Kenneth Copeland - No Longer Strangers From the Covenants of Promise
Open your Bibles to the Book of Genesis, please. Chapter one. "In the beginning, Elohim created the heaven and the earth". Now, notice he created the heaven and the earth, not heavens. "He created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: Elohim divided the light from the darkness". We just learned something extremely important that the majority of the world has no clue. But it doesn't change it because you can't change spiritual law.
Right there on the first page, God did what? How? Words are primarily are release of power and secondarily, communication. There it's a power release. When you go to the first page of the Book to find that out. That's huge. And I've had people say to me, "Well, where is it we need to watch our words. Do we still have to do that"? No, you don't have to. You don't have to go to heaven. You can go to hell if you want to. But there's no reason for that. Why? Because of words. Blood covenant words. And we have a book, a copy of all the things that Elohim, Jehovah, everything he said. That's the reason it's Holy Bible, Holy Word of God. Hallelujah.
So, faith and how it is released. Well, you know where we're going first. The 11th chapter of Mark. Oh, you need to read the entire 11th chapter it's just magnificent. "Jesus entered into Jerusalem," in the 11th verse... "and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve". Now, remember this. Jesus said, "It is the father that dwells within me, he does the work. I only say what I hear him say, and I only do what I see him do". So he went into that temple. This is the first wisdom of faith. Don't just start shooting your mouth off. There's a saying in aviation when you have an emergency, stop and wind your watch.
If you have a certain emergency, down close to the ground are emergency items and you know what to do immediately. And take a look at this thing and get the checklist and do what the checklist says, not what you think you remember. Praise God. Well, here is wisdom. He looked around about and went back to Bethany. "...all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet".
You see, "yet" is in italics. Now in the Classic Amplified, "Seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, He went to see if he could find any fruit on it for in the fig tree, the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves for the fig season had not yet come," but the leaves were on it anyway. He answered it. The fig tree talked to him. "He answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever". Nine words. His disciples heard it, so he wasn't quiet about it. And they came to Jerusalem. He just turned his back on the thing and walked off because he spoke to it. "He went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves".
Now here's what it was all about. It was the teaching and the preaching. "And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come, he went out of the city. And in the morning", now there's 12 hours, "in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots", that's 24 hours, "And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. Jesus answering saith unto them, 'Have faith in God'". The cross-reference says, "Have the faith of God". Well, of course we know from the book of Ephesians we were saved by faith. Amen. All right, let's turn over there and look at that. The 2nd chapter.
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation or our manner of life in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us or made us alive together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places... That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; it is the gift of God: Hallelujah. and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Remember, in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise..."
That's what we've been studying this whole weekend. "...Strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ". Glory to God, Hallelujah... Hallelujah. His answer was, "Have faith in God. Have the faith of God. For verily I say unto you, whosoever..." It's the same whosoever. John 3:16, "Whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life". Whosoever shall say unto this mountain. He didn't say a mountain... he pointed to a mountain. Matthew recorded like this. You will not only do that which was done to this mountain. So it wasn't a spiritual mountain. "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you..."
So you just put the thing into motion right there. The same law of faith. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses". That's the law of faith. Praise God. Now let's go over to First Samuel 17. We talked about this already, but I want to go into it with some detail. Now this giant... Eliab the firstborn, back over there in the 13th verse or the 12th. "Now David was the son of a man named Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul". And so forth and so on. David was the youngest. He was under 20, and the three elders followed Saul.
"David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, forty days..." Six weeks, morning and evening for six weeks, "Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves," and so he did that... "And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. or their report. Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines". Well, almost.
"And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the camp, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free of taxes. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him after this manner... And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle".
Yea... "And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause"? What have I done? I didn't do anything. "And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the same manner. And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and killed him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover".
Oh, he's on a roll now. "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass... And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then David said... David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give your carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel".
Don't you face your giant with your mouth shut. Talk to it. Talk to the debt. Talk to the rash on your skin. Talk to your hair. I have a working mandate with my Lord and my Savior. Second Corinthians 4:13. Let's look at... "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, or shame... not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants or slave for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine..." He did what? He commanded. Hallelujah.
"God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure..." What? The light of the knowledge. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore we speak;"
That's the hardest part for born again, lovely people. What difference does it make what I say? What difference does it make? "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led in peace:" The Word is alive. Jesus is alive. And because of that, we are alive.