Masterpiece 35

Holding to the Vision

December 3, 2005

Pastor, Brian Kocourek

 

This evening for our communion service which will be our last in Kentucky, I would like to take our thoughts from brother Branham’s sermon called THE MASTERPIECE  64-0705 and we will pick up at paragraph  36 to read for our text. Brother Branham said concerning Michelangelo, “And then when he got all so perfect, every corner off, and every place rubbed, and the eyes just right, and every hair and beard, all just the way it was, he stood off and looked at it. I think of many, many hard years of labor, and how he had to hold that same vision all the time in his mind of what he was going to do. And just think, that vision on his mind for so many years, to make it look just exactly to what it was, he caught the vision first, and how he had to work to that vision, cutting off and making down... And when he got it to where he perfected it, till it really got perfect, he stood and looked at it when he finished up that morning, with a hammer in his hand. And he was so inspired when he looked at it, because the vision of his mind was standing before him in reality. What he had seen and his conception of what Moses was, there it was figured before him, what he'd had in his heart all these years of toils, and hours of sorrow, and distress, and critics, and everything else, but yet he stayed right with the vision until it was completed.”

 

This evening I would like to take a dedicational sermon on this thought that brother Branham emphasizes several times in this paragraph in which he speaks of “holding to the vision.”

 

And notice how he says that Michelangelo stayed right with the vision until it was completed, until it stood before him in reality. Now, remember, brother Branham has emphasized several times how that Michelangelo had to work to the Vision, and he emphasized how that he held to the Vision and kept working to the Vision for many, many years.

 

Therefore, let’s top and think about this for a moment. Here we have a man, Michelangelo who had a vision in his mind of what Moses looked like. Then he found the material in which to make this image come forth into reality.  

 

They say that Michelangelo turned down many, many blocks of Marble until he found the block that he could see this vision of Moses in that huge block of marble.  Michelangelo had to plan beforehand, just where to begin his work on that image, and he had to plan out where each stroke of his chisel would hit that piece of marble, to fashion it, and shape it without destroying it altogether.

 

Now, God promised us in 1 Corinthians 10: 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be put to the test above that which you are able to bear; but will with the being put to the test, also He will make a way for you to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

 

Chip by chip God chisels away at this hardened clay of ours until the image of His vision becomes a reality in it. Just as Michelangelo had to control the amount of power he used each time he struck that great block of Marble, so too God has promised that he would not put us to the test any more than we are able to bear.

Why? Because, if Michelangelo hit that Marble with too much power, it could ruin the entire piece of Marble and thus destroy any prospects of the image he had in his mind from becoming a reality in that stone.

 

Thus we find that God too, must not place upon His elect any burden greater than what that person is able to bear. Otherwise it might destroy the material in which He is sculpturing out his own Masterpiece.

 

Identified masterpiece of God 64-1205 P:84 He's making a bride. Yes, sir. He's hewing the chips now, chopping off the world. Oh, church joining, and creeds, and denominations, and dogmas all has to be cut away from the church, their formal ideas, their indifference, their doctrines and things. Come back and let the Master pick up the bow. Let the Master pick you up in His hands, strike the Word, say, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Say, "Amen, Lord. Make me, mold me, make me, Lord, what I should be." Then there'll be a different thing. Then, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I'll draw all men unto Me." Yes, sir. He's cutting you out now, cutting you down to His Word only, cutting all the creeds and dogmas and everything away from you, trying to get back to a bride for the Son, another masterpiece part of the Word.

 

Now, let’s look at those chips that come off that old block of Stone. Each chip is made from the same material, but it was not seen in the Vision as being a part of the finished work.

 

Resurrection the 53-1205 P:35 Now, that is truth. And that's where our world is--our churches are failing today. We're trying to get into our pulpit... You people who are electing your pastors, you're trying to get the very smartest, newest, freshest thing out of the seminary, that you can find; and sometimes that's the worst thing you could have. Right. What we need today is a man with an experience of God who'll lay the axe to the root of the tree and let the chips fall where away and preach the unadulterated Gospel if the church turns him out.

 

Faith once delivered to saints 53-1129A P:86 He preached the Gospel uncompromised. He throwed, like John, the axe to the root of the tree, let the chips fall where they wanted to. What we need today is an old preacher like John the Baptist. (Amen.), that'll lay the ax to the root of the tree, and lay it on the line. Line up with God's Word or line out. Amen.

 

I like the way brother Branham is using this illustration of Michelangelo and all his hard work keeping in his mind all the time the vision, and all his efforts going into bringing forth the reality to the Vision.  And if the Five Fold ministry would keep in mind the Vision that was given to us by God through His Prophet, we would use the sharp two edged Sword to chip here and chip there until we see the image of the Bride of Jesus Christ in the local assembly.

 

Influences 64-0215 P:10 Many times then, they got a board there. If that pastor would happen to hit a little wire that was kind of little contrary, or say something about it, that board would have him up. His name would go up to headquarters, and he'd be excommunicated. So, you see, it's become a meal ticket, and instead of anointed servant to preach the Gospel. See? That's right. It becomes a thing that they want a... it's a meal ticket. They got to stay there, get good pay. Listen, brother. God have mercy upon a man that would sell his birthright for that...?...We need men that'll handle the Gospel barehanded, not with any kind of a denominational glove on. Just lay it out there the way it's wrote, and let the chips fall wherever they want. "If the shoe fits," Mama used to say, "wear it. If it don't trim your corn." Now, so we have those things that we ought to be listening to.

 

Hearing receiving and acting 60-0607 P:16 So we find out, that in every revival that's ever been born  in the world, it produces twins. That's right. Every revival has twins. They have a bunch in there that's carnal believers and a bunch of spiritual believers. Every revival produces that: an Esau and Jacob. And as they go along, first thing you know, the carnal begins to think, "Well, these guys are getting off of the deep end. I better separate myself from them." They go back to the intellectual part. They want a pastor that'll speak to them of pleasant things. They don't want that Spirit-filled pastor, that'll obey the Holy Spirit from the platform, just preach the Word just like It is. As John said, "Lay the axe to the root of the tree and let the chips fall where it will." Most of the churches today will vote that out of their pulpit. That's right. It'll come a separation, always does that. It did it in the Methodist age; it did it in the Baptist age; it did it in the Pentecostal age; it'll do it in every age.

 

We should keep in mind what the apostle Paul told us in  Philippians 1: 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

 

Therefore when we hear the Apostle Paul warn us that the evidence that we are at the end is that there shall be a falling away, we should not be surprised, Because if there were no chips leaving the block of marble, the statue of a perfect man would never come into view.

 

Shalom 64-0112 P:98 And sometime it takes hard trials to break the bands of the world off of us. Sometimes God lets us have a little trial, you know, to see what we'll do, to take you out of the world.

 

Therefore when the Apostle Paul tells us In 2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

 

What I like about what Brother Branham has said here is that the hard and determined work of the sculptor is done so with the vision in mind, and therefore there must be chips falling away because if they did not, then the statue would not be progressing toward the reality of the vision, or completion. Therefore when the True Five Fold ministry sees people leaving their churches for whatever reason the people may claim, it does not matter what their excuse is, for that has nothing to do with their leaving. John told us in 1 John 2 that,  they went out from us because they were not of us, for had they been of us they would no doubt have stayed with us, therefore they went out to manifest that they were not of us.

 

In other words those chips that leave the block were not meant to be there for the fulfillment of the statue. That does not mean they were not good people. They just were not in the vision of the end product to begin with. So it is necessary that those chips be removed one by one until the statue of a perfect man can come into manifestation.

 

Hebrews Chapter 1 57-0821 P:45 Now look, Christ is the Head of all things. And He's the Head of the Church. And did you ever see a big diamond? A great big diamond that is chipped right, it's got little chips knocked off of it, chipped off of it. That makes a correct diamond. What's the chips for? The real diamond way it comes out, it's been bruised.

 

 

 

Believest thou this? 50-0115 P:41 God, give us men who'll stand for the truth (Amen.), regardless of who's setting close or who it is. Let the chips fall where they want to, and lay the Gospel to the hewing line. That's right. Call black black, and white's white. Right's right and wrong's wrong. If you're not right, then get right. It'll straighten you up, make you look different, act different, live different, be different. The Holy Ghost is good for you. It'll straighten you out.

 

Perseverant 62-0729 P:71 If we had preachers in the pulpit would take them gloves off of the ecclesiastic, and throw that Word out there, and tell them the truth, and cut the chips, and let them fall where they want to... The thing of it is, we... That is right.

 

Now, that is how I see it from what Brother Branham has illustrated here for us in this sermon the Masterpiece.

 

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 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 Mt. Transfiguration when He... What did He do? He overshadowed Him, taken Him up in a public place, taken three witness: Peter, James, and John. Brought two witnesses from heaven to show... Three is a witness. And when He overshadowed Him and His raiment, His pretty robe before Him, the glorified condition, shined like the sun in it's strength. Is that right? And a voice came from heaven said, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him." Amen. "I've placed Him positionally. That's My Son. What He says, I'll back up. He's kept My Word. He's fought through all these denominations and everything else and kept the faith. He's pulled no punches. He been true. He's always about My work. When people look at Him, they see Me. This is My Son, hear ye Him. "Did He just promise that to Him? No. Through Him come the seed of Abraham by the same thing. Fourth and fifth chapter, God took Abraham out, and placed the adoption upon him, and changed his name (Glory.) from Abram to Abraham. Abraham comes from the word of "Elohim," God's own name. He associated his name with God's name. God is Elohim. How many knows that? The great Jehovah, Elohim, the all-sufficient One, the self-existing One, Elohim. And what did He do? He took the H-E-M off of His name and placed it onto Abraham's name, because he was A-bra-ham. God is the Father of all, and Abraham is father of nations. Glory. Elohim, Father of all: Abraham, father of nations. Placing positionally. Glory. That's after His church received the Holy Ghost. After they'd went through the testings. See, Pentecost missed that. They organized themself and couldn't get any farther. Then when God does a certain thing, say, "Ah, ha. Stay away from it, see. Our church don't teach that." Go ahead. But here's what He done to Abraham. To Abraham and his seed after him.

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, as we see the exodus from the local congregation in this late hour, we should picture in our minds the chips coming off the block one by one until the block, or the local church has become more defined in its representation of the vision God had in His Mind. So it really does not matter what takes them out, the fact that they are out means that they are not in the finished Statue.

 

Smyrnaean church age 60-1206 P:41 The poor church has got so many societies that it can't even preach the Gospel no more. Pastor can't have but twenty minutes, and he has to talk about something else then. See? If it don't, the deacon board will meet him. Yes, sir. O brother, what does a good pastor have to do today? Just do the best he can to stand out and cut the limbs where they want to, and let the chips fall in where they want to; and sling it out there. That's all. Yes, sir. That's right. Don't spare nobody; just preach the Word and stay right with It, just hammer right on away. They throw you in jail, preach it in jail. They put you on out...?... Wherever you go, just keep on going, preaching. That's right. Now, that's what's happened. See, they're smothering it out.

 

1 Timothy 4: 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

 

Therefore this falling away from The Faith, that we have seen for the past dozen years or so should not be a discouragement to us who have not fallen away, but rather it should be a sign of encouragement to us  because, we know in our minds and we see the evidence that those pieces that are falling away from the church are simply chips that were not ordained to be a part of the whole stature of a perfect man that was seen in the vision to begin with, and have come forth into full manifestation of the reality of the vision becoming alive.

 

Matthew 7: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 

And the Apostle Paul said in, Galatians 5: 7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Now, it is interesting to note that the word hinder was translated as such from the Greek word anakopto and the word “ana” means a “apiece”, and the word kopto means to chop or cut into. Therefore Paul is saying who has chopped into you, or who has cut in on you, leaving you to fall behind or fall away from the race.

 

Greatest news flash in history 61-0424 P:45 Lord Jesus, sometimes I wonder if I'm not beside myself, when I think of seeing the horrible curse that's coming on this world, when I think of the churches that's trying to be entertainers, trying to copy after the world. Lord God, oh, You said, "Father, I pray that you take them out of the world." Take the world out of them, keep them from the world. You prayed that they might keep Your disciples from the world, and here they are going right back to the world, trying to compare with the world. God, grant, help Lord; somebody will catch the message; surely, they'll know. You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. You're not dead but alive forevermore. We believe You, Lord. And how can a man believe unless You call him? Jesus said, "No man can come to Me, except My Father calls him first. And all My Father has called, will come." And we know that's right. They will come. And it's just our duty to preach it and let the chips fall wherever they wish to, and the sheep hear the voice.

 

 

 

Expectation 61-0205M P:32 So Simeon... of a great reputation... Don't make any difference about reputation. That's what... too much is getting to our churches today, even to our Pentecostal churches. Too much fashions, too much rep... stuff, like we have great reputations, you know, in the society, and things. What we need is an old fashioned, back woods, sky blue, sin killing religion. What we need is gun-barrel straight, something that'll preach the gospel without compromise, and let the chips fall wherever they wish to, and chop into it. We need men of God, stand with power, get the church back into the place where it ought to be. Something's wrong. We realize that. We all know it. We're aware of it. Our churches is falling away, getting weak. What we need is not a new organization to spring up, what we need is not another latter rain; what we need is back to faith in God's Word and God's Bible. A soul-shaking experience back in the church, that's what we need. A cleanup, a straighten-up, all through our churches and our organizations. Quit drawing those boundary lines, just this and that.

 

Thirsting for life 58-0611 P:55 That's what's been the matter with the church: not on the guard. Something's wrong. Oh, Brother Caddie used to sing a song: "We let down the bars. We compromise with sin. We let down the bars. The sheep got out, but how did the goats get in?" Let down the bars, that was all, begin to compromise. The congregation, voting for their pastor, would take some little slicker, in the stead of some man that was really an old fashion, hell-fire and brimstone preacher, that'd handle the gospel with his bare hands instead of Hollywood gloves on. The world's full of Hollywood evangelism. We don't need that in Pentecost. Let that go on out where it belongs. We want the old fashion kind, the kind that knows the truth, lays the axe to the root of the tree and let the chips fall where they want to. That's right. Back to the Gospel, brother. I'd rather be in a crowd, that'd go to meet Jesus, with five of those than a hundred thousand otherwise.

 

Mark of Christ 55-0312 P:56 Here not long ago a little old girl was going to sing in a choir for me. And she said she wouldn't come because she couldn't get one of them kinky manicures for her hair. And she had to sing in a choir. And when I heard that, I said, "You couldn't sing if you wanted to now." That's right. Brother, I'm an old fashion preacher that believes this: that a man's got to be proved before he walks behind my pulpit. You take some of these guys our here in a roadhouse playing their guitar tonight, and tomorrow night come to the altar, and the next night preaching the Gospel; it's a disgrace to the Holy Spirit. Amen. John said, "Bring forth fruit meet for repentance." We need some more Baptist preachers like John, that'll lay the hewing line to the Gospel, let the chips fall wherever it may be. Amen. We've got Hollywood out in the church, and it needs to be shook out of there by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You know that's the truth.