Masterpiece 40
What is the New Birth and the Baptism of
the Holy Ghost
December 31st, 2005
Pastor, Brian
Kocourek
2. THE
MASTERPIECE PP. 52 Now remember, that my opinion the masterpiece is the stroke that marred
3. Now, we know that the Life
is in the Blood and it takes blood to bring forth a birth of any Kind. John
Said, I 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. Now, I want you to notice he said God, the Holy Ghost
and the Word are One, but in the next verse he says, 8 And
there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the
blood: and these three agree in one.
4. No, what is John talking
about here? He’s talking about birth. And Life comes through birth. And in
order to have birth you must have the breaking of the water, then the blood,
and then the life comes forth.
5. I JOHN 5:1 ¶ Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also
that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
6. Now, John is talking about Life, and not just any
life, but He is speaking of being born of or out from God. Therefore he is
speaking of God life. And he says,
7. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh
the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 ¶ This is he that came by water and blood, even
Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit
that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
8. Now, what John is saying here is that a birth comes
by water and then blood and then the spirit bears witness to that birth. So in
dealing with spiritual birth there must first be water which is baptism and also
the washing of water by the Word. In other words, the water is the Word, which
is also the Light, and if you walk in the light as He is in that Light, then
the blood cleanses you from all sin. Then comes the blood, therefore we are a
blood born children of God. You have heard it said of blood born disease? Well,
what is disease but a germ of life. And what is anything that is living that
lives by the blood and the life is in the blood, but blood born to begin with.
9. Sign of this
time 63-1113 P:54 Notice like this. When a baby is born, there is three things that
constitutes its birth. The first thing in normal birth... You adults listen
close now; the young children will never catch it. But, let's see, the first
thing in a normal birth is water, then blood, then life. See? Now, that's the
same thing that constitutes the new birth; water, Blood, Spirit. The elements
that came from His body is what makes His Body. See? It come from His body, is
the material that takes to--to make His Bride. Because Adam had his bride taken
from his body. Christ has His Bride taken from the body. And when Christ died,
there was three elements that came from His body: water, Blood, Spirit;
justification through believing, water; sanctification through the Blood; the
baptism of the Holy Spirit .Now, this last great step must come into the
perfection, that the Holy Spirit has to live in that Church so perfectly, it'll
make the Head and the Body unite together. See, see? That's the Body. He is the
Head in the Body. Now, we find that He promised in these last days, that that
would be done. We find it.
10. Now, notice what John tells us in the next few
verses because He is speaking of God life.
11. 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. So what John is saying here is not that they are
three but that actually, the Father, the Spirit and the Word 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. Now, notice he does not say these
three are one but they agree in one. Therefore he is speaking of God life,a nd in
order for there to be God-life there must first be water, which is
justification by Faith, we are washed by the washing of water by the word. then
blood, and we are sanctified by the blood of the Lamb, and then there must be a
witness of our spirit. And the water, blood and spirit will all be in agreement
or else it is not a genuine birth.
12. And then John speaks of this agreeing in One, and he
calls it the witness of our spirit. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10
¶ He that believeth on the Son of God
hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar;
because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this
is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is
in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on
the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 ¶ And
this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever
we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 16
If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask, and
he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is
a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 All
unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 18 ¶ We know
that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; (That means he
does not initiate sin. You don’t habitually sin, its not in your nature any
longer to desire sinful things, or to want to keep on sinning, because sin is
disbelief.) but he
that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him
not. 19 [And] we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in
wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is
true, even (which means in the same way as we are) in his Son Jesus
Christ.
13. This (this one that
we are in even as Jesus Christ was in Him) is the true God, (who is the Word) and eternal life. 21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
14. Now, what John is telling us here is that if we
truly have an understanding of the relationship that the Son of God had with
His Father, then we have that same relationship with Jesus as our Brother and
God as our Father.
15. Influence of another 62-1013 P:75 I told someone not long ago... They said,
"Brother Branham, I understand that you're Jesus Only?" I said,
"You understood wrong." See? I said, "I am not Jesus Only."
Said, "Well, you baptize in Jesus' Name." I said, "That don't
make me Jesus Only." I said, "Jesus Only doctrine; they baptize to
regeneration; I don't believe in that. I don't believe in, soon as you're
baptized in Jesus' Name remit your sins; I believe Peter said repent first;
turn around, you missed the mark; go back. Repent and then show to the world
that you been baptized. I believe that...
I don't believe in being born again is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is
not the baptism of the Holy Ghost; it's being reborn again. We're reborn by the
Blood. Blood cell comes from the, I mean,
life cell comes from the Blood. You're
baptized by the Holy Ghost into the body, but you're born by the Blood. Absolutely.
You're born by the blood of your father.
I'm born again by the Blood of my Father, and by our Father, Christ. Yes, sir. But
you see, we don't believe that stuff. Because we baptize in the Name of Jesus
Christ, don't make us Jesus Only; not at all. No sir.
