Christ is the
Mystery no 175
Love
them anyhow
Brian Kocourek, pastor
2 John 1:5
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as
though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the
beginning, that we love one another.
1 John
His Love is perfected in
us, wheeew!!! Let us pray.
Dear Gracious and loving
Father, we hear these words, that your Love is to be perfected in us, and we
find these words to be so far above our understanding and what we have been
able to accomplish in our own lives so far, that we humbly ask you father
tonight to help us to get a better hold on what your servant John is talking
about here. help us this evening to begin to
understand our relationship with you and the flow of your Divine and Self
sacrificial Love, and how it might be perfected in and through us Lord. We know
how you expressed your love to us through your Son Jesus, and we know that we
are to be conformed to His image in this late hour, so we ask you father to
help us in our Spirit and in our soul, to somehow make this a reality in this
flesh as well, for we ask it in the lovely name of Your Son Jesus, who gave
Himself for us that we might live. Amen.
You may be seated.
1 John
I guess in order to
understand what the Apostle John said under the anointing of the Holy Ghost
here, we should first begin by knowing what this word perfected in us means?
This word "perfected" was translated from
the Greek word "teleio" which means "completed", but it also means,
"accomplished", "consummated", or "consecrated". And I think this
word consecrated perhaps will help us best to understand what John is telling
us here.
First of all John tells us, No man hath seen God at any time... And that is
true. Because God is a Spirit, and man can not see
Spirit. But we find that Jesus once told us the same thing, but then added that
there is a way to see God, and that is in the flesh of His son.
This same Apostle John quotes Jesus the son of God
in John
"he hath
positively lead Him forth into View." In other words, God used the veil of His
son's flesh to openly manifest through that veil of flesh, all the Divine
attributes and nature of Himself, God.
Jesus declared God, "He clearly showed forth the opinions, the values, and the
judgments of His Father who is God."
And being that we are told in our Scriptural
text this evening, that "No man hath seen God at
any time. But we are also promised that If we love one another, God Himself will dwell in us, and His love will be perfected in us.
His Love, the love
of the unseen God, will be consummated, completed, in us, and through us, which
can only come through a vessel that has consecrated itself to God as Jesus the
son of God did.
Now, this
evening I would like to continue in our study of brother Branham's sermon,
Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed, and this will be number 175 in our
study.
And we will read from
paragraph 300 where brother Branham said, "Amen.
Glory to God. How we love Him. Just worship Him in
your heart now. Just adore Him. Just think how beautiful He's done. Look
what He's done for us. All these years of the visions, not one has ever
failed. Everything that He said would come to pass, come
just exactly the way He said it. I love you. Don't forget the
commandments of God to you: little children, love one another. Love
everybody right or wrong, sinner or saint; love them anyhow.
If you don't, then pray God to help you, 'cause God loved the sinner. And
the nature of God is in...
301
If the man's wrong, love him anyhow. Don't partake of his sins. See?
Don't partake of his sins, but in sweetness, not in sourness and rebuke,
in sweetness tell him of the hope of Life that rests within you through
Jesus Christ being revealed to you by the Holy Ghost. Take the name of
Jesus with you, Child of sorrow and of woe; It will
joy and comfort give you, Oh, take it... (Don't forget now, everywhere you go.)
Oh, Precious name... (That Name; we have His Name. We're called by His
Name.) Hope of earth and joy of heaven; Precious name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
Notice what brother Branham is telling us here. Love everybody whether they
are right or whether they are wrong. Whether they are still a sinner or whether
they are a sainted one; He said, love them anyhow. And if you don't, then you
had better pray God to help you, 'cause God loved the sinner. And that's the nature of God that's
supposed to be in you.
Now, we know this is the hour for the bride to
be conformed to the image of the first born son.
That is Romans
And how do all
things work together for your good? Paul gives us our answer in verse. 29 For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many
brothers and sisters.
And this same Apostle Paul
who told us that we are predestinated to be
conformed to the very image of God's first born son, in the very
next verse he tells us how this is to come about. "And
those he predestined, he also called; those he called,
he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified."
Notice the order of events, he calls us, then justifies us, and then
glorifies us.
Now, when he called
us vs when we heard and respond to the call are not
the same. He called us before the4 foundations of the world. But when you heard
it all depends on when you were ordained to be here to hear that cal.
From his Message, Resurrection of Jairus Daughter 54-0302 4 brother
Branham said, "For those that He has called, He has chosen. And those who
He called, He justified. And those who He justified, He hath glorified (already).
And "when this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting." Amen. Right in the presence of His being tonight, in
His sight we are already glorified: "Those
who He justified, He hath (past tense) glorified." And what
makes you a Christian, and long for that perfection, is because the
perfection's laying right out there, that other glorified body. When this
one is moved out of, you move into that one. Isn't that marvelous? What are we
scared about then? We just believe, and then the Master of all of it said,
"All things work together for good to them
that love God." Nothing can harm us. Just as peaceful as little children playing around. Just... We got a heavenly Father Who
watches over us. And whatever He sees that we have need of, He just presents it
to us.
