Kenneth Copeland - Jesus' Ascension Paid for Your Redemption
Let’s open our Bibles to John chapter 20 please. Verse 11, But Mary stood at the sepulcher weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher. And she seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say to her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing, and knew not it was Jesus. And he said, Woman, why weepest thou? And who do you seek? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if you have borne him hence, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said, Mary. Now that’s the way he got her attention the first time, and cast seven devils out of her.
Now people think her last name was Magdalene. No, that identified her. She was from Magdal. We’ll have to get to Heaven to find out what her last name is. Now, notice this. Touch me not. I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend to my Father, your Father, to my God, and your God. That’s what the book of Hebrews is about. Now I want to straighten something out. You know, the scripture says he went into Arabia, the apostle Paul. He was caught up and saw all these things from the heavenly sphere.
So now, let’s go to the ninth chapter of the book of Hebrews. Thank You, Jesus. Look at verse 12. Oh, wait a minute. That won’t work. 9:12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and goats and ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself. This is what he had to do. He had to appear before the Father and say, «It’s done». I’ll show you in a moment why. Thank You, Jesus. Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Verse 17, If a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise of no strength at all while he’s alive.
Now, here’s something that over the years that I’ve talked to people about this, didn’t even know it was in here. And even fewer than that, know that he went to hell. They wanted a sign. He said, The only sign that you will receive as Jonah was three days and three nights. The King James uses the word whale. It doesn’t say it was a whale. In the belly of the big fish. So shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. It doesn’t work from Friday. But John said, this is a high Sabbath. It started on Wednesday. It doesn’t change anything, but you might as well get it right. So just sit down and do it just right. I just sat down and did it and there it is. But he said it, it had to be that way.
So that would be a good thing on… Easter Sunday and rabbits don’t lay eggs. Did you figure that out? It’s only used one time and it’s in the King James Bible. It’s resurrection Sunday. That’s a good thing to bring up, particularly in church and show. Now, why is that so big? Dave, your Savior and mine spent three days and three nights in hell paying for your and my redemption. And the moment that he entered into the heavenlies and sat down, we were healed. And the scripture said he chose us before the foundation of the world, but it had to be received. It has to be received. And so, and that’s what we’re doing now is to receive these things in the accuracy in which they’re delivered in his Word.
So just sit down with them, you know, and just go through it. Of course it works out. But now, and here’s something else. Take a Classic Amplified, which now Kenneth Copeland Ministries is publisher of that. Take the Classic Amplified and go to the 22nd Psalm. It starts off, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? And ends with, it is finished. Well, what all was finished? That’s not the point. That Psalm that David wrote for this purpose was on his lips and in his heart when he went into hell and Pilate was astonished that he was dead so quickly. He said, «You can’t kill me. My life is mine to take up or lay down». And he laid it down for you and he laid it down for me. He went to hell and suffered three days and three nights and then he led captivity captive.
What does that mean? He led captivity. They were not in hell. I mean, they were not in Heaven. They were in Paradise. Read about Lazarus and the rich young ruler. There was a protected place. I’m going to show you why here. There was a protected area right at the top layer of hell itself. They could look down in there, but they were protected. It was called Paradise. It was not called Heaven at all.
Now, it is right here in the 23rd verse of the ninth chapter of Hebrews. Let’s go back and read. Well, let’s read down into it. For when Moses had spoken every precept and all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats and water and scarlet wool and so forth and sprinkled it and so forth… the people saying, This is the blood of the covenant, which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, now notice this. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices. Adam’s sin went all the way to Heaven and everything but the throne of God Himself. Jesus' blood had to be placed on the heavenly mercy seat and that blood had to cleanse all the heavenly worshiping things.
The things in Heaven that were to be worshiped with, they’re now pure. That sin has been wiped out, but that’s the reason he said, Don’t do it. Hey, don’t do it. I haven’t gone and done this yet. So all of this had to take place. Isn’t this amazing? So let’s read on. For Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands, where there are figures of the true, but into Heaven itself. Now to appear in the presence of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the world, he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment.
