Christ is the Mystery no 184
Resurrection Life
Brian Kocourek, pastor
This
morning we will review from number 52 through number 57 in our series from
Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed, and we will begin with Christ is the mystery no 52 The Revelation of Christ is the Life Expressed.
We took for our text from
paragraph 147 of brother Branham's sermon where he said, "Notice, God holds this key alone. No theologian can
tell you. It's not known; it's hid from them. They know nothing
about it. So the schools... "Well," you say, "I got a Ph.
LL.D." You only make... To me and I believe unto God and to any real, true
believer, that means you're just that much farther away; you just backed off. God
is not known by education; He's not known by how to explain it. God
is known by simplicity and of revelation of Jesus Christ in the most
illiterate person. See? Not your theology; it's a revelation of Jesus
Christ. "Upon this rock, I'll build My Church." No other rock's
accepted; no other thing's accepted; no other Roman rock; no other
Protestant rock; no other school; no other nothing; but on exactly the
revelation of Jesus Christ in a new birth. He born in there
and injects His own Life, and your life is gone, and the Life
of Christ is projecting Itself through you with the preeminences
to the people that they see the very Life, and works, and signs and wonders
that He did is doing the same thing through you. Outside of that, the
rest of it's not even called to at all.
Notice
what he is telling us here. It is not how well trained you are in the Gospel,
that has nothing to do with it. It is not who you sat under for a minister or teacher, that has nothing to do with it.
Ok,
so I hope he is making himself clear here because this message is rampant with
people who think they have it because they knew this preacher or that preacher,
or they went fishing with this one or hunting with that one. None of that stuff
has anything to do with it at all. And God accepts none of that stuff.
He
said Peter didn't know Him because he went fishing with him, and Paul never did
meet Jesus in the flesh, and yet by revelation he knew him in a greater way
than the twelve apostle did who spent a lot of time with him in the flesh. And
we read Last night where Paul said we don't know him after the flesh any
longer, although at one time we might have, so it is not the flesh experience
we are talking about here. It is what brother Branham vindicated prophet of God
said so clearly, so I am going to repeat it again.
He
says you receive the revelation of Jesus Christ in a new birth, and Christ injects His own Life in and
through you, and your life is gone, and the Life of Christ is
projecting Itself through you with the pre-eminences to the people
that they don't see you or your life any longer, but you are so dead to
yourself that they only life they see living in your vessel is the very same
Life, and the very same works, and the very same signs and wonders that He (Jesus Christ) did and he is now doing the same thing
through you. Outside
of that, the rest of it's not even called to at all.
So
what we are looking at here is a life so surrendered to him that He has full
pre-eminence in your vessel to do as what pleases Him to do through you.
He said Christ Jesus, His very own Life
has been injected into the believer and He, Christ is
born into your vessel. And on top of all that, he says and your own life is
gone. And how does he say we receive this injection of
Christ -Life into our vessel in order for that injected Life to come to birth
in our vessel? He says God injects it by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So think in terms of the revelation of
Jesus Christ as being an inoculation from God of His own Life. God takes His
Word which is His Life blood, and since it is sharper than any two edged sword,
he uses it to inject into your vessel, the His very own Life, the same Life He
injected into His Son Jesus.
And when you've been injected with this
God Life, it begins to manifest God-Life in you, and thus you receive the revelation
of Jesus Christ. And remember we have shown you that the word
"revelation" means "manifestation of Divine will or truth".
In other words "revelation"
is not some intellectual affair, but rather it is a Divine truth in you that
has manifested or expressed that God-Life in you. Therefore it must express
itself in order for it to be revealed to you. So when you see the manifestation
of the revelation, you know that you know. Or as Paul said, "You know as you are known."
And brother Branham says, He (Christ's
very own Life) born in there (in where? in you) and He injects His own Life
(where?) In you, and when that happens your life is gone, it looses it's old focus and interests, and you receive a new focus
and new interests, which is the focus and interests that please God. Therefore your new life is not you and Jesus,
it is Jesus alone.
Paul said in Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Christ in God.
Now, when Paul tells us that our life is hid with Christ the word "hid" was translated from a Greek word that means to hide by covering, hidden as though
covered.
