Kenneth Copeland - Direction Comes From Your Covenant Connection
— Hello everybody I'm Kenneth Copeland. Let's have a word of prayer and we get right into today's Bible lesson. Father we thank you today for the word, the word of the living God, the promises of the Almighty God, the El Shaddai God. And we thank you for it. And we praise you for it in Jesus' name today. And we thank you for all of our partners all over the world. Glory to God. And by faith we say it, we have a million partners. Glory to God Because you promised it and we receive it. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.
— Amen, amen.
— Amen. Glory to God. Before Greg gets back into this. David, the most covenant minded man of the whole first covenant. As a teenage boy, it wasn't what Goliath said that frightened everybody. It was his size.
— Yeah.
— I mean, he's almost 10 feet tall feet, nine feet nine something. He was a monstrous man. But David saw the same thing that they did. He said so what. And then he said to Goliath, "This day, this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand today". I'm gonna kill you today.
— Calling those things.
— Yeah, I'm gonna kill you today. Not next week. I'm gonna kill you today. And he told, Saul, "This uncircumcised"...
— That's covenant.
— Yeah, "this uncircumcised Philistine has no covenant with God. That lion and that bear that I killed with my bare hands had no covenant with God. And so what's the difference? To him there's no difference. I'm gonna kill him. So don't worry about it".
— Amen.
— That's exactly what he said.
— That's right.
— And he said, "I come at you in the name of the Lord of hosts. The name of the angelic armies is of God".
— That's right. That's right. That's exactly right.
— He invoked his covenant that had angels involved in it. And those angels saw David's good with that sling, but...
— They directed it.
— Boy let me tell you what. The only place right there. Only spot and over he went.
— That's right.
— And then he climbed up on him took his short and cut his head off.
— Yeah, 'cause he didn't come at him with a sword.
— That's right.
— He came at him with a sling and some rocks that he picked up in the brook.
— And a covenant. That's what he came at him. He came at him with a word. He said to his brothers, "Is there not a cause"? That word in Hebrew can be translated, Is there not a word? Is nobody standing on the word? And he came at him. His word was his weapon.
— Yes.
— You come at me with this. I'm coming at you with a covenant.
— Yes sir.
— Right.
— Well it's faith and corresponding action.
— That's exactly right.
— He said it because he believed it in his heart and then he killed him.
— Right. And even when after that, they started singing praises about him. Saul has killed his thousands. David, his tens of thousands. Even in that moment, nobody knew the bear and the lion story. He had kept that in his heart. That's the first place he revealed that, when he was proven himself there to the king. Saul was delivered into his hands one night and he didn't kill him.
— He wouldn't do it...
— He said I can't do it 'cause that's covenant. I cannot touch God's anointed.
— That's right.
— And that's, boy that's something we now more than ever the body of Christ needs to know, Do not touch God's anointed. Even if you disagree.
— Yes.
— Don't don't say it. Don't let it come out of your mouth. David said, "I shouldn't have even cut your garment. I shouldn't have allowed that to happen". And that's a point that David understood.
— Greg Brother Hagan, when he had that experience when Jesus by the spirit took him up into heaven.
— Yes, sir.
— And he made the comment when he flew the first time in an airplane, he said "I experienced this already. I have experienced this" because he said "We went through clouds," but He said He told him, Jesus told him. "Now you're gonna have to tell the people that you saw me. And you're gonna have to tell the people that I put my finger in the palm of your hands". And Brother Hagan said something to the effect. "I'll get so much criticism for telling that". And he did.
— Yes he did.
— He said, Jesus eyes just flashed fire. And he said, "Who called you"? He said, "Well you did". "Then you answer to me. They'll stand judgment for criticizing you".
— Yes, sir.
— Now who called me to preach prosperity? Jesus did.
— That's right. And I'm not criticizing.
— So the people that criticize it.
— Yes.
— Had all kinds of harassment out of that. It doesn't bother me. It used to, but the Lord corrected me on that. So it doesn't bother me.
— The persecution's not for you. It's for His sake. Jesus said that.
— That's right. That's right.
— That's what he said. It's 'cause of me.
— So then they will at some time or another, have to, well the fundamental principles of the doctrines of Christ or judgments.
— Yes, sir.
— There's more than one.
— Yes sir. Yes sir. When I was with Brother Hagan last time I was with him on the earth it's 2003. We were pastoring in California. And he was at Ed Defrank's Church.
— Yes
— Marietta. And of course he's in heaven as well. Went up there and was talking to him and somebody asked him a question, went to lunch with him. One of the guys asked him a question, "Brother Hagan, all these ministries that came out from your teaching. You taught them faith. They're all bigger than you now. And of course you were mentioned and others". And I remember he got quiet and he said, "Well, amen". He said, "I've got good seed in the ground". You could not get him to say anything negative...
