Benefits
no. 36
Understanding
the Falling Away
“Why people are Losing Their Faith”
February
20, 2005
Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship
2 Thessalonians 2: 1 ¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, by
the parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Now, we know by
Scripture that one of the tell-tale signs of the Parousia or Presence of Christ
is that there has to be a falling away first. Now, we must ask ourselves a
falling away from what? And the answer is plainly given in Scripture as a
Falling away from The Faith.
I TIMOTHY 4:1 ¶ Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart (That
means to fall away) from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Take on the whole armor of God
62-0701 P:64 So today these great intellectual spies are too much for the poor,
humble children of God. Now, Jude said in the book of Jude, last of Jude there,
he said that they have creeped in among
us: creeped in. That's what's causing to go out in these big tantrums that
they've done. Creeped in among us, men foreordained to this condemnation, creeped
in among us, drawing us away from the Word, causing us to lose faith in the
Word: wandering spots, ships without sails... The rushing wind could blow, and
they just got an old dead organization pole standing there, going, "Wooo,
days of miracles is past. Wooo, no such a thing as Divine healing.” But if
you've got a real spiritual sail setting up there, the Spirit picks it up and
away across she goes into lands that they know nothing about. That's right.
Yes, causing you to lose faith in the
Word by their polished-up seminary experiences.
You see
according to Brother Branham these that fall away have no discernment of the
Word. Let’s read some other scriptures
about this falling away from The Faith.
HEBREWS 6:4For it is impossible for those who were once for all enlightened,(that’s this hour, the once for all enlightenment) and have tasted of The
heavenly gift, and were made partakers (that
means companions)
of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good Word of God (that’s
the Shout which is the Message), and the powers of the world to come (that’s all
those miracles we have seen in this hour), having fallen
away from all this, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance
(which is a change of the mind); seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of
God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (and haven’t they done
just that by making him his own Father. Yes, they have crucified Him, they said
away with him, away with Him, and they have cast aside the Son of God and
accepted a Unitarian message instead, just like the Jews and Muslims have
done.)
The Indictment 63-0707M P:93.Now, is that
my word or His? If a man who comes to a
knowledge... Remember, they never
got it; they were borderline believers. After we have received the knowledge of the Word of God (You get it from a knowledge, from reading
in It, seeing It.), and then reject It, then you--it's impossible for you
to ever be saved. Did you read that now? See? Have received a knowledge of the
Truth... Just you understand it; you never got it.
2 Timothy 4: 4 And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 3: 6 For of this sort
are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women (churches)
laden with sins,
led away with divers lusts,
2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Acts 20: 30 Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them.
2
Peter 1:1-21 (NIV) 1 But there were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, (and what are these
destructive heresies?)even denying (that means they say no to) the sovereign Lord
who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow
their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed
these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their
condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not
been sleeping.
Brother Vayle
read this verse and said in his series on the rapture,
Lee Vayle Rapture #7 P:62 Then he tells you... Now watch: [2 Peter 2](1) But there were false prophets among the people, (Jesus said the same thing. They're coming-anointed to power like
Balaam but off the Word.) even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies (In other
words, they have their own revelation. From the time the prophet comes on the
scene, they will tell you "no way" about the Rapture...tell you
"no way" about revelation.) even denying the Lord that bought them (What is that word 'deny'? It means to 'refuse' just like in
Hebrews 6.) and brought upon themselves swift destruction. (2) And many shall follow their pernicious ways; (Bloodless ways. Certainly. There's no Blood. You get outside the
Light, where is the Blood? You find me where the Blood is outside the Light.
Now, come on. I'm quoting Scripture-Jn 3:16-19.) (2) Many shall
follow their bloodless ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken of. (3) And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make
merchandise of you.
So you see they have worked themselves right into this message
and have caused others to fall for their doctrines that deny the Lord that
Bought them. Now, as I noted earlier in
scripture, the word depart was translated from a Greek word which also
is translated in Luke 8: 13 They on the rock are
they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root,
which for a while believe, and in time
of testing they fall away.
So you see this
falling away or departing is something that they do themselves. The Greek word
actually means to withdraw oneself. And
that means that no one is responsible for their falling away but they
themselves who so choose to depart. We
live in a society today where no one wants to take the blame for their own
actions.
