Christ
is the Mystery no. 26
The
Condition of your heart
September 16,
2012
Brian
Kocourek
A couple weeks ago we
spoke on the image of the Invisible and we looked at the heart, and how the
entire focus of the ministry of the Elijah of Malachi 4 was to return to the
hearts of the children to the fathers. Not their brains, but their hearts. Now,
does that do away with the Doctrine, no sir, not at all. What it means is that
the doctrine must reside in the heart and lived out.
That is what the
doctrine is supposed to produce in you. Christ! Brother Branham said Christ is
the Doctrine, and if He is indeed the doctrine then He is to be reproduced in
the heart of the believers. That is what it means to be conformed to the image
of the first born son as The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8. And that is what
this message is all about.
Christ
is the mystery 63-0728 P:66 He is the principal Theme of the entire Bible. If you read the Bible and
don't see Christ in every verse of
It, go back and read It again. See? If you can't see Christ in every verse of
the Bible, then you read It again, because you've missed something. The Bible is Christ. He is the Word.
When you read, "In the beginning God created..." there's Christ. See?
Every... From that to the "Amen" in Revelations is every Word
testifying of Jesus Christ. That's why these added books that's called II Book
of Daniel and the Book of the Maccabees, Agges Purgatory, and stuff like
that... See, it's not spoke of in the Scripture. See? It doesn't theme up with the rest of It. There's no place to place
purgatory in there. There's no place to place intercession of saints, and
things; there's no place in there for that. There's no place for denomination.
There's no place for creeds outside of the Bible. See? So when you see those
things, they just don't come into the picture.
Christ
is the mystery 63-0728 P:71 He is the same. He was the prophets; He was
in them; He was in the Psalms; He was in the history; and He is the things to
come, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrew 13:8, if you're writing it down). He should be
then... He should be the principal... If that's what He is, and we believe it,
don't we? Then if He is that, then He
should be the principal Theme of our talking, of our thinking, of our singing,
of our walks; He should be the
principal Theme of our life. If He's the principal Theme of the Bible, and the Bible is in us, then He should be the principal Theme of
everything that we do, say, or think, should be Christ. Is that right? All
right.
Now, listen brothers
and sisters, if you truly get what he is telling us here, and you have absorbed
that in your hearts, then I can just sit down and never have to preach a sermon
again. O, I love that. He is our all in
all, He is our life and breathe. That’s what Paul said,
Acts 17:
28 For in him we live,
and we move, and we have our very being; as certain also
of your own poets have said, For we are
also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device.
And that is why we
have taken this mini study on the Image of the Invisible God, because the image
of God is not a visible caricature. It is not a statue. It is not a physical
likeness. The beard and the body build and the hair and the nail scars, those
were the body of the son of God, but in Him was Life. In Him resided God in His
fullness and God is Love, God is comfort, God is the King of Peace, and Jesus
was the reflection and the prince of Peace, And God is mercy, and God is Grace,
and God is compassion, and God is Patient. And the fruits of God life are the
characteristics of God –Life reflected for all to see.
Paul said in Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the
flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be
desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
And if we are to be
conformed to the image of the first born son who was the very image of the
invisible God, then we will manifest these characteristics of our father as
well. You see, characteristics are what makes up character, and the only thing
we will take with us is our character. As br. Don said last week to me, could
you imagine a man hooking up a u-hall trailer to his hearse to take his stuff
with him? So we are looking at the theme
of this message is to return your heart or to redeem your heart. To bring back
the heart to the condition where God can deal with you as a sons,.
Matthew 15:10 ¶ And he called the
multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth
into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this
defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou
that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he
answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted,
shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And
if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered
Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are
ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever
entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the
draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the
heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These
are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not
a man.
Let's also look at this same parable from
Mark Chapter 7.
Mark 7:14 And when he had called all
the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and
understand:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can
defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile
the man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was
entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the
parable. 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye
not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it
cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the
belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That
which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of
the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and
defile the man.
