Christ is the Mystery no. 39
God’s Three fold
purpose part 5
His Preeminence is Holiness in her
November 11, 2012
Brian Kocourek
Revelations 3:14 And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold
nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with me. 21 To him
that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches.
Ephesians
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
This morning I would like to continue with the Second
of the three fold purpose of God as brother Branham spoke of it from his
sermon, “Christ
is the Mystery of God Revealed” in paragraph 79. where brother Branham speaks of God having the preeminence
in His people, and not only preeminence but a people who are dedicated and
consecrated to the point that God would live in them.
79 Secondly: to have the preeminence in His body of believers, that is, His
Bride, that
He might live in people.
Now, there is no minister alive or dead that could
ever convince me that God would take up residence in a people who lived just
any old Life. I’ve read all the biographies of men of God through the ages that
God’s Holy Spirit moved in their lives, and anointed these men to such
supernatural heights as to heal the sick, raise the dead, change natures natural course, and you just about name it and God
did it through these men. And everyone of them lived
such lives of consecration and dedication, and were always about their fathers
will.
Peter said
in 2 Peter 3:11 Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness, Men like Luther
who had a great ministry in the Word as teacher never even compared to men like
Paul, and Irenaeus, and Polycarp, and Martin of Tours and Columba and St.
Patrick. These were men of God moved by the Holy Ghost. These men lived for
Christ 24/7. They lived the Word, they breathed the Word, and God was with
them.
But what have we got today, we’ve got ministers so-called
who are no more than just business leaders, CEO’s of organizations called
churches. Brother Branham said they’re not churches, they’re lodges. Minsters who claim to be men of God running to massage
parlors? Oh yeah, right in this Message running to massage parlors. Now,
listen, even as a Cathloic boy growing up, I knew
that was wrong. Listen brothers, Message is not spelled m.a.s.s.a.g.e.
it’s spealled M.e.s.s.a.g.e. And the two don’t mix. Men claiming to be
men of God running to those things with women giving them massages? O God have mercy on you.
You see, we are told in Jude
1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
In other words, The Bible teaches us in Revelation
19:7 Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready.
And brother Branham said in his sermon, Sudden secret going away of church 58-1012 P:28 Some
people say, "Well, I go to church on Sunday morning. I listen to our
pastor, which is a fine preacher." That's good. I appreciate that in you,
or the
God
keeps His Word 57-0407M P:26 That's the reason I say, if the church does not get herself ready,
that's your duty to get ready, "The Bride has made herself
ready." The garments is paid for. They are ready,
but you must be ready to wear those
garments.
O brother, if God has the preeminence in a people and is living in that
people, then those people will not only live holy, but they will want to live
holy, because it is God working in you to both will and to do. And He is holy.
1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of
him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light:
1 Peter 2:5
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy
1:9 Who hath saved us, and
called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Marriage
of the lamb 62-0121E P:28 If
you notice, it said, "She
has made herself ready." So many says, "If
the Lord will take this evil spirit from me, from drinking, or from gambling,
or from lying, or stealing, I'll serve Him." But that's up to you. You got to do something too. "They that overcome shall inherit all things," they that overcome. You have power to do it, but you must be
willing to lay it down. See? She has made herself ready. I like that Word. You see,
God could not push us through a little pipe, pull us out on the other end, and
then say, "Blessed is he that overcometh."
You had nothing to overcome; He just pushed you through. But you've got to make
decisions for yourself. I have to make decisions for myself. In
doing that, we show our faith and respects to God.
Don’t ever forget that it is God working in you to will and to do. It’s
Him doing and living and breathing in you. And that is exactly what the apostle
Paul said in Acts 17:28 For in
him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your
own poets have said, For we are also his
offspring.
Brother Branham
said in his sermon, Influence 63-1114 P:91 There's no holiness with us. We can't be
holy; holiness is of God. See? Certainly. It ain't a holy church, ain't a holy mountain; it's a holy God. That's right. Not holy people; a holy God. It's God in the people. Peter
referred to the Mount Transfiguration, "the holy mount," it meant the holy God was on the mountain.
