Kenneth Copeland - Christmas, the Birth of God's Plan
— Hello, everybody and Merry Christmas once again today, I'm Kenneth Copeland, and this is our daughter, Kellie. And we praise God and thank God for her, amen. We mentioned at the very beginning, right after Gloria and I believe God and got out of debt, took us 11 months. She failed to ask me about debts when we got married, and I failed to tell her. But anyway, that first Christmas after that, when we rewrote all the checks to everybody we owed and then put them in a drawer, prayed over them, called them all done. And then as we had the money, we would send that check off. And from the time we began 11 months later, we were out of debt and it was $24,000. And that today it's just ten times like being in debt, $200,000 today. But the only difference is that the zeros is just as hard to get back in 1967, 68. But that Christmas when we told Kellie and John what we were doing, you know, they were all just little guys, but they were all for us. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And in 11 months, we were out.
And that next Christmas, Christmas dinner was Chef Boyardee and Crackers. And we bought Kellie one doll and bought John a can of firecrackers about that big. And that was it. And Gloria played with Kellie with the doll and John and I shot firecrackers, and that's Christmas. But since then, it has been decidedly different. But after this... Oh, yes. Amen. The rest of the story, the rest of this adventure of two people chosen by the Almighty God to teach and train his son up until that place where eventually you and I know him as Lord. So, Luke, chapter two. No, excuse me. Let's go to Micah, where it was prophesied first. Micah Chapter five. "Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting". It was prophesied right there, 715 years later, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Ephratah, born in Bethlehem. Ephratah, that's Bethlehem. The Tower, the shepherds at watch by night. These were temple shepherds, and there was a tower there. And from that tower they could watch those sheep. The hills of Judea.
Now, Terri and George in this last trip to Israel were taken to the hills of Judea where David watched his sheep. And it is rugged territory. It's mountainous in there. So a shepherd has to be extremely diligent, which David was. So now let's go to the book of Luke. "It came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed". or enrolled. Well, sure it did. Right on time. Right on time. "And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;" Well, of course he did, because the Spirit of God put it in Micah's mouth.
Now I was meditating this and praying about it over some days and questioning the Lord and why he did that, why he announced that ahead of time. And after praying in the Spirit about it for a while this came. He said it had to go out first from me in order to control nations, armies, situations for over 700 years, in order to get it done right on time, when his birth would come about. Exactly at a moment and exact time and exact moment in history. And it had to be said first. So it governed 750 years of situations, armies and governments and everything else that had to be lined up.
Now the exact proper magi had to come into place before that time. These were not necessarily young men. They were, as we've studied before, very powerful, very wealthy men. So that had to be developed over a period of time. And that verse of scripture and Micah, chapter five governed all of that... Isn't that magnificent? Now that's the God that's planning your life. Amen. That's the reason it's all as well in the household of faith, praise God "And Joseph went up from Galilee, of course, be taxed with Mary his espoused wife being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. She brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn".
Now let's stop right there. She brought forth her firstborn son, and we know there were more, but he was number one. And we know that also the firstborn son represents the family from God. Amen. So now because there was no room for them in the inn... well we've talked about that... it's 90 miles for a pregnant woman on a donkey with whom they had to be very careful because she had to be right there at the right spot in that manger, which was a cave where the shepherds kept their sheep, that these were temple shepherds, and they would bring them in out of the weather into that cave around that manger is a feeding trough. And she gave birth in that manger. Now, think about this. How did that happen? Joseph... Giving birth... I mean,
— You mean helping... you mean helping her? I don't know, he knew how to do a lot of stuff.
— But now he's not so technologically advanced in that era. But the shepherds were.
— Yeah, that's right. That's the good point.
— And in that place, there was a birthing trough where you would go into that trough and the shepherds would give birth to a lamb. So I suggest to you that the shepherds helped her and Jesus was born in the birthing trough of a lamb and wrapped in swaddling clothes that's what you wrap a young lamb in to keep this little freshly born temple lamb from thrashing around and injuring himself. So obviously the shepherds must have helped. And he was born right there were lambs were born. That's what he meant by Ephratah. It was a shepherd's tower and a place, but the shepherds were there. Amen. And sheltered in that cave... Well, and now there was a church built over it, but you can actually there's a place there and you can see down in there, of course, it's preserved, but you can see it. He was born in a cave and Rick said the song Silent Night. He said it was probably anything but silent in there. But he said, "Hey, you got sheep in there". And you know, now you've got shepherds in there and they're all talking. And there's a lot of people outside going on about all different kinds of things and all this taxing business. And there's no telling how many thousands of people are there crammed into that little city and just running over with people from all over the place. He said, it's anything but quiet, but it's anyway... it's a good song.
