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Watch 2022-2023 online sermons » Kenneth Copeland » Kenneth Copeland - Christmas Beyond the Tradition

Kenneth Copeland - Christmas Beyond the Tradition


Kenneth Copeland - Christmas Beyond the Tradition
TOPICS: Christmas

Kenneth: Hello, everybody and Merry Christmas today. You know, the bells are ringing all over the world and celebrating Christmas day.

Gloria: Praise God.

Kenneth: And, I'm not talking about the world. I'm talking about born again, people that love God and for the most part, really know very little about it and have the idea that we know everything about it. But the more I find out about it, the more I've realized how little I knew about it all along, because we just take what we've seen traditionally and really don't pay attention to it much. And the nativity scene, which I really love, but it's a composite. The Wise Men were not there, they came after Jesus was about two years old, but in fact, we read the scripture of that yesterday and the day before and it didn't say they were three, they represent the three gifts but those gifts, whoa gold and then the frankincense and the myrrh back there then was worth as much, maybe more than the gold was.

Gloria: Is that right?

Kenneth: So God financed that trip to Egypt, when he told him, you get out of here, Herod is trying to kill him. So it doesn't say how long they were in Egypt, but they had more than enough stay however long they needed to.

Gloria: More than enough.

Kenneth: And he's the God of more than enough.

Gloria: He is.

Kenneth: He said to Abraham, "I am El Shaddai". And to King James, "I am the Almighty God". El Shaddai is the God, that's more than enough. I mean, that's what God announced Himself, as the God that's more than enough. So Jesus had more than enough, however long it took to stay in Egypt they had more than enough to do it. Praise God.

Gloria: Praise God.

Kenneth: So, now...

Gloria: He's still that way...

Kenneth: ...I'd like to go back over and review some of the things that we've learned. Why was Jesus born in a manger? Can you imagine wrapping your son in swaddling cloth to protect his skin from the hay and placing him in a feed trough as a makeshift cradle? Well, yes, Brother Copeland I mean, it was in a barn, no it wasn't, no, it wasn't.

Gloria: Is that a trick question?

Kenneth: Yes.

Kellie: You already know the answer.

Kenneth: I know the answer, but I didn't all the time. Just learning these things recently and it just absolutely thrilled me beyond words at the timing of God, and the absolute accurateness of everything. I mean, this woman was nine months pregnant and had to ride a donkey and walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Oh, well it must have been, you know, a few miles. No, it wasn't a few miles, at the least it was 60, but there are those that say it was up to 90 miles. They were on the road for days, at least 20 to 25 days.

Gloria: Wow.

Kenneth: That's the reason there was no room at the inn, in the natural, everybody got there before they did, because they took days and I mean she's nine months pregnant and just having to take it so easy, so easy to get there. And Joseph is so loving with her and he's taking care of her and it wasn't because they were poor, Joseph was, hey, you don't tax poor people. Come on, they had to go. So, all the timing, because it had already been prophesied in more than one place, that Bethlehem was the place he was to be born. Micah, Isaiah and Isaiah said, "It's a Virgin, that will give birth there". So, all of it had already been spoken. The Word of God, Word, the honor of God, these are blood covenants and when God said them, of course he can't lie but the important thing about it is when He gave His Word, He had to bring it to pass because blood was involved. There was blood between God and Abraham, blood between he changed his name to Abraham. Blood was involved and now we're in preparation for the Lamb of God to be slain...

Gloria: For the sins of the world.

Kenneth: Yes. A ransom for all...

Gloria: Praise God.

Kenneth: ...to be testified of in due time. So, all of this plan is perfect through out all the ages. And those swaddling clothes, what are they? Well, this manger, well, let me read this. Many do not realize that Micah further prophesied that Kingship would come to the daughter of Jerusalem at Migdal Eder. As for you oh watch tower of the flock Hebrew, Migdal Eder, watch tower. Stronghold of the daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you. Kingship will come to the daughter of Jerusalem. Migdal Eder was a watch tower located in the Northern part of Bethlehem built to protect the temple flocks. This is just, breathtaking.

Gloria: Right.

Kenneth: So during lambing season, the sheep were brought there from the fields as the lower level functioned as the birthing room for sacrificial lamb. This thing was built for this purpose, the sacrificial lambs, these were Levitical shepherds. They were watching over those flocks, they were guarding those flock. David was that kind of shepherd and he fought animals with his bare hands it was 'cause of power God had given on him. That's a type. That's exactly what those shepherds were doing. They're guarding, these are the temple lambs, they have to be perfect and after they assisted, the mother sheep, they assisted her in giving birth. This was and gave birth to that little lamb and then they wrapped him in swaddling clothes to protect them, because they would take the little lamb and absolute, perfect brand new clean straw in the little feed trough, a little manger.

Gloria: Hmmm...