And from his message
Explaining Healing and Jairus 54-0216 37
Brother Branham said, "What you are here is a
reflection of what you are somewhere else. "Those
who He called, He justifies." Is that right? "Those who He justified,
He has glorified." Already in the Presence of the Father, we have a
glorified body. Whew! Wasn't that deep? All right. We'll
find out whether it's right or not. "If
this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting." Is that right? That's right. So right now, and what
we are here, is a reflection of what we are somewhere else. So if your deeds
are evil, you know where it comes from. You know where your other body's a
waiting.
Now, if it is
already in progress, then there is nothing you can do but just let god and let
God. Let go and just let it happen. The problem is that we aren't will yet to
just let go.
That is why I love
what brother Branham told us concerning Hebrews 6.
In his message Hebrews Chapter 6 57-0908E P:27 brother
Branham said, "Paul said, "Let's go on to perfection now."
We're talking about perfected, and if we'll run this down, you'll find out the
perfected is the elected. I'll prove it to you in a few minutes by the
Bible. It's the elected who God, before the foundation of the world seen
every one of them. And He sent Jesus to redeem that people, not the
whole world. He wanted to, but He had to make a way for those. And the only
way He could do, was to send Christ, that He might come the propitiation of our
sins, that those who've been elected, He could bring to Him in glory. Could you
imagine God running His office so loosely, as to say, "Well, maybe
somebody will think real sad about Me, and maybe
they'll come and get saved." God don't have to beg you to do nothing. Any
begging, you need to do the begging, not God.
And I think it is sad that the bride has not yet come to the place where
she can say, "if God said it, I believe it, and that settles it for
me".
Notice he said, only the elected is
perfected. And our perfection comes via the way Jesus and Paul told
us it would come, by being glorified together with Christ.
That brings us to John 17, the prayer of Jesus that is so beautiful to
me because Jesus tells us how we are to receive our glorification.
John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,
Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee: 2 As thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as
thou hast given him. 3 And this is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified
thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest
me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me
with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the
world was.
Notice to this point Jesus is asking
the Father to glorify him with the glory he had with God before the foundations
of the world. Now, notice he uses the word glorify me with the glory I had with
you. The word glory as you already know was translated from the Greek word
"doxa"
which means "the opinions, the estimation or (values),
and the judgments". And
this word "glorify" was
translated from the Greek word "doxazo", which is made up from
this word "doxa" and the
Greek word "Zoe" which
means life. In other words, Jesus is asking God, His Father to magnify in His
life, the very "opinions, values, and judgments"
that are God's.
Then
Jesus prays in the next verse,
6 I have manifested
thy name unto the men (That word there is phaneroo, to reveal or manifest
in ones true character. I have manifested
the true character of thy name unto men) which thou gave to me out of the world: thine they were, and
thou gave them to me; and they also have kept thy word.
And remember, Jesus had already told us "no man hath seen God at any time, but He the son hath
declared him." Because
God is Spirit, and can not be seen, but a body that reflects that Spirit in
every attribute and characteristic is a reflection of that Spirit, so what the
body does reflects what the Spirit does.
7 Now they have
known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gave to
me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came
out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the
world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine,
and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
now notice that Jesus
says to his Father. "And I am glorified in them."
Now, what does he
mean here? What Jesus is saying here when he says, "I am glorified in them". This Glory, which is the same "doxa," or
"the opinions, values, and
judgments" has come full circle in them that jesus reflected God's Glory to. From Him the glory, God's
opinions, His values, and judgments were reflected from God through Jesus unto
the elect, and they received the same opinions, values, and judgments and reflected
it back to him again. Why? because these people are "echoing" what Jesus taught them, and it
shows in the lives they are living. They are reflecting in their lives, the
very opinions Jesus spoke in their own speech, and they are reflecting the
values they learned from Jesus in their own lives, etc.
Notice in 1 John
And of course this
Word hath was
translated from the Greek word echo,
which means the same thing as does the English Word echo.
So let's read this
verse again to get a better meaning of what John is telling us here. 1 John
And of course we
know according to John
And
what is the life except the very Divine nature that becomes expressed by
echoing God's "opinions, values, and
judgments."
Now back to John 17 and we will pick up at verse 11 And now I am no
more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be
one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gave to me I have kept, and
none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Now, we know the word
fulfilled means manifested or completed in them. And what are these things he
has given us that will bring fulfillment or completion in us?
He
says in verse 14, I have given them thy Word; and the world hath hated
them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I
pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the
evil. 16 They are not of
the world, even as I am not of the world.
And
how are we to be kept from the evil that is in this world?
He says, 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth.
So
the very Word that we believe which is filled with the very glory of God, His
opinions, his values, and his judgments is what keeps us from the evils that
are in this world. That is why I say always, get into those tapes and listen to
the voice of God to this generation, and you will be kept safe from the evil
that is in this world.
Then
Jesus says, 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent
them into the world. 19 And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that (for the purpose that) they also might be sanctified through the truth.
So
we see it is not just talking this word, but he actually went out of his way to
live such a life that the way He lived might also affect the way we live. he didn't sanctify himself to put on a show so we could see
what he could do. No, he set his life in order, and consecrated his very life
that it might benefit you and I.
From his message Lamb and dove 60-0805 P:49 brother
Branham said, While you're listening, the most
outstanding Scriptures, one of them, that I can think of, when Jesus said,
"Father
(think of it), Father, for their sake I sanctify
Myself." Think of it. "Father, for their sake I sanctify Myself." What was He doing? Setting the example;
He was a Lamb. What did He do? He had a right to a home; He was a
God's
wrapped gift 60-1225 P:56 There's another pathetic thing. I think one of the most pathetic Words
that Jesus ever said, was when He said, "Father, I sanctify Myself, that they might be
sanctified." In other words, He had
a right; He was a man. He had a right to a home; He had a right to a family. He
was man, as much man as you are or I am, as much human in His manhood as we
were. He had a right to it. But He was training twelve men that was going to take the Gospel to all the world, so He
sanctified Himself for their sake. "I sanctify Myself for their sake": a Gift of God, keeping Himself sanctified. Oh, gifts of
God, you people who claim that you've received His Spirit, keep yourself
sanctified (Yes, sir.); keep away from the things of the world; be
sanctified. Oh.
And then Jesus prayed, 20 Neither
pray I for these alone, (and I am not praying just for these twelve) but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word; 21 That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
So how does the world see
that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
forever? How does the world see that Jesus is not dead,
but that he liveth? when they see that very same life
living itself out through your life. Notice Jesus prayer here. he is asking the Father that we, you and I, might be one
with Him and the father the same way he was one with the Father. And how does
he say we are to become that same one with God as he was one with God?
22 And the glory
(the
opinions, the values, and the judgments) which thou has given to me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one:
And that is exactly the way
brother Branham said we are to become one with God our Father as Jesus himself was
one with God His Father. And remember this glory is the doxa
of God which is his opinion, His assessment, and his judgment, which is His
very mind, or way of thinking. And in 1 Corinthians we are told that no man can know the things of God unless the Spirit of God is
in Him. So we have the assurance that by One spirit we have been baptized into one body.
So we see that Jesus and God were one because Jesus
received God's Word which contained the doxa of God, his values, opinions etc. And Jesus said Himself
that because we have received the Word which the Father gave Him, that would also
make us one with the Father as he was One with the
Father.
From HARVEST TIME 641212
87 34 brother Branham said, "Jesus
said, "That they might be one, Father, as
You and I are one." Not for some man to be
over something, it never will work; one denomination
wants to take over the other, and one man over the other. But that you might be one with God, like Christ and God was one; that's what the prayer is. He was the Word, and Jesus
prayed that we might be the Word, reflecting Him. That's His prayer to
be answered. See how Satan scruples it up in the carnal mind? But that wasn't
Jesus' prayer, at all, that we might all congregate together and all have a
certain creed and so forth. Every time they do it, they go further and further
from God. He wants us to be one with God, and God is the Word. Each
individual in his heart must be that (kind
of) one with God.
And
in the spoken word is the original Seed brother Branham explains how that
oneness with God is manifested through us. Spoken
word original seed 62-0318E P:175 Notice, what harmony. Jesus never did anything until seen of the Father
or the Father showed Him first: (Harmony between God and Christ. See? John 5:19) So will the Bride, and
He shows Her His Word of Life (He shows Her),
and she receives It. She never doubts it. Nothing can harm Her, not even death; for if the Seed be planted, the water
will raise it up again. Amen. (Now, I got a great big "Hallelujah.") Here
is the secret: the Word is in the Bride and the mind of Christ to know
what He wants done with the Word, and She does it in His Name.
She has THUS SAITH THE LORD. Then it is germitized;
so the Holy Spirit waters it until it is grown and serves its purpose. They
do only His will. (Amen. I'll believe that.) No one can persuade them
different. They have THUS SAITH THE LORD, or they keep still. Then
they will do the works of God. For it is Himself in
them, continuing His Word to fulfill as He did complete in His day.
All things when He was here, He did not complete all when He was here, for it
was not time yet.
Notice Jesus words, 23 I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Remember, brothers and sisters, we have a promise in Philippians
And just as Jesus
said in John
Then if we are to be fulfilled in Him, and His Glory
reflected in us and through us, then the completion will be when we reflect the
same love he reflected.
1 Peter
John
John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1
Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye
need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are
taught of God to love one another.
Romans 13:8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
1 John
1 John
1 John
John
John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
In 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13: 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and
surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs. 6 Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Let us bow
our heads in a word of prayer as the brothers bring forth the elements for the
communion and foot washing.