Christ Revealed in His Own Word #140

Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? #2

Sunday, October 5, 1997

Brian Kocourek, Pastor Grace Fellowship

[Acts 9:1-6] Prayer “ Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?

Wednesday night we spoke from paragraph [163-167] where brother Branham began to close in prayer and during his closing prayer he asked the question 13 times, quoting the apostle Paul, when he met the Pillar of Fire on his road to Damascus, and when the Lord revealed Himself to Paul, his only response was, “Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?”

163 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 be His subjects, we must walk close to the Author to understand It, for It to reveal, "Oh, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? If I must go to the fields and preach the Gospel, or must I stay at home? No matter what it is. If I must be a good housewife... If I must be a good mother... If I must do this, that, or the other, whatever it is... If I must be a farmer... If I... Whatever it is, Lord, what would you have me do?" Wasn't that what Saul cried out down there, "Lord, what would You have me do?" He was down on his road down to put all the church into prison, but then he cried out, "What would You have me do?" when the Light turned on as a big Pillar of Fire hanging above him, "What would You have me do?" I think that's a good word to close on, and say, "Lord, what would You have me do? When I see this Scripture so perfectly revealed right now, Lord, what would You have me do?" 166 Let us bow our heads. I ask everyone in here to search out your hearts now and ask that question, "Lord, what would You have me do?" And you people, if you're still on the telephone wires out across the nation, you bow your head and ask, "Lord, what would You have me do, seeing that we're here in the last days and the last hours, just so perfectly before us, so plainly revealed. What would You have me do?"

167 Dear God, while they're asking You that question I ask myself, to You: What would You have me do, Lord, as I realize that each day must be counted for. And I pray that You'll help me, Lord, to live so that each day, it'll be counted to Your honor and glory. I pray that You'll help everyone all across the nation, and those here that's present in the tabernacle, as we search out our hearts and say, "Lord, what would You have me do? What could I do, Lord, to further Your Kingdom and Your cause." Grant it, the God. Search us, our hearts, and try us; if there be any iniquity in us, Lord, any selfishness, any bad motives or objectives, O God, cleanse us with the Blood of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Who we humbly accept His propitiation of His death and His resurrection. And being justified by believing that He did this, we gladly accept the plan of salvation that You give it to us. Father, we thank You for the message of the day, what we believe and what we hold onto, to know and believe that it's Your Word and Your Message. Not to be different from the other people, but to try to be more like Jesus Christ Who is our Example.

We saw the same response in Isaiah when He was lifted up into the presence of God, and oh what a humbling experience to come into the presence of God. [Isaiah 6:1-12]

When Paul met the Pillar of Fire and found out that his theology was all wrong, what did he do? Did he shout and scream and run around and make all sorts of noise and carry on? No! He listened, as one who is taught. He went tot he desert to get alone with God so that his mind could be purged from his old thoughts and receive a correct understanding. and that is what Righteousness is, a right wise ness which is a correct

understanding.

[Galatians 1:11-18] But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught [it], but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called [me] by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

Paul went into the desert to get alone with God in order to complete the changing of his mind which began when He met the Pillar of Fire. That is why in [Galatians 2:16-20] He asks the question, “how can you build again those things which you have destroyed. So what we are looking at is this. We have been speaking from this Message of how Christ is Revealed in His Own Word, for 140 sermons now. We have spent nearly 1-1/2 years, and if we have not received a change in our thinking by now, I doubt that we ever will. He said, I am crucified with Christ, never the less, I live and yet it is not I that am living, but Christ is living in me, and the life I now live I live by the Faith, the revelation of the Son of God Who gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God. Therefore if we are going to repent we had better make it a full and complete repentance which is a full an complete change of our thinking.

[Matt 16:24-27] Deny : To forget oneself, to lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests. And what of the Cross we are asked to bear? Whose Cross is it? It’s your own cross. And what does it represent? Paul tells us in [Galatians 2:20]

[Romans 6:1-11] So we see our crucifixion of self brings us to the place where we die out to self and live for God. He said we are alive unto God!

[2 Cor 13:4-5] He was buried in weakness but raised in power, therefore we should examine our own selves to see whether we are in “The Faith”. And what does it mean to examine ourselves? What is an exam? Is it not a test? The word means to prove oneself, which means to try by means of a test to ascertain where you are at. This means you must have to think in order to make the assessment.

Another Group of people asked the same question Paul asked, when they met the evidence of the resurrected Lord. Let’s turn to the Book of Acts and see what happened with these people, and why they asked this came question that Paul asked the Lord.

[Acts 2:37-38] Men and brethren, what shall we do? “What must we do?” What must YOU do? He said if you are willing first to repent, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then God is obligated to fill you His Holy Spirit. Look, our God is a faithful God, and He does not go back on His Word. he said, “Let every man’s word be a lie and mine True.” Therefore, if you have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is because of one reason and one reason only, You have not yet repented.

Now we know that repentance is a change of the mind. But in order to change your mind, you have got to have a desire in your heart to do so. It can not be forced upon you, neither can you be constrained against your own conscience to do so. Repentance is a heart condition that deals with your mind.

[II Cor 7:9-10] Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. Therefore, until you are truly sorrowful in your hearts for the sort of life you are living, you can never begin to change your ways of thinking. And you will not change. So the first step in being filled with the Life of God is to realize you are wrong, and your thoughts are wrong, and you have a need to be right. And the evidence that you do not believe is that you do not come to hear the Word of God.

