These are notes on the sermon, The Powerful Benefits Of God's Word, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 21 August 2022, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince starts the service by appreciating Pastor Mark for the good word he preached the previous Sunday. He shares how Pastor Mark’s preaching was a beautiful example of how we can flow and minister to others when the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon us.
The difference between anointing within and anointing upon
The Holy Spirit within us refers to how He dwells in us once we are saved and leads us in daily decisions. The Holy Spirit upon us refers to the power of the Holy Spirit coming on us for ministry. This manifests in the form of power being released for healing the sick, casting out demons, miracles, preaching, etc. Pastor Prince encourages us to pray for our pastors, that they will receive the Lord’s anointing upon them whenever they preach a word so that we can receive the word in season for us.
Pastor Prince shares a testimony of how he led someone to Christ. We are called to share the gospel so that people know that they cannot find satisfaction in earthly things (material possessions, riches, etc.). This does not mean that we should not believe for the Lord to meet our needs or give us an abundant life. God has promised us in His Word that He will provide for our needs and we will not be in lack (2 Cor. 9:8, Ps. 23:1)! But we are to put our trust in Him, who gives us richly all things to enjoy, instead of putting our trust in uncertain riches (1 Tim. 6:17–19).
God will give us more than enough so that we can be a blessing to others. As we continue to receive abundantly from Him, it is important that we also give to others.
The Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee are illustrations of how we ought to be channels of God’s blessings. The Dead Sea is known as the Dead Sea because no life forms can survive in its waters. It receives inflow from the Jordan River but does not have an outflow, causing extremely high salt levels and making the waters uninhabitable. If we keep receiving from God but choose not to pour out these blessings to others, we become like the Dead Sea.
On the other hand, the Sea of Galilee is a thriving body of water with lots of fish and other life forms because it’s a channel of water with constant inflow and outflow. Similarly, we are to be channels of God’s blessings with inflow and outflow! When we are trustworthy channels of God’s blessings, He will cause blessings to flow both through us and to us!
“Blessings” that cause us to stop treating our loved ones as well, spend less time in church or with God, or even change our values, are not blessings. Good success from the Lord will not take us away from our family, church, and time with God. If what we are pursuing makes us compromise on these things, including our health (as a result of stress), it is not good success. We are to prosper God’s way! We experience good success by meditating on God’s Word day and night (Josh. 1:8).
Practical tip for reading the Bible
Pastor Prince encourages us to use a physical Bible instead of a digital Bible. He shares how this is his preference because God can speak to him and draw his attention to certain verses on other pages when he’s reading (which is a lot harder when we are using our digital Bibles).
God likens His Word with the land of Israel
The land of Israel is precious to God because He created it specially for His people. He sees the land of Israel as the glory of all lands (Ezek. 20:6). Even from its topography, we see how the land of Israel was created in a way that would protect the children of Israel and help meet their needs (e.g. food).
There are a lot of similarities between the land of Israel and the Bible. When we study the land of Israel in the Bible, we can take away many amazing lessons for us to live a successful life—the abundant life that our Lord Jesus came to give us (John 10:10).
During Joshua’s time, the Israelites’ inheritance was the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey. After Joshua and Caleb spied on the land, they gave a good report of what they saw, saying:
“. . . The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.”
—Numbers 14:7 NKJV
Just like how the promised land was an exceedingly good land, the Bible is an exceedingly good book! It is a physical thing from heaven for us that we can touch today. It is important that we spend time in God’s Word and wash ourselves with the water of the Word.
“exceedingly good land” — The Hebrew translation for this phrase is “meh-ode meh-ode,” which translates to “very very good” as seen in the YLT version of this verse:
“. . . The land into which we have passed over to spy it, [is] a very very good land;”
—Numbers 14:7 YLT
Similarly, the Bible is a very, very good book! Taste the good Word of God (Heb. 6:5) for it has inherent goodness in it for our benefit!
