Leon Fontaine - A Mind at Peace
Today, I want to talk about something that, ho boy if I can just unlock this in you. I want to talk about righteousness. Righteousness. It's a beautiful Bible word, and it literally just means in right-standing with God. In right-standing with God. So, righteousness, is just in right-standing with God. Why is that so important? And I want to show you. If you can get this message into your heart today, I promise you, your relationship with God is going to change, especially in the area of receiving His power. And walking in the blessing of God. Because so many Christians. You know, I've talked so much about this, but they think prayer is begging and bugging God. God where are you? Please heal my child. Please, help me with this business problem. Protect me as my son goes into the army. Protect my daughter as she's an RCMP officer.
Whatever we're praying for, it's like we're begging this big, bad God to do something. And I hope I can stir God up and He'll do something for me. And it's so backwards. It's not even Bible. Yet that's where the church has gone. And the world watches us as we serve Jesus, and their eyes get this big and go, I don't even believe in a God like that. One of our writers whose no longer alive, but an elderly man who was an atheist. And I believe he wrote for one of the Toronto newspapers said, the reason I do not believe in the Christian God, is because they say He's got the whole world in His hands, and they say He's a God of love. And he says, those two thoughts will never marry when it comes to this planet. With millions of children starving, with rapes and murders going on, and you're saying He's got the whole world in His hands. He's the lousiest manager I've ever seen.
I remember reading that article, and recognizing he's absolutely right. And that, decades ago, started me on a journey of saying God, how does this word work? Why are Christians, and why is Christianity looked at and people going are you crazy? Like, is your God that deaf or is He that mean, or is He that angry? And so I'm going to share today, something with you that, it's, I'm going to dive down deep into some stuff but I'm going to try to make it as simple as I can because Holy Spirit's job is to teach you.
Now in the Old Testament, there was something called the anointing. The anointing was if we were, if I was going to anoint someone and let's say I was prophet Samuel. So the prophet, the king, and the high priest. There was only three offices that God's presence would come upon. And to anoint someone meant to pour oil on them. So prophet Samuel would come to Jesse's house, God said there's a new king. And so as the sons went by, David knelt before Samuel, he took oil, and he poured it on his head. It ran down his face, and the second that happened, the presence of God came upon David to be king. And he wasn't king yet, it was years before he took the kingship of Israel. But that anointing to be king was upon him. When God would call a prophet, a prophet's job was to bring direction to the king, and to the country. And he was anointed.
And that, so he would give direction to the prophet, to the king, he would give an anointing to rule and not be stressed, and then to the high priest who was the one who back then they would sacrifice a sheep. And the reason for that was, the judgment that was to come upon Israel for its sins, God allowed it to be diverted to an animal. And that animal would give its life as a sacrifice, and so the blessing of God would continue to come upon Israel in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus died on the cross, and He paid for the sins of all of mankind. Now here's what's amazing. In the New Testament, it's no longer just three offices, prophet, king, and priest, that are anointed. But every person who gives their life to Jesus has the presence of God within them, and if they will believe, something unique is upon the New Testament or this new agreement.
Hebrews says that the agreement that we have in the New Testament, is far superior to what David and Samuel, and all the, this is far superior. And that every individual person, God has a plan for their lives. In the Old Testament, in any given book, three people would have God directing them and helping them, and you hear nothing about anybody else but to follow them. Today, there are many people who will go to churches where they want someone to give them a word. They're looking for a New Testament prophet to give them direction. The Bible says that God will guide you. And He'll do it through what's called the inner witness. That within you, you'll know this is the direction to take with this job. If you're single, you know, this is not the person that I should date or marry. You'll just know it. There is this, like, this green light red light. It's kind of a gut feeling that's deep on the inside. Because God's going to guide every one of us.