16. Now, here we find brother Branham telling us that
the new birth is not the baptism of the spirit, and yet in the Church Age book
we find him saying, Church Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean Church Age P:135 What is the Baptism with the Holy Ghost? It is the Spirit Baptizing
you into the body of Christ. It is the new birth. It is the
Spirit of God coming in and filling you after you have repented, (having heard
His Word) and been baptized in water as an answer of a good conscience toward
God.
17. Now,
in reading these two different statements, it would appear that brother Branham
was saying the opposite things about the baptism of the spirit and the new birth.
In one record we find him saying they are not the same, and then in this it
appears to be saying it is the same. But that is not what he is saying here. To
better understand let’s dig a little deeper into just what he is saying.
18. Notice in the message Position in
Christ 60-0522M P:40 Brother Branham
says, “God gave
His children new birth by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Notice
he does not say that the new birth is the baptism but that the baptism gives
new birth because what is the baptism anyway but the power of God upon the
individual. But what if that power comes upon a person who does not have the
Gene of God in their soul? What then? Brother Branham said you could be
baptized with the holy Ghost every hour of your life and still go to hell.
19. Leadership 65-1207 P:57 The choice of your conduct, you could... You can't
mix it now. You're either for God or against God, and the outward expressions
shows exactly what's on the inside. See? The cocklebur, many of you think,
"I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost; I'm going to heaven." That
don't mean one thing that you're going to heaven. No, sir. You can have the baptism of the Holy Ghost every hour in your life and
still be lost and go to hell. The Bible says so. See? It's exactly right.
20. Modern events made clear by prophecy 65-1206 P:42 Notice, we find
today that people... There's many people just can't believe it, even
Spirit-filled people. I'm going to give you one that'll choke you. The baptism of the Holy Ghost don't mean
you're going in, not at all, not on that, don't have anything to do with your
soul. That's the baptism. See? Here's the inside soul in here, that has to
come from God. But then on the outside you have five senses, and five
out--inlets to your contact your earthly home. The inside, you have a spirit,
and in there you have five outlets: your conscience, and love, and so forth,
five outlets to that spirit. Remember, in
that spirit you can be baptized with the genuine Spirit of God and still be
lost. It's the soul that lives; that was ordained of God. Didn't Jesus say,
"Many will come to Me in that day, and say, 'Lord, haven't I cast out
devils, done great and mighty works, prophesied, the great gifts of God?' "He
said, "Depart from me, you that work iniquity, I never even knew you. Many
will come in that day."
21. That is why we do not focus so much on the baptism
of the Spirit as we do on the new birth, being born again and filled with the
Spirit of God. Now, I do not say we should not preach about the baptism, because
I am doing it now. But in Pentecostal circles there is so much emphasis on the
baptism of the Spirit, and yet there is nothing hardly said about a new life
consecrated to God. So we must have a balance between the two events.
22. Now if God is the Word and He said, “My words are Spirit,” then the more of His word we
take into our hearts the more of His Spirit we receive as well. That is why you
could be baptized in your spirit every hour of your life and still go to hell.
Because if Your soul was not in God to begin with it wouldn’t matter how much
you are baptized or anointed by His Spirit. If there is no life in there to
begin with, or if it never was ordained to Life, then no matter how much
contact it has with Life, it will never live.
23. That is why we read in Acts 13:48 as many as were
ordained to lIfe did one thing, they believed.
24. Acts Chapter 13: 48 And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
25. So
if you are looking for a real genuine evidence that you have been ordained to
eternal Life it will be found in your believing. And if you just can’t find it
in your heart to believe, then you stand in doubt of being born anew.
27. So we are dealing with Life, God-Life. And the new
birth releases the God life into your mortal body preparing it for immortality.
But if there is no representation in their to begin with you can sit in church
and listen to sermon after sermon, Word upon word, and that anointing that is
upon the preacher will do you no good, because it can fall on your own spirit,
but there is no Life down in the Soul to begin with. And therefore, the rain
can fall all it wants to upon a rock and that rock will never bring forth any
fruit. And neither can a man that is not ordained of God bring forth correct
doctrine which is the fruit of the season.
28. Position in Christ 60-0522M P:40 Now, they're children; they're God's children.
They're positionally in Christ; they
become children by birth. And the
new birth and the conversion Itself is the Holy Ghost. You're not even converted till you get the Holy Ghost. That's what
the Scripture said. Jesus told Peter. Ask anyone; read your Scripture. He was
justified by believing on the Lord Jesus, become a follower, an apostle. Jesus
gave him the keys to the Kingdom. And John 17:17, He sanctified and give them
power, sent them out, cast out devils and things, sanctified them.
"Sanctify them, Father, through Thy Truth. Thy Word is the Truth. I
sanctify Myself because of them."
29. Now to be converted means you have changed from one
thing to another. From ortal to immortal. From sinner to saint. From earth
bound to heaven bound.
30. Token the
63-1128E P:74 What is it? The Holy
Spirit, the Word has been quickened to you by the Holy Spirit to
vindicate this age, that you have passed from death unto Life, and now you are
His. Oh, because He is, we have the right to all that He has purchased for us.
Every promise in the Bible is yours. It belongs to you when this Token is upon
you and God has sealed you. Now, we want to check ourselves just for a moment. When God has give you the true baptism of
the Holy Spirit, then the Life of Jesus Christ is within you. Now, that's
true; every theologian will have to admit that to be the truth; it's the new birth. You're born anew,
of the Holy Ghost. And because that God has did this, and you know you're no
good in yourself, and you accept what God has did, then He seals you into His
Kingdom by the Holy Spirit. And everything that Jesus purchased and promised
you in the Bible is yours. It's your property because it's paid for. Amen. Life
is mine; He paid for It. Life is yours; He paid for It. Healing's mine; He paid
for it. Healing's yours; He paid for it. Freedom is mine; He paid for it.
Heaven is mine; He paid for it. He's paid the price. Everything He purchased
belongs to the man that holds the Token. Amen. "Pass My Token upon the
street car, on that day of the judgment, and I'll pass over you." Amen.
Holding It in... Holding your confession in the Word, that Jesus Christ has
died for you. And when He does it, He displays Himself through you. Amen. Yes.
31. QA Hebrews part
2 COD 57-1002 P:26 But just trying to make it just a briefly, plain as I know how to
make it... No, when you believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, you then have the new birth. When you believe on the Lord,
you receive a new thought, a new life, but it isn't the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. See? You've got the new birth
when you believe; you've got Eternal Life. It's a gift of God that's give
to you through sovereign grace by accepting the gift that God is giving to you.
See? "He that heareth My Words and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath
Eternal Life, has Everlasting Life"; that's the new birth. You're converted;
it means you're turned around. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit puts you into
the body of Christ, subject to the gifts for service. It doesn't make you any
more of a Christian; it just puts you into the body of gifts. See? "Now,
by one Spirit (I Corinthians 12) we're all baptized into one body. Now,"
says Paul, "there are different gifts, and in this body is nine spiritual
gifts." And in this body... You have to be baptized into the body to
possess one of these gifts. They come with the body.
32. Now, the way brother Branham is speaking of the
Baptism of the Spirit here is as though he is speaking of anointing upon the
individual. And it is this anointing upon you for service which bring you the
power of God in your vessel.
33. Countdown
62-0909M P:23 So if a man sets on the thought of just justification's all you
have to have, he's wrong, wrong. He's got to be wrong. And then if the church
who believes like the many of the Pentecostals, that the Holy Ghost is it,
that's all, "just repent and get the Holy Ghost," that's still wrong,
because you've got to get sanctification in there to cleanse it before the Holy
Ghost comes in. If you don't, you leave out the Blood. See? And the new birth,
as people talks that the baptism of the
Holy Ghost is the new birth. Now, that's wrong. The baptism of the Holy Ghost
is different from the new birth. The
new birth is when you're born again. But the Holy Ghost is when power comes
into that birth for service. That's exact. See? The Holy Ghost is--baptized
into the Holy Ghost.
34. Hidden life in
Christ 55-1110 P:20 And that's the same thing it takes to make up the new birth: water,
blood and spirit: Justification by faith, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ,
cleansing up, the sanctification through the Blood, and then the baptism of the
Holy Spirit, to put you in the holiest of holies. Now, that constitutes the man
who is separated from God and hid away in Christ. I say this with reverence,
there's too many of us playing in the courts yet. See? We don't take our lives
over with Christ to be hid away. The fruits of the Spirit proves it. You see?
That... We might think that we are, but until your life measures up with that... That's what proves it. Jesus
said, "By their fruits you shall know them." Not by their
denominations, but by their fruit you shall know them.
35. Seed not heir
with shuck 65-0218 P:22 Now, we understand also that God is perfected in three. Now, God is
perfected in three. Grace is five. Seven is completion, like the world. God is
perfected in Father, Son, Holy Ghost. That's the perfection of the Godhead: all
one God in three manifestations of three attributes of one office--or three
offices in the one Godhead. Now, there is also three in perfection of the steps
of grace to the church: justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy
Ghost. That consists of the new birth. Just like a natural birth is typed by
it. Which a woman giving birth to a child, the first thing comes forth is
water, blood, then life. The Bible said in I John 5:7--or 7:5, I believe it is--that
said, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word
(which was the Son), and the Holy Ghost; these three are One. There are three
that bear witness in the earth: the Word--the water, blood, and spirit--water,
blood, and spirit; these three agree in one."
36. QA Hebrews part
2 COD 57-1002 P:30 The baptism of the Holy Ghost is a different act from the new
birth. One is a birth; one is a baptism. One
brings you Eternal Life; the other one gives you power. It gives power into Eternal Life (See?)
to operate. Now, you got it? Okay, all right.