So Christ Jesus, His own Life expressed
in you, hides your own life and all it's expressions that were a result of
being born in sin, and shaped in iniquity and that came
to the world speaking lies. Then it is not just as though we join up with Jesus
but it actually means this union with Christ takes you out of the way, and
brings his life into the pre-eminent position and expression in your being.
And after all, he said "For ye are dead", and if you are dead then what kind of
an expression does a dead man have? NONE!!! Dead men don't retaliate do they?
Dead horses don't kick, and dead men don't fight back. Then if you want to know
if you are truly dead to self and your life is covered over by the very Life of
Jesus Christ, the give yourself the Word test.
3 Ye are dead, and your life is hid (covered) with Christ in God. And if your
life is covered with Christ it is because you have put on Christ. And who is
Christ? He is the Word.
Galatians
3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.
Then Paul
says, Collossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, (Shall phaneroo,
which means to manifest in ones true identity) then shall ye also appear (phaneroo to manifest in your true identity) with him in
glory. With him in doxa, with
him in the same opinions, with him in the same values, and with him in the same
judgments. Then he says, "Mortify therefore your members" (See? That means 'kill off', or 'put to death', or even 'crucify'.
What?) all
these attributes of self, which are fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Notice what he said about 'covetousness'-it's idolatry-"worshipping money, things". See?
And
brother Vayle explained this verse by saying, "What is that a sign of, brother/sister?
It's a sign of when those things come against us, we're dead to them…let
them come. We don't get mad anymore…why? Just take it and let it
come. See? Get it out of the way. See?"
So what is that? That's
is the cross of Christ! Where Paul said "I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I am
living". That's
not a man saying, "Well, I'm going to get back at that guy,
because he did me..." no, no, no. You are dead and your life is hid with Christ, covered over by the life of Christ,
and the life you are now living in this body is not your life, but Christ’s
life is now projecting itself out from your vessel. And that is what brother
Branham said next...
“and the Life of Christ is projecting Itself
through you with the pre-eminences to the people that they see the very Life,
and works, and signs and wonders that He did is doing the same thing through
you.
Now, the word “project” that brother Branham uses here means “to
reproduce outwardly,” or “to display outwardly”.
So what we are looking at here is a life
that covers over your own life and this new life projects itself out from your
vessel like a projector projects what is on the film outwardly for all to see,
and the whole purpose of the projecting of what is on the film is to make
visible to all what is hidden within the projector.
And so this led us to speak in Christ is the mystery no 53 where we spoke on The Sermon
on the Mount. And if you recall Jesus speaks of the attributes of God Life
displayed outwardly for all the world to see.
Now, we do not have time to go into all the blessings that
Jesus said are ours in this sermon on the mount, but
what he is talking about is our projecting God-life and in every facet of that
projection we are blessed. And after
all, it is so simple that you have to work at it to make it difficult. He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In other words, the less you have of self, the more room you
have for Christ in you your hope of glory. So what
Jesus is saying here is that "You’re
blessed when you’re at the end of your rope and you have nothing left in
yourself to show forth, for with less of you there can be more of God."
In
other words, when you have finally died to yourself,
and your life is covered over by Christ, then if it is truly covered you can
not see anything of self any longer.
For all you can now see is
Christ. There is nothing left for you to show the world of yourself, and the
only thing you have worth showing to the world is Christ Himself who gives you
the victory.
Notice the
second place to find ourselves blessed. Jesus says in verse 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted. Let's read that this way... 4 “You’re blessed when you've finally come
to the place where you’ve lost what you thought was most dear to you, and that
is yourself, Only to find you now project the One most dear to you, God himself. Did not God promise to turn your mourning into joy? Well that's
how He does it.
Our third blessing came with these
words, 5 Blessed
are the meek (that's the humble): for they shall inherit the earth. In finding our place in God's word, we
find our true humility, for brother Branham said, "true humility is knowing your place in the Word", and if the Word is God, then it
is knowing your place in God. And when we knowingly embrace our Sovereign God,
it is then we realize how little we are, and when we enter into this true
humility, is when we die to self and let Christ have the preeminence in our
life. That is when we become truly rich and as he said, those who enter into
this condition are those who will receive their inheritance.
