Leon Fontaine - Welcome to the Family
I want to talk about something that seems to be gone from the church world. It's like it's been talked away. And that is, righteousness. There are some big words in the King James Bible, which, I don't understand that word. No, no, stop. Do not do this. Because, that's being lazy. Righteousness is crucial. Righteousness is how you see, it's how God sees you. It's who you are at the very nature. Your core. When Adam sinned in the garden, his nature changed so fast, in a, in a verse we're stunned that he walks and talks with God in the cool of the day, him and Eve. And then in just no time, he's eaten of the fruit, or he has disobeyed God. And he's opened himself up to a new leader.
Okay, who you obey the Bible says, is who your leader is. And all of a sudden his nature changed. And the nature of God went out. He literally died spiritually the moment he disobeyed God. Him and his wife. And then, now, he's full of fear, rejection, condemnation. He doesn't believe he's going to be accepted. He's not good enough to be around God, he's hiding from God and God could sense it right away. That nature continues to haunt everybody on the planet. Every race, every skin color. It haunts everybody. Every religion. But, once you give your life to Christ, you are not just forgiven. You know, if somebody was to mess with you and really hurt you and they say hey, I'm sorry. You can forgive them. But that doesn't mean they're not going to do it again, and again, and again. It doesn't mean anything's fixed or anything's changed.
When you give your life to Christ, it's not just a forgiveness of sins. You, become something brand new. And, inside of you, you have a nature change. Your nature now is the nature of God. And so we've got to understand that. That there's a brand new nature in your spirit. Now, you are not going to enjoy it like you could, until you wash your mind with the water of God's Word, or you renew your mind. You become aware of what Jesus did. And when you do, you don't have to try to find joy, peace, healing, prosperity, this relationship with God that is just wow, because it just comes out of you naturally. That is why the Bible says, there is to be so much confidence in you, that the spirit of God inside of you, it just cries out to God. Dad. How much more confident can you get than that? Abba Father, or, Daddy.
You know, it was interesting when I first came to Springs, and Sal and I, we were, we had five children. And so some days were long as we were building and doing things, and this church began to explode and grow from just a few hundred. I mean, all the growing pains and so there's times I'm in the office and I'm trying to get things done and Sal would pop by with the kids, and you know what? I, everybody if they wanted to get a hold of me, they had to book in with my assistant and somewhere if we could fit them in if I would see them, because my world was so turned upside down I had to focus on leadership issues, and so I had to literally triage every person because I only had so much time, I never had enough time as it was. And so, you know, that's how they got a chance to get in, to get counseling or to see me about something. But all of a sudden I'd be talking to somebody, and I'd hear a little pair of feet come blasting down the hall. Just, brr-rr-rr!
And I knew it was one of the kids, and they'd pop that door open, and say daddy! They had such confidence to enter my presence. And I want you to know, we're just human beings. But when you are understanding of righteousness, you will lose all of this condemnation, all of this I'm not good enough, you know, I don't know how, if you even knew what I did, well I don't need to know because Bible says that when you give your life to Christ, you are justified. Just as if you'd never sinned. He even removes your past. Stunning. That is so interesting. And so I want to dive into a few verses. And I want some of you, take notes, or go through this message again. And write down these scriptures and thoughts, and begin to own these. Because if you want to rise up with such a confidence, no one can make you get down.
You know, sometimes people will ask me and they'll just say, like, okay. You've been at this for how many decades, and you're still passionate, you're still confident, nothing seems to bug you, oh I am human. But here's one thing I'll tell you. And that is, if I stay in the Word every day and wash my mind with the water of God's Word, that my mind is being trained. So literally I am a spirit, I reach out, and I grab my mind and I decide what my mind's going to do. I reach out and grab my body and I decide what things I'm going to do with it. That's who you are. You are not your emotions, you are not this mind taking off. You are to renew your mind. Of course you are, and in a sense of wholeness. But you must wash your mind with the water of the Word every day. Get off the scum of discouragement and lust, and anger, and depression, and down, and all the things that push against us from the things in this world. From our enemy, and from other people. You've got to wash it off. If not, man, you are going to get to the place where even though you are righteous before God, and by the way, you don't get more righteous ever.
