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Watch 2022-2023 online sermons » Leon Fontaine » Leon Fontaine - I Give You Jesus

Leon Fontaine - I Give You Jesus


Leon Fontaine - I Give You Jesus

You know, a lot of time when we study the Word of God, we're looking for formulas. I know, I am. If I can just find some steps. If I can just get some directions, with some hints as to how to begin to see results, how to begin to know Him better, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But if you move too far in that direction, you treat your life with God like a formula. Like some kind of a book that's going to be read and obeyed, and you can miss the relationship. You can miss the relationship.

And today, I want to entitle my message, I Give You, Jesus. I Give You, Jesus. When Jesus walked the planet, He would teach the Word of God to people and He would always talk about things like, "The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of God is near you". He would pray with people and when they got a miracle, majority of the time He would say, and the rest of the time Bible scholars say it is understood. He would say, "Go your way. Your faith has made you whole". And even though they were not a born again, born of the spirit person, their spirit man was still dead on the inside, no life from Christ. He had not died yet. The miraculous would come into their lives.

And so often we pattern ourselves after the things that went on and how Jesus did things and I think that's good. But we've got to remember that today with the life that you and I have, that Jesus is within us. And if you want to know the best place to look to get an understanding of how we walk with Jesus, how we talk with Jesus. You look at the book of Acts. The book of Acts is the man that Jesus trained and equipped going out into a world and using the knowledge, the wisdom, using that the things that Jesus taught them. But most of all, and here's where a lot of people miss it, giving people Jesus. Giving them Jesus. One of the first miracles in Acts chapter 3 and Acts chapter 4 is when Peter walks by a gate where there's a crippled man and he asked for money. Peter said, "I don't have money but what I have I give you".

Now, this is a different way to minister to somebody. We don't find those words being used in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What I have I give you. It was just we would talk. They would teach about the kingdom being near. And then as they opened up and believed, their faith would be reckoned and then there's righteousness and the presence of God would touch them. But now, we've got Peter and he says what I have I give you. And he reaches out and he grabs this man's hand and he pulls him to his feet, and he walks, and he jumps, and he leaps. And there's a war later on if you'll study this out these chapters. They're asking him how that this happened. And he talks about a faith that, and now he is zeroing in more than ever before as to how this faith works. He says this faith is in the name of Jesus. Other times the Bible alludes to a faith that rises up in you and I that is like, like it's Christ faith that is within us.

So many people will say to me, "I just don't know if I have the faith". And they keep talking about how much faith. It's not about how much faith you have. It is about what you believe. And here's where people do not push in and understand the life of Jesus is in you. From the book of Acts and on is completely different in the area of prayer and ministry than the transitional books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the old covenant books of the Old Testament. This is as never before. This is a mystery that has been prophesied by prophets of old. This is a prophecy that starts right with God Himself. That this mystery in Colossians chapter 1 where Paul says, "The mystery is Christ within you". Then he goes on to say, "And this power works in me mightily".

He's working mightily but by this power that is within him. And yet today as I train, equip pastors, leaders, preach to our own people, talk with people in the midst of crisis and emergencies. In the midst of an emergency people they begin to opt out of understanding this new life. And you'll hear terms and prayer like, "Father, please heal me". Waiting for Him to make a move, showing they don't believe right. That's not how we pray today. We are not requesting as in begging a God to make a decision on healing. Everything about the cross and on that makes Jesus so special, is that He died on the cross for you and took your sin, your punishment, and the curse. He arose again and in His resurrection He gives you a new life that you can choose. And when you choose Jesus, He ignites your human spirit and it becomes alive. With what? With Jesus. His peace, His joy, His direction, His faith. Everything about Jesus is within you.

So when God directs you toward something, and you say something like, "Well, I don't know if I have faith to do that". Yeah, you don't. If you're talking about some kind of a faith that makes it all happen because Jesus made it all happened. And until you understand that and until you begin to treat Jesus as this revelation, this relationship, and you treat His Word as something you need to get into. You'll always be a Christian trying. I was like that. I was always a Christian trying. I was trying to get healed, trying to rise up, trying to make a marriage work, trying to be a good father, trying to be a good pastor, trying to get people miracles. And in this trying, I didn't realize that there is such doubt that was rising up and I didn't need more faith, because we somehow we've got this thing twisted in our mind of, "I need more excitement. I need more passion. I need more belief".

