Podcast Summary
Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Episode: "He's the God Of Your Covenant" | Richard Roberts | World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA
Date: January 27, 2020
Speaker: Richard Roberts (Guest Minister)
Host: Dufresne Ministries
Episode Overview
In this dynamic and heartfelt sermon, Richard Roberts, son of evangelist Oral Roberts, shares a message at World Harvest Church in Murrieta, CA, centered on the theme of “covenant”—the divine, generational agreement between God and His people. Drawing on Scripture, personal testimony, stories of ministry miracles, and prophetic words, Richard emphasizes that God is actively seeking those who will enter into covenant with Him, and that the blessings of this covenant extend to healing, provision, and generational legacy. The episode concludes with a powerful healing prayer and testimonies of miracles experienced in real time during the service.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Personal Updates and Heritage
- Family/Cultural Touchpoints:
- Richard reminisces about his late father, Oral Roberts, and a recent tribute in Tulsa media ([02:50]).
- Shares about recent ministry trips to India and Singapore, emphasizing his call to minister to pastors in remote, underdeveloped regions ([06:00]).
- Reports that his ministry and laying on of hands has reached 4,000 Indian pastors in the past three years, each now equipped with ordination and the potential to impact 2 million people ([10:30]).
- Legacy:
- Credits his father's prophetic influence, noting that Oral Roberts declared Richard would carry on healing ministry specifically for underdeveloped nations ([13:00]).
2. The Nature of Covenant
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Scriptural Foundation:
- “What is a covenant?”—more than a contract, a heaven-and-earth agreement, a divine commitment ([21:00]).
- Reads and discusses Genesis 17: God's covenant with Abraham at age 99, emphasizing that God’s word to Abraham applies to all believers today ([22:30]).
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Practical Relevance:
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Marriage is cited as a modern illustration of covenant, but unlike humans, “God always keeps His covenant” ([24:00]).
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The covenant includes mercy, favor, compassion, blessing, and justice.
“Covenant is God’s natural initiative and response to human well being, to human needs, to problems and predicaments.” – Richard Roberts [25:10]
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Taking It Personally:
- Encourages the congregation to declare:
“He’s the God of my covenant!” ([22:00])
- Encourages the congregation to declare:
3. Abraham's Covenant Journey as Our Template
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Obedience Without Full Knowledge:
- God’s call to Abraham to leave the familiar and go “without GPS” ([28:00]).
- Richard likens this to his personal journey—he once resisted ministry, seeking a career as a musician, but God intervened ([30:00]).
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Blessing and Generational Promise:
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Outlines the challenges and promises given to Abraham, and the continuation of covenant through Isaac, Jacob, and beyond ([36:00]).
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Urges standing with and praying for Israel per the biblical command ([40:00]).
“Thank God that once again, after many years, America is standing up for Israel… If you bless Israel, I'll bless you. But if you curse Israel, I'll curse you. I don't want to be under a curse!” – Richard Roberts [41:20]
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Covenant Extends to the Next Generation:
- Warns that “the devil is after the next generation,” narrating Pharaoh’s attempt to separate children from Israel during Exodus ([48:30]).
- Stresses the parent’s role in commanding and training their children so generational blessing continues.
4. Blood Covenant and Spiritual Authority
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Scriptural Example:
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Cites Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek (Genesis 14) as a reaction to receiving a revelation of God as “possessor of heaven and earth” ([55:00]).
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Explains how obedience in giving often attracts spiritual resistance, but affirms God as our unchanging source.
“God's the source of my supply. God's the source of my healing. God's the source of my life… My job, my ministry... is my seed, but it's not my source. God is my source.” – Richard Roberts [59:40]
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Addressing Fear and Standing on Covenant:
- Notes that despite Abraham’s faith, fear still attacked him—“We’re not immune to fear, but God has not given us the spirit of fear…” ([01:01:30]).
5. Old and New Covenant Relationship
- Theology:
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Distinguishes between the Old and New Covenants, clarifying that the New fulfills rather than replaces the Old:
“The New Deal did not replace the old deal. It fulfilled the old deal.” – Richard Roberts [01:04:00]
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Warns against neglecting Old Testament teaching, emphasizing all Scripture is relevant ([01:06:00]).
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Uses analogy of fish to illustrate the importance of spiritual movement—stagnation leads to spiritual death ([01:08:30]).
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6. Generational Anointing & Personal Testimony
- Oral Roberts’ Prophecy Over Richard:
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Recalls a prophetic word from his father about a “double portion” anointing, that the spiritual mantle is generational, not transferable by man ([01:12:00]).
“The anointing of God is generational. It cannot be picked up by someone else… when I go, a double portion of my spirit will come upon you.” – Oral Roberts (as quoted by Richard) [01:13:20]
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Describes the physical and spiritual experience of this mantle being passed to him, manifest as a feeling of “fire shooting out of my hand” ([01:16:00]).
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Shares how he was directed not to keep such testimonies private, quoting both Kenneth Copeland and the pattern set by Jesus (“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” – Luke 4:18, [01:19:30]).
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Affirms that these anointings and levels are for everyone, not just himself ([01:23:00]).
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7. Application: America, Covenant, and Current Events
- Observations on the Nation:
- Praises a spiritual resurgence in America—support of Israel, restoration of prayer in schools, and pro-life legislation ([01:25:30]).
- Urges that political and cultural change is primarily about God’s purposes for America ([01:27:30]).
- Cites founding fathers acting under divine purpose, and urges support for leaders who honor God ([01:31:00]).
- Church’s Call:
- Calls the church to remain Spirit-filled, Holy Spirit–led, and fully open to covenant blessings ([01:34:00]).
8. Healing Ministry and Manifestation
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The Three Pillars:
- “Healing is real.”
- “Healing is relevant.”
- “Healing is for you.” ([01:35:00])
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Active Ministry Moment:
- Conducts corporate prayer for healing—backs, shoulders, knees, arthritis, internal organs, and more ([01:36:30]–[01:47:30]).
- Describes a sense of “fire” as healing flows; asks for those immediately healed to come forward for testimony ([01:48:00]).
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Live Testimonies: ([01:49:00] onward)
- Congregants testify to relief from back pain, bronchitis, joint issues, arthritis, allergies, and other ailments.
- Notable exchange regarding “pain” acronym:
“What is pain? Persistently aggravated intense nagging. That's pain. And Jesus came to remove the pain.” – Richard Roberts [01:54:10]
- Includes spontaneous moments of humor and warmth as people share their healing.
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Blessing the Congregation:
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Encourages continuous openness to the Holy Spirit and to the flow of God’s covenant blessings ([02:00:00]).
“Just keep moving forward. Why? Because you have a covenant with God.” – Richard Roberts [02:02:00]
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Uplifting Closing:
- Leads congregation in declaring, “I have a covenant with God. I’m going up, up, up, up, up! In Jesus’ name!” ([02:03:10])
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On God’s initiative:
“God is always looking for someone to enter into covenant with.” [24:20]
- On covenant’s benefits:
“We are entitled to everything that Abraham was entitled to.” [46:20]
- On America’s stance toward Israel:
“Thank God that once again… America is standing up for Israel. …The Bible says, if you bless Israel, I will bless you.” [41:20]
- On the transfer of anointing:
“The anointing of God is generational... They can receive an impartation from me, but they cannot receive my mantle.” [01:13:30]
- On healing:
“Healing is real. Healing is relevant. Healing is for you.” [01:35:30]
- On pain:
“P.A.I.N.—Persistently aggravated intense nagging. And Jesus came to remove the pain.” [01:54:10]
- On generational promise:
“Satan wants the next generation. If he can’t get you, he wants your children, he wants your children’s children.” [48:40]
- On movement and stagnation:
“We have to be in movement or else we stagnate. And when we stagnate, we stink. And there’s some stinking people…” [01:08:30]
Important Timestamps
- 00:00 – Opening prayer and personal/family updates
- 06:00 – Reports on ministry in India/scope of outreach
- 21:00 – Introduction to the message on “covenant”
- 22:30 – Genesis 17: God’s covenant with Abraham
- 28:00 – Abraham’s call, parallels to modern faith journeys
- 40:00 – Addressing Israel and America’s role
- 48:30 – Generational nature of the covenant & spiritual inheritance
- 55:00 – Abraham, Melchizedek, and the revelation of God as source
- 59:40 – God as the ultimate source, not circumstances
- 01:04:00 – Relationship between Old and New Covenant
- 01:13:00 – Prophetic word from Oral Roberts about the double portion
- 01:23:00 – New levels of anointing available for all
- 01:25:30 – Spiritual resurgence and current events in America
- 01:35:00 – Three truths about healing
- 01:36:30 – Healing prayers and ministry time (backs, shoulders, internal organs, etc.)
- 01:49:00 – Healings and testimonies from the congregation
- 02:00:00 – Exhortation to keep moving forward in covenant
- 02:03:10 – Closing declarations and praise
Conclusion
Richard Roberts’ message is an invitation to recognize, receive, and walk boldly in God’s covenant—a supernatural partnership that promises blessing, healing, generational legacy, and spiritual authority. Through personal narrative, biblical teaching, and active ministry, listeners are encouraged to step into their covenant rights, expect healing, and boldly declare God as their source in every circumstance.
Flowing naturally, heartfelt and faith-filled, this episode serves as both teaching and impartation—especially for those seeking a fresh understanding of what it means to live in covenant with God.