MASTERPIECE No. 27
Three is a Witness
Sunday Morning, October 9,
2005
Rev. Brian Kocourek
1. This morning
we will continue with our study of brother Branham’s sermon called The
Masterpiece, and we will pick up at paragraph 27 to read. This will also be number
27 in our series and it has to do with the purpose and plan of God.
3. THE MASTERPIECE PP .
27 But my mind is
thinking this morning as we journey back (I do) for a few years. I was invited
up to Forest Lawn in
4. PP.
28 And a group of ministers, we went up there. And we didn't have time to go
into the place where they have the cremation and put the bodies in a little box
on the side of the wall.
5.
PP. 29 And in there they have some outstanding things such as the Last Supper.
And it's lighted by the actual light of the sun. And they have a shutter that it gives them...When they go in, it's light;
and then as they begin to speak it darkens up. And after while it all becomes
dark. And then the people go out.
6.
PP. 30 And they have all the Supper, an d
the woman that held the secret of how to beat this glass into this place, why,
make these pictures, why, it come through a family from many years back. And
the art was just given to the children, and the last one was a woman. And they
was fixing this picture. And when they went to mold and burn the glass, bake
it, of Judas Iscariot, it busted. So then, they tried it again. And it busted
again. And she said, "Maybe our Lord doesn't want His enemy picture by His
side." And said, "If it bursts again, we'll not complete the
picture." But it held that time. Then, of course that was a striking thing, and how that such things would happen.
Now,
I am not feeling well today, I have been suffering all night long with the flu
so I thought I would just speak a short message this morning on the Thoughts
“Three is a witness”. Notice that this women thought that if this glass burst a
third time then they would take it for a confirmation that they were not to put
Judas in the same picture as the Son of God. But when it did not burst the
third time they got their answer.
Now,
in the old testament we were told that in the mouth of three witnesses let all
things be established.
John 2: 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this
temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
John 2: 19 Jesus answered
and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
1 John 5: 7 For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Hebrews 10: 28 He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
1 Timothy 5: 19 Against an elder
receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
2 Corinthians 13: 1 This is the
third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall
every word be established.
Matthew 18: 16 But if he will
not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established.
Deuteronomy 19: 15 One witness
shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin
that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Deuteronomy 17: 6 At the mouth of
two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to
death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Matthew chapter 2
Thee wise
men to bear witness to the birth of the Son of God. Gold Frankincense and myrrh.
We have seen His star 63-1216
P:66 For we are told in a recent newspaper clipping, of the Magi there,
that when those three stars lined up and made one star, that the Messiah was
then on earth. And they were actually Jews up there studying, getting their
education in astronomy. So then when they--when they seen that, they knowed
that Jesus was born somewhere. That they didn't know where it was, but they
must have drew straws to find out what to do, just how, who was going to go.
Everybody wanted to go, everybody. But they always take, as I said awhile ago, three is a witness, to witness, to come
back and tell them if it's the truth. So what did they do? They loaded up
their wealth; they loaded up their gifts and everything to take to Him.
LUKE 8:40 And MARK 5:22 we see that Jairus had a daughter that lat dying,
and in fact had died. When Jesus came He raised her from the dead but would not
allow anyone to enter while he prayed for her except Peter James and John.
Hear ye Him 60-0806 P:29 Now, we find
out, that Jesus, this great occasion, He selected three men. I always like to
think of Peter, James, and John. When He raised Jairus' daughter, He took
Peter, James, and John, and that's hope, faith, and charity. Those three are a witness. Three is a
witness in the Old Testament. And so this time, this occasion was so great,
and the message had to be so great, till God took witness. That's what we are thankful
of tonight, what I'm so grateful to God, that this Pentecostal message, that
we're preaching, God sends a witness. The Bible said in Hebrews 11, "God
testified of His gift." If a person says anything... A man can say
anything, but if God doesn't back it up with His Word and with His Presence,
then he don't have a witness. So what he says, if it--if he says it, the Bible
says it, and the Spirit vindicates it, that's three witnesses, then it's truth.
It's confirmed. God says that it is so.
Hear ye Him 58-0328 P:11 And now, as we
get on with our scene, we find Jesus taken three man: Peter, James, and John.
And He was fixing to do something. And when God does anything, He always makes
it before witnesses. He just doesn't do it loosely; He makes a witness. And in the Old Testament and in the New
Testament too, three is a witness. So He took Peter, James, and John to be a
witness of what God was fixing to do. I've often thought, when He went into
the house of Jairus to raise up her daughter, or his daughter from the dead, we
find Him taking Peter, James, and John, those three. And it may just be a
little thought of my own, but each of those represented something. Peter
represented faith; and James represented hope; and John represented charity.
Hope, faith, and charity, these are the three greatest gifts. And God was
manifesting His works through His three great gifts.
In Daniel Chapter three, we see that God had three
witnesses that would not bow the knee to Nebuchadnezzar’s false god, …Shadrack,
Meshack, and Abednigo and God bear witness to them in the fiery furnace.
Rapture the 65-1204 P:94 Notice, we seen
it in types. Now, if you want to read in Matthew 18:16, it said, there's three
that bear record. See? In Saint--I John 5:7 and so forth... Three is always a witness. Is that right?
