Christ Revealed in His Own Word #135
With all thine might #3
Wednesday,
September 10, 1997
Brian Kocourek,
Pastor Grace Fellowship
Prayer A week ago we began to look
at paragraph [161] where brother
Branham said, “Do you see Him now in
His Word and all of His Word made
manifest right here before us? Oh, church of the living God, get to your
feet; believe Him with all that's in you.
Hold to that little Wheel in the middle of the Wheel; let It stabilize every move and every motion that you make. Every
thought that you have, may it be controlled by this Power on the inside of you,
because God is setting right in His Word
of this hour in the evening Light, showing
forth the Light.
Now, thus far we have looked
at what brother Branham said in this paragraph when he said, “Believe
Him with all that's in you.”
And we talked about what it takes to believe Him with all of our
body, soul and spirit.
We went to the book of [Deuteronomy chapter 6] where we read, “The Lord our God is One Lord- the Only
Lord, and you shall love the Lord your
God with all your mind and heart and with your entire being,
and with all your might. And these words which I am commanding you
this day, shall be first in your own
heart, then you shall teach and impress them diligently upon the minds and
hearts of your children, and you shall
talk of them when sit at home and
when you walk along the road, and
when you lie down and when you get
up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of
your house and your gates. “
And in [Mark 12:30], Jesus said, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And in [Luke 10:27], He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
We see that we are commanded
to Love the Lord with all of our strength, and this does not only suggest that our entire being is yielded and
longing for a relationship to Him, but it also suggests to us that we are to
express this Love for Him, by what we do to others. Because how can we love
what we can’t see, and did not john tell us that [I John 4:7-5:1] Beloved, let
us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of
God, and knoweth God. He that loveth
not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Now, in order to love God,
we must know what Love is, or at least this Love that He is speaking of.
Because with God just any Love will not do. And as we read on with what John
had to say, we will find that this Love must be expressed, and the expression
of this Love is one which is giving, even to the point of giving ones very own
Life. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
[to be] the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (
why?) Why should I love just because God loves?) Because he goes on to say, “No
man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, ( Well, that’s one good reason to Love. And
if we read on we’ll see that there are other reasons as well). and his love is perfected in us. (
So if we want the Love of God to be perfected or made to come into a mature
state of being in us, we are needful for His Love to be channeled through us). Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he
in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [to be] the
Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that
God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and
God in him. ( Now, I want you to notice the next thing John says, here.
Because with what he says, he is making
a statement which will help us to understand when our love has come to the
place of maturity.) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may
have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this
world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because
fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from
him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat
loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Now, we know according to [Eph 4:7] & [Rom 12: 1-6] that God has given us faith and Grace to us in a
measure, and what we have been given we are held responsible for, and expected
to mister unto the saints in that same measure as to what we have been given.
Sometime ago a woman came up
to brother Vayle and said, “I do not understand, therefore, I am not
responsible.” But Brother Vayle replied, “I think you have it all wrong,
You see, you are responsible, and therefore you had better know.”
And I think we can say that is true. Ignorance is no excuse when
it comes to the things of the Lord, because after all, many are ignorant
willfully. [Hebrews 10:26] For if
we sin (disbelieve) willfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins,
And if a person is ignorant,
then how can they truly love and give themselves with all their strength and
soul and mind. That would be blindly following the blind. So this love that I
am talking about here is more than a mere put on, because after all we have
several scriptures that command us to love one another without a put on. No
phony pretenses are acceptable with God.
[I Peter 1:22] Seeing ye
have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit
unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, [see that ye] love one another
with a pure heart fervently: Notice that the soul is pure through the
Word and it brings you UNTO unfeigned
love of the brethren. Therefore, I would like to assert tonight that all love
outside of this Pure Love is not love at all, but merely an emotion of man. And
we also see by the scripture that only a pure heart or understanding can
receive or produce a pure love.
[I Timothy 1:5] Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a
good conscience, and [of] faith
unfeigned: From which some having
swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of
the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. So we see that those who do not
understand the pure Word, will have to swerve away from it’s course and they
will then produce a false love.
Therefore, you can not have a pure love from an impure
heart. And we know that whenever the scriptures refer to the heart, it is referring
to our understanding. [Matt 13:15] For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of
hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with
[their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I
should heal them.
And again in [John 12:40] He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should
not see with [their] eyes, nor understand
with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
And in [Acts 28:27] For the heart of this people is waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they
should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and
should be converted, and I should heal them.
[I John 5:20] And we know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that
we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son
Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
[II Peter 3:1] This
second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
[Hebrews 8:10] For this [is]
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord; I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people:
[II Timothy 2:22] Flee also
youthful lusts: but follow righteousness,
faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Now, here we find the scripture telling
us that we are to follow righteousness which is right wiseness, and Faith which
is revelation, and charity which is agape love which is a love that is
benevolent in it’s nature toward others who are in need, and finally peace.