Pastor Prince shares a testimony he read recently about a doctor who lived to a good old age of more than ninety. When asked the secret to his health and strength at his age, the doctor shared that he would thank God every day for his body. He’d name his organs one by one and give thanks to God for them. This shows us that we experience the manifestation of God’s blessings in our lives when we give thanks! This is also demonstrated in the story of Jesus multiplying the five loaves of bread and two fish—the food multiplied as the Lord gave thanks. Start giving thanks to God!
“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.”
—Deuteronomy 8:7–9 KJV
“fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills” — A valley season refers to a season of trial. When you’re going through a valley (i.e. trial), God will refresh you with waters that spring out of the valley you are in. While we need God even in good times, it’s in these valley moments that we need to lean into God’s Word even more to receive His living waters and drink from it. Nevertheless, even in the hills (triumphant moments, seasons of success), we still need to lean into God’s Word because there are fountains from which God wants us to drink deeply (Song of Sg. 5:1).
“. . . If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
—John 7:37–38 KJV
“Drink” — This refers to our personal drinking and receiving from the Lord to quench our thirst.
“out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” — These rivers are for others. When we first receive from the Lord, we become a blessing to others around us. They look forward to being around us because we refresh them with our presence and words.
Pastor Prince shares a practical tip on how we can go to the Lord. Everytime we read the Bible, we can begin by saying, “Lord Jesus, I come to You in Your Word.” This helps us to be conscious of His presence and to seek Jesus in His Word.
We see this in Luke 24, when the Lord appeared to two of His disciples who were on the road to Emmaus on the day of His resurrection. The two disciples were discouraged because of the Lord’s death and were confused about the empty tomb. In their moment of despair, the Lord Himself drew near to these two disciples and began to expound to them in the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27). After they realized it was the Lord who was with them, they said, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).
After seeing Jesus in the Word, the disciples were left with deep joy and peace in their hearts. Likewise, the Word of God encourages us, builds us up, and elevates us.
“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.”
—Deuteronomy 8:7–9 KJV
If you’re going through a tough time, know that out of the depths of the valley will spring forth fountains to quench your thirst. Today, if your valley is a sickness or health condition you're facing, know that reading God’s Word can bless you physically. Many people neglect the physical benefits of reading God’s Word and only focus on the spiritual, emotional, and mental benefits. But God considers our bodies to be very important; He calls our bodies the temples (the Holy of Holies) of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19)!
There is a saying that Christians are “so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good.” But this is far from the truth! When we are heavenly-minded, we will be a blessing to people around us. We see this in Jesus’ ministry when He was on earth. Because our Lord Jesus was heavenly-minded (as seen from how He would spend time with the Father), He could go around performing miracles (e.g. healing the sick, casting out demons). Likewise, we see blessings manifest in our lives when we are heavenly-minded. That’s how we can be of earthly good to others!
We need to understand that the Bible is our inheritance. Just like how the physical land of Israel was the Israelites’ inheritance, our inheritance is the Word of God!
There are times when we are blessed by simply reading the Bible superficially, but there are times when we are led to dig deep into God’s Word to find its hidden treasures. When we do this, we allow the Lord to nourish us and give us secrets to true success in life.
Illustrations from Deuteronomy 8:7–9 for our success in life
“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.”
—Deuteronomy 8:7–9 KJV
“Wheat” — This refers to bread. Matthew 4:4 records these words of our Lord Jesus: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” This means that we cannot live just by eating. This does not simply refer to our survival but also our health and longevity. What causes us to live a flourishing life is by meditating on the Word of God!
“Fig trees” — Fig trees represent sweetness. There’s a sweetness that can be found in the Word of God.
“Pomegranates” — Pomegranates are a picture of fruitfulness. They are also an illustration of our thoughts (Song of Sg. 6:7), which the Lord sees as fruitful and life-giving. Even during times when we feel like we have impure thoughts, the Lord sees our thoughts holy and washed by the blood of Jesus (as pomegranates are washed red).
“Olive” — This a picture of the Holy Spirit and represents the anointing of God. Every time we read the Word of God, we are feeding on His anointing. The more we do so, the more we become sensitive to the Lord’s leading.
These are examples of how we can receive God’s wisdom when we dig deep into His Word.
“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.”
—Proverbs 4:10 NKJV
When we spend time in God’s Word, length of days are added to us. God wants us to enjoy a long life so that we can pass the knowledge we have learnt from Him to the next generation.
When we spend time in God’s Word, we find life, the abundant life our Lord Jesus came to give us. Just like how the land of Israel was the inheritance of the Israelites, the Bible is our inheritance today.
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
—Proverbs 4:20–22 NKJV
Every scripture is God-breathed. This is the same breath God breathed into men when He made us! From dust we were made into living souls through the life-giving breath of God. This same life is what we will find when we spend time in His Word!
“life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh” — We find life, health, and healing for every part of our body when we spend time in God’s Word!
Pastor Prince shares the testimony of a man who experienced God’s healing as he read the Bible. This man had a tumor in his body and the prognosis was not good. At that time, the man was not yet a believer. In his time of discouragement, he felt a desire to read the Bible. As he read the Bible, he felt a deep peace within. He also grew to have this joy in his heart. The more he read God’s Word, the happier he became on the inside until one day, he felt like something happened to him physically. When he went back to be examined, the doctor shared that the man was free from the condition he had been previously suffering! It has been more than twenty years since this man shared his testimony but he is still well. This man experienced health and wholeness just by reading the Word! Likewise, when we spend time in God’s Word, we will receive health and healing.
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As Deuteronomy 8:7–9 illustrates, spending time in the Word of God gives us access to fountains of water to refresh you, olive oil (anointing of the Holy Spirit), and honey (sweetness)! God’s Word is sweeter than honey and is to be desired more than gold (Ps. 19:10, Ps. 119:103).
Look for Jesus in the Word. When you find Jesus, He will find yourself because you are in Him! Because we are joint-heirs with Jesus (Rom. 8:17), and as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17), whatever that we see Him have in the Bible, we also receive!
“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.”
—Deuteronomy 8:7–9 KJV
“A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness” — This was God’s promise to the Israelites: that the land He would bring them to would be a place where they would eat bread without scarceness. Since God parallels the land of Israel to the Bible, this means that when we spend time in the Word of God, we will not lack anything!
Joshua 15 records the story of Caleb and his daughter Achsah, whose name means “anklet.” When it was time for Achsah to get married, Caleb went to Debir looking for a life partner for her.
“Then he (‘Caleb’) went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir (formerly the name of Debir – ‘oracle’ was Kirjath Sepher – ‘city of the Book’). And Caleb said, "He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah (‘anklet’) my daughter as wife." So Othniel (‘lion of God’) the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.”
—Joshua 15:15–17 NKJV
“Kirjath Sepher” — The Hebrew translation for this name means “city of the Book.”
“Achsah” — The Hebrew translation for this name means “anklet.” Since the anklet is worn on the foot, this story is closely related to the promise in Joshua 1:3 that says, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.”
This means that when we “conquer” God’s Word by getting to know it well, we receive the power to possess God’s promises for us!
“Othniel” — The Hebrew translation for this name means “lion of God.” In the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5). This means that just like Jesus, you will become a lion of God, and He will give you the power to possess every promise that you read in His Word.
After Achsah got married to Othniel, she asked her father for a field.
“Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered, "Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water." So he gave her the upper springs (‘Spirit upon’) and the lower springs (‘Spirit within’).
—Joshua 15:18-19 NKJV
Some people think that prayers where we ask God for blessings are selfish prayers. However, we see in the Bible that God is pleased when people ask Him boldly for blessings! We have not because we ask not. Ask big from God! When we read the Bible, we can ask God to give us more of His promises that we see in His Word.
“upper springs (‘Spirit upon’) and the lower springs (‘Spirit within’)” — These were the blessings that Achsah asked for. The upper springs here are a picture of having the Spirit upon us, which happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon us for ministry (e.g. for preaching, ministering, praying for the sick). The lower springs are a picture of having the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us. This is the anointing that is within us all the time. An example of how this anointing manifests in our daily lives is how we are led to make decisions, e.g. sometimes, we may feel a sense of unrest (or lack of peace) when we are just about to sign a contract. This is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is within us. It leads and guides us in our daily lives!
