MASTERPIECE No. 29
The Foreknowledge of God in Predestination
Sunday Morning, October 16,
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 33 to read. These thoughts that
he tells us have to do with the purpose and plan of God, and therefore I wish
to entitle this study “The Foreknowledge
of God in Predestination.”
2. PP. 33 But this masterpiece that Michelangelo
had made, it cost him something to do
that. He was a great man. And it
cost a big part of his life, because he was many, many years in carving
out.. Just take a rock of marble and keep carving it. Only the man, the sculptor himself has in his mind what he's trying to
do; he's the one. You might walk up and say to him, "What are you
pecking on that rock for?" To the outsider who doesn't know what's in his
heart, oh, it's nonsense. But to the man, the sculptor himself, he's got a
vision in his mind, what he's trying to make, and he's trying to reproduce what
he has on his mind in the form of a monument. And that's the reason he's
picking it out of the rocks.
3. Now, this morning we will
again focus our thoughts on paragraph 33, but this week we will take the second
thought that came out of this paragraph. Last week we took our focus on the
first part where brother Branham said, But this masterpiece that Michelangelo had made, it cost him something to do that. He
was a great man. And it cost a big part
of his life, because he was many, many years in carving out.
4. Last week our Sermon was
called “Counting the Costs”, and it dealt with this thought here where
brother Branham spoke o the great cost to Michelangelo to make this masterpiece
statue of Moses. We also took examples from Scripture concerning men of God who
counted it a greater treasure to suffer the reproach for Christ than to gain
all the treasures this world could give them.
5. We looked at Noah and saw
how he spent 120 yeas of his life and how that his salvation message was so off
the beaten path of the hour that he lived that he suffered great alienation
from family and friends in order to walk with God. We saw how Moses through
away the treasures of
6. God does not make it
easy for you to follow Him. There is always a price to pay, because His only begotten
son Jesus had to learn obedience by the things that He suffered.
7. From his sermon called Leadership 65-1207 P:89, Brother Branham said concerning Moses, Let's watch his
life. The first thing, when he had accepted to take the reproach of Christ and
forsake his education, forsake all of his wisdom... He was taught in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians. And all of his popularity, his throne, his scepter,
his kingship, his crown, everything he had, he rejected it. And this other
fellow wanted it, and refused Christ; and this man refused that, and accepted
Christ. And quickly what happened? He had to separate himself .
.8. P:90 He rejected the
thrones and the popularity. He could've had young wives by the hundreds, and he
could've had scepters...
9.
P:91 It might cost
you everything you got. It might cost you your home; it might cost you your
friendship; it might cost you your stitch-and-sew party; it might cost you your
place at the Kiwanis. It might... I don't know what it'll cost you, but it'll
cost everything that's worldly or pertains to the world. You'll have to
separate yourself from everything that's worldly. You'll have to do it .Moses
laid everything aside and went into the desert with a stick in his hand. Amen.
Days after days passed. And wonder if he thought he made a mistake? No. Many times
people start out, and they say, "Oh, I'll do it. Glory to God, I see
It." And let somebody laugh at you and make fun of you, "Probably I
was wrong." He said, "They that cannot stand chastisement are bastard
children and not the children of God." See, they're worked up on the
emotion. See, these seed that I talked about awhile ago, that soul wasn't there
to start with. It was anointed with the Spirit, and he done all kinds. Oh, And
when your spirit's anointed, you can... It's a real, genuine Holy Ghost, and
you could still be a devil.
10.
and from his sermon called, Lord just once more 63-0628A P:66 he said, The trouble of it is, the church today is not like Samson. They're
not willing to pay the price. Samson prayed right when he prayed, "Lord,
let me die with the enemy." He knew it was going to cost him something. He
knew it was going to cost something. It's going to cost you something. It's
going to cost me something: your social prestige, your place and position in
the denomination. "Lord, let me die then. I see Your purpose." He
knew it was going to cost him something. You must be ready to die out to your
enemy to get in the blessings of God. Samson was willing to pay the price to
get the power of God again upon him. He's willing to do it. Are you? Are you
willing to sacrifice your television programs? And, you know, it used to be as
wrong for us to go to the movies. But now the Devil put one over on you, he
brought it right in the house with you. That's right. See?
