Leon Fontaine - Yes And Amen!
Hey, everybody. Welcome today. I'm so excited that you're with me as we dive into God's Word. You know, a while ago God began to deal with me about my teaching and preaching because I'm a pastor which means I stand in front of our churches. And one church to the other teaching the Word of God. And I have a tendency to make sure that all of the new people get in. And if you're not careful, you end up just sharing basics and never diving in it. And I began to change my teaching a while ago so that as I covered quickly some of the basics. That I began to dive into the meat and helped the people who were attending to grow in God's Word. So they didn't stay in kind of just the basic tenets of the faith but they began to understand. And ever since that day it's, the Word of God has excited me even more.
And today, I want to talk to you and I believe that's going to help so many people. And I love the teaching of the Word and I love looking from the book of, well, the New Testament because Jesus is an example of you and I walking on the planet in our new covenant. And the book of Acts is an example of the apostles walking out and walking to look like Jesus. But did you know when you study faith, and you study the Word of God. That the revelation of what Jesus did from the cross to the throne which is all through the epistles. How that when He died, He took your sin, and then He became a curse. It says that He was buried with the wicked. Then He arose again and He exchanged, basically He exchanged His life for your life, and you and I are in Him. You know, none of these things are taught clearly in the book of Acts as the disciples are going forth.
And so as Paul received this incredible revelation from Jesus. And then he began to go to the Old Testament and find, under the inspiration of Holy Spirit find all of these passages of Scriptures. That when they were literally written in a mystery, you know, they weren't all put together. There was like a verse here and six verses over there and a phrase here. And as he began to pull these all together and see the magnificent new covenant and what it is Jesus did. Because most people only know the historical Jesus. And that's crucial to know that Jesus walked the planet. That more than the Bible writes about Jesus. There are other pieces of literature that talk about Him, that mention Him. And so as we look at this, but then nobody knows when He died. What happened? In those days that He was missing, in those days that no one saw Him. When that body laid there in the tomb. And when He said, you know, don't touch me.
I've got to go. And we don't understand. But yet through the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets, we get beautiful pieces, enough pieces to know what He was doing when nobody saw Him. And so I want to dive into some of this, and just show you some of the teaching that you need because literally I have noticed people in our church, and thousands of people attends Springs Church. And as I watch them grow, one message has helped people who maybe have been raised in other denominations, other belief systems. It's like a lot of Word in them but they just can't seem to connect the dots to make something work. Like they don't have the peace. They don't have the joy. They don't see miracles in their lives. And they'll be listening to certain messages. And I don't know what their background is.
So all of a sudden they'll hear a message. And in the old TV's it was kind of like just moving the dial a little bit and this snowy awful picture goes bing! And it's perfectly clear. It's like they get a revelation, as pieces of God's Word come into place. And they begin to understand how faith works with grace. That righteousness, where does it fit in. And then, and so many people will teach on the renewing of the mind. That's all they're going to teach on. Others teach on faith. That's all they're going to teach on. Others teach on grace. That's all they're going to teach on. Others teach on sanctification. But folks, I just noticed so few people tied them together the way the Bible does in this beautiful aha! And we begin to walk out this stunning gospel. There is power in the gospel. And the Bible says though that there are ways that you can limit the gospel and it has no power in your life. And so it's crucial for us to learn these things as we go into the Word of God.
Now, I want to, I've written different things down so I can say them the way they just came to me and the way that as I, I was looking at things and studying. And I want you to understand that Jesus is God's gift to the world. And He's never taken that gift back. Jesus is still a gift. That means the world owns Jesus. It's so crazy when I say it. But the world owns Jesus. Now whether or not it knowledge, knowledges that ownership. You know, it's up to them. But all that Jesus did in that, that when He died, and He was the substitute. Meaning, like the lamb in the Old Testament was the substitute for their sin. And He took the punishment as well. The lamb was killed and it died in their place. Jesus was the lamb of God to the world. He was the substitution. He died for you in your place so you wouldn't have to die. And so He is the substitutionary sacrifice. And He's literally the private property of every individual because Jesus did it just for you.