Kenneth: That's what the manger was. And, but those little lambs, you know, little lambs are not like people I mean, they wanna get up here and a little bit, but they wrapped them up so that sticky straw couldn't stick their little bodies and they couldn't thresh around. And so she wrapped him in swaddling clothes of a little lamb, ain't that precious? And that's what the swaddling clothes were to protect from the straw, sticking him and to protect his little body so he didn't thresh around, he just lay there and oh, it's just precious. It's such a precious story.

Gloria: Praise God.

Kenneth: But now I got this in my spirit and I can't prove they did, you can't prove they didn't. So she was not alone. Not only was Joseph there, but it's obvious to me that the shepherds that were there or somebody was helping them besides the angels.

Kellie: You know what? They were just as sent as the Wise Men, 'cause the angel came to them...

Kenneth: Yes they were.

Kellie: ...and told them,

Kenneth: And they went there

Kellie: And they went there to do a job.

Kenneth: Yes they did.

Kellie: We all have an assignment.

Kenneth: They went there...

Kellie: So they were sent.

Kenneth: ...they went there to help take care of this. They helped take care of her just exactly like they help take care of the mother sheep that gave birth to that lamb. They were there to help, the angels were there to protect.

Gloria: Yeah.

Kenneth: So and like the nativity scene is a composite it shows all that, but this thing just is so much bigger than that. Now, the top part of it was the tower. It was a watch tower. That's where those shepherds, now, this is in the same area where David watched the sheep of his dad. I mean it's right there. Where was David from? Duh, Bethlehem? So it was all right there together. [Gloria] It was a plan.

Kenneth: It was a plan, yes and so David was supposed to be there. So anyway and he was supposed to be a shepherd. So then now, Jesus, now he's no longer the lamb, he's the great shepherd. He's the great shepherd. He is the one that leads us beside still waters.

Kellie: Yes, that's right.

Kenneth: And feeds us in green pastures to restore our soul. [Gloria] Praise God.

Kenneth: And even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil because our shepherd is with us. Ain't that wonderful? I mean it's just, ooh.

Kellie: Can I say something I'm seeing here?

Kenneth: Please do.

Kellie: You know, God in His word, the Father, I mean the Father, Son and Holy spirit, they were a team in all of this. When they said, "Let us make man in our image". It was a covenant statement of agreement that they would all do their part to make us in His image. So they're a team and all this and when He says He never does anything for just random reasons.

Kenneth: No, no, no.

Kellie: So everything that was a pattern is there also, to show us now what's happening 'cause when His presence came, it's coming now, it's so we look back at how His presence came then and the purpose and the types are to tell us something now and we don't see it until He takes the seal off of it and takes the wrapper off of it. I mean that's why we're like, wait, what? That's been there? Well, God with us, Emmanuel, God with us is such a heavy statement for them to make to them. This God is now with us and dad talking and mom talking about what was and what is, what we're looking at right now, I'm learning that it's His presence, His, the Passion says His wrap around presence...

Kenneth: Oh that's good.

Kellie: ...that it's His presence that protects us from sin, not just the sin like, of course when we got born again, we were free from sin, but there's that thing you did and then there's that lie that can exist in your mind, your will and your emotions that makes you do that thing again, even though you know, Jesus, you know, the sin...

Kenneth: The condemnation.

Kellie: Yeah, the root of bitterness, the root of unforgiveness that's some of the things that, the Word and His presence clean you from. But when He talks about those things in the Word, He always refers to it as something of a wooden nature, wood, hay, straw, stubble, beam, splinter, sycamore tree, good tree, bad tree. It's always referred to like that. So if you take the manger and they wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, we are wrapped in the Lamb. We are wrapped in Jesus. We are wrapped in His presence and that's why we are not harmed. He wants that to be so real to us that we are not harmed, admits the sin...

Kenneth: Oh, that's good.

Kellie: ...the unforgiveness that tries to come, the bitterness that tries to come.

Kenneth: You don't thresh around in it.

Kellie: You don't thresh, no we rest in Him and then even that picture of Him in a manger, He told the disciples, drink all of me, eat all of me. You do this in a manger, eating trough. So we're both one with Him and we eat of Him and the more we eat of Him, the more one with Him we are. And it's all pictured right there in that, I mean we have the nativity right here and we've been staring at the truth for our whole lives.

Kenneth: Could that, could our swaddling clothes now be the full armor of God?

Kellie: We're clothed in Him.

Kenneth: We're clothed in His armor.

Gloria: Praise God.

Kenneth: And not only that, but the scripture tells us that we wear the armor of light. And not only that, but to be clothed with humility. Now, what is humility? Real Bible humility is not to degrade yourself. Real Bible humility is to humble yourself, not beat yourself up, not to condemn yourself, but humble yourself to His authority.

Kellie: Real Bible humility raises Him up...

Kenneth: Oh, yes.

Kellie: ...not put you down 'cause I'm raised up with Him if I'm yielded.

Kenneth: Now, what did Peter say about it in the fifth chapter of first Peter? He said, "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, casting all your cares over on him".

Kellie: He's your shepherd.

Kenneth: He's the shepherd.

Kellie: It just goes round and round and round.

Kenneth: It always comes back.

Kellie: It always goes back.

