God’s Only Provided Place of Worship # 15
Saturday Evening
Ripening
in the Sun
Tonight I would like to continue in our study of this
tremendous Sermon of Brother Branham's entitled God's Only Provided place of Worship which he preached on November
28 1965, just six sermons before God took him home. This is number 15 in our series. Now, tonight we shall be studying
once again paragraph number 40, which we have now spent over one month and 9
sermons just on this one paragraph. But I believe these are words of Life,
Eternal Life we are examining and therefore as any Living Being, they are alive
and ever pulsating with Life. And so each time we look at them to examine them
we see more than we did the last time. Just like looking at a person. Each time
we look into their eyes, we see more than we saw before, and thus too when we
look into the perfect law of liberty, we see Christ as we never saw Him before.
1 CORINTHIANS
So when we look into this Eternal truth
, this Message from God Himself speaking through yielded lips of His
servant, brother Branham, we are looking into the face of Jesus Christ Himself.
Not just hypothetically, but actually. "As a man thinketh, so is He."
And "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." So then
when God descended with a shout, He has literally come forth expressing Himself
through His own Voice. And thus to hear Him, we are actually getting to know
Him. This is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him that
Paul speaks of in
Ephesians the first chapter. Now in getting on with our message tonight, let's
turn to brother Branham's Message and examine again paragraph 40.
40
GOD'S.PROVIDED.PLACE.WORSHIP - SHP.LA - V-7 N-4 - 65-1128.1M
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. ( Now before we go further,
I want you to stop and notice how brother Branham is associating the laying in
the Presence of the Son to with the ripening of our Faith.) Our--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.
Now here is the key, He said we must lay in the Presence of
the Son to become ripened in our Faith. And He says, once we do and we begin to
understand it and once we get it something else happens. He says we become
separated, (notice his wording here.) 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. So then what we are seeing here is
our separation comes from the fact we come into His Presence. Remember, Genesis
1: God speaks, separation takes place, then gathering,
then life. Now what some call separation God says is a gathering.
The Word becomes revealed to you, you go to the Word, the others stay put. So
you become separated from them but joined unto God. John
3: 18 - 23.
Now I believe John
3: 18 - 23 expresses this thought here. And in a fashion it also lays out
all the detail for examining what brother Branham is telling us here in
Paragraph 40.
So tonight, I wish to bring forth another aspect of
this ripening of our faith, which has to do with a separation that takes place
as brother Branham states himself.
"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,
seeing the signs and proving it by the Bible; but, oh, how the church needs to lay in His.. 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."
Now, tonight I want to examine a couple points brother
Branham is making here and these are namely: Pt. # 1) this thought here on
separation as it has to do with our faith ripening and coming to a place of
Pt # 2) our Rapturing
Faith.
Because after all, we should all be aware of the many
times which brother Branham told us that we haven't hardly enough faith for
healing much less for a Rapture to change our mortal bodies. So I would like to
focus our thinking tonight on these two thoughts. Pt # 1) Our Faith as it has
to do with Separation and
Pt # 2) our Faith as it has to do with the Rapture. Now notice
the chronology of events. First He comes but we do not know it. So He has an Epiphanaea to catch our attention. Then as we become focused,
He unveils Himself which causes us to stop turn and listen. Then we are drawn
away from what ever we were into and we are drawn to Him. This is John 3: 19 -
23.
2
Thessalonians 1: 7 - 2: 1
(read) Notice here we
are looking at two groups of people. Those who are being gathered to Him and
those who are being separated from Him. And as we read further I want you to recognize
what the difference is between these two groups. You'll find it is faith. Now in verse 3 we see a falling away that
must come first. This falling away comes via attrition. It is actually a
divorcement but comes through attrition. Now notice in every exodus there is
two groups. Both come out but what makes them different is that one group goes
in while the other either stops or goes back where they came out from.
129
ANOINTED.ONES.AT.END.TIME -- JEFF.IN - V-5 N-3 - 65-0725.1M
Now, just a minute. I want to look up something here. I
think I wrote this down right. I'm not sure, but I want to say it, and look it
up before I--I say it. Now, just one minute. Reprobates concerning the Truth, concerning the faith, the faith.