There are five things
I would like to bring out from this parable that Jesus is telling us.
No. 1.
Jesus tells us that Defilement comes from within, from the heart. Defilement He says, is not a condition
of being infected from without, or affected by that which is without, but defilement
is a condition of the heart expressing itself outwardly.
Therefore if
defilement does not come from that which is without, then there is nothing that
can defile you unless that defilement is already in you to begin with. We ask the
question, is a man a thief because he steals? Or does he steal because he is a
thief? In this parable Jesus tells us our answer to that question. In this
parable, it is very clear that a man is a thief to begin with, and therefore he
steals. The stealing does not make him a thief for he must think it first in
his heart, and then once he thinks it that thought becomes a seed that is
planted. Once that seed is planted, then any watering of that seed by that
person will bring forth that seed into manifestation. Years ago I preached a
message concerning this called The Garden of Your Mind, and we found that every
thought we think is a seed, just like the thoughts that were in God to begin
with were seeds.
Brother Branham said, sin is not drinking
and smoking and chasing. Those are just attributes of unbelief'. The man
disbelieves and therefore manifests that disbelief by doing those things that
are contrary to the Word of God.
And we know that we
are all born in sin to begin with, we are born in sin, shaped in iniquity and
come to the world speaking lies", as the Scripture teaches.
Therefore, as the
Scripture tells us, There is none that is righteous, no not one, and all of our
righteousness is as filthy rags. That's Isaiah 64:6
¶ But we are all
as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all
do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And
there is none that calleth upon thy name) that stirreth up himself to take hold
of thee: for thou have hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of
our iniquities. 8 But now, 0 LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and
thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Now, Jesus links the heart of man with
his lips, or the tongue. He says, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Romans 3:10 As it is written,
There is none righteous) no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth there
is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their
throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the
poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness:
No 2. Now, point number 2, we find in Matthew 7 where Jesus tells us, A tree can not bring
forth good and evil fruit and James tells us, neither can a well bring forth
bitter and sweet water.
Matthew 7:15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by
their fruits ye shall know them.
We also find James tell us concerning
sweet water and bitter water that any single fountain can not bring forth both
types of water.
James 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even
the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of
God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren,
these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same
place sweet and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries?
either a vine, figs? so no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. What do
Jesus and James mean by these parables? They are saying that out side things
are not that which defile a man, but those things that come forth from the
heart are the things that defile the man. Then he lists off a whole lot of
things that show defilement within the man. He says, That which cometh out of
the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men,
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries) fornications, murders, 22 Thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit) lasciviousness) an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride) foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the
man.
And in Matthew 12:33 we read, Either make the tree
good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt
for the tree is known by his fruit (and we know in the anointed Ones
at the end Time brother Branham said the fruit is the teaching of the season,
what they teach. Therefore you judge the tree or man by what comes forth from
his lips in terms of teaching, what they teach.) 34 0 generation of vipers, (notice
he is calling them serpent seed here. He says you generation of poisonous
serpents) how can
ye, being evil speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things. 36 (now we covered this thought here several weeks ago on
where your treasure is there will your heart be also. So lets read on) “But I say unto
you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
words thou shalt be condemned.
And why is that? Because it is your
words, the things you say that declare where your heart is and what things you
hold dear within your heart. So we are looking at what is in there, deep within
the heart. For that is the real you and if that has not been born again, you
are in a lot of trouble.
No 3. Then your
heart is what you are, it is your understanding, it is what you think and thus
what you express. It is what you understand, and thus a reflection of
the condition of your soul. And out of the abundance or overflow of the heart
the mouth will speak and the body will act those things out.
Explaining healing and Jairus 54-0216 E-37 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 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 there,
is a reflection. Here, what we are here, is a reflection of what we arc
somewhere else. So if your deeds are evil, you know where it comes from. You
know where your other body's a waiting.
Now, in the parable Jesus is telling
us that the mouth is the means whereby we know what is in the heart. And if our
mouth is not true to what is in our hearts, then we are hypocrites, which is
the worse kind of sinner.
Condemnation by
representation 60-1113 4-1 When a person is preaching a
doctrine, then you've got to stay with your own belief, If you don't, then
you're a hypocrite. If you say something because someone else says it, and in
your heart you don't believe that, then you're a hypocrite because you're
saying something that you don't believe. I'd rather be criticized a little upon
things that I do believe than to be a hypocrite in the sight of God trying to
compromise with someone else.
I believe that is the
reason why I have had so much success around the world teaching the doctrine.
It is because I truly believe what I teach is the Whole Truth and nothing but
the Truth, and I have not only the Scriptures to prove what I teach is true,
but I have also a vindicated Prophet's own words to back it all up.
Now, there are a lot of people who claim
to believe this message but their mouth declares them to be hypocrites, because
on the one hand they say, "say only what the prophet says," and then
when you do, they criticize you for it. These are people who say one thing but
believe another, and Jesus called them hypocrites. And that is what brother
Branham is telling us here.
Now, let' s see some other things brother
Branham tells us about these kind of people.
Uncertain Sound 0731 64
As I was saying a few days ago, either here or somewhere, speaking on the lie
detector. Now, notice close now. I want you pay close attention. Put a lie
detector on you, and you try to impersonate that truth, and try to say that
it's truth, but down on the inside of you, in the subconscious, lays a place
called the soul. And this intellectual mind does not govern that vibration of
the system. The mind is only a director. It will direct you, and it's very
incapable of bringing you to God: your mind. You cannot know God by your mind,
intellectual It's one of the resources, or the channels that would lead to it,
but your soul is what governs you. You are what you are, by your soul. Jesus
said to the Pharisee, said, "Why, you hypocrites. How can you speak good
things?" When, they was calling Him, "Good Master," and so
forth. Said, "Out of the abundance of the heart speaketh the lips. And in
your heart you hate Me. And in your lips you call Me, 'Good "' He said,
"You hypocrites" See, your soul is thinking one thing, and you're
speaking with your lips another thing. What a case. What a horrible thing. What
a deceitful thing is a hypocrite. For out of their mind they say one thing,
when their soul says another thing.
68 Now, the lie detector will not work on
your mind. It'll work on your soul It'll not work on your intellects. There !
some people can impersonate the truth. They impersonate. Yet, it being a lie,
and can impersonate it till they can deceive like anything. And Satan is the
best of that there is, for he has deceived Eve by that way, saying them same
things. And the biggest lie was ever told, had a lot of truth in it. 70 Now,
this person, what if you could ever get this soul on the inside, so in harmony
with God, that your soul and God would be one together, then you could ask what
you will, and it shall be given to you. Many people come to me, many times in
the prayer line, and stand there, and say, "Oh, Brother Branham, I have
plenty faith. I've got faith like to move mountains." And, yet, they
haven't any faith. They hardly have enough faith to get to the platform. But
they are conscious of one thing, that they do believe.
They are believing intellectually with
their mind. And their mind will never bring them to God. Your mind is
reasoning's. And God has no reasoning's. 72 If you can reason it out, your mind
will tell you, "Now, looky here, the doctor says I can't get over that.
It's impossible." Now, the doctor, with his intellects, with His
intelligence, with His knowledge of medical science, he's told you the best of
the travel of his mind. And you taking your mind, and using the same thing the
doctor has told you, you... God can never touch that line, as long as you
reason. But let's put down reasoning. God never made us to live by our
intellect. We live by the Holy Spirit that's in our soul, that says
"no" to any reasoning's that's contrary to God's Word. When God's
Word says its so, there's nothing in the world stands in Its way. Then when you
do that, you're getting down on the right side of God. You're getting down,
till you can ask what you want to, and it'll be given to you, 'cause there's
nothing between there. There's no reason. Let's cast away those reasoning's.
They stand in your way. Get your mind out of the way. And don't you say what
you reason, what you see, what you think; say what God says to be the Truth.
And that can only come from the inside, from the heart, not from the
intellects.
Impersonation of Christianity 57-0120M E-29
And in this being the intellectual type of churches that we have today in
America, and all over the world, when we get to that type of school, then the
Christian, the believer, the church member, reading the Bible sees that he must
try to act humble. He must try to be this way. But in doing so he only makes a
carnal impersonation. Let that soak deep. A carnal comparison, he's trying to
act something that he really isn't in his heart. In his heart he's thinking one
thing, and trying to act another, which in real genuine language, that makes
him a hypocrite E-30 Jesus said, "You hypocrites, how can you speak good
things, for out of the abundance of the heart speaketh the mouth." If you
don't speak according to what's in your heart, your heart thinks one thing and
you speak another, that makes you a hypocrite. The very word
"Pharisee" means, "actor" They acted out their religion for
they had a stony heart They come and said, "Good Master, we would see a
sign from Thee to prove that you are what You said." Said, 'How do you
call Me good, when there's none good but God?"
Uncertain Sound 55-0731 75 There's where so many people
today, is going to be so terribly disappointed at the day of judgment: to know
that they've lived in church, to know that they have done good deeds, to know
that they have treated their neighbor right, to know that they have been loyal
to the people, loyal to the church, and in their mind have believed that Jesus
Christ the Son of God and be condemned at the day of judgment. Jesus said,
"Many are called and few are chosen. Straight is the gate and narrow is
the way that leads to Life, and but few there will be that find it. "Now,
to you people here this morning, I want you to set up and take notice to this.
You're old enough now. You've heard enough Gospel preaching, till you ought to
be able to get off of milk and to come to a real solid Gospel diet: come to a
place where men and women ought to stand. Paul said, "When you ought to be
teachers, why, you have to be taught to, yet" 78 Now, in the soul where
the man lives, you are what you are in your soul, not in your mind, not in your
reasoning. Not because you say, "I will have a better standing. 1 can associate
with better company ff1 become a Christian." That's reasoning. See? You
mustn't do that Don't do that Let it become from a new experience, a new Birth,
something that's happened, not in the mind, but in the soul, that's taken all
reasoning's away, and you become a new creature. And you're in Christ Jesus.
God Making His Promise 56-1209A E-17
Now, if you're trying just to impersonate it, then it, you're just making a
hypocrite out of yourself You see? 'Cause you can? do that. Christianity is
something that has to come from the heart. Jesus speaking to the Pharisees,
said, "Ye hypocrites, how can you say good things when out of the
abundance of the heart speaketh the mouth?" Then if the heart thought one
thing and the mouth spoke something else, it becomes hypocrisy. See? We must
from our heart express exactly how we feel. We must express it from our heart
And if we can't express the right thing, then keep still Don't say nothing
about it And now, if the church ever gets to practicing that, they might have
fewer members for a while, but they'll have better members while they're having
it. God grant the day that when every man or woman will be and express just
what they are.
Exhortation on healing 51-0501 E-45 We learned this, friends,
that God knows what your heart is. See? And if you don't speak from your heart,
then you're a hypocrite. Is that right? And I really mean it
Word became flesh and
You See then, The heart we are born with
are no good to begin with. And if that is so, then we are dependent upon God to
give us a right heart. God must give us a new heart, for the heart we are born
with is corrupt to begin with, then He gives us another Spirit and then His own
Spirit
Ezekiel 11:19-21 And I will give them one heart, and! will put a new spirit within
you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an
heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances,
and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But for them
whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their
abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, Saith the Lord
God.
Ezekiel 36:26-28 A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will / put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And! will put my Spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and
do And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be
my people, and / will be your God.