The next blessing Jesus tells us 6 " Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." And that is the opposite of the Laodicean condition who feel they have need of nothing. No,
brothers and sisters, when we hunger and thirst it is because we long to have
more of Him and acknowledge that we do not have enough.
Number 7 he said "Blessed are the merciful for they shall
obtain mercy." When
you have come to the place where you are more concerned for others than you are
for yourself, then you have come to the place where you have not only obtained
mercy, but you are now projecting mercy. And that means you are projecting
God-Life Himself.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God. Pure in heart, pure meaning there in
nothing in the way that would pollute what you see and what you hear. And when you look with the eyes of God
and hear with the ears of God, then you shall see God. For you have become like
God because you are projecting God. And you project the the blind servant who sees only what God wants him to see,
and you hear only what God wants you to hear.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be
called the children of God. “You’re blessed when you can show people
how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you
really are, and your place in God’s family. That is when you have come to
maturity as a Christ-Like person, a true Christian which means Christ-Like.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “You’re blessed when your commitment to
God provokes persecution from others. Because God uses that persecution to
drive you even deeper into His will and his mind and his reflection.
11 Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake. In other words, count yourselves blessed
every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to
discredit the reflection of Christ they are seeing in you. What it means is
that the truth is too close for comfort and has made them uncomfortable. You
can be glad when that happens for though they don’t like it, That
is God they don't like that they are seeing in you! And all heaven is watching
and applauding. And you must know that when this happens you are in good
company. God's prophets and witnesses have always found themselves in this kind
of opposition.
12 Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you. In other words, instead of looking at
the opposition, your focus should be on the reward.
Then Jesus says, 13 Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to
be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. In other words, you are here to be a
salt-seasoning to bring out the God-flavors in this earth, and if you lose your
saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and
will end up in the garbage.
And then Jesus
says, 14 Ye
are the light of the world. You are here to be light, bringing out
the God-spectrum in the world. As public as "A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid,
so your lives are to be open and on display for all to see, for when they see you and your life is
hid in Christ, they will see only Christ and Him crucified. 15 And if men do not light a
candle, to put it under a bushel, why would you think I would do so? No, I've made you a candlestick; and your
candlestick gives light unto all that are in the house to see. 16 Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and that
they through seeing your good works might glorify your Father which is in
heaven, because when they see you, they will only
see me. 17 Think not that I have come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: No, I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill the law, and my light
in you and my Life working in you to will and to do will bring to fulfillment
the Law of God written not with ink but written with my Spirit living and
abiding in you.
This brings us then to Christ is the mystery no 54 Resurrection Life part 1and Christ is the Mystery no 55 Resurrection Life part 2 where we focused on
the God-Life, which is the Resurrection Life in us, for He is the Resurrection
and the Life, and if you are in Him and He is in you then you are already
resurrected and setting together in heavenly places in Christ.
One of the last words of encouragement I received from brother
Vayle before he passed over was he said, "focus on the
Life, Brian, not so much the doctrine, but the life". And
thus I have for the past few years, because I have seen enough people with a
little doctrine and mean spirited enough to kill if they thought they could get
away with it. We all need to spend more time on our knees and enter into the
Holiest of Holies, and we will come forth with much more love for the brethren,
because only perfect Love will enter into that dimension we are going.
Philippians 3:7 But
what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: For whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And
be found in him, not having mine own right-wise-ness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the revelation of Christ, the
right-wise-ness which is of God by revelation:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
And the Apostle Paul says in verse 11 what it is all about,
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead".
In other words, I am willing to lay
everything down, and call everything I ever held dear as though it is no more
than dung, to attain to the out resurrection of the dead and to know Him in the
power of His resurrection.
And then he tells us in verse 12 Not as though I had
already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I
may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus
minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this
unto you.
Notice it is all about apprehending
Christ Jesus. growing up into Him, as paul said in Ephesians 4.
It's not about what we can gain in this
life for ourselves, it's all about gaining Him. And he
says for those who are perfect, for those who are mature, you will understand
what I am talking about. I
press for the high calling of God IN Christ Jesus.
