Christ Revealed in His Own Word #129

The Anointing Oil

Saturday, August 23 1997

Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship

[Eph 4:11-20] Wednesday night we began to look into the other attribute brother Branham spoke of concerning the people of Laodicea (that of blindness) which we found in [Revelations 3: 14-21] (read) In paragraph 159 of Christ is Revealed in His Own Word. [159] Now, if a man... In the Laodicean age the people were what? Naked (Are they?), blind. What good does light do to a blind man? If the blind leads the blind, don't they all fall in the ditch? And tonight I would like to focus our thoughts on this other condition that brother Branham and the Scriptures call blindness. Now, remember brother Branham told us that all these perverted conditions were caused by a twisting of theology. Therefore, we see the importance of staying with “Thus Saith the Lord”.

Now, we asked the question Wednesday night, “What is blindness? And we found that Webster defines BLINDNESS as being, Without the power of sight; and we found that this understanding ties in perfectly with what brother Branham said, “they don’t even believe in the power of Revelation?” Webster also said, Blindness is Not able or willing to notice, understand, or judge, disregarding evidence and sound logic.

So we see then that this Blindness that we are looking at is a condition or attribute that reflects an attitude of willful ignorance, and self deception. [Heb 10:26] “ For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.” So we see that this blindness is not only something that they have that is harmful to their spiritual well being, but we also see that it is something that is self afflicted as well. In other words, they are blind, but God Himself has given them a way out of their blind condition, but these people willfully turn down their only way of escape, and that is what marks them as being so different from God’s Elect. Both the Elect and non-Elect have the same opportunity to receive the Word, because the Word was not performed in a corner. It was not a whisper that came in this hour, it was a shout. But the difference between the Elect and non-Elect, is that the Elect are more than willing to take the correction of the Word, while the others willfully run from it.

[ PP.36 The 6th Seal ] The thing that they had rejected, they'd spurned mercy for the last time. And when you spurn mercy, there's nothing left but judgment. When you spurn mercy... Just think of it. And there they was. They had no place to go, no retreat. And the Bible said here, "They cried to the rocks and the mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the face of the wrath of the Lamb." They'd tried to repent, but the Lamb had come to claim His own. See? And they cried to the rocks and the mountains, prayed, but their prayers were too late.

Now I want you to notice the condition of this blindness at the time of Laodicea, because the people are given a remedy to that will cure their blindness, and they are told that if they do not want to be blind any longer, they should take a certain treatment, a certain prescription that God Himself ( the Great Physician) has come down to give us which He called, (eyesalve).

[Matthew 13:10-17]. So therefore, there is a hearing which brings perception, and a seeing which brings understanding. Then if we are to better understand what this blindness is that the people of Laodicea are inflicted with, we need to understand what it means to see, because this blindness is a lack of sight, and therefore a lack of understanding. And remember, the foolish virgins had a lamp, and we know according to [Psalm 119:105], “the Word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. But the foolish virgin had the lamp, therefore they had the word, but they failed to recognize that they had to have oil in their lamp to make the lamp work, and do what it’s supposed to do, to show forth and illuminate the path. But these did not have any oil which we find many places in scripture where oil represents an anointing.

So we see according to Rev 3 that if we turn down the eyesalve we are turning down the ability to see clearly. And that eyesalve is an anointing oil that is smeared upon the eyes in order to correct whatever problem that is causing our vision to be impaired. Now in understanding what this anointing oil is all about, we found that in almost every scripture referring to the anointing oil, it was to be applied for a purpose.

[Exodus 29:21] And thou shalt take of the blood that [is] upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle [it] upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

[Exodus 40:9] And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that [is] therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

And so we see the purpose for this anointing oil is for consecrating our vessels to God. To make us Holy.

And I think it is a beautiful type of [Hebrews 12:14] which tells us that without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. So therefore, we see the purpose of the anointing oil was to bring the vessels to a place of sanctification, and without being in this condition we shall never be able to please the Lord.

