Kenneth Copeland - Strife Stops The Love That Fuels Faith
Father, we thank you tonight. I come before you tonight, heavenly Father, it is such a privilege and an honor to teach, to preach, and to heal like Jesus. The message of healing, the message of salvation. And I thank you tonight. And I pray hearts listening. Again, we open our hearts for revelation from heaven, words, words, words, that move heaven on the earth. And once again, I'm asking you that not one person in the sound of my voice can even get through the end of this service without being touched by the power of the most high God, that every need is met. Spirit, soul, body, financially, socially, every way. And I pray for all of my partners all over this world from the top of the world or the bottom and all the way around. I praise you tonight, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
I have a word from heaven. Vote! Vote, praise God. I'm telling it's a word from the Word of God. That's a word from heaven. Vote! There's more to voting than just the economy. It's a large part of it. There's more to it than that. I must impress this upon you. Go before the Lord, spend time praying. Don't just take it for granted. "Well, that's just the way we've always voted". No, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. Please, don't do that. Spend time. There's a lot at stake in this nation right now. But then there always is because this nation affects the entire world. Amen. No other nation in the history of this planet was formed for the purpose of worshiping God. God formed the nation of Israel because He loves them and I do too. But this nation was formed by a people because they love God and He'll never forget it. It belongs to Him.
The very first act of Congress, George Washington led the Congress to chapel. There was no Washington D.C. It was in New York City. He led them to that chapel. That chapel stands today and dedicated this nation to the Almighty God. Determine in your heart, the direction in which God wants you to vote, settle it in your inner most being, and then vote that way. I'm not telling you who to vote for. I'm telling you to pray, very important, very, very, very important. Now, if you don't vote, then you just voted for the wrong one. That's just the way it is. And if you don't vote, shut your mouth. You don't have any gripe coming. Just be quiet. Well, I don't... I said, hey, you didn't vote. You didn't partake. And your ballot is your seed. Hallelujah. Now, that I've delivered that message, praise God. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
All right. Let's open our Bibles to the Book of James. The Book of James is a book of faith. Second only in my opinion to the classic teaching that Jesus did on the subject of faith, of course, in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th chapters of the Book of Mark, particularly in the fifth chapter and then in the 11th chapter. But James, let's look at this. Right in the very beginning of the book. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord, Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes, which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations or tests and trials. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith". Faith is mentioned in the third verse of this first chapter. "Trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect entire and wanting what? Nothing". Wanting nothing. So that's what this book is about. The Book of James is about what he just said. "Let patience have her perfect work that you may be entire wanting nothing".
Now, I wanna talk to you tonight about "Strife, the Destroyer of Dreams". Let's go to the third chapter. And remember, remember, James is all about faith. He said, "Be a doer of the word, not just a hearer only". He's talking about faith needs corresponding action, praise God. Isn't that good? Faith needs corresponding action. So this whole book is about faith, how it works, and how to receive everything you need and everything you want with the power of the force of faith. So let's go to the third chapter.
Now, James begins to teach in this third chapter. Well, let's just beginning with that second verse. "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a mature man, and able also to bridle the whole body. We put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; we turn about their whole body". You can turn your whole body with the words of faith in your heart and in your mouth. "Behold also the ships, though they be so great, are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small rudder, wheresoever the governor decides. Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course or the wheel of nature and is set on fire of hell. Every kind of beasts, birds, serpents, things in the sea is tamed and has been tamed of mankind".
Or animals can be tamed by men. I mean, you don't have to be born again to train a horse, probably help, but it was certainly would, but that's not what he's talking about, see. "But the tongue can no man tame with natural power". Of course, you can tame the tongue, but you cannot tame it with natural power. "It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing, my brother, and these things ought not to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter"? Of course not. "Can the fig tree, my brethren, and bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs. And so no fountain, both yield, saltwater and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good manner of life or his works let him show out of his life".
That word, conversation actually means manner of life. Let's put it like this. "Let him show his life of faith with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter, envying and strife in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. Keep your mouth shut. This wisdom descends not from above, It is earthly. It is of the five physical senses. It is devilish for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above". Now, Luke 11:49, Jesus called the written word, "The wisdom of God".
