Office by Alex Penny
Jesus' beloved
When you look at Jesus, you can’t help but be transformed from gory to glory.
Look for hesed in a man
Having hesed means having a heart opened to God’s heart and your heart will be full
With Jesus, you will get every good thing in your life.
The question is: do you have Jesus?
When you have Jesus, you will always walk with more than enough.
When you walk with Jesus, you have the creative miracle working power of God
In the Son, from & via the Son, God created the heaven and the earth.
11 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
We had Unlimited Praise yesterday and the presence of God was so so AMAZING throughout the entire service. Wish it would never end. Just such a privilege to be there soaking in Jesus’ glorious presence.
It was also our last youth service at Rock Auditorium *sobs*, gonna miss the place where I first saw Jesus unveiled in all His glory and grace and that place where blessed kingdom friendships were forged.
Pst Dan was super anointed (even more so than usual) during that service. Was talking to some people after the service and we all felt that what he ministered that night really spoke right into our lives. Awesome!
Love the short message he shared, simple, but powerful!
10Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.11And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.12But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her,“Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.14But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd,“There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”15The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
We sang Sanctuary during worship yesterday, I was actually kinda surprised (and also very surprised to see Weisheng playing!), turns out it was the first time the song was sung. It’s special cos it’s one of the first songs I’d ever heard in my first church, it was just written at that time and they were recording videos for the DVD…
Singing it again at our last youth service at the Rock brought back so many memories, and I am just completely convinced that Jesus is so so faithful; it’s been about 2.5 years since I came over to NCC and that’s about the same period as a lot of my friends as well, it’s just amazing to see how Jesus is restoring and has restored our hearts, lives, faith, friendships, ministry, career, etc. A lot of us felt like we would never want to serve again, being burnt out and hurt (at one point, I’d even decided to never step into church again), but now (and a lot faster than any of us expected), we see each other serving (out of the overflow) in various ministries again or even wanting to be a part of a CG again and that is just so awesome cos it means healing and restoration has taken place. He’s truly a God who restores everything and His restoration is always better in quality and/or quantity than what we’ve lost. And so timely that near the end of the service, Pst Dan prayed for restoration as well.
When my world was in darkness
You spoke Your word
Night turned into day
Your beauty filled this place
When my world stood in silence
You filled my heart
With songs that never end
Forever I will praise
To think that the universe
Could not withhold Your glory
You choose to live in me
I’m so amazed
(and) I worship you lord
My life in You restored
Here is my heart
Make it Your sanctuary
For nobody else
But Jesus only (You)
You are faithful and true
Glorious lord
All my life
It is You I adore
You’ve touched my soul
Completed my world I surrender to You
Benjamin, one of our translators from mission trip this year came to visit! Had a great time hanging out with him and some of the mission trip dears yesterday and today!
2 Timothy 1:8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
2 Timothy 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues# as the Spirit enabled them.
Whenever you pray in tongues, you are taking a spiritual paintbrush & painting your future.
God calls you, He will equip you.
It doesn’t mean that when God calls you, there won’t be any challenges.
Sometimes, God allows challenges to build us up, to make us realise what we have inside us.
Temptation & testing come not because you don’t have it, but because you already possess the ability to resist the temptation. The devil is trying to distract you and persuade you otherwise, he is always playing catch up to God.
If you don’t know what is doing in your life, look at what the devil is doing and reverse it. If you have lying symptoms of sickness in your life, know that God has already released a tsunami of health in your life.
When you face challenges, don’t give up!
Just because God calls you doesn’t mean there won’t be a storm.
Matthew 14:22-33
22Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23#And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. #Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.25Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw Him #walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good #cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”28And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”29So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”31And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of #little faith, why did you doubt?” 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly #You are the Son of God.”
As you empty yourself of you, God comes in and fills you with His grace.
When you receive His favor, His grace, His gifts, it’s like oil and oil is always above the waters.
Don’t underestimate what God can do when He impregnates the life of a young person.
Luke 1:38
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
It may not go like what I am expecting, but I am obsessed with who I am becoming.
Anxiety comes when you obsess with what may or may not happen to you.
You are going to live your life defined by what you go through or who you belong to.
It’s not my expectation of what I’ll go through BUT my confidence of who I belong to that identifies me.
If You need to interrupt my plans with an inconvenience that is actually an invitation to an opportunity to see You work in my life this year, go right ahead!
The path may be uncertain, but the ground I’m standing on is firm because I am Jesus’!
Don’t obsess with why is this happening but look at who God is shaping you into.
It’s what He does in you and through you.
It may feel lonely to stand for Christ but you are never alone as you walk with Him.
Confirm your identity before you’re ready for the activity of dating.
Sometimes God has to put you in isolation to give you revelation.
When Christ is in you, it sets you apart.
