Christ is the Mystery no. 74

The Attributes of a Son of God no 7 Patient waiting

March 24, 2013

Brian Kocourek

Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Father the hour has come 56-1002A P:55 Notice, then they went up in the room. One would say, "Well, how long we have to wait here?" Other one say, "I believe I will go out." I can hear him say, "He never said how long to wait, He said, 'Wait until you're endued with power.'" "How long will we wait?" "That isn't the question; that isn't the commission; it's wait until you're endued." "How long should it take? How many more days should I wait? Till the revival breaks out?" Brother, wait until God pours out His power, not until we elect a new bishop, not until we put a new pastor, but wait until the Holy Ghost comes from heaven like a rushing mighty wind: not wait till we chose who's going to be the bishop of this group, not wait and see who's going to be the overseer of this group, but wait until you've organized yourself, no, sir. Not wait until you send us a district presbyter, no, sir. Not wait until you've enough finance to build a new church, no, sir. But wait until you're endued with power from on high. Amen.

Faith of Abraham 55-1118 P:28 how did they get the Holy Ghost? They were up, and continued praising God for the promise before the promise was ever made manifest. They didn't have a 'lotted amount of time. He said, "Tarry ye," or wait, "in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. Just wait..." And they were up there blessing God. They were praising and thanking God for the promise, and they know it would come, and it did come. And it'll come tonight if you'll take that same attitude.

Let us pray. Dear Loving and Gracious Father, You who are the God of all comfort, and we ask You this morning that you might help us to understand this period of time, this what seems to be a long period of waiting that we have gone through, waiting for the promises you have for us in this hour, we are gathered here this morning Lord waiting to be conformed to the Image of Your first born son, We are waiting for your promise that we will become manifested sons, we are waiting for your promise that we will receive a crown of Glory that fadeth not away, We are waiting for your promise that we will receive a change of the body. Therefore, father Help us through the Gift of your Holy Spirit as we have received your Spirit in order to receive the very mind of Christ in order that we might understand the things of God. Help us Father by thy Word to come to the full stature of Christ in this hour as your Word has promise. We come here this morning Lord waiting to receive all of these promises before we go in the rapture. May all these divine promises to us be yeah and yeah, and may Your Word never become yeah and nay to any of u that are listening in this morning, for we ask it in Jesus Christ's name, amen.

Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Psalms 69:6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

Now, before we get into our study of the attributes of a son of God this morning, I would like to read the following words to you which have been attributed to Martin Luther although most likely his exact words might have been somewhat different seeing they were given in German, and later translated into English. The exact quote can be read in a 19th century historical novel concerning the battle that raged between Luther and the Catholic church. Here is what he is believed to have said.

"If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle-field beside is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one point."

Now, this sounds very much like what brother Branham said in his sermon Anointed Ones At the End-Time 65-0725M pp. 138 Notice. Come up to the borderline and quit. Looky here, He said in Hebrews the 6th chapter, now, we was reading awhile ago. I told you to refer back to it, and we will for the next couple minutes. He said, "But thorns and thistles which is nigh unto rejection, whose end is to be burned..." Borderline. "Ye who have tasted the heavenly gift... (Tasted, other words, you seen it. You can't just taste it with your mouth; but you seen it, and you knew it was the Truth. You knowed it was the truth.)--tasted the heavenly gift, and made partakers of the Holy Spirit as It fell upon you, tasted of the good Word of God (tasted, you seen it was right. And the Holy Ghost falling upon you, the weed in the field), and then turn away, denying the very Christ that sanctified you, and called you, and put that anointing upon you; there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin for that." It's unpardonable. It's impossible for them to ever come to the knowledge of the truth. "For it is impossible for those who were made partakers of the Holy Spirit (fell upon the weeds... See? Started in with Jesus, and 'Lord, I'm going through,' but when you hit the Word, you turn back)--made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and even tasted (or seen the Word Itself manifested), and then turn away from It; it's totally impossible, for them to ever see It or come to It. That's THUS SAITH THE SCRIPTURE. Now, heavens and earth will pass away but It won't. You see it? Totally impossible, the Bible said so. And the Spirit bears record of it.

And then Br. Branham said in pp. 138 Notice! Come up to the borderline and quit.

pp.140 Going to their home, and when they come up to the place to cross over, they doubted the Word!........What happened? They perished in the wilderness. They stayed right there and organized themselves, and died, every one of them,........