PP 37 inter veil 56-0121 Notice. There is an
intellectual faith. And there's a faith that comes from the heart. The old
unbeliever said years ago, "When the Bible said, 'As a man thinketh in his
heart... " Said, "That's crazy. There's no mental facilities in the
heart" Said, "You think with your mind. There's no mental facilities
in the heart." But last year they found that's wrong. God was right down
in the heart, in the center of the heart, there's a little compartment where
there's not even a blood cell in it, It's not in the animal heart, only in the
human heart. And they say, it's the occupation, or the occupant of the soul The
soul lives in the heart. Then after all, God was right, when He said, "As
a man thinketh in his heart."
And I'd like to add,
So is he! And so this brings us to the last part of this question, what about
the heart? Now this is very important that you understand about the heart as I
just read this wonderful quote. Because "as a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he." And of course if the Soul resides in the heart then what if a
man's heart is removed from him and he receives someone else's heart? Are they
a living soul or just a living beast? What about it? I believe they have
already died and their soul has gone to it's eternal destination and all you have remaining
is a living beast. But what of those people who are purely serpent seed? What
then? Do they have a soul? Good question.
51 Hear ye Him 60-0712 Man ain't measured by muscles; that's beast. Man's measured
by character. I seen men that weighted two hundred pounds and all muscle and
didn't have an ounce of man in him. Throw a baby out of a mother's arms and
ravish her, that ain't a man; that's a beast. That's brute. Man is character.
There never was a man like Jesus Christ But the Bible said there was no beauty
that we should desire Him. Probably a little, bitty Fellow, stooped in the
shoulder or something... We all hid as it was our faces from Him. But He...
There never was a character like that That's what real man is. You don't
measure a man muscles, but by the bags of the knees in his pants where he's been
praying. That's the way you measure a man, by character It's true.
What does it take to make a Christian Life? 57-0113 Now, I want you to listen for a few moments before closing.
I want you to notice one thing and watch closely now. Watch the order of the
Scripture, "I will take away the stony heart and give you a new
heart." Now, the heart is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit "And
I will give you a new spirit." I want you to watch the order. Now, many
people get mixed up there. They think they got the Holy Ghost, but they just
get a new spirit Watch.
What does It take to make a Christian Life? 57-0113 "I'll give you a new heart, and a new spirit And then I
will put My spirit.. "Now, the new Spirit God had to give you a new
spirit, but that's a new spirit God give you so you could get along with the
Holy Ghost. With that old spirit you had, you couldn't get along with your
neighbor; you couldn't get along with yourself; so you know you couldn't get
along with God; so God gives you a new spirit And many times under enthusiasm,
and if you'll watch the life that it bears... I hope I'm not hurting, but /
hope I'm uncovering. See? A lot of times you'd think that you'd have the Holy
Spirit "Oh," you said, " sung; I spoke in tongues."
Certainly. Being that close to it you might do all of that, but that isn't the
Holy Spirit yet See? The Holy Spirit bears record of Jesus Christ Now, He
taken, and what did He do? Give you a new heart, give you a new spirit, and
then He puts His Spirit, His Spirit in you. It's just like.. You don't have to
go around and pretend that you're a Christian man. That new spirit brings new
life. The Holy Spirit in your new spirit, in your new heart... Your new heart,
your new spirit and the Holy Spirit goes right in the center of your new
spirit, and your new spirit goes right in the center of your new heart.
Impersonation of Christianity 57-0120M
Now, when you do that, and don bear the fruit of the Spirit, then you're in the
new spirit You didn't use to do that; that's right. But God had to give you a
new spirit. Why, the spirit you had, you couldn't even get along with yourself
So how are you going to get along with God? So God had to give you a new heart,
not a patched up one, a new heart. That's your intellects that you think with,
a new way of thinking. Then He give you a new way of thinking, "Yes,
that's right....{ notice the new heart is a new mindset, a new way of thinking)
Then He said after that, "Then I'll give you a new spirit" What's
that? A new desire, "I want to do right" "Now, / know I'm a
Christian, I got to... I'll smoke one more and then I'll throw it away. See?