Discerning body of Lord
59-0812 P:3 Paul promised that in the last day, by the Holy Spirit, that the
church would fall away, millions of them. "There'll come a falling away,
for men will be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God,
truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and despisers of those that are
good: not the right discernment. "Oh," you say, "that is the
Communist." That is so-called
Christians. Watch the next verse. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof," no spiritual discernment. When you got
spiritual discernment and the Holy Ghost is upon you, you have spiritual
discernment. It says, "Amen"
to every promise of God.
In 23+ years of
pastoring I have heard every excuse possible from those that eventually leave
and go their own way. There was one
family years ago that came to church only a handful of times, and then decided
to go the way of satan and that family went heavily into sin, and darkness and
adulteries and you name it but when they finally saw the ruination in their
children they said it was all my fault because I did not come running after
them and beg them to come back. You might think that sounds incredulous, but
that is what they said.
The wise virgin
did not chase after the foolish virgin, and take of their own oil and give it
to them. She had only enough for herself only and so they told the foolish
virgin where they got theirs, and told them to go get their own. And you know
that is where I need to smarten up myself. I have tried to get this doctrine
out to the world because it is suppose to smarten us up and mature us. Yes, the doctrine of Christ is to bring us to
maturity so we understand our position in the family of God.
The Apostle
Paul told us the role of the five-fold ministry is to do just that.
EPHESIANS 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints,(that means for the maturing of the saints) for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ: (And for how long are we supposed
to do this? )13
Until we all come in the unity of the faith, (now, he did not
say until we all come into a unity of faith, but he said until we all come into
the Unity of THE FAITH, because this same Apostle just a few verses earlier
said there is only ONE FAITH and that ONE FAITH is in the ONE LORD, the Lord
Jesus Christ.)
13 Until we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, (now, how are we going to come into a Unity of THE
Faith if we have no knowledge of The Son of God? You can’t have a unity of The Faith if you
have any other faith than what Jesus the Son of God had himself.)
PHILIPPIANS 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
GALATIANS 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
And
in GALATIANS 2:20 Paul said, I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.
Not my faith in
the Son of God, but I live By His Faith living itself out through me. You see, your faith means absolutely nothing
to God, but the Faith of His Son Jesus means everything to Him. Why, because
Faith is a revelation and that revelation is of who God is and even Jesus said,
No man hath seen the Father at any time, but the e Son of God hath declared
him. That means that without that declaration of invisible God to the world
through the agency of His visible Son, we could not even know who to
worship. And So the Apostle Paul even
tells us that whether we believe or not makes no difference to the plan of God,
and can’t even affect it in any way.
ROMANS 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith
of God without effect?
And so what
access we do have to God we owe to the Son of God who made that way open for us
to the Father. EPHESIANS 3:12 In whom we have
boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Jesus
Himself said, “No
man can come to the father except through me.”
Therefore this
Faith, in fact “The Faith” of Christ is so important to us that the apostle
Paul said, “Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; (not just faith but
The Faith) prove
your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?” II CORINTHIANS 13:5
Now, as I said
that is the ministry of the five-fold to bring you to The Faith, the same faith
that of Jesus that you might become a fully mature Son or daughter of God.
Paul said, EPHESIANS
4:11 And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting (maturing) of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of
Christ: 13 Until we all come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect (or
finished off)
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Now,
in Romans 12:3 Paul tells us that every man is given a measure of faith,
but here he is telling us that we are to come to the same measure that Jesus
Had. In other words, a lesser measure will not do, but he is speaking of the
same measure of faith that Jesus had.) Until we all come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect
(complete or finished off) man, unto (not a measure, but) the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Christ
And why is this
necessary? Because Paul continues 14 That we henceforth be no more children, (You
see God wants us to grow up and become mature Sons and daughters.) 14 That we
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; And believe me at the end time is a time of
deception like no other time on earth. Remember we just read from 2 Thess 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there come a
falling away first,
In fact Jesus
told us Himself that the sign that his Parousia was at hand would be marked by
deception. MATTHEW
24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying,
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy
parousia, and of the end of the world? 4 ¶
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive
you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many. And in verse 10 And then shall many
be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And
many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love
of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.
But in verse 24
we are told that it is not possible to deceive the very elect. That is because
in John 1:12 we learned that “to them that
received Him to them gave He power to become sons’. That means the ones who were
able to receive him were those were given the ability to make a right decision.
And without that germ of life in you from God you could not come to full terms
as a son of God.
The Apostle
Paul further told us in ROMANS 16:17 ¶ Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary
to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord
Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive
the hearts of the simple. Now, we are not called the
simple. We are called the wise if so be that we have the mind of Christ.
