MASTERPIECE No. 13

What manner of persons ought we to be?

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Rev. Brian Kocourek

 

2 Peter  3: 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

 

Romans   12: 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.

 

Now, before we go to prayer, I would like to read from paragraph 12 and 13 of THE MASTERPIECE 64-0705  12 “When I see you people come across the country on a few moments notice, and sometime presuming, then it makes me feel real little when I come into a meeting like this, to think that I know people here has traveled for hundreds of miles just to be here for a few minutes of service, just to set here. 13 Some woman just made a remark, come in the other day and said, "Show me where the man has walked, and let me walk behind him upon the ground," said, "I'll get well." Now, the people believe you like that, and you're a representative of Christ, then what should we do? We should be very careful, because you're not only destroying yourself with wrong, you're destroying others who are following you.”

 

Let us Pray, Dear Father, when I hear these words spoken from the lips of Your vindicated Prophet William Branham, it stirs my soul and I become more aware of how my life is being watched by others and it makes me want to be more careful in how I present myself to the midst of humanity, to those people we daily bump elbows with as we walk through the course of this life. Father, help me to be more sincere, and to understand the importance of the witness you have placed with me, concerning others with whom I am  walking through the valley of the shadow of this earthly existence.  Be with us this morning Father as we examine our souls this morning to see where we fall short, and then help us to step up higher into the likeness of your dear Son Jesus. For we ask it in His name, amen.

 

Now, this morning I would like to examine these words of Brother Branham’s where he is speaking of how we ought to act in this world as we are walking in the Light. Too many people are careless as to how they are walking in their Christian Life, and they feel that since God has shown them much light they can do and live just any old way they want to, but that attitude will destroy others who are watching your life. That is what Brother Branham said here in this paragraph we read from the Masterpiece.

 

In paragraph 13 he said, Now, the people believe you like that, and you're a representative of Christ, then what should we do? We should be very careful, because you're not only destroying yourself with wrong, you're destroying others who are following you.

 

Notice how brother Branham did not put the emphasis on you, but on the effect it has on others who might be following you or just watching you.

 

Now, I am a Calvinist when it comes to eternal security. What I mean by that is Jesus said all that the Father has given me will come to me, and no man can pluck them out of my hand. So you can not pluck yourself out of His hand either, if you are a man. But just because you are saved and your Life is hid in God through Christ, and covered by the Blood of the Lamb of God, it does not mean that your life could not cause others to be lost. And that is the meaning of this Statement that brother Branham was speaking in his opening remarks to the Masterpiece. And don’t forget that Brother Branham is speaking of the Masterpiece, so he is talking about the Life that was in Jesus Christ and that is to come into the Bride.

 

Too many people look at their life and their focus is on their self and how they are doing in God’s economy. And to me that is so shallow to do that. Our focus should not be on ourselves, nor on how we think we are doing in God’s economy. Rather, our thoughts should be on how others around us are affected by what we believe and how we live, and what influence are we having on others.

 

In 1 John   2: 6  we read, He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. So, just because you say it doesn’t make it so. He said you must walk as He walked. And if you are walking in the Light as He is walking in the Light then you are walking in the same manner as He is walking.  For the word as means in the same way or manner.

 

And the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians   4: 1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

 

Here we see Paul telling  us that if we have truly received what He has taught us, then we will also show it in our walk and our walk will manifest our attitude towards God. And he also said that if our walk is pleasing to God, then we will abound more and more which means we will excel in the things of God more and more. 

 

Now, anyone who thinks that we do not need to live a Life has not been born again. Because when you are born again you can’t help but to live the Life. If the nature of God comes into you, You  can not help but to manifest that Life in your walk and in your talk and in your thoughts. You are the only thing that can hold yourself back.

 

From that time 60-0302 P:24 Things change when man meets God. A man can never meet God and ever be the same again. You will either be a better person or a worse person. You'll be better off, or worse off after you meet God. It depends on what you want to do about it. But a man can never meet God and ever be the same. Whatever you attitude is towards God, seals your eternal destination.

 

Now, the Life we live is very important to God. So much so that God took Enoch up in a rapture because his life was so pleasing to God. And the Life you live is only an expression of what is in the control tower of your Soul.

