THE FOOD THAT DELIGHTS BOTH GOD AND MAN – PART I

6 July 2008, 1st service, NCC, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince

as noted by Yeo Choon Meng, Terence

During the 1st service pre-service announcements, Deacon Matthew shared about how somebody had donated the shares of a company to NCC for the benefit of the church building fund. He asked whether the congregation wanted to know the name of the company. The congregation said, yes. To which Deacon Matthew spelled out the name of the ‘company’: T … I …. T… H … E .  This of course stands for: The Investment That Heaven Endorses!

Oil in the dwelling of the wise

Proverbs 21:20 [There is] treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Mat 12:43     When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

When the devil is cast out, he goes to dry places, places with no oil – no presence of the Holy Spirit.

Beware the little foxes

Sgs 2:15    Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.

Little foxes (small things) spoil the vine (joy).

If you keep your heart in peace and joy, God will keep the rest.

Food, Glorious Food

Man fell by eating from the wrong tree in Eden. The Law is typified by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree was not bad in itself but condemned Man because it represented the Law in its awesome and absolute standard.

Angels did not understand that God is Love until they saw Jesus come down to earth as a man to redeem Man. You can be in the same house as someone yet not intimate with him. Our call as Christians is to be intimate with Jesus not just familiar with Him.

Baptism of Jesus

While John the Baptist was baptising, those baptised were confessing their sins – there was sin consciousness. However when Jesus was baptised, God the Father spoke audibly from the heavens - This is my Beloved Son, In Whom I am well pleased – this would pre-empt anybody who say that Jesus had sin.

Signs in the Skies

At the birth of Christ, the angels lit up the sky with their singing and mid-night became mid-day.

When Christ was crucified, there was 3 hours of darkness. This has been independently corroborated by the Chinese annals of that time.

Animals Groaning

The animals are groaning – barking, squawking, etc – and are not speaking, as they once did before the Fall of Man because they are crying out for the Sons of God to walk in their true manifested glory from God.

2 Religions

There are only 2 religions in this world: (i) salvation only through Jesus’ blood; and (ii) salvation through Man’s efforts

Joseph

Joseph (a type of Jesus) was rejected by his own brothers and became a blessing to the gentiles and even had a gentile bride. But God has not forgotten his natural people.

Joseph interpreted the dreams of (i) chief butler; and (ii) chief baker.

This mirrors the 2 thieves hanging on crosses next to His at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus pronounced eternal life to the thief who saw Jesus as saviour (Luke 23:42-43). While the other thief failed to recognise Jesus as saviour and received death.

The dream of the chief butler was this:

“Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” (Genesis 40:9-11)

Joseph interpreted his dream to mean this:

“The three branches are three days. Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.” (Genesis 40:12-13)

The 3 branches of grapes represents the Blood of Jesus. The hebrew word for blood – dom #Strongs’ 1818 – can also be used to indicate the juice of grapes. Therefore, the butler received a prophesy of life! Typically, the butler can be said to have to have seen the blood of Jesus and it was Jesus’ blood that saved him.

The dream of the chief baker was this:

“I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.” (Genesis 40:16-17)

Joseph interpreted his dream to mean this:

“The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.” (Genesis 40:18-19)

There is leaven (yeast) in the flour used to make the baked goods and there is no blood in the baked goods – signifying self-righteousness. There was no blood and thus the baker hung. The baker did not see the blood of Jesus and thus hung.

Isa 64:6    But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

[Editor's Note: I found an exposition of Gen 40 at http://sg.geocities.com/saltandlight5/revelations_butlerbaker.html a site by a guy from NCC which I set out below]

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The chief butler’s dream speaks of the redemptive work of Christ. He saw a grape vine. That is a symbol of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the vine.” (John 15:5) The vine produced grapes and in his dream, the chief butler took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup. That is a picture of Christ suffering and shedding His blood for our sins. He was crushed for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5) He died our death so that we could live. That the vine budded, blossomed and brought forth fruit speaks of Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross for us, for He said, ” I lay down My life for the sheep.” (John 10:15)

On the other hand, the chief baker’s dream speaks of his efforts to be justified by his own works. The “all kinds of baked goods” symbolises all types of dead works done by his arm of flesh to earn salvation. The Bible says that cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength. (Jeremiah 17:5) His works were also a “bloodless sacrifice”. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Worse, the baked goods were probably leavened. Leaven in the Bible speaks of sin and erroneous doctrines (Matthew 16:12) So even his works were tainted with sin and a faulty understanding of salvation. Finally, that the baskets were on his head speaks of his reliance on his intelligence, another indication that he was trusting in his smarts, his own strength.