Now look at Hebrews 10, one and two. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year, continually make the comers there unto perfect. For then they would not have, but for then would they not have ceased to be offered because thus the worshipers once purged should have had no more sin consciousness. No more sin consciousness. Well, what is the opposite of a sin consciousness? I’m so glad you asked that. And we will turn to second Corinthians chapter five. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from Heaven. If so, that being clothed, we are not only found naked.
Now, verse six, Always being confident that while at home in the body, we’re absent from the Lord for we walk by faith and not by sight. So, and I’ll skip over here. Verse 14, For the love of Christ constraineth us because we’re thus judged that if one died for all, then all are dead. Come on down. 21, For he hath made him to be sin. He who knew no sin, that’s the way the Classic Amplified. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. That is not holiness, but it says you’re a new creature in Christ Jesus. So instead of having a sin consciousness, then you have a righteousness. I’m in right standing with God. I have a right standing with God consciousness.
Now, holiness is from the fruit of the Spirit and you walk in the fruit of the Spirit and then you’re walking in that holy life. So no more sin consciousness, but a righteousness consciousness with God. Now, I’d never heard of a new creature. I didn’t know what was in the Bible. And so the Lord gave me a tangible evidence. And Gloria said, «I don’t want to like to go out in public with you». «Why»? «You know, your mouth is bad». Well, I came back, I flew a man by the name of Weir and he was with the Arkansas, Louisiana natural gas company to Shreveport back. And I got back in and Gloria and I had a new apartment and I won’t go into all that story about what I found out.
So we had to have a new apartment, but anyway, anyway, well, that’s not really right. I came back in and, uh, now she’s raised in Church of Christ. I was raised Southern Baptist. So, you know, we just didn’t talk about it much. And I can see it in my mind’s eye. She was over there, you know, at the stove, she waiting up for me. I went in, changed clothes and took my suit off and walked in the kitchen there and had one shoe on one shoe off. And the Lord arrested me, «Kenneth, if you don’t get right with me, you’re going to the devil’s hell son». Well, I knew that. I said, «I know it, but what do I do now»? I heard my Sunday school teacher in the University Baptist church in Abilene, Texas.
Now, University Baptist was tied to Baylor, was the reason is University Baptist. She said, «Boys, you have to ask Jesus to come into your heart». I did. And he did. I couldn’t close my mouth for about 30 or 40 seconds. And profanity was gone from that day until this. And then I thought, I’m not going to tell Gloria this. So I said, «Gloria, come here, baby». And I said, «What would you think if I were to, uh, talk for God or give them my testimony»? She said, «Hallelujah» I said, «Halle. what»? She said, «You know, the Bible that your mother sent you that you never did read… Ken precious». And she gave the scripture reference, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things would be added to you. And she said, «Lord, I sure do need some things. Take my life and do something with it».
She had never heard the term born again. She heard that after both of us got baptized in the Holy ghost, speaking in other tongues. Well, he did. He took her life and he’s still doing something with it. Praise God. So now then back over to the book of Hebrews. Oh, there’s so many things here. Hebrews 9:12, 14 and 23. We read those, now 10:1, For the law, having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with these sacrifices, which they offered year by year, continually make the comers thereunto perfect or blameless for then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because the worshipers once purged should have no more sin consciousness.
Now, now come on down. Then he, Lo, I come to do your will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Verse 12, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God from hence forth, expecting all his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Oh Lord God, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts and in their minds will I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil. Let us draw near with a true heart full of assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the profession or the confession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised. Now let us consider one another to provoke unto love and of good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much more.
Verse 29, Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? That’s the Spirit, that’s the sin unto death. Now, why is it the sin unto death? God would forget that. Forgive that. I won’t, I don’t have time to take you to it, but it’s in there. You can find it.
It’s impossible to bring them to repentance. They have experienced it all. It’s right there in the, uh, between the fifth and sixth chapter. They’ve been born again and tasted of the powers to come operated in the gifts of the Spirit and then turn their back on him. It says it’s impossible to bring them unto repentance. That’s the problem. They’ve sold out to the devil. Now it’s so important that we and the TV audience realize that the book of Hebrews is the answer to what Jesus said. Don’t touch me. I have not yet ascended. This was his ascension. It’s what the whole book is about. Well, there are other things involved, but that, that’s the reason the apostle Paul wrote this. Thank You, Jesus.