Kenneth Copeland - Faith Comes By Hearing The Covenant Of God
Father, we thank You today. We give You praise and honor for the mighty, powerful Name that is above every Name that's named, the Name of Jesus. We open our hearts today for revelation from heaven, words that move heaven on the earth, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Kenneth Copeland: Greg, I'm reminded, men and women are saved, healed, filled with the Holy Spirit, by hearing words. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Covenant of God. His bond. His very bond. I like what Mylon LeFevre says, God is absolutely honest. And what He says, He'll do it.
Greg Stephens: And when I believe that, I activate that in my life.
Kenneth Copeland: You believe it in your heart, you say it with your mouth and then you plan everything around that results, not failure. And those words create images in your mind of your having it, not being without it. Gloria and I began that when we did not have a bank account. And at the time, Gloria would go into the grocery store, and pray in tongues that she wouldn't be embarrassed by having to take something back. And she never had to do, she always came out even.
Greg Stephens: Amen.
Kenneth Copeland: Amen. We saw it back then. And never changed that Covenant image. Because I saw it right in those early, early days that Jesus was my blood brother, and my being Native American, that got big on the inside of me. But we had an image of it. God made Abraham rich, I have the blessing of Abraham, I'm a joined heir with Jesus. I sat Gloria down, I said, "Gloria, we're rich now". I mean, this ain't just nothing but a matter of time. And we never held any other kind of image again, that we would be out of debt for the rest of our lives, we would never, and we would never ask anybody for a place to preach, we would never ask anybody to meet our needs.
Greg Stephens: And the moment you accepted that, heaven, it's a reality. It was a reality the moment you believed it.
Kenneth Copeland: And our ministering angels went to work to fulfill the image.
Greg Stephens: Absolutely did. Yes, sir, they did.
Kenneth Copeland: Yes, sir, go.
Greg Stephens: And they're still doing that. We put a sign on our refrigerator at home. Because we're really pressing into what we say for that very reason, for the angels. Wasted too much time on this in previous years, and those years are being redeemed. We put a refrigerator sign on our fridge, I had wrote it by hand that says, "And that's exactly the way I want it". And so, when we say something or when the kids say something about, I don't know, I just never can figure this out, I say, "Say that". That's exactly the way I want it, right behind it. And they can't do it. 'Cause they'll say, I don't know, I just never get, I never get picked.
Kenneth Copeland: It'll never work out for me.
Greg Stephens: And that's exactly the way I want it.
Kenneth Copeland: Oh, listen...
Greg Stephens: And your spirit will stop you from that.
Kenneth Copeland: Greg, everybody needs a faith partner. Now, Gloria was the quietest person I ever met in my life. Like she said, "Well, I didn't need to talk, you do all the talking anyway". And, I cannot describe this little house, little project houses built during the war in Tulsa, and it was awful looking. And so, I went to my landlord and I ask him for paint to paint these nasty walls. And he said, "Well, sure, I'd be glad to". Well, of course, it's the cheapest paint brush on the planet, you know. And we'd already made up, that's your confession, and I believe it. And I'd say something, boy, I'll tell you what. I got so tickled, I thought I'd die. Gloria said, "That's your confession, you didn't die, so you lied".
Greg Stephens: Ah, didn't you?
Kenneth Copeland: Yeah, yeah. So, we're in there painting, she's in one room, I'm in the other. And I got this 99 cent paintbrush, you know. And I'm dipping it in that ugly, brown paint and I'm painting, and a hair came out of that paint brush and I had to pick it out and I said, with some force, something like, "Dadgummit, this thing's coming all to pieces". Every bristle in that brush came out and was just hanging there on the wall. I said, "Gloria, come in here, look at what I said, came to pass" and there it was. Well, I could never got that mess out of that wall. Boy, you're talking about making a believer out of me. God just demonstrated right there.
