O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

God’s Holiness Is On Your Side

24 August 2008 – 1st Service . Preached by Pastor  Joseph  Prince.

as noted by Yeo Choon Meng, Terence

Mary Purcell’s birthday today on 24 August 2008.

Talmud says Abraham’s appeared as young as Isaac!

Jewish talmud says that Abraham appeared as a young as his son Isaac. Abraham was thus embarrassed and asked God to give him some marks of ageing! This story from the talmud resonates with Pastor because it is consistent with God restoring Abraham and Sarah’s youth so that they could bear Isaac even though they were well advanced in age.

Sacrifice of Praise

Hbr 13:15    Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hbr 13:16      But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Jesus’ Christ sacrifice on the Cross was both ‘vertical’ in that it satisfied the justice of God the Father and ‘horizontal’ in that His sacrifice unleashed a flood of God’s benevolence and redemption to mankind.

As a priest, your words carry power. Therefore, pray for wisdom in speaking.

Burnt offering (olah) – no man may partake. This is a picture that only God the Father can fully appreciate the Son.

In peace offering (where there is animal sacrificed), it can be eaten, even by females in the priests’ family.

Grain and sin offering may also be eaten.

God the Father was never more delighted than when His Son was on the Cross. The Father had loved the Son from the beginning but the Cross provided a new impetus for the Father’s love. John 10:17 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.”

But as God, there was wrath on the Son because He bore all our sins.

Was Jesus’ entire being made sin?

Was Jesus’ entire being made sin because he was the sin-bearer?  Probably only His soul. Not his Spirit. Isa 53:10 states “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Furthermore, Jesus did not die spiritually (only his soul and body died). In fact, he committed His spirit to the Father.  Luke 23:46  ”And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.”

Num 18:8-10

Num 18:8    And the LORD spoke to Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever.

Num  18:9    This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons.

Num 18:10    In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.

Burnt offering not mentioned above as it cannot be eaten.

Note the most holy sacrifices mentioned in Num 18:8-10.

Most holy means most powerful, etc

Realise this! We as Christians have the right to eat what is most holy because of Jesus!

You become weak if you have appetite for things like olympic sports (table-tennis, etc) but no appetite for the things of God.

TRESPASS OFFERING

People bring the offering. If people do not sin, priests get no food.

So as a counsellor, you must bear in mind that Jesus died for the counselee’s sin and that Jesus is bigger than the the sin; this will cause the counsellor to eat the sin offering rather than let the sin of the counselee defile the counsellor. This is also Caleb’s approach.

MUCH OF GRACE – NOT LIGHT OF SIN

Why does God require offerings?

Because God is Holy, He is not just love.

Justice and Love met at the Cross. You must have high estimate of holiness to truly appreciate Grace.

How to give thanks that God is Holy?

Also, why give thanks when God is holy?

Psalm 97:12 tells us how and why.

Psalm 97:12    Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name

You cannot exact death when death has already been exacted. This is what happened at the Cross. God’s holiness is thus satisfied. We have peace because the full holiness of God is satisfied.

Destroyer and the Lord are not the same

In Rev 3:20, Jesus says that He stands at the door. The destroyer cannot pass Jesus into the house or else holiness of God is compromised. The lamb has been slain and its blood applied onto the door of the beliveing household.

Exo 12:23    For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite [you].

Also when one reads Exodus 12:23 carefully, you will realize that the LORD and the destroyer are 2 separate entities. This is the only possible understanding of the verse. If they were one person, the LORD cannot prevent the destroyer from entering the house.

Feelings get in the way!

We honour Jesus by walking without consciousness of sin.

Don’t let feelings get in the way of you believing in the perfection of Jesus’ work.

It was GOD who in mercy provided Jesus as the sacrifice BUT there was no mercy involved at the Cross itself — It was Grace, Justice & Love!