In other words, that life I saw in
Christ Jesus, that High calling to where he died to self, and made himself a love
prisoner to God His Father, that is the life I want as well.
Forget everything I have ever attained
to in this world. Forget all the knowledge I ever processed through this mind
of mine. I count everything that I ever attained outside of Christ as worthless
and no more use that the dung our bodies pass through into the drought.
16 Nevertheless,
whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the
same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers
together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you
even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Notice he did not say they were the
enemies of Christ but enemies of the cross of Christ. In other words, they are
against the true suffering and will not come to Christ by means of the cross.
And when we look at the cross and our own crucifixion of self, we must always
realize that to crucify your own self and the lust's thereof is a very painful
thing for any person.
19 Whose
end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory (whose doxa, whose values, and opinions) is in their shame, (why?
because) they mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation
(citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Notice he says for those of us who are
actually looking for our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, our citizenship and thus
our behavior is molded to be like His own Glorious body. Now this word glorious
is translated from the Greek word Doxa
again showing that it is not the physical body but the expression of the
values and opinions and judgments of God that are projected from our
vessel just as Jesus own body projected the same values and opinions of God.
You see, that is why Paul died to self, allowing Christ to live
His Life through Paul. Br. Branham said in paragraph (pp. 312 book) "Paul, this great intellectual man,
(1) never tried to express his great theological terms upon the people. (2) He
humbly accepted the Word of the Lord, and (3) he lived the Word so that it (his life) expressed It (God's Word, God's Will and God's Life). (4) He lived so godly (Godly means God-like) until they seen Jesus Christ in him so
much, till they wanted his handkerchief to take it and lay it upon the sick.
(5) There's the Life of Christ. Not what some... "Oh, you see,
Elijah done that a long time ago, laid his stick, but oh, that was the days of
Elijah." Now, the world thought that. The intellectual priest and things,
and churches of that day thought that, but to them believers, they knew
different. They seen the revelation of Christ that was in Elijah:
same thing was in Paul, expressed the same kind of Life,
'cause he was a prophet. See? He foretold things that happened exactly the way
it was, and they knew that was God's identification of a prophet. And they knew
that he was God's prophet. You couldn't shake them from it at all.
From God's only provided place of worship 65-1128M P:20
he said, "I believe
the church is begin to hear the message, and beginning to understand. So by this time they had already begun
to hear, but they were still in the process of beginning to understand what
they heard. But, friends,
listen, we've got to lay in the Presence of the Son;
we've got to be ripened. Our faith isn't ripe.
In other words, our faith has not yet matured, it has not yet developed to where it is supposed to be. And of course if the fruit or
faith is not yet ripe it is not yet ready for harvest. So he is talking about
the condition that will help us to come to this maturity, and that is to lay in the presence of the Son of God, just as the fruit must hang on the
vine and gather in sunlight to make the fruit better and ready for harvest, so
we must lay in the presence of the Light of the Son of God to do the same
thing.
So you see you could not
come to this place of being harvest-ready, rapture-ready, without the Doctrine
being taught as a relationship, so that your understanding might develop in
that light. And brother Branham said, "Intellectually we're hearing the message that God has give
us, and seeing the signs that He showed us, and proving it by the Bible as
that; but,...
Now, he wouldn't say but if those three things was the all of it, but they
aren't. So he says, you've heard it, you are beginning to even understand it,
and you are now able to take it back to the Scriptures, BUT that's not enough... Notice he says those things are
alright, but there is something that you still need, and that is ) BUT oh, how the church needs to lay in His
Presence till it tenders up, you know, and gets sweet in the Spirit so that it
can bathe down. Sometimes in speaking the message, you get harsh,
have to break it in like that, because you've got to clinch a nail to make it
hold. But when the church once gets it, the Elected is called out and separated
then in the Presence of God, I know it'll be something like the people was
there when it takes its rapture.
And that brings us to Christ is
the Mystery no 56 Humbly
accepting God's word and Will where we brought out about the humility and what Paul
said in 1
Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, I
never came with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God. I never tried to impress you with how
much I know, but rather 2 I determined not to know any thing among
you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
In other words
what I looked for in you is what I want you to see in
me, Christ only and my life crucified. A life that has died to
self, and is now being lived by the same life that lived in the body of Jesus, in
other words, the Holy Spirit.
