MASTERPIECE No. 8
The God of all Comfort
Sunday,
June 5, 2005
Rev.
Brian Kocourek
2 Thessalonians 2: 16 Now our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath
given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
Philippians 2: 1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Let us pray, Dear Father,
we know and believe that you are here this morning in our midst. Though we can
not see you, nor feel you, yet we have assurance that your Great Pillar of Fire
is here leading us to the Millennium, for you told us that is your purpose
through the lips of your vindicated prophet.
Therefore, Father, be with
us as we lay ourselves open to your Great Presence here among us, and may your
Presence bring comfort to us Father, for you are the God of all Comfort. And
help us to understand what you are doing here now, as we have no prophet among
us to speak for Thee. Help us then, Father to know and understand our place in
your Kingdom, and what you are doing yet
in this hour, as we look to the words that you spake through your vindicated
Prophet knowing that You are the I am, and not the I was. Then Father we
believe your words through William Branham were not words for the past, but
words for the present. And we know and believe Father, that that those words
were not the words of a man, but they were Your Word to us Father and we have
confidence in your Great Message which you gave us through that yielded vessel.
And we believe those words are still as much alive today and with as much power
today as they were the day when they were spoken.
Therefore Father, we know
that you have come in the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of
yourself. Then, hear our petition to Thee this morning Father, and we ask that
you would open to us Your Great Fountain of
Wisdom, and help us to know and be sure, and be comforted by Your
Presence among us, for we ask it in Jesus Christ’s precious name, Amen.
Again this morning I would
like to continue examining brother Branham’s opening prayer from his sermon
entitled the Masterpiece. To do so, we will need to pick up at paragraph 3
where we read last week concerning our transformation from Righteous men to
Saints.
Brother Branham, in his
prayer says, 3.
“Give to us the desires of our heart, for we truly have these desires to serve
You. And in these weakening conditions
and afflictions and things of the world that's put upon us sometime to perfect us... We've been told that, He
said, "Think it not strange that these trials come." They're only
working out for our good and to perfect us and bring us into that place.
These great deserts of experience, where
righteous men are molded into saints, we thank Thee for these experiences,
Lord. We would no wise want to do anything contrary to Your will; but we pray,
Father, that in this we'll be brought closer to You.
4. And when
the burdens are so heavy we can't go no farther, then we raise our hands
and scream for our Father. Then hear
from heaven, Lord. Heal us. Make us well for the
I would like to stop for a
moment in our reading this morning because these words that brother Branham is
saying here concerning our burdens seems so present tense, and so real,
especially since all we have gone through here recently having suffered great
loss of friends and family members. It seems sometimes, that we come to a place
where we just can’t see daylight. Everything seems to be so dark and the
promises of God seem to be so distant, and there seems to be no relief in
sight. That is the essence of what he is saying here. He said, And when
the burdens are so heavy we can't go no farther, then we raise our hands
and scream for our Father. Then hear
from heaven, Lord. Heal us. Make us well for the
Now, Brother Branham is
speaking here of a time when all seems to be lost, and the light seems to have
grown dark. A time when everything seems
to be going the wrong way for us, and then he tells us, that is when we need to
know that we have a Father to whom we can cry out to. A Father Who will hear us
and bring comfort to those of us in need.
You know, the Apostle Paul told us the same thing
in second Corinthians. He told us that our
God is a God who is full of Mercy and Comfort. In fact he told us He is the God
of ALL Comfort.
2
Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of
all comfort; 4 Who comforts us in all
our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 7 And our hope of you
is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye
be also of the consolation.
Now, these
words are so outstanding to us, especially in these times when we have loved
ones among us and close to us that have suddenly without explanation or our being
aware have been snatched out of our midst. To some of you listening, it may
have been family, to others it may have been close friends. Regardless of the
relationship, we must all deal with the reality of a sudden change in our life,
and a need for comfort.
Having
experienced many funerals over the years, and several of them family members,
and several of them loved ones who were as close as family, I would like to say
that comfort is not something that comes easy to us. Neither do we get comfort
from someone else’s experiences. Our comfort, I mean true comfort comes from
one source and one source alone. And that source is from God our Father and our
confidence we have in His great Judgment.
As Abraham
said, “Shall not
the Judge of all the earth do right?”
We have all
attended funerals and have been close to someone who has suffered loss. Death, dying, and suffering, these not uncommon to any who are born into
this world. Certainly they are not uncommon to any who are Sons and daughters
of God.
Now, last week
we read where the Apostle Peter said, 1 Peter 4: 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto
you: so we see that the trials we have should not be viewed as
though they are some strange thing happening to us that others do not suffer.