So let's put it this way, "But the word of God that is from above is pure. It's peaceable. It's gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy". Now, what does that mean, "Without hypocrisy"? Well, praise God. I see it in the Word, "By His stripes, you were healed". And I say, I'm healed, glory to God. You know with sweat running off my brow, coughing and sneezing. And I don't care why cancer, whatever, I'm healed. "Why you're not healed? I can see you're sick". No, no, I am what the Word says I am because God's Word is, amen. God's Word is healing. God's Word is salvation. God's Word is, hallelujah.
Now then, go with me please to the Book of Luke. And we'll read this in this order, Luke 9. We'll begin reading with the 37th verse. Now, this occurred just as Jesus, James and John were coming down from what we call the Mount of Transfiguration, where Elijah and Moses talked with Jesus about His death and so forth. They came down from the mountain, Luke 9:37. "And it came to pass that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met Him. And behold a man of the company cried out saying, 'Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son for he is mine only child'. And, lo, a spirit takes him and he suddenly cries out. And it tears him that he foams again and bruising him hardly departs from him. But I sought your disciples to cast him out and they could not. And Jesus answering said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you? Bring your son here'. As he was yet coming, the devil threw him down and tear him".
Now this is from the New Living. "The devil knocked him down and threw him into a violent convulsion. He knocked him down and threw him into a violent convulsion. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child and delivered him again to his father. They were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered everyone at all the things which Jesus did, He said to his disciples, 'Let these sayings sink down into your ears for the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men'. But they understood not His sayings. And it was hidden from them and they perceived it not. And they feared to ask Him anything. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be the greatest". Look that word up, that reasoning, reasoning. Look it up for yourself in the Greek, "arguing", they were arguing with one another.
Now then let's go to Mark 9. It's the same Mark 9:14. It's the same story, but we see more detail in Mark, and then we'll see more detail again in the book of Matthew. Mark 9:14. "And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him. And He asked the scribes, 'What question ye with them?'" These are not your disciples, they're mine. What do you want? What do you question them about? "And one of the multitude answered, scribes didn't, but one of the multitudes answered, 'Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit'".
So now we know that this child is dumb. "He hath a dumb spirit". "And wheresoever he takes him, he throws him into a violent convulsion and he foams and he gnashes with his teeth and pines away. Then I speak to thy disciples that they should cast him out and they could not. He answered Him and sayeth, 'O, faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring Him here to me'. They brought him to Him. And when he saw him straightway, the spirit tore him and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, 'How long has ago since he came unto him?' And he said, 'of a child. And oftentimes he has cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us'. And Jesus said, 'If you can believe all things are possible to him that believes'. And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief'".
It would have been better had he said, "Forgive me for my unbelief". "When Jesus saw the people running together, he rebuked the foul spirit saying unto him, 'You dumb and deaf spirit'". So he is a deaf mute. "'You dumb and deaf spirit. I charge you, come out of him and enter no more into him'. And the spirit cried and rent him sore and came out of him. And he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose. And when He was come into the house". So they went back then to Capernaum. This was later in the house, in Jesus' home there in Capernaum. "His disciples asked him privately, 'Why could we not cast him out?' And He said, unto them, 'This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting'".
Now, Matthew 17 begin reading with the 14th verse. "When they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man kneeling down to Him and saying, 'Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatic and sore vexed. And oftimes he falls into the fire and oft into the water. And I brought him to your disciples and they couldn't cure him'. Jesus answered and said 'Faithless and perverse generation. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to me'. Jesus rebuked the devil. And he departed out of him. And the child was cured from that hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart". So, now we know from Mark that they were back in Jesus' home, there in Capernaum. "And said, 'Why could not we cast him out?'"
Now, let's stop right there. Just hold your place there. And look at the 10th chapter of Matthew, just go back. Matthew chapter 10:1. "When He had called unto Him, His 12 disciples, He gave them power or He gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out. And to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease". So they had the authority to do it, right? And now let's look at Luke 10 and keep holding your place there in Matthew, look at Luke chapter 10, Verse 1, "And after these things, the Lord appointed other 70 also and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, wherever He, himself would come". Now look at the 17th verse. "And the 70 returned again with joy saying, 'Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through your name'". So, there was no question about whether or not they had the authority to get this done. Just because you have the authority to do it, doesn't mean you can do it. Number one, you can't do it without faith. Faith works by love.