Paul continues,
3 And therefore
when I was among you, when I was in your presence, I was there in weakness, and
not only that but I was also in fear, and not only fear, but I actually
trembled lest you not see in me what I wanted to see in you, and that is Christ
Jesus and not only Christ Jesus, but to see Him crucified in me. 4 And it affected my speech for my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, No, not at all. But it
was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, not by my own ability, but by
my death to self, and my giving over my body to God the author and finisher of
my faith, for Him to live in me as He lived in Christ Jesus. 5 And my
motive was that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God. Because words are nothing more than the sounding of a gong or
cymbal, and can have the wrong affect upon you if their source and motive and
objective are wrong. That is why I feared, that is why I trembled in your
presence. Not fear of you, nor trembling at your presence,
but I feared myself and my own humanity. I trembled at the thought of Paul
getting in the way. Because words, mere words, are powerless
unless they have their source in God who is the author and finisher of your
faith.
What beautiful words to describe a surrendered life vessel to
God. What humility to admit that we are completely helpless and hopeless
without God in us working both to will and to do.
Now, listen to these words of
Paul, a teacher to the Gentiles, and an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, not
selected by man, but by God. All you have to do is read Paul's writings, and he
saw something that none of the other Apostles saw. As brother Branham said, they all fished with him, and ate with him, and walked the
dusty trails with Jesus, but Paul saw something none of them saw,
except later on John too saw it, and then Peter.
But Paul did not receive this
by schooling, but by dying to self. And when Paul learned to die to self, then
God took over, and Paul saw God in action in Himself. And that is what happened
with brother Branham, and that is what will happen to you if you learn to die
to self, and let God's Life have the preeminence in you.
God-Life expressed. God life
manifested. God life projected. And it can come only when you get yourself out
of the way and let him live your life for you. In fact brother Branham said the
greatest gift is to get yourself out of the way. So if
you pray for anything pray to make yourself little that God might project
Himself big as life in you.
Therefore, after his conversion Paul was
never proud. He was never arrogant. He was never boastful, but he was always
fearful that his position given him by God would not be understood by the men
in which he was called to bring to Christ. And he knew had it not been for the
grace of God he would not have come to the knowledge of the truth himself.
Paul was very aware of his own humanity,
and he knew in his own abilities had brought him to be at war with the God he
desired to serve. And in his own abilities, he missed God altogether and had
become the enemy of the God he thought he was serving. He knew that were it not
for God finding him and knocking him off his high horse and blinding him, he
would have never known he was already blind.
That is why William Branham said, "Paul, this great intellectual man, (1)
never tried to express his great theological terms upon the people."
He never tried to put one over on the
people. he never tried to use his education to impress
the people.
You know, I like the way brother Branham
approached the Word because it shows the reality of who actually has the right
Word or not. Now, you might say, well, what do you mean preacher? Well, brother
Branham said if God be God like Elijah said, then the God who is God will
manifest what he said to be true, and if he is not God then nothing will
manifest, right? So the proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof, isn't
that right?
The chef that
won't eat their own cooking aren't much of a chef. And that's the problem with
being a very good chef, because you look like you've been sampling a lot of
your own stuff. These chefs on television that are
thin, those are hired entertainer's and not real chefs.
The good ones like Paula Dean are a little plump because they're good at what
they do, and what they do is cook really good stuff, and since it is so good
they sample a bit here and a bit there. And a chef that won't eat his own
cooking is a fake.
Even Moses ate the same food
The Scripture is God's Word and it
matters not who is quoting it, but look at the lives of the one who is quoting
it and if their life doesn't live that Word themselves, then forget it, you're
looking at a hypocrite. and why would you believe a
hypocrite?
That's what brother Branham said, Be not afraid 60-0717 P:86 Now, if you want to say, "I've got the
Holy Ghost standing on my head," amen, go on. I don't care what you got.
You say, "I got a, I seen a big light." Go ahead and see the big
light. Amen. If you live the life, I believe you got it. You say,
"I got it speaking in tongues." Amen. If you live the life, I
believe you got it. If you don't live the life, you didn't get it.