 

Looking at the unseen 59-0410 P:8 Man's always trying to achieve something by his head. He's supposed to achieve, but by his heart. That's the control tower where God controls him, and directs his thoughts, directs his walks, directs his emotions. Sometimes I get so happy I just have to let it loose. And if I'd look around and see somebody, then, see, I got my eyes on people then. But God help me to keep my eyes closed. I want to just be led by the Spirit of God that the flesh will have nothing to do into it. Usually ministers when they get into the pulpit, they begin to think, "If I speak on a certain, certain thing, here is a certain member of my church that's a good pay in this church; they'll leave the church." And then you go to looking at the flesh again.

Then God can't lead that minister. You've got to say what the Spirit says to say. Then we are led by the Spirit of God. And we find that this man is controlled by a control tower. And that tower makes him what he is. It moves him. It's his emotions. He lives by it.

 

And I can honestly say that I have never held back for fear that someone might leave if I did. And if I did then I’d be just a hireling. But by God’s grace if I see unbelief I lay it out in such a way that you can’t get around it, and that makes people uncomfortable, but hell will be a lot more uncomfortable than that.

 

From the Sermon, Abraham restored 61-0211 P:64 William Branham said,   What's the use of being a halfway? What's the use of having a lukewarm church? Either be red-hot or ice cold. Don't claim Pentecost 'less you live Pentecost. Don't jump no higher than you live. That's right. It's a shame; it brings a disgrace upon the rest of them. It ain't the bootleg joints so much that's hurting the unbeliever; it's these people that claim to have something and acting like the world; that's what's the stumbling block.

 

Matthew 6: 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

 

I remember years ago I preached a strong message against sin and unbelief and how we must rid our homes of sin, and then I quoted Joshua saying, “Joshua 24: 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And I stressed that last sentence, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD And you know we lost some families over that. They thought I was being too personal and that I was saying that no one else was serving the Lord but me and my house.  Well, I can’t help how people take what is given, but If I don’t preach it then woe is me.

 

Brother Branham said in the sermon Discernment of spirit 60-0308 P:1 And we are here this morning, Father, gathered for no other purpose but to know and to study to know, rather, the will of God and what we must do to make Christ real to the people of this generation. Knowing surely that in the day of the judgment we will be brought face to face with this generation. And, being ministers, we will be judges. And the people to which we have spoken to, and their attitude towards the Word that we bring them, will determine their eternal destination. Therefore, Lord, in that day we would be a judge for or against the generation that we preached to.

 

And again he said from the sermon, Thy seed shall possess gate 62-0121M P:69 So will God appreciate a man that'll be what he is, or a man that professes Christianity. Let's be a Christian filled with the Holy Ghost with the Word of God or forget about it. That's right, 'cause otherwise you become hypocrisy, and living a different life. And people will see you run out here to dances and smoking and things like that, and claiming to be a Christian. Then, see, you put a stumbling block in the other's way. See you women sometimes, how they cut their hair and dress and act in these little old dresses on, look like a skinned-down weenie or something, and going out there on the street, walking around with heels about that high, mincing down the street. Is that Pentecostal? Then the other churches say, "They claim they've got something that they haven't."

 

Now, I believe the reason people try to see how close they can live to the border line is because they just don’t respect God. They might claim He is their Savior but is He the Lord of Your Life?

And from the sermon, Respects 61-1015E P:25 Brother Branham said, Over in Ecclesiastes the 12th chapter and the 13th verse, it's written like this. See? "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the full duty of man. "The conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God. And when, you cannot have respects until you have fear. You've got to have fear of God. Solomon said also in the Proverbs that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom: the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Now, that don't mean that you're afraid of Him, but that means that you're giving respects and reverence. And when you respect God, you fear God. You fear that you might displease Him in some way; you fear lest you would do something wrong. You wouldn't want to...  P:26 I fear my mother. I fear my wife. I fear my church. I fear all of God's servants, unless I should put a stumbling block somewhere in their way. I fear the people. I fear the people of the city, unless I should do something wrong that would cause them to think that I wasn't a Christian. See, you've got, before you can have respects, you've got to have fear. And God demands it, He demands respects. God does; He demands it. And fear brings it. And we know that fear brings respects.

 

Now, look, I don’t say that we should have an attitude that sits around and condemns others because they are not as committed as you might be. That only shows your own lack of spiritual maturity. But I do believe that people do not give God their best because they have more respect for their own opinions or their own comfort than they have for God’s opinion and His desires for you.