Now... "because there was no room for them..." down to verse 8. "There were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night and lo..." that word "lo". Rick says that word lo means wow! Whoa think about this and wow, "the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid". Well, of course, now I have a book that I look, some of these things up with it came out. And so it's a book that the Vatican Library has. And I have one. And it said that witnesses said that suddenly they thought it was daylight, the glory was so bright. Everybody thought, what is that? What why is the sun coming up this time of day? And they were afraid that felt what... what is all this? "And the angels said to them, Fear not for behold, look, look, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people".
Well, thank You, God Almighty. Yes it is. Whew! The joy of the Lord is our strength... for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord, which is Messiah. Oh, the shepherds found it out first. The Messiah is born, the Christ Messiah, the anointed one... "And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger", Lying in a feeding trough in a manger. Well of course, the shepherds were first. Suddenly there was with the angel... Now, "suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass as the angels were going away into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord have made known unto us". Praise God forevermore. Let's read that again... Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men. Now your Christmas cards and so forth... Peace, wonderful and good will among men. That is not what that said. It said good will toward men, toward people, toward the human race.
Now, let's go back. God told Adam "The day you eat of that fruit, you shall surely die". Well, his wife did it and she turned and gave him to eat with her. Right then he literally bowed his knee to the devil and the Spirit of God through the apostle Paul says He is the God of this world. So there was war between men and heaven. That continued until this little baby would grow up, be crucified, go to hell and take the devil's keys away from him. In the midst of hell he defeated him. Hallelujah. And Peter said that... Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate in the third chapter of the Book of Acts. Amen. So the war was over. The sacrifice was now in the earth, and it's only a matter of a little over 30 years, and this fight is coming to an end. And then the day of Pentecost is coming. 50 days after the resurrection. And on that day Jesus said, "Don't you do anything. You go to Jerusalem and you stay there till my father's gift comes". Amen. That's the day that suddenly a sound as of a rushing mighty wind... Didn't say it was a rushing, mighty wind. The sound of a rushing mighty wind. What was it? Back in the first covenant, we see angels coming upon so and so forth. But again, Jacob's Ladder, they were coming and going, but there were certain angels on assignment that happened with Jesus in the wilderness because he didn't eat or drink anything for six weeks, suffering the penalty and the things that we had to have.
— It was really... the wilderness, as I've studied the wilderness experiences all the way through, God called people in Hosea the children of Israel Jesus to a wilderness to hear, not to be defeated, to hear the word for him to talk to them. Jesus was so full of what had been pumped into him for 40... during that fast. That's why we fast, we don't fast to get God to do something but to just be in a place to hear. And that's why he was so quick with the Word. And he chopped the devil's legs out from under him. And he came out of there with power. So now he knows he had his first taste of defeating the devil with the Word of God that he just had been poured into him.
— He had to undo with the same temptations everything that Adam did. Now, the woman was deceived, the man was not. So he had to go through the temptation of everything that Adam did and combat him with: It is written. It is also written. He used scripture to fight it and defeated him. It's said, "The devil left him for a season". Well, I guess so. And a better season didn't come until... And if you notice, each of his trials over that period, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you just watch it. Each of his trials became increasingly more serious. The things that he faced became increasingly more serious. And the older and the larger his ministry became and so forth, his fame got so great. And the trials got more serious as he went along. But he withstood every one of them so that we can take his Word and do the same thing. And these things are so magnificent.
Now, look at this. Now, why else were these angels there watching over that birth, watching everything that went on in that cave, making absolutely certain that it was pure in there, amen. They were a huge part of this. And they had angels in there watching. They had angels all the way from that whole 90 mile trip. And all of the days. How a donkey can get along if he's just really working at it about four miles an hour because they're not much of an animal. Their little feet are short and they just bounce along as she... She has to be riding sideways on this thing. And in most likely, he had it padded very well for her. You know, he must have. But it take days and days and days and days and days and days. And they had to camp along the way, 90 miles, slow.
That's the reason they were late "in the natural". No room in the inn. Couldn't have been any room at the inn. He had to be born in a manger, Bethlehem Ephratah that all had to come to pass. And it was all exactly timed. It had to be that exact moment because Micah had set that up. Spirit of God set it up through the Prophet Micah. It had to be at that exact moment in time. The Magi had to be who they were. They had to be right on time because the heavens had to be set up over that 715 years. The heavens had to be set up. The constellations show that that star would be noted right at the right time. A very good friend of mine, not a long time friend, but let me rephrase that. I'll tell you tomorrow. Okay... Whew!
— It goes by fast!
— It just goes by so rapidly. Glory to God. Thank You, Lord. We praise You and thank You. And we'll be back in just a few moments.