MASTERPIECE No. 25
Walking in the Light Step by Step
Saturday evening, September
24, 2005
Rev. Brian Kocourek
This morning we will continue in our Study of Br.
Branham’s sermon called THE MASTERPIECE 64-0705. This will be number 25 in our series, and
we will subtitle this Walking in the Light Step by Step. Again we will take our
thoughts from paragraph 25 of Brother
Branham’s sermon on the Masterpiece.
THE
MASTERPIECE 64-0705 25 Father God, Thy Word is a Lamp, the
Light that lights the path of every believer into the Presence of God, as
It carries us like a lantern in our hand. You've not provided enough that we
should see the end from the beginning, and I walk with faith. But as a man
would travel through a dark forest at night (And that's where we are.), the light that he holds only provides step
by step. But the path, though leading upward, just walk with the Light. And may The Light shine today upon the Word to lead us one step farther to
the
Last night we began to look
at three points that brother Branham made in this paragraph.
Number 1) he said, You've not provided
enough that we should see the end from the beginning, and I walk with faith.
Number 2) He continued But as a man would
travel through a dark forest at night (And that's where we are.) and
Number 3) He added the light that he holds only provides step by step. But the path, though
leading upward, just walk with the Light.
And may The Light shine today upon
the Word to lead us one step farther to the
This third point is what I would like to focus our
attention on this morning. Brother Branham speaks here of God’s Light as only
providing enough for us as we take each step. And in the first point he said,
God has not provided enough Light for us to see the end from the beginning,
which basically is speaking the same thing. In other words, Brother Branham is
speaking of walking in the light step by step. Therefore the Light that God
gives us is not one big dose that will see you all the way through. The Light
that He gives is not enough to last you from birth to Manifested Son. It’s like eating. You must eat every day to
keep your energy level at a certain level. They have not developed a system
whereby man can eat one big feast and live on that the rest of his life, and
neither has God made man to eat one big spiritual feast and live on that for
the rest of His Life.
I hear a minister one time boasting how he has not
changed what he is preaching for 40 years. Well, I am sorry for that man,
because Revelation is progressive just as Life is progressive. You do not start
out as a fully grown individual, you start out as a babe and then you grow and
add cells to the body and as you eat the food breaks down and feeds the blood
and the blood feeds the cells and the cells get nourished and grow and the body
grows and gets strength and energy from the Nourishment that you take into the
body. Now, Jesus said, Man does not
live by bread alone, and if this man has not changed his diet in 40 years then
he has not grown spiritually in those 40 years, because revelation is
progressive and we should be growing and changing from image to image and from
glory to glory, and if you are not changing you can be but one thing. Dead!
Dead men don’t grow, and they don’t increase,
except if they are recently dead and then they bloat.
The
apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Now the apostle Paul told us here that
when we look into the mirror of the Word we are changed into the Image that we
see in the Word which is Christ Who is our light. And then he tells us we are changed from image to image and from glory to
glory, and we know that this glory comes from the Greek word doxa which is the
opinion, estimation and Judgment of God. So he tells us that we are changed into the
image of Christ who is our light and we are changed from one opinion to another
and to another and to another until we come into the mind of God.
We are also
told by the apostle Paul 1 Corinthians 15: 52 In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Now, therefore if this man claims to never have changed his preaching and
he was a oneness 40 years ago it is very apparent that he is still a oneness.
And further more we are all to be changed. That is our hope. And we receive our
transformation by the renewing of our mind.
In Romans 12: 2 the
Apostle Paul said, 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.
And again in Colossians 3: 10 he
said, And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him: Now the evidence that you
have put on the new man is that you have been renewed in knowledge of Him. But
what if you have not been renewed in your mind like this preacher I heard? Then
what?
The Apostle
Paul further said in Ephesians 4: 23 And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind; Now to renew
does not mean to make new again. The Greek word that was used here means to renovate
or reform. And we do not renovate something unless it has become worn out or in
need of repairs. And we do not reform someone unless that person needs a change
of the mind from that which was corrupt to that which thinks right.
