These are notes on the sermon, Walk in God's Gifts for You, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Being in Christ means stepping into a brand-new identity. The old has passed away, and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). We are no longer defined by weakness, failure, or lack, but by what Jesus has accomplished for us at Calvary. He went willingly to the cross and freely gave us all His blessings. He clothes His people with a robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10), signifying the new standing we have before our heavenly Father. This new standing of ours is not fragile as it cannot be lost when we make mistakes or fail. It is secure in Christ.
Along with this new identity, God graciously places into His people gifts they did not previously have. These are imparted through the Spirit, sometimes instantly, sometimes over time, and always by grace. Whether it is leadership skills, a heart of encouragement or generosity, or a gift of prophecy, every gift is meant to bless the body of Christ and glorify Jesus.
Another gift that comes with righteousness is favor. In the Old Testament, we see how God’s favor distinguished His people. Esther found favor with the king, which led to Israel’s deliverance. Joseph found favor even as a slave and a prisoner, rising to a place of influence and provision. Ruth was led “by hap” into Boaz’s field, a divine setup that brought redemption. In the same way, the believer today is surrounded with favor like a shield (Ps. 5:12).
This favor also places us at the right place at the right time. What may seem like coincidence is often divine orchestration. Just as Ruth “happened” to glean in the field of Boaz, God directs the steps of His children so that they walk into His prepared blessings.
And in His kingdom, there is no lack. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed multitudes, and still there were twelve baskets full of leftovers (Matt. 14:20). Divine provision is not about “barely enough” but about “more than enough.” Today, as children of God, we can live secure in the reality that our heavenly Father provides richly and abundantly for us.
Many people think that being a Christian is about what we must do. The message they hear is often, “You must do this, you must avoid that, you must try harder.” But the gospel is not about our doing—it is about what Jesus has already done.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:3–4 that if the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. The enemy works hard to keep people in the dark because he knows that once they see the truth, they will be set free.
From the beginning, the devil’s tactic has been subtlety. In the garden, God had given Adam and Eve free access to every tree but one. Yet the serpent twisted God’s generosity into restriction: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). By shifting the focus from abundance to lack, he sowed doubt about God’s goodness.
The same strategy is still being used today. The enemy takes the gospel of grace and tries to add conditions, turning faith into effort and gift into wage.
But at the cross, every judgment, accusation, and condemnation has been fully exhausted in the body of Jesus Christ. Because He bore it all, there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Him (Rom. 8:1). This is the principle of “double jeopardy.” In human law, no one can be tried twice for the same crime. In the same way, sin has already been judged once in the body of Jesus. If God were to judge us again for our sins, it would be unjust, because the penalty has already been paid in full.
So how do we actually receive the gifts and blessings that the Lord died for us to have? We receive them by faith.
Sometimes the answer or breakthrough does not appear immediately. That does not mean God has withheld it. Faith continues to take God at His Word, even before the evidence is visible. As we keep hearing and feeding on the Word, our minds are renewed, our perspective shifts, and our hearts are strengthened to believe. Over time, this renewal leads us into the very breakthrough we have been trusting Him for.
Beloved, Jesus has done everything. We, as believers, are no longer under condemnation, no longer striving to earn what has already been freely given. Righteousness, peace, favor, and provision are not wages for our labor, but the Lord’s gifts of grace to be received by faith.
Abraham’s life shows us what it looks like to live as someone who has received the Lord’s gift of righteousness. He was not a perfect man, yet Scripture never records God rebuking or condemning him. Instead, he was treated as righteous because he believed God’s promises (Rom. 4:1–3).
Along the way, there were delays, disappointments, and frustrating circumstances. For years, Abraham and Sarah faced the devastation of barrenness. Yet in those seasons, God was training and strengthening them in faith.
