Faith
no 51
God
is Faithful
December
6, 2017
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
40 God's Only
Provided Place of Worship 65-1128 "I believe the church is beginning to
hear the Message, and beginning to understand.
But friends, listen, we've got to lay in the Presence of the
Son, we've got to be ripened. Our faith isn't ripe. Intellectually
we're hearing the Message that God has give us, and seeing the
signs that He showed us, and proving it by the Bible as
that; but, oh, how the church needs to lay in His Presence till it
tenders up in the heart, gets sweet in the Spirit so that it can bathe down. Sometimes
in speaking the Message, you get harsh, have to break it in like that, because
you've got to clinch a nail to make it hold. But when the Church
once gets It, the Elected is called out and separated (then in the Presence of
God), I know it'll be something like the people was there when it takes its
Rapture."
Hebrews 11:1 KJV Now Faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Let us pray...
Before we move on I want you to look at this
verse of scripture here and notice it says that Faith is the Substance... This Greek word that was translated as the word substance
is sometimes translated in Scripture as the word Confidence, and in other
translations the word assurance is used instead of the word substance.
This word substance is not telling
us here that Faith is an actual material element as the English word substance might imply,
but rather it is the very assurance of things we hope for.
It goes on to say that not only is Faith the
assurance of things earnestly expected, but it is also the evidence or the
conviction of things not even
seen.
Now in making up this verse of scripture, we
must have an understanding of 4 important words here or we will misunderstand
and misinterpret what this scripture is telling us.
These 4
words are 1st of all the word "Faith" itself, which
we understand as brother Branham taught that "faith is a revelation,
something that has been revealed".
Notice, Faith is a revelation. God’s prophet
told us this in the Rapture Message.
Rapture the 65-1204 P:40 But to the
church, the Bride, the rapture is a revelation to her. It's revealed to her,
that the revelation, the true Bride of Christ will be waiting for that
revelation of the rapture. Now, it is a revelation, for the revelation is
faith. You
cannot have a revelation without it being faith. Faith is a revelation, because
it's something that's revealed to you. Faith is a
revelation. Faith is something that has been revealed to you like it
was to Abraham, that could call anything contrary to what had been revealed to
him as though it wasn't so. Now, faith... That's what faith
is, is the revelation of God. The church is built upon a revelation, the whole
entire body.
The 2nd
word we must understand is the word Substance, and that this word
substance is not a material thing, but rather it is an Assurance, The
revelation Itself is our assurance of hope.... and here we find the 3rd
word we must understand and that is this word hope. For Hope is an earnest
expectation. And if we earnestly expect something, then according to the apostle Paul we are willing to wait
for it.
Romans 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then
do we with patience wait for it.
Today we have such poor understanding of the
English language that we are attempting to speak, and when we use the word hope most of the time we are using it incorrectly.
We use this word "hope" for "something we would like to see happen but we
are not so sure that it will happen."
Even our dictionaries have been dumbed down to
show "hope" as a felling, and not an expectation. And there is a big
difference between a feeling and something you expect to happen.
Hope: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn outfor the best:
to give up hope.
2. a particular instance of this feeling:
But the American Dictionary of the English
Language written by Noah Webster, Hope differs from just a wish or desire in
that it implies a certain expectation of
obtaining what is hoped for. 2 Confidence in a future event or person. Such as The Hope of Israel is the Messiah,
or The
Lord will be the hope of His People. An opinion grounded on substantial evidence. To desire with expectation
of receiving.
But as you can see there is a real war on for
the minds of man, and not only have we seen the satanic rewriting of history,
but we even see satan's hand in the rewriting of our language with the intent
that language will no longer have meaning and thus the entire population will
become so dumbed down, that they will not be able to understand the Scriptures
for themselves.
That is why the Catholic church never allowed
the people to read the Scriptures, so they placed it in the Latin language so
the common person would not be able to read it for themselves. And when any Spirit filled man endeavored to
translate it into the language of the people, the Catholic church persecuted
and even killed those individuals who so dared.
Therefore the word Hope means to earnestly
expect what you hope for to actually happen. The thing hoped for has
not happened yet, but we earnestly expect that it will. So we see the scripture
tell us the Revelation is the Assurance of things earnestly expected, and then
the 4th word we will examine is evidence.