From COD, Q&A pg 968 brother Branham said, you go to church. Wherever the church door opens, you take off as hard as you can go. E-41 Hear Ye Him When a Christian will stay home from church to see some silly play like that, there's something happened in that person's life. The Holy Spirit's went out somewhere. You're not about the Father's business. It's wrong to stay home from church.

E-61 Testimony on the Sea What good does a million decisions do, when there's still glamour in sin, and act like everything, and never have a change of heart? Still smoke, chew, drink, dip snuff, watch television, stay home from church, and put their name on a book, and call themselves Christians? He said, don’t even call yourself Christian if you have it in your heart to stay home from church Repentance is a change of the mind, but the desire has got to be changed first, and if it isn’t your still dead in your sins.

They said, , “Men and brethren, What shall we do?” So, there is something for you to do. YOU do have a part in it, and that is to receive this Shout. Because if you don’t, you will never receive a body change, and if you can’t even make the effort to come to church, do you really think God will make the effort to Rapture you? Who are you trying to fool? Certainly not God! when brother Branham said we are going to receive our body change by adding Word upon Word, and when the scripture says, that God has placed a five-fold ministry for your perfecting, and you refuse to submit to that gift. You refuse to come and add Word upon Word, and think that you will still be a part of The Rapture of the Bride? Don’t fool yourselves, because you certainly aren’t fooling God. [Galatians 6:7] Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

When the people asked Jesus what they could do, to work the works of God, He simply said, “Believe him whom I send”. And if God sends a prophet to bring forth a word to bring forth a change in your body, and he gives you a five-fold minister to break down that word so that you might understand it, then all you’ve got to do it believe it, for your change. I didn’t say it, God said it. He’s obligated to His Own word. I’m not obligated to give you a body change, and I can’t do it, but His Word will bring it forth because He promised it and He is faithful.

He said, “Examine yourselves to see whether you be in the Faith. ”And in [Hebrews 11:6] God tells us, “Without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” He said, God rewards those that diligently seek Him. And this word diligent means to seek after with carefulness and a steady or continuing effort.

[Romans 3:3-5] For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? [Is] God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man )

Will your unbelief make the rapture not happen? Only for you. But not for those who are faithful to what God said.

Therefore, we find that there are many who can sit in this Message for year after year and see no change come forth because they have never repented. They have never come to the place where they accept God’s Word above their own word, or God’s desire for their life above their own desires for their own life.

I get very concerned for those whom God has placed me as His overseer. I look out among us and see a growth in some and nothing in others and I get an empty feeling down in my soul because God knows how I have been faithful to you, and how I have tried to set an example for you and yet we have plenty of time for our own little pleasures but we are failing to move forward in the things of the Lord. Now, I don’t say this about everyone in here. Certainly, I hope you don’t think that I feel that you are all missing the mark, but the shepherd goes after the 1 and sometimes the 99 others suffer along while they wait for the 1 to get right. And I am concerned that there are some here who will miss the Rapture, because they are missing the Shout. You can’t expect to come to maturity if you are not willing to do so. God will not drag any of you away in the Rapture. You’ll be their because you have prepared yourselves for it. You’ll be their because you have applied the Token, which means you have put forth an effort on your part to place the Token of God’s Presence always before you.

And you will not receive the New Birth which is the Baptism of His Holy Spirit because you have not hungered and thirsted after it. I have talked to some who can’t understand why they keep having unclean thoughts and it is because that is what they are feeding on. They enjoy it, and that has become their focus and where ever your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We as a people are too focused on the cares of this life. I’ve been saying that for years, and it hasn’t changed a thing. We all need to get closer to the Lord, but we have got to want that closer walk before it will ever happen. Remember, “As it was in the days of Noah” They ate, they planted, they builded, they were marrying and divorcing, and they were just so caught up in the cares of this life, that when the Lord visited them, they just missed it, that’s all.

So, busy, ... so busy, so busy.... to care for the things of the Lord.

[Isaiah 1:19-20] If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

[Revelations 22:10-14] And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

And He has come quickly because it is later than we think, because He is here. And if He is here, then He has brought forth His rewards with Him. And what are they? He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy. And...

[II Thessalonians 1:7-10] And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed ) in that day.

And so we see the punishment is being cast out from His presence and power, the power of an endless life, which is immortality. And what is the reward for the believer? Immortality and the very mind of God. And how do you suppose you will receive that mind of God? ________?

Brothers and sisters, He is here giving it to us now if we want it. He has already come and brought forth that which will give us our body change, and immortality, and yet when he sends a pastor among you who tries to spoon feed it to you, you don’t even show up to get your does of immortality. Then it is not God who is not faithful. It never has been God who was not faithful, but it has always been the people.

Now, Repentance is a change of the heart and the mind. YOU have to hunger and thirst for righteousness if you want to be filled. And if you do not hunger and thirst, it is certain that you will never be filled unless somehow, God does something to change your heart, and your mind. And believe me, if you are His, He will. And that would worry me if I were in some of your shoes. Because recently one of the brethren in Jack Bells church just lost his son. The boy had left church and had not been walking in the ways of the Lord, and few months ago, he began to at least come around and do some things for the brethren, but as brother Branham said, if you are God’s seed and you don’t come God’s way, then He warns first, and then judgment. And if you don’t give heed, he’ll just pack your bags for you and take you on home.

So it behooves us to take heed to the things of the Lord, and to cry out like Paul, and Isaiah, and those people on the day of Pentecost, and say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”