At the end of his life, the Bible says the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things (Gen. 24:1). Earlier in his journey, he was described as very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold (Gen. 13:2). And Romans 4:19 tells us that God even renewed his youth, for Abraham did not consider his own body that was then as good as dead, but instead considered what God had spoken. Sarah likewise received strength to conceive seed because she judged Him faithful who had promised (Heb. 11:11).
Romans 4:1–3 explained that Abraham was justified not by works, but by believing. His righteousness was not a result of his performance, but his faith. Romans 10:2–3 warns us against trying to establish our own righteousness, as Israel in the Old Testament did, instead of submitting to the righteousness of God. When we receive God’s gift of righteousness, He sees us as righteous, and all the blessings that belong to the righteous become ours.
Romans 5:17 declares that if by Adam’s offense death reigned, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ. To reign in life means to have victory over sin, fear, condemnation, and even the attacks of the enemy. This is why the devil always comes against these two truths: the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. He knows that once a believer receives them fully, his power to oppress is broken. The days of his dominion are over, and the believer begins to reign through Christ.
Abraham’s story assures us that even if the breakthrough is delayed, faith is never wasted. As we keep believing, God is faithful to fulfill His word. The same righteousness that Abraham received by faith has been credited to us, and with it comes the blessing of walking in God’s favor, provision, and renewed strength (Rom. 4:22–24, 5:17).
One of the common objections to the gospel of grace is that grace seems to make works unnecessary. People will point to James 2:18 and say, “See, faith without works is dead. We still need to keep the law and prove ourselves by what we do.”
But when we read James’ epistle carefully, we see that he is not contradicting Paul. Paul teaches that justification before God is entirely by faith. James, on the other hand, is addressing how faith is seen before men. God can see faith, but people cannot. People only see the fruit that comes out of a person’s life. That is why James writes, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
Take Abraham, for example. Romans 4 tells us that Abraham was declared righteous when he believed God—more than twenty years before Isaac was even born. That righteousness was received purely by faith. But years later, when Abraham laid Isaac on the altar, James declared it as a demonstration of Abraham’s faith. Abraham’s offering of Isaac did not make him righteous; it revealed the faith he had long before the event (James 2:21–22).
Rahab is another example James highlighted. She had already believed in the God of Israel when she first heard of the Red Sea miracle forty years before. When she hid the Israelite spies, that was her faith in action. Her actions didn’t make her righteous; they showed the truth that faith was already in her heart (James 2:25).
If James were emphasizing law-keeping, then these would have been strange examples to cite. Abraham’s offering of Isaac was something the law would never require, and Rahab’s act involved telling a lie to protect the spies. Instead, both showed that true faith produces corresponding actions—not to earn righteousness, but as its fruit.
The gospel truth remains: Justification before God is by faith alone. Before men, faith is shown through works. Works are never the root of righteousness, but they are the fruit.
The Christian life begins and continues with receiving. Every blessing—righteousness, peace, health, favor, provision, even renewed strength—comes as a gift. None of it can be earned. All of it is given freely because of Jesus.
The way we receive the blessings is by faith. Even when the breakthrough seems delayed, faith keeps feeding on the Word, allowing the Spirit to renew our minds until our hearts are aligned with God’s promises. That is when we will walk in the fulfillment of what we already have in Christ.
At the end of the day, the right response to a gift is simply to receive it with gratitude. When someone gives you a gift, the most natural thing to do is to smile and say “thank you.” Imagine if you tried to pay them back—that would be insulting. The joy of the giver is in seeing the gift enjoyed.
It is the same with our heavenly Father. He does not give us gifts so that we would strive to repay Him or live in fear of losing them. He gives them because He loves us and delights to see us walk in them. We honor Him not by trying to earn His gifts but by using them, enjoying them, and living confidently in them.
So wear the robe of righteousness confidently and walk boldly in your Father’s gifts. Rest in His peace that surpasses understanding and expect His favor to surround you like a shield. Trust in His divine provision that never runs dry and live each day knowing you reign in life through our Lord Jesus. These are God’s gifts for you—unearned, unshakable, and everlasting!
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 2025
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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