God’s Only Provided Place of Worship 91 Recognition

God’s Only Provided Place of Worship # 91

Brian Kocourek, November 1, 1995

Recognition

Sunday we spoke from p. 257-258 where Brother Branham said, And they said, "Well, you are borned of fornication! Who tells you to come to here? What school, what seminary recognized you? There we have Moses. We are..."He said, "If you'd have knowed Moses, you'd have knowed Me." Cause Moses wrote Him in his four books, From this we see that Brother Branham was telling us that the people at Jesus First coming did not recognize Who it was that they were talking to. And as always, he was showing us what took place in the Alpha ministry of Christ so is we could see what was in the Omega.

So what we are looking at in this paragraph is recognition. Recognition is essential to understand the Who and what of what God has for us in this hour. It is also important in being able to keep your focus on God and Him only. One of the biggest problems we face in this Message is in Keeping our focus on Him, and Him alone. Too often we are focused on one another and not upon Him. This is only human nature, but it is not God's way at all. I believe the Ministry must get beyond the petty jealousies that is so predominant and begin to place our focus on One thing and One thing alone, and that is "Him, that He is Here! And let's face it. That is where brother Branham was light years ahead of the rest of the ministry. He did not get caught up in the politics game, of trying to make himself out to be so important. Neither did he spend all his time trying to justify how great a ministry he had. He did not get drawn into the little personality fusses either. His ministry was to declare Christ, that He is here! And he did a wonderful job of it. I think it would behoove all of us as well to again place the preeminence where it should be and that is in Christ. If we would like to serve God in a greater capacity than what we presently do, then all we need to do is what He said we should do. He said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." So all we needs do is lift Him up in Spirit and Truth. In Psalms, and in worship. In Life and in Love. We need to stay focused. That's all. And as I said earlier, this is not just a problem we see today, because after all, if we see it in the Dry Tree, then it had to be in the Green Tree as well. What we see in the Omega had also been seen in the Alpha. So let's look at this in retrospect as we again turn back tot he Alpha ministry of Christ.

[John 21:18-23] Verily, verily I say unto thee, When you were young, you girded yourself, and walked where ever you would: but when you become old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not. This spake He, signifying by what death Peter should Glorify God. Then Peter, turning about, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that will betray thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what [shall] this man [do]? Jesus said unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee? So what I want to make clear is this, "what you see all depends upon what you are looking for."

[Luke 8: 18] Take heed therefore how you hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. Notice that Jesus is telling the Apostles to be careful how they hear something. Why? Because things are not as you always think. He had to rebuke them one time because he said, Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, and they thought he was speaking of bread because they were hungry.

[Matthew 16:5] And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, [It is] because we have taken no bread. [Which] when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Let me use yet another illustration of how our focus is not yet as it should be, in it's proper place. And in order to do this without pointing any finger at any brethren in this age, ( because after all, we are all guilty) but let's go back again to the Alpha ministry of Jesus and see how easy it was for the brethren to get caught up in the wrong focus and what that does to the other brethren who are associated together. Now, first I want you to remember, we are not a large body of people, even much smaller than they were in Moses day when nearly 2 million people were following the pillar of Fire. Secondly, the only reason we are together is because He said, " If you walk in the light, even as He is in the Light, we will have fellowship together." So then what has brought us together is Him, right? And then if He is the reason for us coming together, then this should also be our focus. But even at His first coming we saw how the Apostles themselves did not grasp this focus.

[Matthew 20:20 - 28] Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard [it], they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Now what we see here is an example of how differences that lead to fusses are created in the Message. First of all it was not the idea of the two brethren, but actually another, ( their own mother) who pushed this idea forward. Where the two brethren failed here is that they did not try to prevent it. They kind of liked the idea and so they went along with their mother when she approached Jesus. Then when Jesus put them on the spot, He asked them if they were able to drink of the same cup that He drank of, and of course they responded positively, but in Truth, they really did not know what Jesus was even talking about as He then tells them. But because they had approached Him in a manner that seemed to be placing themselves ahead of their brethren, the others, naturally got angry and you can't blame them. So then Jesus tells them how it is that they should conduct themselves if they Truly want to be Somebody. He said, And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. In other words, if you want to be big in the Kingdom of God, act like and become a servant to others. Don't point to what you have and how much more you know than the next guy or how big a church you have, but simply serve. And just don't do the actions of a servant, but be willing to empty out your life for your brethren on behalf of the Kingdom of God.

Now, tonight I would like to continue with God's only provided place of worship at pp. 259 where we left off Sunday morning.

