Follow Me #9
(Walking in the Light is Life)
Sunday, Easter Morning
Rev Brian Kocourek
[John 19-20:all]:Prayer ... Read again verse 17 to my Father and your Father, My
God and your God.
[2 John 1: 1-9] & [Romans
8:29] Weymouth Translation : Now, we know that for those who love God,
all things are working together for good- for those, I mean, whom with
deliberate purpose He has called. For those whom He has known beforehand, He
has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the
Eldest in a vast family of brothers; and those whom He has predestind, He also has
called; and those whom He has called, he has also declared free from guilt; and
those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with Glory. Now,
That is what this Resurrection day is all about.
And this morning I would like to
speak to you of what this wonderful day we call Easter is all about. Many
people today are assembled together around the world and many a sermon will be
preached about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And many minds will be turned
back and focused on an event that took place nearly 2,000 years ago, and they
will miss the fact of what that Resurrection was all about. Oh, they know that
it speaks of Life but so did the pagan converts that mixed Easter bunnies and Easter
eggs with this blessed event. But you see those were pagans
signs of fertility which took place in the festival of life each spring. But
Jesus could not have died in the spring, for you see, if Jesus Lived to be 33
1/2 years old, figuring that He was 30 when He entered into His ministry , and
His ministry lasted for 3 1/2 years, because the Book of Daniel tells us that
Messiah would be cut off in the midst or middle of the week which was a 7
year period, then knowing that He was
born in the Spring time when all lambs are born, that would mean that 33 1/2 years later He would have died sometime
in the fall when all nature goes to the grave. But when the early Catholic
Church began to bring in many converts from pagan backgrounds we know by
history that they left many of their pagan ceremonies in tact and mixed them
with their own and just gave them a different name, and thus Easter became a
Christian rite of worship in the spring and became identified with the
resurrection of Christ. So the world today looks back at what happened 2,000
years ago but we look at the Signs of the resurrected Life now, in our midst. We
are a very privileged people because we are witnesses to that Resurrection, for
that same one who indwelled the man Jesus has come again in this hour to do the
same thing again. And He has given us an evidence that
He is the same One who raised up Jesus from the grave by doing the same things
He did while He was here on earth. Hebrews 13:8 Tells us, “Jesus
Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” Therefore what He did
back then, He must do the same today. And that is how we know that He is here
among us, for He has come and has done the very same things today that He did
back then.
Now, this morning, Let’s go back for a moment to the setting of the Crucifixion
that we might understand what and why Jesus allowed Himself to suffer that most
miserable and painful death.
[John 12:23-27] (read) Let’s look again at verse
23 And
Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come, that The Son of Man should be
Glorified. Now this word Glorified is the Greek word, doxazo = which primarily signifies an "Opinion" or "Estimate" and hence,
the honour that results from a Good opinion. "Doxa" is used of the Nature of God in Self
Manifestation. What He essentially is and does.
When we think in
terms of opinion or estimate, we are speaking in terms of thought, and hence the value given to that thought. An opinion is a judgment.
An opinion is an evaluation, an estimation , a judgment
of ones own mind. An opinion
deals with the mind and
its desired values. In the Judicial
System, the Judge's formal judgment or
decision is called his written opinion.
Thus when we see
this word used we are looking at God’s opinion being expressed.
In fact from the Message “Living, Dying, Buried” brother Branham
said, "...the way God represented
Himself in Jesus Christ. He expressed
His opinion to the human race, ..."
Now, what would be the ultimate
expression of that Opinion? It would have to be the very purpose that Jesus came
forth into the world. Notice in verse 27
He said, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour? But for this cause I came unto this
hour! His very purpose of being, the very expression of God’s purpose
and plan and opinion was to be finalized in that very hour. Death to self and Resurrection
to Life. And notice verse 26 Verily, verily I say unto you,
Follow Me #9 (Walking in the Light is Life)
Now, remember, not every one is
going to understand this because He is speaking in a parable and he said the
reason He speaks in parables is that only those ordained to Eternal Life will
understand while all others will be confused by the parable.
Now, let’s just break down this
thought for a moment. He is speaking of a grain of wheat, right? And what is in
that grain of wheat? Life - Right? Then He is speaking
of a seed, correct? And He is telling us that it is essential for a Seed to be
planted in death, and burial in order for a resurrection of Life to take place.
And notice that the seed will
release enough Life back again that it is not just one plant that will come up,
but he said, Except a grain of wheat fall into the
ground, it abideth alone: But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Much, many... In [John 16:7] He said, “It is expedient for you that I go away, for
if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will
send Him unto you.”.