The word Evidence simply means conviction. Therefore we can read what Paul said as The ‘Revelation is
the Assurance of
things we Earnestly Expect and it is the the Conviction of
things we do not yet see.’
Now, the word conviction is used when
referring to someone who has been won over from one thought to another. Or from
one opinion to another. It is the state or act of being convinced.
And the word "convinced" means to
overcome all your doubts. So if "Faith is the conviction of things not seen," then we can say that Faith convinces us of the
reality of those things we don’t even see.
Faith then is more of a reality then, than what
we actually do see with our eyes.
Now, with this in mind let me read a few translations
of this scripture to you so you might see that most translations of the
scripture have translated the word for "substance" as "Assurance" and the word for "evidence" as "Conviction"..
From the Amplified Bible we read, "Now
Faith is the assurance (the confirmation,
the title deed of things) we hope for, being the proof of things we do
not see and the conviction of their reality - faith
perceiving as real fact what is not revealed by the senses."
So then what we just read tells
us that "Faith is the actual proof"
itself.
And from the New American Standard
translation we read, "Now Faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Again we read from the NIV "Now Faith is being sure of what
we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
And in the Weymouth New Testament we read, "Now Faith
is a well grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and
a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.
Let me read on emore Translation
called the Rotherham Bible "But Faith is of things hoped
for a confidence, of facts; it is a conviction when
they are not seen.
Now, the word that was translated in the King James version as the word
"substance" was the Greek word Hupostasis.
This word is rendered as the word "assurance" or "confidence" in most scriptures. This word "Hupostasis" is also translated in the KJV of Scripture
as the word "confidence" as we see in the following scripture.
Hebrews 3:14 KJV For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end. (The word steadfast means firm, and without wavering).
Again this word Hupostasis is used in Hebrews 1: 3 and in this Scripture it takes on more
than just a thought of being sure
or confident or assured, because it is used in expressing the very "person" of God Himself.
Hebrews 1:3 KJV Who being the brightness of His Glory, and the express image
of His Person and
upholding al things by the Word of His power.... (note
that this word "person" was
translated from the same Greek word Hupostasis),
In the Amplified Version
we read, "He is the sole expression
of the Glory of God - the Light being, the out-raying of the Divine, and he is
the perfect imprint and very image of God’s Nature.....
And in the New American Standard we read, "And He is the radiance of His Glory and the
exact representation of His Nature.....
And in the NIV we read, "The
Son is the radiance of God’s Glory and the exact representation of His being..."
Now here we see this word Hupostasis is used not only as the
blessed assurance that comes by Faith but
is also used in a more real sense when it is actually used in reference to the
Fathers very Person or Being. Thus Christ is the very Image of God’s Hupostasis, substance
or person .
Here the word has its significance in that it
addresses the very Nature of God in contrast to just the outward manifestation
of a flesh body. So actually it speaks of the Divine
Essence of God that was existent
and expressed in the Revelation of His
Son. The very Nature or Character of the Person of God Himself.
Therefore in getting back to Hebrews 11:1 Amplified where
we read, "Now Faith is the Assurance (The
confirmation, or title deed) of things we hope for, being the proof of things
we do not see and the Conviction of their reality, faith
perceiving as real fact what is not revealed by the senses.
Now in examining this thought on Faith being the Assurance, we must ask ourselves what this means. Faith
is the Assurance.
The word Assurance means "the State of being certain and confident". "Having a firm belief and trust in". And "without any doubt!".
On the other hand the word Conviction speaks of "a
state of being convinced"...
and "overcoming doubts".....
So we see here "a
state or condition of having no doubts toward God at all." This
means that no wavering is even considered.
In Romans
4:20 We read, "He staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to
God;"
Now remember, Paul is talking about Abraham, and
he is considered to be the Father of our Faith. And when God first revealed
Himself to Abraham in Genesis 15, we hear Him tell Abraham,
"I am thy shield and exceeding great Reward."