Greg Stephens: We are named in Christ Jesus, we're to act like Him, talk like Him, walk like Him, that was His expectation. I saw something here, in those last statements of Jesus to His disciples at that Covenant dinner in John, chapter 14, He knew what was in front of Him, in verse 30, He says, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you". Now, why, why didn't He gonna say, in other words, I'm not gonna say a lot. He says, "For the prince of this world cometh and have nothing in me".
Kenneth Copeland: What chapter, what's chapter?
Greg Stephens: I'm in John, chapter 14.
Kenneth Copeland: 14, yeah, I went.
Greg Stephens: And verse 30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you".
Kenneth Copeland: Now He's right there, let me tell you something before we get into this. This is the last supper, He's there at the table. They're in the middle of the night, and this is, He's going to the cross here in a few minutes. I mean, this is huge.
Greg Stephens: Within an hour.
Kenneth Copeland: The new Covenant is coming into being right in their face, anyway.
Greg Stephens: His entire purpose for coming here, is about to be revealed. He's fulfilling everything that's happened. Abraham with Isaac, He's doing it all. Right here, and He says, "For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me". So He knows in order to walk out the plan of God in my life, 'cause the mystery's about to happen too. See, if Satan would've known, the Scripture says.
Kenneth Copeland: He'd never.
Greg Stephens: He would never have allowed this to happen. The second Adam is about to redo everything that the first Adam did. And so, I'm looking at this, what did He say He's gonna do? I'm not gonna talk much now. I'm gonna be pretty quiet from here on out. And now, let's tie that in, let's go to 1 Peter.
Kenneth Copeland: Oh yeah.
Greg Stephens: 1 Peter, chapter two, talks about this very thing. Peter will expound on it. 1 Peter, chapter two. Now what does that have to do with healing? Well, it has everything to do with it. Look at this, "But", verse nine, "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that should show forth the praises of Him who's called you out of darkness into His marvelous light", verse 10, "Which in time past were not a people", there's that Covenant again. Just like Ephesians.
Kenneth Copeland: In times past, you were Gentiles, you didn't have any Covenant, and He's writing His Gentile people.
Greg Stephens: There's it again. "Which in time past were not a people", this is Peter now, now Paul, "But are now a people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained 'Chesed', mercy". You go on all the way down here, and you get over here, in verse 22, or verse 21, "For even hereunto you are called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps". I don't see that as a suggestion. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found, where, in His mouth".
Kenneth Copeland: Deception, no deception in His mouth.
Greg Stephens: Verse 23.
Kenneth Copeland: You know, you know. What's the ministry of the church? In the fourth chapter of the book Ephesians? To build up the body of Christ, speaking in love to one another.
Greg Stephens: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Kenneth Copeland: Not guile, not deception, go ahead.
Greg Stephens: Yeah, look at this here. "No guile was found in His mouth", verse 22, verse 23, "Who when he was reviled, reviled not again". Now, we got too many believers today, well, did you hear what they said about me? I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind.
Kenneth Copeland: Better not, you haven't got much left.
Greg Stephens: That's right, yeah. "When He was reviled, reviled not again, when He suffered, He threatened not, but committed to Himself, to Him who judge righteously, who in His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you are healed". It's time to, us to acting like He did. In your healing, your mouth is tied to your healing more than you realize. Just like it's tied to your salvation. The only way you got saved is, you confessed the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You're gonna have to confess healing and not speak contrary, can I take us over to Mark, chapter 11? Mark, and you can, guess you know where I'm headed right? Verse.
Kenneth Copeland: Yes I do.
Greg Stephens: Verse 20, Mark, I'm in Acts, no wonder it didn't look right. Mark, chapter 11, verse, you know verse 22, have faith in God, verse 23, verse 24, now look at verse, look at this. "And when you stand praying", in verse 25, "Forgive". Jesus thought that was so important that hanging on the cross, He forgave.
Kenneth Copeland: Could not have done what He did without it.
