Christ Revealed in His Own Word #136

With all Thine Might #4

Sunday, September 14, 1997

Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship

[2 Cor 2: 13-17] Prayer Last week 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, this morning I want to continue with these thoughts that Brother Branham laid out for us here as we continue with paragraph 162, because what he says at the end of paragraph 161 ties in perfectly with what he drives home in paragraph 162. So let’s red the last thought here of paragraph 161 and continue right into paragraph 162.

God is setting right in His Word of this hour in the evening Light, showing forth the Light. 162 The blindness of a bat, you could turn on a light, and the bat would be so blind he couldn't fly. A hoot owl, all those night prowlers, and things like that, roaches, and things, can't see in the daytime. They don't know what it's all about. They can't see. And the evening Lights is come on. Every parable, everywhere we go to nature, to the Bible, to the statues that Daniel saw and the king of that day, all of them saw, and all these things, everybody, every form, every move, every place in the Body positionally shows us the very hour that we're living in. Not another move can come above it. There was a move of the hand, charity, Wesley. There was a move of foundation, Luther. Charity... There never was a greater. It's taught the Wesley move, they sent missionaries to all the world. One of the greatest moves that was made in--in the age before that. Then come the Pentecostal age; then come in the different fingers and things, the Pentecostal age of tongues, and nose, and so forth. Now, it's in the eyes. What good will you need Light, if that eyes wasn't there to see. There has to be eyes first to see, and then when that come, He opened the Seven Seals and revealed the evening Light, taking all the mysteries that's been hid down through these church ages and now revealed them as He promised to do in [Rev 10:1-7].Here we are today setting in the midst of the Word, and the Word being revealed to us by Jesus Christ. Then this is God's Word.

Now this last statement is the key, because if this is God’s Word, then it is “Thus Saith the Lord”.

This morning I want to focus our thinking on the last part of this paragraph where brother Branham said, Now, it's in the eyes. What good will you need Light, if that eyes wasn't there to see. There has to be eyes first to see, and then when that come, He opened the Seven Seals and revealed the evening Light, taking all the mysteries that's been hid down through these church ages and now revealed them as He promised to do in Revelations 10:1-7.

Now, if you will notice, he began this thought by talking about the evening time light. Then he begins to drive home the point that, although the evening time light is here, yet what good does it do to those who can’t see it. And then he nails down this point by saying, . There has to be eyes first to see,.

Now, what do you suppose he is trying to bring home to our attention in this statememt here? . There has to be eyes first to see, Can anybody tell me? ______

Look, we all know that the Parousia of Christ is upon us. I think by now that most of the people in the Message are aware that the Parousia of Christ is here, although many of them will not use that word as though it is some sort of cuss word because Brother Vayle used it first. But, although they know that the Presence of God came down in this hour, many of the people if not most of them, do not really, nor do they fully comprehend what it is that has taken place in this hour because had they truly understood, first of all, they would not have fought so hard against the revelation of His Presence, and now that they preach it, they say that it is true, but we, that is, those who associate with Brother Vayle do not have a right spirit, and they are teaching it with the right spirit. I though a right spirit is one that is right? The temperament in which you deliver your message has nothing to do with whether the message is right or not.

In [St. John 6:63] Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are Life”.

He also said in [St. John 17:17] when He was praying to the Father, “Sanctify them through Thy Truth, for Thy word is Truth”. So we see then that if the Words that Jesus spoke are Spirit, and knowing that these Words came forth first from the Father, And if we believe that these Words of the Father that Jesus spoke are Truth, then we know that these words are right. And if Right, then they which would preach the same Words must have a right Spirit. It’s just that simple.

From the Message Who is This? Brother Branham said, Even the scientific world has took the picture of His Being. The great Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel, we have it in our midst, by scientific proof. We have it in our hearts because of His grace. And now we see It, and wonder if It is the right Spirit the world might say. So, notice that it is the world that wonders if it’s the right Spirit. But we who know better don’t have any wondering at all about it. We know that it is the right Spirit.