And I'll--I'll--I'll just see.. I--I--I'll just stay home tonight, and you
know, I'll just..." all these little just, just, that's exactly.., Eve stopped
just for a moment. That's all she had to do. But now, that's the new spirit
Then notice the order of the Scripture. After you get a now heart and a new
spirit, He said, "Then I'll put My Spirit.." See? Oh, what? That's
the what the Scripture says here. That's the order, the pneumatics and
numerical order of the Scripture: a new heart, a new spirit, and then My
Spirit. E-44 Then God's Holy Spirit.. God's new heart that He put in you, sets
right in the center of you. That's your-your impulse, where you--you--your--your
emotions goes out And the new Spirit sets right in the center of the new heart.
And God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, sets right in the center of your new Spirit,
and there It controls your emotions. -69 But to accept it, and to have a new
heart, a new spirit, and His Spirit, part of the Logos in you controlling your
emotions... And when He coos through His Word, you coo back and answer to Him.
"Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever..."
Impersonation of Christianity 57-0127A Yes, watch the order of the Scripture. "I will take
away the old stony heart, and I'll give you a new heart." That's the first
order. Some of them stop on that first order. Now, that's... You are--you're
just getting started. Then He said, "I'll give you a new spirit."
There's where a lot of you Pentecostals fail You had to have a new spirit Oh,
you felt good and you felt like that, "Oh, wel4 I just, oh, I feel fine.
I--I--I couldn't have it." Well, you just got started. You're just getting
fixed up now to just... You're just coming in line. He had to give you a new
spirit. Why you couldn't get along with yourself with the old spirit So how
could you get along with God's Spirit? So He had to give you a new spirit
Matthew 13:15 For
this people's heart is waxed gross, and ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them.
So we are dealing with the heart as the
receptacle of the Soul. Then the heart and its condition are very important
because of the influence it plays on the condition of the soul. You raise up a
child in the way they are to go and when they get old they will not depart.
Therefore, if you raise up that child in a condition or atmosphere of unbelief,
it will have a very strong influence on what they believe the Word of God. A
child raised up in a very irreverent home will have a much harder time coming
to grips with his need for salvation than one who is raised up in a home where
love, and respect for God are taught.
And the five fold
ministry can not give you a revelation, but they can prepare your mind to
receive revelation from God. And you parents can prepare the minds of your
children to receive the Word of God as well. That is your duty before God as a
steward of your household.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, 0
Blasphemous Names pg. 23,
Coming to your
mental faith, right here, comes the Holy Spirit; coming down into your mental
faith making it a Spiritual Faith. Then the Spiritual Faith only recognizes the
Word."
And so, in looking at this condition of
the mind, we see that God has come down in this hour to bring about a change of
our mind that we might receive His mind. Let this mind be in you that was in
Christ Jesus." And we also know in Colossians 3:4 we are told, that
"when Christ Who is our Life shall appear, then we shall appear with Him
in the same Glory or mindset." So then, if it is a condition of the mind,
then it must first come to our mind, before it can move down into our heart and
soul and take over the very ambitions and desires of our heart. That's why the
scripture tells us, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also."
In Luke 6: 45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his
heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance
of his heart the mouth speaketh.' And so here we find the Scripture
telling us that our hearts will only reflect the real treasure that lays inside
of it, and it will show what our treasures really are in the things that we
talk about.
From the message Is Your Life Worthy of the Gospel? PP 151, Brother
Branham said,
"the things that you think on, the things that you do, (the actions), the
things that you talk about creates an atmosphere!'
What your mind is feeding upon is only a
reflection of your Spiritual condition which is only a reflection of your
Eternal destination. Gods Elect will hold His Word as their treasure, and it
will reflect in their thoughts and actions as well.
From Enticing Spirits brother
Branham said, "you let me see what a man reads, let me see what he watches,
listen to the music he listens at, and I can tell what spiritual condition he
is in." He said, "because that's your appetite!'
