Kenneth Copeland - Put The WORD of God First Place
Open your Bibles tonight with me to Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made of himself of no reputation. He took upon Him, the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. He being found in fashion as a man, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross, wherefore God also highly exalted Him and had given Him," the King James says, "A name". It isn't. It's, "His name. God gave Him His name, which is above every name... That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things or names in heaven, names in earth and names under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father". That's core. Amen.
Now, there are seven core values for faith people, and I'm going to give you all seven of them and you can write them down. Of course later you get the CDs and the DVDs and so forth. Number one, we put the Word of God first place, final authority. Number two, we live by faith. Number three, we walk in love. Number four, we are led by the Holy Spirit. Number five, we pray about everything. Number six, we honor God. And number seven, we protect the anointing.
Remember now, this is a book of covenants. All of them in blood. The very first that we have any record of is when God instructed Abram to set up animals, split down the spine and allow the halves to fall on either side. Then God came and walked in that blood. I'm totally convinced in the spirit, Abram saw his footsteps in that blood. And the ancient blood covenants in that walk was a figure eight, the sign of infinity. In other words, this is a covenant forever. Then the second half of that became the blood of Abram who became Abraham through circumcision.
Now notice this, that is the first record of a covenant name change. The H in the middle of that name, doc, listen, Yod Heh Vav Heh Hashem, the name. So God put his name right in the middle of Abrams name. And establish the most magnificent covenant known to man. And that then laid the pattern that brought about the very first words a human ear ever heard was the blessing of the Lord. He blessed everything because He's good. And he blessed them. That's number one. So at that time, God began His plan to get the blessing back. So He blessed Abram, changed his name, moved into the middle of him, and he became the covenant friend of God. Amen. And then after that, now listen, Christian people have far, far, far too little knowledge about what this is all about and why God insisted on certain things.
So God called on His covenant partner to sacrifice his only son. He said, "I'll do it". So he took the wood for the sacrifice, came up to the mountain as he was instructed and told the people, he said, "The boy, and I'll be back". "The boy and I'll be back". Faith. "We'll be back". Went up on top of that mountain. And Isaac said, "Father, where's the sacrifice"? And so he had everything there and he just had his son get up there on that sacrificial altar. Read it in the book of Hebrews and you'll understand it. He said, "He saw him raised up in a figure. He believed it". And he raised the knife. Why? Why did God do that? Because our heavenly Father knew the day was coming when His only son would be hung on a cross. And His son would say, "If there is any way, let this cup pass from me". And God would have to say, "No, I can't. I can't. My covenant partner was willing to do it. Now I have to do it". "I'm covenanted to a man and I have to get the blessing of Abraham back into this earth. And you're the sacrifice. And you will be burned". He went to hell, so you and I don't have to go. Glory to God. I said glory to God.
Now, we put the Word of God, first place and final authority. Turn with me to Proverbs 4, and read the whole fourth chapter because there's 19 before the 20th. Look at the 18th first, "The path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more onto the perfect day". Or in other words, it just gets brighter and brighter and brighter. "The way of the wicked is a darkness. They know not at what they stumble. My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings". What does that mean? Put what I say first. If it's in the book, it's in blood. So you inclined to hear that. Well, I'm inclined to hear this pain. Well, we don't deny the pain. We deny its right to exist in our body. Amen. Attend to my words. In other words, put that first. You might see me on the street someday.
"Brother Copeland, is that really you"? "Yeah. That's me". "Good. I'm your partner". "Glory to God. That's great". "Come on. I'll buy you lunch. Let's go. I want to talk to you". "Partner, I sure would like to, but I can't". "Why"? "I have a very important matter that I must attend to". Now it's attend in California. It's attend in New York. In Texas, it's tend. "I got to tend to it. I got to go tend to this, even though I love you. It's first place. It isn't 'cause I don't have... Any other time, yeah, but I have something pressing that I must attend to first". So this Word, Jesus said, "My words are Spirit and they are life".
