Kenneth Copeland - The Importance of Receiving God's Power and Promise
Matthew chapter 12 please. Verse 38, «Certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seek after signs. The only sign will be given to it is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth».
Now, John 19, 28th verse, «After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith I thirst. Now there was set a vessel of vinegar and they set a sponge with the vinegar and put upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Now then the Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day for that Sabbath day was a high day besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away». That is a high day. So it was a high Sabbath, which did not start on Friday. It started on Wednesday. So Wednesday, 6.00 PM, Thursday, 6.00 AM, one night, Thursday, 6.00 AM to Thursday, 6.00 PM, one day, Thursday, 6.00 PM to Friday AM, two nights. And you come right on down three days when they came that daylight Sunday, he was already risen.
Now, what does that mean? Let’s go to the book of Acts. Second chapter of the book of Acts. Now you know what happened? He said, «Don’t leave Jerusalem until you receive the comforter». And then Classic Amplified, the comforter, the advocate, the standby… power in the Spirit of the living God. So they did. And it worked just exactly like Jesus said. He left and the Spirit of God fell on them all. «And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance».
Verse 14, Peter standing up with the 11. «Well, these are not drunken as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel and it shall come to pass in the last day, saith God. I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see vision. Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants and my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs in the earth beneath blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come».
Now that’s all in the book of Joel, «and it shall come to pass whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by the miracles and wonders and signs which he did by him in the midst of you all as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up having loose the pains of death because it was not possible that he should behold another. For David spoke concerning him. I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice. My tongue was glad, moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because that will not leave my soul in hell. Neither will thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption and made known to me all the ways of life. This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make my enemies thy footstool».
Now then let’s go back. Now there were 3000 people came to the Lord that day. It’s recorded that day. That’s important. 3000 people right out there in the streets. Now this declares that Jesus of Nazareth, your Lord and mine spent three days and three nights in hell suffering like no man has ever suffered before or will ever suffer since. He was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. I heard him say this to me one time, «Let me die. If you don’t let me die in your own heart and mind, you never will quite live». My brother and sister, he went to hell for you and me so we don’t have to go. Praise God.
Now I’ll remind you of this. If we have time, we might turn over there, but in the Hebrew hall of fame, Abraham offered up Isaac. Isaac was born when he was a hundred years old and God required of him to do that. So he got all of the fire and all that and told his servant, we’re going up and the lad now will be back. Well, we need to turn over there to the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. I could quote it to you, but it’s better you put your eyes on it. 11:17, «By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said that in Isaac, so your seed shall be called accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure».
And you know the rest of the story. I mean, he raised the knife. He fully intended to offer him as a sacrifice and watch God raise him up out of those ashes because he’s the father of many nations. And he only had an only begotten son. He is in covenant with Almighty God through circumcision. Now there’s coming a day in that garden and God knew it when he said, «If there is any way, let this cup pass for me, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done». And now his covenant partner was willing to offer up his only begotten son, which bound God by covenant where there’s no way, there’s no way he could back out of this thing. It cannot happen. Nobody has ever gone to hell and got out of it.
I was praying and had been praying for quite some time. And the Lord asked me a question. He said, «What do you think was my greatest expression of power»? I said, «Well, the creation, of course». Oh no. He said that was easy. Easy? No, he said, «I didn’t have anybody against me». Now, he said, «Now Kenneth…» I had been saying, well, you know, he rested because he was finished. He said, «No, that’s not right. I rested because I was tired. I spoke by faith. And in 24 hours at 186,000 miles a second, there was 16 billion miles of universe». He said, «I needed a rest. So don’t say that anymore». And he said, «And you need to rest».
Well, I’ve been on faith projects at a time where man would just get in there in the Word of God and just keep confessing it until it comes to pass. And then you just kind of go, it’s finally come to pass. Well, that’s what happened to him because he had had to flood this thing twice. Anyway, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Now, he fully, he received it and the angel stopped him and there was a ram caught in the thicket. So what was that? The ram was the sacrifice that saved the life of his only begotten son. Can you see where the connections are?