And we are told
in Hebrews six that those who fall away from the Once for all enlightenment, that
it is impossible to renew them again. Hebrews 6: 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open
shame. Therefore what we must conclude from the
reading of the scriptures is that if a man claims to not change, and claims he
has been preaching the same thing for the past 40 years, and by now it would
have to be 50 years for this particular preacher, because I heard him say this
over ten years ago. Then to not change shows you are either dead, and can not
change, or you have crystallized your thinking like
6 for it is impossible If they shall
fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Now notice he said they could not renew them to repentance, and we know
that repentance is a change of the mind. So these are not capable of renewing
their mind. So what does that tell you about such a character. It tells you
they have crucified to themselves the Word of God Afresh.
So you see, I would not want to be in that man’s
shoes at the white throne judgment. No not for one moment. Why? Because he is
admitting by his statement that he has crucified the Word of God afresh and put
it to an open shame.
Now you might say, Br. Kocourek, those are pretty
strong words. Well, this same man who claimed to never have changed also called
the Parousia of Christ puke. So we see how brother Branham’s illustration of
walking in the light one step at a time is very necessary to a life that is
willing to be changed.
Therefore, as were are in the natural where we must
eat everyday to keep up our energy, thus has God made us in the Spiritual to
eat from The Tree of Life on a daily basis to keep up our Spiritual
energy. There is an old expression that
says, Seven days without prayer makes one weal, and if you did not eat in the
natural for seven days you would become very weak in your body. And seven days
without prayer and the Bread of Life will weaken the man in his spirit.
So point number three Brother Branham says, the light that he holds only provides step by step. But the path, though
leading upward, just walk with the Light.
And may The Light shine today upon
the Word to lead us one step farther to the
Now, remember when the Pillar of Fire was first on
the scene, the people walked with that Light when it moved and when it stopped
for a certain time they stopped with it. And why is that? Because if they
didn’t move when it moved, it would have left them behind. And if they kept
walking when it stopped they would have walked out from the presence of God
like Cain did.
So the Light represents the Presence of the Living
God. And where there is the most light coming forth from a ministry is where
the Spirit of God is working at presently. Brother Vayle used football terms
like when the man has the ball you are supposed to block for him, not try to
take the ball away. And when you see God is moving in a certain ministry and
you see that ministry moving on with God, then get behind it and walk in the
light of the glorious presence of the Living God.
Now, let’s stop and examine this step by step
process whereby brother Branham is telling us that God only gives us enough
light for a step by step walk in the presence of the Light. Notice he tells us, the Light only provides
for step by step but then he adds, just walk with the Light. So if you are
going to walk with the Light then the light has to be walking as well. And John
tells us in 1 John 1:7, If you walk in the Light as He is in the light, you
have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you
from all sin.
Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 13: 12 For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known.
And again in 2 Corinthians 3:
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord.
And in Colossians 3: 4 When Christ, who
is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
And the Apostle
John told us in 1 John 3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.
And Brother Branham told us
Trumpet gives an uncertain sound 63-0114 P:89 Let's take that
little something that's put around your heart tonight, and say... "You
know you're wrong. Now, raise up your hand." All right. You stepped on the
log, the log of His promise, the tree, the cross that was cut down. Put your
arms around this cross now. Walk right up here and say, "Now I'm going to
ride on it. Right now I'm going to believe it. I'm going to accept it. I
believe it. I'll never change. I'm going to stay right with that Word until
that one's confirmed. And then after that one's confirmed, I'm going to reach
right over and get on another one, and start riding right on." See? And word by word, step by step, you'll
possess everything that God promised you. For all things are possible to him
that will ride on it. Ride on His promise, for it's certain to bring you to the
camp. It'll bring you to the Presence of God.