This is life. This is not something over lunch. This is life. So now let's see what it says here about his words. "Attend to my words, incline thine ear under my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes". Why? "Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God". God's faith is in his Word. Words are containers. Not primarily just for communication. God used words to create everything. "He created it," 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, "He created it out of something that does not appear". He created it out of faith, but you can't see it. Amen goes right there. Praise God. So, they are life to those that find them. You have to research, look in this book for words, find words that cover your situation. Find words, promises or facts from this covenant book, because all of it is in blood. All of it is in blood. Adam. The meaning of his name is red. Oh, glory to God.
So they are life. The cross reference says, "Medicine to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligent, for out of it or the issues or the forces of life. Put away from you a forward or disobedient mouth. Perverse lips put far from you. Let your eyes look right on. Let your eyelids look straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet, that all your ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil". How? By paying attention to the Word. This Word is a book of correction, direction. What else? Perfection and... protection. Perfection is completeness or blamelessness, integrity. That's what this book is about.
So, 1 Peter 1, "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the stranger scattered abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia," and so forth. "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy have begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be burned with fire, might be found unto praise and honor the glory and appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen you love. In whom though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory".
Now let's go to 2 Peter. Now you have to understand these are letters. Peter didn't know he was writing the New Testament. They're letters. "Simon Peter, a servant, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God in our savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied under you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord, according as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us under glory and virtue or excellence. Whereby given unto us exceeding, great and precious covenant promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust or human desires. And besides this, having all diligence add to your moral excellence and virtue to knowledge, to knowledge temperance, temperance patience, patience godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness love. For if these things be in you and abound that make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins".
Exceeding great and precious promises. All of these are blood covenant words. Exceeding great and precious promises. By these, by these we have the same faith as Peter, same faith as John. Why? Jesus is the author and developer of our faith. All right. Look at Mark 11:22. Your Bible ought just fall open there. "Jesus answering sayeth unto them, have faith in God or have the faith of God. Have faith in God". Well what about these gas prices? Have faith in God. Well what about, well have faith in God. Well, what, I don't care what about. Have faith in God first. And in order to have faith in Him, you better have a promise, a word, a fact upon which to base it. If you're planning on me mowing your yard, you better have something big in writing, 'cause that's my idea of nothing to do.
I told Gloria the first little house that we had when we moved back to Fort Worth. I said, "Let me tell you what let's do". It was brand new and my dad bought it and we rented it from him. I said, "Let me tell you what let's do. I think this is a great idea. We could just put white gravel all over with weed killer. Don't let the weeds come up there". She didn't like that idea a bit. "Well, okay". So came home, preached all over the place. Came home and the grass was about this high. Oh, I didn't want to do that. So I got the lawnmower out and it wasn't a very big line. It wasn't any bigger than this platform was. I mowed that and the word came in and he said, "Mow the next door neighbor".
What if they look out here and see me mowing their yard? They going to think I'm... He said, "Mow the next door neighbor and claim them". So I just pushed it across the driveway, no fence or anything between the houses. You know how little project house. I got over there in their yard and I enjoyed it. And I just mowed their yard, just singing in the spirit, hallelujah. And put the lawnmower up. Didn't think anymore about it. I mean, it was just a few days. I opened the door and it was Mrs. Lemon. They lived next door. And their children played with our children. She said, "I just wanted to tell you that Jesus is Lord. I want you to know," I said, "Yeah, lady". She said, "I'm witnessing to everybody on this block. I'm telling everybody on this block and you neighbor".
But I said, "Lady, I know, I know. I know. Wait a minute, slow down. Tell me what you're talking about". "Well," she said, "You know the little Presbyterian church down here"? Well, yeah, I knew that. I said, yes. "Well," she said, "They had a lay witness mission come in there and they preached Jesus and I got saved and my husband got saved. And I'm witnessing to the whole neighborhood". I said, "That's great. I'm a preacher". "Really"? I said, "Yes". "Well," she said, "Glory to God". She didn't know how mowed her yard and claimed her. Amen. Wasn't much territory, but it worked. But you know what worked? The name. The name, 'cause I mowed that in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The name that's above all names.