Kenneth Copeland - A Covenant of BLESSING
— We need to remember now that the Bible says that once again there in the book of Hebrews, it's impossible to please God without faith. The Classic Amplified gives a working revelation... Working knowledge, revelation, knowledge about the invisible force of faith. Now, faith is... so faith is now, because as we know, it's the substance of things hoped for, hope is still in the future. Listen, Bible hope is based on Scripture. "Now faith is the assurance, the confirmation of the title deed of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see, and the conviction of their reality. Faith perceiving as real facts what is not revealed to the senses for by faith, trust and holy fervor born of faith the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report". Without faith, it is impossible. So it is what? It's the title deed. Now we know from what the Holy Spirit said through the Apostle Paul. That comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So what we're doing today brings faith. If you base it here on this, I like to put it this way, faith is the catalyst. Prayer does not make faith work. Faith makes prayer work. And I learned a lot about this from Oral Roberts. And I realize and I said to him, I said, "Sir, you use your faith on purpose. You use your faith like a mechanic uses a tool. You go to your toolbox of faith and then you use it in that direction". He said, "Well, I never thought of it like that, but that's true. Faith has to come to the place where it has a climax and explodes and when it does, it'll accomplish whatever it is you desire and need". So now let's start in the 21st verse. "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you".
— We are in John?
— John 20. 22nd verse. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" That's when they got born again. It wasn't on the day of Pentecost. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained". Now we have a whole lot more authority about that than we ever had any idea. We can go up to someone and quote that and then start there. If it's someone that you know or someone that you don't know. But here's the big thing. "Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, or the twin... was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord". Now listen. "But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe". That is an act of his will. And he let them know I'm not going to do it. "And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless..." He made a decision. If I can't see it and I can't feel it, I will not believe it. And there may be some of you out there that are talking that same way. You don't ever want to be caught without your faith and have it working. That means you need to stay in the Word all the time. They asked Smith Wigglesworth about his prayer life, and they ask him, they said, "Sir, how much do you pray"? He said, "Very little". They said, "What"? Well, he said, "I just stay in prayer all the time. I just talk to him all the time". And I'll tell you something about that in a moment. "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed". Now we will go to Mark and we will go to chapter five. 25th verse. "And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague". When did she feel it? After she believed it. That word can also be... The Greek can also be translated "Knew", after she believed it, she knew it. She knew it. But she believed it first. I'm totally convinced that someone who kept coming came in and told him what he preached every word. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted," and so forth and so on all over and over and over and over. She finally decided, "Hey, I'm going to do this thing". "For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway, immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt or she knew in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;" He didn't say my anointing made you whole. Jairus already fell before him and said, "My little daughter lieth at the point of death. Come lay your hands on her. She'll be healed," he went with him. So faith put him toward Jairus' house and her faith stopped him in the middle of the street.
— It was an interruption... a contradiction to where he was headed.
— Yes. But it took faith. That guaranteed that title deed. She kept hearing that. She kept hearing that. And so she said, "I own this thing that is mine and I've got it". And I know because of the book of Leviticus, she's a woman of the covenant.
— That's why he called her a daughter.
— Yes. And the book Leviticus said if she goes beyond her normal time, she's a shut in. She'd been shut in for 12 years. She's fed up with it.
— You've got another little girl who's about to become of age in the synagogue. She's 12 years old, Jairus's daughter. So they're connected.
— They're tied together. And don't you know, Jairus was thrilled when he called her daughter. Then they came out and says, "Your little daughter's dead, don't bother the Master anymore".
— While he yet spake, the scripture says.
— But Jesus answered
— Always
— and he dealt with fear. If you read it over in the book of Luke. He said, "Stop the fear, believe only, she will be made whole". And somebody wrote a Psalm "only believe", You believe only, you will be made whole. But then... "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them," Now listen to his words. "Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, she's asleep". He's using his words of faith. He just called things that be not as though they were. "And they laughed him to scorn". They mocked him. They made fun of him. That's the reason he said, "Get these people out of here". Now, you know, grandmother and so forth. Can't you just hear the grandmother? I told her not to marry this fool. Listen to this. I don't know who what he is. This renegade preacher in here
— TV prosperity preacher.
— Yes. And that's my grandbaby... No. She's not. She's asleep. "He put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by her hand," laying hand on... "So he took the damsel by her hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway, immediately the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years". So her...
— Bat Mitzvah Bar Mitzvah is for a guy, B-A-T is for a girl.
— Well I didn't know the difference. That's because I'm ignorant. That's why we pay you the bill.
— That's exactly right. Yes, sir.
— That's where you got the name "professor".
— I get it. I receive it.
— And you know I just work here myself. Anyway. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And so the grandmother came back in there and said, "I knew it all the time". I knew that, God told you, daughter, I told you. And we need to pay more attention to this man. Yes. I tell you what,
— Like Bartimaeus. Always calling you after they'd just been telling you to be quiet. You know, they followed him. "And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. They went from there into his own country". I'm telling you, he didn't stand around. He didn't hang around so somebody could brag on him. I mean, when something like that happened, he said, "Don't be talking about this". That is a lesson in itself. Amen. Now, take us up...