Greg Stephens: He's hanging on the cross, He thinks this verse is so important that hanging on the cross, He'll do that, "Forgive them, Father, they don't know what they're doing". So it must be important. "When you stand praying forgive, if you have ought against any, that your Father also, which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses", verse 26, "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is heaven forgive your trespasses". Now if the Father doesn't hear me when I pray, because I have ought against the body, then well, Satan, does he have to listen to a rebuke of mine? I grew up rebuking the devil, I mean, that's all we did, everything was the devil. Now you, they'd have testimony, they don't do that much anymore in church, but they had testimony meetings, Brother Copeland. And I remember this one lady, she'd say, "Oh", it was like a badge of honor, "The devil has been wearing me out this week", bless his holy name, that's what she'd say every time. Every single time, I'll never forget it. When, I almost called her by name, she's in heaven now, but when she would stand up, she'd say, "Well, the devil has been working double time in my husband", and she was always talking about her husband, "Bless his holy name", and she's blessing the devil's holy name, I guarantee you her angels still standing there, just, and then her husband got saved, she got mad about it. It's the truth. She didn't have anything to testify about anymore.
Kenneth Copeland: My mother. She prayed for me a solid 13 years. And you know, you've heard me tell this, and one day, she just threw her Bible down on the kitchen table and she said, "I'm not praying for him anymore, if he goes to hell it's Your fault". Gloria got saved in two weeks, and I got saved in three. She said, "If I'd have known I could've done that, that's because of casting your care over on Him". She said, "I'd have known. But anyway, she'd call me", Greg, she said, "Kenneth", and she, my mother was a cut up. My grandfather was a hoot. Anyway, she said, "Kenneth, I've had the driest three months spiritually I've ever had". I said, "How come, Mother"?, she said, "You got saved and I don't have anything to pray about". I'm gonna tell you what she said. She said, "I'm going after your whole football team". She did. And the beautiful part of it is, I mean, those guys on our team, we're still close, and we've been out of school since 1955. But we had the first really winning football team that a high school had ever had in its history. And we'd get on the bus and they'd have me sing, "Just A Closer Walk With Thee". I was like, "Okay". And I've had the honor and the privilege of preaching their home going services, I've had the honor and privilege of watching them get born again, one right after the other, and even after Mother already'd gone home and be with the Lord, they just kept getting saved, she got the whole bunch of them. Ain't it marvelous?
Greg Stephens: It is marvelous. But I heard that in my spirit, I was rebuking the devil one time. And just as loud as could be. Now, I don't know if it's audible, I don't think it was, but I was the only one in the car, I can't, he doesn't have to listen to you, that's what I heard in my spirit, he doesn't have to listen to you. You mean, you don't have to listen to me? Devil, you're a liar, and I realized that wasn't the devil, that came from my spirit, he doesn't have to listen to you, 'cause you have not forgiven. You have ought against your brother.
Kenneth Copeland: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not love, I'm become as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand mysteries and knowledge, though I have faith that I can remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing". So, you have a fuss on the way to church and enter in the middle of church, stand up and give this great message in tongues and then even interpret it. Lotta noise, God didn't even hear it. I said to Him one time, I said, "Lord, how do You handle all that unbelief"? He said, "What unbelief"? I said, "Well, the times that I prayed in unbelief". He said, "What unbelief"? Oh, you didn't hear it, "That's right".
Greg Stephens: I go, that's the answer to that in Mark 11, He doesn't hear that.
Kenneth Copeland: He didn't hear that.
Greg Stephens: I remember one time, I was driving, I was still in the reserves at this point in the military. I was driving from Tulsa, Brother Hagin, was driving to Oklahoma City, I can't remember now, Michelle and I were just newly married and I'm praying in the Spirit about her, 'cause she needs to change.
Kenneth Copeland: Did He do that? Watch her shake her head.
