Masterpiece 76
Reflecting God’s
Light and Life
July 29th, 2006
Pastor, Brian Kocourek
This Evening we will examine paragraph 150 of Brother
Branham’s sermon “The Masterpiece” and we will
exam the thoughts that brother Branham lays out for us in this paragraph and we
shall again take them to the Word of God to show you just how perfectly they
are with scripture.
THE
MASTERPIECE 64-0705 150 Like
in
Now, last week we looked at this paragraph and saw how
that brother Branham said, “everywhere
that Pillar of Fire went was Life;”
We then went to Genesis 1: 3 and saw how that God
brought forth Light, then water and then seed life. Now, it had to be in that
order for without Light nothing can be manifested, because as the Apostle Paul
said in Ephesians
5:13 But
all things that are reproved are made
manifest by the light: for whatsoever
doth make manifest is light. 14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light.
And the NIV translation
read this way, Ephesians 5:13 But
everything exposed by the light becomes
visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible.
This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and
Christ will shine on you."
And the
So we examined the Light of God upon the Seed and we
saw how that the Pillar of fire brings to life the predestinated seed of
God.
When the Pillar of
Fire come into Moses presence, it sparked him to Life. He became a different
man altogether. When the Light of God’s Glorious presence came into the
Presence of the Apostle Paul, he became alive to the Word. And the word seed
came alive in Him. When the Pillar of Fire came into the Presence of William
Branham, what happened? He came alive to the Word, and the word Life came alive
in Him. Up to that point when the pillar of fire came into the presence of
these men, they all three would be murderers. Moses killed a man. Paul killed
and persecuted the Christians, and William Branham had it not been for the
sovereign Grace of God would have killed those three boys when he was beaten by
them as a young child.
And notice until the Pillar
of Fire came into their presence, they were all just men, born in sin, shaped
in iniquity, and come to the world speaking lies. But then the Light struck
them and that predestinated seed that had laid dormant in them became quickened
and made alive. The Apostle Paul said, Ephesians 2: 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins; and this same Apostle
said in Colossians 3: 4 When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Notice, When Christ, who is
our life, He is our Life. And brother Branham said in the sermon, My Redeemer liveth 55-0410S P:13 Did you ever stop
to think this morning, as far as returning, that is, to become visible? He's already here with us now. Now,
today just imagine that His Presence being here today. The Lord Jesus is in another world, or another dimension, right here
today in form of Spirit. His Spirit
is blending in with our spirit. Yes,
Christ Who is our Life, His Spirit is blending with our Spirit, and the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Now, this leads us to the next thing brother Branham
said in this paragraph 150 and that is that God is that Light. And we know that
in the beginning God was a great fountain of Life and Love.
In the Beginning God. That’s a period. End of thought.
God was alone and in Him was Life. And as
He began to bring forth this Life, it first went into His Son, which is His
Offspring, and the word offspring means to spring off from. So we see, God, the
great Fountain of Life, began to bring forth His great plan to fulfill Himself,
and He began this fulfillment by bringing forth first a Son. We find in JOHN 5:26 "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath
he given to the Son to have life in himself;"
Therefore we can see what David meant when He
described God as the Great Fountain of Life. PSALMS
36:9 "For with thee [is] the fountain of life: in thy
light shall we see light.'
PARADOX
61-1210 253 Jesus did the
works of His Father because the Father was in Him. That's why the works was
done, because that the Father was in the Son. Do you believe that? That in
Him, He was the incarnate God. Do you believe that? That God the Father,
which is the Father of Jesus Christ, the Great Spirit dwelt in the fullness of
His power in Jesus Christ, which was the Tabernacle of God, made flesh and
dwelt on earth, representing the Word.
21-129 Hebrews Chapter 57-0821 "This
Great Fountain of Spirit which had no beginning or no end. This Great
Spirit began to form in the creation, and the Logos that went out from It
was the Son of God. It was the only visible form that the Spirit had. And
It was a theophany, which means a body, and the body was like a man.
#2)
This Life was represented as a great Light. And when we see the first
expression of this fountain come forth, it is when God begins to speak. What do
we see first? Light is spoken, and what does that Light bring forth? It brings
forth the Life that was in it. The Father giving birth to His Son.
Now, we must not confuse God with His Son. John tells
us that God is the Word. Some men would tell you that Jesus, the Son of God is
the Word, but that is not entirely accurate. God is the Word. God is the Logos,
and out of this great fountain of Logos or Word came forth a Little Logos, or
Word expressed, and that was the Son. Brother Branham called Him Little
Jehovah.
Smyrnaean Church Age 60-1206 147 "Now, if
there's only one form of Eternal Life, and you get it and we're seeking for it through
Jesus Christ; that's God's Life, then when that blood cell was broke on
the Son of God, and that little Jehovah that was bottled up on the inside of
this man called Jesus…
This is why brother Branham taught us there is a
difference between God the Father and His son because The Son of God had a
beginning, because all sons have beginnings.
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.
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.
Hebrews 1: 1-5 ¶ God, 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?
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."
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.
We already know that God is the Source of all Life. In
the beginning God was a great fountain of Life as we see in PSALMS 36:9 "For with thee [is] the fountain of life: in thy
light shall we see light.'
We also found that John recognized this attribute of God as well. John 1: 1
¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning
with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life
was the light of men.”
God was alone in the beginning, and in Him was Life. And as He began to bring
forth this Life, it first went into His Son. So we see, God, the great Fountain
of Life, began to bring forth His great plan to fulfill Himself, and He began
this fulfillment by bringing forth first a Son. We find in JOHN 5:26 "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself;"
We might ask
ourselves "What is Life?" Is it merely the ability to eat and
breath. I don't think so. It is the essential quality of our being.
