Kenneth Copeland - Faith In The Love Of God Brings Results
Father, thank You today. We praise You, and we worship You, and we welcome You, Sir, on this broadcast to manifest Yourself any and every way You choose, because this is Your house. And we thank You for being here in it with us in Jesus' name. Amen.
Let's go once again to I John 4, please. Oh, hey, download the study notes, okay, kcm.org/notes. That really does help. You can use them to teach your Sunday school with. You can preach off of them. You know, say, "I got these off of Brother Copeland's broadcast," and then from then on say, "You know, I've just come up with this just a few days ago". And you just go for it. You don't even have to say anything about it the first time you teach off of it. Glory to God. I John 4:16, "We have known and believed," or have faith, "in the love that God hath to us. God is love".
Now, did you get that? If God is love, then faith in God must be faith in love. To develop love, trust. You remember the scripture that said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding"? Then you could say this, "Trust in the love of God and lean not to your own understanding". Trust that love with all your heart. I don't care what it looks like. I don't care what it sounds like. I don't care what you feel like. Trust in the fact that God loves Kenneth. God loves me. God went to hell for me. Love did it for me. Love went to hell for me. Oh, my goodness. Oh, oh, oh, you understand? I mean, just dwell in it, just live in it. But believe the love.
Now, let me say it that way. "Have faith in love". "Love never fails". Isn't that what I Corinthians 13:8 says? Yeah, "Love never fails". Why? It's God. Amen. All right. Now then, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him". If God is in you, and He is, if you've received Jesus as your Lord and Savior... say it, "I am God-inside minded. Oh, yeah. Greater is He that's in me than he that's in the world. I have the measure of faith dealt unto me by God. I have the measure of faith dealt unto me by love". See what we're doing? We're renewing the mind to think, God is love is God is love is God is love. Amen.
Now, thank You, Lord. Faith in God is faith in love. But where people have dropped their faith in God is when they do not have an awareness that He is love, and He loves you more than He loved Himself because He gave Himself to get to you. It was love that went to hell for you and me. My, my, my. So now, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in God dwelleth in love, and God", Who is love, "dwells in him". And love never fails. Glory to God.
The more you begin to feed, the more you begin to believe it, and the more you believe to say it, "God loves me. I love my God, and my God loves me. He gave Himself for me. His love and knowing Him is growing on the inside of me. I mean, it's getting stronger and stronger. I'm in Him, and He's in me. He's in me, and I'm in Him. Everywhere I go, love is right there with me. Everybody that I meet, everybody to whom I speak, the love is inside me, and if I'll give Him a chance, love will do the talking. If I give Him a chance, love will do the thinking. And I respond in love instead of striking out".
"Oh, but Brother Copeland, are we back to that 'turn the other cheek' thing again"? Oh, yes, we are. Yeah, we are. But having no understanding of that, you think "I'm just out there for somebody to run over me". No, no, no, far from it. Tell you what let's do, let's go over to Mark's gospel, Chapter 4, and we'll begin reading with the 14th verse. "The sower", now, this is Jesus, "The sower soweth the word. These are they by the way side, where the word". So what is the subject here? The Word. The Word of God, Who is love. "The sower sows the word. These are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, to take away the word that was sown in their hearts". "The thief cometh, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy".
What is he out to steal? Your money? No. He's out to steal the Word. If he can steal the Word, he's got your money. If he can steal the Word, he's got your children. If he can steal the Word, he's got you and everything around you if he can get the Word out of you, because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And it is by faith so that it might be by grace. I'm telling you, faith worketh by love. You see where all the power elements are all hooked together: The love, the joy, the peace, the long-suffering, the gentleness, goodness, faith, temperance, and all of the healing power of God. Jesus proved that the power to forgive and the power to heal was exactly the same power. All of these things, that's the power part of all of this.
If Satan can steal the Word, he can destroy and kill. Jesus said, "The thief cometh, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy". Now, he's very specific in the order in which he put them. He put the stealing first. You know, I caught myself saying, "He comes, but to kill, to steal, and destroy". That's not the way Jesus said it. "He comes to steal..." Well, he comes to steal the Word that was sown in your heart. "...kill, and destroy". If he can steal the Word, he can steal your health, he can steal your strength, he can steal your faith. If he steals your faith, he's nullified and just brought the power and authority of the name of Jesus down to zero because it's faith in that name that gets results. Whew.
All right. "These are they by the way side, where the word is sown; when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, to take away the word that was sown in their hearts. These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake". Now, why did persecution and affliction arise? In order to teach you something? No. The persecution and affliction didn't arise to teach you something, it arose to kill you. It was designed to steal the Word of God out of you and kill and destroy. Amen.
Notice it. "...for the word's sake..." Persecution and affliction are tools of the devil to get your attention off of the sower and the Word He has sown into you and get it over on the persecution and the affliction and the ugly things that people are saying about you and doing to you. "...immediately they are offended". Oh, isn't that amazing that offense is the top of the list here, becoming offended, becoming offended? What happens when you become offended? Well, if you don't forgive, what is that 25th verse, Mark 11? We've been over it and over it. "When you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any". And you're not forgiving if faith won't work in an unforgiving heart.