— Never
— ...about anyone. 'Cause he learned that. He learned that. And that's the principle that David so acutely understood. Man, I shouldn't have even touched his garment. That's the King that I just touched. And I'm telling you, we live in a world where they want to touch the president, and they want to touch this, and we want to speak against Nancy Pelosi or somebody else. And you woke me up to that. No, I need to pray for her. I need to pray for the Democrats. I need to pray for the leaders of my country, so I can live peaceful life in the earth.
— Yes Lord.
— And it's part of this honor, this honor of the covenant. So when you look at this now, getting into this covenant, we talked about how he gave a spoil to everyone or when they recovered. But how did it all happen? If I could show you sir, let's go to chapter 28. I Samuel 28. When it mentions in verse three, that Saul was dead, but if you see here at the top in verse one, "It came to pass, in those days that the Philistines," now this is the people that Goliath was from that David had defeated. The Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, "He's the King. Know thou surely that thou shall go out with me to battle. Thou and thou men". So David's 600 men. And David said to Achish, "Surely thou shall know what thy servant can do". I mean, you know what I can do. You saw what I did to Goliath. He's telling the King of the Philistines. "Well, you know what I can do. You saw it". I cut that man's head off. He says right here, "Therefore, will I make thee a keeper of mine head forever". Now look what the King said. "I'll make you keeper of my head forever". Now Samuel was dead. You get on into here and they're getting ready to go to battle. And over into Chapter 29 of I Samuel 29, the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek and the Israelites pitch by a fountain, which is in Jezreel and the Lords of the Philistines passed on by the hundreds and by the thousands. But David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish. In verse three of chapter 29 then said the princes of the Philistines. "Why are these Hebrews here"? And the King said to the princes of the Philistines, "Is not this David, the servant of Saul the King of Israel, which has been with me all these days"? So David has been living in a Philistine city. He's now partnered with the Philistine King. David reminds him, "Well you saw me. You know what I can do. I'll go to battle with you". But they're about to go to battle with Israel. They're about to go to battle with Saul. This is how far David has gotten with the death of Samuel. He is about to partner with the King of the Philistines that he had killed their champion against Saul. He knows he's gonna to be the King, but he's about to do it by the flesh because he doesn't have a spiritual covering. Saul's dead, I mean Samuel's dead. And so this is Jezreel. This is not to the South, where this Brook of Besor is. This is all the way up in the Jezreel Valley up into Galilee. Jezreel Valley is where the battle of Armageddon is gonna be fought. So he's a long ways away. Now you understand in Chapter 30, I Samuel 30 where we started yesterday, Came to pass when David and his men, verse one came to Ziklag on the third day. Now the Philistine lord said to the King, "Where are these group of Hebrew with us"? What they were afraid of is we're gonna go to battle with Saul and David's gonna to turn on us. When he realizes, wait a minute I'm fighting against, 'cause Jonathan was there. That's my covenant brother. I can't fight against him. And David's gonna turn on this. He said, "So send him away". So they send David away and his men and they leave. And as you read this, you'll see that they left in the morning, the next morning. And here in chapter 29, I Samuel 29:11, So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. So they're up north, they rise in the morning, 'cause they said, we don't want these Hebrews with us. We don't want David with us. 'Cause he's gonna turn on us in this battle. David leaves with his men. It takes them three days to get back to Ziklag. When they get back to Ziklag, it sets up everything that happens that they had been attacked while he was gone. So David is living in the wrong place, making partnerships with the wrong people. And he's in the wrong place and all of his people get hit. His wives are gone. They take everything. They take all the spoil of Ziklag. And now that's when we find David coming across the brook and chasing this. But once again Samuel's dead. There's no spiritual leadership in Israel. So he doesn't know what to do. Now he does some very interesting things. When you get in here in chapter 30, Came to pass when David his men were come to Ziklag on the third day. So they Brother Copeland, they did a three-day March from a battle to get back home to only realize they'd been raided to go into a battle. They're tired. And it says, And Ziklag had been burned with fire and the Amalekite did this. The Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken the women captives that were therein. They slew not any, either great or small but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city and behold it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives. And David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. I mean it crushed him. When they got back from Jezreel everything is gone. These guys have served David. They've fought with David. They've run with David. And this is this is what we get paid? This is the payment we get? Well now they're about to get blessed. And David is realizing the error of his way. It's so bad in this chapter that they're ready to stone David.
— Yeah they wanted to kill him.
— They're gonna turn on him.
— Yes.