Look at it now. See? But it was a holy
God there, the Presence of God, what made it holy. It's the Presence of God in our midst now that brings holiness, not my
holiness, not yours, but His holiness. His
Presence is what brings the holiness. We
ought to humble ourselves, cover ourselves in reverence, humility, and say,
"Lord Jesus, receive me into Your Kingdom." His
holiness, not ours. Holy Spirit...
And yet we have ministers in this Message who claim to believe that the
Elijah of Malachi 4 came in this hour to prepare us to escape the burning and
yet they have committed adultery, drank alcohol, paid to have their people go
to massage parlors and then preach that God has come down and is in their camp?
Let me tell you brothers and sisters, if you could only see the angels of
God standing around this room this morning, let alone a Holy God who is here, you
wouldn’t walk around with the cares of this world on your mind, you’d be like
those angels saying Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God
almighty. But I will tell you why they don’t really believe that He’s here.
Because their life is not holy as He is holy. Mentally they know He’s here, but
that’s easy for them to put out of their minds. But my question is this? Is His
presence so real to you that you can feel it? Br. Billy Paul said He has always
been able to tell when the angel came back after He saw him that time. If
you’ve got the Holy Ghost what about you? I remember a sister in Indiana crying as she
testified that she felt the presence of God so powerfully the night before at a
concert and everyone in that church knew she had been to the Rolling stones the
night before. So I am not talking about the God of your imagination, I am
talking about a God who is Spirit, and He is Holy.
1 Timothy
2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath
and doubting.
Colossians
1:22 In the body of his flesh through
death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in
his sight:
Even my wife as a little girl of 8 years old when she attended br.
Branham’s meeting could discern a very holy presence as br. Branham walked onto
the platform. So I ask you this morning, are you aware
of His presence? Can you feel His presence in your heart? Is he living in your
heart, and is his Life so real that you can literally feel His breath upon your
head? When you live a life so consecrated to His Life, then you will know when
He is here and when He is not.
Brother Branham said in his sermon, Reaction
to an action 59-0810 P:18 “We
were going to the grocery a few weeks ago, and we noticed a woman with a dress
on. It was the most uncommon thing we'd seen in a long time. So Meda said to me, she said, "Bill, what is the
matter?" I said, "Honey, here's what it is.
We don't want to get accustomed to the world." She said,
"Well..."Some people has said, and I've got
letters, "You're going to ruin your ministry by making such remarks as you
do." I said, "If preaching the
truth ruins a ministry, then it ought to be ruined." That's right. She
said, "Well, what makes Christians feel different?" I said, "When I was in
Now, listen brothers
and sisters, we are looking at the second fold purpose of God and that is to have the preeminence in a people, to live in them, and
I’m telling you that God will not live in someone who lives just any old way
they wish. And I’ve know ministers right in this Message who would go to the
Gym and work out right alongside women half dressed. Now, I’m not against you
brothers going to the gym where theirs only men working out, but even in this
day and age you don’t knows whose sweat is on that machine, and what diseases
that girly man might have that you are leaning up against and getting into your
pores. The money you spend a year on workouts at the Gym you could buy an
entire workout gym of your own if that’s so important to you, and you will have
the benefit of not having to compromise your life with Christ one bit. That’s
what I did years ago.
Even Job said, Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think
upon a maid?
Years ago the company
I first worked for in
And I told my wife, I
will take the money we would have spent on that membership and I will put it
into workout equipment so we can as a family keep the
flab off. I only wish you young men today would get so filled with God that all
your thoughts would run through His filter before you go off and get involved
in stuff like that.
I never would sign up
for that sort of thing, because God said in 2
Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out
from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And you can’t tell me that those places are not filled
with unclean things. I wouldn’t even want to touch the door handles after some
of those filthy people walk out with their sweaty hands touching it.