Jesus said in John 10, my sheep hear my voice. Now I've never heard an audible voice that goes Leon, do not take this person as an employee. Leon, you're the next pastor of Springs Church. I've never heard an audible voice. But yet I sense deep within here, as I begin to make decisions, a direction from God that is either going to ooh, I don't feel good about that. Or I feel really good about that. And the Bible says, that peace is the umpire of our lives. Now in the first service, I went through an entire thirty minutes on how to be clearly directed by God. And so pick up that copy, I have to move on to the second thing I want to talk about today. And that will guide you with how I normally hear from God. Yes I know He gives dreams, and visions, and angels can appear. But that's the rarity. It rarely happened to Peter or Paul, rarely happened to Jesus. We have an example once or twice. The rest they were all led by the Holy Spirit on the inside, prompting them and giving them direction. And it's so easy once you understand how to do that.
Today, I need to explain to you what faith-righteousness is. In the Old Testament, you had to live right. Before the blessing of God would be upon your life. And when you lived wrong, bad things happened. But because Jesus died on the cross, and it says that He took your life and my life, and He died for our sins. He died for our low self-worth and our mistakes. And He died for it all, and then took the curse of the law that goes with it, so that we could have His life. So today, for you to be in right-standing with God, is to be called righteousness. When you are righteous, grace, which is God's unearned favour, is on your life. Completely on your life. But only to the degree that you believe it. Okay, I'm cutting through about 102 hours of doctrinal teaching to give you one-liner statements that you can check out on your own in the Bible.
So, in the New Testament, you no longer need to stir up an anointing, stronger and stronger and stronger to break through the yolk. So preachers will scream, spit, jump, they'll have altar services where they'll try as hard as they can to get the anointing. No. You are anointed because Jesus is within you. If you've given your life to Jesus, He is within you. And, He is the Anointed One. He has all of the anointings, to be a king, to be a priest, to be a prophet and hear from God, that was separated in the Old Testament, all came together in one. And if you've given your life to Jesus, you will always hear and sense direction from God. You will have the strength to rise up and live, and lead your life like an Old Testament king could. Every promise that David, that's upon you. You'll have literally, that high priest's ability to get and walk into the temple, and stand before God on behalf of the people. You have a ministry to pray for people, and for others, and God will honor you as you move in to help the other people in your life.
Now, it's just an astounding thing when you see the difference from the old to the new. This New Testament stuff is so amazing, the Bible says the prophets of old had a glimpse of the day that after Jesus would die for the human race, what it would be like to be a believer. But today, we have teaching, and preaching, that still limits people. And, some people believe, have a cessation doctrine, God's not doing any more miracles, don't look for signs and wonders, God doesn't heal, God's not going to do a miracle and save your company or your marriage. And, nothing could be further from the truth. But there is a different way that it comes to us. And if you don't get this, you will be praying and begging and pleading for miracles in your life, because you don't understand faith-righteousness, and grace.
Alright. Now, the word 'grace' means God's unearned favour. Well, what would God's unearned favour be? It is all of His ability, because you are His child. It is everything that Jesus has. You have. The Bible says that as Jesus is, so are we in this world. So, how do you as a believer get healed? How do you as a believer have blessing to send your kids to school and pay your bills? And how do you get, it's, do we have to earn it and pray and be good enough? The Bible actually says that now, righteousness is a gift. Now, if, or no. When you recognize, I gave my life to Jesus. And I'm in right-standing with God. That's all it takes. You choosing. Jesus I choose You. Come into my heart. I want to follow You. That doesn't make you perfect, that doesn't mean that today everything you do will be perfect. But you are falling, you are literally just choosing Jesus. You've chosen Him to come into your, and you begin this journey.
As you walk this journey as a Christian, you must begin to depend on His grace, rather than you being good enough for God to do something for you. Which is what religion and most of the Protestant denominations as well as the Roman Catholics and even Eastern Orthodox, you pick any of these denominations, and you'll find that there is a certain amount of you've got to be good enough before God will do something for you. And any time you are standing in the midst of an attack, of sickness, an attack of poverty, an attack of whatever. You'll notice the attack on your mind is why would God help you? Who you? You haven't been good enough, you were mean to that person on the highway. You did this when you were younger. You know, and all this, he attacks your mind to disqualify you from a miracle. That attack, is attacking your righteousness. Are you righteous?
Now, we always think in the modern English language that to be righteous means you're perfect. It doesn't mean that. It just means that because you were born again, that you are. I have five kids. And I love them, I think they're amazing. I think they rock. And they are Fontaine's because they were born Fontaine's. Lots of times they didn't act like Fontaine's. But they still ate at my table. Lots of times, their behaviour wasn't that great this week, I still fed them. I still gave them a bed, I still hugged them and loved them, because they weren't Fontaine's because they had earned it. They were Fontaine's by birth. Which is why the term, the Bible uses, is born-again. You're going to stop, you know, people joke about that term. That's the most gorgeous, precious, beautiful term you could ever imagine. Because for you to be born into God's family by accepting Jesus as your Saviour, means that you are a child of God, not by earning it but by just being born into it. It's a free gift.
Every one of my kids, if you know, if they value the fact they're a Fontaine would have to say I didn't get a chance to choose the Fontaine's, it was just a gift given to me. So every person here, who has given your life to Jesus Christ, okay, you are in God's family. The term that you are, is you are in right-standing before God. You are righteous. Now why is this so important? Because every time in the Old Testament, that someone was righteous, they always got their miracle. Always. Always, always, always, always. And so, this gift of righteousness, I would call that faith-righteousness. Until you begin to believe, I'm in right-standing with God, that's righteousness. And then you must believe in grace. Grace is God's undeserved favour. Okay.
So my kids at the supper table. They didn't sit there and I didn't go, okay Eden, Danielle, Tamara, Michala, Zach. What did you do today? We're going to see if you earned supper. Okay, you didn't do enough. Child number one. Child number three, close. Child number four, good job, you can have supper. And so, none of them even think that way. Even if I had to deal with them on a situation and correct them and discipline them, they still sat with me at the supper table. They still were prayed with and hugged and loved when they went to bed. My love was unconditional, Sal and I, and it wasn't, and so God is the same way. When you're in His family, He's not withholding healing, He's not withholding prosperity. He's not withholding anything. It is freely yours. Grace means it's freely yours.
But here's the thing. A number of times Jesus said according to your faith, so be it done to you. You must believe, when you give your life to Christ, that you're righteous. And if you don't believe that, you will struggle with everything God is trying to do in your life. You will limit God. You will give Satan access to your thinking, because you do not have the armor of God on in Ephesians 6, which all of it is a revelation of principles of the New Covenant. Now, so, righteousness is a gift, when you give your life to Jesus you're righteous. Once you become righteous, grace flows into your life. Because faith, by grace are you saved, through faith. Grace and faith must come together. You're believing in His grace. Alright?
Now, here's an interesting thing. Let me read you some incredible scriptures of when you're righteous, here's what happens to you. And you might say well why isn't that happening to me? Because you've got to hear it and you've got to begin to believe it. When you begin to believe I'm righteous and God's grace is on my life, this is what many of the promises of the Bible will say about the righteous. Psalms 34:17, the righteous cry, God hears and delivers them out of the their troubles. Who? The righteous. It says, in Psalms 37:17. The arms of the wicked might be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. Whatever's going on in traumas, and earthquakes, and things, and falling buildings or whatever's happening with war. It says, the righteous, He'll hold you up. He'll keep you going.
In Psalms 37:25. It says, I've never seen the righteous forsaken. Or their kids begging bread. The righteous, when you are in right-standing with God, His favour is upon you and your kids. It says in Psalms 37:29, the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell there forever. Who? The righteous. When you are in right-standing with God, His blessing upon your land, upon your kids, is yours. In Psalms 37:39, but the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength in time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He'll deliver them from the wicked, and save them because they trust in Him. When you know you're righteous, you'll never have to worry, will God show up? Is He absent today? Is He too busy to be righteous? Is He will never forsake you. Never leave you. In a time of trouble, He'll be there, and He'll help you, He'll raise you up. He'll look after you.
In Psalms, in Psalms 55:22, it says He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, or to slip or fall. In life, if you think well you know, I didn't make a right decision, no no. He'll never suffer the righteous. He will always be there, even if you make mistakes. He's going to work you into correcting it, into prosperity and blessing. Who? For the righteous. In Psalms 97:11, it says light is sown for the righteousness. Light is like a flashlight. When it's, when you're going through a dark time of your life, and you don't know which way to go, it says the flashlight, or the candle, illuminates your way. Righteous people always have God's direction. Light illuminates the darkness of what path do I take? What decision do I make?
In Psalms 140:13, it says the upright or the righteous, shall always dwell in His presence. Meaning you can always sense the peace of God, the joy of God. This is crucial because for your body to be healthy, it's been designed for you to be at peace. When you are not at peace, sickness comes in. Doctors are saying now that 80-90 percent of all sickness and disease, starts, because there's an anxiety, there's a stress, there's a fear. And things get into your body, and begin to go. I'm not saying it's not real. It's real. It says your mind must be at peace. 3 John 2 says I wish above all things you prosper and be in health, as your soul prospers. You must have the peace of God. It says here that, the upright or the righteous will sense His presence always. This peace, this joy, that when things around you are going wrong. That you do not have to be worried.
In Proverbs 2:6, it says He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. Any time you need wisdom on how to handle something, a relationship, a marriage, a child, a kid, a teenager. You don't know what to do. Wisdom is there. And the Bible says, He'll guide you with His wisdom. Then it says, He is a buckler to them. That's a shield. When everything's going on, it's beyond your ability to handle. If you're righteous before God, the shield will begin to stop all the attacks and the lies of the enemy. And you can sense a peace, that even in the midst of a storm, and lies, and things are happening. All that's going on. If you're righteous, it says, God is your shield. Proverbs 10:25, or Proverbs 10:24 says, that the desire of the righteous shall be granted. When you are righteous before God, the things that you desire that are good and healthy. That it's granted. It's not, well, we're going to vote on it. Angels, what do you think? Should we give Leon this blessing? Or, apostles in heaven hey, we've got a, it's a vote, six against six, sorry Leon, can't have it. No. It says He gives the righteous their desires.
Proverbs 10:25, it says the whirlwind passes, and the wicked is no more. But the righteous is an everlasting foundation. That's the one I would claim if I lived in Kansas, or Oklahoma where there's always tornadoes and things. It says a whirlwind passes and the wicked are no more. But the righteous is an everlasting foundation. Well Leon, I'm in righteous, how come this isn't happening? You must add faith to that. You must believe when the enemy says who do you think you are? Why do you think you deserve this? You don't, but Jesus does. And when you see that you're righteous, this believing in God's grace and His righteousness, brings an incredible favour into your life.
Proverbs 10:30, it says righteous people will always be safe and never shaken. Either God's a liar, or His Word is true. Then it says it comes to the wicked instead.
Proverbs 11:21, the seat of the righteous shall be delivered. I pray this over my kids. That I've raised them,. They're my children. And I'm believing that wherever they go, whatever they do. Even in their ignorance or their dumb decisions. My seed, seed means your kids. They'll always be delivered. The presence of God will be upon them, because many times in the Old Testament, God would remember His promise to Abraham. And He would be upon his children. I know that I can be a dad, that I want to just be, if I could, I would have every one of my kids live right beside me in my house so I could just watch over them, and help them, and love them, and encourage them. But I recognize I want them to be Satan's worst nightmare.
When you give your life to Jesus Christ. You're righteous. Because you are born again. You might have been born into the Fontaine home, the Green home, whatever the last name of your place is. But, when you get born-again, you get born into the house of God. Into the kingdom of His dear son. You have now a gift, this gift is you're in right-standing with the Father. And everything is yours. Stop trying to earn it, pray it through, intercede it through, poke holes in the brass skies, or whatever your doctrines have been. And recognize that His grace is sufficient for you.