Christ
is the Mystery no. 5
“God
Testing for Reactions”
June 6, 2012
Brian
Kocourek
Let’s open our Bibles
this morning to:
Hebrews
12:5 And
ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if
ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of
our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in
subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For
they verily for a few days chastened us after
their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Let us pray, Dear Heavenly
Father we thank Thee for the reading of Thy Word this morning, and we recognize
Father that every son that comes to Thee must first be tried and tested. So we
ask that you would go before us and prepare our way and prepare our hearts that
when we are tested, we might also be found to be in Thy Grace and very careful
in our own responses, that our responses would echo the response Your eldest
Son Jesus had, for we ask it in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.
Now, this morning we
will pick up where we left off in our study of “Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed”. This morning we have several pages to read of
pre-text comments by br. Branham, so without delay we shall begin reading from
paragraph 12
“Now, I know it's hot today and looks like it's hard for me to call you people
together for a service where you set jammed in like this, but yet, I thought by
the grace of God that I would have another service before I had to leave you
all for a short season, I trust. And I've got to go now tomorrow night to
13
Now, if you're around in that area or up there... It's just a regular
evangelistic service like we have at any time; most of the Messages will be
primarily on something that's been taught here, 'cause here's where we make our
tapes. You see? Out there they can fuss, but if they get tapes made from here,
that's up to them if they want to listen to any tapes. It comes right from
here; this is our own pulpit. So out there, usually I try to pick around on
something not very deep, because many of them are shallow in experience and
what comes in... But here, I feel I have a right to say whatever God puts upon
my heart to say from right here. So our tapes are all made from right here.
See? And they're right in the room there now; you can see their heads up over
the clouded glass in there, where they're setting with their recorders.
14
Now, and if you want to come to the meeting, we'd be most happy to have you.
Just, If you get there, don't just know where to go, why, just contact any of the
Full Gospel people, or Brother Carlson, and He can advise you. Or the
15
Then I come back next Monday evening sometime afternoon or evening. And Tuesday
we go back to
16
Now, we come back here to visit. The
climate in this place I certainly don't like 'cause it... I'm... Just breaks me
down as soon as I get here. And I just... I can cross the top of the knobs up
there and come down in this valley, and then I'm here about ten minutes and
I've got hives, get sick (weather), swimmy-headed; everything looks spooky,
dark, and I--I just have to get out of it. See?
17 And
the other day I was talking to the wife... But what brings me in first... What
brings me in here is you people (See?), this church. I tell you, of all the
places I went in life, this is my favorite place to come preach the Gospel. And
looks like that we can make a tape from here; it's ten times better than anywhere
else. See? See, that's the reason I say, "Where God's a-doing something, then stay right with that." But
I think where the great thing is, that was me failing to go out at the first
time when He called me; and therefore, He makes it kind of rough on me when I
come in. Obedience is better than
sacrifice.
18
And then I'll be coming back and forth all the time, preaching in the
Tabernacle. And you people that's from out of town, you'll be notified. Billy
Paul will be here, right in the office, and he can be reached at any time
through him. And we'll be coming back here to hold... And then the Seven
Trumpets is coming up right away, the Lord willing, Seven Last Plagues and the
Vials, and so forth, just as we can, get a little cooler weather or maybe or
something, however the Lord leads...
19 And
now, the other day coming in, there was a question brought up about, something
about someone had given me a check and said personally, exactly, just to me and
me only, tax paid, free, everything else. Well, we went and... Billy knew that
I kinda had need of that check, and He went and asked the attorneys if we could
cash it. He said, "Why, he's an American citizen; why can't he cash
it?" See? Says "'Tax paid and everything else--free.' Any citizen can
do that."
20 So then, he
couldn't be satisfied with that (Billy), so he goes to the public accountant,
and he said, "Why certainly, he can cash that." Said, "He's a
citizen of the
21
See, I don't cash no checks. That's what
they got me for the other time. Somebody'd bring in a bunch of checks, and
say, "Here, Brother Branham..." at the meeting. I'd say,
"William Branham, William Branham..." Well, the government was taking
care of all of that all the time. And I was signing them to myself and was
paying the debts out there, but they said I owed delinquent taxes on all of it,
anyhow: $300,000.00. So then, that's where the fuss came. So then, as soon as I
put this check in, whammy! here come the agent right back. Said, "We'll
reopen the case for him now." So it made it kind of rough.
