Kenneth Copeland - The Key to Boldy Declaring Your Confession of Faith
I want to praise God today, class. This is the Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcast. Our greatest day of the year is coming up. Resurrection Sunday. Glory to God. Hallelujah. We ought to start saying it. «Today is one day closer to our resurrection». Now, I want to read you something here. In Matthew 12:40. Now, we started out here in the 12th chapter of the book of Matthew, correct? And we talked about a good man out of the good treasure and so forth and so on.
But now let’s continue to read. You notice in verse 38 in the King James Version, there is a little paragraph note there. The thought changes. «Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Master, we would see a sign.' Jesus answered and said unto them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. There shall no sign be given to it but 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, it’s wonderful the way we celebrate it Friday, but that doesn’t figure out. Let’s look in the book of John at the 19th verse. John 19:31. Excuse me, not the 19th verse. John 19:31. The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation that the body should not remain upon the cross the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath was a high day. It started on Wednesday. I’m just going to read through this. Wednesday, 6 PM through 6 PM, one night. Thursday, Thursday. Friday, Friday. Saturday, first day of the week. So 6 PM through 6 AM, one night. 6 AM through 6 PM, one day. 6 PM through Friday AM, two nights. Friday, 6 AM. Friday, 6 PM, two days. It had to begin on Wednesday.
So you just needed to know that. Be sure and get the notes because it’ll all be there then. If you teach your Sunday school class, you can say, I got something for you here. Amen. But it’s good to know it. Jesus said that. Why is it good to know it? When Jesus began to preach and it’s recorded, David wrote it, you will not leave my soul in hell, neither will my body see corruption. Jesus of Nazareth, your Lord and Savior and mine, suffered as no man has suffered before and as no man will suffer again. Those three, he said it. He spent three days and three nights in hell itself so that you and I don’t have to go there. Hallelujah. Oh, glory be to God. Thanks be to Jesus.
God who at sundry times and in different manner spoke in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and express image of his person, upholding all things by the Word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. In Christ, that’s that inheritance that we have. But these words, listen to them. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, You are my son and this day have I begotten thee.
And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a Son. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he said, who makes his angels spirits and ministers of flame of fire. But unto the son, he saith, thy throne on God is forever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thou God hath anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. And you Lord, in the beginning laid down the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of your hands. They all perish, but you remain. hand. And they shall all shall wax old as does a garment. As a vesture shall you fold them up. They shall be changed, but you are the same and your years will not fail. To which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Those are the words he used to raise him from.
Again, I’ll be thy Father to him. I heard it years ago, class. I was spending some, well, more time of meditation than anything else, but over a period of time. And he said, «Until you let me die in your thinking, you can’t live to your complete spiritual ability. You let me die and go to hell so that it becomes a reality to you that is just more real». Well, I stand at my mirror there as I shaves and so forth. And I go through Isaiah 53, four and five, then where it was fulfilled in Peter’s house and all of that. Before I walk away from that mirror, I just said, you know, those little, uh, small ledger type pads. I was handwritten and just Scotch taped them to my mirror there in the bathroom. He bore my sins in his own body on the tree that I being dead to sin should live under righteousness by whose stripes I was healed. He bore it.
Christ redeemed me from the curse of the Lord, being made a curse for me three days and three nights. And this is more than just buying new clothes and going to church on Easter morning. Easter was only used one time in the King James Version and it does not exist anywhere else in the Bible. And whole songs have been written about it. Well, that’s wonderful. The Easter parade. But let’s get, let’s come to that place where we shout with a shout of triumph three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. So thank God we don’t have to go. Let him die and let him be raised and seated at the right hand of Father. And he’s precious. His goodness in God and his willingness.
Anyway, so there you have it. And we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Oh, glory to God. Oh Lord, where was I on everything else? But this is, it’s important to carry that, that knowledge and spend some time meditating on it. One of the broadcasts I was doing with Jerry Savelle and he said, the Lord, and I’m, I’ve never forgotten it. He said, the Lord said to him, close your eyes. He said, now see yourself standing at the cross. Now he said, see yourself walk around behind the cross and look at those stripes because by those stripes, you were healed. Hallelujah.