Now, listen if it’s a gym for men only, and you boys
want to go work out there, that would be all right morally, but you still
better wash every thing you touch with bleach to make sure you don’t get their
germs. But if women work out there in their little skin tight, like brother
Branham said, looking like a “skinned off wiener”, then what business do you
have being there in the first place in a
place where women are scantily clad, and call yourselves Holy Ghost filled? Don’t
you know, Sons of God are led
by the Spirit of God?, not by their desire to have six pack abs. Now, what
good does it do to have your “ab” muscles so tight,
if you’re a son of God it’s covered by your shirt any way.
My heart weeps and moans for such as what the churches
are producing today. What are we offering our God anyway? Our God is a Holy
God. He is a righteous God, and all we can offer Him in return is our camp mentalities.
And our stand doctrine we don’t even understand? Oh God have pity on such a
Laodicean condition.
Listen to how the apostle Peter described the men of old. He says in 2 Peter 1:21 For
the prophecy (preaching) came not in old time
by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Holy
men of God moved by the Holy God, and thus they spake to one another.
God has not come for a bride who lives like the world
and looks like the world. He’s come for a bride in His image who is Holy, and
righteous, and consecrated, and who lives a dedicated life for Him. If He is
Holy and we are supposed to be reflect Him, then won’t
our reflection be Holy also? That’s the way He ordained for us to be.
Ephesians
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame in His preence.
1
Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your
own?
1
Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the
And did not the Apostle Paul tell us in Romans
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. So it is not unreasonable what God has called us to.
It would be unreasonable to expect it from just our flesh, but He has given us an anointing from
the Holy One that we might be Holy as he also is Holy. Because it is
Christ in You which is the hope of Glory.
And if we are sons of Abraham we will do what Abraham
did and he separated himself from the world.
Brother Branham said in his sermon, Jehovah Jireh 56-0224 P:31 “But
when they went into the holiest of holies, and those veils dropped behind
Aaron, once a year, they didn't live in no moonlight, starlight, or seven
golden candle sticks, under the interlocked wings of the Cherubim, the Shekinah Glory, was in there and they lived in that Light,
which never did dimish or go out. They lived by the
pot of manna. They could eat any time they wanted to. It never got old. What a life to live. That's the kind of life Abraham was
living, a complete surrendered, sold out, consecrated, dedicated life to the
Lord. Amen. And as we'd call it sanctification, they thought when they
shouted they really had it; the Methodists and Nazarenes said, "Boy,
that's it, as soon as you shout." But they found out they didn't have It. The Pentecostals,
boy, when they spoke with tongues, they really had It.
But they find out they didn't. It
doesn't lie upon shouting or speaking with tongues. Those things are all right.
But to have Him is different. That's
attributes of Him. That's right. We... It
means a sold out consecrated daily, hourly, live in the Shekinah
Glory with Him all the time. That's right. Not as I'm saying things
against shouting or speaking with tongues. That's fine. That's the attributes
of the Holy Ghost and so forth. We need all those things, but yet that's not
it. That's not it. It's that hidden
consecrated life.
So this morning we are looking at the second fold purpose of God and that
is to have a people who are so dedicated, so consecrated to a life in Christ,
that God finds it a natural thing to live in a vessel that has Him on their
mind all the time.
And from his sermon, Hidden life with Christ
56-0213 P:50 Brother Branham said, That's what the church needs today, is a
hidden consecrated life. You can't be dittle-dabbling
along with the world, and impersonating, and acting like them, and hid with
Christ, 'cause you're trying to fashion after the world. You're trying to live
like the next church. You're trying to belong to a better organization, wear
better clothes, do so-and-so. That's
not comply with Christianity. Christianity
is a sacrificed life, hidden life with God through Christ, sealed by the Holy
Ghost. Amen. That's what the
real Christian life consists of: Not of how well you can do this, or how
well you can sing, that's all right, how well you can preach, that's fine. But
that isn't it. It's a hidden life,
consecrated, the veil, curtain's dropped around you, and you're dead and you're
buried, and you're hid in God through Christ and sealed in there by the Holy
Ghost.
