The Spirit of
Adoption
Brian Kocourek
Sunday morning, march 4th
2007
2 John 3 Grace be
with you, mercy, and peace, from God
the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and
love. 4 I
rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have
received a commandment from the Father. 5 And now I beseech thee,
lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had
from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this
is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in
it. 7 For
many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to
yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we
receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God
speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
This
morning I would like to take a subject that is dear to my heart because it
concerns the doctrine of Christ, and as John said, “if you do not have the
doctrine of Christ you do not even have God.”
Now, when you are born
again you just can’t get enough of the Word of God. In fact Jesus said, “Blessed are you when
you hunger and thirst after right-wise-ness, for you shall be filled.”
Now, we all know that we must first have the earnest of our redemption which is
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and new birth, before we can receive a body
change, for without a renewing of the mind, we will not receive our
transformation as Paul said in Romans 12.
Romans 12:1 I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God. That
means you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, His
pleasing and His perfect will. And that is what Jesus said, “My
Meat is to do the will of My Father that sent me. Oh, to have that attitude of
son-ship that He had. Then Paul says, 3 For I say, through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to
every man the measure of faith.
Look, we have each been
given a measure of faith and we know faith is revelation, something that has
been revealed to you. Then if it has been revealed to you, then how can these preachers and elders get so puffed up as though
you came up with it on your own. You had no more to do with what took place in
this hour than nothing. It was a gift of God to us. God came down, beat the
snot out of William Branham, subdued him, and used him, and then you say, O, I
sure wish I were like Him. No you don’t because you wouldn’t want to go through
what he went through to get there. Just be thankful that God is the author and
finisher of your faith. Place your trust in what he is doing and just get out
of his way. Just learn to let go and let God.
And you know there is one
thing that bothers me more than any other thing as I travel the world and teach
the doctrine of Christ to the ministers here and abroad, and that is when I see
men get puffed up in the ministry and think they are somebody because they have
a little more knowledge on a subject than the next fellow. A friend of mine
once told me that if you have “that much” (two fingers spread about an inch
apart) more knowledge about a subject than the next guy, you have power over
that guy, and that is absolutely correct if you are carnal. And that is what
they have done in the churches today. And the whole mess is all puffed up. And
God hasn’t come for puffed up kids. He has come for obedient sons and
daughters.
The Apostle Paul said “what do you have
that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, then why do you boast as though
you haven’t received it?”
And He also said in Romans 3: 27 Where is
boasting then? It is excluded. By what, the law? By works?
Nay: but by faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. And if you are justified by Faith and Faith is
revelation, something God has revealed to you, then you didn’t get it because
you are smarter than the next guy, and you didn’t get it because you got more
people following you than the next guy. You got it because God revealed it to you, so shut your big mouth and humble down or God will
smack you down, if you are his kids. Because every sons that cometh to God must
first be chastened.
1 Corinthians
Now, Paul said in 1 Corinthians
Now, Brother Branham taught
us that when we receive a new heart, that is a new way of thinking and when we
receive a new spirit, that is the new desires that come from your new way of
thinking, and once you have a new way of thinking, and new desires based on
that new way of thinking, then you are ready for God’s own spirit to come into
your being.
In his sermon called THE MASTERPIECE 64-070516 brother Branham spoke about br. Daugh and
said, “He was born again. And when it was, something
come into his heart, that all he lives for is to attend these services.
King David said in PSALMS 27:4 One
thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in
the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the
LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide
me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall
set me up upon a rock.
And of course brother Branham used this verse of scripture for His text
for his sermon on the Rapture. And that is because the temple that David is
speaking in which he desires to dwell in all the days of his life is God’s
presence. And David spoke of the
Now, the reason why I feel that it is important for us to know and
understand our position in the family of God is because there are many who
teach in error today saying the Bride is God, or that the fullness of the
Godhead is in the Bride. The fullness of the Godhead is not in the Bride. The
fullness of the Godhead was in one man and that Man is your older Brother
Jesus.
Now, we do not believe as the oneness or Unitarian’s believe, nor do we believe
as the Trinitarians believe. We believe correctly that there is only One God
and he had a Son and He came to earth and indwelt that Son to show Himself to
humanity. That is how the Word became Flesh. God indwelt His Son. God Who is
the Word, John 1: 1, came into His Son, John 1: 14.
Now, receiving the new birth is a series of events which begins with
receiving a heart which is a new way of thinking., and then a new spirit comes
forth from that new way of thinking and that new spirit is new desires, and
finally you are ready for God’s own Spirit or Life to come into your vessel.
