Christ
is the Mystery no. 4
“The
hearts of the children”
June 3, 2012
Brian
Kocourek
Let’s open our Bibles
this morning to Malachi
4: for our text, and begin reading at verse 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Now, we know the importance of this Scripture being that this Scripture was
one of several theme Scriptures for the prophet William Branham’s Message. But
what good does it do for us to read this if we do not take to heart that his
ministry was to change our hearts.
You see, brother Branham said in his sermon Getting
in the Spirit 61-0428 P:47 I don't care if the man's
wrong. If he's wrong and sincere in his
heart and you're right in your belief and you're wrong in acting the way you're acting. I'd rather be in his
place than be in yours. That's right. I'd
rather be wrong in my doctrine and right in my heart. God will respect it more.
So if a man is wrong, what of it? Help him. He needs help. Love him. If you
can't love your enemy the same as you love those who love you, you're no better
off than the publicans. That's right. That's what the Church has failed to get.
I hope you get it tonight. I hope you see what I'm talking about. something
wrong in here. See?
And he also said from his sermon, Godhead
explained 61-0425B P:40 I would rather be wrong in my doctrine and
right in my heart, than to be right in my doctrine and wrong in my heart."
See? I said, "After all, it's your
heart's condition.” And I made that a practice to know this, that if a man,
no matter what he does and how much he differs, and what he says about me, if in
my heart, not from just a duty, but from my heart I can't love that man as well
as I love anyone else, then I know there's
Notice he said, "After
all, it's your heart's condition." Therefore we must look to the heart as the source of needed change if we
are to be conformed to the Image of the first born son. There is still way to
much head knowledge being passed in this Message as having the right spirit.
Let me tell you something my brothers and sisters. The devil knows more
Scripture than you ever will in this body, so don’t tell me it’s what you know.
It’s not what you know but who you know. They told brother Branham he didn’t
know his Bible, but he sure knew the
author of the Bible real well.
So this morning as we continue
reading from the pre “text” words of Br. Branham, those statements he makes
before he takes his Scripture for his text in his sermon Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed,
we will read from paragraphs 9 through 11 where he is speaking about and to Br.
Daugh who was 87 years old when he received His new Birth, and God changed his
heart. Then he talks about just how in the natural a doctor examines your
natural health by examining first your heart.
And we will see that
God, the Great Physician does the same. He is the Word of God and we know the
Word is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
9 Does anybody know
whether the Dauch family, any of them got down today or not: Sister Dauch?
Brother Brown, are you here, Brother Brown? Yes, I'm glad... And the... Brother
Dauch is still with us? Wonderful! Brother Dauch almost left us. See, we can't say too much or ask too much;
he's already twenty-one years a-past the time that God told him to live. That's
a ordinary lifetime, a past the time that God told him he could live.
10
But we had a call the other morning that he was dying, and we rushed up there,
and the Lord God was really good to him and spared him. Just... I think he's
ready and just waiting the coming of the Lord. But you know, we all hold on to
one another. We just... The old fellow is like a, like a dad to me here. I
remember him setting right down here in the old tabernacle (the old part). When
that Light flashed across on that water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, right out of there he come, at about
eighty-seven or eighty-eight years old on a stick; come right up here and
said, "I want to go
right in there and be baptized.” Somebody went and got him
some clothes. He couldn't wait till the next time; he had to come right then,
right then. So I like that. He said the other day (I was talking to him); he
said, "Do you think I'm all right now, Brother Branham?" I said,
"Did you ever go to a doctor for a physical checkup? "He said,
"Yes, sir." I said... The doctor will put stereoscopes in his ears,
and put them on your heart to see if
your heart's beating right, and an electrical cardiogram, and then blood
pressure, urine test, and so forth--instruments to find out whether your physical
being... Now, the way he does that, he looks back on a book where specialists
on these different subjects writes down: "If this takes place, this is
what's wrong."
11
And I said, "Now, the only
stereoscope that I have is the Bible (See?) for the soul." And I said, "I'm going to give you the test." I said, "
Now, although this seems
to the natural mind that what brother Branham is saying here is just small talk,
let me tell you it isn’t. The Spiritual mind will see much more than just small
talk here.
As brother Branham
told us the story of the old fisherman who had so much of God in him, that all
he saw was God. And if you believe as brother Branham said, “all my thoughts are
of God”. Then you will see much more than small talk here. You will
see “the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.”
Now, I believe brother
Branham was showing us by illustration something that is very important for us
to know and consider. He is telling us something about a brother in the natural
which actually has to do with all of us in the spiritual. In the natural we go
to the doctor and he checks our heart to see if our hearts are beating right.
That is what he was talking about here to Br. Dauch, right? Then he showed us
that the same thing takes place when we go the great Physician.
The first thing God
does is discerns the thoughts and intents of your heart. So how can you believe
the Presence of the Great physician is here and yet not be too concerned
whether your heart is right or not. You say, I got the doctrine right, so my
heart is right. And how wrong that attitude is. In fact your heart is the most
important organ in your body, and that is why the physician checks it first when
he wants to know the general well being of your health.