11. Now, this week I would
like to examine the second part of this wonderful paragraph and our focus this
week will be upon the words that brother Branham said, “Only the
man, the sculptor himself has in his mind what he's trying to do; he's the one.”
Now, this morning I would like to take
this thought for our text, and entitle this study, The foreknowledge of God in Predestination, because the
thought is dealing with the Sculptor which is a type of God, Who is the great
Creator, who like a Sculptor formed and fashioned man into His own Image, and
brought forth a Son in His own likeness, and fashioned him to reflect His own
will. And so we see by scripture that the Son of God forsook his own will in
favor of God’s will, and was fashioned into the very image of the Father.
12. This morning we will
look at the foreknowledge of God in Predestination because most people
have been turned away from the true Gospel unto another Gospel and thus have no
true understanding of the sovereign God who has a Sovereign plan, a Sovereign
Purpose and a Sovereign Choice. Furthermore, most people have no clue to the
true understanding of the foreknowledge of God and how that foreknowledge plays
a significant role in the predestination of God in our lives.
13. The main emphasis on
the Foreknowledge of God as taught in the majority of pulpits today has nothing
to do with the true essence of God by Foreknowledge planning and preparing, but
has been twisted altogether to the place where it is being taught that the
foreknowledge of God has to do with man’s choice and God’s passive acceptance
of that choice, and thus God making His selection of you based on knowing
beforehand what choice you will make.
14. Now, In order to understand the Foreknowledge of
God or the foreordination or God, we must look to the Scriptures without any
denominational filter over our eyes. We must be willing in our heart to read
God’s Word the way He wrote it, instead of the way we were taught to interpret
it.
15. When God's Word speaks of His Eternal purpose
and plan, it shows how He elects certain ones to be conformed to the image of
His Son. However, most ministers are blinded by their Bible training, which in
reality is anti-Bible training, and they will thus argue that election is based
upon the foreknowledge of God, and this "foreknowledge" is interpreted by them to mean that God foresaw
certain ones would be more yielding than others, and that they would respond
more eagerly to the call of God, and that because God knew they would believe,
He accordingly, predestinates them unto salvation. But this kind of thinking is
not only fundamentally wrong, but disastrous concerning their relationship with
a Sovereign God. This kind of thinking takes away from the sovereignty of God,
replacing it with the sovereignty of man, and his ability to make a right
decision without Divine intervention.
16. To believe in the absolute power of free moral
agency is to do away with the Sovereignty of God and the sovereign nature of
His purpose and plan. This view of the foreknowledge of God is completely
contrary from what Scriptures actually teach. To say, “God foresaw that certain ones would believe
in Christ, and therefore He predestinated them unto salvation”, is
the very opposite of what scripture teaches.
17. The Scriptures
establish that God, in His Sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be
recipients of His unmerited grace. Now,
God does not force man to do anything. You do it on your own free will. He will
warn you, He may even throw a barricade across your path, but you walk of your
own free will and you make your own decisions in His Presence as to whether you
will obey Him or not. But that does not make what you do totally independent
from what God has prepared for you to do. Satan has perverted God's plan to his
own plan. But just because He gave you
free will does not mean that he looks down the road at what you choose and then
sets His whole plan of redemption based on your choice.
18. Brother Branham said in the sermon, “HEAR YE HIM
56-1215 E-43 And it's the works of God by
grace, through foreknowledge that ordains you to Eternal Life and puts your
name on the Lamb's Book of Life at the beginning. "And no man can come
except My Father draws him. All that comes to me I'll give him Everlasting
Life, raise him up the last day. Those who he has foreknew, he has called:
those who he has called, he has justified: those who he has justified, he hath
(past tense) already glorified," in glory. What you scared about? God
calls you, your heart loves Him. "As the hart panteth for the water brook,
so my soul thirsts after thee, O God." There it is. 44 Well, say,
"Brother Branham, that makes it kinda loose then. As long as I believe I'm
a Christian, I can do anything I want to." I always do what I want to, always. And if I want to do wrong, I
know God's not in there. See? You can't get bitter and sweet water from the
same fountain. That's right. You love the Lord, you'll do right. Yes, sir. If you love Him, you don't have to worry,
if you love Him, just do what you want to. It'll always crying to do something
for Him, crying, you love Him day and night. If something had happened,
you'd happened be trapped into something, the bitter tears would run down your
cheeks all night. You couldn't have no rest for the soles of your feet till you
come back to the ark again. See? As long as you're a Christian...