Now, tonight I would like to focus our thoughts on this what he said here, Don't leave none of the leaven left in the... Just don't put no leaven amongst It. Don't add any creed, any denomination, for it's polluted right there, your sacrifice is finished. Now, what is leaven any way. Well brother Branham tells us it is any Creed, any denominational idea that would pollute the Word. Now what does he mean, any denominational thought or idea that would pollute the word? We first must stop and ask what it means to pollute anything? What does the word pollute mean anyway?

[ Webster] {pollute} = to contaminate, to make impure or corrupt by contact with or admixture with. So what we are looking at is any creed or denominational thought or idea that would come into contact with or be added to the Word in such a way as to change the meaning of the Word, because after all, a Word is only a thought that is expressed, and since a creed is also an expressed thought on some subject, then we are looking at the effects that one thought has upon another. And thus to pollute the Thoughts of God by adding the thoughts of men is what we are examining here. Now to find evidence of this in the scripture we need go no further than what we have already stated Sunday and recapped for you this evening from

Here you will notice that Jesus Himself referred to leaven as doctrine. And we know that the word doctrine comes from the word, "didache" which means that which is taught or instruction.. So we see that Doctrine is nothing more than teaching. It is what is taught. So what you teach is your doctrine. And as we know, "whatsoever a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,"..." and out from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." So then your doctrine will be only an expression of Who and what you are. Then too, God's doctrine is only an expression of Who and What He is. So to add anything to it will only pollute the teaching of Who and What He really is.

In other words, if you were to describe me as six foot and 208 pounds, with brownish hair that has receded in the middle you would be correct in your description of my physical makeup. But if you were to say, six foot and 300 pounds with red hair, you would be giving a description which is incorrect. Now it would seem to be know big deal to do this, but if you were to describe someone wrong who was a killer and they grabbed the wrong person based on your wrong description, then your wrong description could become the sentencing judgment of an innocent person. So we see that when it comes to the salvation of our Souls we are dependent upon having the correct description of our God because we know by Scripture that we are to be like Him. In fact we read in the following Scriptures which all tells us that when we see Him, when He appears, we will see Him and by seeing Him we are changed to be like Him. [ 1 John 3: 2, 1 Cor 13: 9-12, 2 Cor 3: 18, 1 John 4: 17, Rom 12: 1 - 2] etc. So then we see how importance it is for us to have the right description and to see the correct Jesus. For Paul warned us in [ 2 Cor 11: 1- 4] about another Jesus and another Spirit and another Gospel. And we know this other Gospel is one that is polluted.

[Galatians 1: 6 - 7] I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Notice Paul is telling them that they have already become removed, which is to be separated from the Gospel of Christ. He said they were separated to another Gospel which is not altogether a different message as though it is a completely different one. But what he is telling them here is that the Message was changed or perverted and in this perversion, it became another or a different gospel in it's nature. The word pervert here is a Greek word, [ Metastrepho] which means, to transform into something of an opposite character as we see in scripture when it uses this same word on [Acts 2:20 and says, "The sun shall be turned into darkness" and in [James 4:9] when it says, "Laughter will be turned into mourning and joy into heaviness." It is also interesting to note that this word Metastrepho is used only three times and in each the change that it is talking about is one that goes from good to worse, as the sun turning into darkness and joy turning into heaviness as well as laughter into mourning. So when Paul uses it again in referring to the Gospel which brings Life, then we can see the opposite of Life is death. And that is exactly what this perverted Gospel brings with it. Death!

[259] Cause Moses wrote Him in his four books, "The Lord your God shall raise up a giver of the Word, a Prophet likened unto me, and who will not hear that prophet will be cut off from amongst the people." That's all there is to it. And what is He? The Word. And what is It? Don't leave none of the leaven left in the... Just don't put no leaven amongst It. Don't add any creed, any denomination, for it's polluted right there, your sacrifice is finished. Now, I further want you to notice here, that Brother Branham is telling us that God is the Word, and that He is to send us a Prophet that will declare this One Who is the Word. And that we are not to add our own thoughts to what He is. And in fact if we don't receive this one Who comes forth to declare The Lord God, then we shall be cut off from amongst the people. In other words, death. Then He warns us not to add to what will be given, because He tells us God I the Word and so then the Message is God. To change it then is to change Who your God is. And that is death. So we see the use of the word leaven used here and in scripture as a type of man mixing something into the Word of God which does not belong in it.

