Masterpiece 83
The Hardening Process
August 30th,
2006
There is a certain Life Cycle of the Elect, and it has
to do with a process of becoming into the image of the Son according to Romans 8, John 1:
12, Romans 12, I Corinthians 1:4-10 and 1 Peter 1:13. This has to
deal with the change of the inner man that the outer man might receive it’s
adoption to which is the redemption of our body. This Evening I want to show you what happens
to the other Elect, those who are elect to condemnation, and show the life
cycle of them, and how it is that they become hardened in their hearts.
Let's stand together now, as we read from his Holy
Word for our text.
PSALMS 106:1 ¶
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good: for
his mercy [endureth] for ever. 2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?
[who] can shew forth all his praise? 3 Blessed [are] they that keep judgment,
[and] he that doeth righteousness at all times. 4 Remember me, O LORD, with the
favour [that thou bearest unto] thy people: O visit me with thy salvation; 5
That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of
thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. 6 ¶ We
have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done
wickedly. 7 Our fathers understood not
thy wonders in
Let's bow our heads now in prayer.
Merciful Father, we come to you this morning a needy
people, knowing that You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Knowing
that you are God and You change not, and knowing that there have now been three
Exoduses. We have seen O Lord that in each of these Exoduses, you came in the
form of the Pillar of Fire to lead the people out of bondage, and you sent to
them a prophet, and you gave that prophet a message and still the people
disbelieved and we have read from your Word this morning that you gave the
people leanness to their souls. You hardened their hearts and they turned back
from you and desired more what they had come out from than the Land to where
you were leading them. Grant to us this morning a burning coal of fire from
upon your altar to be placed upon our hearts and our souls, to mold them and
fashion them into the image of Your beloved Son, for we ask this in Your name,
and that name which You gave also to Your Son, Our lord Jesus Christ,
Amen. You may be seated.
As I mentioned in our introduction, that we have
spoken to you on the life cycle of the Elect on August 11, before we took our
trips overseas to
JUDE 1:3 ¶
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints. 4 For there are certain men
crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the
only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 5 I will therefore put you in
remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the
people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the
judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about
them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after
strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire. 8 ¶ Likewise also these [filthy] dreamers defile
the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the
archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,
durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee. 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what
they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain,
And what is the Way of Cain? It is to have a word
which is out of season. Your sacrifice, which is what has been revealed to you,
and that which you give back to God, is out of season) and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward (Notice
the error of Balaam was for reward, and there are three things that will
destroy a man, "money, Popularity and women", and Balaam wanted to be
popular, and he did what he did for money, for a meal ticket), and perished in the gainsaying of Core (And what
was the gainsaying of Core? He did not believe nor did he understand
vindication, that God uses just one man, and that God was present to vindicate
that man had a message from Himself.). 12 These are
spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves
without fear: clouds [they are] without water (That's
Deuteronomy 32:1 the rain of God is His Doctrine, and these are without rain,
therefore without water, or doctrine.),
carried about of winds (because they have no strong doctrine that
they hold to, they are driven like the wind, and the winds of doctrine take
them all over the place, and because the Word has not been revealed they try to
use simple mental prowess to figure out the Scriptures and quotes and they do
it to their own destruction.); trees whose fruit
withereth (what fruit, what tteaching they did have dies out, dries
up and they perish), without fruit (In
fact they no longer are capable of holding onto any teaching and are left
without teaching, without fruit which is the teaching odf the season), twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the
sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars (As Brother
Branham said, they wander because they wonder, therefore they are not only
wandering stars, but wondering stars, wondering about this and wondering about
that), to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness
for ever (And that means that they have shut off the light for ever,
and are completely without a clue).
Now, this is an awful condition to be in, and therefore
this morning I would like to show you how it is that they arrive at this
condition. This hardening of the heart does not come on suddenly, you've
actually got to work your way to hell. Brother Branham said, it is like going
through a red light. The first time you do it, something in side of you tells
you that you had better not do it. But once you have done it, then the next
time it is a little easier and then the next time even more easier and on and
on until you come to the place that it becomes second nature to you. And that
is the way the hardening process takes place.
HEBREWS 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is
called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Paul
tells us to exhort one another daily, warn one another, be talking this Word,
keeping it fresh in your minds lest you become hardened through the deceitful
of sin.