Kenneth: Oh, isn't it wonderful?

Gloria: Praise God.

Kellie: Yeah.

Kenneth: Thank you Jesus.

Kellie: Oh, he's so good. And it's not about yesterday.

Kenneth: No, no.

Kellie: Christmas is about today.

Kenneth: It's never been about yesterday.

Kellie: God with us, God one with us.

Kenneth: Because this Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is love. He has faith, but He is love. The Father Himself, Jesus and the Father are one, but they are not the same. Jesus is a man. The Father is a spirit and the Holy Spirit, is in an earthly ministry where Jesus used to be in an earthly ministry. He said, I need to leave here. Now, this was in the covenant supper, the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th chapters of John were all in that room. So, all of that was going on in there and He's telling them things that are about to take place in a few hours here, 'course they didn't know that, but a new covenant is being born and their major part of their lives are gonna be completely reinvented.

Gloria: A new way.

Kenneth: A new way of life. And He's talking about all of this and He said, I need to leave because if I don't leave the comforter, the advocate, standby, teacher, can't come.

Kellie: There's one piece of this that is so critical test today. He says in there and all of that he's saying, I mean, the Bible talks about us being a church, He's come for a church without spot or wrinkle. There's some sort of reckoning that has to happen we're not there yet in the natural, but when He comes, He's coming through us, He said that we would be so one that the world would know that He loved them. So they're gonna see Him, He has His earthly ministry now, He's coming through us, ministering to people, living on people through us.

Kenneth: Kellie, honestly I'm convinced. Gloria, I've been convinced to this long time that until we came along and still, but until the Christians came, the Jews, the most persecuted people in the history of mankind, it was the only nation to ever be completely lost and rebuilt. That was the only nation that came out of World War two. That's what World War one and World War two were fought about. Allenby opened up Jerusalem and the Jews wouldn't go home. So, here it came again. But anyway, then when the born again, Holy Spirit baptized, tongue-talking, Christian that believed in a full gospel spirit, soul, body, financially, that the believer and the body of Christ, should be wealthy enough to get this job done at any cost. Just get it done. Well, Jesus said that. He said, "Anyone who gives for my sake and the gospel, shall receive houses, lands and so forth with an eternal life, and at a hundred full return". But He said "with persecution, it's coming". Well yeah, that's the most dangerous thing to the devil is a born again, Holy Spirit baptized, faith walking with money enough to do what they need to do. And you just take control of his operation, and he hates it. We're the most dangerous things on this earth. And that's the reason 2021 will be the year of the local church. The local church is the most powerful thing that has ever been put on this planet anywhere in the world. And it's the local Christians in churches around the world, that's who gets burned first.

Gloria: That's who's got the power.

Kenneth: That's who has the power. And that's the most dangerous bunch they're dangerous right here in the United States. That's the reason all the killing and the mobbing and all of that. That's what it's all about. This is the most dangerous nation to the devil on the face of this planet. It still preaches more gospel and all the rest of them put together. Amen.

Gloria: That's right.

Kenneth: That's what these saying is all about.

Kellie: We need not be disturbed...

Kenneth: No we need.

Kellie: ...'cause He has a plan.

Gloria: What have wars... What basically have wars been fought over? Territory. Now, the believers are supposed to take the authority and see to it that the will of God is done.

Kenneth: That's right.

Gloria: Preach it, teach it, act on it, talk it.

Kenneth: Well that's Jesus said, right before he ascended. He said, "All authority has been given unto me, both in heaven and earth".

Gloria: Therefore?

Kenneth: Therefore you go into all the earth.

Gloria: Yeah.

Kenneth: He, gave us power of attorney with His name. And He said it like this in the last chapter of the book of Mark, "Go into all the world and preach this gospel to every creature". And it's really simple. Those that believe it, they'll be saved, those that don't, won't.

Gloria: That's right.

Kenneth: And they'll lay hands on the sick and they'll recover, they'll cast out devils, they'll speak with new tongues. It's not hard to figure it out, but that He set the whole church against sickness, disease and poverty in the curse of the law.

Gloria: The things you just mentioned, Oh, think about, those are the things the church has been persecuted for.

Kenneth: Yes, it is.

Gloria: The very thing...

Kenneth: You know, nobody's said anything about us much?

Gloria: No.

Kenneth: I started preaching faith and they, you know, kind of turned their nose up at us. But when I started talking about not having to go in debt, and when I started talking about the prosperity... Oh, it's a prosperity gospel. Yeah. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, "I have been anointed to preach the gospel to the poor". Well, the gospel to the poor is not to be poor anymore.

Gloria: That's right. In any way.

Kenneth: In any form of fashions, spirit, soul, body, financially, socially, whatever it is.

Gloria: You know, when the church began...

Kenneth: We're out of time.

Gloria: ...to preach prosperity, you'd have thought people had been glad to hear it, but they wanted to fuss about it.

Kenneth: A whole lot of them were.

Gloria: Yeah. Some of them were.

Kenneth: Merry Christmas, everybody. We love you and we'll be back in just a moment.
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