Kenneth Copeland - Command Authority and Angels
Welcome, everybody, to Thursday's edition of the Believer's Voice of Victory broadcast. We're here once again with Professor Greg Stephens, an associate in Kenneth Copeland Bible College. Angels. I was preaching in Beaumont, Texas. And now, Hilton Sutton, I preached in his church. He invited me for a weekend. It lasted three weeks. So Dad Sutton was there. His church is in Beaumont. He said, "Young man, when can you come to me"?
So we worked out a date. And then later, I might add, I went back there for a 10-day meeting for a lot of time in Beaumont. But anyway, there was a man, and he's Southern Baptist, and I noticed, I was standing on the platform here, and right back at the corner there, there's a door just as he came in, and this is morning service. I noticed he hadn't been there for a while. And I was just finishing up, and all of a sudden, he did something like that. And out the door he went. He wasn't here for two or three days. And so he came around, and the service was over. He came back to the church there, and he said, "Oh, Brother Copeland, I want to apologize to you. You said something that really upended my Baptist theology. And I'm not going back, to see a man to say something like that".
Anyway, and the Lord said, "I want you to go back". And he said, "No, no". You go back one time, and something like I'll show you something. So he said, "I did. I came in, and all of a sudden, God opened my eyes". And he said, "The biggest fella I have ever seen in my life. He's just attached to you. And you'd kind of slow down a little bit, and he'd say something". Well, you see, I'm stirred up right now. And he said, "And you'd just take off again. He looked like Mr. Clean". And that was my angel.
Now, we talked about that yesterday. Let's go to the book of Hebrews. If you'll pay attention to this, you can see that these are the words, the Spirit of God gave this to the apostle Paul. These are the words, because you read the 22nd Psalm, and it begins, why hast thou forsaken me? It is finished. These are the words with which God raised Jesus from the dead out of hell. You can see it. "God, who at sundry times in different manners, spoke in these last days, spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things," and we are joint heirs with him.
"By whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, and express image of his person," listen, "upholding all things by the Word of his power". This universe is still being upheld by the Word of his power. "When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of majesty on high, made so much better than the angels, as he hath by an inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee". What day? The day he raised him from the dead. And again, I will be to him a father. You get it? "And he shall be to me a son".
And again, "when he bringeth in the first begotten unto the world, he said, and let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he saith, 'Who makes his angels spirits, his ministers a flame of fire.' But unto the Son, he saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.' Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with oil of gladness of all of your fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. And they shall perish, but thy remains, and they shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture, you'll fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and your years shall not fail. But unto which of the angels said it he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Are they not..." hey, read it with me.
"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation"? That's their job. Amen. I talk to them. Every time we get in the airplane, whether I'm flying or not, I lay hands on it. Father, in the name of Jesus, I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over this airplane today and against any wicked men in the name of Jesus, and any plan of the devil is bound and stopped and thwarted. Ministering spirits, lift us up lest we dash our foot against the stone. Where's that? The 91st Psalm. Ministering spirits, I'm speaking to them. Lift us up lest we dash our foot against the stone and keep us in all of our ways, according to the 91st Psalm. It's according to something, and angels need scripture. According to the 91st Psalm, and bless our partners all over the world, glory be to God's Spirit, soul, body, and financially and socially. Every time.
— You know why you're doing that? It's not enough to know it, you have to act on it.
— Yes, sir.
— Every single time you have to act on it, every single time.
— A knowledge officer that will not act on the command of his superior, because maybe he's afraid to do it, he's going to get a reprimand and possibly a court-martial.
— That's correct. Because we raised our hand, we swore to defend the Constitution, and we would obey all lawful orders. And so when you quote the Word to an angel, you're giving him lawful orders. That's from the head himself.
— Yes, that's true.
— See, this authority that you're describing was not available in the first covenant, because we'd given that authority over to Satan.
— So Daniel went on a partial fast.
— That's exactly right.
— He didn't go on it to go 21 days, and I thought a lot of times, what if he'd have quit in 20? But he just stayed with it. And finally, the angel Gabriel came and said, "Fear not, Daniel, you were heard the first day, and I am come for your Word. But the prince of Persia withstood me, and I call one of the chief princes, Michael, to help me". And he said, and he gave him his instruction, and then he said, "When I am gone, the spirit of Greece will come". Wicked spirits in the heavenlies that the great apostle talked about in Ephesians chapter six. Because he saw all these things in the spirit in Arabia. People think he was there three years. No, it doesn't say that. We don't know how long he was there, but he got so far out in the Spirit, whether it was in the body or out, I could not tell.
— Every one of these letters in the new covenant, and that's what they are. These letters are orders.
— Yes, they are.
— They're your orders. And every one of these letters has something to say about the devil. But here's the thing, they never told you in these letters to pray to God to do something about the devil.
— No, never.
— Not one time. See, here's the thing, all of those principalities and powers, the ones even in Persia, they've all been dethroned. Jesus took, defeated them, took captivity captive. So we come at it from a different perspective now with angels.