Think about it — If you have offended somebody, who needs to be satisfied? The one who is offended. In this case, the offended one is God the Father (not us!). Indeed, He has been satisfied by Jesus on the Cross! However, many continue to act as if they are ones who need to be satisfied and feel they are not satisfied! Realise this: God, the offended one, is satisfied! Hallelujah!

Whether or not you believe it or not, it does not add to Jesus’ work. It only adds to your enjoyment if you choose to believe!

Pastor then says, O for a thousand tongues, to tell the glories of my redeemer! This is probably a reference to this hymn by John Wesley.

1.	O for a thousand tongues to sing
	my great Redeemer's praise,
	the glories of my God and King,
	the triumphs of his grace!

2.	My gracious Master and my God,
	assist me to proclaim,
	to spread through all the earth abroad
	the honors of thy name.

3.	Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
	that bids our sorrows cease;
	'tis music in the sinner's ears,
	'tis life, and health, and peace.

4.	He breaks the power of canceled sin,
	he sets the prisoner free;
	his blood can make the foulest clean;
	his blood availed for me.

5.	He speaks,
 and
 	listening to his voice,
	new life the dead receive;
	the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
	the humble poor believe.

6.	Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
	your loosened tongues employ;
	ye blind, behold your savior come,
	and leap, ye lame, for joy.

7.	In Christ, your head, you then shall know,
	shall feel your sins forgiven;
	anticipate your heaven below,
	and own that love is heaven.

Romans 8
God deals with root cause of SIN and not sins (plural). 
Rom 8:3    For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Note Jesus came in the
 likeness of sinful flesh and not sinful flesh. This was so that He offer His body as a sacrifice for our sins.
The expression "sin in the flesh" refers to uprisings of the flesh e.g. temper, etc.
It is sin in the flesh that Jesus condemned.  

This condemnation means: to subdue, overcome, deprive of its power over all who accept that sacrfice (AMP translation).

No iniquity in Jacob
Num 23:21     He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is] among
 them.

These were the words of the prophet for hire, Balaam, hired to curse Israel. But God intervened and put those words in Balaam’s mouth.

Not beholding iniquity in Jacob is God’s perspective. He beholds the people through or via the offering made (Num 23:4). Therefore no sin is beheld.

From man’s perspective, there was sin.

Moses in Deu 31:27 had just railed against Israel:  “For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?”

Song of Songs 4:7        Thou [art] all fair, my love; [there is] no spot in thee.

The bride groom, Jesus speaks in Sgs 4:7 (above) that he sees no blemish in the bride (the church). Why? He speaks through the light of His finished work at the Cross! Amen!

Not in dessert

Balaam fell into a trance (Num 24:4) and he saw the Almighty (El Shaddai in Hebrew) which gave him this vision:

Num 24:5    How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, [and] thy tabernacles, O Israel!

Num 24:6    As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, [and] as cedar trees beside the waters.

Num 24:7    He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed [shall be] in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

We can see from this that GOD saw His people in beauty even though they were actually in the dessert.

Doctrine of Balaam

Rev 2:14    But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

In the NT, there is a warning in Rev 2:14 against the error of Balaam – this applies more to preachers. The error of Balaam is the teaching that Believers can be cursed.

New Testament Repentance?

Luke 5:1    So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

Luke 5:2    and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.

Luke 5:3    Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

Luke 5:4    When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Luke 5:5    But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

Luke 5:6    And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

Luke 5:7    So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

Luke 5:8    When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Luke 5:9    For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;

Luke 5:10  And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

Luke 5:11    So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Peter limited the Holy One of Israel – Jesus – when he let down one net when Jesus clearly told him to let down his nets.

Therefore when that single net broke — it was not God’s will.

Nevertheless, it provoked Peter’s response in Luke 5:8

In NT, the goodness of God leads one to repentance.

GOD wants you to get Christ and the fruit is holiness!

However – Depart from me, for I am a sinful man – is still not NT repentance

That’s not what Jesus wants! Why? Because it reflects a separated state between Saviour and Saved.