Greg Stephens: 90 miles I wasted, praying in the Spirit, specifically targeting her that she needs to change, and finally as I was pulling into the base, I just, now this could've been a, well, it sounded audible to me. I just said, "Lord, she's just so picky", and I heard, "And she picked you". Me, but it's a convincing of the words. Now Jesus got quiet. Get back to this thing here, real quick. He got quiet because of where He's headed into the Garden. It all happened at the secret of the Garden, reversing the curse. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, and verse 45, "And so it is written, the first man, Adam, was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit". God formed the first man out of the dust of the ground and He formed the second man, Adam, in a womb of a little girl. The secret of the Garden. That original sin, that original transgression happened in the Garden, Jesus will become sin or put on sin in the Garden, He's fulfilling to the letter everything. Adam invented sickness and death, put us all on it because of a tree, Jesus is gonna remove sickness and death from you because of a tree.
Kenneth Copeland: That's right.
Greg Stephens: And it's all happening in this Garden, now here's the interesting thing, 'cause healing is spiritual, it is physical and it is mental, soulish. The three disciples He pulls with Him, now the Lord showed me this, represent something. He pulls three aside from the group. James is the body. Peter is emotions, Peter was all the emotions all the time. And John is the spirit, love. And so He pulls those three into that Covenant He's making right there in His own blood, in that Garden, He's reversing what Adam did, this is why He had to get quiet. And this is why He pulled those three that each represent in their writings, James represents the body, Peter represents the mind, will and emotions, John represents the spirit, love, and He pulls those three with Him, and it's all a picture for us, of this atonement, that's why He said, I'm gonna be quiet now, because where I'm headed, He had to fulfill what started in the Garden, had to be ended in a Garden. And that's why He walked with them in that way and He said, I'm not gonna talk a lot now, 'cause the evil one's coming, I'm not gonna give him any ammunition. And if you would learn that right there, if you could learn just that right now, that the healing anointing is available to you right now, you just need to start hooking your words up with what you believe, start saying what you believe, what the Word says.
Kenneth Copeland: And see yourself with it.
Greg Stephens: And see yourself with it. Jesus paid a huge price for this.
Kenneth Copeland: You remember what happened to the father of John the baptist?
Greg Stephens: Yes, sir, yes, sir.
Kenneth Copeland: Had to shut him up.
Greg Stephens: Yes sir.
Kenneth Copeland: And that was so powerful. He couldn't speak.
Greg Stephens: As a priest too.
Kenneth Copeland: Yeah. So his words, he was anointed, his words were powerful. And that angel had to shut him up. It was so strong, that by the time John was born, he couldn't hear either. They had to write down what they said. He lost his hearing during all that. Wonder what he was thinking that caused him to lose his hearing too. I don't know.
Greg Stephens: Well, take heed what you hear.
Kenneth Copeland: Yeah. Well, evidently he's thinking the same stuff he was saying.
Greg Stephens: And at the same time there's two people, a man and a woman at the temple daily, waiting for the Messiah to come. At the same time.
Kenneth Copeland: The prayers knew.
Greg Stephens: The prayers knew something was happening, and the prayers know today that we're close at hand. And now's the time for us to become the body of Christ and walk in this healing anointing that he paid. What it cost heaven? Everything.
Kenneth Copeland: Everything it had. Everything.
Greg Stephens: Everything. For God so loved the world, and so listen, it's time to forgive, whatever, you wanna walk in health, I'm telling you, forgive 'em, brother.
Kenneth Copeland: Forgiveness is an act of the will, faith is an act. Faith must have corresponding action. Absolutely nothing to do with feelings, it's a commandment. We're commanded to believe on the Name of Jesus and love one another, and to forgive. You have to do it now, right now. Don't wait 'til you feel better. And keep your mouth shut, and we're out of time. But it's so important, what you're dealing with right now, you'd better deal with it and forgive if you have ought against any, and do it with all of your heart, but it starts with your heart and your mouth to obey Jesus.