19. Acts 13:48
tells us, All
that are ordained to eternal life believe. It does not say all who
believe are ordained to eternal life, because that would put the emphasis on
the act of believing, and not the act of God’s choosing by election which comes
first, and then the believing as the result of your being elect.
20. In ROMANS 9:11 (For the children being not
yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works,
but of him that calleth;) Notice, it is Him that does the
calling, and it is Him that does the electing. 12 It
was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14
¶ What shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. 16 So then [it is] not
of him that willeth, (Now this word “willeth” speaks of “desire”
which speaks of choice, but notice he says, it is NOT him that chooses, or
desires, ) nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 For the
scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up,
that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have
mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth
he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art
thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed
[it], Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of
the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 [What] if God, willing to shew
[his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto
glory,
21. Therefore the Scriptures teach that grace is
unmerited and if so, then there is nothing you nor any one can do to deserve
it.
22. We also see in EPHESIANS 2:8 For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not
of works, lest any man should boast. That takes your actions and
your decision making ability out of the picture all together. It tells me that
God determined to do something, He Chooses, and then gives us a free gift of
Grace to receive what He has given to us freely, by His own Design, purpose and
plan.
23. Jesus said in, JOHN 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your
fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. God determines to bestow upon you the gift of
faith, and thus the ability to make a right decision. Jesus said to Peter, Blessed art thou Simon for Flesh and Blood has
not revealed this to you but my Father that is in heaven, and upon this rock
(revelation) I will build my church and the gates of hell shall never prevail.
24. False theology makes God's foreknowledge of our believing the cause, and
therefore our choosing is not the action, but the cause of the action, which
action is God’s choosing. But the True revelation of the foreknowledge of God is
that God's election is the cause, and
our believing is only the effect. We love Him BECAUSE he first Loved us...
But to think that our free moral agency has anything to do with it, you would
have to read that scripture as, “He loved us because we first loved Him”, which
is total heresy.
25. In our studies perhaps a decade ago, on the “Ginosko”
of God, which is the Knowledge of God, we found that the words "know"
and "foreknow" signify much more than mere cognition, but
rather they show an affection for the object in view. Mary said, “ How can I be with child having
known no man?” Therefore if the Word Know speaks of not only a
cognitive understanding but also shows an affection for the one known, then we
can see why all Scriptures speaking of the foreknowledge of God speak of the
person rather than the action which is known or affectionately referred to.
26. You do not have affection for actions, but
rather affections are designed for persons.
Therefore in the Old Testament and New Testament, we find that all the
scriptures referring to the foreknowledge of God, speak of His Love and
affection for a people, and not for the actions of those people.
27. In Exodus 33:17 we read, “I know
thee by name". Notice
the object of God’s affection is the personal pronoun Thee. I know thee...
28. Again we find in Deuteronomy 9:24 “Ye have been rebellious
against the Lord from the day that I
knew you". Notice
again the use of the personal pronoun “You.”
29. Next we find in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I
formed thee in the belly I
knew thee”. And again we se the use of a personal Pronoun
“Thee”, that God not only formed “thee”, but before He formed in the belly, He knew THEE.
30. Again in Amos 3:2 we read, "You only have I known of all the families of the
earth". And again we see the personal pronoun You, that is spoken of here.
31. In the New
Testament we do not see any change of this principle, and yet how could we expect
to find any changes with a God who does not change.
32. In Matthew 7:23 the same principle can be found. "Then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you".
And in this case, although it speaks of those Who He did not
foreknow, it also speaks of an intimacy that he did not have. In fact Dr. Hoyer
said that this speaks of the great divorcement. Why” For lack of intimacy. I
never Knew you... I never knew you in an intimate way as a man would know his
wife in an intimate way.
33. In John 10:14 Jesus
says, “I am the
good shepherd and know My sheep
and am known of Mine”. Now, here we see a noun being used as a
personal pronoun, in that the sheep represent a people who are known by Him.
34. In 1 Corinthians 8:3
Paul tells us, “If
any man love God, the same is known of
Him". Now, this is not saying that if any man love God
first, then God will know him, because the apostle John tells us, I JOHN 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. That means that the cause of our loving God is that
He first loved us. His loving us is the cause and our loving Him in return is
the action. Therefore, if he first Loved us,
then our love is after the fact. Perhaps we could reword this sentence then, to
help you understand it better. Paul is saying, “If any man loves God, it is because the same
one has been known by God. In
other words, God set forth a relationship with that person even before they
knew Him, and thus because God had set forth the relationship into action, thus
the response of the person loved by God was to Love God in return.
