Uncontaminated Faith
The Process to get there
(Based on a sermon by Kenneth Copeland)
- I. We must come to the absolute understanding that we are delivered from fear.
Luke 8:49. While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.''
- But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.''
This was in reference to Jairus daughter, Jesus said "Do not be afraid, He didn’t say this as a suggestion. He was giving instructions on how to receive. He finished by saying, believe and she shall be made whole. No if, and, or but, about it, she shall be made whole. He did not offer to pray for him, He simply instructed him, Do not be afraid, only believe. There is no record of Jairus saying anything, which is probably a good thing, there was a very good chance that he would have messed up everything with his words. The end result was that his daughter was raised back to life and it was recorded in the Word of God as a testimony for us to see how faith works.
Fear tolerated is faith contaminated.
Hebrews 2:14. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
- and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
We as Christians have been delivered from the bondage of the fear of death. At one time Satan had the power of death, but NO MORE, Jesus destroyed him, and released us who were subject to the fear of death, we have been made free. We must come to the absolute knowledge that we ARE delivered from fear!
Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
- For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.''
- The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
The fear of death connects you to the death you fear. We have received the Spirit of adoption.
- II. We must resist the spirit of fear, knowing that fear is not O.K., it is sin.
Revelation 21:7. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
- But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Joshua 1:9. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.''
Isaiah 1:16. "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,
- learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
We must judge ourselves, sin has already been judged. Refuse fear, refuse to tolerate
It in any way shape or form.
1 John 3:2. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
- And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
- Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
John 14:27. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
He is commanding us, do not be afraid, do not let your heart be troubled. This is a command
because it needs to be a command, it needs to be said that strong!
Our words are an outlet for our heart faith, Jesus said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)
We need to call those things that be not as though they are.
Romans 4:17. (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations'') in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
Isaiah 53:4. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Surely means a sure thing doesn’t it?
Not just a possible thing, a sure thing, in other words you can count on it. The healing power is resident in the Word of God. This is for us now, not just for the early church, God’s Word is eternal. God gave the gifts of the spirit to the church for the church itself to get well, those are manifestations of the Holy Spirit to bring salvation and healing to the world.
Isaiah 53:5. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Surely He bore our it. God laid upon Him, yet He had to bare it. Jesus said no man takes my life I lay it down.
John 10:18. "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.''
Jesus became obedient unto death, willing and obedient. Jesus bore sin, sickness, disease, weakness, pain, grief, and sorrow by faith. We must resist these things by faith in obedience to the Father. What he bore we need not bare.
Acts 2:23. "Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
- "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
Jesus paid the total price for your redemption. He took what God laid upon Him; the iniquity of us all, He spoke the Word of God and took upon Himself the full curse of the law, he went to hell speaking the Word of God, and came out on the Word of God.
Jesus quoting the 22nd psalm said --
Psalms 22:1. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? -- New Revised Standard with Apocrypha.
Jesus knew why God had forsaken him, He was the only man alive who knew it. He told His disciples many times what he must face, and that he must die to fulfill the scriptures, didn’t He? God cannot have fellowship with sin. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? The answer to that is none, so God could no longer have fellowship with Jesus, because Jesus became your and my sin. Yet Jesus was obedient unto death, knowing the full consequences of that decision. If Jesus had not spoken it, it would not have happened to Him. He willingly bore your sin, and disease. He bore it all, and I’ll say it again, What he bore, we need not bare. Glory to God, the greatest swap in the world took place, your unrighteousness for His righteousness, your sickness for His health, your fear for His peace. Jesus has born our sin, our suffering is not sickness and pain, grief and sorrow. If we are obedient and submissive to His Word, then we must understand that our suffering is not baring up under the weight of these things, it is in the resisting of these things.
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
- Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the samesufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
We have to resist the devil and all His evil works, we must resist grief and sorrow and receive the joy and peace of God. Resist grief, joy is coming in the morning. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5. You can know that it is coming, so receive the blessing.
2 Timothy 1:7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Start by saying I have been delivered from fear, it doesn’t belong to me, Jesus bore it, and because He bore it I need not bare it.
III. Faith works by and through Love.
Galatians 5:6. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
When we have unforgiveness in our heart toward our fellow Christians, or are jealous of them, maybe they have been promoted and we thought we could have done a better job, then we are not walking in love and these kinds of things will affect our faith. This is an opportunity for the enemy to gain entrance in our life, we must not tolerate this kind of behavior. We have to ask forgiveness from our heavenly Father and receive it, if we have openly wronged a brother or sister we must make it right, what ever it takes.
- IV. We must actively pursue and receive the love of God by faith. We must receive love just like we must receive salvation, or healing, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by faith.
Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:24.)
We must believe and receive the love of God by faith.
John 17:23. "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17:26. "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.''
- V. God is love. We must believe in God and in His love.
1Jn 4:15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Say, that the love of God abides in me and never leaves. The Word declares in Romans 5:5. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- VI. We must make the decision to actively walk in God’s love, and put His love into practice in our lives.
1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
As we keep God’s Word the love of God is perfected in us! This is how it is done. This is not talking about a feeling, but rather a decision to be obedient to walk in God’s love regardless of how we feel towards a person or a circumstance we are placed in.
1 John 4:12. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
When we walk in this love that God is, God’s love is being perfected in us. This perfect love destroys all fear that comes against us. Love never fails.
VII. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.
1 John 4:4. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Begin to say the Greater One lives in me, the One who loves me as much as He loves Jesus is in me. Begin to confess this in the face of doubt and fear. Do not give in to the lies of the enemy. The awareness of God will rise up on the inside of you, and perfect love will
cast out all fear, always. Glory to God.