Overview

Introduction: Because Christ is risen, you can walk in faith and hope for all your days

You are positioned in heavenly places, reigning far above every principality and power

Sit at your Father’s right hand and see Him make every enemy your footstool

Ascend higher in rest and receive His abundant supply in times of adversity

Closing Prayer

Introduction: Because Christ is risen, you can walk in faith and hope for all your days
Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

When Jesus was raised from the dead, He rose in a glorified body, never to die again. But what does His resurrection mean for us today?

The Bible tells us that when Jesus comes back for us in the rapture, we shall not die, but our bodies will be transformed like unto His glorious body (see Phil. 3:21).

In that glorified body, we will not be confined in time and space, and we will never again suffer the effects of man’s fall (sickness, poverty, tiredness, boredom, etc.).

Life might feel restricted and confined right now due to the COVID-19 virus, and you might be wondering if this quarantine is the new normal. But raise your hopes because the Bible has prophesied that life will go back to normal before our Lord Jesus comes for us again.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
— Matthew 24:36–39 NKJV

“of that day and hour no one knows . . . eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” — No one knows when the rapture will happen, but before that occurs, life will go back to normal. There will be social gatherings and celebrations right up to the day that our Lord Jesus comes again for us.

You can rest in hope today knowing that this Coronavirus will come to an end, and life will return back to normal.

You are positioned in heavenly places, reigning far above every principality and power
Through a prophetic word that Pastor Prince received two years ago (long before the Coronavirus), God revealed that He had released a new strain of healing and anointing into our world. Unprecedented miracles are set to take place.

The virus that we see now is the devil playing catch-up to what God has already done. When the devil does things, he does them in the physical realm—where we can see it, hear about it, and feel it. But let’s not forget that every time this happens, God has first released something powerful and good into the world and into our lives.

We see this happening throughout history. For example:

When God sent Moses (who would deliver Israel from slavery) to be born, no one knew about it. But what they could see was the devil’s backlash—Pharaoh’s instruction for all male babies to be thrown into the Nile.
When God sent Jesus to be born, there was no fanfare. What people saw was King Herod’s order that all male babies under the age of 2 be killed.
At the end of the day, God’s plans and purposes always prevail.

THE THINGS OF EARTH ARE VISIBLE YET TEMPORAL. THE THINGS OF GOD ARE INVISIBLE YET ETERNAL.
When God initiates something, we might not be able to see it immediately. But that is why the Lord calls us to walk by faith and not by sight.

God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing (see Eph. 1:3), and those spiritual blessings will bring forth the visible, tangible blessings. For example, the wisdom of God (invisible) brings forth the provision of finances (visible).

What we see now is a virulent virus that medical science has no answer for. But we can have confidence, knowing that God has already released a new healing anointing and revelation of divine health.

Now, let’s pray together for an accelerated development of a medical solution.

Until medical science comes up with a cure, there is a place of protection for God’s people. It is found in the promise of protection in Psalm 91.

“He who dwells (‘yashav’—sits) in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
— Psalm 91:1 NKJV

“dwells” — The Hebrew word for “dwell” is “yashav,” which means to sit down and rest.

Those of us who are seated in the secret place of the Most High are in the place of protection.

“The secret place” is not limited to a select few, and it is not a place where we are sometimes-in-sometimes-out. As a believer, you already dwell in this secret place and cannot be removed from it.

“secret place of the Most High” — The secret place is where Jesus—the Messiah is. The reason why it is “secret” in this verse is because in the Old Testament, the Messiah was in secret form, not yet revealed to Israel.

Today through Jesus’ finished work, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places (see Eph. 1:20). When you are seated and at rest in this secret place, all the blessings of protection will be on you and your family! It’s time to realize your position in Christ!

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loves us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:4–7 NKJV

“made us sit together” — When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised together with Him and today we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

What happened to Jesus at the cross happened to us. At the cross, we were crucified and buried with Christ—all our sins, sicknesses, and failures were put away once and for all. And when we believe in Him, we are baptized and then raised together with Him.

When God raised Jesus up from the dead, He raised Him up “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (see Eph. 1:21).

Is COVID-19 a name? Yes, it is. Because you are raised with Christ, you can speak out in faith saying, “Thank You, Father, that my family and I are in Christ risen, far above the COVID-19 virus.”

Today, your position is in Christ, and you cannot be removed from that place.

Even if you fall into sin momentarily, you are still in Christ. And Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness. Despite your failures, you can say, “Jesus is my righteousness,” and experience His grace toward you and every blessing He has for you including protection.

“in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace” — God wants to show you the exceeding riches of His grace. This show is not just for a certain period of time, but this beautiful show of grace goes on forever.

The world is in a state of worry and panic due to the Coronavirus, but we as believers can sit down and rest because we are seated in Christ where we are safe and secure. Instead of worrying, let us choose to use our position in Christ and pray prayers of protection over our families.