22 And Brother Lee
Vayle setting here (I guess it is all right to say it,) we just... He come
down, and this fine scholared Baptist here (I baptized him in the Name of Jesus Christ here in the pool the other
day.)--Brother Lee Vayle. And so, he's really a fine man, a brother in
Christ; he's preached for us here before, highly intellectually educated, and besides that, a Spirit-led man. When
the Light flashed across him, he said he tried to get away, but just couldn't
do it. So I baptized him right here the other morning. Couldn't stand it any
longer, so we just come down here, put on our clothes, went in, and was
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.
23 Well, I thought
being he had taken that fine spiritual food, maybe to talk a little bit, we'd
take some natural food. So we goes over to the Blue Boar, sets down, was
talking. And the subject come up, "How do you let people talk about you
like that?" Now, Brother Vayle is
one of the finest men I ever knew, but he's just a little too quick on the
trigger, I always told him, you know. And so I said... (I hope that's all
right, Brother Vayle.) So he--I said, "Don't fly loose all at once; set still. God's the One that's a-doing it." He said, "Aw, it might
be all right for you," he said, "but, well, he..." I believe he's
so smart till that's what he's been meeting (those smart intellectual people),
so he just knows how to pour it in there, and they ain't got no place to stand.
That's all.
24
So I said, "Look, Brother Vayle..." We was sitting at the Blue Boar.
I said, "David, one day after being thrown from the throne by his own son,
run off the throne, mutiny,
25
So no more than coming back and entering the office, the public accountant
called Billy Paul and told him about this. So Brother Vayle went up the house
with me, and I walked in; I said to the wife (long about sometime in the
afternoon)... We went in a room. I said, "I got something to tell you,
honey." We had just been talking before I left. She said, "Bill, I
know that God sent you out there; we all know that; but He never told you to
come back." She said, "Now, that's where I'm worried about." I
said, "Well, I think it's for you and the children. Don't matter for me.
I'm going to serve Him, Lord willing, wherever I go."
26
And so, walked back, and I told her about it like that. So I just turned
around, laid my hat up, and somebody said something about, "Oh, this tax
collector...” Just kind of raved it out,
something like that... Not thinking of what I had told of Brother Vayle, I
said, "Let him alone. Maybe the
Lord told him to do that.” I no more than said that, till a Light flashed
on the wall and wrote across there (Brother Vayle and my wife setting there),
"Come on back to
Now, I realize we have
read quite a bit of pre text comments this morning, but there is an important
message in all of this talk that took place before he actually got to his
Message and sermon text, and that is this story of David, where the crippled
man spat on him, and David reacted by saying, “the Lord told him to do that”. So
let’s read from the Book of 2 Samuel 16 to see first hand the account of this
story that brother Branham was referring to.
2 Samuel 16:1 And
when David was a little past the top of the hill,
behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses
saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of
bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and
a bottle of wine. 2 And the king said unto Ziba,
What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be
for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the
young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may
drink. 3 And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king,
Behold, he abideth at
Now, we can see by
this story, that God is showing us a part of Christ that seems to be very
difficult for us as humans to just let go, and let God. You see, the only way
we can do what David did, and what Jesus did when they spat on him, and
blindfolded him and slapped him on the face, is to say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do.”
Now, we know that the children of God have always had to endure these
kind of trials and testing’s from God, but as always it was not God directly
inflicting the children, but He allowing them to be afflicted to build
character and humility into His children. And that is the problem we have with this
generation of people today. It is rare today to see a young person with real developed
character, and the reason is because their parents have unwittingly destroyed
their children by giving to them everything they didn’t have for themselves
while growing up. Instead of making the children work for what they have the parents
worked while their children played.
But God develops our character through trials and tests. And that is the
way to develop anything properly. The best athletes must stand up against the
best competition they can find, in order to perform better themselves, and God
told us that His own children have always been tried and tested to develop
their faith.
Hebrews 11:36
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover
of bonds and imprisonment:
We look at Abraham as the father of our
faith and we see that God put him to the test just like He tries and tests
every son that cometh to Him. Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham,
when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son,
So don’t think it is a
strange thing when you seem to be under a conditions where you are seeing all
kinds of trials and tests coming your way, be thankful that God thinks enough
of you to be testing you.