So then, what does Abraham do? He says, "OK,
then, if you are my reward, I need a son." "How
about it? I believe what you said, so how about a son!" And God said, "that
will be fine with me". And so though
the promise tarried for 25 years, we are told by the apostle Paul in
speaking of Abraham, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." That
means Abraham never vacillated back and forth, but was firm and sure in his
confidence and assurance towards God and His Promise..
In the Greek Lexicon the word ‘Staggered‘ was
taken from the Greek word diakrino {dee-ak-ree'-no} which
means. "Doubt
, judge discern , contend, waver to separate one's self
in a hostile spirit, to oppose, strive with dispute, contend, to be at variance
with one's self, hesitate, doubt"
Again we read from Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye
have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is
done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
And again in Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to
pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
You Must not doubt what God has promised you
because we read in Hebrews
11: 6 That God
is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Let's
turn in our Bibles to Hebrews 11:6 and read for
ourselves. "But
without faith it
is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
And again in Matthew 7:7 Ask and it shall be given you; seek
, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened. ... or what man is there of
you, whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish,
will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give
good things to them that ask him?
Now "to doubt" shows you
have a lack of understanding who you are dealing with. If Faith or Revelation of God is the Assurance of
things earnestly expected, and the very conviction or being convinced of those
things which you have not yet seen, then when He is truly revealed to you, you are very sure
and need no further convincing. Therefore the Revelation stands on its
own. As the scripture tells us, "More blessed are you which
have not seen yet believe."
Now, let's turn in our Bibles to I Peter 1:7-9 and read for ourselves, ... ‘That the Trial of your Revelation, being much more
precious than of gold that perishes, may be found after scrutiny to result in
praise , honor and Glory at the Appearing of Jesus Christ: ... ( Now notice
what else Peter says here ) Though
you have not seen Him, yet you love Him; in Whom, though now you see Him not,
yet because you believe, you are rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of
Glory; because this will bring forth the receiving of your goal and your
reward, even the salvation of your souls.
Though we see Him not, yet we believe... anyhow. And what is that called? Faith! wgich we know
is a Revelation! Revelation is the Assurance of things earnestly expected and
the conviction or being convinced of the reality of things you don’t even see. ... ‘Yet,
though you see Him not, you still believe and rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of Glory!’
Now after brother Branham preached the Rapture
sermon, we believe that The
Lord Himself has descended with a Shout! And ‘As a man thinketh in His heart,’ Jesus said, ‘So is He.’ And "out of the abundance or
the overflow of the heart the mouth must speak," Right?
Then the
Revelation of Jesus Christ in this
hour is what brings the very Assurance of things earnestly
expected, the conviction of things not seen. Did not brother Branham say, ‘My ministry is to declare Him, That He is here!’ Then this Revelation is to bring forth joy unspeakable and full of Glory.
Is not Ephesians 1:17 the
Father of Glory Who gives us in this hour the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
in the Knowledge of Himself.
Then is not this "Faith" or shall we say, this "Revelation of Jesus Christ" the very Assurance of things hoped for of
things earnestly expected, and the vindication is the convincing of things not
seen.
Does not Ephesians 1 end up with telling us that He gives us this
Revelation that we might understand that He has come forth to give us our
inheritance?
Ephesians 1:17-19 That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and
Revelation in the knowledge of Him. .... Why does He want to do this, and why has He done this in this
hour? ... So that the eyes of your
understanding may be enlightened;
that you may know what is the
earnest expectation of His calling, His what? His calling!
Matthew
25 "Behold He is Here, come
out to meet Him".
Revelations 3:20 "Behold I stand at the door knocking , if any man
hear my voice and open up to me, I will come in to Him and sup with Him,"
He has come forth calling, but He is on the
outside, so He has come forth to call by a shout, so you who are on the inside
can hear Him and come forth to meet Him. "That the eyes of your understanding might be
enlightened; and that you may know what is the earnest expectation of His calling
you, and what the riches of the Glory of His inheritance in the saints. And
what is the exceeding greatness of His power is to us - ward who believe,
according to the working of His mighty power."
Friends, listen. You must not doubt any
longer, Hebrews 10:37 "For yet a little while, and
He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." (And hasn’t He already come or appeared in this
hour? Is His presence not here? we are not speaking of the body, but
we are speaking of the very God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!)