PP.153 "Where the carcass is there will the eagles be gathered...... Where the fresh meat is, the Word of the Season, there the eagles will gather." But after it's rotten, then the vultures will swarm to it. See, see? See what I mean? When a kill 's made here comes the eagles, but after it lays there and rotten, then here come the vultures. The eagles won't have nothing to do with it. Jesus said, "Where the carcass is, where the manna fell, the night the manna falls fresh, there the eagles will gather for it." That's the manna for the day. See? Notice! But after it gets rotten, maggots get in it, then here comes the vultures. They can't smell it till it gets rotten.

PP. 158 Said, "I AM sent me." I AM, not I was, or will be, I AM, present tense, the Word now. Not the Word that was or Word that will come, the Word that's now.

PP. 168 Now, you go back and try to live again --go back after that old shuck's dried up, ever go back and live in it again? It never does. "For it is impossible for those which were once enlightened and didn't move on with the Word as it come to pass..." They're dead, gone

Now, notice the admonitions from God's prophet to all of us. It is not enough that you say we believe, the devil believes and trembles. It is not enough to say I started out with Jesus, you've got to come all the way. It is not enough to look back 50 years ago and see what God did do, you've got to see what He is doing present tense or you will perish just like the rest of them.

And this brings us to paragraph 180 and 182 of Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed which is paragraph 380 in your books.

180 And in there, there'd be a time come forth when He could express Himself in Fullness of His Godhead (Deity) through His Church, have the pre-eminences in this Church. Oh, my. What? The anointed Man, now the anointed people (oh, my) to bring back the anointed Bride and the Bridegroom. Anointed by why? Accepting what Eve turned down (and Adam), coming back with the anointing of the Word, because He said, "My Word is Spirit." See? Anointed with the Word. What Eve turned down, He comes back and we accept. See how that hybrid condition again... Just exactly what he done to Eve. He told Eve, "Don't you do this, and don't you do that, and you can't do this and that."

  181   And Satan said, "Oh, oh, you know..." But she turned around and listened to him. But the Eve in the last day's not going to do it, because She's predestinated not to do it. Yes, sir. God's going to do it. He knows... He'll have... He said His Church will be there without spot or a wrinkle. She's going to stand there in the splendor of Him: His Word made manifest. She'll be a token to the world. She'll be something to the world that the world can look and say, "Well,..." The rest of the world say, "Ah, she's a holy-roller. She's the second cousin. She don't belong to our group." I know. That's a good thing. She belongs to this group up here.

Notice that brother Branham is speaking of two Eve's, the first one who fell in the garden because of disobedience and this last time Eve who is predestined not to fall by disobedience as the first Eve fell.

God has made her in such a way that she is ordained to give him the pre-eminence in her life and she has herself has chosen to die to self and let the Life of Christ live itself out in her life for her.

Now, brothers and sisters, we saw a man in this generation who was not born any different than you or I. He was born in sin, he was shaped in iniquity and he came to the world speaking lies just like you and I did. Yet God took hold of this man, and molded him and shaped him to be conformed to the image of His first born son, and as we saw this man William Branham completely surrender His life to God, so too you and I are ordained to do the same. And you not only can do it but you will do it because you are ordained to do it.

Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Now, notice he said "But the Eve in the last day's not going to do it, because She's predestinated not to do it. Yes, sir. God's going to do it. He knows... He'll have... He said His Church will be there without spot or a wrinkle. She's going to stand there in the splendor of Him: His Word made manifest. She'll be a token to the world.

Therefore, this brings us to The Eighth attribute of a son of God, and that is: Sons of God will be obedient sons, doing nothing but what the Father shows them first.

Now, we know that every seed that comes off the original Seed will bear the same attributes and characteristics as the original Seed. That is the law of Life in Genesis 1:11 and the law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that Paul talks about in his letters. And since Jesus Christ was the Original Seed of God, then we know that all other seed of God will be conformed to the image of the first born son as Paul tells us we are ordained to in Romans 8.

And if that first born so was such an obedient son, then all other sons must conform to that attribute.