End time sign seed 62-0319 P:17 We're asking Him tonight for Him to make His Word
plain and known to us, and reveal to us the hour that we are approaching, for
we do not want to stumble as one not knowing where we are going. The man who
knows not where he goes, stumbles. And you said we were children of the light,
and we should know where we are going, step
by step, as packing a light. It shows not all the way down, but as we take
the steps. I pray, Father, as we take this step tonight towards this meeting,
that we will see what the purpose of God is for us being here. And I pray to
Thee, O Lord, that every hand that went up at this meeting tonight will be--the
purpose of that request behind the hand be answered. If it's for salvation,
God, grant tonight that they will receive it. If it's domestic trouble,
straighten up the home, Lord, give peace. If it's for someone who is
distressed, give Thy mercy, Father. If it's for someone sick, let the healing
words of God be sank down deep in their heart tonight, that'll bring forth a
crop of good, Divine health tomorrow. Grant it, Lord. Hear us.
Why are people so tossed about 56-0101 P:122 Now, what do we
do? Stay in the glory. Walk in the Light. Walk
step by step with Him, ever holding to His everlasting hand; eternal
blessings of God resting with you, knowing this assurance, that God will not
promise anything that He cannot do. See?
So keep walking on, and stop when God stops, and
move on when he moves on. If the people had stopped when Moses there prophet
died, then they would never have crossed over the
So
we must keep moving on with the Word. Brother Branham in his sermon Anointed ones
at end time 65-0725M P:168 "For it is impossible for those which were once enlightened
and didn't move on with the Word as it come to pass..." They're dead,
gone.
And he also told Br. Vayle in his audio
tape to him, Audio letter to Lee Vayle 64-0500 P:2 Would it be, you
think, advisable in here, to say that God then, in order to proclaim this, has
to send a prophet in order to inject this, make this real again, show the
people the hour we're living in? Because if they only see it in the hour past,
then there's no hope for the church. The church must see it in the present
tense. So God sends His prophet to manifest, present tense of it. You see? And
then, after it's over, then history is. Now, you might inject that, Brother
Lee. I don't know whether that's any good or not, but it's just a thought right
here. Thanks a lot.
Now, brother
Branham was a very humble man. He tells brother Vayle the answer to walking in
the Light is to see the Word of God unfolding itself in the present tense and
then he almost apologizes for saying it. That is incredible. Yet that is the
key. And his ministry was not made up of
one big statement or One great sermon. No, His ministry was made up of over
1200 sermons. And with each one we all took a step forward in the presence of
Christ together. In fact that is how brother Branham explains his ministry.
In the sermon called Testimony
63-1128M P:13 he said, I'm not a preacher. Anybody knows that. I'm not a preacher.
But it's made up in a spiritual form of watching
things and seeing things move, and forewarning people of things that's
coming to pass. And it's just that's my
makeup. I can't help that, no more than you can help your makeup. But God
has put us each one in the Body to do certain things. And I watch every little move, every objective, every motive, 'cause
everything is governed by spirit.
And in the
sermon entitled, This day this scripture 65-0125
P:5 he said, I watch little
things. Just every little thing has a meaning to me. I don't believe that anything happens to a
Christian by chance. I think it's ordained of God, 'cause Jesus said He'd
make all things work together for good to them that loved Him. So therefore, I
believe that every little thing in the little humble ministry that He has given
me to help you people, to help everyone, and you all are a help to me, helping
each other to get to glory. In that, every little thing has a meaning to me.
And that is the way all of us must become
if we are to walk in the light one step at a time. God is the I am, He is not
the I was, nor is he the I will be. But he said, “I am that I am”. Period. So
you see that is the very nature of God and I think if we are to come into the
image and nature of God by the New birth then we will become Like Him in this
as well. Then our walk with God is progressive, and our growth in Christ is
progressive, and then our understanding must be progressive.
Conferences 60-0228 P:31 No matter what
stage of the battle you're in, if you've backed up and said, "I'm afraid
of Divine healing. I'm afraid of this, that, or the other. I'm afraid about the
baptism of the Holy Spirit," speak and go forward. No retreat, don't come
back. There's nothing to back up to. God is always, "Go forward." If
it's the line of duty, the line of His Word, go on; move on. "Well,"
say, "I know someone went into fanaticism." But that wasn't you. See?