So the chief butler lived because he was justified by the blood and work of Christ. The chief baker died because no one can be justified by his own works.

Galatians 2:16
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

The two dreams parallel grace and law, Spirit and flesh, faith and works — themes consistent throughout the Bible.

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OT anointing of priests

In OT rituals, the oil and the blood and placed on the tip of right ear, thumb of right hand, and great toes of right foot of the priests. (?) This thus speaks of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit on Believers as they are anointed by Jesus.

Famous!

Ruth 4:14    And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed [be] the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
Why was Boaz’s name blessed with fame? Because he redeemed Naomi and Ruth. Likewise, Jesus is famous because He has redeemed us!

Gen 1:29-30

Gen 1:29    And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Gen 1:30    And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Man ate only vegetables in the beginning. God only sanctioned the eating of meat later, after the Flood.

Man was made last, so Man would not boast that he was co-creator with God.

Man was made last in Grace, so Adam could enjoy all of Creation.

First Blood Sacrifice – Gen 3:21

Gen 3:21    Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

God’s mercy rejoices over judgement. God killed an animal to clothe Adam. Blood shed.

Before God clothed Adam with the coats of skins, he tried to clothe himself with fig leaves – bloodless.

Cain & Abel

Cain’s offering (Gen 4:3) of the “fruit of the ground” to natural eyes would seem very attractive as there was the fragrance of flowers, etc. In contrast, to natural eyes, Abels’ offering of the “firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof” would seem unattractive as the animals probably smelled terrible etc.

Cain’s offering in contrast to Abel’s however, was bloodless. Therefore, God rejected Cain’s offering.

At this point in time, God still did not sanction the eating of meat.

Post-Flood

After the Flood, there were 4 seasons for the first time. We know this because the expression “seedtime and harvest” is first mentioned after Noah emerged from the Ark onto dry land and the scriptures record in Gen 8:22 “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

The Earth post-Flood has its 4 seasons because now it is tilted on its axis. This was no so before the Flood. This tilting of the earth was necessary so as to congeal to the north and south poles, the excess waters arising out of the Flood.

Before the Flood, there was a firmament or raqiya #Strongs’ 7549 above which contained waters. The firmament burst when God caused the Flood and the “all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and windows of heaven were opened” (Gen 7:11).

The firmament also meant that the atmosphere was very oxygenated – much more than it is now. This meant that wounds heal very fast, and crops grow fast, animals were bigger in size, etc. The sky was also pink. The firmament protected the inhabitants of the earth from harmful UV and other rays from beyond the earth.

Truly, there is evidence in creation that God created the earth. If the earth is just minutely closer to the Sun, we would burn up. If it were minutely further away, it would freeze up. This is what scientists tell us.

Because of the changes to the earth caused by the Flood, Man’s lifespan was cut short drastically from the hundreds of years (as recorded in the Bible of those who lived pre-Flood).

Meat: Gen 9:1-11

Gen 9:1    And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

Gen 9:2    And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Gen 9:3    Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Gen 9:4    But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Gen 9:5    And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

Gen 9:6    Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Gen 9:7    And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

Gen 9:8    And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

Gen 9:9    And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

Gen 9:10    And with every living creature that [is] with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

Gen 9:11    And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

Post-Flood, God sanctions meat eating. Because of the changes to the earth and its climate, God in his wisdom, knew that Man required certain nutrients which are found only in meat of animals.

Pastor claims the promise in Gen 9:2 against fierce dogs.

Gen 9:3    The eating of “every of moving thing” shall be now equivalent to eating the “green herbs”, God declared.

Jesus was not a vegetarian

You need animal protein. This is proven by Science today. Jesus was not vegetarian. He ate fish.

Jesus healed all who were oppressed by the Devil – not wrong diet. Jesus used supernatural means to deal with the devil not vegetables.

Animals have to die to provide food for you. This is a picture of Christ. We cannot preach Jesus as merely a moral man. We must preach Jesus crucified!

Matthew 4:4 – Do we really believe it?

Matt 4:4    But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

What does the word “live” in Matt 4:4 refer to? It cannot mean - eternal life – as the exhortation in Matt 4:4 is to keep every word of God and that would be legalistic and a throw-back to the old covenant.

