2017: The Year of Jubilee!

1 January 2017 (8.30am service, New Creation Church at Star Vista)
 - Sermon delivered by Pastor Joseph Prince

Sermon Notes (Note: These are personal notes and not a transcription of the sermon.) 

I.           Theme for New Creation Church Each Year

We are no longer living in a covenant where the Lord led the people of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, but we are living in a covenant where the Lord leads us by our hearts.

The reason why we have a theme for the church yearly, is so that when things happen in line with the theme, we know that it’s from God.

We consciously know it when God gives us what we pray for. However, there are times when God prevents us from impending accidents, which we don’t see.

When it seems that we are surrounded by enemies, we have to trust that our turnaround is going to happen, and we give grace to God for that.

Down through the years, by the grace of God, God used Pastor Prince to say things that he didn’t prepare to deliver.  For instance, at the pulpit, he spoke about the Asian crisis, which he did not prepare beforehand. He also prophesized about when the economy would recover, as well as the reversal of roles of East and West (in which later we witnessed the rise of China).

If you keep on watching the bad news, it will affect your spirit.

God knows that good news has a very good effect on your body.

Thus, don’t pay too much attention to what the devil is doing. The only place to get good news is in the house of God.

When the King, Christ, was born, the devil knew about his birth. The devil instigated King Herod to kill all infants below two years old in Bethlehem. However, among the darkness, the Savior was born.

We know that Ezekiel 38 has not happened. However, God never shares everything all at one time.

II.         2016 Vision Sunday

2016’s theme of the year was Possessing Our Possessions. However, Pastor didn’t share everything on Vision Sunday. He shared about the three key things he saw for the year on the 2nd Sunday of 2016: blood, flood and fire. Pastor also mentioned that these are not spiritual expressions.

In 2016, one of the most serious terrorist attack took place in Nice (France) [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36801671]. A lorry was ploughed into a large crowd, killing more than 10 children. A total of 86 people was killed. There were also many other terrorist attacks for the year.

Major floods occurred throughout the world, and even Paris experienced severe flood to the extent that the paintings and sculptures in Louvre had to be moved to safety [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36442421].

In November 2016, Israel experienced the worst fire in history [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38088651].

Despite all these that happened around us, God says to you— “Fear not”. When you see the theme of the year in your life, you can identify with what God has said to you.

III.      The Year of Jubilee

You should not be worried or start looking at the other ministries. Our theme of the year is the theme that God has for us: The Year of Jubilee.

We prayed for Lord’s direction. God is raising Israel so that the rest of the world can see how a nation can be like if God is nurturing Israel. However, Israel failed.

When Jesus was sent to Earth, Israel was ruled by the Romans. However, Jesus was rejected by Israel. He was thus sent as a man and He can feel what we feel.

Now, the kingdom of heaven is held in abeyance. It is held in suspension for a while. In that kingdom, there is peace and no conflict, a lion can be seated with a sheep, and children can be seated with poisonous snakes without any danger. In that kingdom, we would never ever die, and will gain a brand-new body.

Redemption gives you much more than repentance. If you are making mistakes, your mistakes are not final. When God restores, it’s always greater in quality and quantity

In every seven years, your land must rest. Man is designed to rest to on 7^th day. Man’s heart beats slower on the 7^th day. Our 7^th day is the Lord’s day. You need a bodily rest.

The real you is created from God’s breath.

Hell is not created for man, it’s created for the evil and the fallen angels.

If we are sick, the doctor will tell you that the critical days are 7^th day, 14^th day, and 21^st day. A female will be pregnant for 280 days (9 months) before labour. 280 days are multiples of 7. A hen hatches eggs for 3 weeks—21 days, which are also multiples of 7.

7 is a spiritual number. It stands for perfection/completeness.

The Jewish year for this year is 5777.

If we look at the birthday of the president of the United States Donald Trump to the day he is taking over the presidency, it will be 14 June 1946 to 20 Jan 2017. Do the calculation, and you will get 70 years, 7 months, 7 days.

There are lots of 7s this year.

It is 2017 in our Gregorian calendar.  

17 is a number of victory in the bible. Joseph was 17 years old when he had two dreams that made his brothers plot his demise.

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He went to His disciples and told them to throw the net on the right side of the boat to find some fish. After doing so, they caught 153 fish.