The sinner does not need to beg God to forgive him. All that, those who don't know, when we say sinner, it literally simply means someone who has not believed on Jesus. Okay, that's what a sinner is. The word has come to mean that any kind of sin can make you miss heaven. But as you study the Word, when you believe on Jesus, and you choose Him. You choose to believe on Him as Lord and Saviour. That that is when you are a new creation. You can't clean up the world. Stop preaching that and all their sin. And just share the beautiful good news of the gospel. Which is if you meet Jesus, this incredible, amazing, beautiful, stunning Jesus. That you are going to just fall in love. You're going to feel so love. You're going to feel so special. You're going to feel so important. You know, as I grew up, there were certain people that had an impact on my life in some way. Teaching, my coaches, but then there was people who looked at me and valued me.
Now, that word value is a synonym for the love the Bible talks about. They looked at me and they valued me. And for the time that they were in my life, maybe growing up, maybe as a young man. They would say things to me that valued me. And I look back now and it was such an incredible thing that took place. You and I need to know that Jesus is in love with us. And we don't, so those who don't know Christ don't have to beg God. Please save me. Please save me. It is a gift that has already been done. The work has already been accomplished. Every person who does not know Christ out there owns this Jesus. I know I'm putting it in a really crazy vernacular . But they own Jesus. He is a gift that God has never taken away from them but their freewill is so powerful. That Jesus will never force Himself or make them take this gift. So they have to choose Him. But when we understand it this way. It gives us an understanding of how to walk in miracles as a believer.
So the work has already been accomplished. Any person who, and every born again believing denomination believes this. That when an unsaved person calls out and believes on Jesus, they are saved. I've never heard anybody who thinks they have to beg and beg and beg and beg till finally God decides it. It is an instantaneous, Jesus did it. It's theirs for the asking. The second, the micro second they choose and believe and ask Him to come in. It's a done deal. Now, the problem in that this work has been accomplished for them but so has all the rest of it. And here is where many believers they fail. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, it says, "And God is able to make all grace abound towards you. So that you have all sufficiency in all things, and that you may abound to every good work".
God is able to make all grace abound. Now grace is His ability that comes to you as a favour. Everyone thinks, a lot of you just thinks about the grace is just God's favour. But if I say to you, "I'm going to do you a favour". You're going to go, "What favour"? And so we need to understand that this grace, now it comes to you as a favour, unearned, nothing you can do to get it. It's a favour from God. And this grace is the favour that He's giving you and I, is the ability of Christ. As Jesus is in this world so are we. So God is able to make incredible grace abound towards you. His ability as a favour. And then it says, now people say, "Leon, that's just to become save and go to heaven". No, no, no. It says in 2 Corinthians 9:8, that so that you would have all sufficiency in all things and that you could abound to every good work.
Now, His sufficiency is according to the promises that are in the Bible. And so as you look at the promises of God, you get a chance. I mean, 2 Peter chapter 1, if we get to this, it talks about that we have the nature. The divine nature of God when we are born again in our spirit. But now if we want to see all of God's promises on healing. All of God's promises of prosperity. All of God's promises for peace, for joy, for protection, for generations to serve Him and to walk in the blessing and the favour of God. Then all of these promises is how. But how those promises do that? Well, the Bible says that all the promises now under this new covenant because of what Jesus has done for you and I, are yes and amen. Meaning in the old covenant you had to do works. You, there were certain things. Every promise, put it this way, every promise had an if. If my people will do this, I will do this. But when Jesus came and became our substitute, and He took our sin, and He took our curse. He took our punishment. He took our death.
And then it says, "He died in our place". And then when He rose again, He literally gave us His life. And we begin to enjoy this substitution. This great exchange. He took our life. We took His life. This is where people don't get it. It's not just about heaven, though that is the most profound thing. Eternity with Christ in heaven. But here on this planet, it literally is telling us here and in many other places, that God's grace is to help you abound in everything. Leon, what does that mean? His grace will help you with your health. Beyond what you can do on your own with vitamins and operations and doctors and do what you can for sure. But His grace will go far beyond that and give you health and healing. When it comes to prosperity. When it comes to everybody has a career. They don't want to fail. They want to enjoy this career. Well, you rising to the top in your career is crucial. You're to be the head and not the tail. And so as you rise up, you get a chance to influence more people for Christ. So He's going to give you all sufficiency in your career.