That's all. See? You've got to have that Life behind there. "By their fruit, you shall know them." That's right. I believe in speaking
in tongues, and believe in shouting, and believe in all the Pentecostal experiences.
Yes. But if that isn't tied together with love, it'll never work. Love is what
puts it over.
Unpardonable
sin 54-1024 P:47 You might do this, that, or the other,
whatever it is. But your life will tally to your testimony. Your life
testifies so loud, till... No matter what you say, people don't believe
it if you don't live it. They ain't going to believe you. And you don't
believe it yourself, and the public don't believe it; so you're just making
yourself miserable. Why don't you come with a true heart, and say,
"God, I confess my wrongs, and I believe on Jesus Christ with all my heart. Now, God, give me the Holy Ghost." He will do
it. That's right. He will do it.
Hebrews Chapter 4 57-0901E P:79 Listen. Watch: Neither is there any creature that is not
manifested in his sight: but all things are naked and open before His eye to
him... who we have to do with. Seeing
then that we have a great high priest that
has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confessions." Hold fast," that don't mean just keep
testifying. If you don't live the life, you don't hold it fast. You're
living a hypocritical thing. You'd better be on out
and just say you're a sinner and forget about it. Don't profess a Christian
and live something else; you're the biggest stumbling block the world's
ever had. If you're a sinner, admit it and go on, get right with God. If
you're a Christian, hold fast your confession; stay there.
Jezebel religion 61-0319 P:4 You want to live just what you talk
about. If you don't live it yourself, how could you expect somebody else to
live it. See? So you are written epistles read of
all men; so always be honest, just, true. Tell the truth, no matter
how bad it hurts something. Tell the truth anyhow, 'cause you can always
tell it the same way each time. And if you tell a lie, you'd have to go a
million miles around, and still you have to come back to that lie again; and
you just made an awful thing. Just be honest, and you can always tell it the
same way because it's the truth.
Believing God 52-0224 P:55 And I know this, that some of us has more
faith than others, and those who have abundance of faith are supposed to pray
for those. But if you don't live the right kind of life, you better leave
away from it; the devil will laugh at your prayer. But when you live right,
and do right, and act right, and have faith in God, Satan will tremble when you
speak, 'cause God swore under obligation He'd take care of that prayer. That's
true.
That is why Paul tells us in Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without
effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be
true, but every man a liar; ...
Amplified: What if some did not believe and
were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify
and make ineffective and void the faithfulness of God and His fidelity [to His
Word]?4 By no means! Let God be found true though
every human being is false and a liar,
The
Message Romans 3:3 Do you think their faithlessness cancels out
his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when
the whole world is lying through its teeth. Scripture says the same: Your
words stand fast and true; Rejection doesn’t faze you. But if our
wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God’s right doing, shouldn’t we be
commended for helping out? Since our bad words don’t even make a dent in his
good words, isn’t it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our
word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most
emphatic No! How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn’t do
the straightening?
So what we
see is that God wants for our words to match our lives, which is the some
of our actions, and if it doesn't, then why should anyone believe what
you have to say.
And that led us into Christ is the Mystery no 57 The Word will bear its own fruit where we continued to speak on your life and your
testimony are one and the same.
In paragraph 312 brother Branham said in speaking of the
apostle Paul and said, (3) he lived the Word so that it
expressed It. Now I want you to catch his words very
carefully here. Notice he did not say, he lived the Word so that he expressed It. No, that's not what he said. He
said, "he
lived the Word so that IT expressed IT." Let me reword this for you in my own words so that you
can better see what he is saying here. He is saying, "Paul so lived the Word that The Word expressed Itself in Paul. Now He is not saying here Paul lived
the Word so much until Paul expressed the Word. That is not what the Apostle
Paul said of himself. That's not hi own testimonmy.
In Romans 7 to find out what Paul said about
himself. Romans
Paul tells us the Law is spiritual but I am carnal, and not only am I carnal but I am sold
under sin which is missing the mark or basically not believing. He says, I
sowed that way to begin with, we are all "born in sin, shaped in iniquity, and come
into this world speaking lies", so how do you expect to live it, when you were not made
to live it.
