MASTERPIECE No. 11
Where are You Placing Your Faith?
Rev. Brian Kocourek
This morning I would like
to continue with our examination of brother Branham’s sermon on the
masterpiece. This is number 11 in our series, and we have just left the opening
prayer to where brother Branham has begun a small introduction to His subject.
I would like to read a statement he made in paragraph 10 because it is worth
thinking about and meditating upon.
In THE MASTERPIECE paragraph 10 we
read, Now, we
got to place our faith somewhere. Now, he goes on to say, we could
place our faith in making a million dollars but then what are we going to do
with it. We can’t take it with us so what good does it really do.
He says, And if I, or any of us in life tried to make a
success in life and become many times a multimillionaire... But what are we
going to do with that? We got to come down at the end of the road and what good
is it to us then? See? And money is a scrip; it's an exchange; but you can't
exchange it for Life. Only God has Life.
Now, that is the real
question we are here to ask ourselves today. He said, “we got to place our faith somewhere.” So
the question I ask you this morning is where are you placing your Faith.
Remember, last night where brother Branham said that he goes through life
looking on the little things because Jesus promised us that all things will
work together for those who love God, for those who are the called the
appointed of the Lord.
And we miss God so many
times by missing what He is doing in the little things in our lives. We seem to
focus so much on the large things, the grand things, the super things, but we
know that God hides Himself in simplicity, and we even testify to that and yet
when it comes to our own lives we seem to have our thoughts elsewhere than the
little things.
But it is the little foxes
that spoil the vine, and it is the little things that if left undone will undo
us. And it is the little things that God makes Himself known in.
When Elijah wanted to hear
from God He prayed earnestly to God for an answer and then the lightning came
and then the thunder, and then the earth quaked and the wind did whirl like a
tornado, and yet he found not God in any of those things, but when that still
small voice came to Him, He knew instantly that God was speaking to Him and
that He should be still to hear the voice of God.
Influence 64-0315 P:40 Here's a
good example. Always be conscious of your littleness, not your bigness. Today
we--we Americans so much... That we try to think that we're a big somebody, we
belong to something big, some big organization. Some great big something's
got... All great big, big, big is all we see. And when... One time in the Bible
we have an example of that. There was a prophet went back in the cave, and
Elijah... And God was trying to attract his attention to come out. And there
come the fire, and smoke, and blusterous winds across the mountain, and
thunder, and earthquakes, and shakings and everything else. The prophet never
even moved. God wasn't even in it. But when that still small voice spoke, he
covered his face and come forward. When the still, small voice of God's Word
speaks, not a racket, not our big denominations, not our big something, but
that still, small voice of the Word that's looked over, that should call a man
to repentance. God in His Word. Yet he covered his feet and become conscious of
his... our littleness before God.
Evening messenger 63-0116 P:93 Notice, big noises, but it didn't attract
the prophet. The prophet didn't care about the big noises. But when he heard
that still small Voice, he knew that was the Word; he veiled his face and come
walking out. You know, the sun can draw more water in fifteen minutes, without
any noise at all, than more than all... And we make more noise drawing a gallon
of water than the sun does a million barrels. That's right. We're always
looking for something that's got big and a lot of "hurrah," and a lot
of racket to it. And when it comes down to the fact of taking the Word, then
here comes the thing up. See? Come, and they say, "Well, bless God, I tell
you..."
Now, as I said earlier in
this message, brother Branham said, “we got to place our faith somewhere.” So the
question is where are we placing our Faith. We know that Faith is a Revelation,
because Brother Branham told us that in the several of his sermons in late 1965
beginning with the sermon, False anointed ones.
Anointed ones at end
time 65-0725M P:38 What is faith? Faith is
something that's revealed to you, that is not yet, but you believe it will be.
Faith is a revelation of the will of God. So by revelation...And the churches
today don't even believe in spiritual revelation. They believe in a dogmatic
teaching of some system. "By revelation Abel offered unto God a more excellent
sacrifice than that of Cain, which God testified he was righteous." Amen.
I hope you see that. See where we're living, see the hour?
Now, I want you to
notice the example brother Branham gave to us. He quoted Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by
which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:
and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Now,
notice that we are told that Abel’s sacrifice was a more excellent sacrifice
than Cain’s sacrifice. So then Cain’s sacrifice had to be an excellent
sacrifice is Abel’s sacrifice was a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s. And
in order to be more excellent the other must be excellent. And Cain’s sacrifice
was an excellent sacrifice because it was Deuteronomy 26 the “first fruit
offering”. So Cain’s sacrifice was very bible based. Therefore, Cain was a
fundamentalist believer.