— I followed you and look what happened. And so David, what does he do? Well, you'll see what he does greatly in verse six. And David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him because of the soul of all the men were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters. But David encouraged himself in the Lord His God and David said to the priest. He says I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And he brought the ephod to David. Now David, the ephod is what the priest wore. Samuel's not there. There's no priest. There's no one. So he boldly takes the ephod himself and goes before the Lord with it. Now the ephod is that breastplate that the priest would wear, part of his Holy garments, that the Lord was speaking to him. It carried all the tribes of Israel on it. Now this man's about to become the King. And the King he was about ready to fight is the guy he served with his blood brother Jonathan. And he goes before the Lord and puts this on and says, he's wearing all of the tribes. He's of Judah, but he's now "God, I'm coming to you for all of the tribes". I need help. And God speaks to him and He answers him. He says, what shall I do>
— Pursue.
— Pursue. And he says, sic-em as we'd say in Texas, I'm learning Texas talk. He sic 'em. And he goes and he pursues him. But he inquired of the Lord. He encouraged himself in the Lord.
— And you will recover all. And you said you will recover all.
— So that's the word that he's walking on.
— Yeah.
— When he does that.
— His covenant with God, for instance, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness His ways of doing things, and all these things will be added unto you. Now Jesus said that.
— Yes.
— I took that as a covenant.
— It is a covenant.
— It is a covenant. Gloria took that as a covenant at a time when we didn't have anything. And that's when she got born again. She was raised in a church that never mentioned that phrase. She didn't know anything about it. And I was out hunting for a job. I messed up the other one, but my mother was praying all those years for me. Well, of course, then for Gloria. Mother had a covenant with God, my mother, and it was based on I Peter 5. And she said, she threw her Bible down on the kitchen table. She said, "I've prayed for him all I'm going to. If he goes to hell, it's your fault, not mine". Gloria got saved that next week. I got saved two weeks later than that, because she said to the Lord, I certainly do need things. Lord, take my life and do something with it.
— And He did.
— And He did.
— Yes He did.
— So all of these things, when you become mindful of covenant relationship with God. I have a covenant relationship with Gloria. You have a covenant relationship with Michelle.
— Yes I do.
— Amen. Cynthia you have a covenant relationship with Joe and so forth and so on. Well, I am very aware of my covenant with her. It's on my mind all the time.
— Yes, sir.
— Because she's on my mind all the time.
— That's right. And she's the one that changed my life.
— For me I'm looking for ways to bless her.
— Yes absolutely.
— Because I am in a blood covenant with her in the blood of Jesus.
— That's right. Now see, everything that David's done up to this point is by the flesh. I'll work with him to get where I need to be to do this.
— Just figure it out.
— And I'll figure this out. I got him. And when he got to a point that it was so low that because he was gone. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's even living in the wrong place. He's living with the Philistines. Reminds me a lot living with Sodom. Abraham decided, I'm not living there. I'm gonna put you in the place I'm supposed to be. when you're in your right place, this wouldn't have happened. But David did the right thing. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. He went and he inquired of the Lord. I messed up. I need help. What would you have me do? Do we go after him? What do you want me to do? Because his men are...
— My cross-reference there says when they were getting ready to stone him, that they were bitter.
— Yes.
— They had bitterness in their heart toward David.
— Yes. Their hearts had melted in. I mean, they're just, they're wore out. I've served you all of this way and now look what happened. And you can't let your heart get bitter to your covenant partner, your minister, your covering that you have. You cannot allow that bitterness to get in you at all. I mean, you just can't tolerate.
— Well what did Jesus say? Pray for your enemies.
— Yes.
— Pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you.
— That's right.
— Because they are actually coming against Him.
— That's right.
— Yes.
— That's exactly right. Yeah, Jesus in His own ministry, they all walked away from Him at one point. He looked at the 12 and said, what about you guys? Are you staying or you going? I need to know. They said, Where would we go?
— They thought about it.
— Sure they thought about it.
— There's no place for us to go.
— Where would we go? And that's the mentality we got to get that my covenant with Him is so strong. that if you never blessed me another day in my life I'm okay with that. But I know you and I know how you are and you will 'cause that's the way you are.
— That's the way He is.
— And he can't stop me. He can't not bless. 'Cause that's who he is. He is love. And you got to get to a place where though all else turn, I won't turn.
— That's right.
— And I'm gonna be that way.
— Jesus is compassionate. Doesn't just have it. He is compassionate.
— That's right.
— He is mercy or Hesed.
— That's correct.
— That's what He is.
— And it's a new every morning and it endures forever. And he'll never leave you nor forsake you.
— That's right.
— And he didn't with David.
— Never.
— Even though David is partnering with the wrong people, going against his own covenant, God never left him. Spoke to him right there and told him what to do. Here's what you do. Let me get you out of this. And he's been faithful, He's, man, Brother Copeland, He's gotten me out of so many things I put myself into that he had no part of. But He's faithful.
— And we're out of time.
— We're out of time.
— Jeremy, come on son help us here.