PROVERBS 21:29 ¶ A
wicked man hardeneth his face: but [as for] the upright, He (God) directeth his way. If it wasn't for God's choosing, so go we. It is God
that hardeneth, and God that shows mercy.
ROMANS 9:17 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I
raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and
that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have
mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God
still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?
"Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like
this?'" 21 Does not
the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for
noble purposes and some for common use? 22
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with
great patience the objects of his wrath--prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to
make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he
prepared in advance for glory-- 24
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the
Gentiles? 25 As he says
in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will
call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26 and, "It will happen that in the very place
where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons
of the living God.'"
FIVE JUNCTIONS OFTIME 56-0122
E-36 Paul was on his road down to Damascus to
arrest the people that were having a revival down there. And the Angel of Christ
came down in a bright Light. It even put Paul's eyes out, it was so bright. And
there was none of the rest of men with him saw it. Nobody saw it. It was so
personal to Paul that his eyes went out, and he had to be led by his hands. Is
that right? And the men with him, they didn't see no light. They didn't see
nothing about it. But that's how it can
be so real to some people, and some people know nothing about it. See? God reveals Himself the way He wants to, to
the people He wants to. It's His sovereign will. He hardens who He hardens and justifies who He justifies. It lays
in God's hands, not in my hand or your hand. It lays in God's hands to what He
will do. The Bible said so, do you realize that?
SERPENT'S SEED 58-0928E
13-2 No wonder Paul said in Romans 8,
"Foolish man, who can tell the Potter what to do about it?" When the
clay raises up and say, "Why make me thus?" Did not He raise Pharaoh
up for the same purpose, that He might show His glory down in
DIVINE HEALING 54-1219M
133 Listen. It's not him that wants to get saved, that's saved. It's him that's
saved by God's choice. Esau wanted to get saved too. He wept bitterly, and
couldn't find no place to repent. He wanted to get saved. It ain't 'cause you
want to get saved. God said, "I've
hardened who I will harden. I have mercy on whom I want to have mercy."
That's right. He said, "Before Esau or Jacob, either was born, not knowing
right and wrong," God said, "I love Jacob and hate Esau.'" And
Esau tried to get right with God and couldn't. Pharaoh tried to get right with
God and couldn't do it. So it's not you,
not what you want. It's what God has ordained for you to do. That's right.
Paul said in the 9th chapter of Romans there, "Hasn't the potter got power
over the clay to make an honored vessel or a dishonored vessel, to show His
glory to those who He has honored?" You didn't know that, did you? That's
what the Scripture says. Pharaoh tried his best to repent. He was kindhearted.
He said, "Sure, I'll let you go. Go on." God said, "No, you
ain't. I'm going to harden his heart so
you can't do it." 'Cause God's Word has to be fulfilled. And if we're
living in this day when formalities and things has broken the church down,
broke away; why, it's God's Word being fulfilled. As sure as God said,
"These signs would follow them that believe," as sure as God said
these churches would be like they are now, God also said this opposition would
meet it. So the same God that ordained signs and wonders, ordained that these
should be persecuting against It. So there you are. If you're on the other
side, I feel sorry. And I want you not to be that way, but maybe you can't help
it. See? God might've fixed it that way.
DIVINE HEALING 54-1219M
148 We've seen people shout and
live all kinds of life. We've seen people speak in tongues and do the same.
We've seen people go out and pray for the sick to be healed, and do, live any
kind of a life. Jesus said, "Many will come to Me and say, 'Lord, have not
I prophesied in Your Name, preached? Have not I cast out devils in Your
Name?'" "Yes." "Have not I done these mighty works?"
"Yes." He'd say, 'Well, then, depart from Me, you workers of
iniquity. I didn't even know you.'" "It ain't him that willeth or him
that runneth; it's the God that haveth mercy," the Bible said. He said,
"Didn't I say to Moses, 'I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I'll harden who I will harden'?" Paul said, "No man..." Well,
you say then, "How can He find fault? If He predestinated you to eternal
destruction, how can He find fault?" Said, "Oh man, can the thing
that's made say to Him that maketh him thus? Can't do it." 150 So
you see people that you can't talk to, and just won't listen, and won't listen
to the Scriptures, and believing half of It's right and half of It's wrong, and
yet they do this. You say, "Could that be ministers?" The Bible said
so. Said, "Men of old was foreordained to this condemnation to take the
grace of God and turn it to lasciviousness" What is
"lasciviousness?" "Knowing truth and won't walk in it." It
said, "When the Truth has been presented to somebody, he willfully turns
away from It, he ignores It, there's no more sacrifice for sin left for that
person." Why? There's nothing in him to believe. Do you get what I
mean? 153 Looky here. How could you feed a lamb, slop?