— There's been times I've asked the Lord... now when I pray about this, what scripture do I use... where in the book fits this situation? What scripture do I use? And I'm listening here. And it may be something I've heard Professor Stephens say, it may be something I've heard, but most of the time it'll just come up on the inside of me. And I've had people say, "Well, you must just pray about everything". I didn't put this blue shirt on this morning just because I like blue. I have several of these and of different colors. I could have put one on like that, but that's not what I was led to do. And I really liked the red one, but I wore the red one. What was it? A couple of weeks ago, whenever it was... And I've really, I looked at that and down in here, the Lord said, "No, don't wear that". Okay. So I just started going down through them and until I got the inward witness that this is the one that, that the Spirit of God wanted me to wear. I dress that way at home in my closet.
— I've changed before because I've heard the Lord say it. Yea, put this on. Put that on. I'm already been seeking him about, uh, America Stands when election coverage, what should I wear for that? I already asked him that yesterday. What should I, what should I wear? Knowing I don't need the answer right now, but in all your ways, acknowledge him and he directs your path.
— I go through my closet the night before and I pray over everything and get everything out. And, uh, it wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last time that I walk in there the next morning and that was wrong. And I really wanted to wear that.
— Well, here's a silly one that by me seemed like a silly thing. I remember, uh, I was speaking, preaching at a church. Um, well, it was our church in California and it just wasn't feeling well. I just badly, and I'd been fighting all week and confessing all week. And, now California, we didn't wear ties and suits all the time, but I heard in my spirit. I want you to put that suit on. I want you to wear that tie. They'll look at me like I'm, you know, some lunatic out here in California. I put it on and I went and I spoke. And before I got finished with that, all of that that had been happening in my body was gone. And I realized something now this will sound a little crazy, but he was proving a point to me. It was a tie that Kenneth E. Hagin had given me. And he had preached in it. Matter of fact, I commented on that. He took that tie off that night and just handed it to me and he had just been ministering.
— It worked as a prayer cloth.
— It was a prayer cloth. And I've still got that tie hanging in the closet. It's the last time I think I've ever worn it, but it worked as a prayer cloth. And, but see, that's just a little subtle direction like that. A little subtle direction. That tie worked as a prayer cloth.
— One of my great friends, known him for many years. And, we were in a meeting and he had his tie on and, And, we were in a meeting and he had his tie on and, he just pulled that tie off and had it. I was already reaching for mine. We just swapped ties. He's an Israeli. And it is hanging in my closet in a place of honor because he's a combat soldier. Israeli tank commander. We just swapped ties. I knew what it meant and he knew what it meant.
— Absolutely right.
— There was a covenant established between the two of us.
— That's exactly what happened. And we have that same covenant established with Jesus. Quit asking Jesus, I need to do something about the devil in your family and in your life. He gave you, you're the body of Christ.
— Greg, this just flashed across my heart and mind right then. When Jerry Savelle came into this ministry, he and Carolyn just really didn't have anything cause he didn't know anything except how to repair cars. Jerry's Paint and Body Shop. So he said, I heard him say it. I didn't have anything but uniforms. I didn't have anything to preach in. So he had to follow me around. And that's the way it began. And my dad said, "Kenneth, do you think Brother Savelle would mind if I bought him some clothes"? I said, "Dad, I think he would think it's all right". Cause he didn't have any. He was swapping a coat and slacks back and forth. And now that he's in heaven, and Miss Carolyn had me And now that he's in heaven, and Miss Carolyn had me and my son, my only begotten son, John, in whom I'm well pleased. And all of the things that Jerry had accumulated over the years, just because he believed God and he honored God with every bit of it. If he bought a new motorcycle, they'd go into the chariots of light and he honored God with that. He honored God with everything he did, everything he had. And it's amazing to me that that's what this book is. Now, right here, I want to go back to the book of Hebrews. And in the second chapter, "Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we let them slip". How do you let them slip? You leave your Bible laying on the bench for a month and you don't take time to do anything except work or play or whatever it is you're doing. "For if the Word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompensive reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation from the angels?... Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, different miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. For under the angels, hath he not put into subjection the world to come whereof we speak". And there are people that read that and say, "What does that mean" It means what it said. "For unto the angels, hath he not put into subjection the world to come whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, what is man? What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that you visit him and made him a little lower than the angels? Thou has crowned him with glory and honor and did set him over the work of thy hands. Thou has put all things in subjection under his feet. For and that he put all in subjection under him, he has left nothing that is not put under him". Are you listening? "But now we see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctified and they that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one. For which cause he is not ashamed to call them his brethren". Glory be to God. Hallelujah. Now notice that. Praise God. For it became him for whom are all things. Let's back up here a little bit. I want to show you this. Glory to God. In ninth verse, "We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned", crowned. I said crown
— Authority.
— What kind of crown is that? The crown goes to the victor, glory to God. King of the universe. "Crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him for whom are all things by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings". Now we could continue to read there, but I want to get to this 14th verse. "For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death", say through death, he might destroy. One translation says paralyze "Him that had the power of death, that is the devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage". Glory to God.
— He didn't take the nature of angels. God does not mock, whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. He did not sow an angel to reap angels and your loved one didn't turn into an angel. He sowed his Son to reap sons. Hebrews is about better and we're out of time.
— I'll be back both of us in just a moment.