This secret place, far above all principality and power, is our reality—even when we cannot feel or fathom it. God is outside of time and space, and so is the cross where Jesus died for us. This is why, even as we are physically here on earth, living in our physical bodies, our spirits are seated together in Christ in heavenly places, unconfined by time and space.

Proverbs 18 tells us more about our spirit man:

“The spirit of a man will sustain (‘kul’ – protect) him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?”
— Proverbs 18:14 NKJV

Pastor Prince refers to Targum Jonathan, a translation of Jewish writing that is written by Jonathan, son of Uzziel, about a few hundred years after Jesus died. His writings are believed to hold oral traditions from prophets Malachi, Zechariah, and Haggai.

“sickness” — When you look at NKJV’s translation of this verse and specifically the Hebrew word “sickness,” you’ll find that the generic term for “sickness” is used. There’s no specification about the type of sickness. However, the Targum Jonathan translates “sickness” as “corona.”

“sustain” — The Hebrew word for “sustain” is “kul,” which means “protect.”

Using the above references, we can interpret the verse as:

“THE SPIRIT OF A MAN WILL PROTECT HIM FROM CORONA.”
What a revelation!

Instead of trusting your immune system and the food that you consume to bring you health, be established in grace—put your trust for your health in redemption. Do this by partaking of the Lord’s Supper!

Every day, speak out in faith and hold on to the promises of your position in Christ. It always brings health, provision, and protection for you and your family.

If you are facing health issues, know that because your spirit man is seated in heavenly places, it will defend and sustain you.

GOD’S WAY TO DEFEAT THIS PLAGUE IS TO RISE ABOVE IT.
“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”
— Song of Solomon 2:14 KJV

“the secret places of the stairs” — When you pray, realize that you are in a place of nearness to God—seated at His right hand.

“let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice” — Notice that Jesus tells us to let Him see our face before He hears our voice? The Lord wants you to come before Him because He wants to love on you even before He hears your voice.

“My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
— Song of Solomon 2:10 KJV

“Rise up” — The Lord invites us to go up to a higher place where He is, far above every earthly trouble.

The grace response is not about becoming what we are not, but about becoming what we already are.

In God’s eyes, you are risen in Christ, righteous and complete. Experientially, we might not see it fully yet. But when we know what our true position in Christ is, we will walk it out day by day. Let us walk out our completeness in Christ in all that we do!

Sit at your Father’s right hand and see Him make every enemy your footstool
Aside from being raised up with Jesus and brought to a heavenly place, Jesus has also promised to defeat every enemy and obstacle we face in our lives.

“For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:25–26 NKJV

“For He must reign” — The Latin word for “corona” is “crown,” and crowns are a sign of reigning. Even though the Coronavirus seems to be reigning in the world right now, it won’t be for long. Jesus is the only One who reigns eternally, and He is constantly putting enemies under His feet.

In ancient times, when a king conquers other nations, he calls for the defeated kings of those nations to come before him so that he can put their foot on their necks as a sign of victory. Likewise, Jesus has already defeated every enemy at the cross. But today He is putting them under His feet to assert that victory.

Whether it is sickness, poverty, depression or any other problem, Jesus counts it as an enemy. He has defeated all of them at the cross, and He assures us that with every passing day, another enemy is put under His feet.

EVERY FRESH CHALLENGE BRINGS A FRESH OPPORTUNITY TO REST IN YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST.
With every fresh challenge that comes, there must be a fresh “sitting.”

Mark 12 quotes a psalm of David that David wrote when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit:

“For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘The LORD said to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’’”
— Mark 12:36 NKJV

“The LORD said to my Lord” — In this verse, it is God the Father speaking to Jesus. In Hebrew, “The LORD” is “Yahweh,” and “my Lord” is “Adoni.” Because the verse is authored by David, he calls Jesus, “my Lord.”

“Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” — To sit down is to be at rest. When you rest, God will make every enemy your footstool. If you want an enemy defeated, let your first response be to sit down! We have been risen with Christ and now sit together with Him in heavenly places. We get to enjoy the blessings of being in the same position as Jesus today.

To sit down does NOT mean to do nothing and even ignore the Holy Spirit when He leads you to do things, e.g. go and see a doctor. If God leads you, follow Him!

To sit down is not to be irresponsible or lazy, but to have a posture of rest on the inside. It means being unworried and fear-free, knowing that you are seated with Jesus above all principalities and powers where nothing evil can prosper against you!

When you are rested in Christ, you will even find the promptings of the Spirit getting clearer.


https://www.josephprince.com/sermon-notes/rise-up-and-reign-over-your-enemies

Afternoon

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Yes Lord Jesus

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Morning

Lord Jesus

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Yes yes