Therefore, the word “live” in Matt 4:4 must refer to natural or physical ‘day to day’ life on earth because as Christians, where we fall ill, these are signs of death, but where Christians strengthen themselves in the Word, they live in the pink of health and free of disease, fulfilling God’s purpose.

So Matt 4:4 means that we cannot live naturally by natural food only. We must eat the Word.

The WORD is health to “all” our flesh – heart, eyes, internal organs, etc – and no side-effects. Unlike certain medication where e.g. an side medicine must be taken to counter the gastric effects of the first medicine.

Proverbs 4:22    For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

God uses human preachers

It seems that God’s Word is best received by man through the instrumentality or agency of another man.

Rom 10:17    So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

The context of Rom 10:17 is that faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ being preached by a human agent – the preacher.

The is borne out in the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17). God had actually already spoken to the widow in 1 Kings 17:9 to feed Elijah. But in a sense, there was no ‘response’ from the widow until Elijah physically met her and spoke to the widow in 1 Kings 17:14 (“For thus saith the LORD God of Israel ….”) that it was God’s will for her to feed him. It was only after the widow heard the words of God spoken through Elijah from 1 Kings 17:14 onwards that she acted and fed Elijah and received her miracle.

Some people attempt to satisfy what is actually, a spiritual hunger, by eating or watching TV. But this is really like drinking water downstream where it is polluted. Spiritually, we ought to drink water where it originates, upstream, near the mountaintop – where God is.

Which aspect of the Word should we eat?

We ought to eat Jesus. He is the true bread of life.

John 6:31    Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

John 6:32    Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:33    For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world

John 6:34    Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Therefore, the Word you must read and eat is that which is ALL about CHRIST.

Also feed on Jesus as the ‘roasted’ lamb – Jesus crucified – and not watered-down.

Greek – John 6:35

Pastor relates the story of how before he understood John 6:35, he still hungered after Jesus after he had come to Jesus. Then he discovered that the word “comes” in John 6:35 in the Greek is in the present participle which indicates that the individual must keep coming to Jesus.  Therefore, John 6:35 must be understood to mean that he who keeps on coming to Jesus shall never hunger.

Healthy Organism Purges

Any healthy organism including the Church ‘purges’. In fact those in the Wilderness, who devalued the mana and cried – mana, mana, why always mana – were purged from Israel. Those who were purged were metaphorically saying, Jesus, Jesus, why always Jesus.

If you are part of the body (of Christ), you do not get purged.

Why different standards?

All the commercial companies and businesses in the world by their existence are operating for profit and they are out for our money. But when the Church asks for an offering, the Church is accused of, being out for our money. Why different standards? Why is the Church subject to different standard from the world’s companies? This is the devil’s tactic. Moreover, when you think about it, giving to the Church is the best investment because it always yields an eternal harvest. In contrast, many of the goods and services sold by companies disappoint or only satisfy for a time.

Be like Joseph

Gen 41:49    And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for [it was] without number.

Be like Joseph, gather up the corn – symbolising the Word – before the famine comes.

Hear you way out!

You cannot will your way out of fear and anxiety, sickness, etc. You have to hear the Word and keep hearing it!

How to eat?

We eat by practising His presence.

Paul said in Rom 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Paul cried out for a person, “Who” and not  “What” i.e. principles or formulas to deliver him.

Worship for example is not based on formulas. It is dealing with persons i.e. people worshipping the Lord. That is why we ought to worship more.

That is why the pitfall for teachers is that they deal more with concepts and may fail to cultivate a personal relationship with the Lord. That is why many more desire to be teachers rather than worship leaders. You can teach but not touch a person. The Father ’seeks worshipers’ not teachers. When you worship, you develop your relationship with Him.

Imitation of Christ

The book “The Imitation of Christ” written in the 15th century by Catholic, Thomas à Kempis, is largely a failure as it teaches pseudo-humility. Pastor found that the more one tries to imitate humility, the more you fail. True humility rather arises from following the leading of the Holy Spirit. In fact, some Christians folks may be exhibiting true humility when to the outside world, they appear bold. This is because their boldness stems from being consumed only with Jesus. On the contrary, some folks may be displaying false humility when they appear shy to the outside world simply because they are consumed only of self and none of Christ.

Eat Jesus and once He is part of you, you are energized to do good, bear fruit, etc.