From the day you got born again, you are righteous, in right standing with God. He has forgiven everything. You're in the family, your heart cries out, dad! Unless your head begins to mess with you. And then it goes, you have no right to do that. You think things, you're angry sometimes, you've done this, you've done that. As though the actions of your body remove your nature. Okay? And that's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that you have a nature, it's the nature of God. And so yes that nature as you, renew your mind will affect all your actions. It will affect sin. Man, you'll just rise up. Sin won't have dominion over you. You won't even desire some of the dumb stuff you used to do, I don't know why you'd do it. You literally begin to desire this living of honour, integrity, and faithfulness and knowing God. Prosperity, and blessing, and health, and joy, and laughter, and partying, and enjoying this world. Those are all gifts from God. It's religion that strips all that away.
And so as you recognize that you are righteous. A faith develops in you so amazing, that you just kind of go, why would God not do that? You know, I remember as a young man, if there was something that I needed, and I knew I needed it, it wasn't just oh I hope my dad will go buy me three gallons of ice cream today. No, but if there was something I needed help with, I knew. Knew, that if I said dad? What, Leon? And I'd say I, absolutely. And he'd get out. And his strength, his wisdom, his resources, his time, were all given to me. We literally have a God so amazing, that we have His nature. And the Word says in Colossians 1:18, that He, Jesus, is the head of His body, the church. Seeing He is the beginning. He is the first born from among the dead.
What? Jesus is? When did Jesus die? On the cross. And He became sin for you and I. And so, then He became our sin, we became His righteousness. Romans 3:26. It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time, in this season, that He Himself is righteous, and that He justifies, which means just as if I'd never sin, cleans you right up. And accepts as righteous, him who has faith in Jesus. John 5:24, I assure you most solemnly tell you the person whose ears are open to my words, who listens to my message, and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on, Him who sent me. He has, He possesses now, eternal life.
Now, sometimes we all, all we think about is regular life forever. And I was talking about it the other day and I said no, no, no. There are people who don't want to live forever. Their life is so bad they want to end it right now. So who wants to live for billions of years so unhappy that you can't even live for, you know, 25 and you want to take your own life? Eternal is the measurement of length. But life, what kind of life? This life is zoe life of God. The life of God. You now possess it. Where? God in your spirit, the real you. And so, it says now, that when you give your life to Christ, and you believe on Jesus, accept this what He's done, it says you don't come into judgement. You don't incur sentence of judgment. It will not come. You'll not come under condemnation. It says, but you've already passed over out of death into life.
Jesus took all your judgement. Jesus took your penalty. Jesus took all the wages of sin, Jesus took all this. So that you then pass from death, and that dark kingdom of darkness, into life. Because you're already in God's kingdom, you're already in God's kingdom. Some people, what do you mean? Well, you're in the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, right now. Yeah, but I thought we were going to go to heaven. There's a place called heaven when we go when we die, but we're in that kingdom now. To realize that, that because of Jesus you're in His kingdom now. Whatever they have access to in heaven, you have access to down here. Okay? It's just that we have an enemy down here. And so, we've got to go reach as many people as we can before this season is over and the enemy is dealt with, and there's no more hope for mankind, we've got to reach as many as we can. Reach out and let them know this wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21. It says Him who knew no sin, God made to be sin on our behalf. That we might become the righteous... it doesn't say that we could be reckoned, that you're not righteous. But God just sees you as righteous. No, 2 Corinthians 5:21 that we could become the righteousness of God in Him. It's not just God saying oh I forgive you, you dirty, rotten, good-for-nothing little, no. A miraculous thing took place inside of you. The issue is, you need to wash your mind with God's Word, renew it, find out what's happened, and you literally will be who you is. In John 8:36, it says, if therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. And in brackets, I put, or in reality. You really are free.
You know, people often try to run from their problems. Like, let's say that you struggle with an addiction, and you've really hurt somebody. So you go to them. You apologize. And they forgive you. You're forgiven. But you still got this monkey on your back, this addiction that seems to own you, drive you, so. It's not just about being forgiven. If you want a relationship with the person that just forgave you, you've got to deal with the real you. This monkey, this addiction, whatever's going on. And so when it says here, that we become the righteousness of God, it literally means a great exchange took place. Jesus took your sin for your entire life, and we get His justification. We get His righteousness.
This miraculous thing, this gift is the whole world's. But because mankind has free will, we have to choose it. We have to choose it. And the more, and once this gift of righteousness is in you, you can't become more righteous, or less righteous. It's like, my kids, can't become more of a Fontaine, than they are. You a Fontaine. You were born, had nothing to do with you earning it. You were born a Fontaine. And so, you can't get it more, can't get it less. You just is. Now, as they grow up, and they learn, you know, what is a Fontaine. Who are we? How do we live? We are people who follow Jesus Christ. They begin to enjoy and understand that. That's you with Jesus.
Literally, this new kind of righteousness that Paul teaches about. And you don't see it in the Old Testament. I mean, all these men, David, and Joshua, and Abraham, they did not have a born-again spirit. They still functioned as only two-thirds of a person. Even as leaders. Even when they did miracles, they did miracles based on their covenant. Okay? And that's a whole 'nother topic. It's fascinating. We walk in the miraculous power of God under a new covenant. Which is why Hebrews always shows us, that our covenant's better than the old. When you go get a new house, you don't in the old one. So, you don't use, in any way, the old covenant. You just learn from it, and you begin to see, you know, what not to do.
And the development of Jesus, and the incredible things that we learn from the Old Testament and the prophecies and this incredible mystery, Colossians talks about. That one day, did you know that everybody in the Old Testament had a sense of prophecy? They knew there was coming one day, a generation of people who would have this Jesus back in them like Adam did. And by the way, did you know that, they knew what Adam had in the garden. They knew that when you go back. Did you know that when you travel, when you go through the lineage. And that Methuselah knew Adam. And then Methuselah also knew Noah. Noah was one person away from someone who listened to Adam, and Adam talking about the garden, and what it was like to have God's presence in his spirit, to be born-again, to be right with God. And when he was right with God, how they walked together. No one has seen God. You might have seen Jesus who was a representation of God. You might have had an angel appear to them.
You know, the Bible talks about God walking past, Moses on the mountain and he couldn't see His face, and His glory. But I mean, we haven't seen God. But, when we begin to understand that everybody in the Old Testament, who did all these amazing miracles, they looked ahead. And they sensed that there was coming a time of a restoration. Something miraculous was going to take place, when people would have the presence of God again in their lives. And so, there's two things here. Yes, we're enjoying His presence now on the planet. And then one day when we get to heaven, you could enjoy the presence of God again. But you'll enjoy it here now. Even when it says, and it teaches us in Matthew 16:!9. and it says here, that we are the ones who decide what's bound and what's loosed in our lives. It says, whatever you declare to be no in your life is no.
What you declare to be okay in your life is okay. And then it says, very clearly, now how do you know what to okay and what to say no to? It's whatever's okay in heaven, and whatever heaven says no to. What's in heaven, what's not in heaven. Say no to sickness, say no to poverty, say no to anger, it's ever, and say yes to the presence of Jesus and all the blessings that go with it. This righteousness that you and I have because of Jesus, is so amazing because it's an actual impartation of God's nature. It is an actual impartation, a miracle takes place. The greatest miracle in the world isn't raising a dead body, it's not limbs moving or God restoring their relationship. It's this born-again thing that just stuns people. That you're righteous, and that means that every bit of guilt, sin, inferiority is gone.
And this is a legally right thing. That because of what Jesus did. It's a legal, for-sure in the courts of heaven. Your price has been paid. You are in the family of God. Because God did that, you no longer have a sense of unworthiness. Why? Because Jesus dealt with the sin issue in your life. Past, and future. He dealt with it. So whatever makes you unworthy, you immediately just go, I'm worthy because of Jesus. What He did, how He lived, how He died is why I'm righteous. And some of these verses I've given you, I, you know, I would love, I could sit with one message for a long time. In Hebrews 9:11-14, it's talking here about Jesus being our high priest and how that the blood of bulls and goats had to be continuously offered during your lifetime. Because it didn't take sin away, it just covered it.