But we see this as some kind of a container or a graph where the faith level goes higher and higher and higher. And that's not what the Word of God is bringing out. It's bringing out what do you believe about Jesus? What do you know about Jesus? Which is why truth sets you free. Do you understand that cross? Do you understand this Jesus on the inside of you? The Bible uses different things about Jesus like He is the bread of life. The bread of life. Well, what does that mean? That means that when you partake of Jesus, energy, sustenance, strength, aliveness, begins to flow in you as never before. And in His Word, Jesus, in His Word, He talks about Him being the Logos, the Word of God. And yet we treat the Bible like it some other book. I'm shock at the pastors on the planet who are looking at new age techniques and psychological issues over here and trying to...

I don't mind them using the language to bring clarity to Jesus. But to look for other ways to set people free because Jesus doesn't have it. It's just doubt and unbelief. And the Bible's very clear the reason God's people in the Old Testament coming out of Egypt did not walk into the promised land is because they, of their unbelief. And so how do you begin to deal with all the dangling chads. The things that you don't know. When people asked me, why didn't Jesus heal me? I tell them because you don't understand the truth about healing. Oh, yes. No, you don't. The question shows me you don't understand it. It's not why He didn't because He did, and He deposited it within you all that you're ever going to need. He's given you all things that pertain to your life, to live godly, to walk in blessing, and the power of Jesus in your life and it's all in Him. You're looking for a formula. You're looking trying to rev yourself up. But you won't even spend the time to get into His Word. His book is alive.

Jesus said, "The words that I speak into you. They are spirit and they are life". And then you'll say, "Yeah, but I kind of get lost. I get bored". That scares me. That scares, it shows a person who, you know, if you and I were going somewhere together, you're kind of be this half-baked, to tempt the five fellow we're cleared for. Something went wrong in my life. Yeah, I tried. But we couldn't help Leon. I want someone who doesn't try but they enter in. They push in. And I'm going to challenge you this year. That you have a choice. You can live like the rest of the world that goes, "I'm wondering what will happen". I don't wonder. I declare. I don't begin to hope and pray. I declare. I pray, intercede. I just get a hold of God's Word and declare that what's going to go on in my life is according to God's will for my life. And I know what's His will is in a very general way. It is to succeed in faith. It is to walk in health. It is to walk in blessing. It is to reach out and to represent Christ. It is to bring glory to God. It is to live with a peace and a joy that the world does not know.

I am not worried that this year, it sucks just to hope it's not going to be a whole lot more pain. Yes, the world's got stuff. Yes, there's heartache. Yes, there's storms. But did you understand, that in this life you need to stay focused on Christ. And that is when the miraculous of walking on water, speaking to mountains. This is where you can walk through the things that are going on this planet rather than being this victim. One of my pet peeves. Give Jesus a hand, amen! One of my pet peeves at some churches that I'll go to speak at is the way they worship. Every song is about, "Jesus". And so people who, you know, I'm going to be very blunt about some things.

Often people towards the end of careers, the end of their lives that they kind of like that. But young people who are growing up and they want to succeed in business. They want a great exciting marriage and a sex life and raise kids. They want to know how to get up and really live. They're not looking for a worship service that represent God as, every here is begging. They're going like, "Oh, man". Like, "Is there victory anywhere in Jesus? Is there any kind of life in Jesus? Is there something that I can just trust and believe and get up"? And He's not just going to be there when I call. But He's going to be there helping me to succeed and to rise up and to be the husband I want to be, the father I want to be, the financer I want to be. He's going to help me solve problems.

The Bible says, "In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge". Everything about computers. Everything about space travel. Everything is hidden in Christ. You say, "Well, Leon, what you're talking about"? You think God made the universe and didn't know the human race is going to put a rocket to the moon? You think He doesn't understand satellite? You don't think He didn't bury a satellite in that mountain full of ore and watch as mankind begin to grow in knowledge and wisdom and understand flight and understand all these things. You don't think He understood. You don't think that the most brilliant man that ever walked the planet whoever that is, Einstein or whoever.

That he's not even a drop in the ocean compared to the wisdom of God on every science, every spiritual thing going on? Yes! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. Liberty to walk in health. Liberty to be wise. Liberty to rise up and make decisions. Liberty to get up and live like you've never lived before. It's what the presence of God is. And so this year, I'm going to challenge you. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Or are you going to just keep waiting saying, "Give me four points to healing, three points to peace, two points to joy, eight points to a great sex life, seven points to". There's great stuff in God's Word about that. All of that. But if you don't treasure Jesus, then your Christian faith is just transactional.