From the sermon, IMPERSONATION OF CHRISTIANITY E-42 But God had to give you a new spirit. Why, the
spirit you had, you couldn't even get along with yourself. So how are you going
to get along with God? So God had to give
you a new heart, not a patched up one, a new heart. That's your intellects
that you think with, a new way of thinking. Then when He give
you a new way of thinking, "Yes, that's right…....
And then in the next paragraph E-43 he
says, “Then after that, "Then I'll give you a
new spirit." What's that? A new desire, "I want to do right.."…
But now, that's the new spirit. Then notice the order of the Scripture. After
you get a new heart and a new spirit, He said, "Then I'll put My
Spirit..." See? Oh, what? That's what the Scripture says here. That's the
order, the pneumatics and numerical order of the Scripture: a new heart, a new
spirit, and then My Spirit.
Therefore if a person has truly been born again, they will understand the
doctrine when it is spoken to them. They have a new way of thinking because
they have God’s way of thinking. They won’t fuss with it. They won’t make fun
of it. But it will ring the bell every time because there is something in them
that identifies with the Word of God every time that it is rightly divided.
Listen, I have 20 full pages of quotes from Brother Branham concerning
his teaching that the evidence of being born again is that you will understand
what the
From the sermon Key to the door 62-1007 P: 68 Brother Branham
said, No man can
understand the Word outside the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And when a man says
he's got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and disputes the Word being right,
there's something wrong.
And again from the sermon Identified
masterpiece of God 64-1205 P:67 Brother Branham said, How can a man have the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
and the Holy Spirit wrote the Word, and a man have the baptism of the Holy
Spirit and deny the Word? How can the Holy Spirit in you deny Its own Word that was set forth for you? I can't understand
it. It's got to agree with the Word, and if your spirit in you won't punctuate
every one of God's promises with "Amen." there's something wrong.
And again from the sermon Discerning body of Lord 59-0812 P:16
he said, “Jesus said once,
"That except a man be born again, he cannot see the
And from his sermon called Calling of Abraham
55-1116 P:29 Brother
Branham said, Jesus said to Nicodemus,
"Except the man be born again he cannot see the
God said in, ISAIAH 55:6 ¶ 7 Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
And the Apostle Paul told us the only way you will understand the
thoughts of God is to have the Spirit of God in you. And that is the new birth.
I
CORINTHIANS 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit (therefore if you do not have His Spirit in you how
are you going to have those things revealed to you) for The Spirit (not a
spirit, but THE Spirit, God’s Spirit) searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of
man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God knoweth. 12 Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; (and if
it is of God then it had its source in God, then it is a part of God’s own
spirit or life that he is talking about. And we have that in order) that we might know
the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak,
not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (In
other words it takes the Spirit of God in you to discern them.) 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself
is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of
the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And this same Apostle said, “let the mind that was in Christ be in you.” So it
is possible to have the mind of God but as we have seen you can not have it
without having His Spirit or His Life in you. And Jesus said that this Spirit
is the Word of God. He said, the Words which I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.
Now, let’s look again at this thought on the new birth quickening into
you the word of God and releasing the very nature of God by His Spirit into
your mortal vessel.
Paul said in EPHESIANS 2:1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were
dead in trespasses and sins;.
Here Paul tells us we were spiritually dead, and had to be quickened
which means to be made alive. And we see in 1
Peter
Now, this word quicken was translated from the Greek word zoopoieo which
literally means to give life to or to cause to make alive. So you see it is the
Spirit of God coming into you that brings makes you alive to His Word.
1 Corinthians 15: 45 And so
it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was
made a quickening spirit. Therefore it is the Spirit of God that He placed within His Son
that was released back on the church that makes Him a quickening spirit, for
Paul also tells us in Romans 8: 11 But if the
Spirit of him (now, we must know who this him is here. And we
know there are 18 Scriptures that tell us that God raised Jesus from the dead,
so as Paul says,)
if the Spirit of him (that’s
God the Father) that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the
dead (again that’s God the Father) shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Now, the new birth gets you ready for the body change. Now, notice here
that Paul tells us that it is the Spirit of God the Father that will also
quicken your mortal body. And we know that God does it by the renewing of the
mind, Then if this is the hour for the change of the
body from mortal to immortal, then God the Father must be here to change the
body right? And we know in order for that to happen, that we must receive a
renewing of the mind first, right? Then where’s the Scripture for it? Can
anyone here tell me where the Scripture shows that The Father comes to renew
the mind first?
EPHESIANS
1:13 In whom
ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, So
here’s your baptism of the Holy Ghost, right? 14 Which is the
earnest of our inheritance (so it has to do with the inheritance.