That’s what we are
told by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you:
And James points out that our tests are to produce in us a crown of Life.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:2 My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers testings; 3 Knowing [this],
that the trying of your faith worketh patience 4 But let patience have [her]
perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1 Peter 1:7 That
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
VICTORY DAY 63-0421 When it looks like everything's gone
wrong, God's giving you a trial.
He's got confidence in you. He don't have to baby you around. You're not a
hotbed plant, a hybrid. You're a real Christian. God's giving you a test, see
what you'll do about it. Amen. No wonder Peter said, "These fiery trials,
why, count it a joy. It's more precious to you than gold." And many times
we hum and haw, "Oh, well. If I just..." Well, that's something God
give you to overcome. He knows you'll do it. He's put his trust in you.
And that is what Wuest translation tells us as well. "In which last
season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a
triumphant exuberance, although for a while at the present time if perchance
there is a need for it, you have been made sorrowful in the midst of many
different kinds of testings in order that the approval of your faith, which
faith was examined by testing for the purpose of being approved, that the
approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which perishes,…
The NIV says these trials are necessary
so that your faith may be proved genuine
and may result in praise, then Glory and finally Honor.
I CORINTHIANS 10:13 There hath no temptation taken
you but such as is common to man: (
In other words, there are certain kinds of trials and temptations we receive
just because of our human nature, but the key is the next thing he says here... but God [is]
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
[it].
End time
evangelism 62-0603 P:52 Noah had a terrible time, but finally one
day he had a trial. And all that go with
God has trials; your faith is tried.
When you start to live for Him, then every neighbor's going to talk about you;
everything's going to go wrong for you. Just remember that; for it's God trying you. The Bible said,
"Every son that cometh to God must be first proven, chastened,
child-trained." Like my daddy trained me when I done
wrong, they had the ten commandments hanging up over the door; it was a limb
about this long; and Mr. Branham was a pretty good man in his arm, and he took
us out and he trained us. And that's the way God does. He tries, child-trains you, brings you up, because you're His child;
there's something in the future for you,
home in glory. And He trains you. Now, every son coming must be tried.
1 Corinthians 3:13
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is.
Well, what work have we got but our Faith. Right? Our actions are only an
expression of our faith. By Faith Noah
believed God and built the ark. The building o fthe ark was the active faith of
Noah in expressing the passive Faith that God gave to Him.
Elijah
and meal offering 60-0310 P:27 God tries you. Every son that cometh to God
must first be tried, chastened, to see if he can stand chastisement. If we walk
up and say, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died
for my sins and rose again the third day. He was wounded for my transgressions,
bruised for my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace was upon Him, and with
His stripes I am healed." When you say that with a confessed--all your
sins and your iniquities, and your abilities, and all that you have, lay on the
altar... Then there with nothing in your arm, Satan's going to shoot every dart
at you he can. But then if you turn aside from that and say, "Well, maybe
I didn't get saved; maybe I didn't get healed," then turn away from that,
the Bible said you are illegitimate children and not the children of God.
Brother Branham said
that the cross was not the victory for Jesus, but the battle in
COMMUNION 57-0418
14 Now, if God did not spare His Own Son from the
cruel testing, then He will not spare you or I from the cruel testing. And
Jesus was here confronting the greatest test that He had ever had. Gethsemane
laid just before Him, where that once and final all-sufficient test must come,
when the burdens of the entire world laid upon His blessed shoulder. There was
no one in all heavens or earth could ever stood it but Him. And to know that
all of the sins, of past sins, and present sins, and future sins, rested upon
this decision. And it was one of the most
greatest victories that Christ ever won or proved His great Messiah-ship,
as when He said to God, "Not My will; Thine be done." That was the greatest
victory He had ever won. All the demons of torment was around to tempt Him
and try Him. And when we get right with
God, when our hearts become pure and the Holy Spirit has taken Its place in our
heart, it's the most glorious thing to have testing. The Bible tells us
that our testings and trials are more precious to us than silver and gold of
this world. So we should be thankful.
Now we know that Faith is a
mystery revealed. Brother Branham said Faith is a Revelation, something
that has been revealed and it comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore Faith is God's Word revealed to us. And if it
is God's Word revealed to us then it is no longer a mysterious thing, but
rather it is something that has been revealed and opened up to us.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our
God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for
ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Now, if it is revealed to us then it
becomes ours. For as long as it remains hidden or secret it belongs unto God,
but once God
reveals it to us, then it becomes ours. So once it becomes yours, then God wants to know what you are going to do
with it.
from his sermon, CONFERENCE
60-1125 43 Brother Branham
said, “Now,
Moses cried to the Lord and the Lord said, "Rise up and go forward." And when
Moses went right straight and stepped his foot into the water, when that taken place, the Red Sea opened
back, and Israel crossed over to a great victory. They had a conference.
That's the way we always have to do, is have conferences. Now, I want to speak
of another one right quick. There was a conference. There's many of them we
could speak of, but let's just not pass this one by. There was a
Notice that brother Branham
is letting us know that if Moses would have just spoke it, nothing would have
happened, but he had to enter into the revelation for that revelation to become
materialized as the manifested Word. Because God said, “Speak and go forward”,
and had he spoken but not stepped his foot into the water, nothing would have
happened. And too many Christians today can talk the Word but are afraid to
walk it, to live it. But how in the world can you become conformed to the image
of the first born son if you don’t step into it.
Notice, Brother
Branham let us know that God had revealed it first to Moses, but Moses was
expected to move on it before it became into materialization, for without him
moving forward that portion of the Word could not have materialize. So Faith
has to do with the unseen being seen by that sixth sense we call Faith. Yes,
the sixth sense is called Faith. And that sense can see what the eyes can not see.
And God revealed it to Jesus what he must do, but until Jesus acted upon it, it
was not yet a reality. So Faith has to do with the unseen Word, being revealed
and then acted upon which the action becomes the revelation expressed and when
that Happens, the word is dressed or clothed for all to see.
Therefore, Faith does
not come by seeing but Faith comes by hearing, not by seeing, because after it
has been heard then it may be seen once we act upon it. And that is what the
Scriptures teach us.
Galatians 3: 2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith? 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit,
and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is
written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So then it is
not just hearing, but hearing the Word of God that brings faith or releases the
Faith of God to us. 2 Corinthians 4: 13 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; So when God believed in Himself, His plan, He
spoke and then His Faith became manifested into materiality or reality.
Now, if Faith is something that was
hidden, but has been revealed, then Faith is like setting out on a journey not
knowing where you are going, but knowing who you are going with.
Hebrews 11: 8 tells us By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
And if you walk in the
light as He is in that Light, then you are walking with Him, and it
should not make any difference where you are going. That is what Faith is all about.
Walking with Him, and trusting Him. In fact the very evidence that you are
believing what He has revealed to you is your walking in that revelation.
Especially when no one else knows that you are obeying the hidden voice of God
to you. Not hidden to you, but revealed to you what is hidden to them.
And we know that there is only One Lord and Thus
One Faith. That's Ephesians 4:5 therefore Faith is the Substance of
Someone, not something.
We see in Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So
we see that Faith is both a substance and an evidence. Now, the substance is
not the evidence, but the Substance is the Person, God Himself who has revealed to you
His plan for you, and the evidence is your stepping forward into that
plan, that which God has revealed to you by His Personal Presence.
Notice that
Paul said Faith is not a substance but is The Substance. And that word the is
the article the which changes it from a thing to a person, God Himself. In
Scripture when it speaks of The Spirit it is speaking of the person of God
Himself, but when it speaks of spirit it speaks of the essence or life. SO the
article The is very important in understanding what or who it is speaking of.
So Paul is not speaking of faith as a substance but THE SUBSTANCE.
And this word substance was translated
from the Greek word hupostasis which was also translated in Hebrews 1:3 as
the very person of God. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image
of his person, (person, hupostasis, the very substance which
is God) and
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
And again we
see this word hupostasis translated as confidence. Not confidence as an adverb
but confidence as a person. Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning
of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Not hold our own confidence in ourselves,
but our confidence in Him and what
he has done. That is the confidence this is speaking of. Confidence in a person, Christ.