What kind of a transaction can me and Jesus do today? And I'm so glad that all of the promises are yes and amen in Him. I'm so glad that I can look to the future and with confidence. No, that God is with me. And that as we walk, we can walk through the valleys of the shadow of death. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies, lying, shooting, backstabbing. You know, speaking, none of it affects me because I am following Jesus. I'm with Jesus. In John 10 says He leads me by name. By name. Jesus. This Jesus didn't come to this planet to give us another religion, to give us another whole code of conduct. He came to give us a relationship.

And I often tell people worse than the sin you do as all the self-righteous things you do trying to earn God's grace. All these Christians who judged and looked. And the world's the same by the way, the world is the most judgmental thing you can ever imagine. But Jesus, in God's Word and I've been quoting a whole bunch of verses for you but let me just read you a verse here. It says, for who, in 1 Corinthians 2:16 in the Amplified, "For who has known or understood the mind, the counsels, and purposes of the Lord as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ, the Messiah and we do hold the thoughts, the feelings, and the purposes of His heart".

Can I talk to you about that for a minute? To have the mind of Christ, to have His thoughts, His feelings, His purposes. Life is short and our purpose is to bring glory to Jesus, not number one is to make money. Our purpose is to know Him, not to whatever the miracle is that you're seeking for. And with all of the teachings in the charismatic world, the faith world, and all the beautiful promises that have been given to us. They can be so exciting. And when you live in your world, you're always looking for which promise that you're needing this month. But I wonder sometimes if you just want to fellowship with Jesus. If you just want to get into the Word and get to know who He is, what He has done.

Anytime you begin to feel low. Anytime you begin to feel empty. Anytime you begin to feel like, "Well, who am I and what's my life about"? Your mind is set on the things of the flesh and not of the things of the spirit. And it will bring death into your life because death is a continuum. You've got to lift up your head by looking into His Word and finding out who you are in Christ. And then begin to recognize what He has done from the cross, His death, His burial. His resurrection with new life for you. His ascension to the right hand of the Father. All authority, all power is in Jesus and He's in you.

Pick any of the Old Testament prophets, kings, high priest, and you have to understand none of them have what you have. None of them knew Christ like you can know Christ. Are we just transactional? By that, I mean, are we always to try and make a transaction with the presence of God where, "Okay, we're working for some healing and this one we're working for some prosperity, working for my marriage". Good. But maybe if you would seek first this kingdom that Jesus has provided through what He did on the cross and begin to fall in love with Jesus.

Your life would have such purpose. You would find that when you seek first the kingdom of God, all the things you're worried about begin to take place in your life easy. And when we begin to understand this, there's an interesting teaching that Jesus makes in John chapter 15. He says, "I am the vine. You are the branches. If any remain and abide in me. I remain and abide in them. They produce much fruit, not periodical, much fruit. But without and apart from Me, they can do nothing".

I think we understand as Christians, that when you begin to move away from Jesus and treat the Bible as simple wise steps like so much of the world does. That you begin to move away from Jesus. It says Jesus is the root. We are the branches. He goes on to say that you should produce much fruit and show that you are My followers and bring glory to My Father. You have a choice to simply look at the Bible as a wise book and find answers. I know, I'm telling you. It's incredible. But doesn't touch for a moment knowing Jesus.

When my heart begins to get filled full of fear and worry as I look at the millions of dollars we've got to raise. When things begin to rise up and push at us. You know, and when my heart begins to be filled with fear or worry, where I find myself getting stressed out. I know that I have taken my eyes off of the Jesus within me who provides all that I need. And I've gotten, begun to look at the Leon who can't do anything. It's a quick trip to one mess up afternoon. Why aren't we just thankfully praising and praying the Word with an overflow of what Jesus has done.

Here is where the power lies, not the begging, the bugging, the bawling, the squalling as though, "What's wrong with my life"? And beginning to give the enemy the credit. Every time something happens to me that's negative. Someone will say, "Oh, the devil was on your case". I go, "Nah, that was just life". A baseball hit me. That was the devil. Nah, I was just playing baseball and getting closer to the pit, the batter. I never give him. I never give him credit for anything that's going wrong in my life. Just empower him right up. The devil. The devil. That fallen angel. Life's just got stuff. Oh, I got into two accidents.

Well, take a defensive driving course. Why are we giving the devil so much power as though he's doing it? No, life's got stuff. Why I had one hell of a bad year? Yes. But you're going to give the devil the credit for that? Is he really that power? He can bend your car. He can move semi's. He can... No, he can't. But Christians love to sing song. Oh, Jesus, Jesus. And the world look at us going, "You know, does Jesus help us? Does He gives us life? Does He help me rise up with joy"? Yes, He does. Jesus, I've come to give you life and more abundantly. My time is up. This year change your praying. Get to know Jesus. Get into His Word. Let's make it happen. Amen?
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