Masterpiece 45

There in His Own Image Reflecting God.

January  29th, 2006

Pastor, Brian Kocourek

 

1. Today we will read from Brother Branham’s sermon called THE MASTERPIECE 

and we will pick up at paragraph 68. “The foundation was laid by the patriarch, but the body was built by the Word, which was the prophets. And here comes the Head of all of it; Jesus came on the scene. There when this Headpiece was put upon it, we find in Him the entire handiwork of God. We find in Him the perfect reflection of the Word, for He was the Word, the fullness of the Word. Now, again God has the perfect Masterpiece again, as Isaiah said, "Behold My Servant, My Masterpiece that I have portrayed through all the ages of this perfect One coming. And here He stands right before Me, a perfect..." There in His own image reflecting God, for He said in St. John 14, "When you see Me, you see the Father."...

 

2. This morning in reviewing this paragraph we notice that brother Branham tells us that Jesus was the perfect reflection of the Word. And then he tells us “There in His own image reflecting God,” And then finally he quotes Jesus saying, When you see Me, you see the Father.

 

3. Now, categorically what we are hearing brother Branham tells us is that Jesus was a perfect reflector of God who is the Word, and that is why Jesus could say “when you see me you see the Father”. Then what we are talking about is that Jesus reflected God and God is the Word. Thus the same Word that is God is what Jesus was reflecting. And that is why He could say, “I and my Father are One”, because they were One by the same Word.

 

4. Now, I know that there are many who would disagree with that statement but that is the truth. In fact William Branham said just exactly that in his sermon called, Baptism Of the Holy Spirit 58-0928M   94  Jesus, He said, "I and My Father are One. My Father dwelleth in Me." No one could read that any plainer. They said, "Why don't You show us the Father, and it'll satisfy us." John 14:8. He said, "I've been so long with you and you don't know Me?" He said, "When you see Me, you see My Father." As a lady once jumped up, she said, "Why, Brother Branham," she said, "the Father and the Son are one, just like you and your wife are one." I said, "Oh, no they're not." I said, "Do you see me?" She said, "Yes." I said, "You see my wife?" Said, "No." I said, "Then they're not the same kind of one. Jesus said, 'When you've see Me, you have seen the Father. The Father dwelleth in Me.' My wife don't dwell in me." See? They are One; in every way they are One.

5. Now, that is the key to understand what Brother Branham meant when he uses this story about the confrontation with this woman. He said, "Then they're not the same kind of one. Jesus said, 'When you've see Me, you have seen the Father. The Father dwelleth in Me.' My wife don't dwell in me."

6. And from his sermon called Palmerworm Locust Caterpillar 59-0823  140  God Almighty, the Father, dwelt in Him. At the day of the baptism, when He received the Holy Ghost on the day when John baptized Him, John said, "I beheld and saw the Spirit of God like a Dove descending from heaven, and a Voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in.” Jesus said that God was with Him, "I and My Father are One. My Father dwells in Me.” Not Jesus, and being one with God; but God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. 143 And you Oneness brethren, many of you get off the wrong track when you try to think that God is one like your finger is one. He can't be His Own Father. He can't be.

7. Now, Brother Branham is letting us know that God and Jesus were one in that God was indwelling the Body of His Son. But I also want to show you that this Oneness between God and His Son was more than God indwelling His Son, but in fact Jesus and God were One because God is the word and Jesus was One with the Word in the same sense that God was One with His Own Word. And to further verify this understanding, Jesus prayed in John 17 that we might be one with God even as he was One with the Father.

8. From Brother Branham’s sermon HARVEST TIME  641212 87   034 brother Branham said,    “Jesus said, "That they might be one, Father, as You and I are one." Not for some man to be over something, it never will work; one denomination wants to take over the other, and one man over the other. But that you might be one with God, like Christ and God was one; that's what the prayer is. That... He was the Word, and Jesus prayed that we might be the Word, reflecting Him. That's His prayer to be answered. See how Satan scruples it up in the carnal mind? But that wasn't Jesus' prayer, at all, that we might all congregate together and all have a certain creed and so forth. Every time they do it, they go further and further from God. He wants us to be one with God, and God is the Word. Each individual in his heart must be that one with God.”

9. Therefore those that teach the Oneness or Unitarian concept of the Godhead could never believe that we (God’s other Children) could be One with God  AS” Jesus and God were One, because they believe that God was Jesus and Jesus was God, and not two beings inhabiting the same body. But Jesus  in his prayer said, JOHN 17:11  ¶  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, “AS” we are. And how is it that we might be One “AS” Jesus and His Father were One?  First of all this word “as” that jesus used was translated from the Greek word “Kathos” which means “in the same manner as”, or “even as”.

10. Now, this same word “kathos” was used by the apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians when speaking to Husbands showing them how to love their wives.

11. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Now, here we see that the word “even as” means in the same way or in the same manner.

 

12. Ephesians 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Again we see the word “even as” meaning that husbands are to love their wives in the same way or the same manner that Christ loved the church.

 

13. Ephesians 5: 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: Again we see that this word “even as” means that the husband is to cherish his wife in the same way or in the same manner that Christ cherished the Church.

 

14. Ephesians :5: 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Again in this usage we see the Apostle Paul use the words “even as” in regards to a man loving his wife in the same way or in the same manner that he loves Himself.

15. Now, in all of these usages we see a common occurrence in that they all speak of equality. That a man loves his wife in an equal manner as he loves himself, or as Jesus Loves the church. So you see the word “kathos” which is used in all these Scriptural references speaks of equality, sameness, etc.

 

16. Notice how it is used in Luke 6: 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

 

17. And again in Matthew 10: 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

 

18. And in Matthew 12: 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Notice here it speaks of one hand that had been withered being restored to the same condition as his other hand.

 

19. In Matthew 17: 2 We see the story of how Jesus was transfigured before God in such a way that His clothing was white as light, and his face shined as brilliant as the Sun.   And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

 

20. And in Matthew 13: 43 we see that the elect will shine forth like the sun in the same manner as Jesus shined like the sun in the last passage we read about his transfiguration.. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 

21. Now, in getting back to Jesus Prayer in JOHN 17:14 Jesus said in his prayer, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Here Jesus tells us that we become One with God by receiving the same word he received and thus became One With God. He also let’s us know that when we receive that same Word we also will be hated as he is hated by the world. JOHN 17:20 ¶  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; AS thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”

22. Therefore it is very apparent that we are one by receiving the same Word which brings us into the same Glory or the same mind as the Father. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23. So contrary to what the Unitarians Oneness believe, Jesus and God were not One like your finger is one, but rather God indwelt His Son, and thus the two beings occupied one body, and in like Manner God wants to occupy your body and my body that we two also may share our bodies with him, and that makes us One with God even as Jesus was One with Him.

 

24. From the Message ATTITUDE AND WHO IS GOD? 50-0815 015 brother Branham said, "And we're taught in the beginning, that the Logos, or the Son of God went out of God. Now, I do not believe in eternal sonship. That's even radical to even mention such a thing, eternal sonship. How could He had an eternal sonship...?... He had to have a beginning. See? 016 So He first was God, Jehovah. And out of Him... Let's just picture now as a little drama so you can get it. Let's see coming out of space where there's nothing, let's make it a little white Light, like a mystic Light, like a Halo. And that was the Logos that went out of God in the beginning. That was the Son of God that came out of the bosom of the Father. That was what was in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us. In the beginning was God. And then out of God came the Logos, a part of God that went out of God.

 

25.Notice, brother Branham told us it was only a part of God that went out of God. And we know as with any child born, it is a part of the father in him. Brother Branham said from the Message, GO TELL MY DISCIPLES 53-0405S 170, he is a part of God, (if)  he's an offspring of God. 

 

26.Hebrews 1: 1-5God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us in [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, (The expressed image... or the out-raying or etching of God.) and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4) ¶ Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5) For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

 

27. AMPLIFIED = Hebrews 1:1-5, In Many separate revelations, - each of which set forth a portion of the truth, - and in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophets. But in the last of these days, He has spoken to us in the person of a Son, Whom he appointed heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by, and through Whom, He created the worlds, and the reaches of space, and the ages of time, - that is, He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order. He is the sole expression of the Glory of God, - the Light-being, the out-raying of the Divine, - and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature, upholding, maintaining, guiding, and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had, by offering Himself, accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, he sat down at the right hand of the Divine Majesty on High. Taking a place and rank by which He, Himself, became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. For which of the angels did God ever say, "You are My Son, today I have begotten you, And Again, I will be to Him a Father, and he will be to Me a Son."

 

28. BELIEVE FROM THE HEART  57-0623  E-46  Jesus was a witness of God.  He become so full of God, till him and God was One. God dwelt in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, the very expression.  A man's work declares his character. Christ was God's work. And Christ declared God's character, His feeling for the sick, His longing for saving of souls, till even He gave His own life. God's work... God's character was declared in Christ.

Therefore, we see that He was the very expression of God. This first light that God brought forth was the Logos which was a part of God coming forth into an expression which God called His Son, and then through this expression, or expressed Word, or Manifested Word, God brought forth all of creation. ROMANS 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.

 

29. But, remember, it was not the Son creating, but God was in the Son doing the work.

Jesus the Son of God said, JOHN 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

 

30. EPHESIANS 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

 

31. COLOSSIANS 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 

32. Now, how was it that God in-dwelt his Son? The scripture tells us it was a mystery how that God was in Christ. I TIMOTHY 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness (God-like-ness): God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. The only way that God could make Himself known, was to live in His Son, Christ Jesus, suffer death and temptation for all human race. And He had all the qualities of the Father was in Him.

 

33. II CORINTHIANS 5:19   "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself". So all the great qualities of the Father was in Christ Jesus the Son when He was here on earth. All the Father has was His.

 

34. Now, Jesus was not just a mask like the oneness want to believe. He was a man, just like you and I with his own body, soul and spirit. But then God came into that man which made him the God-man, and this made him a dual person.

 

35. HIDDEN LIFE 55-1006A When God was here on earth, He occupied a three room House, the Soul, Body, and Spirit of Jesus Christ.

 

36. JEHOVAJIREH 56-0429 053 "That's the reason people couldn't understand Him. Sometime it was Christ speaking... or was the Son speaking. Other times it was the Father speaking. He was a dual Person. He was one Man, the Son. God was in, which was tabernacling in Him. But what did He do? Did He go around saying, "I'm the Healer." Very contrary, He said, "I'm not the Healer." He said, "It isn't Me that doth the works; it's My Father that dwelleth in Me." And in Saint John the 19th chapter when He was questioned for passing a whole bunch of crippled, lame, withered, halt, blind people, healed one man laying on a pallet, the Father showed Him to go there and heal. Walked away and left the rest of them laying there, they questioned Him. A man packing his bed on the sabbath. Listen to what He said. Saint John 5:19: "Verily, verily, I say unto you: The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what he sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise." Is that what He said? "I do nothing till the Father shows Me a vision first what to do."

37. LET US SEE GOD 131 59-1129I said, "He was more than... God was in Him. He was a man, but He was a dual Person. One, He was a man; the Spirit in Him was God." I said, "God was in Christ." She said, "Aw, no." I said, "Look, lady, I'll take your own Scripture. He was a man, but He was a God-man. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He did weep like a man. That's true. But when He stood there, straightened His little stooped shoulders up, and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a dead man, that'd been dead four days come to life again, that was more than a man. Man couldn't do that. That was God in His Son."

Now, this duality of being did not begin when He was in the flesh. We see in the very beginning God birthed Himself a Son as we have already established and then God worked in that Son to create all things.

 

38. ATTITUDE AND WHO IS GOD? 50-0815 018 There He puts the first Bible. Oh, back in the days of--ancient days, they looked at those things. Today, He's got His Bible wrote here. But He wrote It in the heavens, that man would look up and realize that Jehovah the Creator lived above. And then I can see Him, He looked at that...I can see Him speak to this world hanging there as an icicle, whatever it was, way away. And He moved it over here. I can see this little Light go out. Now, WE GOT TWO NOW. The Father, and out of the Father came the Light, the Son. And I can see that Light moving over here and pulled the earth over near the sun to dry it off. And begin to...?... raise the water up, separating the land, earth from the water, and so forth.

 

39. Now, this in no way makes it two Gods. There is One God and he has a Son. The Scripture calls Him the "Son of God", never does it say he is "God the Son".

 

40. QA ON GENESIS13-13 53-0729 007 Well now, if you'll notice close now, in Genesis 1:26, let's get the first part first. God said, "Let us..." Now, "let us," us is a... "Let us make man in our own image." Our, 'course, we realize He's talking to someone; He was speaking to another being. "Let us make man in our own image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the cattles of the field." If you notice in creation, the first thing that was created, of course, was light. You come on down through the creation; the last thing was created was what? A man. And woman was made after man. All right, the first... Last thing that was created of God's creation is mankind.

 

41. SIRS WE WOULD SEE JESUS 57-1211 021 Now, Jesus was born for one purpose, that was for God to manifest Himself through that body. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He was a body that was made physical, that men and women could see what He thought, and His expressions to the people in His gratefulness. And His attitude towards all mankind, He expressed it through Christ. Christ seemed to be a dual personality. He would speak sometimes and they'd scratch their heads; and they didn't understand Him. He'd speak one thing one time, look like, and something else another time. What it was, was Jesus speaking, and then Christ speaking. Jesus was the man. Christ was the God that was in Him. "Not Me that doeth the works: My Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the work." See? God will not share His glory with no one.

 

42. BALM IN GILEAD 61-0218 080 You know, Jesus right at the end of His ministry, His disciples couldn't understand Him. No one understood Him. How that... How many know that they couldn't understand Him? Sure. Why? They thought He had a dual personality. No. Sometime it was Jesus talking, sometime it was the Father in Him talking. See, see? That was it, the man...

 

43. THY SEED SHALL POSSESS GATE 62-0121M 086 Why did David say, "I will not see My Holy--let My Holy One see corruption (My Holy One see corruption.), neither will I leave His soul in hell?" David said that. See, both soul, body, and spirit was created of God by Him. The woman was not a mother; it was a woman. I believe she was a good holy woman. Absolutely, she'd never been a incubator. God would've never chose no dirty incubator (Lord willing, I'm preaching on that tonight) but an old dirty incubator to bring His--to bring His Son to the earth in. He chose a virgin, knowing not a man, neither did she have any sperm discharge or anything else when the Holy Ghost overshadowed her, because God in His immaculate, infinite way created in her: soul, body, and Spirit of Jesus Christ. That's right. He was a virgin born Son of God. What did that do? It broke the gate of the enemy. Hallelujah. Whew. This is getting good to me.

 

44. MATTHEW 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

45. Brother Branham taught us that God did not indwell Jesus Christ in the flesh until He was baptized in the Jordan river. He said in the message, JESUS CHRIST THE SAME 55-0806 031 And when Jesus, a carpenter's Son, physically speaking, when He come to the earth here that's all He was known of, and the day that when John baptized Him, God a vindicated Him. God spoke from the heavens. John saw Him coming in the form a dove, and said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell." The right translation there is, "In whom I am pleased to dwell in." Jesus immediately anointed with God, He was just a man till that time, but now He becomes the God-man. Someone telling me here not long ago, as I many times referred to it in this shiftless day, that He was just a prophet, He was a good man. He was more than that. He was the anointed God. The Bible said, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." God in Christ. Amen. Notice it. How beautiful. The Father, speaking from the heavens, when He was obedient to baptism, said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in." No wonder Jesus could say, "All the power in heavens and earth is given unto My hand."

 

46. INTER VEIL 56-0121 E-58    You're living in a house, soul, body, and spirit. That's the way God lived in Jesus Christ, both soul, body, and spirit. "Not Me that doeth the works, the Father that dwelleth in Me." You see?

 

47. Notice, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost. ACTS 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

 

48. IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL 61-1001M 039 See, Aaron, the high priest, before he could ever be anointed, he had to be washed with water. Therefore, when Jesus, before He could be anointed our High Priest, He was washed with water. And then not anointing oil poured upon Him to anoint Him, like Aaron was anointed with oil; He was anointed with the Holy Ghost. "For John bare record, seeing the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and going upon Him, and a Voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in Whom I am pleased to dwell in.'" So the Bible said that, "Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost, went about doing good things." See, He was anointed.