They might check your
lungs secondarily, but the first thing the doctor does is he places that
stethoscope up to your chest and listens to your heart. And God takes His Word
and lays it across your heart and discerns the very thoughts and intents of
your heart. So if you want to know your spiritual condition my brothers and
sisters, start with your heart.
According to science your heart is known
as the epicenter of all your emotions, your new ideas and inspirations. It’s
considered the miracle organ that starts working as soon as the 21st
day of conception in the mother’s womb and goes on till the last breathe of
life you take. It pumps your blood to all the cells of your body bringing
oxygen and nutrition to every fiber of your body. It works without ceasing all
day and all night long. While your mind rests your heart keeps on beating and
feeding the rest of your body. And it works your entire life, until the minute
you die. Therefore the importance of your heart is countless; and we don’t
consider it’s importance enough.
And in the natural the condition of your
heart depends a lot on several things. 1)good genes, 2) good physical activity,
and 3) eating the right kind of food.
Well we can say the same thing in the
spiritual. A right heart depends a whole lot on having the right genes if you
know what I mean. 2) What you do to keep your heart right before God and 3) the
spiritual food in due season you are taking in.
Therefore in the natural, with the
exception of your genes, your heart health can be easily controlled by your
lifestyle and being careful how and what you eat. Now, that is your natural heart, but let’s
look this morning at the heart from a Scriptural viewpoint. Because remember,
the ministry of Elijah has one purpose in mind, and that is to restore the
hearts of the children to the hearts of the fathers.
The doctor in the natural
in order to check your health he must listen to your heart, and so in the
spiritual, the great physician Himself listens to your heart to know what
spiritual condition you are in as well. In fact he is the only one who can listen to
your heart for we see in Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest
in his sight: but all things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
So we see that God who is the great
physician, checks our well being by checking our heart first, and if your heart
is right then everything else will most likely be right with God as well.
Therefore I have
broken down this simple end-time study concerning our hearts into seven points.
1. The first is
that God searches and tries your heart: That is what any good physician would
do, and so the great physician could no less.
Romans 8:27
And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of
God.We find
the
1
Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in
trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Scripture speaks of God who searches the hearts in Revelation 2:23 and all the churches shall
know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto
every one of you according to your works.
1
Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall
every man have praise of God.
Acts 15:8
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them
the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Luke 2:35
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Luke 16:15
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before
men; but God knoweth your hearts:
for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
So what is the great Physician looking for? He first looks for a healthy heart. And that
brings us to point number
2. A healthy heart
is one that Loves God with all our heart:
Mark 12:33
And to love him with all the
heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all
the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole
burnt offerings and sacrifices.
3. Heart disease, how the heart becomes
hardened: In the natural it is called atherosclerosis. When this takes place
your heart has a very hard time to pump oxygen and nutrients to the rest of
your body thus weakening the body. And in the spiritual when we see the same
thing when the hearts are hardened, the people become weak in their will to
serve God and build up the body of Christ. The rest of the members of the body
also suffer when the heart becomes hardened. Jesus said in
John 12:40
He hath blinded their eyes, and
hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor
understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Ephesians
4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart:
Acts 28:27
For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull
of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their
eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them.
Matthew
13:15 For this people's heart
is waxed gross, and their 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.
James 3:14
But if ye have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Hebrews 4:7
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so
long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Mark 3:5 And
when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith
unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand
was restored whole as the other.
Matthew 19:8
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but
from the beginning it was not so.
Hebrews 3:15
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts, as in the provocation.
Hebrews 3:8
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of
temptation in the wilderness:
Acts 7:39
To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in
their hearts turned back again into
Luke 21:34
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luke 21:26
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luke 8:12
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and
taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be
saved.
Romans 16:18
For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their
own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
So when the heart becomes hardened there are things that we can do to
cleanse our hearts in the natural just as there are things that we can do in
the spiritual as well. For starters we need to change our diet. Because what we
feed on determines much the condition of your heart. We know that science has
certain products that it uses to cleanse the heart. Well, God uses the Word of
God and His Spirit to cleanse our hearts and make them soft and supple in the
spiritual.
Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of
a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of the contrite ones.
Psalms
51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
4. God cleanses your
heart:
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear:
James 5:8
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord
draweth nigh.
James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
1
Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts
unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Acts 15:9
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by
faith.
Luke 1:17
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a
people prepared for the Lord.
5. God places His
Word in your Heart:
Hebrews 10:16
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my laws into
their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
2
Thessalonians 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the
love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Romans 2:15
Which shew the work of the
law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
6. The Heart is the
Dwelling place of the Holy Spirit:
Ephesians
3:17 That Christ may dwell
in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Galatians
4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of
his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
2
Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2
Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,
known and read of all men:
2
Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the
earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.
Finally in step seven we see that after our heart operation is successful
and God has injected our heart with his Word and Life, we see that we have an
assurance in our hearts, and assurance brings rest, and peace which is contrary
to the stress which brings heart disease.
7. God places an
assurance in your heart:
1 John 3:19
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our
hearts before him.
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water.
2 Peter 1:19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,
and the day star arise in your hearts:
2
Thessalonians 2:17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in
every good word and work.
Colossians
4:8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might
know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
Colossians
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians
3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Colossians
2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in
love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Philippians
4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians
6:22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might
know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.