The
Apostle John said, I JOHN 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth,
but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the
Father and the Son.
Therefore if
you deny that there is a Father and a Son and try to make Jesus his own Father,
This Apostle says plainly that you are anti Christ. Because he continues in the
next verse, I JOHN 2:23 Whosoever denieth
the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath
the Father also. This same Apostle also says, II JOHN 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we
have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
Now, why is
that? Because he is talking about falling away, and that we should be on guard
with our own selves that we not fall away.
Now, what is this reward that we will lose? It’s our Glory because the
Glory is the Doxa of God, the Opinion, the assessment and the judgment of God
in us, and if we lose our Faith, or fall away from The Faith, then we fall away
from The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
By faith Moses 58-0720M P:17 Now, we lose our glory, if we lose faith. Now, if we get away from faith, then we take the
church into an intellectual realm. And many times, it's been thought amongst
people, that because a congregation was large, and they had great churches,
great steeples, and a great lot of well-dressed and groomed people, and a lot
of finances, that they could afford such things, we many times, thought that
was inspiring--that this certain church must be inspired. Or we've often
referred to different ministers, who get out on the field and have great
gatherings of crowds, and we think, sometimes, that they are the signs of
inspiration. But that's not altogether the truth. That's human inspiration. But the real inspiration comes by doing the
will of God (See?), whether it is a
one or just a handful. Whether it is a big church or a small church, it
matters not. Whether he is a great eloquent speaker or just a man that hardly
knows his ABC's, it doesn't matter. It
depends on the message that he brings, whether it is inspired by the Word
of God or is it inspired by intellectuals conceptions of human inspiration.
Some people can be inspired because of an eloquent speaker. That doesn't make
it right. Sometimes they're inspired, because the man is so trained, till he
could put his point over. That doesn't mean that it's of God. See? It's only
through God's everlasting, eternal, blessed Word can we receive inspiration,
and that's given by the Holy Ghost. By faith we receive it.
So how does
this falling away come? It comes by turning down the doctrine of Christ. And
there is only one doctrine of Christ and to turn down that you turn down God.
II JOHN 1:9 Whosoever goes beyond the limits, and remains not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both
the Father and the Son.
So if you have
a doctrine of Christ that teaches there are not two concerning the doctrine of
Christ, a Father and a Son, one being God and the other being the Son of God,
then you do not have the doctrine of Christ, and thus you do not have God. You
do not echo God, which means you do not say the same thing he says about
Himself. John believes this so strongly he says, 10 ¶ If
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is
partaker of his evil deeds.
Now, we have
been talking about the end time falling away from The Faith which is The
Revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, in his parables Jesus tells us how this
falling away takes place and what circumstances are involved in this falling
away.
MATTHEW 13:18 18 "Listen then to what the
parable of the sower means: 19
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it,(notice that understanding is
the key here.)
When anyone hears The Message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. (Now, always
remember, brother Branham taught us that when ever you see the word heart used
in scripture it always refers to understanding. So to understand this passage
according to what he taught us we must read it like this: When anyone hears The Message and does not understand it, the evil one
comes and snatches away what little
understanding he did have.) This is the seed
sown along the path.
20 The one who received the seed
that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the Word (The Message)and at once receives
it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, (in
other words, because he has no representation in heaven) he lasts only a short time. When trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Now,
that is the second kind of person who hears the Message. The first just doesn’t
get it and the next one might like what he’s hearing but because he has no germ
seed, he quickly falls away. Now, notice then the third kind of person that
hears the message.
22 The one who received the seed
that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the Word (The
Message), but the worries of this life and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word(it chokes off the
Message), making
it (the Message) unfruitful.
James 1: 14 But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Notice
in this group we have those who get so caught up into the rat race that all
their focus becomes on how they can get more and more wealth and that effort
draws them away from the water of the Word and they soon dry up and die.
23 But the one who received
the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the Word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a
hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Seed shall possess the gate
61-0212E P:20 Then God was so pleased with complete obedience. God had tried his
patriarch. He had tried his servant. And every son that cometh to God must be
what? Tried. Chastened. That's where
that many fall away, because we can't
stand that trial. A person come to the altar in time of revival. And you'll
watch just a little while, and the hot trials begin to come. Jesus plainly
taught it, said, "The sower went forth sowing seed. Some fell by the
wayside, some fell into stony ground, and amongst thorns and thistles, and the
others fell over in good ground." And He said that's the way the Word
went, goes out. Some hears the Word, go
out; birds come along, pick it up. See, they don't--don't do no good at
all. Others come up overnight. Oh, they're going to do great things. But when the trials begin to come, it chokes
them down. But some goes all the way over into good ground, and that brings
forth a hundredfold.
His same
parable is repeated to us in the book of Luke. "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the Word of God. 12 Those along the path are
the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their
hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word
with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while,
but in the time of testing they fall away. 14
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do
not mature. 15 But the
seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the
word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Not only has
the false anointed coming into the Message caused some to lose faith, but the
fact that God has done so much that the Word and the power of God just becomes
so common to the people, and they have allowed it to become too common to them,
and that can become just as great a danger as false doctrine coming in among
them.
Jehovah Jireh 2 60-0802 P:62 I'm telling
you Pentecostal people are seeing so
much, and have through your life since you've become children of God, seen so
much of the goodness, and mercy, and glory of God till it's become too common to you and... It's too common. that makes
you lose faith.
HEBREWS 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses: (now the Greek word for despised is a word that
means to do away with, to set aside, disregard:
to thwart the efficacy, to nullify or make void, to frustrate or reject, to refuse. .)29 Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was
sanctified, an unholy thing,(The Greek word there for unholy
means common, they treat the covenant of god as though it is just a common thing) and hath done despite (that is an insult) unto the Spirit of
grace?
By faith Moses 58-0720M P:16 Now, if we lose faith, then we will never get a
prayer answered by God. "For He that cometh to God must first believe that He is, and
a rewarder of those that diligently seek after Him." So if we lose faith, our prayers are annulled;
we get no where. So if all that we can think of this morning is to hold onto
faith. Then if we lose faith, all our hopes is gone. And if we lose faith, all our spiritual reality is
gone. For you cannot have faith in
things that you see. For the things that you see are all perishable. If we
look at some great person, or great minister, or a great congregation, they
will all perish someday.
Ministry explained 50-0711
P:51 When you lose faith... You get out with a bunch of unbelievers, and they say, "There's nothing in it,"
and Satan begins to lie to you, then you'll fall right back down in the
category where you was the first place.
Third seal the 63-0320 P:27 We've been
through all that and showed how they missed John, how they missed Elijah, how
they missed Jesus, how they missed them all the way along, and they'll do the
same thing, 'cause the Bible said they would. See? So then, in that time it'll be very humble. It'll be so simple.
That'll what'll makes people fall away from it. It's too simple for them.
We find out that always when people get smart and educated and know a whole
lot, then they just--that's just the
kind that misses it, you know. See?
Ever present water 61-0723M
P:38 So then that process of time, there's where the great falling away
come in
Everlasting Life 54-1231 P:9 You can have
optical illusions, and things that looks like it is, when it's not. See? But
when the picture that...And it could be psychology. You can say, "You see
that there?" And you just keep saying, "Yes, I believe it." And
believe it so much till actually you think you see it, when you don't. See?
That's right. But that's psychology. But you... It's just got you so mentally
pressed towards it, till you just imagine it, so imagine it so much till it
becomes a reality. You just imagine somebody hates you, once. And they don't hate you, but you imagine they
do, and you just keep thinking, "They don't like me." And the first thing you'll be shunning that
person, when they haven't done nothing to you. And after while, it become
so a reality to you, till you'll actually believe that that person doesn't like
you. And you'll might bawl them out or say something to you, for instance your
wife, or your husband, or some neighbor, or something like that, when, the
person is absolutely innocent of any ill thing. It's because that you just imagine it so, till it become a reality to
you. Now, see what I mean?
Hebrews Chapter 6 and 7
57-0915M P:42 "For if we sin
willfully, after we received the knowledge of the truth..." But after
you're once borne, you have the truth, not the knowledge of it; but you have
accepted the Truth, and It's become a
reality, and you're a child of God for time and eternity.
Law having a shadow 56-0621
P:58.The Bible said, it's impossible for that man to do that; said,
"If a man once been enlightened and made partakers of the Holy Ghost and
tasted of the powers of the world to come, it's impossible for him to fall
away, to renew himself again unto repentance." So if your constantly on the up-and-down, remember brother, you have
never correctly ever come to Jesus Christ yet.
GREATEST BATTLE EVER FOUGHT
62-031 17-2 It must be accepted in the
mind; then it's believed with the heart; then the Word of God becomes a
reality; then every senses of soul and body is just scoured out with the
Holy Spirit. Then you're sense of God; you're conscience of God; everything
that's godly flows through you. There's not a doubt anywhere.