Christ Revealed in His Own Word #137

A closer walk

Sunday, September 21, 1997

Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship

Prayer. This morning I would like to move on from where we left off last Sunday when we read from paragraph 161 and 162 of Christ is Revealed in His Own Word. Now in paragraph [161], 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. Then he went on to say, 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 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 eyes, or 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. 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, last Sunday we spoke on this thought here that He said, “There has to be eyes first to see” and we focused our thoughts on the fact that you must have eyes before you can see, therefore, there must be a seer first before God can unveil or show forth Himself in an Epiphanaea, because what good does an epiphanaea do those who do not understand what it is all about. And who could explain with assurance what has taken place in this hour, except it be a prophet. Because when the Prophet speaks, it is God speaking mouth to mouth, and there is no mistaking what he is saying, and the authority behind what is being said. But if I speak, or another in the Five Fold ministry speaks, we must be able to show forth where the thoughts are found in God’s Word, or you don’t have to hear it. But when God’s Prophet speaks, although he is a Word Prophet, you may not fully understand where it is in scripture that He is speaking from. But once that Prophet has been vindicated by God, then there is no questioning that prophet. Either you receive what he says, or you don’t. And to receive it means life and to reject it means death.

But what if the Five Fold speaks the same thing? Then what? Then to receive it means life and to reject it means death. It is just that simple. Because if we speak the same thing, then we have a true confession. Jesus said, in [Matt 10:32-42] Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

So we see that our confession is an integral part of the plan of salvation which our Lord promised us. The word confession here is a Greek Word, HomoLogos and it means the same Logos. Now the word Logos means the expressed word. And therefore, He that confesses me before men, I will in no wise cast out, but I will confess him before My Father which is in Heaven. In other words, he that expresses the same thoughts that were expressed in me before men, I shall express those same thoughts toward him in the presence of My Father. That is why He said, “In that day, ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.”

[John 14:18-26] I will not leave you comfortless(orphans): I will come to you.(And so we see at the time of His Coming, His Presence among us, that we will no longer be orphans. And when is a child no longer an orphan? At the time of adoption). Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:(Notice that the world will not be able to see Him, but there are those who will be able to see, or perceive). because I live, ye shall live also. (Now, I want you to carefully listen to the next thing Jesus tells us here.) At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (So we see here that there is to be a specific day that we are to know something that is very special. It is at that given day that we are to enter into a relationship that has never existed before in the history of man, between God and His Seed.) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ( Now, how is it that He and the Father will both come and make their abode with us? In what manner or state or condition will this occur?) He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you. But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

65-3 Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed 63-0728 Now, notice, God making Hisself known. Not... 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. As God was in Christ, Christ in you. What God did in Christ, Christ does in you. What signs did God in Christ, Christ does in you. Oh, isn't that beautiful? Oh, my. I like that. Jesus said “at that day” (that's this day)-- “at that day” (when this revelation's made known) “you will know that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me, I in you, and you in Me”. (When the revelation's made manifest,) at that day, you shall know that I and the Father are One. I'm in the Father, and the Father's in Me. Then when the revelation comes forth, then it's I in you and you in Me."

Now, this is beautiful here, because he is saying when the Revelation is made known, at that day, He shall come into us in the same way that God came into Christ. Therefore, if God is the Word then it is the Word that entered into Christ making Him One with the Father. For the Life of the Father is in His Word. And when the Word entered into the Son, He became One with the Father. Now, this makes Him and the Father no more the same person than it makes you and me and Christ the same person, for He said in that day, when The Great Revelation of Godhood is made known, then you will Know, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. I in you and you in Me. So therefore, we are One as He and the Father is One. That does not do away with the Son, but it places the emphasis on the Life that is in the Word.

104 Uniting Time and Sign 63-0818 What did He say in Malachi 4? Would restore, restore back the original Pentecostal faith, back to the people with the same Pentecostal message, the same Pentecostal sign, the same Pentecostal evidence, the same God, the same power, the same teaching, everything exactly, with the vindication of the same Pillar of Fire that struck Paul down on the road, down to Damascus; among us today, doing the same things He did in that day. Uniting... We see the nations uniting; we see the world uniting; we see the churches uniting. We see the Bride uniting, uniting with the Word. Why? The Word is God. And as the Word... As the BrideGroom (being the Word), and the Bride (being the hearer of the Word), they come together in a union. They unite like a wedding.

See, they're getting ready for a wedding, and they become one. The Word becomes you; you become the Word. Jesus said, "At That day you know that all the Father is, I am; and all I am, you are; and all you are, I am. In that day you'll know that I'm in the Father, Father in Me, I in you, and you in Me." See? At that day. What day? This day. We find out the great hidden mysteries of God being revealed. Oh, how I like that.

So we hear Brother Branham tell us, no, a more fitting word would be, implore us, in pp. 161 “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 - and then in PP. 162 he says, “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.” and immediately in PP. 163 he says, And be His subjects, we must walk close to the Author to understand It, for It to reveal,... "

Now, this morning I would like to focus our thoughts on these words that Brother Branham is speaking to us, because they are a sort of plea that he is making to us to get our lives in order, to focus ourselves completely on the Presence of the One Who is Here, and the Message that He is revealing to us which is Christ being Revealed through His Own Word. ““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. 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. 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. And just think of it, to be His subjects, Then, We must walk close to the Author to understand It, for It to reveal,...”