And if it has to do with our inheritance, then we must know how it has to do
with our inheritance. And Paul will tell us in a few more verses, so let’s
continue to read.) until the redemption of the purchased possession, (Now,
that is the body he’s talking about there.) unto the praise of his glory. (Now this praise of
His glory is His doxa which is his opinion, assessment and judgment. So Paul is talking about the very mind of God that this Baptism of
the spirit will take you up to, and is an earnest or down payment for.)
Now, let’s continue with EPHESIANS
So Faith begins the process, and as it builds up
steam within you it moves into an expectation, which then begins to manifest in
an outward expression of the revelation which is love. That is why Love is
greater than faith because it is faith expressed. As I have often said, when a young man gets a
revelation that the girl is the one he is to marry, it builds up something in
him which is an earnest expectation. He earnestly expects that she will marry
him, and in so expecting, he begins to do things for her as though she is
already his wife. He spends his hard earned income on things he knows will
please her, and he goes out of his way to be especially nice to her, and you
all know the routine. Faith expressed in Love because love is always expressed
in giving. For God so loved that He gave, you see?
Now,. Let’s go on with EPHESIANS 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in
my prayers; Notice here that Paul ceased not to give thanks for the
people because he knew that they were born again, they had faith and it was
being expressed in love towards one another, and so he knew that there was just
one thing left to happen, and we see that in the next verse…
EPHESIANS
1:17 That the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ,(so Jesus has a God, and
this God is ) the
Father of glory,(and Paul was praying that this God, Who is the
Father of Glory, and remember the word glory is the Greek word doxa which is
the opinion, assessment and judgment of God, in other words His very mind, and
here Paul is praying that the Father of this Doxa ) may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:
You see, because if you are born again then you now have a new heart
which is a new understanding, and this new understanding gave you a new desire
and then God gave you His own spirit or life into you and now, you are able to
know and understand, and so then you have faith, you have revelation, and that
revelation works into you an outward expression and that gets you out of the
way so God’s own spirit now is the tie-post in your soul.
Look, only those that were in Him to begin with will have an ability to
think the right thoughts.
Proverbs
In John 1: 12 we read, 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Now, the Baptist would tell you this means you were a hog, and God gave
you power to become a son of God, so you changed specie. But that is now what it says. And that is
contrary to the law or reproduction that says, every seed after it’s kind. What this says is, “But to those who were born with such a nature
as to receive him, these are the ones that God has given an ability to make a
right decision, and to accept the role that God has given them in sonship.”
For this same apostle that wrote this Gospel also said in 1 John 3: Beloved you are already sons, although you don’t really
know it, but when He shall appear and manifest Himself in his true character, you shall be like
him for you shall see Him as he truly is, and in seeing Him as He truly is, you
will begin to see who you truly are and then you will begin to align yourself
with who you truly are.
Now, in the Book of Ephesians Paul was letting us know that the very mind
of God, the Spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of God the Father,
was to come into the church and in 2 Thessalonians 1: 10 he tells us that when
his Gospel would be believed in that day is when God will come to Endoxa or be
glorified in His Church. That means in that day when the mind that was in
Christ actually comes into the church, then the opinion, assessment and
judgment of God will be in the people. They will have the mind of Christ, and they will
know what to do with his word.
Now, notice the next verse. EPHESIANS
Romans
8: 23 And not only they, but ourselves
also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
And notice Paul said we have the first fruits of the spirit, and that is
what begins our process towards the adoption which is the redemption of the
body. In fact that is what he also says
in …
Notice what Paul says in Romans
And we know the spirit of adoption is God’s own spirit in us to bring us
from mortal to immortal. And that is why in EPHESIANS
1:19 speaks of the spirit of adoption and inheritance and then says, And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power, 20 Which he
wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own
right hand in the heavenly places,
So we can see by Ephesians 1 that Paul was looking for the Spirit of
adoption to come into the church to make known to the church the manifold
wisdom of God, in that the very mind of God would then come into the church
getting it ready for the change of the body which is the redemption of the body
which is the adoption. And notice when it all began was when you were in God as
an attribute before the worlds were even framed .
Ephesians
1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1: 4 According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Now, that gets us back to where I want to take us today and that is back
to the beginning where we were in the mind of God to begin with as attributes
of God.
From his message Position in Christ 60-0522M
P:88 83 For ye haven't received the spirit of bondage
again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of a... [Congregation says
"adoption"--Ed.]Now, after you're adopted, all right, after you're
adopted, you're placed; then you understand, after the ceremony's
said and you've been put into the Body correctly. You're a son, sure, a
daughter; when you're born again you're... that's your birth. But now you're
positionally placed. We've not received the spirit of fear...; but we have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Which means, "my God." All
right.) The Spirit
itself bears witness with our spirit,
that we're children of God: How does it do it? You say, "Glory to God.