35. We also read in 2 Timothy
2:19 "The Lord knoweth
them that are His". And again you find the knowing speaks
of a personal pronoun, and dos not speak of an action.
36. If we study carefully every passage of
Scriptures, we will find that Foreknowledge is never used in Scripture in
connection with events or actions; but rather in all cases it is used in
reference to persons. It is persons that God "foreknows," and not
the actions of those persons.
37. Acts 2:23 "Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain." With a careful study of the wording of
this verse you will note that this was not speaking of God's foreknowledge of
the act of the crucifixion, but of the Person crucified: "Him “Christ”
being delivered by," etc. Now, this
does not mean that God did not foreknow the crucifixion, because He set forth
His Son to be the Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world and
His Old Testament is full of prophetic utterances concerning the rejection of
His Son and the crucifixion of Him. But the essence is that it is His Son that
is foreknown. The action only fulfill the knowing of that one.
38. You cannot read Romans 8:29-30 without coming to
this understanding that God elects, and thus as a result predestinates or
predetermines the one that He elects. "For whom He did
(that’s past tense) foreknow, He also did
(That is also past tense) predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He
might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did (again that is past tense) predestinate, them He also called, (and that little suffix ”ed” let’s you know that the calling is
also past tense. Then if the calling and predestinating and electing are all
past tense, then what do you have to do with it at all? The answer is nothing. You are the objects of His
affection even before you came to this world.)
39. And again, I want you to notice the wording
used here. This verse does not speak of what, or of an action, but it speaks of
whom He did (past tense) foreknow. It is not him that runneth nor him that willeth, but God that
showeth mercy. Therefore the purpose and plan of God does not focus
on the action but rather the person. What action it focuses on if any is the
action of what God did beforehand set in motion. Notice again, Whom He (God)
did foreknow (action), so we see the action is all God’s and the knowing is all
God’s and therefore it is by Grace that you are saved and not of your own works.
40. In Romans 11:2 "God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew" Notice again the
reference is to persons, His people...
41. In I Peter 1:2 we read, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father." Who are
"elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father"? Here again the reference is to persons, and not to
their foreseen acts.
42. No where does the Scripture speak of the actions
being foreknown, but rather the persons are the ones foreknown. Scripture never
speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or foreknown by God. But we do see throughout Scripture that God
did know from all eternity that certain ones would repent and believe, yet nowhere
does Scripture refer to an action as the object of God's "foreknowledge."
Then, if the Word of God consistently refers to God's foreknowing of persons;
then we should do as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:13 "hold fast the form of sound words".
43. All these Scriptures that speak of the
foreknowledge of God do not speak of his foreknowledge as a result of someone’s
actions, but rather they point to the purpose and plan of God. They all speak
of His own Sovereign decrees, plans and purpose.
44. In Acts 2:23 we read, Christ was "delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God". His "counsel,
purpose or plan was the basis of His foreknowledge. Therefore you
cannot read Romans
8:29 without first reading verse 28 which says, "all things work together for good to them who are the called
according to His purpose." Thus God's "foreknowledge"
is based upon His own purpose" or decree as we see also in Psalms 2:7,
“ I will
declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have
I begotten thee. “
45. God
foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. He planned it that
way. Therefore when men say God foreknew what your choice would be and
therefore made His election or choice based on your choice they are not rightly
dividing the Word of Truth, but are un-rightly dividing it and have reversed
the order of Scripture, thus putting the cart before the horse.
46. The truth is, He "foreknows"
because He has elected. This removes the cause of election from the person, and
places it in God’s own sovereign will. God purposed in Himself to elect a
certain people, not because of anything good in them or from them, either
actual or foreseen, but solely out of His own pleasure. As to why He chose the
ones He did, we do not know, and can only say, "Even so, Father, for it
seemed good in Thy sight."
47. The plain truth of Rom. 8:29 is that God, before the
foundation of the world, singled out certain persons and appointed out for
Election and Thus salvation.