 

Let’s just take a few examples. When you come into the house of God how do you come? What is your attitude about coming? Do you come chewing gum? Would you chew gum if you were invited to the Governor’s Mansion? And how would you dress if you were asked to meet with the Governor for dinner? Would you show up with casual attire? Or would you dress your best? And yet here we have an opportunity to come into the Presence of the King of Kings, and when we are invited to God’s own house, why do we think He doesn’t look at the effort we make to come here?

 

I like what Malachi said concerning the way the priests came and presented their gifts to God. He said in Malachi 1:6 "A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' 7  "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty. 9 "Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"--says the LORD Almighty. 10   "Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands.”  And yet we have many churches yet today that will open their pulpits to just about anyone except those who do teach the truth.

 

So you see your attitude does make a difference with God. In fact Brother Branham said from his sermon, From that time 60-0302 P:24 Whatever you attitude is towards God, seals your eternal destination.

 

And we know according to Hebrews 10 that there are a whole lot of people who will have the wrong attitude towards the blood of the covenant showing it disrespect, Hebrews 10: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Notice, they done despite to the spirit of grace making it a disgrace, saying “I can do whatever I want to do and still be saved”. I do not think so.  And they have trodden under foot the blood of the covenant. Do you think God will let that kind of attitude go unpunished? I don’t think so.

 

Br. Branham said from Blind Bartimaeus 56-0407 P:28 Their attitude towards the Son of God then sealed their destination. And your attitude towards Him tonight will do the same thing for you. So don’t tell me its not important to believe that God had a Son. Your attitude towards Him will seal your destination.

 

And we know also in Hebrews 6 these same people show disrespect for the once for all enlightenment and thus God sends them a deluding influence to take them away from this blessed truth. Don’t think God is going to put up with that kind of nonsense when you don’t like it yourself when someone shows you that kind of disrespect..

 

And in speaking about Hebrews six, brother Branham says in His sermon entitled, Hebrews Chapter 6 57-0908E P:61 See what He's talking about? He's not talking about Christians falling away and impossible to come back. He's talking about carnal believers who go through the form of reformation. But he said, "To you who was borned again, you who are Christian, beloved, we're persuaded better things of you. You don't say those things. You don't live that type of life. You're secured with Christ." What did he say right here? Now, let's go to… Ephesians 4:30.... and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of your redemption. That right?

 

Church Age Book  Chapter 3 - The Ephesian Church Age P:61 The fervent desire to please God, the passion to know His Word, the cry for reaching out in the Spirit, all begins to fade and instead of that church being on fire with the fire of God it has cooled off and become a bit formal. That is what was happening back there to the Ephesians. They were getting a bit formal. The abandonment to God was dying out and the people weren't too careful about what God thought of them as they began to be careful about what the world thought of them. That second generation coming on was just like Israel. They demanded a king to be like the other nations. When they did that, they rejected God. But they did it anyway. That is the history of the church. When it thinks more of conforming to the world instead of conforming to God, it isn't long until you see them stop doing things they used to do, and start doing things they wouldn't do initially. They change their manner of dress, their attitudes and their behavior. They get lax. That is what "Ephesus" means: relaxed--drifting.

 

In ROMANS 12:1 The Apostle Paul said,    I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,(and what kind of a sacrifice are we supposed to present our bodies to God? He goes on to say one that is ) holy, (and one that is what?) acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And the BIV translation says, this is your spiritual act of worship. Now, notice verse two.  And how do we perform this holy and acceptable sacrifice to God?

Paul tells us in verse two. 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. 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.

 

The Wuest translation says, “I therefore beg of you, please brethren, through the instrumentality of the aforementioned Mercies of God, by a once for all presentation to place your bodies at the disposal of God, a sacrifice, a living one, a holy one, well pleasing, your rational sacred service, [rational in that this service is performed by the exercise of the mind]. And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you and is not  representative of what you are in your inner being but is patterned after this age; but change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of the mind, resulting to your putting to the test what is the will of God, the good and well pleasing and complete will, and having found that it meets specifications, place your approval upon it.”

Now, there are 10 things that the apostle Paul mentions here in these first 2 verses of chapter 12. 

 

ROMANS 12:1    I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye

 #1-present your bodiesthis speaks of how important the presentation is.