In fact, Peter’s words are typical of new believers when there conscience is awaked by the goodness of God. Before this awakening, they were in the world as sinners and they did not even care about sin, let alone that there were sinning.

Instead, Peter should have said Jesus knows everything about me YET Jesus stepped into my boat. Hallelujah!

Prodigal Son

In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), the prodigal son remarked that his father’s food was good and that the pig’s food that he was subsisting on was bad. He was enlighted and thus wanted to return to his father’s household. However, this enlightenment was partial as he still wanted his father to make him a hired servant. The son had no revelation of Grace! He wanted to earn the bread from his father as a servant. He did not know that he was in such a state of depravity that he cannot but receive FREELY from his father! Notice that the father RAN, etc to receive and welcome/restore his prodigal son. The prodigal son never got to deliver his ‘3 point sermon’ to his father.

The prodigal son experienced Grace from father therefore, he could not say – “I am your servant” – to the father.

Grace is higher than Law and brings justice and love together.

Grace transforms thieves to become liberal givers!

Kids’ Fear

Don’t make kids fear you as parents because sooner or later, this will cause them to hate you.

This principle can apply to other type of relationships such as boss-subordinate, etc.

Opposition to Grace

Why are some in the Church world opposed to All of His Grace and none of self? Why are these individuals so insistent on making it difficult in the Christian walk? Because, the underlying reason is that they want a part to play in salvation. They want to say, worthy is the Lamb, and me.

Also realise this: Salvation gained was indeed difficult – it was difficult – because it came at the price of Jesus’ suffering!

Phil 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Phil 2:13    for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Therefore God works salvation IN you and you work it OUT in the sense of manifesting it to others etc. Salvation is already in you via Jesus’ work. You cannot work out what you don’t have! Next, when you then work it out, God rewards you as if you did it! Hallelujah!

Calling / Passion

You can tell your calling by your passion.

Will of the Father

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” – Mat 7:21

What his the will of the Father? To believe on His Son, Jesus Christ!

Therefore, in the future, in “that day” (Mat 7:22) many will realize (too late) that Jesus is indeed the Christ and they will say that they did many deeds (prophesy, etc) in His name but Christ will say (Matt 7:23) that He ‘never’ knew them and to depart from Him.

The warning in Mat 7 cannot apply to Believers. It cannot apply to Believers, because at least, Jesus knew them once. It refers clearly to non-Believers in this present age, from perhaps, even other religions who belatedly realise in “that day” that Jesus is indeed the Christ and ‘appeal’ to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Ananias and Sapphira

Ananias and Sapphira were not Believers.

We know this because the expression :” a certain man” prefaced his name.

All who are Believers in Christ are denoted in the book of Acts as “a certain disciple”. This is consistent throughout Acts.

In fact this is true of the Ananias in Acts 9:10 who prayed for Saul who later became Paul.

This is important because there are those who say that God can punish Believers in the NT with death as judgement by citing the example of Ananias and Sapphira. But clearly, this couple were not Christians!

2 verses seem to be not consistent with the “a certain disciple” tag connoting a Believer in Christ. Acts 18:7 and Acts 25:14

Acts 18:7    And he departed thence, and entered into a certain [man's] house, named Justus, [one] that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue

Acts 18:7 can be dealt with in this way. First the word “man’s” is in italics. It does not appear in the original Greek NT. Second, Justus though he “worshipped” God may not be a Believer.

Acts 25:14    And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix

Acts 25:14 can be dealt with in this way. It was NOT the Holy Spirit who is talking here. The “certain disciple” tag is used consistently of Christians in Acts by the Holy Spirit in His narrative. But here  this is a  quotation of  Festus, a non-believer, speaking. Therefore, Festus, uses the “a certain man” tag on Paul.

Copyright © 4 September 2008  Yeo Choon Meng Terence. All Rights Reserved.