Christ Revealed in His Own Word #120

Being Stablished in The Faith

Saturday, July 26 1997

Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship

[1Cor 16:13-14] Be on the watch, always, and stand fast in this Revelation, and quit being like other men, be strong. And let everything you do be done with Love in your hearts toward one another.

[Phil 1:27] Let your manner of life be more abounding and fruitful in Jesus Christ as it becometh the Gospel of Christ: That whether I come and see you , or else be absent from you, I may still hear of your affairs, that you are standing fast and firm in one Spirit, with One Mind striving together for the Revelation of the Good news brought to you in this hour.

Prayer..Stablish = to make you stable...

This evening I would like to speak from Brother Branham’s Message of Christ Revealed in His Own Word, and this will be number 120 in our series. Last Sunday we closed our message from paragraphs 156 & 157 and I would like to begin this evening by re-reading from these two paragraphs....

[156] A fine minister said awhile ago, said, "Brother Branham, if I could just have the joy of the Lord in my heart..." I said, "Son, the revival's over." See? Now, the stabilizers is been put on the ship. Great fearful waves are out here before us, but we know just beyond that wave yonder we're nearing the shore. See? We're nearing the shore. Just stay stable. ( Now, I would like to ask the question, “how can I just stay stable with so much falsehood being preached amongst the churches in this message? Well, brother Branham goes on to tell us how we can stay stable. He says,) “Just stay in the Word; stay with God. No matter how you feel, what anything else, stay right with the Word. Let it stay stable. When you see all these great big old clouds around us, and storms a-coming, and atomic bombs, and everything else they're talking about; but our stabilizer is right straight in the Word. God said it would be here; we'll crest every one of them. Yeah. We'll go right over the top of them. Yes, indeed. They can't sink us; they can't drown us. You put us in the grave; we'll come out again. That's just all there is to it. There ain't no way in the world to keep it down there. We'll caress every one of them, 'cause our great Chief Captain is calling at the other side. We're anchored in Jesus, The storms of life I'll brave; I've anchored in Jesus, I'll fear no wind or wave;

[157] Whatever it might be, let it come, what may, what it will, doesn't make any difference; we're anchored right there in Jesus. If I live, I'll live to the glory of God. If I die, I'll die to the glory of God. I just want... Just to the glory of God is what I want to do. When that's all over, I don't want to stay any longer. I want to go to where--to my reward that He bought for me, not what I earned, but what He bought for me, what He give to me by His grace.

This evening I would like to take our message from these thoughts where Brother Branham said, Just stay stable. Just stay in the Word; stay with God. No matter how you feel, what anything else, stay right with the Word. And then in paragraph 157 he also added, Whatever it might be, let it come, what may, what it will, doesn't make any difference; we're anchored right there in Jesus. If I live, I'll live to the glory of God. If I die, I'll die to the glory of God. I just want... Just to the glory of God is what I want to do. When that's all over, I don't want to stay any longer. I want to go to where--to my reward that He bought for me, not what I earned, but what He bought for me, what He give to me by His grace.

Now, this evening I would like to break this these thoughts of Brother Branham’s down into three main points.

Number 1) I would like to Show how important stability is for us in these times, especially as we should soon be approaching the squeeze.

Number 2) I want to show you what stability is and what happens when we are able to be anchored in Christ, Ie: the rest and peace which comes from God alone.

Number 3) I would like to Show you what brings stability into our lives, and also I would like to show you what can cause your stability to waver. Because if we waver back and forth in anything, then we are not stable, and the Lord wishes that we be stable and therefore not founded upon a Rock which is immovable.

Now, let’s begin with point Number 1) The importance of being stable in these times, especially as we should soon be approaching the squeeze. [Matt 13:45-46] pearl of great price. To be stable means to be singularly focused. [James 1:2-8]

[Luke 22: 25- 36] Explain the need for focus in such an uncertain time: Give examples of what happens when people are not focused with their objective. (ie) Hands are caught in machines at work, accidents happen, many unneeded trials take place. In fact that is why we have the trials in the first place. To bring us from one point to another in our Life cycle and growth toward maturity.

[1 Peter 1: 3-7] & [1 Peter 4:12-13]

[James 1:12]

[Romans 5: 1-11]

Now remember how we read from [2 Cor 1:12] and explained to you that Paul was telling the people here that our rejoicing comes from the fact that the testimony of our conscience bears witness with Gods Word, and our actions become singularly focused with Gods Word. (read)

Notice how Paul also speaks of this same singleness of purpose when he speaks of our attitude toward helping one another and giving of ourselves in an effort to help others. [Romans 12:8]

[2 Cor 8:1-7] And now Brethren, I want you to understand how the Grace of God has been made known to His children in Macedonia, Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify That when others were in need, they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own , they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service tot he saints. And they did not do as we expected, for they gave of themselves first tot he Lord and then to us in the keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything, - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, - see that you also excel in this grace of Giving.

[James 2:14-26] Now he is not speaking of works without faith, but he is saying that passive faith without an expression coming forth from it, does not show any signs of life. And remember, Brother Branham told us that Eternal Life is living for others.

In other words, how can you even think that you are doing God a service, or pleasing to God when you live unto yourself, and you are an island unto yourself. To me that is nothing other than selfishness, and self centeredness and one of the carnal sins in life.

You know there is an old Jewish fable that goes something like this. There was a Father eagle who had three little eaglets, one was his own and the others he had taken in when the parents had been killed by poachers. One day the tall tree in which they lived became in danger of being swept away by the raging flood waters. So the Father eagle decided to fly these little eaglets to safety. One by one he took them in his great beak and flew them off, but not all of them made it to safety. You see, while he was flying them away from the tree, he asked them each the same question. He said to the first little eagle, since I have watched over you and fed you and kept you, will you watch over me, and feed me and keep me when I am old and feeble? And the little guy answered, sure pops, Me and you are buddies. You took me in and you fed me and you’ve taken real good care of me, Sure Pops, You know I’ll take care of you. And when the Father eagle heard this he let the little eagle fall into the swift current and it drowned. He then flew back up to the tree and picked up the second little eagle, and flew up and away with him. and he said, since I have watched over you and fed you and kept you, will you watch over me, and feed me and keep me when I am old and feeble? And the little guy answered, sure pops, Me and you are buddies. You took me in and you fed me and you’ve taken real good care of me, Sure Pops, You know I’ll take care of you. And when the Father eagle heard this he let the second little eagle fall into the swift current where it drowned.

Then he flew back up to the tree and picked up the last little eagle, which was his real son, and as he flew up and away with him. He said, “since you were a baby, I have watched over you and fed you and kept you, will you watch over me, and feed me and keep me when I am old and feeble? And his son answered, Father, you know that I can not tell a lie, But all that I can do is to tell you that I will do my best to please you, And although I appreciate so much the things which you have done for me, I will do my best to help you in whatever way I am capable, but you must know this, that as you watched over me, and fed me, and kept me from harm, My first obligation will be also to my little ones. I must feed, and watch over and protect them just as you did for me. And with these words, the Father was so very proud of his little son, that he flew him off to safety.

[Matt 25:31-46] & [Matt 10:42]

[1Thess 3:8] For now you are really living because you stand fast in the Lord.

[Luke 11: 33-34] You don’t light a candle and then hide it, the purpose is for it to illuminate what is around you. And so is the Gospel light. Psalm 119 tells us that the Word of God is a light unto our path, and a lamp unto our feet. Then if Gods Word is to lighten our path, what good does it do if we don’t lighten our path. What good does it do if we don’t walk in the light of it? [John 12:36] & [Eph 5:8]

In [Luke 11: verse 34] Jesus said if the focus of our eye is evil, then our body is full of darkness...Now this word evil is a Greek word (poneros) which means pressed and harassed by labours, annoyed by Christian toil and a peril to Christian Faith and steadfastness.

[Acts 2:42-44] Look at the order to these things. 1st Doctrine, 2nd Fellowship which is two or more in a ship, meaning you have entered into a true communion with one another. And how does this come? [1 John 1:3-7] 3rdly we see that there was a Sharing of their daily bread and fourth, Prayer for one another. That is how we keep focused on the things of God. He said, whatsoever you have done unto the least of these my children, you have done so unto me.

[Eph 1: 15-17]

[1 Thess 1:3-5]

[2 Thess 1:3-10]

[1 Cor 13 all]

[1 Cor 16:14]

[Col 3:14]

[1 Peter 1:22-23]

[1Peter 5:10] Amplified And after you have suffered a little while, the God of Grace - who imparts all blessings and favor - Who has called you to His Own Eternal Glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, and shall establish and ground you securely, and strengthen and settle you.