Numbers in the bible are given for a reason. They had 153 fishes (1+2+3+…+17), which means divine election.

Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

In the above, it was the first time 7 was mentioned. Also, when holiness was mentioned the first time, it was also when “rest” was mentioned.

God rested as His work was complete, and not because He was tired. If we rest in God, there is peace within. Our body is the temple of God.

The body could be very busy, but we should make sure that there is peace within.

Sometimes, it is better to be peaceful than to be right.

Peaceful=sanctified/sanctuary

Jubilee will happen when Jesus returns. Jubilee is a time when every debt is cancelled, and the land is restored to the original owners.

7 days of rest, 7 years for the land to rest.

In Bethlehem, the people did not rest on the 7^th year. There was no record that Israel rested on the 7^th year or observed the Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:8-10

And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.

The promise of Jubilee is for all.

It shall be a Jubilee for you

-          Jubilation = joy

Each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family during the year of Jubilee.

Reset button this year! This is the year of Jubilee. It is thus the year of liberty.

We should proclaim it first that it happens.

In the darkness, we should proclaim liberty:

Luke 4:17-21

And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

People in Israel wanted to break free from the tyranny of Roman rule. When Jesus came, they wanted Him to break the tyranny of Roman rule. However, He came to make changes from within. Some people are in bondage to drugs, to their thoughts, etc, and Jesus is here to break us free.

The Bible cannot be read intellectually, it has to be read with Holy Spirit to reveal the Bible to you.

The humbler you are, the more God can teach you.

God don’t just use talents, God has to anoint you.

Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacle and not 25 December. 25 December is the conception of Jesus.

The Day of Atonement is the day of Jubilee.

The term “acceptable” in Luke 4:17-21 is Dektos in Greek.

In Thayer’s definition, Dektos denotes the most blessed time when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.

However, the people of Israel lost track of the 50^th year of observation. All the various gentiles ruled the country till 1917, when there was a call of all the Jews from Europe to return to Jerusalem. However, many didn’t return. If they did return, there would be no holocaust.

In 1967, a 6-day war broke out. Jerusalem was restored on the 7^th day and came under Israeli rule.

1917-1967 — 50 years’ jubilee.

Jubilee doesn’t mean that there is no obstacle. There was an attack, obstacle. In the year of Jubilee, there could be an attack. However, what should you do now?

God waits for a swift action. God’s purpose is that God gives chance.  

God demonstrated the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea. The bodies of the drowned Egyptians were floating on the other side of the gulf to show the Israelites that these people were perished and would not be following them again.

Joshua 6: 15-20

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. 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! Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord 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. 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. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." 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.

On 7^th day, they shouted and the wall came down. Our 7^th day is coming and what we should do is just to blow the trumpet.

The trumpet was blown at 9am and 3pm. When Jesus was outside Jerusalem on the day of crucifixion, one could hear the blow of trumpet at 9am and 3pm when he died on the cross.

50 years from 1967 — we have 2017, the year of jubilee. Something significant is going to happen, even in the world events.

Israel will be very happy that there is a change in America.

Leviticus 23:28-32

And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.  For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."

The above is about the Day of Atonement. Rest, all work is finished. Get into rest.  There is an emphasis on “no work” (no manner of work; a Sabbath of solemn rest).

The Battle is the Lord’s. God said, “Leave it to me, I will strive and fight for you.”

Hebrews 4:9-12 (NKJ)

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Therefore be diligent to enter that rest- I will work hard, and relaxing inside.

Spend time in the word of god, and you will know when it’s the voice of God and when it’s your voice.

God will make you a real and authentic person. You are integrated and will not be at odds with yourself. The organic life will go through areas that even a doctor doesn’t dare to touch.

IV.        Conclusion

Galatians 3:5

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--

God will constantly work miracles, and it is done by the hearing of faith.

Genesis 4:21

His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

Jubal is the Greek word for Jubilee. Jubal represents a flow, a river, a string. In areas whereby you are not clear whether you should go for A or B, go with the flow by listening to the spirit within.

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

3 keys for 2017:

1.   Rest in Christ (one should not have the mindset that “I am still very strong”. God helps those who are helpless.). If I rest, just keep on hearing the preaching, the finished Word.

2.   Listen to the Word (keep on hearing the Word)

3.   Flow with the Spirit.