You know when you cover something up, you've got to be careful. Some stuff just keeps coming up. But here it says, that the blood of Jesus Christ. It says it cleans your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. What does it mean, there's a cleansing to your conscience? You know, people can do a lot of stuff with the, with their mind. And, and become more positive, they can become more confident. They can literally think their way out of this conscience, which is the voice of your spirit. Reasoning is the voice of your mind. Okay? Conscience, is the voice of your spirit. And it says it cleaned your conscience. The blood of Jesus, did a complete cleansing of your conscience. The voice of your spirit, does not speak unworthy. The voice of your spirit is not saying guilt, condemnation, because of the sacrifice of Jesus and Him offering Himself without blemish to God, your conscience is cleansed.
Now, as you learn to operate in everyday life, if you've done something wrong and you've hurt somebody, you'll know it because you're now operating in love. This culture of God that is within you, is love. And so you're going to love people. You're going to know when you're walking out of love. But this, but I'm talking to so many right now. This constant sense of feeling I don't fit in. People come to our church, and they'll tell me after when I meet them and it's their first time, oh welcome. Yeah, you know, it's okay but I don't fit in here. I just talk to them and say, that's the way you feel everywhere you go. And their eyes get big and they go, you're right. You go to the hockey moms get together, you don't feel like you belong. You get together with your neighbours, you don't feel like you belong. Even your own family and your sisters and brothers and grandpas, and you don't feel like. You don't feel like you belong anywhere. It's just this sense of guilt and con-damn-nation I call it.
This sense, that is always coming out because your nature, you need the nature of Jesus, become born again. But then, if you want this conscience in your spirit to rise up and to release its joy and its peace that is there. You simply renew your mind with God's Word. And every day, there should be a washing of water with the Word. You know, as I teach our kids, Sal and I, and our grandkids. We're always letting them know that you need to spend time with God each day. It kind of cleans off the scum, you know that settles on you from just the stuff in this world. And if you don't, it builds up. Now you find yourself fighting rejection and depression, and lust and anger and all these things. Simply because, you didn't wash with the water of the Word. Didn't renew your mind each day. Didn't spend time with God each day. When you do, you just grow, grow, grow, grow.
There's an old song when I was kid. Read your Bible, pray every day, and you'll grow, grow, grow. Then you go and you'll grow, grow, grow, and you'll grow, grow, grow. Then it says, neglect your Bible, forget to pray, and you'll shrink, shrink. Now it's not saying your spirit man is shrinking. It's saying that you and I, as it says in Ephesians 4, need to put on the new man. You're a new man. You're a new woman. As you get into God's Word, it just comes alive. There's something powerful and unique that goes on. That begins to flow out of you. You know, what does it look like to be a Christian? The Bible says, that faith worketh by love. That God is love. Another word for the 'love', is the word 'value'. As Christians, we shouldn't be walking around wimpy, oh hi, love you. And, oh. No, no. Love is value. You should value yourself. Get up and be so confident, because you know you're valuable to God and what He's done for you. And then, you should be confident of the value in everybody else.
Now, you can love yourself and love others. You value yourself, and you value others. This false humility that Christians put on, and are taught over and over and over again. The world hates it because they know it's not real. So, know you're valuable, that you're loved by God. People need to see this love that God has for you as you believe it and enjoy it. And then everywhere you go, if you value people, confident that they're valuable. Confident that I'm valuable. God, you will attract people to God like you've never seen before. Because of the confidence you have in Him. And the love that you have for others. This love gives you confidence and value. Just begin to rise up in that as you continue. Do the things we're talking about today. And I'm telling you, your whole world, Christian, is going to change.
If you don't know the Jesus I'm talking about, I want to challenge you to do something. You say well Leon, how do I know this Jesus? It starts by accepting His gift. This gift, He took your sin already. He took all of your punishment already. All of your inferiority complex, your guilt, your judgment, this stuff that harasses your head. Jesus took it, paid for it, and all you have to do is say:
Jesus, I accept the gift. Just say Jesus, I accept You. Come into my heart. I want to be in God's family. I want to follow You. I accept. I accept.
Now, that choice allows Him to come in. And I'm telling you, you need to continue to find out who you are, what is this gift all about, and live a life, not a religious life. We all know religious people, and none of us want to be like them. Ah. We want to be like Jesus, so full of power and love, friendship, and that's why we are Christians. Let us know you made that decision. Keep watching, make sure that you get out and become a part, of getting together with other people growing in this way as well.