Now, this word "sufficiency" by the way is not talking about your sufficiency. He's talking about God's sufficiency. Like, when we start talking about the favour and the blessing of God. One of the, a lot of teachings in God's Word is that he's going to meet, meet your needs according to His riches. I give you an example. A little 15-year old girl came walking up to me on the street holding a little baby and she said, "Excuse me, sir. Excuse me. I don't mean to bother you but I don't have any milk for my little baby. And she's, could I just have $2.50? I'm going to go buy a litre of milk for my baby. I would appreciate it so much".
Now, she has told me what she thinks her need is, $2.50. What am I going to do with that little 15-year old girl with a baby in one arm? That has been kicked out of either her home, or no one 's looking after her. And I don't care what kind of a mess that she has created or done. Whether she's on drugs or what, or prostitution or whatever it is. I see a need. Now, if I'm going to say, "Well, let me just count out $2, and just a minute. Ah, only it's 20. Let me give you two quarters here. It's $2.50". No. I'm not going to meet her need according to her need. I'm going to meet her need according to my riches. And I've got connections. I'll be phoning up people and saying, "Listen, I've got someone who needs a house and a bed. I've got someone who needs a home to live in, to raise this little baby up. Can I help you in it"? Maybe it's a woman's protection shelter. Maybe it's a this. But I can phone up all these numbers. And I can literally on the spot, you know, go to a machine and pull out hundreds of dollars.
Now, I might not give it to her. I might give it to the place I'm taking her. On her behalf, I might pay for that bed for a month or two. I might raise money to help her out. I mean, I can meet her needs according to my riches, my influence, my connections. I can look after that 15-year old mom with that baby. Can you see God the same way? He's looking at you. And we are so limited with Him. Well, you know, I mean, God's been good to me. I can't expect Him to heal my skin disease, or you know, I mean. Now, listen to me. You need to understand and, that, that this issue of once you're born again, okay? And here's one of the things that I want to really drive home to those who have been raised in the faith movement like I have, and who understand faith and are just so excited about it but maybe haven't been able to get it work, to work in your life like you should.
Some people they had faith to receive Christ as their Saviour and Lord. And then they think they have to keep increasing their faith and building their faith in order to get a miracle, in order to get a healing, in order to begin to prosper, in order to believe God to restore their marriage, or to get rid of their anger and all the stuff. And they don't get it. This faith that has been delivered to the saints. The Bible talks about that, you know, in 2 Peter chapter 1, it talks about that to those of like precious faith. He's talking to those who have obtained it. He didn't say you went out and earned it. When, you know, when you hear the gospel, the very teaching of the Word of God that someone shared with you. How Jesus touched their life, and how He died for them. However this person presented the gospel. The preaching of the Word causes faith to rise up in that person.
And as the faith rises up on that person, they've got a choice to make. Do I accept it? Do I mix my faith with this message and say, "Jesus, I accept you. I believe you. I choose you". Or they're going to say no. Now, if they accept Him, this, this faith that, that comes from the Word. There's a saving kind of faith. It does its miracle. And then, listen to me. Then this grace brings everything you need in. As you study this out, you've got the righteousness of Jesus. You've got the faith of Jesus.
So this, this Romans 12:3, this measure of faith comes in. And we think that as you read certain things out of context. It's just a little seed. And oh, it's going to take me years to believe God for a healing. It's going to take me years to clean up all my negative poverty thinking. That's the way Christians look at it. And it's because they don't understand that God is able to make all grace. His ability is going to abound. The word there is, means to explode. Abound is far beyond anything you need, could ask or think. And that is going to bring sufficiency in every area. Why? Because you believed on Jesus for salvation. And that word salvation doesn't just mean save from hell. It means save from the entire... If God can save you from an eternity in hell. It's nothing to save you from hell's effects.
