Kenneth Copeland - Faith And Patience Receive The Promise
Yesterday's lesson we're talking about... For two weeks we talked extensively about the curse. In Galatians 3:13 and 14, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on the tree. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, and that we might receive by faith what the spirit promised. And then yesterday, getting into this concerning the promise, let's go back over there once again in Genesis 22, and then in the book of Hebrews Chapter 11. This is when God told Abraham in Genesis 22, He said, "Now you take your son, your only son Isaac whom you love. Get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering". Offer him as a sacrifice.
"Abraham rose up early in the morning, saddled the donkey and took two of his young men and Isaac his son, and left town. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eye and saw the place afar off". Now listen to what he said to his young men, "Abide you here with the donkey. And I and the lad will go yonder worship, and we'll come again, we'll be back". This was not bothering him a bit. He already had a word from God. He already knew this boy's future, and he believed God. The scripture said Abraham believed God and it was accounted under him as righteousness. Glory be to God. Amen. Hallelujah.
And of course, you know what happened. And he took the wood of the burnt offering, laid it on Isaac, and then in his hand and his knife. And they went both of them together. "And they came to the place," verse 9, "which God told him of. And Abraham built altar there. Laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son, and laid him upon the wood. Abraham stretched forth his hand, took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called him out of Heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham". He said, "Here am I". And he said, "Lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. Abraham lifted up his eyes and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. Now Abraham offered that Ram as a sacrifice".
Now this is one of the most important moments in the entire Bible. Now notice this, the angel of the Lord called out of heaven the second time and said, "'By myself, have I sworn,' saith the Lord". He is swearing. This is God the Almighty, God himself, swearing to a man. Swearing in the blood of a ram. A ram that God himself provided. Amen. I have sworn, saith the Lord, because now has done this thing, and has not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, multiplying our, I'll multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven. And then as the sand is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Whoa, He settled it forever. Glory to God. There's no way to stop this thing now. God has sworn by himself for Him not, for Him to be a faithful covenant partner He would have to destroy himself. And if He did that, then it would just go into total nothingness. But we know that's not going to happen. Ooh.
Now, let's quickly get back over here in the book of Hebrews, and let's look at it again. In the 11th chapter, and the 17th verse, "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 is said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called". Now, see there? He knew that. He knew that. He knew that in Isaac they seed shall be called. He was not the least bit sweating that Isaac is any form going to stay dead. And it says right there, "Accounting..."
Now this is just very, very strong, forgive me I'm shouting, but I don't want to stop shouting. Okay. Hallelujah I'm so excited. If I'm doing on outside what I'm doing on the inside, I couldn't slow down enough to preach this. Glory to God. Accounting. Say accounting. That God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from went, from the dead also He received him in a figure. Now that is a faith lesson that should be studied. We need to be walking according to the scripture, in the steps of our Father Abraham. Oh, I just can't believe you told me to go do this. I just can't, I just can't go there. I just can't,you just don't care.
Let's talk about it here, just... Oh, shut up. You act like, people that act like that, no, you don't. Well, most of you know. No, no, no, no. I've acted just the same stupid. Amen. You know what that's acting like that God doesn't qualify to be Lord and leader, and your guide, and your father. There is something wrong with Him. Something wrong with His plan. Now come on. That is pure baby stuff, and it is time to get over it. I learned that from Gloria Jean Copeland. Oh, how many times over the years, the kids and all the rest of it, she'd say, "Well, get over it". Yeah, but, well, just get over it. Get by that. Praise God. God knows what He's doing, and if He calls you to go somewhere, He calls you to do something, right then is when you say, "Here I am Lord".
Now it may look like this thing is going to kill me. I can't physically overcome this. What kind of a God... If you'll obey Him, it'll be the very thing that'll heal you. It'll be the very thing that'll get you out of that place where it looks like you're just so exhausted you can't do it. Yes you can. If He said you can, then you can. Hallelujah. Now, it may take some changes and and all of that, but what you need to do is just be like our Father Abraham. Here I am Lord. Okay, and Kenneth got up early in the morning and departed. Yeah. But yeah, but man come on, that's hard. I don't think I want to spend any time with it. If it easy, everybody would be doing it. It's the blessed. It's the heirs of the promise that get up early in the morning, glory to God, and get before the Lord Jesus and say, "I'm here Lord. What would you have me to do today? How can I bless you today? Where do you want me to go today"? Hallelujah. Thank you Lord. Praise God.