Not everyone will like you when you stand for Christ.
If you don’t draw boundaries in your life, you will be pulled into mediocrity.
Loneliness is not an indication of abandonment, it is an invitation to intimacy with the One who knows you better than anyone else.
It may be costly to do God’s will, but I am confident in His reward.
There’s a responsibility, but there’s also a reward, and the reward often outweighs the responsibility.
In many ways, the responsibility is a reward.
The benefits of following Christ far exceeds the liabilities.
Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Nothing else matters when you know who you belong to.
The Lord wants to use your life as a trophy of His grace and favor.
Your life can’t look anything but blessed!
God will make the impossible possible, you are not meant to look at yourself but at Jesus
You are the center of Jesus’ world, the One who holds the whole universe together. WOW.
Laughter is heaven’s medicine, you can laugh yourself to wholeness.
God wants to promote you.
When favor comes upon you, you will be effortlessly transformed. It’s not about you trying or fighting. You will just be fruitful and happy.
Why are you everlastingly favored?
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Isaiah 52:13-15
13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
15 So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.
Isaiah 53:11
He shall see the labor of His soul,and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
It’s all Jesus, none of us.
We are now the righteousness of God in Christ forever.
It’s not about how you are feeling or what you’ve done.
Daniel 9:24
“Seventy weeksare determined, For your people and for your holy city,To finish the transgression,To make an end of sins,To make reconciliation for iniquity,To bring in everlasting righteousness,To seal up vision and prophecy,And to anoint the Most Holy.
You are favored BECAUSE of the cross.
If you can believe and see that you are everlastingly righteous, then the favor that is on your life is everlasting favor.
Righteousness is the foundation for favor.
You don’t need to feel favored to be favored; you are forever favored.
Isaiah 54:8-108
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”Says the Lord, your Redeemer. 9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.For as I have swornThat the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,So have I swornThat I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.10 For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.And the hills be removed,But My kindness shall not depart from you,Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
Isaiah 54:11-12
“O you afflicted one,Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,And lay your foundations with sapphires.12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal,And all your walls of precious stones.Your gates of crystal,And all your walls of precious stones.
The favor of God on you lasts a lifetime, it is from everlasting to everlasting.
It’s not about following a set plan. If the Lord moves, you move.
Sometimes, God is silent, and it’s only when you take the first step that He reveals the next one.
When a man has favor, he gets everything.
When you have favor, you become magnetic, you become attractive.
Favor brings preparation and promotion.
Romans 5:17
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
Psalm 105:16-22
Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
17 He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
19 Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.
20 The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
21 He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
When you see Jesus as the eternal servant, for the purpose He was created, that is when you see the greatest amount of favor.
3 Types of Offerings
The bird represents someone who is poor spiritually, ie. only knows Jesus as coming from heaven.
The lamb represents someone who is more matured, who sees Jesus as taking away his sins.
But there is more, the bullock size revelation is to see Jesus as the servant. When you have a revelation of Jesus as your servant, God calls you spiritually rich, ie. you have favor!
Jesus is the happiest when He is serving you, when you allow Him to serve you.
There were two servants in Mary and Martha’s house, one was Martha, the other was Jesus, He was serving Mary by washing her feet with the Word.
If you don’t allow Jesus to serve you, you will burn out. If you don’t take your place as the one He wants to serve, you will get frustrated & angry with Jesus, the one you want to serve.
Let Him serve you today.
Jesus said Mary chose the good part, and she delighted Jesus’ heart.
When you allow Jesus to serve you, one day, you will serve Him at the right place at the right time.
- Mary was the only one who anointed Jesus for burial and she did it at the right place at the right time; she didn’t even know it then, she unconsciously did it
When you allow the Lord to serve you, you will serve Him in a way that is beyond what you imagine, you will serve Him supernaturally naturally, sweeping others into the Lord’s blessings because you’re in the flow.
John 4:6-34
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Exodus 21:1-6
“Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: 2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
Jesus was pierced at the tree, at the gates of Damascus, outside the city.
Jesus was pierced so that He can wash away our sins.
The greatest way He has served you is that He’s washed away all your sins.
He ate up all our sin, unrighteousness, iniquities, guilt, shame, condemnation, all our sicknesses and diseases, every curse because He was pierced.
It is a season of preparation and of favor.
God is going to work in your heart, He wants to get His favor on the inside of you.
It’s one thing to have the favor of God outside, around you, but when you have the favor of God inside you, your circumstances don’t matter because you carry the favor of God into that place.
Preparation time is never wasted time, it always precedes promotion.
Zechariah 4:10
For who has despised the day of small things?For these seven rejoice to seeThe plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.They are the eyes of the Lord,Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”
Dreams are from God, visions and dreams are the language of the Holy Spirit, but be content and faithful at where you are at. Do what is in your hands and allow the dream to birth in your heart.
Faithfulness will position you for promotion.
Faithfulness is always part of God’s preparation; just do what God has placed in your hands.
The Lord is with you during the preparation, even through the challenging parts.
Acts 7:9-10
9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Jeremiah 20:11
But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One.Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
Numbers 14:8-10
If the Lord delights (favors) in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
Joshua 6:1-21 (NLT)
Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of theLord.”8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lordfollowed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lordcircle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of theLord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 17 Now the city shall be doomed by theLord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, areconsecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
Hebrews 13:5-6
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:“The Lord is my helper;I will not fear.What can man do to me?”
Romans 8:31 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Jesus is the Word made flesh
When you meditate, you practice the presence of the Lord
Psalm 30:5 (NLT)
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
It’s the time and season of preparation for what God is going to unleash into your life.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;
whoever learns from correction is wise.
To learn, you must love discipline;it is stupid to hate correction.
A good man obtains favor from the Lord,But a man of wicked intentions He will condemnWhen you love discipline and embrace correction, favor is multiplied in your life
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for“God resists the proud,But gives grace to the humble.”6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.Eli’s Wicked Sons12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.- it’s easy to cast your cares to someone who cares for you
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
21 And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God[g] can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli (2nd mention of this phrase). Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.
Proverbs 8:35For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
When your eyes/focus are on Jesus, favor follows you.When you are with Jesus, you can’t help but have favor rub off on you.
19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
Marked Camp 2012 - Session 1 (Pastor Daniel)
Promotion does not come from the east or the west, but from the Lord.
In His presence, we can smile at the storm, because we know we have Jesus.
It’s going to be a season of God’s great blessings.
We are living in days where the reaper is overtaking the sower.
The Benjamin Generation: 5 times more blessings, 5 changes of garments
The favor of God will flood your life. It will not leave you the same way.
God will remove stress from your life in this camp.
The way of God’s promotion is not through self-effort, the works of our hands but it’s all of Him, of His favor.
When you allow the favor of God to flood your life, you will not recognise yourself.
What is Joseph famous for?
Ans: Favor
Genesis 37:2
This is the history of Jacob.Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
Genesis 41:46
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph from 17 to 30 (GenRev age range)
By allowing favor to course through his life, Joseph was not only blessed, but could be a blessing to others. He brought deliverance to others.
It is important for you to receive favor into your life so that you will be blessed and be blessed to be a blessing.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,And a time of peace.
We are in the season of having God’s favor work in our lives.
At 17, Joseph received a dream from God, but his dream only came to pass when he was 30.
In between calling and exaltation is 13 years of preparation. The favor of God will bring you through a season of preparation.
Preparation is there because of God’s favor, not because there is no favor. God wants you to be ready and equipped for His call.
When the favor of God flows into your life, it will bring about the actualisation of His call on your life.
At 17, Joseph had dreams but no interpretation of dreams.
All of us are called for greatness.
After favor courses through your life, you become like Jesus.
Genesis 37:2-102 This is the history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What isthis dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
But God still gave Joseph a call even though he wasn’t ready and it’s because of God’s goodness.
If you have gifts in your life, know that it’s because of God’s kindness and goodness, not necessarily because our character is fully refined.
A man is measured not by his gifts, but by what he allows the favor of God to do on the inside.
Joseph was sold as a slave (because of his stupidity). God wouldn’t throw you into the pit because of your foolishness, or else He won’t give you gifts in the first place.
But the next time Joseph was mentioned:
Genesis 39:1-5
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and allthat he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
Genesis 37 = no mention of the Lord; Joseph had no consciousness of God’s presence
Genesis 39 = big consciousness of the Lord
The antidote to self is Christ.
John 3:27;30
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
.30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Genesis 39:20-23
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Genesis 40:8
And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”
So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
Genesis 40:12-15
12 And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 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. 14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”
Genesis 40:23
23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
You know it is God when you don’t have to do a thing to help yourself.
Genesis 41:14-16
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Genesis 41:33-34
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
The gospel is nothing more than good news.
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Acts 13:14-17
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”
16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: 17 The God of this people Israelchose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.
Acts 13:36-52
36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but He (Jesus) whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Psalm 130:3-4
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.
1 John 2:12
I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
Luke 7:36-47
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Himweeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped themwith the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Acts 13:40-52
40 Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
41 ‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’”Blessing and Conflict at Antioch
42 So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit
Always have the sense that all your sins are forgiven.
2 Peter 1:5-9
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Focusing on forgiveness of sins is the key to victory over your sins.
Joseph is the character in the bible who speaks to us most of Jesus. Joseph was rejected by his brothers, so was Jesus (rejected by the Jews), Joseph was the beloved of his father, so was Jesus, etc
The Five Times Joseph Wept
Ephesians 4
