Kenneth Copeland - The Goodness of God Is Life More Abundantly
Now listen to what he said here. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High, yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, You will be brought down to the place of the dead, to the lowest part of the pit". From that, we can see at some time or other, Lucifer was on this earth. And if you go back to Ezekiel and you read all those accounts, you will find phrases like you are the one that... and I'm just paraphrasing, you are the one that caused everything to dry up. Noah's flood was the second flood. The earth was covered with water. Well something flooded it. Does that stir you up like it stirs me up? Yeah. Amen.
Now, do you remember that Jesus said about Judas, actually his name was Judah. Judah Iscariot. And Jesus said it would have been better for him had he not been born. Jesus gave him every opportunity to repent and he didn't do it. Now that night, what's been called The Last Supper, well, that was a covenant meal. It was where we get our word communion. On the night that He was betrayed He took bread. Where the English-speaking people lost sight of covenant. Now the King James version of the Bible in certain areas, and this is one of them that I really do like about it, it's old enough to remember certain things and it talks about Abraham being the friend of God and it capitalized the word friend, and that's covenant correct.
There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. That friend is someone that there is blood covenant between the two. And Abraham became the capital letter friend of God. Became His friend. We use friendship like it really doesn't mean what it... and there's nothing wrong with that, understand. But when you begin to study covenants of blood, then a good buddy, then there's blood entered into, we become more than just buddies. We become unbreakable friends for life. We become brothers. You see where I'm going with it?
Now, Jesus even in the garden, even at the last minute He called him friend. He knew that, every one of them knew what that meant. He could have fallen on His feet right then but he didn't do it. The crucifixion of Jesus, that particular Sabbath was a high Sabbath. The only one that mentions it is John. It didn't start on Friday, it started on Wednesday. Three days and three nights. Let's figure it out, it works. That's the only way it works. Well I'm not trying to mess up traditions and all that, that's not my business, but I'm entering into these areas for a reason. People, when Jesus said, "This day you will be with me in paradise". And people try to take this day... Sweetheart, only seconds from that He stepped off into the spirit and so did that thief. Time didn't mean anything. Because in the Spirit, I had the Lord say this to me one time, to get over to the smallness of my brain, the bigness of the Spirit.
I was struggling with some of these things. And He said so plainly to me, He said, "Kenneth". Now listen to how He said this, "In the Spirit I can put the state of Texas in your closet". What do He mean by that? He meant that I could walk through the door of my closet and suddenly I could see the whole state of Texas. It wasn't in my closet, it's in the Spirit. That really did help me. I mean it just... And I said, "Oh yes, Sir". If He just keeps messing with me, I finally get there. And once the two of them stepped off out into the Spirit that man, that thief, that day, once they stepped into the Spirit, that thief went right into the bosom of Abraham and Jesus went right into hell.
Now Judas didn't have to do this. He went out and hung himself and he hung himself on a tree that wouldn't hold him up and fell off of a cliff and burst him open. The minute he burst open, he went straight to hell. And then when Jesus walked in there... And Judas is still thinking about that tonight. He's thinking about every second that he could have repented, he's thinking about everything he could have said, he's thinking about... and he's still thinking about it tonight and he will continue to think about it until he is in the lake of fire slung off into eternity, and throughout eternity he'll just keep thinking about that. And he'll keep seeing Him on the cross and he'll keep hearing Him call him friend. Hell is hell. And a good God's Son went there so that we don't have to go. Because He's so good.
I have always, since the very beginning of our, Gloria and my time, in the ministry, that this is the dividing line of the two covenants. And this is the dividing line, this solves the question. Now that we know that there is absolutely zero good in Satan and there's zero bad in God. Now be very aware. Jesus did not waste words. Be very, very aware how you quote this 10th verse. Let's look at it. Verse 10, the thief. Say thief. I hear a lot of people say the thief cometh not but for to kill and to steal. No, no, no. It didn't say the killer comes. Don't turn here with me, I'm just going to just read something. "The sower sows the word. These are they by the way side where the word is sown, but when they've heard, Satan comes immediately" to what? Take away the word that was sown in their heart. He comes to steal the Word. He comes to steal the Word. Are we settled with that? He comes to steal the Word.
So now listen to what he said. "The thief cometh not but for to steal. If he can steal the word, then he can kill and to destroy". Be very aware of that and make certain, quote it enough to yourself, the thief comes to steal. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief comes to steal. I love what Gloria has said about that for so many years. He has to steal, he doesn't have anything. He doesn't own anything. He has to steal it. And there are far too many people that will let him have it, because they don't have any Word in them to start with. And so he would do his best to blame God for everything that's the matter and wrong with you and me. I'm not falling for that. Uh-huh. No, no. I've known God a long time and I've known the devil a long time, and he's never done anything good for me. Glory to God.
Now notice this. Now, you're ready to shout? What was it Brother Hagin used to say? You've got to shout with clothes on? "The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly". Now hang on, I'm going to go to that Classified, the Amplified with that. My goodness, I love this. It is amazing. Open your iPads, who would have thought? You know, I've said this before, I cannot imagine my great, great, great grandchildren one of these days coming down from there and saying, "I found Paw-Paw's iPad". That ain't going to happen. They find that book I've marked up all over the place and scribbled in it until you can hardly read it anymore. That's a different deal. Anyway, somebody said you old school. Well, yeah, I'm old and I went to school, thank you very much. I didn't stay very long, but I went. Oh glory to God.
Okay. Okay, John 10 and I'm going to do it like that. "The thief comes only in order to steal and to kill and destroy". Listen to this, "I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows". He comes to steal it and Jesus came that it will overflow. Have life. Life until it overflows. And I like what the Amplified says about "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things right". He knows. If He said seek first the kingdom, why are you seeking something else first? Let's seek something good. Somebody that's good. Glory. "I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd," He said. I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd. I'm the good shepherd. "I am the good shepherd," He said. I'm not a bad shepherd. Glory to God. I am the good shepherd. I am the good shepherd.
"I am the good shepherd and I know and recognize my own and my own know and recognize me. Even as truly as the Father knows me, I also know the Father and I'm giving my very own life and laying it down on behalf of the sheep. I have other sheep besides these and they're not of this fold. I must bring and impel those also; and they will listen to my voice and heed my call, and they will become one flock under one shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves me because I lay down my own life to take it back again". Now that's goodness. That's goodness. Hallelujah. Then Acts Chapter 10. How God who is so good. Read that again. "How God who is so good anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing".
Healing is good. Healing is good for God was with Him. But Brother Copeland, that was Jesus. No it wasn't, it was God. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, healing power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of Mr. Bad. He's all bad and God is all good and sickness is bad and healing is good. Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Thank You. For God who is so good was with Him. He is just so good, just so good. God is so good. And the more that really becomes a revelation and a realization inside your spirit and gets over to your mind, He is so good. He is so good. He is so good.