And now for the next few minutes I would like to look at this last thought here, “We must walk close to the Author to understand It, for It to reveal.” Now, notice how he has pleaded with us to let this word so stabilize our every thought, that it would so control our thinking, and our actions and our speech, and then by walking closer to the Lord, we shall place ourselves in a position, that by His Grace He may reveal to us what these things mean, so that we might understand what it is all about.

Now, since I have been a Christian I have heard all sorts of people talk about the desire to have a closer walk with the Lord. I have heard it from charismatics, from Baptists, from Evangelicals and fundamentalist as well as from Pentecostals. every one seems to be saying, that we need to have a closer walk with the Lord. We here the songs, “Just a closer walk with thee, Grant it Jesus is my plea, daily walking close to thee, let me walk, let me walk, close to Thee.”

But what does it mean to have a closer walk with Him. we all want our own walk with the Lord to be closer, and yet what does that really mean and what does it require from us to have this closer walk. Now, we know that Brother Branham is telling us here, that if we do walk closer to the Lord, it should be with the purpose of understanding Him better, and he says that we need to walk closer to the Lord in order for Him to Reveal Himself to us. But what constitutes this closer walk. Does proximity in time or space. You know I get a charge of people who have traveled to Israel or what they call the Holy Lands, and they will tell you that they got such a holy feeling, and such a wonderful experience just walking in the same places that Jesus walked. But what good did it do for the thousands of people who have traveled to Israel to walk where Jesus walked and they still do not understand what it is all about. What good will a feeling do for them when they are told, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” And that is one experience I would never want to have. So what are we looking at when we hear a vindicated prophet of God say, “, “We must walk close to the Author to understand It, for It to reveal.” I believe what he is saying here is that we have a need to understand, and to be able to see what is being revealed to us, but we have to be in a certain position to receive it. And that position is what I want to talk about this morning. Because after all, whatever position you or I can be in has nothing to do with what God has already done.

Our closer walk can not change anything that has already taken place. It will not add to nor will it take from the vindication which God has already performed in this hour. But what Brother Branham’s statement seems to be suggesting to us is that it can have an effect on how we receive what God has done. And that is what I would like to examine this morning. How am I receiving this Message of Christ’s Appearing? Am I totally immersed in it? Do I see this Appearing as the winding up of the Gentile dispensation? Do I see it as the beginning of the Rapture. Do I see that By receiving this Message of Christ’s Appearing, that I am already 1/3 of the way into the Rapture, and all that is left is the Resurrection, change of my body and the going home? Then if I do see these things, what effect is it having on me. Is it changing the way I live? Is it changing the way I think? Is it changing the way I conduct my life? At home? With my family? At work? With my friends?

What should be my response to all that is happening in this hour? Is there something that I should be doing? .... The answer is yes. Now remember, the works of God are not some great big deep things, but they are to “receive Whomsoever I send”, said Jesus. So what does it mean to receive whomsoever Jesus sends, and what does it mean to walk closer to the Lord. My words would be totally inadequate to tell you what this means, but let me show you using the words of the Author Himself what our closer walk with Him should do for us.

[Luke 24: 13-35] Notice the condition of the heart. They said it burned within them as He opened to them the scriptures concerning Himself. And notice that they could not help but want to tell others what they had witnessed for themselves concerning the Revealing of Christ after rising from the dead.

[Acts 26:9-23]

[Phil 4:6-13] The word walk used in the scriptures is the Greek word, peripateo and it means to make ones way or to progress; to make due use of the opportunity you have been given, in other words, to regulate one’s life, and to conduct one’s life or to pass one’s life in accordance with the Light which is the Gospel. Peter tells us that everything we have need of in this life comes from God’s Word.[2 Pet 1:2-4].

[Phil 3:7-16] That I might know Him in the power of His resurrection.

[JOHN 11:9] Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. Here we see that the word walk is used in contrast to the word stumble. Can any one tell me why we see these words compared here? _________

[JOHN 12:35] Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Here we see that to walk in the light suggests that we know where we are going, but to walk in darkness shows that we are not sure.

[EPHESIANS 5:8] For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Therefore if to walk in the light shows that you know where you are at and where you are going, then to walk as children of the light shows that you have direction, and guidance and know what life is all about.

[I JOHN 1:7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Here we see that to walk in the light not only brings us into fellowship with the Father, but also with one another. But notice what else it brings to us. It brings a cleansing as well. Have you ever noticed that most crimes of passion are committed at night in the dark. The bars and dance halls are all dark, and seedy looking. They don’t want bright lights to expose what is going on. The people go to those places not to be seen but to hide from life and from themselves. Notice that we are children of the light, and therefore where we are going to live is full of light and there will be no shadow of turning over there. [JAMES 1:17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

REVELATION 21:23-34 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.