#2- a living sacrifice,  - this speaks of a sacrifice that has been made alive, by God’s very life in us, and that the presentation of our bodies is to be 

#3- holy, and we must understand what this holy is if we are to know what is

#4- acceptable unto God, and the Apostle Paul said,

#5- which is your reasonable service.  Therefore if it is a reasonable thing, then it is most certainly attainable, or God would not require it. and if reasonable it comes by reason or the mind that produces it. As I taught you years ago, your mind is like a garden, and it is full of seeds which are thoughts, and if the wrong seeds are manifesting themselves then you must cut off the water supply. Brother Branham asked an Indian Chief who was baptized with the Holy Ghost how things were going since He was born again, and he said, “Two dogs war within me since I was born again.” And brother Branham said, who is winning chief, and the chief responded, “the one I feed the most.”

#6- And be not conformed to this world: and this tells us that this holy condition of this holy sacrifice comes by a separation from the world and the things of the world. A consecration to God.

#7- but be ye transformed And we know that the transformation speaks of a change from one state to another state. And this comes by

#8- by the renewing of your mind, and that in order

#9- that ye may prove And so your sacrifice in your flesh, and the fact that your mind brings forth the change in the body is proof of 

#10 what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

So we see that God calls us to bring forth in our bodies a holy sacrifice. In ROMANS 12:1-2 Paul is  telling us how we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and it is by the renewing of our minds. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (How are we to be transformed? ) by the renewing of your mind, (And what will that do for us? He says,) that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (It’s all about the Will of God. Jesus said, It is written in the volume of the Book, I have come to do thy will O God.

Jesus, said Father, not my will but thy will be done. And Paul said in Colossians “Let this mind (this attitude) which was in Christ be in You.) Notice here, as he continues

 

Now, for the next few minutes I would like to focus our attention on Paul’s view of how we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. And we will look at what it means to be Holy. He said this living sacrifice is one that is Holy, and so we want to know what it means to be a living sacrifice that is holy.

 

Notice, point # 3, He said, Holy. We are to present to God not only a living sacrifice but a Holy sacrifice.  And how is this possible, for there is none holy but the Lord.

 

Now, Paul told us our living sacrifice is to be Holy, and the word he used here is the Greek word,    hagios    pronounced, (hag'-ee-os)  and it is made up from two root words, hagnos which means pure, chaste, clear, sacred, pure from carnality, modest, immaculate and clean. The other root word is Thaipo and it means, to cherish with tender love. Or tender care.

 

So we see that bringing these two words together we have a purity that comes as a result of tender love and care. Therefore, we have purity out from the motive of true tender care,  and we see modesty that comes from tender love, and we see a sacredness out from and in response to pure love. As brother Branham preached the message “Convinced and Concerned”, our being convinced brings about a true concern, and we have a life pure from carnality one that is modest, immaculate and clean, not from a fear of retribution, nor from a fear of penalty, but as a result of an inner motive of Tender Love and Tender Care for our Savior. This holiness Paul is speaking of is not the result of a rigid and disciplined life style, but a result of true caring and tender love for God.

 

How contrary this is to the disciplined and rigid life of the legalist. Those are people who through fear of retribution from a Holy God live in fear and walk in fear and tremble at the thought of eternal separation from God and Heaven. These are people who do right not because it is the right thing to do, but they do right because of fear of penalty for doing wrong.

 

But Paul said this sacrifice is a Holy one, and it comes from a different kind of motive. A motive that is stimulated by tender Love and tender care for the One Who gave them new birth. Oh, how different the two motives are. One binds you while the other sets you free, and yet they both will produce the same works, and the same outward acts. But Paul began with the thoughts of how we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, and so he is setting our minds on the importance of the presentation.

 

The man who comes home after a hard days work to the aroma of  an apple pie baking in the oven, and fresh baked bread sitting out on the counter and the aroma of  a nice cooked meal, has a much better presentation that the man who comes home to a note on the refrigerator that says there is a  frozen TV dinner in the freezer, put it in the oven at 325 and I’ll see you in an hour after I get home from shopping.” The presentation of the one tells the man that he is loved, and his wife has a tenderness towards him, while the letter tells the man a totally different motive from his wife. The one shows love and warmth while the other shows coldness, and calculation.

 

So we see in the one instance, the atmosphere has been set to give a wonderful presentation of this gift of supper to him, while on the other hand we see the man who came home and his wife has a note taped to the refrigerator with instructions how he should prepare his own meal.