Again from his sermon, Hidden life in Christ
55-1110 P:57 brother Branham said, “Some
glorious day... This little old body of mine, it's melting away. You little
gray-headed mothers and daddies out there, a few years ago you walked with her
to the altar, a little sweetheart, a beautiful girl. But
nature... You can see how it's going away. But one of these glorious
days Jesus shall come from in the Presence of God, and everything that we was in our best, we'll return again and be with Him
forever. Hallelujah. What is these bodies made out
of? A little cosmic light, a few atoms, and of petroleum, and so forth, put
together, that God brought out of dust of the earth, and painted a picture. And
we're only living in the negative now. And some glorious day death will develop
the picture, and we'll return again in a new glorified body, to never be old,
never be sick, never have a heartache. It behooves
you, brother, to enter in at the court veil, shut the world off around you, and consecrate yourself to Christ, and
live a consecrated life. Don't you believe that? Certainly, it is. Oh,
that's the life to live.
New
ministry 59-1115 P:34 Then I begin to think of it,
about what He did with the prophets. And it got... After I was speaking there
for awhile, inside myself, just thinking, till I become so conscious of
Something near, till I was talking to Someone. And Something said to me,
"That's in the atonement, for if a
man or a woman is so consecrated and surrendered to God, that God just moves in
and uses their voice, and it isn't the man speaking, it's God that's in him speaking..."I thought, "That's
right." Something said to me, "Who do you think... How do you see
those visions on the platform? How do you see those visions out here? What is
it? Do you think it's your own wisdom, that you could
predict something that would happen every time to the letter? Do you think it's
you speaking? Would you think sometime when the Holy Spirit gets into a
message, and you don't know what to say, what is It
speaking then? What is it when a man will speak with a tongue that he doesn't
know nothing about it? What is it that will interpret
that same tongue, neither one of them knowing anything about it? Is it the
individual, or is it the Spirit of the
living God?" I said, "That is true. I see it. It's God that's
speaking, and all the Church needs is a
step closer to Him, a more of a consecrated life to live with Him."
Second handed
robe 56-1206 P:17
And oh, the marvelous things that we have seen our Lord do
in those things. But it takes a
consecrated life, a surrendered life, and so forth, and a church that's purged daily by the Blood of the Lord Jesus and them
things will take place.
Now, brothers and
sisters, I’m not telling you that your living a consecrated life will make you
a prophet. There's a vast difference between a gift of prophecy and a prophet. But
we have read quote after quote here where brother Branham has told us God
operates in the lives of those who live a consecrated life before him. And in
fact in my booklet on “he that believeth” brother Branham said that the reason
we do not see John 14:12 so much in the church is because the people have not
died to self, and allowed Christ to live their lives for them.
Hidden
life with Christ 56-0213 P:74 And to think, what if your heart was far
enough away from God till you didn't even have a desire to do what was right.
Then you're in a bad shape. See, you can
grieve His Spirit too many times and It'll go away,
you never have no more desire no more. God keeps talking to you, you say,
"Well, I really ought to. The next revival I'll straighten up; before I
die I'll make it right. I intend to
really be filled with the Holy Ghost 'fore I die. I want to be living a
sweet consecrated life, hid away with God. And when He knocks at my heart's
door I want to be just ready to open my arms and say, 'Yes, Lord Jesus.'" Well, why don't you do it now? You know
at time you might not be able to do it. I'm forty-six years old, and I've
seen... I've been in the ministry twenty-three years, and I've seen some
horrible sights, and many times over the world, to watch and see people dying
in all kind of a state. And I've watched
them who thought they were real genuine Christians, but when they come time to
die... Oh, my, that camera turned, and they see them
things coming up, that they had had a
form of godliness and denied the power, and got away from God. They hadn't lived that life at all. And
they scream and holler. And hypos can't stop it. That's right.