It's a verification, something that's right. Three witnesses bear...
"In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be
established." Now notice, we've had
three witnesses. Three is a witness. Now, we've already had three raptures in
the Old Testament (Did you know that?) as a witness. Now, watch. Enoch was one; Elijah was the other one;
and Jesus was the other One. Jesus,
being the Keystone now, He bear record. See, He was the Keystone between
the Old and New Testament, 'cause He had to first die and then rapture. He
died, come to life, and walked around here with us, and then was raptured up;
because He was the Keystone that tied the two together. After His resurrection
and rapture (Look.), after He did that and proved that the Old Testament
there... We all know Enoch was translated. We know Elijah was taken up by a
whirlwind (That right?) in a chariot of fire. And Jesus died, buried, rose up,
and lived here on earth, and then was raptured up, the Keystone. There's three
to bear record. Is that right?
And brother Branham said there are three
new Testament raptures, the Old testament saints with Jesus, the us, and the
144 thousand. Remember, Jesus was the Key stone so he was alpha and Omega the
first and last. Otherwise there would be 6 raptures and six is the number of
man, but there are five which is the number of Grace. Jesus being both old
testament and new testament.
Abraham's grace covenant
61-0317 P:56 Go back in Galatians the 4th chapter and pick it up there. Paul
talking there. He placed that son. What did He do. He had a ceremony of
adoption placing that son. And then after he seen that son was going to do it,
he's going to keep the promise, nobody's going to keep him from it, he's just
like his daddy, he going to stay right with it (Cut and let the chips fall
wherever they want to.), he pulls no punches... And he says, "I can put
trust in that boy." So he forms... performs adoption. And what does he do?
After he performed the adoption, that child is a placed son then in the
father's kingdom and has full, equal rights to it. In otherwise, if he wrote a
check, his name is just as good on the check, as his daddy's was. Then he's
adopted, or placed. God did the same thing to Jesus upon
Hear ye Him 57-0807 P:9 I want you to
notice how beautiful that those three man typed that, the spirits that was in
those men. Peter--faith, right out ready to tackle anything, James--hope,
John--charity. Faith, hope, and charity.
And it is written in the Word that three
is a witness or a conformation. The Bible said, "In the mouth of three witnesses let every word be established."
Three was a witness in the Old Testament. If there was an accusation against
someone, it had to be witnessed by three. And it's also carried over into the
New Testament, that three is a witness. And we find that God was fixing to do
something. And God, when He does anything, He always brings witness. We find at
Pentecost, He said, "Wait at the city of Jerusalem until you're endued
with power from on high, then you shall be witnesses of Me," preparing His
witnesses, God sent witnesses.
Hear ye Him 57-0310E P:20 Now, when they
went up to the mountain... And three is a witness. In the Old Testament under
Jewish laws, three testimonies was a witness. It could be confirmed by three
testimonies. And now, God taken Christ up to the mountain, not just for just to
take Him up there, but He went for a purpose. He was going to do something. And
wherever Christ is around, He's there for a purpose. And if He's here tonight,
He's here for a purpose. And when He was up there, watch, He taken Peter,
James, and John; that's a witness. And they represent: hope, faith, and
charity. That's the three greatest witness we have in the Christian realms anyhow.
Hope, faith and charity, that's
hope, faith and love. Peter represented faith; James, hope; and John, charity.
And then, did you notice while they were there (God fixing to do something) He
also had three from heaven to come down: Moses, Elias, and Jesus. There was
three men of the earth to witness these events. There were three men from
heaven to represent this, or to witness this event.
Blind Bartimaeus 56-0414 P:48 There was three people raised in the days of Jesus.
Thousands died, but three is a witness in the Jewish laws; three is a
confirmation. "Mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be
established. "Now, but He didn't feel no virtue go from Him there,
because-- greater was the miracle, but God had showed Him what to do. But this
woman pulled the virtue from Him. Now, Jesus cannot be here in a corporal body.
Because when that body returns, the end time's here. "As the lightening
cometh from the east, even to the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of
man. Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess." He can't be here
in a corporal body, but He's here in a spiritual body, in the form called the
Holy Spirit.
Where I think pentecost failed
55-1111 P:58 Look. God did the same thing to His own Son. He taken three for a
witness. The Bible said, "Three is a witness." And He took Peter,
James, and John (love, hope, and charity) and taken them up on a high exceeding
mountain, great high mountain. And there Jesus was transfigured before them,
and His garments shined like the sun. And a voice spoke and said, "This is
My beloved Son; hear ye Him. "God adopting His Own Son, shined Him out in
a glorified, transfigured condition, and proved before witnesses, "This is
My beloved Son, hear ye Him." No wonder Jesus could say "All the
power in heavens and earth is given unto My hands."
To see Jesus 54-0718E P:48 Like His baptism, He didn't have to be baptized. He
was the Son of God, but He did it as an example. He didn't have to wash the
disciples feet, He was the God of heaven. But He did it for an example.
"He said, "For these that stand by, I said it." And He said,
"Lazarus, come forth." And a man, that had been dead four days, stood
on his feet and lived again. See? Why didn't--why didn't He raise up all the
people in
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Let us Pray…