Paul tells us in Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; So obedience is not a trait you are born with, it is trait that you learn. It is something you choose to do as we see Jesus testify of this Himself in John 5:19 and again in John 5:30.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:30   I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 7:16-18 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Now, I do not think we have a problem with the concept of obedience mentally, but where we seem to have our problem like most children with obedience is that our immaturity is not willing to wait on God for the instructions he wishes to give us. Many times you know something is right and you should do it, but unless you do it when God tells you to do it, you still are not being obedient.

Just look at all the examples of this in the Bible, with Abraham, Job, Moses, Paul, and so many others. In all these examples these men of God had to learn obedience by the things they suffered.

Look at Moses for an example. He knew that he had been raised up to deliver God's children from the bondage of Egypt. He was taught as a child that God had promised a deliverer and he was told that he would be that deliverer himself. He was taught that although he served in Pharaohs court as an heir apparent, yet he knew he was an Israelite by birth. He was the most successful general Egypt ever had, and he was so learned that he taught the teachers. But there was just one problem, Moses had a correct theology, he had the doctrine down right, but he did not yet have the personal relationship with God to make it happen. And because he did not know God, he did not know God's ways at that time. Oh, he knew about God, just like so many believers today. They know about Him, but do they really know Him. That is another thing altogether. So Moses got ahead of God's plan and tried to do it on his own, and all he got for his efforts was one dead Egyptian and expulsion from Egypt.

So Moses headed for the wilderness, because he had a very bad experience with his theology, his doctrine, and he didn't want anything more to do with it. He got burned by the very people who he thought he was helping. So he stayed there in that backside of the desert for 40 years where he learned to wait on God and to listen to that still small voice. And so it was during this time that Moses had a personal experience with God.

From his sermon, From that Time 60-0302 pp. 28 brother Branham said, "Moses was a intellectual giant. He had all the wisdom of the Egyptians, that he could teach their teachers. He was intellectual as he could be. Smarter, far smarter than our most brilliant men today, 'cause the Egyptians had things that we don't have today. They could build a pyramid; we could not. They could embalm a body, and make it look natural for hundreds and hundreds of years. Seventy-two hours is our limit. They could put dye in clothes that would never fade out. We cannot do that. Many things that they had. Dig up things that they had, that we could not--we could not do the same today. They were way smarter. More intelligent, and Moses could teach them. But all of his intellectuals, he had never met God.

Brother Branham continues in From that time 60-0302 P:29 Oh, I'd like to see the preachers in here, just a minute. Do you see, brethren? My Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostals, whoever you may be, you can have a call of God on your life; you can know that you're called to the ministry, but you have no right to preach the Gospel until you've had an experience with God of being born again. Jesus told the disciples, "You wait in the city of Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high." Moses could not go down and deliver the children of Israel, until first he met God face to face and talked to Him. Why? Moses could say, "I was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, but one day I was herding my father-in-law's sheep at the backside of the desert, and I seen a bush burning." And from that time, he was a different man. He didn't rely upon his intellectuals. He was running from Egypt where God had called him. But as soon as he met God, he took a mule, and his wife, and his son, and a little, old crooked stick, and went down to Egypt. Why, he had met God, and from that time, he was changed. There was something different. His intellectuals was lost; he didn't think about the danger. Why, he had met God and could point back to that time.

30 No man has a right to preach the Gospel; no person has the right to call themselves a Christian, until they can go back to a certain time in their life, where they could come on that sacred sands at the backside of the desert, where they know that they have met God. All the infidels in the world, and these intellectuals giants taking the Bible and explaining away all the days of miracles. "They're past. There's no such a thing as Divine healing, all this stuff, like speaking with tongues, interpretation of tongues, and gifts of healing, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit." They can slip in, take your mind and twist you in such a way until they can take that away from your memory. They can explain it away. I want you to get this, and don't you never let it pass from you. But if a man's ever stood on that sacred sands at the backside of the desert, when he meets God face to face, there's not enough devils in all hell could take away from him. He knows he met God. He knows he had an experience; he talked to God. Regardless, of what the opposition is, he can say, "From that time, something changed in me."

And you know we can measure a persons maturity level by the level of patience they have. Children are very impatient, and it shows in their actions. And just think what the story would have been written if the disciples had not been willing to wait until?

Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 145:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Impersonation of Christianity 57-0120M P:31 Now, you try to place this new program, this new deal that God has with the church that was presented at Pentecost. Not an intellectual at all, but a hundred and twenty fishermen, tent makers, and housewives went up in the upper room and waited until God's prophecy was fulfilled, and they received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "Stop your preaching; don't go any further. Don't do anything more about it, but wait at the city of Jerusalem until, until you're endued with power from on high." Said, "Well, now..." Not until you have received your B.A., or your D.D., or whatever it may be, until you have become a Ph.D., psychology, not and it become--you become an intellectual teacher, but wait until you get your diploma, not wait until you have been given a degree, but until you're endued with power from on high, not from the school, but from on high, "Then you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and to the utmost parts of the world." His last commission was into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned, and (conjunction) these signs shall follow them that believe. In My Name shall they cast out devils, and they shall speak with new tongues, or if they should drink a deadly thing, or take up the serpent it would not harm them. And if they should lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."In similar such as that, was to be the sign of the believer instead of the educated and intellectual, because the intellectual cannot produce that.

Testimony of a true witness 61-1105 P:67 What kind of a witness was it going to be? "Wait at Jerusalem until you have completed twenty years of high school or seminary"? "Wait till you have received your Bachelor of Art degree"? "Wait till you have learned to speak in other languages, so, if He happened to call you to the mission field, you could speak in them"? No, that wasn't it. Just let power from on high come, it'll take care of itself when It comes. "You wait until you're endued with power." O God, why can't the people see that? It's not a joining of church. It's waiting for power. "Wait until you're endued with power from on high, for I'll send Him. He's a promise of God, and I'll send Him. I'm going to bear record. He, when He comes, He'll bear record. for He'll not speak of Himself, but He'll speak of Me." Amen.

But what kind of a witness would a man be that claims to be a witness when he has never even met God face to face? When all he has for an experience is a second hand experience where he heard another man's experience on a tape. God don't have grandchildren, he has children, and you can't go in on another man's experience, you've got to have your own birth.

Matthew11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

I'm sorry brothers and sisters but Jesus said "wait until you are endued with power", and then go and witness throughout the world. And Paul said, "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" He said Since, ... And brother Vayle quoted Michener who said when language looses it's meaning it is all over. Since means from a definite past time until now. In other words Paul is saying when you heard the Gospel, have you since that time somewhere between when you heard the Gospel and now, have you had that experience of New birth?

It seems to me that the word since declares a period of time is involved here between the time you first heard and now. Since you believed. Not when you believed, but since you believed. And brother Branham said no man has a right to stand in the pulpit until he has met God face to face. So I would like to ask every preacher, can you tell me when you were born again? When you met God face to face, and if you can not tell me then you need to get to the back side of the desert and don't come back and enter the pulpit until you have met God and you know you met him, and believe me brothers, you will know when you have met the sovereign God, because when you come into His presence you wouldn't dare lift your head.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

When Job stood under all that condemnation by his friends, he could stand in defiance to their attacks and say, "I know my redeemer liveth, and though the skin worms devour my flesh, yet in my flesh I shall see Him." He wasn't ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it was the power of God unto Him.

That's what Paul said in Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Maturity, Christian maturity brings obedience. And patience works in us obedient nature of Christ.

James tells us in Chapter 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect (mature) and entire, wanting nothing.

So God uses the trials we go through to build in us patience, which makes us mature.

Let's look at another son of God, the Father of our Faith, Abraham.

Brother Branham said in his sermon, From That Time pp. 25 "Take for instance, Abraham. He was just an ordinary man. He was not a saint. He was just a man. And oh, I'm so glad that we don't have to be born in a certain line, or be some great somebody. We just have to be humble. God's grace is what does the work. Abraham, just a man, down, perhaps, in the bushes one day, in the valleys of the Shinar valley, and out of the city of Ur, wandering about, out in the bush, maybe, with his sheep or so forth, and God met him, and spoke to him, and blessed him. I believe that a man comes to God and ever has a definite experience... Oh, maybe, you think I'm beside myself. But look, I don't mean an impersonation of an experience. We've got so much of that today, till it makes a real Christian sick to look at it, somebody trying to impersonate somebody else. God has never made two the same. He never did, and He never will. God's the God of variety. He makes big hills, and little hills, and deserts, and swamp lands, and what-more. He's a God of variety. Don't try to impersonate anyone else, be what you are, what God made you.

26 Abraham, God spoke to him, and he had a definite experience, and it changed His life. And the strange thing is, when a man meets God he can never be the same, and can always point back to that time when he met Him. God spoke to Abraham, and Abraham acted different. And every time a man meets God, from that time on, he will act different. If he rejects God, he will be a infidel right, or he will be an impersonator or hypocrite. Or he will be a godly sainted person, that'll walk different, talk different, live different, act different, peculiar, odd, led of the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you something, as my brother and sister; I am never, and God help me to never be, to ever try to be somebody. That's when you're nothing. Twist myself in such great, big things, till I have to have thousands of dollars a night to sponsor some program... Let me be just, Brother Branham. Let be just what God would make me to be. No matter what it is, if it's to eat soda crackers, and drink branch water, and wear overalls. Whatever it is, let me be what God would have me to be. Never try to be something that you're not.

27 Abraham, he was different from the time God met him. And look, sometimes, when God meets a man, it looked like Abraham could've had the world in his hand. The apostles with great powers, could've had the world in their hands, as it was to say, could've spread fame everywhere, but that kind of fame soon dies. The only lasting fame, is when you're name is wrote on the Lamb's Book of Life. That's when fame is real fame. This earthly fame so decays. Now, look at Abraham. God told him to believe and accept the miracle that had not yet happened, and was impossible only with God for it to happen: That was to believe that he was have a baby by Sarah. And he believed God and called anything contrary to it as though it was not. Abraham, from the time he met God, he was a changed man.

And what about you my brothers and sisters? Have you met God and know that you did? Can you look back on a certain day and know without a shadow of doubt that you met God and your life has been changed? If not, the alter is open right after service. Why settle for some intellectual understanding when you can know Him in the power of His resurrection. Why settle for Churchianity and you are invited to have an intimate, personal relationship with the creator of the Universe.

He wants to work in you to will and to do, will you let him? Will you invite Him in this morning? So many people living under the delusion that they are born again because they believe. Brother Branham called them hitch hikers. And unless you know Him personally, and have talked to him and He has talked back to you, you are only living in a religious delusion. Won't you come to him this morning?

Brother Branham himself tells us 31 How well I can call the time. In a little old saloon that had been used as a church where some colored people was preaching the Gospel, I was a southerner and didn't like colored people, and a vision came and told me where to go find it. And all the white girls that I'd went with, oh, not all of them, four or five standing there said, "Billy, you're not going in there?" I said, "Yes, I've got to go." Said, "Don't never ask me for another date." It didn't make any difference. I met God, and from that time I've been changed. I Can point back to that time, I was changed.
  32   No man has a right in the pulpit until he's got an experience. No matter what the intellectuals can say, you know you met God. Why, intellectual knowledge would've told Moses he was walking to his own death. But he knew he'd met God, and God was God, and God's still God. That's the reason I'm so glad I can stand here in this arena tonight, and give Satan an upper cut, that says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And can prove it by His Holy Spirit here now. He ever remains the same. Not altogether with the Word, the Word only points the way, but the Holy Spirit declares it that He's the same, and point His blessings, and His promises. We can say "From that time, something happened."

Look at Mary. She was just an ordinary girl, but she was a good girl, and she was a virgin. perhaps only sixteen or eighteen years old, but she was engaged to a man called Joseph. Now, listen, she was just an ordinary girl, but she loved God and she believed in God. But one day she met the God who she loved; and from that time, the world has called her, "Blessed." "Blessed art thou among women." Why? Not because she was a virgin. There were thousands of virgins, perhaps millions... And we still have virgins, but there was just one Mary. And She can point her finger from that time.

And look at the Apostle Paul. He was a persecutor of the church... He was just a little, hook nosed Jew... and he was persecuting the church. But God chose this little, high tempered, hook nosed, church hater to manifest Himself to that age. It shows that God can take nothing and make something out of it. That's what makes Him God. By His Word he created everything that we see today. every tree, every bird, every animal, came from nothing but the spoken Word of God.

And that same Spoken Word has given birth to sons and daughters of God who have a desire to be like the first born son, and are willing to do whatever it is God wants for them to do. Because it is God in them working to will and to do.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Let us pray...