to preach hehe. But Justin is still too small to drive a car. Needs to grow first. 

Gal 4:3-7

When we were nepios (infants) under the law
Under grace we are huios (full grown sonship)

Yet we think grace is basic and law is deep

Grace is not a message. It IS the gospel. Gospel of grace and peace. No other gospel. Grace is not a different gospel. 

Paul said he is shocked people were removed from the grace of Christ into a diff gospel. 

Now many preach on mixture (grace with law), the very thing Jesus detests (He would rather we be cold than lukewarm. Either u are cold or hot. If u are cold, it will drive you into the arms of Jesus. Lukewarm is akin to saying worthy is the lamb and me.) 

The full counsel of God’s Word = Grace has come. 

Jessica’s friends would come to their house. Pastor will tell them no touching kitchen knives and gas stove. But u won’t give the same advice to an adult. 

U can keep thou shalt not commit adultery because no money or no one looks your way twice. But the only reason u should is because u love the LORD- husbands love your wife as Christ loves the church. I can only love with an overflow when you know His love. 

If God would appear tonight to the most severe sinner, what would be his first response? Depart from me for I am a sinful man. In the OT, people would think they are dying for they saw the LORD. None of them would fall to their knees and say your loving kindness is better than life. 

The first response is never the consciousness of His love. Even sinners have the sense of His holiness. 

The world might use the lingo that in their heart God doesn’t love them but u should not back away from them. Many like to redefine grace. Some pastors like to put enough grace to attract u but it is a cloak and not the substance. 

God is holy. Thrice holy. What needs to be taught is His love. That takes divine skilfullness. 

If law is deep then every religion is deep. But u need HS to ustd how u can receive good and favour u do not deserve. 

Grace says put no confidence in the flesh. Put all confidence in Christ. Truly born again are trying finding ways to get out of bondage. 

Imagine Pastor slapping Justin and asking, “Hey, where is your crazy beard son? U are part Indian. No self respecting guy in my family shall go without a beard.” But he is only three. 

It takes growth. 

1Thess 1:3 

Work of faith, labor of love, patience in hope 
When u know how much God loves u, u have grace and u have faith, hope and love.

His righteousness is a gift. Not us doing right. Seek first His righteousness. 

All we have to do is wake up and believe I am righteous in faith. That’s the only area we need to believe and then all the other things are added unto us. Don’t waste energy believing for this and that. Believe that you are the righteousness of God and all these things are added to u. 

Peter was at first conscious of the LORD’s holiness. Asked God to depart from him.

Jesus touched the leper and healed him. His health went in to the leper not the le perish went to Jesus. Under law, the unclean make the clean, unclean. Under grace, the clean make he unclean, clean. 

Capernum- lady with issue of blood was healed, Jairus’ daughter was raised to life, etc etc

Matthew 11:23-24

Sometimes we elevate one sin above another. No gradients. 

We reach out to these people not by judging them but by praying for them coz u serve a miracle workin God.  

Let us not pursue transformation but bring Jesus to them.

Telling people they need to do this and that isn’t the solution. No amount of telling someone who is pale they need to get a tan will get him one. He needs to be out there under the sonlight and effortlessly, he will get a tan. We can say all these and get people excited but when they go home, the old addictions come back. We want a glory that ever increases in their lives not one that fades like that from the old covenant. 

Luke 15:1-7

V1 – sinners drew near to him.

V2- friend of sinners— what an appellation. What honor to be a friend of sinners.

How He forgives us? Rejoicing. Found a sheep and call for a party? The world says that’s crazy but that is what the LORD does. He loves forgiving and blessing u.

U don’t have to use the word repent but when u preach the love of God, repentance happens. 

The good shepherd sought for the lost sheep, finds it, carries it and celebrates its being found. What did the sheep do to repent? It consented to rely in the everlasting arms of the shepherd, to rest on His strong shoulders. That is true repentance. Repentance that is borne out of a revelation of how good Jesus is. 

Whenever u trust in your flesh, it is still confidence in your flesh. On the other hand, someone who is not confident and focused on what he lacks is also still looking at the flesh. 

A successful man came to Pastor saying he wasn’t sure if it is his hard work or Jesus’s favour that enabled him to succeed so Pastor offered to pray for God to withdraw all favour and intervention for goodness in his life so he can see if it is his hard work or Jesus’ favour. The man quickly withdrew his query.

Glorify Jesus and put him back in the centre of the church. 

PS LIAN: 

Everything about the world is behind us. Lack is behind us. Not of the LORD. Sickness is behind us. Depression is behind us. The world is behind us if we have received His finished work and what is ahead of us is what Christ has paid for us with His sacrifice. Took us out of every curse and put us under the covenant of grace- CHRIST HAS DONE IT ALL FOR US. The world is behind us, Jesus is always for us and with us and NOTHING can be against us. 

The Gospel of Grace and Peace is the good news that we can have everlasting life solely based on what Christ has gone to the Cross to do for us. 

Today, everything YOU purchased for me on the cross is mine, Jesus. Amen. 

Expect explosive growth. Expect His life to explode in our lives.