The land of Israel has seven distinct features.
7 distinct features of the land of Israel
1. Coastal plains (that border on the Mediterranean sea)
2. Central Highlands (also known as the spine/backbone of Israel)
3. Jordan Valley (where the Dead Sea is)
4. Wooded highlands of Gilead (where we find the balm of Gilead)
5. Wilderness of Judah (Judea’s wilderness)
6. Green of Galilee
7. Golan Heights
Just like how there are seven features of Israel, there are seven parts to the Bible.
7 parts of the Bible
1. Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
2. History (e.g. 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel)
3. Poetry (the central part of the Old Testament which consists of Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Psalms, and Proverbs)
4. Prophets (e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nahum, and Micah)
5. The four Gospels
6. The Epistles
7. The great apocalypse (the book of Revelation)
When we study the topography of the land of Israel, we see how God created distinct features to protect the land. In the Old Testament, we see how these features protected the children of Israel:
The Wilderness of Judah (South of Israel)
The Judean deserts separated the children of Israel from Egypt, which represented a place of bondage (the Israelites were ensalved in Egypt). Applying this to our lives today: God does not want us to be held bondage by worldly principles or ideas. The world wants us to conform to their thinking but this can bring us to a place of bondage. God’s Word protects us from the world’s way of thinking.
The Golan Heights (North of Israel)
The northern area is usually the most susceptible to attacks from the enemy. The north is also where cold winds flow in. These cold harsh winds can destroy crops and harvests. To protect the Israelites’ crops, God placed the high mountains (e.g. Mount Hermon) to stop these winds from coming in. These high terrains also make it hard for invading forces to come into Israel.
Mediterranean sea (West of Israel)
To protect Israel from attacks from the West and nearby maritime islands, God placed a huge body of sea at the west coast of Israel.
The east side of Israel is also protected against the Babylonians by a large desert.
Through studying the topography of the land of Israel, we see how God protected the Israelites. Likewise, God protects us all around with His Word today!
Here we see that Israel is a land bridge to three continents—Africa, Europe, and Asia. God made Israel a land bridge so that everyone who passes through Israel would learn the ways of God! God did not want the children of Israel to be influenced by the world but to impact the world. In the same way, we are not to be isolated from the world but to go out and be a blessing to them!
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” —John 17:17 NKJV
To be sanctified means to be made holy (uncommon) and also separated from all the sickness and diseases that we see in the world today.
If you do not know where to start reading the Bible, a good place to start is through reading daily devotionals. Just like how God said in Deuteronomy 6:11 that we can drink from wells we did not dig and live in houses we did not build, we can receive revelations and God’s wisdom through teachers He has placed in the church. While we continue reading His Word, we will also begin to find our own revelations! The deeper we dig into His Word, the more we will find treasures of His wisdom. Instead of depending on commentaries, we can depend on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.
“Heavenly Father, I confess Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior. I believe You raised Him from the dead when You acquitted me from all of my sins. I thank You, Father, and I ask You right now to baptize and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“This coming week, the Lord blesses you and the Lord keeps you. The Lord makes His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord opens up to you the treasures of His Word and grants you joy unspeakable. The Lord lifts up His countenance on you and grants you great favor, peace, shalom, wellbeing, wholeness, and peace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Do you find yourself in a valley season? Perhaps you are faced with a health challenge, stuck in a difficult financial situation, or just struggling to stay afloat.
Beloved, no matter what season or situation you are in right now, God’s Word has the power to heal you, encourage you, and supply you with the answers you need.
This week, make time to feed on God’s life-giving Word. If you are new to this, or it's been a while since you opened your Bible, know that there is no “right way” to do it. Just start somewhere! You can start by reading a psalm or a proverb a day and let the Lord guide you as you feed on His Word. If something you read resonates in your heart, make a note of it to meditate on it or look up different translations. You can also ask the Lord to show you what He is telling you through this verse or portion of Scripture.
As you let the Lord speak and minister to you through His Word this week, you can expect to walk in a greater measure of peace, joy, and wisdom for the situation you are in!
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 2022
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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