Now then, let's go back in here now in the sixth chapter of Hebrews. Now that we're flowing now in this promise. God's blood sworn oath. Say it, God's blood sworn oath Praise God. Hebrews 6:14 or 13. God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater He swore by himself, saying surely blessing I will bless thee. Multiplying, I'll multiply thee. So, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. May I remind you that patience is one of the fruit of the spirit. Look at it. He patiently endured. That's what the fruit of patience is. It is spiritual endurance.
Now, the world's natural idea of patience is, well, you just have to put up with everything that God is putting on me. No, no, no. The fruit of patience, long suffering, King James Translation says. That's when you make you stand and stay with it, glory be to God. God said it and I believe it, and that settles it. Praise God. This is it right here. I have His promise. I had His oath, glory to God, and I choose to believe it. Now, you remember we talked about Deuteronomy 30:19, and Brother Gregg referred to that tonight, and that whole thing I placed before you life and death, blessing and cursing. That was a huge display. It was just a gorgeous thing to all out, and between these two mountains.
Now, but notice what he said, "You choose. You choose". I had the flu really, really bad. And I had taken Gloria to the cleaners, and I was just sitting out in front of the cleaners while she was in there getting clothes. And I thought when she gets out of here, I'm going to let her drive home. I'm just too sick to drive. And this was before we had ever gotten into the word of faith. This is back in the year, actually before we ever even went to ORU. Never heard the word of thing, but the spirit of God led me in that direction. I had my Bible in there on the steering wheel of the car, open to 1st Peter 2:24. And all of a sudden, I said, "Father," and I held my Bible up like this. I said, "I choose to believe this".
And I read 1st Peter 2:24. "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". And I want to thank you for it. I choose to believe that. I was hurting. I mean, even my hair hurt. I was just sick, sick. By the time she got out of the cleaner and got in the car, I was feeling better. By the time we got home I thought, "Well yeah, this is a good thing". And by the time she got supper ready, I wasn't all that hungry, but I thought, well, I believe I'll sit down here and eat a little bit. The next morning, every symptom's gone. What happened? I made a choice. I made a on purpose choice of faith. I choose to believe this. I choose to do what my God has called me to do in Jesus' name. He's sworn His oath to me, and praise God, I've sworn mine to Him. Come on, Hallelujah. Glory to God.
How much time do I have, Tim? Now then, notice what he said, "For men verily swear the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them the end of all strive for argument. Wherein God willing more abundantly to show onto the heirs of promise, the immutability, the absolute unchangeableness of his counsel confirmed it by an oath". Say, blood sworn oath. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie. We might have a strong consolation that... The word translated consolation there, mean courage. Strong courage. Inner strength. Well yeah, inner... This, once you know, once you understand what I'm reading His Word, by His stripes, ye were healed. That's not even a promise, that is a Bible fact, that has already happened, and it belongs to me. That how strong it becomes. Have the courage that it builds on the inside of me when I realized, whoa, God swore to these things.
Now get this, that impossible for God to lie. Two immutable things. Think about it, two immutable things. The oath, and the promise, the blood or the wine, the body or the bread. Remember Melchizedek came to Abram with the bread and the wine, and he blessed him. He's showing covenant with him, and he called him possessor of heaven and earth. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Now, get this, who have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us. Say hope. What is the substance of things hoped for? What? Right here in the book of Hebrews, right? You'll find it in the 11th chapter. Faith is the substance of things hopeful.
Now notice this, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul? To anchor your emotions. Abraham's emotions were completely anchored in the promise of God. He didn't get emotional about sacrificing that boy, not in the least. Amen. He'd already dealt with that. Hallelujah. And already could see it in himself. He could see an inner vision of this young men raising up from the dead, right out of the ashes. Glory to God. Now listen, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which the hope now, entereth into that within the veil. Do you know where he's talking about? He's talking about the holiest place in this universe. He's talking about the very holy presence of the Almighty God. He's talking about the holy of holies. Glory to God. Now that place where the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus.
Chapter 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". Verse 14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God"? He went into that place. He went into that holy of holies, raised from the dead. Raised from the dead, He had been made sin. He went to hell, and He won an awesome combat, glory to God. And he presented Himself before the Father.
Now listen to me. He presented himself without spot, and ratified our eternal redemption from the curse. And, are you listening to me? Where God swore to Abraham and the blood of a ram, God swore to Jesus, and swore to Him every word of the New Testament. Every word of it, every word of it, he swore it to Him. I am your God, and I swear by myself in your blood. Oh Jesus. It's time to shout amen out there.