These are notes on the sermon, Secrets to Youthfulness and Strength, preached by Pastor Mark Ng on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will encourage you to keep praying, keep believing, and not lose heart.
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Beloved, are you facing a challenge today? You may have encountered difficulties in your health, finances, relationships, career, or some other area of your life. But the good news is that you do not have to face these challenges on your own. Our Lord Jesus has already overcome the world, and today, you can walk in His victory!
In 1 John 5:4–5, the apostle John tells us:
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
As a believer, you have been born again into God’s family. Today, you are His beloved child, and He is your heavenly Father who loves you, cares for you, and supplies your every need! And because you are born of God, you can live the overcoming life.
Now, what is the victory that overcomes the world? Scripture tells us it is our faith. And this faith is not faith in ourselves, our abilities, or even the strength of our faith. It is faith in our Lord Jesus and all that He has accomplished for us through His finished work.
The apostle Paul puts it beautifully in Galatians 2:20:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Christ lives in you today! That means you’re not left to overcome life’s challenges on your own. The One who has overcome the world is living in you, and today, you can live by faith in Him. The more we lay hold of this truth, the more we can walk in His victory.
Pastor Mark shared a powerful testimony of a sister who was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. She was told that she would need long-term medication to manage these conditions, and the news left her deeply distressed.
But instead of allowing the medical report to define her, she began turning her attention to the Lord and His finished work. She held on to this thought: “I may take medication, but I am not a sick person. In Christ, I am already healed and whole.” And she continued taking her medication while praying and declaring what Jesus had accomplished for her at the cross.
Some time later, several blood tests showed that her blood sugar level had returned to normal, and her doctors confirmed that she no longer needed medication to manage it. Her cholesterol medication was also reduced by half! What a wonderful testimony of how we can overcome our challenges as we are anchored in our identity in Christ.
Is there a situation in your life that seems impossible to overcome? Friend, don’t let what you see or hear around you become the final word over your life. Remember who you are. You are born of God and united with Christ, who has already overcome the world. Today, you don’t have to fight for victory. You can live from the victory Jesus has already given you!
Now, while we have this wonderful identity in Christ, there may be times when we unconsciously allow our natural senses, feelings, or circumstances to determine how we see ourselves.
Perhaps you’ve noticed you don’t have as much energy as you used to, or you’ve started experiencing aches and pains that weren’t there before. Maybe you’ve begun telling yourself, “I’m getting old,” or “I can’t do the things I used to anymore.”
But beloved, your natural age and what you feel in your body do not define who you are in Christ! The Lord’s heart isn’t for us to live by what we experience in the natural, but to live by faith in His unshakable Word.
Let’s take a look at the Bible’s account of Barzillai in 2 Samuel 19. Barzillai was a wealthy man who had faithfully supported King David during the rebellion of David’s son, Absalom. When David was returning to Jerusalem, he wanted to reward Barzillai for his kindness. He told Barzillai, “Come across with me, and I will provide for you while you are with me in Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 19:33).
What a generous invitation! Now, David is a picture of our Lord Jesus. And Jerusalem, the city of peace, is a picture of the peace and provision we have in Him. But notice how Barzillai responded:
“How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am today eighty years old. Can I discern between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king?”
—2 Samuel 19:34–35
Barzillai listed all the reasons he felt he could not go. Do you see how much of his response was centered on himself and his natural limitations? And because of how he saw himself, he chose not to receive what David was offering him.
Isn’t this like many of us?
Perhaps the Lord is opening a new door for you, but you find yourself thinking, “I’m too old to start something new,” or “I don’t have the strength for this anymore.” Or perhaps you’re trusting the Lord for healing, but every time you feel a symptom in your body, you begin to wonder whether things will ever change.
But beloved, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that “we walk by faith, not by sight.” This doesn’t mean we deny what we are experiencing. Not at all. The Lord just doesn’t want us to let our natural circumstances have the final say over who we are or what He can do in our lives.
Instead of going by what we feel, we can choose to hold on to His Word. Our feelings can change from day to day, and our bodies may tell us otherwise, but God’s Word remains true. And His Word tells us that Christ is our life (Col. 3:4), and that as Christ is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17)! We can continue looking to the Lord for His strength, wisdom, and supply, regardless of our age or circumstances.
Now, there is another significant detail in Barzillai’s story. Although he agreed to accompany David a short distance across the Jordan River, he ultimately asked to return to his own city (2 Sam. 19:36–37). And to understand why this is significant, we need to take a closer look at what the crossing of the Jordan River represents.
In Joshua 3, we read about the Israelites preparing to cross the Jordan River into the promised land. At that time, the Jordan was overflowing its banks because it was harvest season. Humanly speaking, crossing the river would have seemed impossible. But the Lord instructed the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to go ahead of the Israelites and step into the waters.
Joshua 3:13–16 tells us:
“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”... that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan.
Notice that the priests were not instructed to wait for the waters to part before stepping forward. They were to step into the river, trusting in what the Lord had spoken. And when their feet touched the waters, something miraculous happened! The waters flowing downstream were cut off, and those coming from upstream stood in a heap. The riverbed became dry, and the entire nation of Israel could safely cross the Jordan.
This story points us to our Lord Jesus and what His finished work at the cross has accomplished for us. The Jordan River is a picture of death, and the ark of the covenant is a picture of our Lord Jesus.
Just as the ark went ahead of the Israelites into the Jordan, our Lord Jesus went ahead of us and took our place in death. He who knew no sin took our sins upon Himself and died in our place. Through His death and resurrection, He has brought us out of death into newness of life!
And notice where the waters were stopped, all the way upstream at a city called Adam! This points to how our Lord Jesus’ finished work has dealt with the sin and death that came through Adam.
Romans 5:17 tells us that through one man’s offense, death reigned. Because of Adam’s sin, sin and death entered the world, and all humanity came under their dominion. But the good news is that our Lord Jesus, the last Adam, has redeemed us from the sin and death that came through the first Adam! And just as the waters flowing toward the Dead Sea were cut off, Jesus has also delivered us from the condemnation and judgment that once stood against us.
The priests carrying the ark also remained in the Jordan until every Israelite had crossed over completely (Josh. 3:17). And on the other side of the Jordan was Gilgal, meaning “a rolling away.” It reminds us that through our Lord Jesus’ finished work, all our sins and condemnation have been rolled away, and that He accomplished such a perfect, complete work of redemption on our behalf that nothing has been left unfinished!
Today, because of our Lord Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, we can have complete assurance of our salvation and our place in Him. Our Lord Jesus Himself assures us in John 5:24:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Did you catch the three wonderful truths in this verse? First, we have everlasting life. Second, we shall not come into judgment. And third, we have passed from death into life!
Friend, these are not promises we are waiting to qualify for one day. They are already ours because we have believed in Jesus. We are no longer to live as though we are still on the other side of the Jordan, under the dominion of sin and death. We have crossed over with Christ!
And this brings us back to Barzillai’s story. Just as Barzillai decided to turn back, we sometimes return to our old ways of thinking, allowing our natural senses and limitations to define us rather than embracing the new life Jesus has given us.
Beloved, don’t turn back to the old way of seeing yourself. You have died with Christ and have been raised with Him. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and His life is flowing in you.
So instead of looking at your weaknesses and wondering whether you have what it takes, look to Jesus and what He has already accomplished for you. And the more you rest in His finished work, the more you can receive the abundance of His grace and the gift of righteousness to reign in life through Him (Rom. 5:17).
Now, what does it look like to live with this revelation of who we are in Christ?
Consider another character in the Bible: Caleb. Caleb was also advanced in years. But unlike Barzillai, he did not allow his age or natural circumstances to determine what he could expect from the Lord. In Joshua 14:10–11, Caleb declared:
“And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.”
What a remarkable declaration! Caleb didn’t focus on how much strength he had lost or how little time he had left. Instead, he declared the Lord’s faithfulness in keeping him strong even at eighty-five.
Friend, that’s the spirit of faith you and I can have today. You don’t have to assume that your best days are behind you just because of your age. The Lord is able to renew your strength and cause you to remain fruitful in every season of life.
Perhaps you’ve been feeling weary lately. Maybe your body has been feeling weaker, or you’ve started to think that certain opportunities are no longer possible for you because of your age. Don’t let those thoughts define your future. Just as Caleb looked to the Lord as the source of his strength, you can look to Jesus and His finished work and expect His grace to supply what you need.
Now, how do we continue walking in this kind of faith? Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. As we keep hearing about Jesus and what He has accomplished for us, faith arises in our hearts.
And 2 Corinthians 4:13 tells us that the spirit of faith is this: “I believed and therefore I spoke.” So keep believing and keep declaring the Lord’s promises in your life.
There’s something powerful about not just hearing God’s Word, but also meditating on it. Psalm 1:2–3 tells us:
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The word “meditates” carries the idea of muttering. So meditating on God’s Word isn’t just about reading it silently. It’s also about speaking it out, turning it over in our hearts, and continually reminding ourselves of the Lord’s promises.
And what happens as we do this? The Bible says we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, continually nourished and supplied, bringing forth fruit in season, with leaves that do not wither.
Notice that the tree doesn’t have to struggle to produce fruit. It simply draws nourishment from the rivers of water it is planted beside. In the same way, as we continue feeding on the Lord Jesus and His Word, we can expect His life and grace to supply us with strength and cause us to be fruitful in every season of life.
Perhaps you’ve been feeling weary or discouraged lately. Or maybe you’ve been looking at your circumstances and wondering how things will ever change. Friend, don’t allow those thoughts to occupy your heart. Take time to feed on God’s Word. Listen to messages that reveal Jesus and His finished work. Meditate on His promises and remind yourself of who you are in Him. And as you do, trust that His grace is supplying you with everything you need.
Beloved, whatever your age or the challenges you may be facing, remember that you are born of God and have His overcoming life in you! Keep looking to Jesus. Keep hearing His Word. Keep believing and declaring who you are in Him. Today, you don’t have to fight for victory. You get to live from His victory!
And as you continue receiving His abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness, may you experience His divine life, youthfulness, strength, and fruitfulness in every season of your life.
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2026
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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