Deuteronomy 26: 1 And it
shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; 2 That thou shalt take of the
first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land
that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go
unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
Now, notice that Cain offered unto
God a first fruit offering which is a harvest offering or resurrection
offering, because the harvest represents the resurrection time when the reapers
shall come and harvest the crop.
But his revelation was out of
season, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, and
there will be no resurrection to life without the once for all blood sacrifice.
So Cain’s sacrifice although and
excellent one was out of season. And when Cain had a son He called Him Enoch.
But this Enoch was not the Enoch from Adam that would be taken in the first
Rapture. But Cain was a fundamentalist
and he believed the Scriptures and could read them in the stars as could Adam
and all those who lived back then were taught to do so.
But John
said he killed his brother because his deeds were evil.
1 John 3: 11 For this is the message
that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And
wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's
righteous.
Now, it
does not say here that the slaying of his brother was the evil deed, but he
slew his brother because his deeds were evil. And what was his evil deed? The same Apostle who wrote this epistle wrote
also the Gospel according to John, and said, John 3: 19 And this is
the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because why?
Because their
deeds were evil.
They won’t come to the light
because they think they have a better understanding of the Word.
So he offered unto God an
excellent sacrifice, and yet it was called evil by the Apostle John. And this same John said the evidence of God
seed is Love and Cain is not an example of Love. In fact if you look at the
spirit upon him, you would see that because God did not accept his sacrifice he
got angry and killed his brother. That is not Love, and that is exactly what
the apostle John pointed out that Cain is not to be an example of this love of
the brethren that will manifest who is God seed and who is not.
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13,
“there remains Faith, Hope and Love and the greatest of these
is Love.” Therefore it begins with Faith but must come up from
faith into hope which is an earnest expectation, and then that earnest
expectation comes forth in an expression of giving which Paul calls love. The
first thing is faith which is a revelation, and then if that Faith is a genuine
revelation it will build up an earnest expectation from it. For if you truly
believe something then you earnestly expect that something to bring forth and
the bringing forth is what is called Love. Love is always characterized in the
scriptures as giving. For God so loved the world that He gave.
If a man has a revelation about a
woman to be his bride, it will build up an earnest expectation within him that
will bring forth a giving. So in fact the giving expresses the revelation. And
so does your sacrifice express your revelation.
You see,
your sacrifice is a result of what is revealed to you. And you become your
revelation. Abel offered up to God a bleeding dying lamb, and he became just
that.
From the
Invisible union of the bride 65-1125 P:68 brother
Branham said, What is a revelation? Jesus said, "Upon
this Rock I'll build My church, and the gates of hell can't prevail against
it." Faith is a revelation, because
faith has been revealed to you. Abel, by
faith offered by revelation (faith) offered to God a more excellent
sacrifice than that of Cain. Cain thought they eat apples. They still got that
idea, but it wasn't. It was adultery: serpent's seed. And there, when the Seven
Seals opened, it declared it and proved it. (My book's just out on it. I think
we have got a thousand here now. See?) Notice, that's Scripturally from Genesis
to Revelations. At the end-time both trees are coming to the seed and proving
themselves.
Now, if
something is truly revealed to you then it will produce within you an earnest
expectation which is hope, and if so then it will end in an expression of love.
And so if our sacrifices to God do not come from an expression of Love then
they are of no use to us or God.
Paul
said, “Though I give my body to be burned and I do not have Love, what does it
profit me?” And notice that Cain’s works were not an expression of Love, for
when given an opportunity to do right he rejected it and killed his brother to
get him out of the competition for God’s
attention. And how many preachers have done the same thing in this hour.
When they know they don’t have the full truth they attack the man and try to
kill his influence. Now, that will never get you closer to God!, So why do
something that stupid?
Works is faith
expressed 65-1126 P:50 In a audience of people, where a prayer line comes through, you'll
find some... And they were all good people, we'll say. There's some that's
trying hard to believe it, trying to work themselves into it. Some just can't
do it at all. And others, it's just by
grace; it's just given to them. Now, there is the difference. See? That
does it. That's the real revelation,
because faith is a revelation from God. It must be revealed first.
And from
The Rapture 65-1204 P:40 Brother Branham
said, But to the church, the Bride,
the rapture is a revelation to her. It's revealed to her, that the
revelation, the true Bride of Christ will be waiting for that revelation of the
rapture .Now, it is a revelation, for
the revelation is faith. You cannot have a revelation without it being faith.
Faith is a revelation, because it's something that's revealed to you. Faith is a revelation. Faith is something
that has been revealed to you
like it was to Abraham, that could call anything contrary to what had been
revealed to him as though it wasn't so. Now, faith... That's what faith is, is
the revelation of God. The church is built upon a revelation, the whole entire
body.