From the Message Power of Transformation, he said, Now, He can fellowship with us and through us, and rest His Word with us. Which we are a part of His Word. If He is the Word, and we are part of Him, then we are part of the Word. And how can I deny I got a hand? ...neither can I deny any of God's Word and remain in the right Spirit of God.... So we see to have a right mind or a right spirit, we must have a right word. He said, ...neither can I deny any of God's Word and remain in-the right Spirit of God

Jesus said in [Matthew 7:15-20] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Now, in the Message, “Anointed Ones at the End-Time” brother Branham said the fruit is the teaching of the season. Therefore if you are to know them by their fruits, it will be by the teaching of the hour, what they are teaching pertaining to the hour. So what they tell you the teaching of the hour is, is what their fruits are. So if they are teaching Wesley’s Message of sanctification alone, or if they are teaching the Pentecostal message, then you will know that they and their teaching is out of season, and they are a false messenger and not a right one. Then if they are teaching error, the spirit that is upon them must also be a false spirit. And if they are teaching the right Message, then their Spirit must be right. Because, if the Word is Spirit, then the right word brings forth right spirit and the wrong word brings forth wrong spirit.

Therefore when they say we have a wrong spirit but a correct word, they are liars, because God’s word said a wrong spirit can not bring forth a right Word. And also we see that when they proclaim that they are preaching the same doctrine, but only with the right spirit, how is it that they could have a right spirit when they reject the right word. Oh, but they say, we know believe it, but we just couldn’t accept the vessel by whom it came.

Well, is that so! If they can not accept the vessel by whom the Word of the Lord comes, then they can not accept the One Who sent that Word. [John 13:20] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. There you have it. If they can not accept the vessel that Jesus sends to bring His Word, then they can not accept Jesus Himself or the One who sent Jesus which is the Father. They cry about doing the works of God, but they don’t even know what the works of God are. And if any body knew what the works of God are, I imagine Jesus, God’s only begotten Son would know, and He said in, [John 6:28-29] what those works would be. “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Now, I would imagine that if these people cannot receive the one in whom is sent, they would not receive the one who sent that one. And we find then that they could not have the right spirit, because the right spirit is to receive the right word, and to pay respect to the vessel bringing it. Then what would that make those who could not receive it? Carnal impersonators, as we saw in Matt 7, wolves in sheep’s clothing. And why would a wolf wear sheep’s clothing? ________.. To get near the sheep.

[I Corinthians 2:14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

Now, when Jesus said that to do the works of God is to receive whosoever He sent, and when He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,... The reason why He said, verily verily like that, in other words, he said the word verily twice, the reason why he did that is for emphasis. In other words, He was saying it to make sure that they understood the importance of what He was saying. And what He was pointing to and wanted the people to understand is this... “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” Now, what does He mean by, “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth Me.” what does the word receiveth here mean anyway? ___________.

The word receiveth that Jesus used here is the Greek word, LAMBANO and means to receive or have as your own. To lay hold of any person or thing to use it, to take it to one’s self. To receive a person and give him access to oneself and to regard their authority and rank.

Now, this is quite a statement for Jesus to make, because he is saying as you receive that person that I send, you are receiving Me. In the same manner you receive the one I send, you are receiving Me. So to say that the one he sends does not have a right spirit is to do and think the same about Jesus Himself and to think that way of Jesus is to think the same of the Father. For if we are to read and understand what Jesus is saying here, He said, “He that receiveth (1) whomsoever I send (2) receiveth me; and he that receiveth me (3) receiveth him that sent me.”

Therefore, if you are to receive that one whom He sends, then you are to accept Him as you would accept the Lord Jesus and the Father of Glory Himself.

[I Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Therefore, if they’re born of Him then they’ll have the same Spirit, right? And if the same Spirit, it would cause them to do what is right, is that correct? Then if we be any otherwise minded, did not He promise to reveal it to us? [Philippians 3:15] Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (complete or mature), be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

[I John 3:7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil;( and what is sin? It’s unbelief as Jesus said in, [John 16:9] “Of sin because they believe not on Me...) Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin (unbelief) is of the devil, for the devil sinneth(disbelieved) from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;(does not disbelieve) for his seed (whose Seed? God’s Seed) remaineth in him: and he cannot sin (disbelieve) , because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Now, then, he speaks pretty blunt here and tells you that whosoever doeth righteousness is right. And how could you do that which is right if you were not right. And we know the word righteousness comes from the old English word, rightly wise. Therefore, whosoever doeth that which is rightly wise is rightly wise. That makes it pretty clear then that those who say we have a wrong spirit is because they can not tell what is a good spirit and what is a wrong spirit. And if our Spirit is from the One Who sent Christ, then they can not tell what is the Spirit of Christ from the Spirit of error. Now, that is a blind and miserable condition to be in. Now, the word righteous that we are speaking about and that we read from the Book of [1Jn 3] is the Greek word, dikaiosune {dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay} and it means righteousness 1) the state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God 1a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attend a state approved of God and it will bring forth 1b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