That is what distinguishes one Life from another. The very nature of it's being. It's
characteristics, it's innate attributes. It’s character.
Brother Branham said there is only one thing we will take with us, and that is
our character. That is who we are, that is the essence of our being. And our
life is an innate substance that moves and breathes and lives.
And we can not perceive Life without perceiving it's nature. So
we see then that Nature is a defining of
the Life. Websters says, "Nature
is the essential character of a thing; the quality or
qualities that make up a thing; it's very essence.” It
is the inborn character, the innate disposition or inherent
tendencies of a person. The inner force within that molds and
shapes the being.
Now
that sounds pretty good, because
that also describes the very nature of God in a believer.
1 JOHN 1: 1-7 ¶ That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested,
and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have
seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 ¶ This
then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God
is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Now there are a few
principles I want you to see here.
#1) This Life is invisible yet it must become
manifested that we might behold it.
#2) Because it was manifested, it
could also be declared.
The word declared means to
lead forth into view. So what was manifested in the flesh
and again by a Pillar of Fire and seen visibly
among them, has also somehow a capacity to become visible
or openly lead forth into view via a declaration which is by Word.
#3) The receiving of this declaration
then brings you into the very Presence and thus into view of This Life that was manifested, thus bringing you into
fellowship with It.
2 PETER 1: 1-4 ¶ Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be
multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
When we speak of this
Life we are speaking about the very nature of the Life Giver
Himself. And notice how this nature comes. Through the Word
of Promise being received. Not just Zoe which is biological Life. Every living
organism whether a saint or a haint has that. But what we are
looking at is Life. His Life, His Spirit, His Nature.
INDICTMENT pg. 9
"And today, by the Light of the Gospel reflecting from a Light, a Pillar
of Fire visibly among us."
E-49 BLIND BARTIMAEUS 56-0414 And God
set in the Church first, what? ..." Apostles, prophets, teachers,
evangelist, pastors, God set in the Church for
the perfecting of the Church. That's Divine gifts that God
foreordained and
set into the Church. See? Those are for the perfecting of the Church.
Jesus speaks through His pastor, speaks through His teacher, speaks
through His seer, His prophet, speaks through His missionary to the
countries, and so forth. That's His gifts that's He's put in the Church.
Now if your not of God
something will have to take you out. What took the Pentecostals
out. They turned down the messenger, and His Message right?
Meanwhile they claim to serve Him and do His works. But Jesus told us
what the Works of God were.
JOHN 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent.
So don't ever say
I can take the message but not the messenger. He is the
Message he is declaring. He's made in such a way to drive you away
or to get your eyes off the Word. To distract you from that within the
veil. But the bride, though she may stumble, yet she will not fall.
160 GOD OF
THIS EVIL AGE 65-0801.1M Now, the little--humble little
Bride of Christ just simply believes the Word, whoever
She is; it's individuals. I hope and trust that there's many setting
present, many listening in. And I hope that myself and every one of you all are
part of that Bride. I hope many and... It will, all that's been ordained to
that will be that, 'cause it's their nature. They... See, the Word can only
recognize the Word. It can't recognize a
denomination or a perversion. It knows better; It's a Word.
See? It can't recognize nothing... A wheat can't be nothing but a
wheat. It started a wheat, it'll head up a wheat. And a weed
can never be a wheat, yet it's watered by the
same anointing. See? But it ain't a wheat, as I said the
other day about the tree with the different branches in it.
But Paul warned the
early church that they were drifting from the original Word, the original
Spirit, the original Life.
GAL 1: 6 ¶ I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel:
ANOTHER: ALLOS= Allos
expresses a numerical difference or another of the same sort
whereas heteros expresses a qualitative difference
or a difference in nature. A different sort. Christ
had promised to send another Comforter, Allos = the same Spirit
in another form but not a different one, whereas
Paul let's us know that what these men preach is heteros or completely
different in it's nature. Then He tells us how it is different.
GAL 1:7 GAL 1:7 Which is
not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel
of Christ. ANOTHER: HETEROS of another nature, or of
another sort. Now notice what he says next. Not a different one altogether,
but one that has been hybridized and perverted. METASTREPHO =
to transform in something of an opposite character. To
transmute it. Transmute is a transmutation from one form or condition or nature
into another.
That is why
Paul said in 2
Corinthians 11: 2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to
Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through
his subtilty, so your minds should be
corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not
received, or another gospel, which
ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him]. They
received another, heteros, of another nature a Jesus who was of a
different nature, a Gospel and Spirit of a different nature.
Notice, just as Eve was
seduced. So they would seduce your minds. How was Eve seduced? By a
wrong Word. And what did that produce? It brought forth a
hybrid life. Then if a hybrid life, won't it have a hybrid nature?
Religious yet loving the world?
1 JOHN 2: 15 -
17 Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but
he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Then if a hybrid
word will produce a hybrid life, How much more will God's un-adulterated
Word Produce in you His very Own Life.
87 THIRST 65-0919
He perverts the true nature of God, and the true thirst for God, of the body
and soul, by lust for sin. Sin, a perversion!
HEBREWS 7 tells us that we are to receive a
kingdom and priesthood that fadeth not away and that it is
fashioned not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the
power of an endless life. And what is that? Eternal
Life. God's own Life. And how does it come forth. By the washing of
water by the Word.
2 THES 1: 7,
10-12 first
verse 7 And to
you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels,
And now, let’s read
verses 10-12.
When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them
that believe (because our testimony among you was believed ) in that day. 11
¶ Wherefore also we pray always for you,
that our God would count you worthy of [this] calling, and fulfill all the good
pleasure of [his] goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to
the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
34-7 INVISIBLE
Colossians 3:4 When
Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in
glory.
2 PETER 1: 1-4 ¶ Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through
the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be
multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
Let’s bow our heads in
prayer