From What is the Holy Ghost PP 31, brother Branham
said, "You
let me talk to a man for two minutes; I can tell you whether he's received the
Holy Ghost or not So can you. It separates them; It's a mark, It's a sign. And
the Holy Spirit is a Sign. And it's... Any child that refused circumcision in
the Old Testament, which was a foreshadow of the Holy Ghost, was cut off from
amongst the people. He could not have fellowship with the rest of the
congregation if he refused to be circumcised. Now, pattern that to today. A
person that would refuse to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost can have no
fellowship among those that has the Holy Ghost You just can't do it You have to
be a nature. Like, it's... My mother there used to say, "Birds of a
feather flock together" Well) it's an old proverb, but it's a true one.
You don? see doves and crows fellowshipping. Their diets are different; their
habits are different; their desires are different And that's the way it is with
the world and with a Christian when you have been circumcised by the Holy
Spirit, which means to cut off a flesh. And so we see that there is a certain
diet that we partake of. A crow can eat just anything, nothing hardly will
bother him, but a Dove can only eat certain kinds of food. That's his nature.
To eat like a Crow would kill it. And Ill tell you I believe that with all my
heart. I heard a tape other night of a certain preacher in this message, and
all he did was holler and scream and yet nothing was being said. I couldn't
stand it.
Thirst 65-0919 there
is a control tower in your soul, that tells you the spiritual things that you
have need of, something in your spirit, and, and you by this can tell what kind
of a life is controlling you. When you-when you can see what your desires are,
then you can tell, by that, what kind of something that's in you, that's
creating this desire that you have. See, there is a certain thing that you
thirst for, and it--and it can tell you in your soul what this desire is, by
the nature of the thirst that you have. / hope that you can understand that.
So what we are looking at here is the
fact that God has made us to receive His Word with our minds first and then He
will anoint the understanding He has given us and t then drops down into our
Soul and becomes a Spiritual Revelation. So we are dealing with the mind here
and that is why we see Brother Branham pointing to the deteriorating condition
of the minds in the people. Now this brings up a question that was handed in to
me.
Now, as I have said, the Soul is that
part of man that identifies the man. It is His very Life, and nature of the
Spirit. When we read I Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [ pray
God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see that the word for Soul here is the
Greek word, Psuche which is also translated as the word Life. When Jesus said,
he that will lose his Life for my sake shall save it, he was using the word
Psuche that is also used as the same word for your soul as we see in I Thessalonians 5:
23 and so many other scriptures.
Now many men have tried to place the Soul
as being inferior to the Spirit and men such as Doctor Larken before brother
Branham came along, even taught that there is a difference between the Soul and
the Spirit. But they could not place it correctly within the Body itself. They
taught that the outer is the Body which is correct. But then they taught that
next to the body lay the soul and inside of the soul lay the spirit which is
error. Brother Branham taught us after the Seals were opened that the first
Ring is the Body, then the Spirit and then the Soul. This means that the Spirit
was in between the Soul and the Body. In between or in the midst or middle.
Now the question was asked, Where is the
mind And we must answer according to the scripture and what Brother Branham
told us, the Mind is in the spirit. Yet our Soul still has the last say on our
choice. But the Affection, and reasoning, and emotion and memory and conscience
all exist in the realm of the spirit. But the Soul is the nature of that
spirit. And the next part of this question is Where and what is the Soul? I
think I answered this part by saying what the soul is . It is the nature of
your spirit. The very Life of your being. Now you ask, where is it. It lies
within the deepest recess of your heart.
5. When we are born of God we can not any longer sin,
because it is God's Seed that remains in him. Then that which comes forth from
the heart is only Good, and will reflect the fruits of the spirit.
177-1 Pergamean Church Age Chptr 5 '1 know thy works."