Your duty is to go forward; until God gets through with you just keep moving
forward.
Sirs we would see Jesus
64-0318 P:16 Now, if we looked around tonight, and we'd go back to some of these
great churches, all the way down through the age and say, "This is it.
This is it." if you don't watch we'll be walking in a glare instead of a
light. We're looking at something that passed years past, looking back. Any man
who drives the road looking through the rearview mirror will wreck up. That's
right. That's right. You take, like some of our sisters trying, fifty years
old, trying to look sixteen (See?), you're looking back. Look forward. Look
where you're going to. Look where you're going, not what you come from. Paul
said, "Forgetting those things that are in the past, I press towards the
mark of the high calling in Christ." You must always look where you're going,
not where you been. If you watch the rearview mirror, you will soon wreck up.
That's been the trouble. That's the reason that Luther wrecked up when Wesley's
light come on. That's the reason that Wesley wrecked up when the Pentecostals
come on. And if we don't watch it, the Pentecostals is going to wreck up too,
if you just don't keep on your toes to watch. You see, you're always looking
back, referring to what somebody else did back there when we're commanded to
look forward, keep going on. Their prophecy happened in their days; this
happens in this day; and next happens in the next day. It's allotted out to the
end-time. And there's things that's supposed to be going on now according to
the Scripture--the Holy Spirit on earth poured out upon the people.
Greater than Solomon 63-0628E
P:45 We're always trying to look back and see, what Moody said, what
Sankey said, what Finney said, what Wesley said, what Luther said. Them were
men of that day. Science don't look back and see what science said. Why, three
hundred years ago, a French scientist proved that if a man would ever go the
terrific speed of thirty miles an hour, gravitation would take him off the
earth. Would you imagine the modern science saying that? Today he's going about
two thousand miles an hour, trying to find something to keep from melting steel
so he can go four thousand miles an hour. They don't look back and refer to
him. They look forward. But the church is always looking back. Let's look up.
For their powers are limited. And we have unlimited power, "For all things
are possible to them that believe in God." Real genuine faith will punctuate every
Word that God give with a "amen." Not, "Well, it was for another
generation." He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Identified Christ of all ages
64-0401 P:31 Man is always praising God for what He done, always looking forward
for what He will do, and ignoring what He's doing. It's always been that same
thing. And everybody's got his own private interpretation. God is His own
Interpreter. God don't need no one to interpret. The Bible said It's without
interpretation. It don't need man. God interprets the Bible Himself. God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light. That settles it. God said, "A virgin shall
conceive," and she did. That settled it. When God says anything, and
vindicates it, that's His interpretation of it. He said He'd pour out His
Spirit in this last days, and He did it. There's no interpretation to it; it's
already interpreted. Unbelievers might rise, and skeptics might stand, and
whatever they might do, but God did it anyhow, because He said He would do it.
He doesn't need anybody to interpret Him. He does His own interpretation. He
made the promise, people believe it, and He interprets it to them. He's the
Lord that heals all of our diseases. I can't tell you how He does it, but He
does it. He said He would do it, that He would do it. So it's up to our faith.
He couldn't do it there without faith. Neither can He do it here, or any time,
without faith.
God in simplicity 63-0317M
P:65 It is strange to think how that God does such a thing as that. God
will hide Himself in something so simple that'll cause the wise to miss it a
million miles and then turn right back around in that, some simple thing in the
simplicity of His way of working and reveal Himself right out again. I thought
it made a text that we might study this before we go into the great teachings
of the Seven Seals. Many miss Him by the way He reveals Himself. Now, man has
their own ideas of what God ought to be and what God is going to do; and as I
have made the old statement many times that man still remains man. Man is
always giving God praise for what He did do, and always looking forward to what
He will do, and ignoring what He's doing. See, see?