Now, brother Branham said
in this sermon “the Masterpiece”
“we got to place
our faith somewhere.” So the question I want you to consider this
morning is where are you placing your Faith. What do you place your faith in? Because that will tell
you where you are going to.
You see, if you have a
faith, then there must be an earnest expectation, and if so then what are you
earnestly expecting? What is your hope? And if there is a hope then that hope
will manifest itself I what you do.
Now
the Apostle Paul said, Romans 8:
24 For we are saved by hope: But I thought he
said, Ephesians 2: 8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God:
So
you see it actually is by Grace that we are saved, because it is not what we
have done but what He has done for us, and the grace given to us is by His Faith
in the Father to keep His Word, and if
we have His Faith and if it is truly genuine, then out of that faith comes
forth a hope or earnest expectation, and out of that earnest expectation comes
forth an expression resulting in an act of love. And that is why this Same
Apostle could say in Romans 8: 24 For we
are saved by hope: but hope that is
seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait
for it.
Martin Luther said, “Hope
denotes an expectation that is most intense. Hope that grows out of the ardent
longing for that which is greatly desired, makes love ever greater by the very
distance that separates it. Through such high tensioned hope there is created
so to speak, a unity between the one who hopes and that which he hopes for.” And Paul said if you se it then you no longer hope for
it. If you see it you no longer earnestly are expecting it as though it is not
there. That is why hope is that which is not seen, and yet it is earnestly expecting
for that which is not yet arrived. But when it comes to that place then Love
takes over and the giving begins. And as Brother Branham said, your faith has
to have a place where it is focused in on. “we got to place our faith somewhere.” For where you place your faith is where you
are earnestly expecting from.
Questions and answers
COD 54-0103M P:32 Now, notice then when they were captured and carried away into
Explaining healing and Jairus 54-0216 P:37 The
devil's just trying to scare you out of something. He's trying to put something
off somewhere else, say, "Some of these days you'll be this." You are
now. Now, we're sons of God. Now, we're seated together in heavenly places.
Now, we have all powers in heavens and the earth. See? Now, we have it. Not in
the millennium, we won't need it then. We got it now. We're... Right now we are
the sons of God. "It does not appear what we shall be, but we know we'll
be like Him." What you are here is a reflection of what you are somewhere
else. "Those who He called, He justifies." Is that right? "Those
who He justified, He has glorified." Already in the Presence of the
Father, we have a glorified body. Whew! Wasn't that deep? All right. We'll find
out whether it's right or not. "If this earthly tabernacle be dissolved,
we have one already waiting." Is that right? That's right. So right now,
and what we are there, is a reflection. Here, what we are here, is a reflection
of what we are somewhere else. So if your deeds are evil, you know where it
comes from. You know where your other body's a waiting.
Questions and answers COD 54-0103E P:97 What you
are here... Get this in your mind now. I'm going to close. But what you are
here is a sign that you are something else somewhere. You've always wanted to
be in perfection, you Christians. There is a perfection, and that perfection is
not in this life. But every man and woman here that is a Christian, every
person that is a Christian here now is already glorified in the Presence of
Jesus Christ. And you've got another body. You won't have some other time; you
have right now. Right now there's another body waiting for you if this one
should perish. Could you think of that. Study that just a minute. Do you know
every one of us may be in eternity before sun rises tomorrow morning? Now, if
you're not a Christian, my friend, there's only one thing left for you. You've
got to go that way. If you're on that road, you have to go that road. If you're
a grain of corn, you'll produce corn. If you're a cocklebur, you produce
cocklebur life. Now, if you've been belonging to a church somewhere that doesn't
know and doesn't teach, and just lets you come to church and be a member of the
church... You say, "Well, Brother Branham, my church teaches that we must
accept Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. If we believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ we are saved." If your life doesn't compare with that, you haven't
made it yet.
Therefore
if you are earnestly expecting from what our faith or revelation has told you
then your life will reflect it, and your focus will be on that and your
expectation will be focused on that one thing. And thus your life will be given
over to that which has been revealed to you. And that is the sacrifice. For no
greater love has a man than he lay down his life for a friend. That is the
ultimate sacrifice and expression of Love.
Where
is your faith today? Is it in storing up treasures on earth where the moth doth
devour and the rust does corrupt? Or are you storing up your treasure in Heaven
where neither moth nor rust can destroy. Where is your Faith today, where is
your revelation? It reflects in the life you live.
Let
us bow our heads and our hearts in prayer.