[Matthew 13: 33] Another parable spake He unto them; The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Now, remember, a parable is simply an illustration that is used so that only a certain group of people who are listening will be able to understand and all others will not be able to comprehend or perceive what the story is all about. Because after all, when a story or illustration is used, the people will have a tendency to bring to their own minds things that are already in their minds. That is why Jesus said to the Pharisees in [John 8] "You do what you have seen with your father, and I do that which I have seen of my Father." In [Mark 4: 24] And He said, unto them, " Take heed what you hear: for with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you:" And in [ Matthew 23: 32 -33] Jesus said, Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. You serpent seed...." So we see that as Brother Branham was so correct in telling us that we are fortunate to have had the Foundation stone or Seed which is the Seed Gene Life of God placed in us before the Foundations of the World as we see in [ Eph 1: 3 - 4]. Because, after all, this Seed Gene of God allows us to actually see and understand the Word of God whether it comes in a direct manner, or in the fashion of a parable, illustration or story.

And what we see in this parable of the woman mixing in leaven into three measures of meal is that a woman always in scripture, is a type of the church, whether as a Bride or as a whore. She is a type or representation of the church and Meal is a type of Christ the bread of Life! [ John 6: 33, 38, 48 & 51]. And so we see He is telling us the condition of the Bread of Life which is the Word of God at the time of the Kingdom of God. He says, this woman, the church will have added leaven to the Word of God until the whole thing is leavened. And what does leaven do? It works throughout the meal until it begins to expand it to a place where it is bloated and puffed up, and full of hot air and sticky in its nature.

From The Message , [Satan's Eden 65-0829 pg. 17 & pp. 5-6] The thing of it is, is today we don't try to establish the Word of God in the people's hearts. We're trying to establish ourselves. Churches are trying to establish the doctrine of the church in a person's heart. We are commanded to establish the Word of God. Paul said, "I didn't come to you with enticing words of man that your faith might rest up in the knowledge of men, but I come to you in power, in manifestations of the Holy Ghost that your faith might rest in God. There you are. Man mustn't establish theirself. We find it amongst... Let God do something for a person, send him out, you find every man trying to impersonate it. See, they're trying to establish themselves. Every man, "I did this, me, I, mine, my denomination, me this," establish themselves. What are we preaching about, ourselves, or the Kingdom of God? Establish the Word of God. Take out the unbelief and establish the Kingdom of God in a man's heart. And the Kingdom of God cannot be established in a man's heart, 'less God made that man thus. He cannot be established in a... And remember, the deceitful part, that men think that it's right. See? "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man." Every intellectual being seems right.

So we see the condition of the Word of God and how it came to the place where it is hardly recognizable in this hour. But remember, "I shall restore saith the Lord!" And that is what He has come down to do. Let's look at another scripture where Paul tells us of the effects that this leaven has upon us. Now, remember, we said that leaven affects the meal by making it tacky, kind of a sticky nature, and what does a sticky nature represent but one that is always finding fault with every thing, or kind of carnal. We also said it bloats or puffs up the meal. And we read Paul's speaking of this in the following scripture.

[I Corinthians 5: 6 - 8] Your glorying [is] not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth. And so here Paul defines the Leaven of Malice and wickedness. He says, we are to be without leaven. Now we know that malice is a mode of thinking, feeling and acting that is based upon a wrong motive and usually has an injurious nature to it. In other words, it is a deep seated animosity that delights in causing others to suffer or in seeing them suffer. And we are commanded to purge out his sort of thinking and behavior.

But as you notice, Jesus Himself has told us that when His Kingdom is to established here in the earth, The Word of God will be so filled with the leaven of the church that all it will be is a big bunch of politics. Because that is exactly what we see here in these illustrations that we have read. A political mindedness that seeks advantage over others and doesn't really care two bits for the King Himself. That's churchianity and I hate it. And that's the effect of the leaven of man upon the Word of God. Men only use the Word of God for advantage, not to point people to Eternal Life.

Now with this in mind, and having said what I must about the political atmosphere that so permeates the churches today, let's look into the next paragraph and see how Brother Branham reconciles this back to the Word of God again and our position in Christ that we are truly meant to possess.

[pp. 260] God's Only Provided Place of Worship Let's hurry now, right quick, so you can go eat. Notice! Now, then, you are a son of God in the house of God, you are a part of God's economy. [Romans 8:1], "Then there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." For they are dead to the world, alive in Him, and living in this present day, making the Word that God has used them for, foreordained them, placing their names in this Bride Book. And when the Waters comes upon that seed that's in the heart, raises it up to the Bride of Christ. Oh, my! Just perfect as it can be. In every age it's been that way. So when we hear Brother say, "The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet from among your brethren and he will remove the leaven", then we should be so thankful to Him, because He has come to establish the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man which is only political in nature.