So what we have seen so far this morning is that #1) Those who have a right Spirit will have a right Doctrine. #2) Those who have a right spirit will receive him whom is sent by Christ, and to receive him is not to secretly use his tapes and preach his material, but publicly refuse him, but on the contrary, it is to not only receive what he has to say, but to receive him as well, as though you are receiving Christ Himself and the Father of Glory. #3) and to refuse him, or reject him in any way means to refuse and reject Christ and the Father. Now, that is pretty strong, but Brother Branham said, in the message Spiritual Food in Due Season We find out that when a man comes, sent from God, ordained of God with the true Thus Saith the Lord, the message and the messenger are one and the same. Because he is sent to represent Thus Saith the Lord, Word by Word, so he and his message is the same. A denominational man under denominational auspices, he and the church is the "one." A theologian under theology made by some denomination, he and his message are one: church of theology, a theologian. It's correctly. Then when a man comes with Thus Saith the Lord, he and the Message is one. And when Elijah come with Thus Saith the Lord, he and his message became one. Just as Jesus, when He come, He was the Word, Saint John 1. So the Word of God and the messenger of the age was the selfsame thing all the time. That's right.

Now, we know that the man with Thus Saith the Lord is the Messenger of the age, and he is the Word for that age made manifest. But notice also that any man who has a message or brings forth a message is one with that message. He uses the illustration of any theologian or even a denominational minister as that. So then, we see that a man and his message are one, and after all, did not Jesus say, “for out of he abundance of the heart a man speaketh?” And did the God say in His Word, “ As a man thinketh in His heart, so is He?” Then if a man’s thoughts are right, does not that make him right? And if he is right, then his spirit musty be right. And if Jesus said a good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, and an evil tree can not bring forth right or good fruit, then how can a man that has a wrong spirit bring forth anything but wrong doctrine?

Then I would like to ask the question, “How can these men who will not receive those of us who are preaching the correct Word of God, be preaching the same Word correctly?” It can’t be done! Not, if this Bible is True. And God said, Let my Word be True and every man a liar. Therefore, based upon this Word of God being True, I believe that I would not be presuming to say that these men are teaching the Parousia of Christ in Error. They may say He is here, but what Jesus are they preaching. And who are they saying is here? Some of them say the Lamb is here, and we know that is error based on what brother Branham distinctly said about the Lamb opening up the book and handing it to the Father who comes down and the lamb steps up on the throne and is not seen again until Revelations chapter 19. Therefore, we already know that Paul warned us that there would arise those in our day, even as there were those in his day who were preaching “Another Jesus”.

Now, who is this other Jesus? If the name Jesus means Jehovah Savior, then this other Jesus would have to be a false savior, right? And, then what they are preaching would have to be another Gospel. And If the True one has come down as a Light, then the false one would also have to appear as an angel of Light as well. [2 Cor 11: 13-15] Well, in order to find out we must ask ourselves, what is meant by another Jesus. Now, remember, Jesus Himself warned us that many would come in my name saying I am the Christ, but we are not to take heed, right? And as brother Branham said, it wasn’t the name Jesus but the word He used was “Christ”, which means anointed one. So there would be many false Christ’s, or false anointed ones. And so we find that when Paul is referring to the people receiving another Jesus, He is speaking of them receiving another Christ. And then he said they would thus receive another Spirit, which is one of another nature, and thus also they would take heed to another Gospel, which is also one of a different nature as well. And so we find that the people open themselves up to another god than the true God, which would have to be the god of this evil age. And how do they do that? By receiving another Gospel, or message which is not the one that Paul brought, but one that has been perverted. [2 Cor 11:1-4 & Gal 1: 6-9 & 2 Peter 2: 1-4] And when they receive another Gospel, they receive the spirit of that gospel, because the words are spirit and life. And just as God uses His Word to bring forth an incorruptible life, so too satan uses his word or a false gospel to implant his own spirit and life into the believer in his message.