Therefore what we see in the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the plan or opinion of God in self
expression and His desire to increase His own Life, from One Son to many sons. And Remember, Jesus said Himself in [John
Now, the big question is how is this Life to be given unto us. He said, My purpose in coming is to give unto you Life, and that you
might have it more abundantly. Now we know the world abundantly means to be
overflowing in such a way as to be more than what is necessary. And we are
talking about Life. Now, in verse 24 He told us how He must go away in
order for that Life to be released back into us. And in verse 25 He says, “he that loveth his own Life shall lose it, and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto Eternal Life.” Now the word love here is Phileo which is to
have a fondness toward. And he says, He that loves his own soul in such a way
as to be so fond of it that he will not change, will end up losing what he has.
But he that detests his soul in a way which he is not hasppy with his condition
will end up saiving it because he is will to change his condition and thus he
will receive an Eternal condition which shall never perish.
Now notice then what He says in verse
26, If any man serve me, let him follow
Me; And that is the series we are speaking from. Follow Me. He says, If
any man serve me, let him follow Me; and where I am, ( in other words, in My
Presence) There shall also my servant be: ( Therefore those people who do
not believe He is here can not call themselves His Servant. For how can they
serve Him if they are not with Him). If
any man serve me, him will my Father honor.”
Now, this is not an easy thing Jesus
is telling us to do. Even He Himself was
troubled in his soul about this very idea of completely surrendering Himself over
to the will of the Father as we see in verse 27, Now is my soul troubled; and what
shall I say, Father save me from this hour?But for this cause came I into this
world. ! His very purpose of being, the very expression of God’s
purpose and plan and opinion was to be finalized in that very hour. Death to self and Resurrection to Life. That is what Easter
is all about? That is why we call it good Friday! That is what His Resurrection
is all about?
But notice that He was talking to
the people about following Him. He said, If any man serve me, let him follow Me; and
where I am, (in My Presence) There shall also my servant be: He
was tralking to the people about following Him and yet He was also talking
baout going away. Then if he in His body was going away, who or what were they
to follow? He gave us the illustration of the grain of wheat being buried or
planted in the ground, and we know by this thought that the body had to be laid
aside for the life to be released. And when the body is laid aside, what then
attracts the life in that seed body that has been released? When the seed does
into the ground, what draws the life out of the Seed? Light,
right? And notice that He goes on
to speak to us of this. Let’s read from verse [27-36]. Now, who is this Light that Jesus is talking about that
they must Follow? Remember, he just told them they
must follow Him and now we hear him speaking about this Light and walking in it
and following it. And every Seed that expresses the life within it, must come up toward the Light or else they will perish.
Follow Me #9 (Walking in the Light is Life)
[John 1:4-9, 3: 19-21] That
his deeds may become manifest. That his fruits may become manifest. Look, what
good is a life without a manifestation of that Life. And what God is a Parousia
of God without an Epiphanaea of God to attract our attention to that presence.
[John
Notice he is speaking of the Light
being with them, and their walking with that Light. And he speaks of how the
Light will actually show us where we are walking, but those who walk without
the Light which is His Presence do not know where they are going. And when you
don’t know where you are going we call that being lost, right?
Now we know that the entire focus of
His Life while here on earth was to be wrapped up in that final hour where He
would allow Himself to be crucified, die and be buried because He believed God’s
Word which spoke of His Resurrection. Now during this time when Jesus is
pouring out his heart to the brethren, He knows that what He told them about
loving their own soul above God’s Word will only result in their losing it. But
today people are so wrapped up in the cares of this life that they have missed
the resurrected Jesus all over again.
[John 6:27] Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but
for that meat which endureth unto everlasting Life, which the Son of Man shall
give unto you: For Him hath the Father Sealed.
Now, if we believe that “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Then if he said then,
“I
have come that you might have Life and that you might have it more abundantly,”
Then we can certainly see that His presence, His personal appearance is
to bring forth Life. And not only Life, but an abudant Life. One that is
overflowing, one that brings forth Life that is greater than we can comprehend
or even contain. And that is why when we speak of Him, and the great Revelation
of Christ, we seem to want to almost explode within. Joy and peace and all the
very wonderful emotions that are associated with Life seem to find their way
into our beings, and seek an avenue for expression from deep within us.
[Romans 8:10-17]
[Ephesians 2:1-10]
[Colossians 2:12-15]
[1 Corinthians 15:all]
[Romans 8:29]