But He was and he did live it. Because He was born from above, and He was not born by a sexual act
of the flesh, but he was born from above. Therefore, I want for you to
get that out of your thinking right now, and don't let that thought hold you
down. When the devil whispers in your ear that you can't live it, you tell him, you are absolutely right devil,
but I know one who did. And that one who did wants to live it in
me as well, so stand back satan, in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ because "I am crucified with Christ, and nevertheless, I know that I am still
living, yet it is no longer me that is living, but Christ Himself is living in
me", and the Life I am now living in this flesh I
am living by the Faith, by the revelation of the son of God, His Faith, His
Revelation, because it is Him that is alive in me."
Then Paul goes on to explain how that
since the law is spiritual, and he is carnal, how that
he is not able to live out the Law Himself. 15 For
that which I do I allow not: In other words, the things I seem to do in this flesh, I
really didn't plan to do them, they just happen because of my flesh. I mean I don't even have to think to do
them, they just happen. It's just my human nature to do them. That is why I
don't have to allow them, they just happen. And then he says, "for what I would like to do, that do I not do;
In other words the things I allow for,
those I don't seem to do, and those things I make no allowance for, that is
what I seem to be doing. Notice his language here, "but what I hate, that I seem to fid myself
doing". Now, why would the apostle Paul make
such a statement as that? Because he is telling us that it has nothing to do with
what I can or can not do in this flesh, because it has nothing to do with this flesh
because the law is spiritual. He is saying, “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I myself am
not".
Paul is saying, "What I don’t understand about myself is that
I decide to go one way, but then I act another way, which seems just the
opposite of the way I intended to act, doing things I absolutely despise doing.
So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for my own self and then do
it, it becomes very obvious that God’s command is necessary". 16 If then I do that
which I really don't want to do, or if I find myself doing those things that I
never intentionally thought about doing, and I despise the doing of them, then
in in reality I am agreeing within me that the law
that God set up is good for me. 17 Now then if my desire is to do
what God has shown to be holy and righteous, but my body doesn't do what I wish
it to do concerning what is holy and righteous, then it is not really me doing
those things, but sin which is unbelief that dwells in me that causes me to do
those things. 18 For I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me;
but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For
the good that I would do, I do not do: but the evil which I would not do , that
I find myself doing. 20 Now if I do what I
would not do, then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then this law, that, when I would do
good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? 25 I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin
Now, what Paul is saying in this is that
there is a law called the law of reproduction, or the law of life, and it operates in our body. And when
I delight in the Law of God inwardly, I know that the Law of God is spiritual,
because even though I long to do God's will and obey His law, yet my body is
not spiritual, and was sown in sin, shaped in iniquity and come to the world
speaking lies.
So when we look at the body of flesh, it
has a law operating in our body that makes the body manifest itself according
to the nature of the seed that gave birth to that body. But he says there is also another law within me which is
spiritual, and this
nature as it grows up within me, seems to war against the nature of my flesh.
And this nature is
spiritual, because
it's the nature of the inner man by a new birth. And the two natures war
against each other. But since both are tied directly to whatever seed was sown,
then hence when I would to do good, there is another nature so in effect the
nature of the flesh wars against the nature of the spirit.
So here is the problem, I desire to live
a life like Christ but my body is not capable of going along with my desire. So
what do I do in this case? Am I held accountable for every act that's done in
this flesh? Absolutely you are held accountable.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of
his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his
works.
So we see that man can not
get away from the fact that he is held responsible for every work he does in the
flesh, and yet we know the flesh is not capable of doing that which pleases
God.
Now it doesn't look good for man his
ultimate sentencing because even if he wishes to do good,
there is a law in the flesh that will not permit him to do that which is good.
So now, that we have set forth the case against our bodies being capable of
living a sinless life, let's read again what brother Branham said in paragraph 312.
In paragraph 312 brother Branham said in speaking of the
apostle Paul (3) he lived the Word so that it
expressed It.
Let me reword this for you in my own
words so that you can better see what he is saying here. He is saying, "Paul so lived the Word so that The Word expressed The Word.
Notice, as Paul said in Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ,
we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin?
God forbid. 18 For if I build again the
things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For
I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ is living in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then
Christ is dead in vain.