[Leviticus 8:10] And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that [was] therein, and sanctified them. 12 And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. 30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which [was] upon the altar, and sprinkled [it] upon Aaron, [and] upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, [and] his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

And then once the vessels were sanctified and set apart for service to God they were no longer allowed to mingle with those that were not. [Leviticus 10:7] And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD [is] upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. [Leviticus 21:10] And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 12 Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God [is] upon him: I [am] the LORD.

Now, we are still commanded to do the same in this hour as we see in James chapter 5... [James 5:7-20] Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

And we also see that this anointing oil helps us to see as we saw in the book of Rev chapter 3, and we also see this same thing in [I John 2:20 & 27] But ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One, and as a result of this anointing, ye know all things. Now let’s read verse 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

We see in the Book of Romans that Faith is the Supreme Gift of God, [Romans 5:2, 4:16] We can’t say we believe and therefore we have Faith, for Faith is a Revelation, and believing is just being able to read.

[Eph 2:8-9] I talk to some people who do not believe and it is very apparent that they do not believe because their lives show that they do not believe, and yet I ask them if they believe and they say they do. Therefore, Faith is something that takes us way beyond a mere intellectual belief.

[Romans 3: 3-4] Now, I would like to take Pauls argument a step further and read it this way. But what if some said they believed, shall their saying it make it true? No way! ”Let every man’s word be a lie and mine true saith the Lord.”

Now, then we can see through these various Scriptures that God has called us to apply eyesalve which is an ointment, or anointing to the eyes of our heart. We know that oil signifies anointing, and therefore, it signifies the Holy Spirit’s anointing of our understanding. Therefore, we see with the eyes of our heart and therefore we also must receive an anointing upon the eyes of our heart in order for us to understand the Word which has been given to us. Notice how closely related the heart then is to the blinding of the eyes. [John 12:40] [Acts 28:7] [2 Peter 2:14]. So we see the relationship between the eyes of our understanding and the condition of the heart.

Now, we see the purpose of the anointing of God with, among, and upon, the people in the times of Laodicea in [Eph 1:17-18] that we might know and have hope which knowledge is to bring forth a hope which maketh not ashamed because we are to come to the place of having no shame, because we are to be blameless.

[Romans 5: 1-5] So as I mentioned Wednesday, without faith we could never be justified, and if never justified, then how could we be sanctified, and if never sanctified, then how could it ever be possible that God would place His Holy Spirit in an unholy vessel. In fact Brother Branham told us that God will never place His Spirit in an unholy vessel. So we see then this hope maketh us not ashamed. And the reason we are not ashamed is because we have been justified which came by Faith which is a revelation. This revelation opened up to us and gave access to us of the Grace of God, which then brings us into a peaceful relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Judge. This Peace with God then brings us into a life which is dedicated and consecrated and is sanctified which then opens the door for the indwelling of God’s Spirit which is Holy.

Therefore as we spoke of Sunday morning, the Word of God will not do you any good if it has not been anointed to you and this anointing we know is Faith or revelation in the Word. Once you have received this anointing, the Word becomes a living hope, a living desire to see and partake of the attainment and blessings of what this Word contains. It not only justifies you, but when you come to the place of having peace with our Lord Jesus Christ who is The Supreme Judge, then it also gives you confidence, a confidence that can not be shaken.[Eph 3:12].

Now, I am not saying that we should have confidence in this flesh. Rather what I am saying is that our confidence is in God and what He has said about you. How can you have confidence in this flesh any way seeing that you must put off this flesh to receive your translation, because flesh and blood will not inherit the Kingdom of God. [Phil 3:3] and then Paul said, if any man should have confidence in the flesh it would be I but I have no confidence because although I lived a very virtuous life free from breaking the commandments of God yet I found myself fighting God and not even knowing it. [Phil 3:4-21]

[Hebrews 3:6-14] And how do we hold fast with confidence unto the end? not by looking at your body of death. I look around and see many people who do love the Lord dearly and yet as they get older they become less disciplined in their life and they begin to do things that they know they should not do. As the body gets older it becomes weaker and begins to loose it’s attractiveness because it is perishing. Our strong minds will weaken and our strong convictions begin to wax because the spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. And although we may have been very strong in the Faith at one point, the weaker we become in the body the more dependent we will become upon God to save us from our selves.

Will the Word alone do it? Not without being anointed by God’s presence! Even Jesus warned of a condition at the end-time when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find Faith?”

And we know that “Without Faith it is impossible to please God.” So something is in order to happen that will deliver us from this condition because we alone can not stand in His Presence in our present conditions. And then what is that which is to happen? He said He would give us eyesalve that we might see, and a righteous garment that we would no longer be naked, and ashamed. And He would give us Gold that has been fire tested, and what is that? According to [1 Peter 7] it is the trial of our Faith which is more precious than gold tried in the fire. And gold represent deity, as well. So you see that God has come down in this hour, because had He not come to give us these things, we would surely have no hope of salvation. Not only would we have no hope of eternal Life after death, but we would have no hope of Life in this flesh. Because we are at the point of the falling apart of the world, and men are scrambling to do something about it and they are building a new world order with hopes that this will be the answer to the crumbling and decay of every institution that man has created.

The worlds political systems have crumbled, the religious systems have crumbles, the economic systems have crumbled, the educational systems have crumbled, the home and family institution has crumbled, and every thing that pertains to life as we know it has either crumbled already, or is in the process of crumbling. It is later than we think. He promised over in the book of Malachi that if he did not come there would be no hope and he would have to destroy the earth with fire. You might say, well, it’s going to be destroyed by fire anyway, so what’s the difference? Well, the big difference is that He has come to save His Own. He said in chapter three that He would spare us as a man spareth his own children.

[65-3 Christ is the Mystery 63-0728] We're not suppose to make converts to Christianity by a government, but by the revelation of Christ in you as God was in Christ.

E-28 Earnestly Contending for the Faith 55-0123E He had an intellectual faith, but he didn't have a Divine faith. There's quite a difference in me having an intellectual faith than a Divine faith. There's where you, my Baptist friends, fail to go on. You get the intellectual faith by that, but it must be a Divine revelation of Jesus Christ to you that just came out of the heart. The intellectual faith is not enough. That's all right, but it only brings you to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a personal experience of the birth, the new birth, regeneration, making a new creature in Christ.

[36-4 Christ is the Mystery 63-0728] Look, Christ in you makes Him the center of Life of the revelation. See? Christ's Life in you makes Him the center of the revelation. Christ in the Bible, makes the Bible a complete revelation of Christ. Christ in you makes you the complete revelation of the whole thing. See, what God's trying to do? What is the new birth then? You say, "Well, Brother Branham, what is the new birth?" It is the revelation of Jesus Christ personally to you. Amen. See? Not you joined a church, you shook a hand; you done something different; you said a creed; you promised to live by a code of rules; but Christ, the Bible... He is the Word that was revealed to you. And no matter what anybody says, what takes place, it's Christ. Pastor, priest, whatever it might be... It's Christ in you. That is a--the revelation that the Church was built upon.

[37-4 Christ is the Mystery 63-0728] The new birth is Christ, is a revelation. God has revealed to you this great mystery, and that's the new birth. Now, what are you going to do when you get all that group together, where the revelation is perfectly in harmony, and God expressing it through His Word by the same actions, the same things that He did, making the Word manifest? Oh, if the Church only knew its position. It will one day. Then, the rapture will go when it knows what it is.

[45-1 Christ is the Mystery 63-0728] God is not known by education; He's not known by how to explain it. God is known by simplicity and of revelation of Jesus Christ in the most illiterate person. See? Not your theology; it's a revelation of Jesus Christ. "Upon this rock, I'll build My Church." No other rock's accepted; no other thing's accepted; no other Roman rock; no other Protestant rock; no other school; no other nothing; but on exactly the revelation of Jesus Christ in a new birth. He born in there and injects His own Life, and your life is gone, and the Life of Christ is projecting Itself through you with the preeminences to the people that they see the very Life, and works, and signs and wonders that He did is doing the same thing through you. Outside of that, the rest of it's not even called to at all.