All right. Let's go ahead. "These are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts," or pressures, "of other things entering in, choke the word". If you won't let it in there, it can't choke the Word. But now notice something vitally important about this verse. "...entering in, choke..." you? No. "...chokes the word, and it becomes unfruitful". It's the Word that provides the increase. It is the Word that brings the faith, that brings the increase. Praise God. Amen.
All right, now, "These are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred". Now, I want you to notice something here. The Word was designed to bring about a hundredfold increase, a hundredfold. Say it, "a hundredfold". "...some thirty, some sixty, and a hundred". The love of God wants you to successfully increase to a hundredfold. Hallelujah. Glory to God. God wants you to have a hundredfold. That's what I'm trying to get over to you. Why? He's love.
Now, let me show you something else here. This is from the 10th chapter of Mark. Oh, this portion of Scripture right here is so grossly misunderstood. I misunderstood it. A lot of people misunderstand it. I want you to go with me here to the 17th verse of the 10th chapter of Mark. "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, and that's, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth".
I want you to notice the 21st verse. This is the key to this entire passage of scripture here. "Then Jesus beholding him..." He looked at him. "...beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever you have, give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: come, take up the cross, and follow me". "Well, now, yes, Brother Copeland, you see, Jesus didn't want the man to have anything in this life". You know, boy, sometimes words just fail me other than just, "Bull". Man. "And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possession. Jesus looked around about, and saith to his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his word".
Well, now, I'm surprised that they didn't say, "Boy, that's telling him, Lord. Yeah, I'm telling you right now, yeah, he needs to be poor like the rest of us. Yeah. We had to give it all. We left it all. I mean, we left it all. Why can't he leave it all and come follow us"? That's the idea that people like Brother Hagin used to say, are religiously brainwashed instead of New Testament taught. This is love. "He looked at him and loved him". Love doesn't want you to be destitute.
Now, notice this. "They were astonished. Jesus said, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches..." Uh-huh. Trust in riches instead of trusting God, Who is love. "...that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man," who trusts in riches instead of God, a rich man who doesn't know that God loves him, a rich man who refuses to follow God and doesn't trust His love... are you with me? I know you are.
Now notice, "...to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved"? Sure don't sound like a bunch of poor folks to me, does it you? "Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible". With who? Love. Glory to God. "Peter began to say, Sir, lo," or look, "we've left all, and followed thee. Jesus answered and said..."
Now, do you remember what I told you? Love always wants you to increase. Love won't take anything from you. Love's always trying to get more to you. "Jesus said, I have come that they will have life and have it more..." Have it how much? More, more abundantly! That's love's idea of everything, increase. The better it is, the more it ought to increase. "I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, brethren, sister, father, mother, wife, children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children, lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life". And He's warning you. He said, "I'm telling you, Satan's going to try to steal it, and he'll put..."
See, He already taught them about that persecution and what it comes for and how come it came and how to stop it. Amen. So He's just warning you, you know. I mean, you're going to get more and more and more. You're going to increase. Love wants you to have a hundredfold of everything. Glory to God. Amen. It doesn't want you losing anything because you serve Him. He doesn't want you losing anything because you became a believer. He wants you to increase. Love wants you well, love wants you strong, love wants you rich, love wants you in power, love wants you walking in faith. You lay hands on the sick and they recover. He wants you speaking to sickness and disease and release Him. He is love. Release Him in that situation and watch Him just wipe it out. Glory to God. Hallelujah.
Now how much time I got, Tim? I think I can just get this introduced, and we'll take it up here tomorrow. Let's go over to Ephesians 3. Now, you remember there it said, "And have no root in themselves". You remember when we read that? Hang on a minute. I'm talking and turning in the wrong direction. Amen. Ephesians 3. When he said over there in the 4th chapter, let's look back at it again. "These are they by the way side, where the word is sown; when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. These are they on stony ground; when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; have no root in themselves..." Say it, "have no root in themselves".
Now, Ephesians 3, and let's begin reading with the 14th verse. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the Father, the whole family..." Now wait a minute, errk, stop, back up, kweep, whoop. Okay, who? "Well, the Father". No. Love! See? God is love. The Father is love. "...of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named..." We've been named after our Father. The name which is above every name is named is ours. Love wanted us to have it. Glory. "...that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in your inner man".
Boy, this real you, you new creature, you, you've got the measure of faith on the inside of you. You've got the love of God on the inside of you. You've got it in there, my brother and sister. I'm telling you, get in the Word of God and begin to renew your mind who you are in love Himself and who He is in you, and it begins to come out of you and affect your whole environment. "That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may comprehend with all the saints," may have working knowledge and understanding, "the breadth, the length, the depth, the height; and to know the love of the Anointed One, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God".