Loving your family

When you see Jesus as everything, it is easier to love your family members as you are secure that Jesus is taking care of them, etc and you no longer fret over or have fears for them.

Bread is for eating!

Bread is not for one to put on a pedestal and admire and say to the bread, “O what wonderful texture you have, what fragrant aroma you have!” Bread is for eating! As Jesus is the Bread of Life, ‘eat’ Jesus. You do so by confessing your identity in Christ, exclaiming “Jesus, you are my righteousness. In You, I have holiness. Jesus, you are my strength” etc.

The gospels tell of the story of the women with the issue of blood. While the rest of the women in town simply gawked and admired Jesus, she saw Jesus as her healer and ‘used’ Him as such. She was thus the only one in the crowd that received her miracle.  Jesus himself is recorded in Matt 20:28 as saying of himself: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

How to consume Jesus? Worship and talk to Him.

No.5 on the Bestseller Lists

Pastor revealed that his book – Destined to reign – was No.5 on the bestseller lists in the US for Charismatic Books.

Peace Offering – Leviticus 7:28-34

Lev 7:28    And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Lev 7:29    Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the LORD shall bring his oblation unto the LORD of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

Lev 7:30    His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved [for] a wave offering before the LORD.

Lev 7:31    And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

Lev 7:32    And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest [for] an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

Lev 7:33    He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for [his] part.

Lev 7:34    For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

Lev 7:28-34 speak of the peace or completeness or prosperities offering or shelem offering (hebrew). In the OT, this offering is one primarily for thanksgiving or making a vow. There was animal meat in this offering. It is not a sin offering.

Lev 7:30    The “breast” in this verse speaks of love. The “fat” speakes of the richest or choicest part. When the breast is waved, the worshipper was saying symbolically: this is for your Lord –  I rejoice because Jesus loves me and because you, God the Father, loves Jesus. There is communion because both God and us are delighting in Jesus!

John 10:17    Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

No one pleases the Father like Jesus. There is sweet aroma when the fire consumes and burns the offering – just like Jesus on the Cross. As God smells and is reminded of the aroma of Jesus as we ‘waive’ Jesus, His blessings rain down on us.

Waive the breast (the love) of Jesus and the Father is pleased because He delights in His Son.

Lev 7:31    The food for the offering is for Aaron (picture of Jesus as our High Priest) and his sons (us, the Church) to consume. In other words, we are to consume the love of God for us. When we glory in the breast (love) of Jesus our High Priest, it becomes food for us (the sons of Aaron).

Food for us is feeding on Jesus. The ‘food’ for Aaron (picture of Jesus) is us.

Lev 7:33    When you delight in the Lord’s love for you, you end up with strength and power — the right shoulder. Enjoy the power of love, not the love of power.

Lev 7:33    Not all the sons of Aaron i.e. not all members of the Church, but only those who understand and delight in Jesus’ blood, receive the right shoulder.

In some churches, it is preached that ‘you gotta love God more, do more, etc’. But Leviticus dispels this notion. It revealed here that we have to feed on the Breast of Jesus – the sacrificial victim. It is not you feed on your own breast!

We may forget that we have fed on a particular aspect of God’s Word some time ago, but that aspect still continues to benefit us. Just like we may have forgotten about the steak we ate last week, but that steak was absorbed by our body and continues to benefit the body.

Temptation in the Wilderness

Mat 4:3    And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Mat 4:4    But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The temptation was in fact to tempt Jesus to find nourishment in the stones – the Law!

How did Jesus resist the devil. He replied in the manner as recorded in Mat 4:4. What was the “every word” that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Hebrew in the text indicates that it was the – NOW – word that is being indicated here, the immediately preceding word. In fact, immediately before the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness, Jesus was baptised in the waters of Jordan and God the Father declared in Mat 3:17 “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” So the NOW word is LOVE. The Love of the Father for the Son. This was the food that Jesus used to resist the devil. So too our nourishment is the Father’s love for us. These are the Words of God which we must eat: words that show the love of the Father and Son for us.

The Last Adam, Jesus, succeeded where the first Adam failed. Jesus succeeded in a place of desert. Whereas, the first Adam failed in Eden, a place of abundance.

Love is higher than the Law

In fact, the Law does not have place for nor know how to deal with Love.

Song of Songs – the ultimate song in the Bible – is about Jesus’ love for us, and not other subjects.

Copyright ©  14 July 2008  Yeo Choon Meng Terence