Hallelujah. It don't bother me; I'm a child of God," and go out and do the
things you do? The Spirit of God will do the works of God. Jesus said, "He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do
also." See, see?
Now, let's read, then well have to stop, 'cause our time's getting away. All right, in the 9th verse. Having
made known to us the mystery of his will...
(to adopt us),... according
to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself: He purposed this Himself before the foundation
of the world. How many understands it? See? That in the dispensation... (Oh,
my, here we come again. See? Oh, let's just pass it. See?)... dispensation of the fullness of time... 89 You
believe in dispensations? Bible said so, "In
the dispensation of the fullness of time..."
What is the fullness of time? There's been a dispensation of the Mosaic law. There was a dispensation of John the Baptist. There was
a dispensation of Christ. There's a dispensation of church organization.
There's dispensation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Now's the dispensation of adoption, what the world's
waiting, groaning. "And when the fullness of time comes, when the
dispensation of the fullness of time..."
What is that fullness of time? When the dead rises, when
sickness ceases, when all the earth ceases to groan. "The fullness of the dispensation of time..." Watch this. When in the dispensation of the fullness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ,... Aren't you glad? How is He going to do it? Gather together all things in Who? [Congregation says, "Christ"--Ed.] How
do you get in Christ? By one Spirit
we're all baptized into one Body. And that
Body is Who's Body? ["Christ's"--Ed.]
Already judged, He took our judgment. Then what are we? "When I see the
Blood, I'll pass over you." Every time He looks at the Body, there It is setting there, bloody. I'm in there by how? The Holy Ghost. He passes over. Oh, my. And when the
fullness of the dispensation of time, that
he might gather together... all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven...
Brother Branham said in, THE FUTURE HOME 64-0802 49-1 You are part of
the earth, your body. Your soul is part of God, a
attribute of God, displayed here on earth in a body. The body's to be
redeemed. Now the soul's redeemed, because it was in sin. So God come down
by process of justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, and
redeemed your soul. And you, being part of the earth, it's redeemed by it.
You're in the process now, it's growing on.
And therefore if you are a part of God then you are able to receive the
very mind of God.
JOHN
And the word to
become was translated from the Greek word Ginomai and it means to generate,
or to come forth into manifestation. Therefore, to them that
experience Him and openly receive Him, to them are given an ability to
make a right decision and to become what they were meant to be in the
beginning. Paul said in, Galatians 4: 6 And because ye are
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father.
Therefore if a man is left
up to his own choosing, he will go in the ways of death. But God has given him,
or has granted him the ability to know and to understand. And this ability to
make a right decision concerning the doctrine of Christ is not for everyone.
For Jesus told Nicodemus, these ones… 13 were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God. So He is talking about the new birth
and the importance of that new birth is that God gives him an ability to know
and to understand the
Why against
organized religion 62-1111E P:63 But if he's born
the same way that I'm born, then he'll know the things that I know. Amen. Oh,
my. Yes, sir. You can't tell a knot on the tree how we move about and be
active, it would have to receive our kind of life to understand it. Same with the Spirit. The same thing is with the Spirit, or you can't understand It.
There's no need of trying to figure It all out; just come to Him first. For, "Except a man be born again, he can't even
see the Kingdom," He said, that's
understand it. You've got to be
born again in order to know It.
Contending
for the faith 55-0220E P:66 Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the Kingdom." You can't
understand it. It's a mystic, mythical thing until you're born again. There the very Life of God comes in you.
Everlasting, Eternal Life, Zoe, God's own Life comes in you, and then you're a
part of God. You're a Son of God or a daughter of God. And then you see as God
sees. You believe as God believes. Then you'll be a new creature in Christ
Jesus. The Lord bless you now. I believe now we'll
pray for the sick. I want to ask you
Notice it is the very Life
of God coming into you that allows you to see what he sees, and to believe what
He believes.
37-4 CHRIST IS THE MYSTERY 63-0728 The new
birth is Christ, is a revelation. God has revealed to you this great
mystery, and that's the new birth. Now, what are you going to do when you
get all that group together, where the revelation is perfectly in harmony, and
God expressing it through His Word by the same actions, the same things that He
did, making the Word manifest? Oh, if the Church only knew its position. It will one day. Then, the rapture will go
when it knows what it is.
Let’s bow our heads and our
hearts in prayer