And Paul goes on to say, "Now the just shall live by Faith: but if any
man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in Him. But we are not of them who
draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."
Therefore, "if Faith is the Assurance" and we know that "Faith is a Revelation", then Who gives us this Revelation that gives us
the assurance? Didn’t Jesus Himself tell Peter, that flesh and blood can not
reveal, so then who does reveal?
Jesus told us who reveals when he answered peter
and said, Peter, you did not receive this revelation by any man but by "My Father which is in Heaven, He has revealed it
to you."
And Who was it that came down with a shout? The
Same one who gave peter the revelation of Jesus Christ. It was the Father of
Glory Himself, who came down to bring this revelation of Jesus Christ to us
personally. What for? To give us the Revelation of Himself. Why? So that we
might receive the reward. Our inheritance. He has come to give us our
inheritance, but it takes laying in the revelation of Jesus Christ to become
mature in it, in order to become adoptable sons.
Colossians 3:23-24 ‘And
whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing
that of the Lord you shall receive
the reward of the inheritance:’
So adoption does not come by a man, but by the
Father of Glory Himself.
That is why brother Branham could say in his sermon, Anointed
ones at end time 65-0725M P:193 Now, I want you
to know this is sure. And you that listen to this tape, you might have
thought today that I was trying to say that about myself, being that I
was packing this Message. I have no more to do with it than nothing,
no more than just a voice. And my voice, even against my better judgment...
I wanted to be a trapper. But it's the will of my Father that I declare to do,
and determined to do. I wasn't the One that appeared down on the river;
I was only standing there when He appeared. I'm not the One that
performs these things and foretells these things that happens as perfect as
they are; I'm only one that's near when He does it. I was
only a voice that He used to say it. It wasn't what I knew; it's
what I just surrendered myself to, that He spoke through. It isn't me.
It wasn't the seventh angel, oh, no; it was a manifestation of the Son of man.
It wasn't the angel, his Message; it was the mystery that God unfolded. It's
not a man; it's
God. The angel was not the Son of man; he was a messenger from the
Son of man. The Son of man is Christ. He's the One that you're feeding on. You're
not feeding on a man. A man, his words will fail,
but you're feeding on the unfailing Body-Word of the Son of man. If you haven't
fed fully on every Word to give yourself strength to fly above all these
denominations and things of the world, will you at this time do it, while we
pray?
And again from
his sermon, Invasion of the USA 54-0509 P:46 I, sometimes I think of my ministry, and see
people come. And I'd get in a hotel room, say, "God, who's the people coming
to see, me or You?" See? "If they're coming to see me, they're lost yet;
but, O God, tear me down and take me away. I want to represent You, the
One Who'll stand before someday with trembling hands and trembling, feeble
body, looking at You, knowing that my soul hangs by Your decision." Let
us exalt Christ.
In Revelations 22:12 Jesus said, ‘ Behold,
I come quickly; and my reward
is with me, ‘
and Paul spoke of Abraham in Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; He didn’t fuss and stew, he
said, Lord, what will you give me. What is my reward!
And in James
1:6 we see that faith does not waver, but is certain. "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind
and tossed."
We see this same thought again in Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)
But here is the key..., It is not our being full
of Faith, but His Faithfulness.
God is the one Who is faithful! Deuteronomy 7:6-9 "For thou art an holy people unto
the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not choose you because you
were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people:
But because He loved you, and
because He would keep the Oath which He had sworn unto you fathers,
hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the
house of pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is
God, the Faithful God, which keepeth covenant
and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand
generations;
So then our ability to have faith
in God is because God is Faith-full to keep what promise he makes.
Paul reminds us of this in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 "Faithful is He that calleth you,
Who will also do it."
And again in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 "The Lord is Faithful,
Who shall stablish you , and keep you from evil."
Why 60-1126 P:75 Now, listen. Don't no one disturb, make any noise.
Just believe and pray now for a moment. As I turn my back, see if we're at the
end of the road. God, it's to Your honor and glory we ask it. Almighty and all
faithful God, Who keeps Thy Word in every generation, never failing but
always there to prove Yourself alive.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is Faithful, Who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that what you are able to bear; but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."