On the contrary, he said our attitude should be to rejoice for those trials. 13 But rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
But if you
will recall, in our study last week we pointed out that it is not the trial
itself that we are to rejoice in, but what that trial works into our character.
For God does not place us under trials and suffering to get a kick out of it.
We were told that even the Son of God learned obedience by the things that He
suffered. And the Bible tells us that those trials and sufferings perfected
Him.
We read from Hebrews 5: 7 Who in the days of
his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying
and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, (Notice,
that although God was able to save the Son of God from death, He didn’t,
because it was His will to bruise and smash that sweet rose of Sharon until the
beautiful perfume of the Holy Ghost left Him so that you and I could enjoy that
sweet smelling savor.) and was heard in that he feared;
Yes, Jesus the
Son of God “feared”. But His fear was not a fear of doubt, but of a reverential
subjection to the will of God. He said, “Father I would that
you take this cup from me,” and then after a great struggle and then
final victory he said, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done”.
) 8 Though
he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And
being made perfect, he became the
author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
And how did he
become perfect? By the sufferings in his flesh. Now, the word perfect was
translated from the Greek word teleioo, which means to be made complete or consummate
in character. In other words His character was finished off, completed by this
act of subjecting His will to the Father’s will. .
Now, The
apostle Peter went on to say in verse 14 If ye be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of
God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he
is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a
thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian,
let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first
begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18
And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the
sinner appear? 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will
of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator.
Now, in
getting back to what the Apostle Paul was telling us about the God of all
comforts, he said, 2 Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforts us in all our
tribulation,(Now, I want you to notice here that God
not only comforts you but He is the God of all comforts, and has promised to
comfort us in every time of need. And the reason God brings us comfort is that
we might bring comfort to others in their time of need.)He goes on to say, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, (and
notice how we are enabled to comfort others) by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
You see, it is
God that brings us our comfort. Then it is not your words, or your experiences
that can bring comfort to others, but it is your reflecting the God of all
comfort to them that will bring them comfort in times of trial and need. No one
that has been hit by sudden loss or severe injury is interested in what someone
else has gone through. That is not the time for it. When sudden loss occurs, or
sudden injury or time of real need, the best thing we can do for those who are
suffering is to be sure ourselves of the Love of God and that God indeed is a
faithful God. Your bringing comfort to others is not in what you can do, say or
what you have experienced.
There is a
time and place for all that. But in time of distress, we bring comfort by
having been comforted by God ourselves. And our faith and confidence in God
having brought us comfort, will bring comfort to those who are hurting and in
need.
Even Brother
Branham who experienced much in terms of sorrow and despair, said the only one
who could comfort him when his little
He
careth for you 60-0301 P:43 I walked over to the bed, put my hands on her little head, I said,
"Darling, God gave you, and God's taking you away; blessed be the Name of
the Lord. Though You slay me, yet I'll trust You." Yes, sir. I said,
"I'll take you, darling, and lay you on your mother's arm yonder in the
undertaker's morgue in about a hour from now. But yet if He kills me, there's
nothing I can go to. He's the only Hope that I've ever found. He's the only
Foundation. He's the only Comfort that I
ever had. And where could I go now
for comfort, if it wasn't to Him? When I said that, the Angels come and
packed her away. And I just almost collapsed, but something happened. He was my Comforter. He came to me. He
cared for me.
Notice the
Apostle Paul said, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are
comforted of God.
When you
yourselves show an open confidence in the God of all comfort, that confidence
in God brings comfort to those in need of comfort.
Now, the
Apostle Paul continues, 5 For as the
sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of
the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
Finally in closing, The apostle Paul tells us in. Romans
15: 5 Now the God of patience and consolation
grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Notice that Paul calls God, the God of Patience and Consolation. Because
after you have awaited the promise God surely will keep His word. What
consolation we have in Christ Jesus. Knowing that God raised up His Son from
the dead.
The Apostle Peter told us in I PETER 5:6 Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 ¶ 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]. 11 To him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
Let’s bow our hearts in prayer. Dear Gracious and Loving Father,. We know
of many hardships and trials that have befallen our brethren in these past
years, but through them all you have been there. For you told us “I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. And we hold to those Words dear Lord, knowing that
you care for us. Help us then to cast all our cares upon you for you Care of
us. Be with those that morn, comfort the afflicted, and bring glad tidings to
those that are in need, be with the MCrae family, and The Arias family, and
with the Roberts family and their children Lord, And Father we ask your comfort
upon all that are in need at this time, for we ask it in the blessed name you
gave your Son Jesus Christ our Lord., Amen.