— Okay. Let me show you something about covenant and a person without a covenant who's in relationship with somebody who has a covenant. Genesis 24. Here's Abraham. He's old now. Covenant is as powerful as God's own Word because it is his Word. Let me show you the father's reaction to somebody who's in a relationship with somebody with a covenant. That's why being a covenant partner is important. Genesis 24. "Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things". There's the blessing. "And Abraham" as result of the covenant... "So Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear". This is a covenant between two men, "by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my family, and take a wife unto my son Isaac". So that covenant between two men is happening. And then he says, "Well, what if she doesn't follow me"? And the servant begins to say some things. Verse six. "And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son back there. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my family, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land;" Look what he's doing. He said he remembered that God's covenant. I want you to leave here and go to the place I'll show you. So he's not willing for Isaac to go back there. We're not going back. This is why we started today with this present truth. I can't go back to Sinai. All right. Look at this now. We talked about angels this week. He will send this angel before you.
— They were so aware of this.
— Take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you are released from this oath. Only do not take my son back there, twice he said that. So the servant put his hand under thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter, it's a thigh covenant. It's only used a couple of times in the Scripture, but it's between two men. It's not between God, man. And that's all I'll do that. He took ten camels from Abraham and departed with all his master's goods in hand. And he went to that place. And if you skip on down here, let's find... He does the prayer verse 12. Okay, verse 11. "And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water". And he said... "This is the man's prayer. O Lord God of my master Abraham," Now he's saying, "My master Abraham has a covenant with you". This is not a personal faith prayer between him and God because he doesn't know him. He's Ephesians. We were one time without a covenant. This is a man who doesn't have a covenant. Now, listen this. "Oh, Lord God, my master Abraham, please give me success to this day and show kindness to my master Abraham".
— Show Hesed.
— Hesed, that's it. "Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now, let it be that the young woman to whom I say, Please let down your pitcher that I may drink. And she says, Drink and I will give your camels a drink. Let her be the one you have appointed for your servant, Isaac. And by this, I will know that you've shown kindness to my master". Now he's putting a fleece, what we've called putting a fleece out. Now, that's not... That's not a faith way. That's not the way we do things today. This is not a first person covenant prayer. He's praying from a relationship with Abraham, who is a person with the first person covenant with God. He's praying based on Abraham's covenant, I'm going to see the same thing with Elijah when he picks up the mantle. Where's the Lord God of Elijah? All right, now here's my favorite part of this whole thing. And it happened before he had finished speaking.
— Yes. Isn't that something? "that behold Rebecca, who was born" and tells all...
— Now let me point out something here. That prayer had to be prayed.
— Yes, it did.
— Jesus said, "Ask and it'll be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened unto you". But the asking had to come to pass. So the Spirit of God put the prayer in the man's heart. He prayed it and there it was. Had he not prayed that he wouldn't have known what to do, what to say,
— which means God would have had to spoke to her while she's still in the city, while he's praying. The angel that's with him is already getting her... "Hey, you need to get up. Get on down to the water. There's a man praying right now".
— It is very, very important that the angel that we now have knowledge that that angel was orchestrating this. So he started way early that day. He started with her. He get her up right on time. Get her, get her in there and get to his breakfast. Now come on... And we got to get there right at the right moment. So come on. Come on. And so all of her emotions, everything she thought that morning, everything she did was enforced by that angel. So she would be right there at the moment where he prayed the prayer. She did what she's supposed to do... Rest is history.
— And Jesus says, "Your father already knows what you have need of". But he still says pray because what you're doing is you're giving charge to that for that angel. Now he's got something to work with.
— He had to ask Bartimaeus what he wanted.
— That's right.
— Because Bartimaeus had to say it.
— And this is where your faith comes in.
— Yes it is.
— This is where he recognizes it. So she does exactly what he's going to do. He does something to her. He gives her a ring in her nose half a shekel weight. And two bracelets of ten shekels weight of gold, she was bought with a price from that moment forward,
— Let's read it. "And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, before he had done praying that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord:" My Lord... Drink my Lord. Oh, is this precious?
— Now she's carrying that pitcher up here, and she lowers it down in her hand so that he's not drinking from up here near her face. She is a godly woman and she's honoring him. And this is part of why she is saying this. Before he had finished praying, God had already said...
— Then she said, "I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels". She doesn't know that she's giving a drink to camels...
— They can drink a lot
— that are loaded with her wealth.
— That's right. She has no idea.
— No, but she's not selfish at all.
— So then he bows down to worship the Lord. He goes with her to their house. They say, "Well, let her stay. You're going back". And then they said, "Whatever she wants to do," she decided to go with them. Now, all teaching that this is after this is the first thing about Isaac, after he's been offered by his father, he gets a bride. The name of the servant. His elder servant is Eleazer, it means the helper. The Holy Spirit went and got the bride for Israel. It's a picture of what the Holy Spirit is doing for us. And he prospered her and he blessed her. And he answered the prayer. The angels were involved and that's our covenant.
— He started her off as a wealthy woman
— and it's covenant. And this is why you need to be a covenant partner of the ministry. Praise God. And this Friday has come to a close. Glory to God. We have 15 seconds. So give the Lord praise.