God’s Only Provided Place of Worship # 114 Affect of the word of Life

God’s Only Provided Place of Worship # 114

Brian Kocourek, January 31, 1996

Affect of the Word of Life

Sunday morning we took our study from PP. 282 - 284 of God's Only Provided Place of Worship and we then jumped ahead to PP.[ 290] where Brother Branham said, " We see every other thing moving right up to this time. We see the Scripture being vindicated, proved. And ( just as ) we see that, Lord, You with our own eyes (being made manifest), some day there will be a Rapture and we will see the manifestation of that Word, "For the Son of man shall come in the clouds of glory, with His holy angels with Him, and we will be caught up to meet Him in the air." It will then be... We hear of it now, then we will see it with our own eyes.

What He is saying here is that "if you are meant to see the manifestation of the Rapture when it takes place, you have got to see the manifestation of His Presence among us now, for if you see His Word for this hour manifesting, then you will also see the Word made manifests for that promise as well. And as we know, The Lord does Three things as He descends. A shout first which is a Message, The Voice next which is the Resurrection, and then the Trump which is the Catching away or what we call the Rapture. So if it is the Lord who is doing these three things, then you have got to see the Lord Who is doing them. And so, then if you see Him in the Shout, then you will also See Him in the Voice and Trump. I think what Brother Branham is telling us here is pretty plain and simple. If you see Him, you see Him and it doesn't really matter what stage of the Shout, Voice or Trump He is in. Because we are talking about the Word of God which is alive and actively bringing to pass every detail that it said would happen. So, by seeing the Manifestation of the Presence of God now, we will not miss seeing the manifestation of the Rapture when it takes place. Now that is a comforting thought. In fact Paul said, in

Þ [ 1 Thess 4: 15-18] (Read)

Þ And do not ever forget what we read [ Deut 29:29] (read) Whatsoever has been revealed belongs to us and to our children forever. Then the Rapture is ours as well. Brother Branham preached on the Rapture and if it is revealed to you that the shout is the Message and you see it and believe it and it is revealed to you, then the Voice and the Trump are also revealed to you what they are and since they are now revealed to you, then by God's own promise they now belong to you. I don't have to wait for it to happen to know whether I'm a part of it. I know by Thus Saith the Lord that I am already a part of it, because I see Him standing before us, manifesting Himself to us now? Even as He did 30 years ago through His Prophet.

Now, in getting back to where we left off on Sunday we shall pick up at PP. 285 and begin reading.

Þ [ 285] Now, church, we're teaching now. But, remember, when you leave here, start moving out of the shuck now; you're going into the grain, but lay in the Presence of the Son. Don't add to what I've said, don't take away what I've said. Because, I speak the Truth as far as I know It, as the Father has given to me. See? Don't add to It, just say what I said.

Þ [286] The thing of it is, just tell the people to come seek the Lord Jesus. And then you yourself lay right in His Presence, just make love to Him, "O Lord Jesus, Son of God, I love You. Tender my heart, Lord. Take away all the filth and the love of the world, and let me live holy in this present world before You."

And what is His Presence that we can lay in? It is His Revealed Word! The Scripture tells us, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. And out from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. This tells us that the only way we will really know some one is if they open their mouth and speak. And when they do they will give away who and what they are because you can't help but declare who you are and what you are when you speak. You don't really know a person by what they do, but by what they say. So when we see God descend in [1 Thess 4: 16] (read) with a shout, we know it is a declaration of Who and What He is. Because after all, He is the Word!

[287] Shall we bow our heads for prayer. Now, let's see, have you got anybody chosen to dismiss in prayer? Or, I will, then. Be real reverent.

[288] Dear God, we thank You that we have had our spiritual diet. We thank You, Lord, that the vitamin of the Word grows sons of God. It does not affect on any other type of character, only on sons and daughters of God. So we thank You for It. And we pray, God, that we will profit therewith, that we will not only thank Thee. We thank You for It, but may we use the strength to try to (by Love) persuade people to believe in our God; the wayward, the sinners, the women, the man, the boys, the girls, in this age.

Now, I want you to notice that the Word of God is only meant to have a certain effect upon certain types of people. Brother Branham is just paraphrasing Jesus when he says, "the vitamin of the Word grows sons of God. It does not affect on any other type of character, only on sons and daughters of God." So then we must be a thankful people that the Word of God is having an affect upon us and is changing us, for if we can sit under this Word and have no change take place then it is obvious that this Word is not for us and it is doing us no good. In fact, as brother Branham so many times says, if you are not going forward then you are going backward, because you can not stay in the same condition under this Word.

Now, if we look at the Word as the Light of God, then as we Look at the sun in the natural it is a type of the SON in the Spiritual. The Light of the sun gives warmth and nourishment to plants and animals alike. If the sun did not shine the trees would not produce leaves and without leaves there would be no creation of oxygen and we would all perish. Thus the Light brings, Life and this life brings with it many benefits to all. So too when the SON shines upon the Sons of God, it is likened to the same effect it has upon the Trees of the Field as we see in [Psalm 1: 1-6] ( read) Here we see that we are likened to trees planted by water, that bring forth their fruit in due season; and our leaves do not wither and all that we do shall prosper.

And just as man and all living creatures on earth depend upon the trees of nature to provide oxygen in order to breathe and keep living, so too all of creation is focused upon the Sons of God and await Life as it was meant to be. All of Creation is presently groaning and travailing in it's present condition, but when we as Sons come forth into manifestation of Who we are and what we were meant to be, it shall open wide the Ark doors for the rest of Creation to follow in to their Predestined natures. The Lion will lie down with the Lamb, and the Ox will feed with the Wolf.

[ Romans 8: 14 - 23] ( read) Notice that all the creation is waiting on our change of the body which can only come after our change of the mind according to [Romans 12: 1-2] (read)

[Isaiah 11:2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. [5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. [6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.[8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. [9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. [10] And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

[ Isaiah 65: 16 -66: 2 ] That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. [17] For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. [18] But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.[19] And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. [20] There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner [being] an hundred years old shall be accursed. [21] And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.[22] They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.[23] They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. [24] And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. [25] The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, Saith the LORD. [ 66:1] Thus Saith the LORD, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? [2] For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, Saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Notice he asks the question, where is the place where I may rest, even in Him who is of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at My Word. That's where I want to be, and that is where I want Him to find rest for His Life, In Me.

Þ [ Matt 13: 10 ] (Read) And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Now, who is this them that He is speaking of here?

Þ [ Mark 4: 11] And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the Mystery if the Kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. And the word here for without is the Greek word EXO which we get our word exit from. Those out side the door. As we see in [Rev 3: 20] Jesus Himself standing outside of the Church in this case. But I don't want to be outside of where He is, do you? And if His Presence is here, then I want to be in Him, and He is The Word for the hour.

Þ [ Rev 3: 20] Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man ( singular) hear my voice and open the door, I will come into Him and will Sup with Him, and he with me. This word come into means exactly what He says. It is this one that opens the Door, ( which is the Word, So it has got to be a Prophet whom the Word of the Lord comes to) It is this One that I will enter into and begin feeding).

Þ [ Matt 13: 11-17 ] For whosoever hath, {This word hath in the Greek is the word, Echo} (So whosoever is made of such a nature as to be able to echo or reflect back the Word of God as it is given to them) to him shall be given more Word, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not ( or can not echo back or reflect back the Word of God as it is given to them), from him shall be taken away even that he { thinks he hath]. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which Saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; ( if they closed them, then this is a willful ignorance) lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted,( so we see to understand with the heart brings conversion) and I should heal them. But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. ( so we can see that we are made in a very special way as to be able to see and hear and understand with our hearts). We find another display of willful ignorance spoken of at the time of the Rapture in [2 Peter 3: 3-5] which Brother Branham used as his text for the rapture sermon.

[ Mark 4: 1 - 20, then 24-25] ( Read) And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

[ 289] Seeing, Lord, that the mental conditions, the nervous age that the people's living in, is driving them out of their minds; to exactly fulfill what the Scripture said and promised, the great hideous things would come upon the earth; like locusts, to haunt the women that cut their hair, they'll have long hair like a woman. And different hideous sights that they'll be able to see, Lord, in that mental, deluded condition they're in, and then screaming for the rocks and the mountains. Women who would mother dogs and cats, and not raise children to honor You. Those that You did give children to and they did conceive them, turn them loose on the streets to do as they want. No wonder You said, Lord, when You were going to the cross, "Then they'll begin to cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them."

Now Sunday we shall move into this thought on this mental condition of the people and the insanity that is sweeping over the nation and the world for that matter.

Now, let's just bow our hearts in a word of prayer.