HE
CARES DO YOU pp. 59 Man is always praising God for what He did. Praising God for what He
will do (looking forward to what He will do), and then ignore what He's doing.
See, they fail! And that's the way they become history after a while, of the
polluted, see, because they fail to recognize now! You can talk of the comfort
Christ give once, and say what a comfort He will give in the ages to come, but
refused the comfort that He's got here now for you
GALATIANS
1:1 ¶
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and
God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) Paul rebuked going backwards
perverting vindicated Gospel. :2 And all the brethren
which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Paul
confronted other Apostles who seemed to be pillars because they too were caught
up into going backwards 3 Grace [be] to you and peace from God the Father, and [from]
our Lord Jesus Christ, If the Word doesn't do it, it isn't
going to get done. 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: by going backwards they have lost their blessing.
Deuteronomy
11: 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at
home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,
21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the
land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the
heavens are above the earth.
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to
follow--to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to
him--
23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you
will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.
24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory
will extend from the desert to
25 No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he
promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever
you go.
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse--
27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I
am giving you today;
28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn
from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have
not known.
29 When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are
entering to possess, you are to proclaim on
30 As you know, these mountains are across the
31 You are about to cross the
32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before
you today.
DEUTERONOMY
16:4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with
thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there [any thing] of the flesh,
which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the
morning. no
leaven in your possession for seven days. no meat you sacrifice remain until
the morning.
Acts
15: false brethren rise
Teaching the people to go backwards.
1
Cor 11: deviate from vindicated
Word go backwards not forwards.
2
Cor 11: false apostles bring
another Spirit, Message and Jesus.
Heb
10:26-38
Paul tell us those who draw back do so to perdition.
Heb
6: fall back from the
vindicated Word, never able to repent.
2
Pet 2: false teachers bring in
alongside true doctrine, destructive heresies causing the people to go
backwards into Pentecostal Mechanics like Balaam and forsake the Vindicated
Word. vs 22 day old food = vomit and wallow.
Heb
11:15
think of country left, creates opportunity to return.
Lev
25
Gospel trumpet sounds Jubilee we go free unless we love bondage, then enter
more fully into his bondage than before.
PARADOX PP.62-63 Now
we find Joshua representing Grace, or some propitiation, that it could not
exist in the same time that law was in existence. Neither does any message that
forwards the people on, ever coincide with a past message. It will not do it!
That's where you have trouble today. Jesus said, "does any person take a
new piece of garment and put it into an old? Or put the new wine into old
bottles? They perish. It bursts them open." They can't stand it.
MODERN
EVENTS PP.56 We're
not living in a Pentecostal age, we're living in another age. We're living on
up here to the Bride age, the calling out of the church and getting it together
for the rapture. That's the age we're now living.
TURN
ON THE LIGHT PG. 37 Sanctification served it's time till it come to the
Baptism of the Holy Ghost. And the Baptism of the Holy Ghost has served it's
time until the Holy Spirit, (which there's only one God)...blends into the
church, or the church into Christ, that makes Jesus Christ reflected on the
earth , what He promised here in the Bible.
RAPTURE PP. 15 The
Life that come up through Luther was what made Wesley. The Life that come out
of Wesley is what made Pentecost. The Life that come out of Pentecost makes the
Wheat. But they are a carrier. See? The real Life goes through there. The
Message goes through there, but it's heading on up into the wheat.
Masterpiece the 64-0705 P:122 Great Father of Life, include us, Lord. If we've
sinned, take it away from us. We don't want to be that way, Lord. It's not our
intention. And we realize we're living in such a horrible dark way. As we said
at the beginning, we're walking up a mountain, through rugged places; dim is
the trail; but we're packing the Light. May we see It step by step as we go now, until we meet, like "Pilgrim's
Progress," till we finally catch the top of the hill. Guide us, O
Shepherd. Great Jehovah, lead us by Thy Spirit. And we know that we're far from
a masterpiece, but we're looking where we were hewed from, the real
Masterpiece, and in Him we trust. Just take us to Him, Lord. Grant it, Lord.