These are the identical words uttered to each of the seven messengers relative
to the people of God in each age. As they are spoken to the two vines (true and
false) they will bring joy and gladness to the hearts of one group, but they
ought to strike terror in the hearts of the other. For though we are saved by
grace, apart from works, true salvation will bring forth works, or deeds that
will please God. I
John 3:7, "Little children, let no man
deceive you; he that doeth (worketh) righteousness is righteous, even as He is
righteous." If this verse means anything at all, it
means that what a man DOES he 13. James 3:11, "Doth a fountain send forth at the
same place sweet water and bitter?" Romans 6:2, "How shall we that are dead to sin
live any longer therein?" Matthew
12:33-35 "Either make the tree good and his
fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt; for the tree
is known by his fruit. 0 generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak
good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good
man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an
evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." Now if a
man is born of the Word (Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever. I Peter
1:23) he will produce the Word. The fruit or works of his life will be a
product of the kind of seed or life that is in him. His works, therefore will
be Scriptural. And that Word will judge us in the last day. In fact the Word is
judging even now, for it is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart. It cuts asunder the carnal from the spiritual It makes us living
epistles read and known of all men to the glory of God. "I know thy
works." If a man fears that he might not please God, then let him fulfill
the Word. If a man wonders if he will hear those words, "Well done, good
and faithful servant," let him fulfill the Word of God in his life, and
assuredly he will hear those words of praise. The Word of truth was the
criterion then; it is the criterion now. There isn't another standard; there
isn't another plumb line. As the world is going to be judged by one Christ
Jesus, even so it is going to be judged by the Word. If a man wants to know how
he is making out, let him do as James suggested: "Look into the mirror of
God's Word. Therefore we must train the heart, and the Soul by the Word of God.
When a person is born again, he is not filled. The filling comes as you replace
the unbelief with belief in the Word of God. And then how do we know what we
are believing in our heart? By what things we speak. Unless you are hypocrite,
and purposely are acting one thing while you are believing another, you will
speak from your mouth what is in your heart.
2 Corinthians 4:i3 We
having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and
therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;."
Romans 10:10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.."
Proverbs 18:20 ¶ A man's belly shall be satisfied with the
fruit of his mouth; [ with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
Proverbs 13:2 ¶ A man shall eat good by the fruit of [
mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. 3 ¶ He that
keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: [ he that openeth wide his lips shall have
destruction.
Proverbs 12:17 ¶ he that speaketh truth sheweth forth
righteousness: but a false witness deceit. 18 ¶ There is that speaketh like the
piercing of a sword: but the tongue of the wise health. 19 ¶j The lip of truth
shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [ but for a moment 20 ¶
Deceit in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counselors of peace
joy. 21 There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled
with mischief 22 Lying lips abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly his
delight
Proverbs 10:11
"The mouth of the righteous is a well of Life."
James 3:11. A well is not to give forth bitter and
sweet water, is that correct? The mouth of the righteous man is a well of Life."
Proverbs 12:19: 'The lips of truth shall be established
forever:.
Notice-it! The Lip's of Truth... and What
is Truth? John
17: "Thy Word is Truth." What 'will be
established? God's Word, not yours and mine.
Proverbs
12:19: "But the lying tongue is but for a moment"
What's a "Lying
tongue? A tongue that says anything but what the Word of God says.
Romans 3:4: "Let God be true and
every man a liar.
Anything we say about
a thing when God has not said it, is a lie. He alone has the Truth.
Proverbs 12:18: 'The
tongue of the wise is health.
JUBILEE YEAR 54-1003E 127 When
you are thoroughly convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and in your
heart, now, not in your imagination, but in your heart something echoes down
there, and said, "Now, I am saved." that's all you need, right there,
brother. Confess it out, and let your words go out. And then watch, watch your
life from then on. No more than a corn could bear cockleburs, neither could
that man bear evil fruits. He will have to bear good fruits. Jesus said,
"He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has
Everlasting Life, and shall not come into condemnation but has passed from
death unto Life." That's because you believed, not imagine, but you
believe It. It become a thought in your heart. The next thing, you expressed It
as a confession. He that will confess Me before men, him I'll confess before My
Father and the holy Angels" Then something anchors. Thats the reality.
I John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that
committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children
of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
Let's just bow our
heads in a word of Prayer.