48. In II Thess. 2:13 we read If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny
himself. This should make it clear that God does not base His
election on what we choose but rather what He has divinely planned as we see
that in Romans
8:29, "Predestinated to be conformed to the image of His son,"
God did not predestinate those whom he foreknew were already
"conformed," but, on the contrary, those whom he "foreknew"
He predestinated "to be
conformed." Their conformity to
Christ is not the cause, but the
effect of God's foreknowledge and predestination. God did not elect any
because He foresaw that they would believe, for the simple reason that no
sinner can believe until God gives him faith to believe; just as no man sees
until God gives him sight. Sight is God's gift, Believing is God’s gift, and
seeing is the consequence of using the gift of faith.
49. Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them... Notice then we can see here that God ordained
beforehand that we should walk in the Faith. Believing then is the consequence
of my using His gift of faith. If it were true that God had elected certain
ones to be saved because in due time they would believe, then that would make
believing a meritorious act, and in that event the saved sinner would have
ground for "boasting," which Scripture emphatically denies.
50. God's Word plainly states that believing is not
a meritorious act. In Matthew 13: 10 – 17 we see that not everyone is
ordained to see, or to understand. Therefore, we can plainly se here that God
elects some to Glory while others He does not choose. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou
unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto
them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore
speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is
fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For
this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed
are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For
verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see
those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things
which ye hear, and have not heard them.
51. Notice that Jesus Himself said it is not given
to some to see and understand, but to others it is given. The Scriptures tell
us that we are able to believe because of Grace. If, then, we believe "through grace," there is absolutely
nothing meritorious about "believing," and if nothing meritorious, it
could not be the grounds or the cause which moved God to choose us. No; God's
choice proceeds not from anything in us, or anything from us, but solely from
His own sovereign pleasure. In Acts 13:48 we read, “as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed”. Therefore we can conclude that believing depends upon
having been ordained to eternal life.
52. Once more, in Romans 11:5, we read of "a remnant according
to the election of grace." There it is, plain enough; election itself is of grace, and grace is unmerited favor, something for
which we had no claim upon God whatsoever.
It appears then that it is highly important for us to have a clear and
Scriptural view of the "foreknowledge".
Erroneous concerning God’s Foreknowledge lead inevitably to thoughts that
dishonor God, and give us a wrong understanding of the attributes of God, and
thus God Himself.
53. The popular idea of the foreknowledge of God is
altogether inadequate. God not only knew the end from the beginning, but He
planned it, and fixed it, and predestinated everything from the beginning. And,
as cause stands to effect, so God's purpose is the ground of His
predestination. If then you are a true Christian, he can only be so because God chose you in
Christ before the foundation of the world as we see in 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, 6 To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
54. He chose you, not because He foresaw you would
believe, but He chose you simply because it pleased Him to choose you; and in
fact He chose you regardless of your natural unbelief. And because this is so,
then all glory, praise and honor, belongs alone to Him. You have no grounds for
taking any credit to yourself. You have according to Acts 18:27 “believed through grace”, and your
very election was "of grace" (
55.
In closing let’s look at one more Scripture. Turn to John chapter 1 and verse 12. Here we
find John tell us, “But as many as
received him, to them gave he power (exousia)
to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: “
56. Now, this scripture does not tell us
that those that received Him, (that’s what they did and because of what they
did) they are the ones he then gives power to become sons. No, that is total
heresy and espouses that man and his actions is greater than God and His Omniscience.
57.Rather, this Scripture tells us that
the ones that he gave power to become sons are those that receive him. The Greek
word exousia that was translated as the word “power”,
means an ability that has been given.
Thus we see, to those that receive Him, they are the ones He has given an ability
to understand. This runs in the same context as what Jesus Himself said in Matthew
13, concerning those who could hear and understand verses those who could not
hear and understand. Not everyone is given an ability to know and understand.
Only those that God gives this ability to are able to know and understand
because it takes revelation to know and understand and revelation comes from
God alone.
58. Therefore in
paragraph 33, when brother Branham is
speaking of the Sculptor and says, “Only the man, the sculptor himself has in his mind
what he's trying to do;” he is speaking of the whole plan of foreknowledge, election
and predestination. And he is telling us that the sculptor has in his mind what
the finished product will look like and because of this he goes to work on that
unformed and un-fashioned piece of Rock because He sees the end from the
beginning, and thus His whole plan is to bring out of that dead amorphous
object a real living creation.