Kenneth Copeland - You Have God's Faith, Be Like Him
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians, and we'll look in the 12th chapter, in the Amplified. "Now about spiritual gifts, the special endowments of supernatural energy, brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed". And the King James says, "concerning I would not have you ignorant. When you were heathen, you were led off after idols that could not speak habitually, impulse-directed in whatever occasion might arrive. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit can ever say Jesus is cursed, and no one can really say Jesus is Lord except by and under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit". Now, you want to know where that came from? Jesus is Lord. I'll tell you again. I was in north end of Panhandle, Texas, and I know, well, cowboys and Texas people know what a Hereford bull is. That animal was bred in England. They're the red ones with a white face, from Hereford, England.
Well, there was only one man in Texas that would have anything to do with that animal. So it was in Hereford, Texas. I was there. And I've done a three-week meeting there. I had all of my outlines. And those of you that don't know how I do my outlines, I do the scriptures in red and the other things in blue and so forth. I had my outlines on the foot of the bed there and on my knees. And I was just talking to the Lord out loud. I said, "Lord, should I begin this meeting on the new birth, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, prosperity and so forth", I heard it in my spirit, "Is there victory in the new birth"? I said, "Yes, sir". "Is there victory in the baptism of my spirit"? I said, "Yes, sir". And that just started on all the outlines. He said, "Every believer has a voice, and it's a Voice of Victory". So that's where the Believer's Voice of Victory magazine came from. Anyway, so here we have it.
Now, notice in the 15th verse, "If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body, would it therefore be a part of the body or the ear"? The Spirit of God is presenting the situation that He cannot do anything in this earth without us. Jesus said, "Ask, and you shall receive. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Seek, and you shall find. But ask in faith. Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened". It spells "ask" that way. Thank You, Jesus.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. Take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. Having done all to stand, stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, where you shall quench all the fiery arrows of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all things".
We have to wear that armor all the time. All the time. "O foolish Galatians, who have bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, for whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you. This only would I learn of you, receives ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit? Are you now made perfect or blameless by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain? If it yet be in vain, he therefore that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God". Why, man, he gets in there, doesn't he? Oh, one of these days I'm going to meet him. After I talk to Jesus. Oh, my.
"Even as Abraham believed God and was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye therefore they that which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel saying unto Abraham saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham, for as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. And the law of faith, the law is not of faith, but the man that does them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. That the blessing," say it, the blessing that started in the garden of Eden, God blessed the man and the woman.
"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, to thy seed which is Christ. And this I say that the covenant was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was 430 years after cannot disannul that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it's no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Therefore it serves the law. It was added because of transgression till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one and the law then against the promises of God, God forbid. For there had been a law given which would have given life, verily righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up under faith that should afterwards be revealed where the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise".
"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision;" By faith, by what law? But faith which works by love. "And when evening was come forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him, good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, why callest me good? There's none good but one, that is God. Now knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not and honor your father and mother". He did not put the first one. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. "Jesus looked at him, beloved him and said, one thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor. You shall have treasure in heaven, come take up the cross and follow me. And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved for he had great possessions". The money had him. He didn't have to leave. Then Jesus went ahead and answered the question.
Now chapter 11, "And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, Go your way into the village over against you: ye shall find a colt tied," and so forth. And they that went before him out of the house said, Hosanna, blessed he that comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of the father David and cometh in the name of Hosanna to the highest. Jesus entered in Jerusalem in the temple and went in and so forth. On the morrow, and you just read on, "In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God".
Cross reference says, have the faith of God. Brother Hagin said, have the God kind of faith. Well, it's God's faith. Where else could it come from? He is not the spirit of fear, that's the devil. Fear tolerated is faith contaminated. They don't work in the same vessel. And this is where we're going to live 2024. Thank You, Jesus. "Have faith in God for verily I say unto you, 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 should come to pass, he shall have whatever he said. Therefore, I say unto you, what things whoever you desire, when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them. And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any, that your heavenly Father may forgive you your trespasses". Praise God.
Now, all right. And I believe we'll be closing with this one. 2 Corinthians chapter five, "For we know that if your earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God". I'm going to look at that in here too. A house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. "For thus we groan, earnestly discerning to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven. If so that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle to groan, being burdened, not for what we should be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now, he that hath wrought for us this self, same thing in God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore, we are always confident knowing whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord". We walk by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and we're willing to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
"Wherefore, we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Everyone receive the things done in his body according to that which is done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God, I trust also, are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend ourselves unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf that you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in the heart. Whether we be ourselves unto God or whether we be sober, as for your cause, for the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all, then all are dead. And that he died for all that they which live should henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth, know we no man after the flesh. Yet, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Wherefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. And old things are passed away and behold, all things become new and all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself by Christ Jesus and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation to wit or to know that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead, you be reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him".
Now, let's come down to that 17th verse in the Amplified. "Therefore, if any person is engrafted in Christ the Messiah, he is a new creation, a new creature altogether. The old previous moral and spiritual condition was passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come, but all things are from God who through Jesus Christ has reconciled us to himself, received us into favor, brought us into harmony with himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that by word and deed, we might aim to bring others into harmony with him. It was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring word, the world of favor in himself, not counting up and holding against men their trespasses, but canceling them and committing to us the message of reconciliation for the restoration of favor".
So we are Christ's ambassadors, "God making his appeal as it were through us. We as Christ's personal representatives beg you for his sake to lay hold of the divine favor now offered you and be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made Christ virtually to be sin who knew no sin that in and through him, we might become endued with and viewed as being an example of his righteousness of God, which he ought to be approved and acceptable in the right relationship of his goodness". We have been made. He had the authority to do it. I make you the father of many nations.