So now then, the 11th verse, «In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands and putting off the body of sins of flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead, and you being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespassing, blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances that were against us, which were contrary to us, took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross».
Now, all of this begins to come alive. Now, you remember in the book of Luke, Jesus was so burdened and had been slapped and whipped and beat until he was almost dead. And Simeon was carrying his cross. And right in the middle of that, I mean, he’s only steps away from the cross, he stopped and ministered to the women. He’s ministering right up to the moment. Never quit. Never quit. And one of the thieves on the cross, he said, «Lord, remember me». He said, «This day you will be with me in paradise». But now, remember this, when you step out of the body into the Spirit, this day, now he went into hell. Do you know where the bosom of Abraham was? The upper region of hell. And he just deposited him there in Abraham’s bosom. And he went down into the guts of the thing. Oh, glory to God.
Now, turn with me to the 22nd Psalm. And we want to read this from the Classic Amplified. And if you don’t have yours yet, just listen, or they can put it up on the screen. You remember, one of the writers said, «It is finished». One of the other writers said, «My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me»? Which he said with a loud voice, and it had to be interpreted. Psalm 22, «My God, my God, why have you forsaken me»? This is a Psalm of David.
«Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but you answer me not. And by night, I’m not silent and no rest, but you are holy. O, you that dwell in the holy place where the praises of Israel are offered. Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted and leaned on and relied on you and were confident and you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered and trusted in and leaned on and confidently relied on you and were not ashamed and confounded or disappointed. But I’m a worm and no man. I am the scorn of men despised by the people and who see me laugh at me and mock me and shoot out the lip. They shake the head saying, 'He trusted and rolled himself on the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him. Seeing that he delights in him.' Yet you are he who took me out of the womb. You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother’s breast. I was cast upon you from my very birth, from my mother’s womb. And you’ve been my God. Be not far from me for trouble is near and there is no help. Many foes like bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have hedged me in and against me they open their mouths wide like ravening and roaring lion. I’m poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is softened with anguish and melted down within me. My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery with thirst. My tongue clings to my jaws and you have brought me into the dust of death. And with like a pack of dogs they’ve encompassed me. A company of evildoers have encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. The evildoers gaze at me. They part my clothing among them and cast lots from my raiment, my garment. But be not far from me, O Lord, O my help. Hasten to aid me. Deliver me from the sword, my dear life, my only one from the power of the dog and the agent of execution. Save me from the lion’s mouth for you have answered me kindly from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name among the brethren in the midst of the congregation. I’ll praise you».
Well, there’s a portal there. They’re looking at it going on down here. How do you think David must have felt? He wrote that psalm. He saw it in the Spirit and now he has seen it happen. And you don’t know whether you’re being honored or there’s spiritual confusion going on because hell is full of confusion. And if you don’t like hypocrites here, you better stay out of hell because it’s full of them. Praise God. And praise God.
«All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of nations bow down and worship before you for the kingship and the kingdom of the Lord’s and he is ruler over the nations. All the mighty ones upon earth shall eat in thanksgiving and worship and all they down to the dust shall bow before him even he who cannot keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him and they shall tell of the Lord in the next generation and they shall come and declare his righteousness to a people yet born. He’s done it. It is finished».
And the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And it’s happening. They’re witnesses. That’s the reason the apostle Paul wrote about the hall of fame of faith. And we’re not quite done yet. Now, I want to go back to the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah chapter 52, verse 14, «For many of the servant of God became an object of horror. Many were astonished at him. His face, his whole appearance was marred more than any man’s and is formed beyond that of the sons of men that just were many as were astonished at him. So shall he startle and sprinkle many nations and kings and shall shut their mouths because of him. For that which has not been told, they shall see and that that they have heard shall they consider who has believed and relied on him. He was despised and rejected. He was so bruised and slapped and spit upon».
He didn’t look like a man anymore. This grotesque looking bruised and bleeding face and that crown of thorns jammed down on his head. He’s bleeding from his head. He’s bleeding across his back. He’s bleeding out of his hands. He’s bleeding in his side. And by those stripes we are healed.