Hidden
life with Christ 56-0213 P:70 What's
the matter with the church of the living God today, who's promised that same
blessing? What's the matter with us today? Because we can't get enough together to group ourselves together to come into
the holiest of holies and there stay, and hide ourselves from the things of the
world, and live a full surrendered, consecrated life for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Hidden
life with Christ 56-0213 P:58 God
didn't put you here to work in a factory just alone; He put you here as a
testimony, a written epistle, read of all men, to live a honorable and decent
life, and a hid consecrated life with God so that men would know that Jesus
Christ still lives and reigns. Amen. That's a little pinchy, but it's good. It'll help your digesting orders,
you know, to take the food right. Amen. It'll fit you into a place where that
you can receive healing for both soul and body.
Investments
63-0803B P:73 The Bible said that God is in
the Word. He is the Word. And if the
Word in you, It produces God again. And He said, "The Word is a Seed, and the Seed produces what Its
kind is." It'll produce a godly
life, a full consecrated life to Jesus Christ.
Uncertain
sound 60-1218 P:20 When a man's saved, that much
of him is God. That's the little Light that comes in to make him quit doing
what's wrong. Now, if you can take all the malice, and envy, and strife, and
unbelief out, that little button-like of the Light and power of God will keep growing, growing, growing, growing, crowding out
unbelief. And you don't do it by exhortations of bodily exercise. You do it by a sanctified, consecrated Life, that the Holy Spirit moves through you.
Where I
think pentecost failed 55-1111 P:76
And I believe today that we've denominated ourselves; we've been
indifferent; and we've treated our neighbors indifferent. Sometime we've
hollered, "Well, the old cold, formal Baptist, and this Pentecostal group,
they belong to the temple down here; the Four-Square, they ain't got nothing. And this one over here, why, he's the Assembly of God; he ain't got
nothing. This is the Jesus Name Only, and he
ain't got nothing." And one wants to do this and one wants to do that, and just fussing... And brother, every one
of them's got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, or at
least they claim it, and the same evidence to prove it. That's right. Well, what we need today is a consecrated life,
where you have to speak nothing, God
speaks in your place and He proves just what you are. That's right. The Blood of Jesus Christ cleansing us from
all unrighteousness, then we got fellowship one with another, the Blood
making us clean and holy. We live so that we could walk up to any denomination,
church, or anything, say, "Good morning, my brother." Not a
hypocrite, he'd know it, but with a true heart, and say, "How goes it with you and God today, my dear
brother?" Like that, and walk along, talk with him, and have
fellowship with him, that's the way. That's when you're getting salty. Now, you can't do that, just impersonating.
If you do it, you're a hypocrite.
That's all. If you do it just because you know it's a line of duty, you don't
do it at all. Stay before God until it's
in your heart to do that, then you're coming right with God. Do you believe
that?
Hidden
life in Christ 55-1110 P:25 Notice,
every year the high priest entered into that place. The congregation followed
him up. And when he went into this great place where the veil dropped behind
him, the inner courts, the holiest of holies, no one dared to go after him. Then he was alone with God. What
a beautiful picture it is today of a consecrated
life who, once enters into with
Christ, dead to the things of the world, hid away with God, and the veil's
dropped down around, and all the world's shut off. Then Christianity and religion becomes a pleasure to every believer.
Today people just have enough religion to make them miserable, knowing that
they ought to do this, their trying to escape hell. Well, if that's the way I
felt about it, brother, I don't know what I would do. Oh, get in with Christ. Shut off from the things of the world, for, to commune with Him is a pleasure. It's
beautiful. It's something that fills and satisfies the soul, something that
gives you peace that passes all understanding.
2 Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than, after
they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto
them.
1 Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called
you is holy, so be ye holy in all
manner of conversation; (that
word conversation doesn’t mean talking, it means living, the way you live your
life.) 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Revelation
20:6 Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction (an anointing) from the Holy One,
and ye know all things. And if you are anointed by the HOLY One who is the
HOLY GHOST< won’t that anointing bring with it Holiness and a Holy life?
1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection
to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the
word be won by the conversation of the wives;2 While
they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.3 Whose
adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;4 But
let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even
the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price. For
after this manner in the old time the holy
women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves,
being in subjection unto their own
husbands: