Christ is the Mystery no. 53
The Sermon on the Mount
January 9, 2013
Brian Kocourek
Now, what are these good
works that men are to see that they may Glorify God in what they see? well Jesus said in verse Matthew 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a
mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:2 And
he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.You know I never knew what before how
you could be poor in spirit and be called blessed, until I found that the less
I have of me, the more room I have for Christ in me my hope of glory.
So what Jesus is
saying here is that "You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope and have nothing left
to offer, for With less of you there is more of God..
In other words, when you have finally died to
yourself, and your life is covered by Christ there is
nothing left for you to show the world of yourself, and the only thing you have
worth showing the world is Christ Himself who gives you the victory.
Notice
the second place to find ourselves blessed. Jesus says in verse 4 Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted. Let's read that this way... 4 “You’re blessed when
you've finally come to the place where you’ve lost what you thought was most
dear to you, yourself, Only to find you now reflect the One most dear to
you.
Did
not God promise to turn our mourning into joy? Well that's how He does it.
Our third blessing comes with these words, 5 Blessed are the meek (that's the humble): for they shall
inherit the earth. In finding our place in God's word, we find our true
humility, for brother Branham said, "true humilty is knowing your place in the
Word", and if the Word is God, then it is knowing your place
in God. And when we knowingly embrace our Sovereign God, it is then we realize
how little we are, and when we enter into this true humility, is when we die to
self and let Christ have the preeminence in our life. That is when we become
truly rich and as he said, those who enter into this condition are those who
will receive their inheritance.
The next
blessing comes as Jesus tells us 6 " Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." And that is the oppostite of the laodicean
condition who feel they are in need of nothing. No, brothers and sisters, when
we hunger and thirst it is because we long to have more of Him and acknowledge
that we do not have enough.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for
they shall obtain mercy. When you have come to the place where
you are more concerned for others than you are for yourself, then you have come
to the place when you have not only obtained mercy, but you are projecting
mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God. Pure in heart, pure as in nothing in
the way that would pollute what you see and what you hear. And when you look
with the eyes of God and hear with the ears of God, then you shall see God. For
you have become like God because you are projecting God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God. “You’re blessed when you can show people how
to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you
really are, and your place in God’s family. That is when you have come to
maturity as a Christ-Like person, a true Christian which means Christ-Like.
10 Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “You’re blessed when your commitment to God
provokes persecution from others. Because God uses that persecution to drive you even deeper
into His will and mind and reflection.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. In other words, count yourselves blessed every time people
put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit the
reflection of me they see in you. What it means is that the truth is too close
for comfort and has made them uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens for
though they don’t like it, That is God they don't like
that they are seeing in you! And all heaven is watching and applauding. And you
must know that when this happens you are in good company. God's prophets and
witnesses have always found themselves in this kind of opposition.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. In other words, instead of looking at
the opposition, your focus should be on the reward.
Then jesus says, 13 Ye are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?
it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. in other words, you are here to be a salt-seasoning to brings out
the God-flavors in this earth, and if you lose your saltiness, how will people
taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
And then jesus says, 14 Ye are the light of
the world. You
are here to be a light, bringing out the God-spectrum in the world. As public
as "A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid, so the reason
that God just doesn't kill yu off and raise up bodies of His own to live out
your life for you, is that your life has been given to you to live out the life
of Christ, so that your life may be open and on display for everyone to see,
for when they see you and your life is hid in Christ, they will see
Christ only and Him crucified.
15 And if men do not light a candle, to put it under a
bushel, why would you think I would do so? No, I've made you a candlestick;
and your candlestick gives light unto everyone that are in the house to see.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and that they through seeing your good works might glorify
your Father which is in heaven, because when they see you, they will only see
me.
17 Think not that I have come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: No, I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill the law, and He is
saying here, my light in you and my Life working in you to will and to do will
bring to fulfilment the Law of God written not with ink but written
with my Spirit living and abiding in you.
2
Corinthians 3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? You see it is not about ourselves, it is all about him. History is His Story, it's
not our story, it's His Story. And that is why we have
been placed on this earth, to become written epistles, known and read of all
men. Not to know all about you or me but to know Him. So Paul says, Do we begin again
to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others,
epistles of commendation to you, or letters
of commendation from you?
No,
letters of commendation are just that. That is not what it is all about. I've
written letters for brothers to get a job before and boy o boy was I mistaken
about that brother. I wrote the letter because I felt sorry for the brother,
but had I known the brother better I would never have placed my name along with
that brother on that letter to get him that job. And I think much of what we do, we do out of emotion, when we shouldn't have done it in
the first place. And I
am not talking about doing evil out of emotion, i am talking about trying to help someone who doesn't want
help. Trying to change a person who doesn't want changing.
Sometimes I think, you need to just sit back and watch
a little bit to see what direction that person is going to go before you jump
in to help.
I
mean, I have burned so many times over the years because of human compassion,
but true compassion is doing the will of God.
And sometimes we just do God a service without it being His will. No,
the Scripture plainly teaches us that it is God in us working to will and to do
His good pleasure. So if it has nothing to do with bringing glory to God, then
we had better step back until we can see God in that picture.
The Apostle Paul said in
verse 2 Ye
are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch
as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by
us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;
not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 4 And
such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not
that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our
sufficiency is of God;
So it is not about us, it is about
Him. And that is what Paul is saying here. He is saying you are reflecting the
very Life of Christ to one another, and that is being read everywhere you go,
they see Christ living in a body once again, and that body is your body.
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the
new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the
letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life. Not of the letter for the letter
kills. So just because you can recite the Message or the
doctrine doesn't mean a thing.
notice he
tells us that we are to be ministers of the spirit, yet too many ministers
think they are ministers of the Word therefore it is all about what you know
concerning the Word, and they are so far from the truth. Paul said we are able
ministers of the spirit. Ministers of the Spirit, ministering to the hearts of man, and
bringing about changes in the heart.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory
was to be done away: 8 How shall not the
ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
In other words, Paul is making a
comparison here between the old testament when Moses came down with His face
all glowing from having been in the presence of God, and he says if that was
glorious when he came down that way, and in doing so he set up law? How much
more glorious will it be when the Holy Spirit comes down with the spirit of
Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself, and we are caught up into
that Spirit and that administration of the Holy Spirit at that hour.
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, (and we know it is the law that brings condemnation) much more doth the ministration of righteousness
(or right-wise-ness)
exceed in glory.
(exceed in glory, in doxa, in the opinion, values, and judgments of God. In other
words, if Moses coming down with the presence of God to bring law was such a
tremendous thing in the sight of men, how much more when God's very Presence,
His Holy Spirit comes down to bring a right understanding, finishing up the
mysteries and making everything clear. That he says will exceed in glory, it
will exceed in God's opinion, and in God's values.)
10 For even that which was made glorious had no
glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. In other words, even though that coming
and that presence under that Pillar of fire, that first exodus with God's cloud
and Pillar of fire, was a glorious time, it doesn't even compare to the hour
when He comes with a glory that excels that.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remains is glorious. 12 Seeing then
that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the
children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until
this day remains the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old
testament; which veil is done away in Christ.
What's he talking about here? he's talking about when Christ came in Moses, Moses face
radiated with the "Shekinah" presence of
God and yet the people had him to place a veil over his face because they
feared God. And since that time the veil has been traditions and creeds. But in
this last hour the traditions and creeds are to be taken away once and for all,
and we are to stand face to face with him to know as we are known.
Unveiling of God 64-0614M P:132 The veil, tradition of
unbelievers, taken away, you see God. When the veil of traditions has been
removed, you can see that God is still God of His Word. He still keeps His
Word. He's the God, Author of His Word that is hid behind skin veils to others.
Yes, that is right. To those who cannot go behind the veil, He's still behind
skin veils.
Mighty God unveiled 64-0629 P:65 Now, when their veil of
traditions of the elders and the Word is broke through (oh, of course, today), then
comes in plain view, we see Him: Deity again veiled in human flesh. Hebrews 1 said so, and also Genesis 18. You remember God was a Man,
standing there eating and talking with Abraham, and told what Sarah was doing
in the tent behind It. And Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Sodom, so
shall it be at the coming of the Son of man," Deity veiled again in
human flesh. Now remember, Jesus didn't say, "When the Son of God is being
revealed," in Luke the 17 chapter, I believe, and about the 20th, 21st verse, somewhere along there; He
said, "And when the Son of man is being revealed," the Son of man back in
the church again, revealed in human beings, not Son of God, but
the Son of man again, back in His church again in the last days. We find that
He promised that in God's promises.
Unveiling of God 64-0614M P:174 But now as Revelation 10 is
revealed, the mysteries of God is made manifest, known, as the seven-sealed
Book promised. Now, let your faith in Him Who is the
Word... 'Cause in Revelations 10 it says--or in Revelations 19, rather... I had
it wrote down here, Revelations 10, to go to it; but it ain't
10, it's 19. When He comes, He's going to be called the Word of God, riding
upon a white horse, and the followers of heaven will be behind Him. Break
the denominational veil of education. Break the denominational veil of
tradition. Break those veils that's
hiding Him from you. Break those veils of pride, you women; you're
a King's daughters; act like it; live like it. Break every veil. No matter
what Ph.D. and LL.D. says; if it's contrary to that Bible, break through
that veil; for we've crossed the riven veil.
We're on the other side now, on the other side. And you will see, if you'll just do that, break those old traditions and
things and come to Him, you'll see Him standing the Mighty Conqueror, the Word
of promise for this age made manifest. You'll see the mighty God
unveiled, see Him right among us here, unveiled, the mighty God, unconquered
by traditions.
Unveiling of God 64-0614M P:120 Notice, all the Glory that is
in God is in the Word. All the blessings that's in God is in the Word.
It's hid to the unbeliever by traditions. See what I mean? But It's all in Christ. All that God was, He
emptied Himself ("kenos") and came into Christ; and we, into Christ
are behind the veil..."Well, I'm into Christ," you say. And then
believe there's three gods? Baptize in the name of "Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost"? Believe in all these traditions and things that you believe in, of
the elders? No, you're still behind the veil. See? Come into the veil;
He, Christ is the Word. How?" I don't
believe in Divine healing. I don't believe in these
miracles and things like that." Well, you see,
you're not inside the veil; you don't know nothing about it. See? Christ is the
Word. And when we're in the Word, we're in Christ. And how can I be
in Christ, denying Christ? It's He that said, "Not one word shall be added to or
taken from." How can you take from and add to then? See, it shows you what
veil that's got you veiled away. See?
Unveiling of God 64-0614M P:108 Now in this age, when the old
denominational and traditional veil has been rent from the Word of God, so It
can be manifested. You see what I mean? The tradition says, "All those
things are past." (Let it soak a little bit.) "The things are
past." But in this last day that traditional veil has been rent apart;
here stands the Pillar of Fire. See? Here He is, manifesting the Word
for this day. The veil's rent. Now, the world, still they don't believe it.
No matter what, they don't see it. They don't see it. It wasn't sent to them.
Remember, the Son of God was not revealed to Sodom; two messengers was. That's
right. But this God Himself in human flesh was revealed to Abraham, the
elected. And watch what He done to reveal Himself. And now, Abraham knew,
when He knew what was in Sarah's thought behind Him, he said, called Him Elohim. See? "Thy servant..."
Unveiling of God 64-0614M P:59 Could it be possible that the
Gentiles has hit the same thing? (Oh, God.) When
they've had the church ages of the Son of God, but when now the veil of this
denominations and things, this veil of tradition that we've got since
Pentecost, when the church traditions has been rent, the things that the
people said, "Days of miracles is past," and these things, and God
has took the veil off of it and brought It in plain view, and they're ready to
crucify It again. Just exactly right.
Now, Paul continues, 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the
veil is upon their heart. Notice
the veil which brother Branham said is the education and traditions is upon the
heart, not upon the mind, but it is covering over Christ from the heart, so
that they can not change their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it (what? The heart, ) Nevertheless when the heart shall turn to
the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. can't you see why I have been trying so
hard for you to open your hearts to God and let Him in? when
your heart turns to the Lord it will lift those traditions away from you that
have covered over his Word from becoming alive in our heart.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face (in other words one which is able to
look into the mirror of the word with no veil over our face, no traditions, no
creeds) beholding as in a
glass (that's a
mirror, the mirror of the Word) beholding as in a mirror of the Word the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Noticed,
we are changed into the same image, that's Romans 8:29 the image of Christ. And
we are changed he says from glory to glory from doxa
to doxa, from opinion to opinion from values to
values.
Now, in getting back to paragraph 148 of Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed,
brother Branham says, "Watch God's great revelation
unfolding. By lack of
this revelation is why we have so many different divisions among us and so much
mockery, so much division among us, is because the people
lack that revelation. See, they lack
that revelation: the teachers. Paul, after his great revelation of Christ,
said in I Corinthians the 2nd chapter... Be sure to read that as you write it down. Watch. Oh,
he said, "I never come to
you with wisdom." Look at
that man who did have the wisdom. Look at that man who had the scholarship.
"I never come to you with them kind
of a word." (I Corinthians, the 2nd chapter of I
Corinthians.) Oh, I
wish... Well, let's just read it. Can you stand a minute, and let's read just a
verse or two? I'd just like to read it so you wouldn't be... It'd get even the
people on the tape to turn back to it anyhow, it'd give them a chance: I Corinthians the
2nd chapter. Listen to
this great apostle here, Paul, the
intellectual servant of God. Let's looky
here. ... I, Paul,... when I come to you, came not with excellency
of speech,... of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God... (I never said, "I'm Dr. So-and-so. See?) For I am determined not to know any thing
among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much
trembling. ... my speech and my beseeching was not
with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and... power--of the power:
149 There,
see there's the Gospel. See? Jesus said, "Go ye in all the world and preach
the Gospel." Didn't say, "Go teach,"
He said, "Go preach."
In other words, demonstrate the power, and these signs shall follow them.
Just teaching doesn't do it. It takes the actual Spirit Itself
demonstrating these signs. Listen to this. "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in
the power of God". Oh, my. See, to change the man... Not what I can explain away and say,
"He's
not the same," when He is the same. If I do
that, it shows to me. It, it... Surely a man tell me that, it would show me
he don't have the revelation, the threefold revelation of God. See? Now... And howbeit... in
weakness... among you that are perfect:
yet we're not with the wisdom of the
world, but of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
But we speak the wisdom of God in... mystery,... (See, the threefold mystery of God)... even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world
unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew:... (None of the priests,
rebbise, rabbis, pardon me, or anything knew
anything about it)... for had they known
it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory: You say, "You're wrong about rabbis and preachers
there." Who crucified Him? Oh,
on and on and on we could go; read it (See?) on... save time, 'cause we got
just... Not getting late yet, but we just got plenty here to say if the Lord
will help us.
150 Now, lack of this, now... And Paul, this great intellectual man, never tried to express his great
theological terms upon the people. He humbly accepted the Word of the Lord, and he lived the Word so that it expressed
It. He lived so, so godly until they seen Jesus Christ in him so much,
till they wanted his handkerchief to take it and lay it upon the sick. There's the Life of Christ. Not
what some... "Oh, you see, Elijah done that a long time ago, laid his
stick, but oh, that was the days of Elijah." Now, the world thought that. The intellectual priest and things, and
churches of that day thought that, but to them believers, they knew
different. They seen the revelation of Christ that was in
Elijah: same thing was in Paul, expressed the same kind of Life, 'cause he was a prophet.
See? He foretold things that happened exactly the way it was, and they knew
that was God's identification of a prophet. And they knew that he was God's
prophet. You couldn't shake them from it at all.
Now, listen brothers and sisters, Elijah was a man filled with the
spirit of Christ and when he laid his body upon the body of that dead boy, and
placed his hands on the lads hands and his lips upon the boys lips, and
breathed into that body the breath of life, that boy came to life again. And
when Elisha was so full of that quickening power in
him, that when he finally died himself they threw a man's body one day upon his
bones that laid in that grave and up scrambled that man out of that pit because
his lifeless body had come into contact with that quickening power of God and
made him alive again.
And we have a promise from God himself in Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. And we know the body that is dead is a corpse
not a mortal body, so Paul is talking about this body that we live in now which
is capable of dying. He's not talking about the millennium, he's talking about
the body of this death, that God living in the body of this death, can so
quicken this body that it will change from mortal to immortal. And why not, if
the only immortal kind is living in your body, do you think the body is greater
than the life governing that body?
That's
why he continues, 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to self, to
live after self. 13 For if ye live after self, ye shall die: but if
ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of self, ye shall live. And oh, what a life
you shall live.
14 For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 Therefore,
The Spirit itself will bear witness with your spirit, that you are the children
of God:
And how does God's spirit bear
witness? He lives and abides and uses your body as his own.
151 Even when they seen Peter foretell those
things that come to pass, they said, "Just
let his shadow pass over me." Amen.
That's the Church. That's the ones that believe it. Yes, sir. It was
revealed by... Why did Paul say? "Because I got a Ph., LL.D., so forth
they believe me"? No, he said, "I
forgot all those things. The wisdom
of man" said, "had to die.
And I know Him in the power of His
resurrection. That's what
I come to you as, with the demonstration of God's power." What was it? Making Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today, and forever.
152
The same works that Jesus did, Paul did
the same. What? What are you talking about
brother Branham, we all know that John 14:12 the works of Christ was only for
you to do. How can you say that Paul did them? Hi-yi-yi,...
You know the more we read from this sermon of Br. Branham's the more I
am thoroughly convinced that these men who oppose what we believe concerning
John 14:12 haven't even got a clue to what this Message is all about. And I genuinely feel sorry for them, because
they are blind leading the blind and they will all fall into the ditch.
How can you make a statement that "he" is a personal pronoun
and speaks of only one person. And then use that to
make a doctrine that totally contradicts the teaching of the prophet of God. He
said right here "The same works that Jesus did, Paul did the same."
Now, show me where Paul didn't. And if you
believe Paul did then why do you hold onto your theology that John 14:12 speaks
of only one person William Branham. And
brother Branham himself said the works Jesus did Paul did the same works. Let
me read it again... "The same works that Jesus did, Paul did the
same".
Now, you all have the books, is that not what he said? But did Paul have the discerning of the spirit
like William Branham and Jesus? He cast
out spirits, I know that. But when did Paul talk to someone like Jesus did to
the woman at the well and read the thoughts and intents of the heart. Show me
where, because I am waiting to be corrected.
Discernment is not the works of Christ. Discernment is in the mind and
heart, it is anot an action. The works are "ergon", that means work,
labor, something you do. Not something that is shown you in vision. That's
Hebrews 4:12 not John 14:12. But that
just goes to show they haven't got a clue to what God is doing and has ordained
to fulfill in a bride in this hour. Our life is dead, and hid or covered by the
life of Christ, and thus the bride is to become a perfect reflection of the
very life of Christ to this generation.
When we look back at men like Columba and
Martin who saw something in the life of Elijah that those men themselves laid
their own bodies upon dead men and those dead men came back to life, and
William Branham even laid his body upon a man who had died with tuberculosis
and laid his hands upon his hands and his mouth upon that dead man's mouth and
God breathed the breath of life back into that man.
Oh, brothers and sisters, are you so afraid to
let God use your body when He longs to do it. I've laid hands on men and women
full of tuberculosis on my first trip to Africa and how can you do it if you
fear man more than you fear God?
I've had to break ice in Minnesota to baptize in January up their and
not get sick, and show me one person that has been baptized in a cold lake or
stream that got sick because they had to break water to baptize them. Then what
are we so afraid of?
Brother Branham said, "The same works that Jesus did, Paul did the
same. And they seen God, the great Father, that had demonstrated in the
burning bush, had demonstrated It to Paul, and here it was being
demonstrated; and He's the same in every age. God's
threefold manner: yesterday, today, and forever. What? Redeemer in His Church; preeminences in
the coming Kingdom. Amen. You see it? Just as perfect
as it can be.
153
Oh, notice. The Holy Ghost is the only
Revealer of the Divine revelation of Christ. There's no school can do it; no scholar can do it, no man, how well educated, how godly
or anything else; there's no man can do it. I could sting hard here.
How many's Christians, born again (raise up your
hands), filled with the Holy Ghost? All right. Here we
go then. All right. Notice, and He will only do it to the predestinated. That's exactly. "All the Father has given Me will
come, and no man can come except the Father give him to Me first."
So what's the use to
fuss with them. Don't fuss with them, just let them go on the blidn leading the
blind, and pretty soon they will manifest their blindness by falling in the
ditch.
Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have
hovered you like a hen doth her brood but ye would not. So he just let them go.
But God has an elected seed that will grasp the light of the hour, and the
threefold revelation that brother Branham is talking abou there, and all have
have heard and undertsood will come.
Let us bow our head in prayer.