By that I mean, the evil person Satan's effect on the planet. He brought sickness not God. He brought discouragement not God. He brought depression, unhappiness. He brought it here. He brought poverty. God put man in the garden of Eden not the desert of Eden. Like we just think so wrong. And so I love teaching people how special they are, how amazing they are, that the price has been paid. So that their faith wouldn't be again in their own ability. I'm meeting all these people who have been kind of raised in faith. And somehow without them knowing it, they have slid back into works. And now they think and they've got certain language to flop it up. That it's what I'm doing that is going to bring. No, I want you to know. You are going to understand this so easily and quickly. And it's like that TV button. You know, you just move a little bit and all the sudden all this blurry, can't see it, can't hear it, goes. And this revelation, you're going to go, "It's done. It's done".
So when it comes to our faith in Jesus, this faith, if you are born again, you are filled with precious faith. Not just a little dabble do you that you got. This faith is this gift from Jesus to you. And all the stuff that Jesus won for you and the great exchange. When, when Jesus gave you His life, His peace, His joy. He talks about His peace, His joy. You think He couldn't give you His faith? You think He couldn't just make you arise up with this incre... Of course, He could. And here is where people struggle. Where the church of Jesus Christ needs to have a revelation and just spend some time on is the new covenant.
Now the new agreement is the revelation that is in the epistles. And so from the book of Galatians and on, as you find a Bible that you can read. Like, grab the Living Bible. I like the Living Bible beside the King James or beside the New King James. And reading them back and forth because it's astounding as you... And that's how I encourage many of you to read these things. And then as you do, you're going to find, and maybe go on to our area and just find other messages where I teach people the cross to the throne, or why is the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus to the throne? Why is that such an astounding thing? Because all of those things took place. And now we know He died. That is even the historical Jesus that people studied know that. You know, He was stabbed in the side and the blood and water flowed out of His chest so big you could put your hand into the wound. And the disciples and tons of witnesses saw those. But this exchange that took place is the life of Jesus is yours.
And people say, "Well, Leon, you know we're not Jesus". Don't say that. Because Jesus came to the planet to show you and I what God was like, because you know why? Because a lot of the religious people at that time, Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes had such a legalistic, arrogant, self-centered look at it. That Jesus went, "Okay, you don't get it". And God had His son go. And for a few years before He died. He walked the planet revealing to you and I how we could walk the planet. Meaning, He said, "No one takes my life". He says, "I freely give it". He wasn't sick until He took our sickness. He wasn't poor. Well, the Bible says that Jesus had no place to lay His head. He was talking to somebody who wanted to join Him. Now think about those times as you traveled from city to city and you're out and walking around.
And we know, by the way, through the study of the Scriptures. Jesus had a house. Okay, he was the eldest and he had a mom. He had a house to stay and He was just never home, rarely home. He was out and about the Father's business. So where's He going to sleep? Well, He'll sleep wherever they stop. And so, some of these things we've taken far too out there. So this Jesus, He did not know lack. I mean, if He had to pay some taxes, He caught one fish, took a gold coin out of its mouth and paid His taxes. If He had a party with over five thousand men, with all their wives and kids. He got 15, 20, 30 thousand people. He just miraculously met all those needs. Jesus did not have lack in His life. And so as we look at this topic of you as a born again believer, and when you accept Christ as your Saviour and Lord. That faith, all the rest of the teaching that you can't find in the epistles.
The apostle Paul urging people to believe. You can't find in the epistles Paul urging people, or Peter urging them to have faith. Come on. Keep working on your faith. No, because it's an understood thing. That when you receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, that, that faith came into you. This precious faith that Peter talks about. This measure of faith that comes to you and I that, that Paul is talking about. Um, it's just an expected thing.
And so you don't see them trying to work, work, work, work on your faith. No, actually what they told us, is go find out what Jesus did. And when your brain opens up to realize what the cross to the throne means to you. Then you just start to speak His Word, act on His Word. And Mark 4 is the most stunning thing. The Bible says if you don't understand this parable, Jesus says it, you won't understand any of them. The key to this miraculous life is Mark 4 showing you and I to simply speak His Word. Believe it. Don't stop. Do it every day. And then it begins to plant into your heart. And it grows harvest of healing, blessing, peace, joy, prosperity, a phenomenal confidence for the rest of your life.