Well, that goes right in with what we’re studying here. Class, we are in Christ and he is in us and in the beloved Ephesians 1:6, I’m going to read that again. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. What beloved? God’s beloved. What does that mean? Well, glad you asked. Let’s go back to the book of John. Thank You, Jesus. 17th chapter. This is the prayer of Jesus after that Seder meal and the Lord dropped this in my heart many, many years ago. This is the meal that changed heaven and earth forever. And all this time, Jesus was preparing his staff members for after he was gone and he’s getting them ready. Now he was their comforter, but he’s leaving. So he is sending the other comforter. He said, «It’s the Father that dwelleth within me. He does the work». Glory to God.
I won’t take time to do that. And he’s praying. Well, let’s go back here in the 16th chapter because I use this in just the last two or three days, several times… in praise and honor. He’s talking about the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself. Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said, He will take of mine and show it unto you. Hey, everything the Father has in Christ is available to us. Thank You, Lord. Now come back over here.
Verse 20, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. They shall all be one for thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And the glory which thou gave me, I’ve given them, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and thou in me, and that they may be made perfect and that the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me. I was there in Tulsa and so I had just begun to learn about the prayer of agreement and how powerful it is. So I decided, praise God, I’m going to agree with everything in here. Well, I choked a little bit on the glory part, but what?
That the world may know that you sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. God loves me as much as he does Jesus. I was trembling and I just started saying, God loves Kenneth. God loves Kenneth as much as he does Jesus. God loves Kenneth as much as he does Jesus. I was walking around the room and I got louder and louder and it hit me. Well, of course he does. Glory to God. He gave him on that cross to get me and he is love. He doesn’t have love, he is love. Glory to God. And God loves me just as much as he does Jesus. How do you know that, class? Can you give me a verse? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that… there it is. For God so loved the world that he gave Jesus and Jesus went through this entire three and a half years on that love. Hallelujah. So now that should say something to us about all of these in him, in whom, because the apostle Paul is pointing out Christ. He is the Messiah. This is the reason the Messiah came in the first place, to bring us into him. Hallelujah.
So, thank You Lord. I came for three and a half years, saith the Lord, in order to lay down my life for you and establish the truths of heaven. I came to bring the Father’s words. I came to bring the Father’s Spirit. I came to bring the Father’s attitude about life. I came so that you could see the Father through me and I left you my Word and my Word is truth and my Word is light and my Word is life. So continue to walk in the words of faith, knowing that faith works, but faith has to be put to work. Praise God. Prayer does not make faith work. Faith makes prayer work. And Father, we thank you for it, these words. Glory to God. Let’s just praise him here for a moment. Just give him praise. Glory to God. Every day is one day closer to this great resurrection.
And from what I read, from the words of Daniel and the words of Ezekiel, like one man said, the nations are not falling apart, they’re falling into place. Glory to God. Thank You Jesus. Let’s go to the book of Mark. Thank you, Lord. Praise You, Lord Jesus. 11:9, «And they that went before the father cried saying, 'Hosanna, blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.'»
Now, verse 20, see the little paragraph change there in the King James? This is important in the King James Bible and I’ll tell you something, class, if you pay attention to these, it’ll straighten out a lot of doctrine that’s based on one or two verses, because if you just continue to reading, it will knock that particular doctrine and idea. It changes the idea of it.
All right. Anyway. And in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. Peter calling to remember saith unto him, Master behold the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. Jesus answering unto them say, Have faith in God. My cross reference says, Have the faith of 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 said shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.
Now think about that and what Jesus said in the book of Matthew. Therefore I say unto you, Whatsoever thing you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive it and you’ll have it. And when you stand praying, forgive if you have ought against any, that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. So compare that with every idol word. This word is directed directly at a mountain. Well, now you and I and believers that depend on this, this is a whosoever. We depend on this. It depends on what the mountain is. But this Word of Faith, there comes a time when it turns into thanksgiving and praise. I have believed, I have released my faith and I believe I receive it. Glory to God. It’s mine. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I’m in Christ. I’m in the beloved. He’s in me and it belongs to me. It is mine. Thank You, Jesus. Now Father, we… Oh, glory to God. Thank You, Jesus.
Anyway, in him, Romans 10, six through nine, second Corinthians 1.20, 5.21, Ephesians 1.4, Philippians 3.9, Colossians 2.6 and 7 and 2.10, 1 John 2, 5 and 6. Let’s go over there and explore these in 1 John. Thank You, Jesus. All right. 1 John 2:5. But whoso keepeth his Word, in him verily the love of God is perfected. Glory to God. I want to see that here. But he who keep… Oh, you just held that sign up here. I don’t have time to read this. First thing tomorrow. Hey, we’ll be back in just a moment.