Now as I said before, Faith then is
having a confidence in The person, not a thing. Abraham by faith started
walking because God told him to walk. We walk in the light from day to day and
from week to week not knowing exactly where we are going but knowing with Whom
we are going. And that is what Abraham did, and that is what Enoch did. He
walked with God. And does it really matter where He is leading you if you fully
trust Him? I do not think so.
Jesus said we must be like little
children to enter into the
Faithful
Abraham 61-0312 P:70 Now, here He is among His church today,
made flesh in His church, certainly, Elohim. Now, oh, if you could only realize
that you men, you were made to be an amateur god. You're a son of God. You're an heir of God, and you have a domain.
Genesis 1:26,
He give him dominion over everything in the earth. He made him a god over the
earth. That's right. He give him a domain. He's a king, god. And where he got
his fall. He could speak to the trees, "Be changed, be plucked up and set over here," to the winds and
waves, "Be still," and
it'd stopped. He was god, a amateur god, a son of God, like you're a son of
your father. And all the world is groaning, waiting for the
manifestations of the sons of God, waiting for the church to get back in its
place again, sons of God to be made manifest, waiting for that hour.
Hope that don't hurt, but I just had to say it. See? The church is so far away
from its place. It needs to be back to be sons of God again: rulers, governors
of the earth, under the spiritual reign it will be someday, when the chief One
comes, Jesus Christ, the great millennium. Nature's groaning for that day.
Hear ye Him 60-0806 P:46 God
put people on the earth, man to control the earth. The Bible said that a man is
a god. Did you know that? He sure is. Jesus said, "Is
it not written in your laws, that you are gods?" And if they're gods,
the prophets, who in the Word God came to, how can you condemn Me when I say,
'I'm the Son of God?'" See? They're gods, fallen gods. They get a domain,
the world. They're supposed to take care of it. The trees and the animal life, everything's waiting for the manifestation
of the sons of God, when'll they'll be manifested on the earth. Oh come,
Lord Jesus, is my prayer. Oh, for the
great millennium when they'll be manifested. We're getting ready now for
this time to come. The church has got to
get ready.
What do you think I have been trying to do for the past few years. I am
trying to by God’s grace get you people away from churchianity, and from
looking at each other, to looking at the image of the first born son that you
are to be conformed to. Because in the millennium it will be too late for you
to change then, you’ve got to change now, get ready now for that time.
Position in Christ 60-0522M P:86 What's
everything waiting on? What's the whole
creation waiting for? The manifestations of the sons of God. It's waiting for
the church to become into its position. Who was the son of God, when Adam,
where was His domain? The earth. He had domain on earth. Is that right? He
wasn't Elah, Elah, Elohim then; He was Jehovah. See? That is, "I
am God, and I've made some lesser ones under Me. And I've give them a dominion.
And in their domain, the dominion under them is the earth.”
Man had dominion over the earth. And all
the whole creation is waiting for the sons of God to be manifested. Oh. We're
watching for the coming of that glad millennium day, When our blessed Lord
shall come and catch His waiting Bride
away; Oh, the earth is groaning, crying for that day of sweet release When
our Saviour shall come back to earth again.
Expectation 61-0207 P:27 Now,
if God has promised a revival here, we're going to have it. Let's make ready for it. If God
promised to heal, let's make ready for
it. If Jesus said, "The works that I do, shall you do also," let's make ready for it. Move out
everything; get ready. We're right in time. So just... Now, it'll seem foolish.
Now, you say, "Well, how's it going to happen in a day like this and when
all this..." I don't care what anything contrary is to that, it's wrong.
We can't see it; I see no hope of it, look like. But if God said so, let's do it anyhow, 'cause God said so;
it'll happen anyhow. I'm expecting it.
I believe Jesus is coming. Science is proving they can take a little pollen
from something and some mucus, and put something in it and so forth like this,
and they can almost make human life, they claim. Oh, they're so smart they got
a sputnik up in the sky and a human heart beating in it. That don't bother me a
bit. They say, "Well, one of these days you'll find out all the religion
you're talking about is crazy." No, I won't. Jesus will be here. We'll have a millennium. We'll go home to
glory. I'm expecting it, so I'm preparing for it; I'm waiting for it
every day being ready. "When will He come?" I don't know, but if He
isn't here today, I'll be looking tomorrow. I'm expecting it, just 'cause He
said so, and I live daily under those expectations. That's right. You must have
expectation, certainly. Noah did.