But notice also that this
scripture speaks of having and following these things as we follow those who
call on the Lord out of a pure heart of understanding. I think St. Paul put it best when he
said, [Romans 10:8] But what saith
it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the
word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Now,
the fundamentalist will tell you that you’ve got to make your confession, and
he is partially right. But Paul also said, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
and shalt believe in thine heart. And
therefore if you do not believe in your heart, if you do not understand what
you are confessing, what good will it do you. Then he tells us, For
with the heart ( with your understanding) man believeth unto righteousness, which is right-wise-ness); and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the
same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? In
other words, how could you call upon him if you don’t even believe. “and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? (Now, this
is another good point. If you have never even heard, how could you believe and
therefore cause yourself to call upon the Lord.) “and how shall they hear
without a preacher? ( Now this is a very good point. How can the Gospel
be believed and received if there are no more five fold to preach it?) “And how shall they preach, except they be
sent?” (and this point that Paul is making here is even better. Paul is
not saying that it is impossible to preach not being called to preach, because
our pulpits are filled with such as these today. But what Paul is saying by
these word is that although they may be running in this race, they are running
either without a message or they are running with the wrong message which is
even worse. And we do know and understand, that there are to arise many that
will preach in His Name and yet He will declare to them, “Depart from Me, for I
never knew you.” [Matt 7:15-23] Then
what if they aren’t really sent by God, Then there are two questions we must
ask. #1) who sent them, and #2) what message are they preaching? Then what will
you hear?” And Paul goes on to say, “as it is written, How beautiful are the feet
of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath
believed our report? So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God.
Now Martin Luther best
illustrated these words of Paul and rephrased them like this. “Even though they say that they hear, they
boast in vain, unless they hear true preachers; for to hear false prophets
means as much as not to hear. They hear and they do not hear; they have ears,
but do not hear, nor do they preach the word of God. This is a striking
statement against all conceited and arrogant hearers and students of the Bible.
For in these four statements that we read in Romans 10:14-15 follow one
another in such a way that one leads to the other, but so that the last forms
the foundation on which the others rest. Thus, #1) It is impossible that those
preach who are not sent. #2) It is impossible that those hear who are without a
True preacher. #3) It is impossible that they believe who do not hear. #4) It
is impossible that they call upon Him who they do not believe. To these must be
added a last one, namely; #5) It is impossible that they who do not call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. So, then, the entire source and origin of salvation rests on this, that God
sends out someone, ( a true minister of the Word). If He does not send out any,
then they who preach preach falsely, and their preaching is no preaching at
all. In fact, it would be better for them not to preach. Then also they who
hear, hear error, and it would be better for them not to hear. Then also they
who believe, would believe false doctrine, and it would be better for them not to believe. Then also
they who call upon Him would be calling falsely (upon a false lord), and it
would be better for them not to call. For such preachers do not preach; such
hearers do not hear; such believers do not believe; such callers do not call;
they will be damned because they would be saved by falsehood. Therefore we read
in [Proverbs 1:28] “Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the
fear of the Lord.” ...Then only
they can preach with certainty who proclaim the Gospel without error. That
is why Paul continues with these words, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad
tidings of good things.
And the word beautiful stands for purity, for they that preach the
gospel do not proclaim the Gospel for their own advantage or on account of vain
Glory, but they preach solely from obedience to god and for the sake of the
salvation of their hearers.
And thus they venerate God
according to their own mind, and in their stupid zeal and their eccentric piety
they are worse than the ungodly. For God’s sake they become enemies of God, and
for fear of God they become scorners of God. Because of piety they become
impious; for the sake of peace they disturb the peace; because of their love
and holiness they become envious and unholy; in the interest of humility they
become proud. Such is the fictitious piety of a stubborn mind and the
hypocritical understanding of confirmed obstinacy. So great is man’s arrogance
and his absolutely vain delusion.
In [Romans 11: 9]Paul’s says, “ Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,
and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. The snare that Paul
is speaking of here is the scripture itself, namely, inasmuch as it is understood
and handed down or taught in a deceitful manner, so that under the show of
pious instruction the souls of the deceived and simple are craftily ensnared,
and from one and the same holy Scripture, one draws for himself death while the
other life, one honey and the other poison. And the stumblingblock consists in
this, that they who are ensnared by false teaching constantly take offense to
the Real and True. For if they are ensnared it is through that which they
understand wrongly. To that they cleave and with it they are pleased. So,
without realizing it, they permit themselves to be ensnared willingly. But they
take offense at what is pointed out to them as the Truth from which they turn
away. If they cannot avoid it, (the Truth), they distort it and deny that
scripture must so be understood. at last their eyes are darkened vs [10] so
that, while others see, they themselves do not permit themselves to be
enlightened; and while all others are raised up they remain perverted in their
mind. And they who bow down their back, can no longer look up to god. So they
no longer observe the righteousness which looks down from heaven, but they
regard only their own righteousness, after which they seek and in which they
trust.
And thus they will never see
God, for their heart is not pure, and filled with those pure thoughts which
alone are Gods. Now in [Matt 5:8] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God.”
Now, remember, he is telling
us pure love comes from a pure heart. And if your heart is filled with impure
things, then how can you have a pure love.
[James 3:15-7] This wisdom descendeth not from above, but
[is] earthly, sensual, devilish. For
where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work. But
the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy
to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy.
[Titus 1:15] Unto the pure all
things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing
pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
[I John 3:3] And every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure.