Masterpiece 50

God portraying Himself through His Son

February 26^th, 2006

Pastor, Brian Kocourek

1. This morning in our study of this message of Br. Branham’s called the Masterpiece, we will continue to see how brother Branham spoke of the Son of God from God’s perspective, in what God saw in His son and the delight that God took in him. We have also seen in this message how God brought forth His Son and perfected Him until God Himself stepped into this Son and cried out, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I wm well pleased, hear ye him.”

2. Now, this morning I would like to examine more closely something he said in paragraph 75.

3. THE MASTERPIECE 64-0705 75 Remember, 'Angelo could only cry out and smite the image and say, "Speak!" But how different it was to God, the Great Sculptor. When He made a man in His own image, so perfect that It reflected Him, God spoke through the image of man, showing what He would do. He spoke to the prophets as they were in their potential image, as He was bringing it up to the Head. But when He come in the Head, He was all the image of God. He was portraying Himself. Then smitten for us... Now He is the Masterpiece to us, the Gift of God, Jesus Christ, Eternal Life. I hope we never forget that.

Now. This thought that he said here, “But when He come in the Head, He was all the image of God. He was portraying Himself.”

This thought is so different from what has taken over modern Christianity that it bears looking into. After all, brother Branham’s understanding of the Godhead in no way conforms to the Trinitarian concept that was incorporated from the pagan Babylonian triad during the time of Constantine and the Council at Nicea. Constantine wanted harmony among the Christian people, and there had grown two factions in the Christian movement that took strong stands on two extreme positions. One believed in a Unitarian concept of God and the other believed in the Trinitarian concept borrowed from the Babylonian triad. Under Constantine the Trinitarian concept prevailed and soon became the standard theological treatise concerning the Godhead.

William Branham, prophet of God said that the Trinitarian belief is of the Devil. From his sermon Revelation 4 pt 3 throne mercy 61-0108 P:75 he said, Now, my precious brother, I know this is a tape also. Now, don't get excited. Let me say this with godly love. The hour has approached where I can't hold still on these things no more: too close to the coming. See? "Trinitarianism is of the Devil." I say that THUS SAITH THE LORD. Look where it come from. It come from the Nicene Council when the Catholic church become in rulership. The word "trinity" is not even mentioned in the entire Book of the Bible. And as far as three Gods, that's from hell. There's one God. That's exactly right.

Now, those are strong words, but they are backed by, “Thus saith the Lord”. So for those men to stand against William Branham for saying this, they have taken their stand with satan himself. And no wonder, because if they were to acknowledge William Branham as God’s prophet, they would have to accept this “Thus Saith the Lord.” But since they are so entrenched into their false religion they could no in any way acknowledge the Truth when it came along.

And then what about the Unitarians or Jesus Only? Well, let’s listen to what Brother Branham had to say about them?

Revelation one 60-1204M P:66 Now, at the Nicene Council, they come to two great decisions on the... Oh, many of them in that day of the early church fathers, they had two extreme views. One of them was a triune God, a trinitarian. And the other one was a one God. And they both come into existence and went out on two straight limbs, out like that. The triunity became a place of a three-god person. The oneness became a unitarian, just as far wrong as the other one was. So they both went on limbs, but right in here reveals the Truth. “Jesus could not be His own Father.”

Now, notice where he said the Truth laid, “Jesus could not be His own Father.” Therefore if the Oneness or Unitarian concept is just as far wrong as the other one was and the one he said was of the devil, then would not the other be just as much of the devil? Now, William Branham vindicated Prophet of God said both the Trinity and Oneness were wrong. Now you can’t be wrong and be right at the same time. One word off is Satan’s kingdom, and since the concept of “God in a Trinity is of the devil”, then the Unitarian belief must also be of the devil as well.

Therefore this thought that we will examine this morning bears looking into if we are to understand better the relationship between the Father and His Uniquely born Son.

Now, William Branham prophet of God, Vindicated by God, said in paragraph 75 of this sermon called the Masterpiece, “But when He come in the Head, He was all the image of God. He was portraying Himself.”

Now, if you have a Oneness mindset then when you read this it will sound to you that God became His own Masterpiece, but that is not what he is saying at all.

What Brother Branham is saying here is that when God came into this image that he made, God acted out in such a way through that image that when you saw the actions of that image you saw God, and when you heard that image you heard God, because that image became a perfect reflector of God.

In 1 John 5:10 we read, 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.

So those who do not believe that there was a real person that was the “Son of God” as distinguished from the person that was “God the Father” has not believed the record that God said, “This is my beloved Son”, and therefore they are calling God a liar.

Now, woe unto him that would call God a liar. I wouldn’t want to be in that man’s shoes come judgment day.

Now, in getting back to what brother Branham said, I want you to notice those words, He was portraying Himself.

Now, there is nothing funny about what Brother Branham is saying here. He said, But when He come in the Head, (In other words the Masterpiece came forth and then God entered into that masterpiece. Then) He was all the image of God.(In other words, when the fullness of the Godhood entered into Him at the river Jordan, then the image became “all the image of God”.) So when God stepped into that body and began telling the Son what to do, and what to say, and where to go, and when to speak, then God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. And when God was in Christ working and acting, then God was portraying Himself in that body.”

When I wrote the Melchisedec study years ago, I said at that time, I believe that God was in His Son showing His son what to do, what to say, what doctrine to preach, etc. In essence God was in His Son showing Him how to act out His role as an obedient son. And further more I believe what Jesus said about the things he could do and could not do. And when Jesus healed on the Sabbath day because God told him where to go, and who to pray for, and what to do and then what to say, we find the Jews wanting to get rid of him.

In John 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. John 5: 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Now, notice that Jesus never said he was God, but that God was His Father, and it was the Jews that said He was making Himself equal with God because he said God was His Father.

In the Gospel of John and 10 we see the same thing all over again. John 10: 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (Now, I want you to catch what Jesus says next. )37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. 39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand.

What Jesus is says here is, “Look guys, you don’t take my word for it, look at the works. No man can do what I am doing, and it isn’t me that is doing it, it’s my Father that is dwelling in me, He doeth the works, they are his works and no man can do these things.”

But true to form these sons of the devil didn’t care that what this man was doing no other could do, He was challenging their authority and they didn’t like it. That is why they tried to stone him.

And in John 5:19 Jesus said, “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.” 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

So you see, Jesus was only doing what the Father was by vision showing him to do. Therefore the things Jesus was doing were actions based on what he saw the Father doing. Then what the people saw was the Father in action, but what God was doing was showing His Son what to do, and what to say, etc.

And again we see in John 5 :30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Now, in examining how that God was in Christ showing Him what to do and say, we have seen the Scriptures that show us that Jesus only did what God showed Him to do, In other words, his actions were a result of what He saw God doing.

And Brother Branham taught us that actually what Jesus saw was in a vision what God was doing.

JEHOVAJIREH 56-0429 053 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."

Now, in understanding that Jesus was dependent upon visions from God, let’s look next at what he spoke. Let’s take a look for a moment those scriptures that tell us that Jesus only spoke what God told Him to speak.

John 8 : 38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Notice that Jesus again is telling us here that even the things he spoke were given to him by God Who showed him in a vision what to say. Now, it was not different with brother Branham. God would show him the vision and then tell him what to say, and follow what he said with “thus saith the Lord.”

Again we read in John 8 : 28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. So here we see that Jesus was dependent on the Father to teach Him what to say so he could say those things to us.

Again in John 12 : 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Jesus was not sovereign in the things that he said and taught, but was commanded by God what to say and teach. Then in the next verse we hear him say, John 12 : 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. Notice that Jesus stated his reasons for repeating what God told him to say. He said because his commandments are life.

And once more we see in John 14 : 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. And again here we see that Jesus is letting us know that the words he spoke were done by His Father that was dwelling in Him. That is what made him different from a prophet. A prophet said what God told Him to say, but since God was in Jesus showing Him what to say, then Jesus did not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord” as God’s prophets did. But since God was in Jesus doing and speaking, then it was God’s voice to the people.

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 5:19th 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."

And as for His doctrine Jesus said in John 7: 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews that the God called Jesus to the Melchisedec priesthood, and then Paul informs is that Jesus had to learn obedience to this calling. Therefore we can see that God played out the role of Melchisedec in the Old Testament for the purpose of giving instruction to His Son that when Jesus came to the place of maturity, He would take over this role of High Priest and follow in the example of His own Father. That is why we see so many scriptures where Jesus admits that he can do nothing and say nothing except what God showed him to do and say.

Thus in getting back to our text, we hear brother Branham say, “But when He come in the Head, He was all the image of God. He was portraying Himself. “For God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” Let’s bow our heads in prayer.