 

In both instances, both men receive a gift of a supper from their wife, but what a difference in the presentation of that gift. And that is the same way God looks upon what we do. Your Holiness ads nothing to God, but if you present your gift with tender love and care to Him, He looks upon your motive, He looks to the very recesses of your heart, and He knows your presentation, if it is motivated by Love or by fear.

 

LEVITICUS 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.   8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.

 

Our Holiness is a result of a cleansing act which can only come from God’s Word. It is not an act in our flesh, produced by our disciplines life, but it is an expression which begins in our mind, and is conveyed outwardly through the actions of our bodies.

 

In PSALMS 119:9 we read,   ¶ Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Then how can a young man cleanse himself if he doesn’t take heed to the Word of God?  So we see that it is the taking heed to the Word that brings cleansing in our Life.  So your attitude and the motive behind your sacrifice is more important to God than the sacrifice itself. Jesus told a story about the two different ways of approaching God in  LUKE 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12    I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

It’s the approach that counts. One man approached God with a broken and contrite heart and God openly accepted his prayer while the other man had lived no doubt a much more disciplined life, but look at his approach. He wasn’t looking for forgiveness! He was proud, and gloating how much better he was than the sinner next to him. And look at Jesus words concerning that man.  Jesus said he was not even justified, whereas the man who approached God in contrition went away justified, cleansed, and free from all guilt and stain in the eyes of God.

 

Great commission 58-0301B P:13  You can not stand with a mortal in the Presence of God and condemn anybody, I don't believe, no, sir, even if he is a rank sinner. And what about a brother that has made a mistake? Though I say he's wrong. Sometimes he's accused wrong when he's not wrong. But if he is wrong, well, if we will take him to the throne of God, stand there shoulder-to-shoulder with our brother, knowing he's a mortal, and maybe his destination rests upon our attitude towards him, when we come back from the throne of God, we'll realize that we're everyone guilty, and we all need help one from the other. And the best way to do is pray.

 

Discerning body of Lord 59-0812 P:12 Now, our eternal destination is not altogether determined by what we see and what we hear, but it's determined on what discernment we have of what we see and what we hear .Paul was not disputing with them for taking the communion. Their act was right, but their discernment was wrong. For taking the Lord's Supper is the commandment of the Lord, but to take it unworthily, not discerning the Lord's Body, is where the wrong lays.

 

Hebrews  2: 1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

 

Now, we have talked about the attitude is what makes the difference. And the attitude of Jesus is what we all aspire to be like, and yet we se that Jesus was not living for Himself. Just the opposite was true of Him, for He lived for others. In fact brother Branham told us that eternal Life is living for others.  

 

From the message That day on Calvary 60-0925 P:38 William Branham said,  He was just one Man, the perfect Man. He gave His life, and He made an example for you. Now, what must we do. Now, the first thing I want to say is: Jesus never lived for Himself. His Life was spent for others. That's perfectly Eternal Life. When you say you go to church and you do good things, that's fine. But when you live your life to yourself, you haven't Eternal Life. Eternal life is living for others. It proved it when He come in the Lamb of God. He lived and had Eternal Life, because He did not live for Himself. He lived for others. And you receive Eternal Life by receiving that day, and you don't live for yourself no more. You live for others.

 

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, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 

Now, when I look at a brother, I do not measure the brother’s Christian maturity by what he knows concerning the doctrine of this message. I measure his Christian maturity by how much he gives of himself to others, and how he conducts his life before others and in the privacy of his own home. And not because he feels he has to in order to be saved. No that would be legalism, but rather, how much he goes out of his way not to offend even the least of them that he comes into contact.

 

Jesus said in Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. Now, the word offend was translated from the Greek word skandalizo which means to offend, to entrap, or to trip up. To cause one to stumble or entice them into sin.  And Jesus told us it would be better that a millstone would be cast around their neck and cast into the sea than to trip up or cause to stumble one of the little ones that believe in Him. In other words he’s talking about believers causing other believers to stumble by something that you do or say.

 

In closing let’s turn to 1 Corinthians   8: 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.   Finally let’s turn to Romans 15: 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let’s pray, dear Father we have heard today a very strong message that let’s us know without a doubt that our attitude towards you is reflected in the way that we walk and talk and treat one another.  Help us Father to have the attitude which was in Your Son Jesus. Help us to have not only his mind but his attitude towards your will, for he came to do Thy will o God. And He said “My meat is to do the will of My Father.” Help us to be thus minded for we ask it in Jesus Precious name, amen.