There's only one faith, that's right. Concerning
the faith, reprobates. Now, I want
to read Luke 18. Just
a minute. You don't need to put it down; you don't have to read it. Luke
18 And he spake a parable unto them
unto this end, that men ought to always pray, and not... faint; Saying--saying,
There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, and regardeth
not man: And there was a widow in the same city; and she came unto him, saying,
Avenge me of my adversary. And he would--and he would not for a while: but
afterwards he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet
because this widow trouble me, I will avenge her, lest by... coming she weary me.
And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge
his... elect, which crieth unto him--day and night
unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you
that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Now,
that's the question. Here's where I want to get to. In Revelation 10--we
will get to it in a few minutes in another Scripture verse--he said, "In
the days of the message of the seventh Angel, the mystery of God ought to be finished."
Here's --the
question is, if you follow in that line in this hour: Will it be finished?
"Will I find the faith?" Will Malachi 4: be fulfilled in this time:
restore the faith of the children back to the faith of the fathers, the
original, the Word? See? Reprobate! Jannes and Jambres, as they
withstood... Now, also listen.
II.TIMOTHY.3:8
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood
Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds,
reprobate concerning the faith.
"As Jannes withstood Moses, also in the last days these same
reprobates would come (now see what it says here?) having
a form of godliness, anointed ones. Now, let's just--you go back and--and read
it when you get home, so that I can finish out this morning if I can.
Reprobates
concerning the faith --not
reprobates in--in--in living, they're fine, cultured man. Now notice, when
Moses went down to
"As it was in the days of Noah, wherein
eight souls were saved by water, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of
man. As it was in the days of
So we see then that some will have the Faith and
others will not. And those who do not will be considered reprobates. The word reprobate comes from a Greek word
which simply means not standing the test.
I.PETER.1:7
That the
trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
JAMES.1:3
Knowing
[this], that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. 9 Notice this shows a trial associated
with your faith.)
JAMES.1:6
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.
So as we see in 2 Thessalonians 1: 7 - 2: 3 that the
trial of our Faith will produce in some one thing while in others it will not
produce at all. It all depends on your Faith.
II.CORINTHIANS.13:5
Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own
selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye
be reprobates?
HEBREWS.4:2
For unto us
was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it]. So
we see here 2 groups. And what sets them apart as different is the effect the
Word of God has upon them. The same Word mind you. On one group it has an
effect while on the other Group it has no effect at all. We're talking about the same Word! Remember the 5 wise and 5 foolish both heard
the same
DEUTERONOMY.32:20
And he said,
I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be]: for they
[are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith.. Now this word
"froward " means a perverted people. This word froward
means perverted. These were a perverted people. A people who
can not receive the Truth for what it is but receive a twisted Truth.
II.THESSALONIANS.3:2
And that we
may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.
Now, what I want to show you tonight is that these 2
groups of people are both ordained to hear the same Message at the end-time.
But One Group has faith and through that Faith they are quickened to the
Message of their hour while the other Group has not received the same Message
by Revelation. It is not revealed to them and thus they can not put it together
in a way that will do them any good. And they thus lose what hope they have and
through attrition they wear away. They are reprobate concerning the faith. They
are they who depart from the faith. Now this attrition we speak of is a wearing
away or weakening to the point of exhaustion, a wearing or grinding down by
affliction.
I.TIMOTHY.4:1
Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
I.TIMOTHY.5:12
Having
damnation, because they have cast off their first faith... Notice they can't take it any more and so they cast
off their faith as like a yoke... but
remember, brother Branham said this would happen... He said the last thing to
strike the church is death.. spiritual
death, just as natural death was the
last plague to strike
I.TIMOTHY.6:10
For the love
of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
I.TIMOTHY.1:19
Holding
faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have
made shipwreck
II.TIMOTHY.4:7
I have fought
a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Notice how
Paul likens it to a good race or a good fight where although it will wear you down , you condition yourself to be able to endure.
GALATIANS.2:20
I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Now in getting back to these 2 groups we see that one is ordained to pass the test I.JOHN.5:4 For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith
... while the other is not. ordained to pass it. These are considered reprobate. They simply
just give up and shipwreck. They are not
pressurized to take it. Attrition sets in and away they go.
JUDE.1:3
Beloved, when
I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful
for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
I.PETER.5:8
- 10
Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in
the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you].