He wouldn't eat it. That's right. He wouldn't eat it because he's a lamb. But a
pig will eat it (See what I mean?) because he's a pig by nature. And all that's ordained to Everlasting Life
will hear the Truth, and believe the Truth, and come to the Truth. But
those who'll go to church and be just as pious as the rest of them, yet won't
receive the Truth, because there's nothing in them to blend with It. They can't
believe the supernatural, for there's no supernatural in here to blend with the
supernatural. There you are. See what I mean?
ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 54-1219E
35 Now, in Acts 2:38 Peter said, "Repent,
every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And I've
wondered through the years, when I'd see that and read it. I thought,
"Lord, here comes men and women." I've seen them come to the altar,
kneel down and cry, and pray go and be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus,
and in a week later, be out with the world again." I thought, "O God,
surely Your Word's not wrong. I just can't understand it. But You, Lord, if
I'll continue with You, You said Your Word would abide in me." So I
continued with Him, until now I see what it is. He's made it known. See? And I
never knew it until the Lord just opened it up one day, and there it was laying
right before me. Then I seen them people wasn't what they was at the beginning
(See?), that, "No man can come to Me, except My Father draws him."
It's not he that wants to be; it's God that elects it to be. It isn't whether
you want It or not; you have nothing to do with it. It's God. He, "He
hardens whom He will harden. He has mercy on whom He will have mercy."
That's right. And no matter who you are, what position you have, whether you're
the president or whether you're a bum on the street, doesn't make a bit of
difference. "God has mercy on whom He will have mercy." And before
the world began, He ordained that so many people, down through the ages, who
they was, would be saved. And every one that He ordained will come to Him.
That's right. Every one will come, and none of them will be lost. He's
ordained, said there'd be a Church there; It would be without blemish; It would
be without wrinkle.
Then how does this hardening take place? As I
mentioned about the red light. It is a repeating of the offenses against God
that causes a hardening to take place. It is a habitually doing what you know
to be wrong. He that is born of God does not
habitually sin, for God's seed remaineth in him.
If you will notice how God hardened the heart of
Pharaoh and the Egyptians, it was by bringing on a hardship, and then they
would cry out for deliverance and when they were delivered, when God would lift
that judgment, they very quickly forgot and then they got a little bit harder.
Then God would repeat the process over again, and they would get soft, and then
when the heat was taken off they would cool back down and become even a little
more hard. And God would repeat this process over and over again, until the
people were tempered just the way they were ordained to be, and then the final
judgment would take place.
Just like the refiners fire. He forges the molten
metal in the fire, to soften it until it become malleable and moldable, Then he
beats it into the shape he ordains and then cools it, then He heats it up again
and cools it and heats it and cools it until it become very strong and
hardened. Let's see if the scripture supports our claim.
I SAMUEL 6:6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as
the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought
wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
PSALMS 95:7 ¶ For
he [is] our God; and we [are] the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his
hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of
temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and
saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with [this] generation, and
said, It [is] a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my
ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they
should not enter into my rest.
HEBREWS 3:7 ¶
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty
years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway
err in [their] heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my
wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
HEBREWS 3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke:
howbeit not all that came out of
HEBREWS 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in
David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts.
MARK 6:52 For
they considered not [the miracle] of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
MARK 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed,
beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
[It is] because we have no bread. 17
And when Jesus knew [it], he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye
have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet
hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not?
and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19 When I brake the five loaves among five
thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him,
Twelve. 20 And when the seven among
four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said,
Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How
is it that ye do not understand?
JOHN
12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light,
that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed,
and did hide himself from them.
JOHN 12:37
¶ But though he had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might
be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom
hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39
Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and
hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor
understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he
saw his glory, and spake of him.
poroo
{po-ro'-o} pwrovw apparently from poros (a kind of stone);
AV -- harden -- blind (2) [5] to cover with a thick
skin, to harden by covering with a callus; metaph. to make the heart dull; to
grow hard, callous, become dull, lose the power of understanding
ROMANS 11:7 What then?
II CORINTHIANS 3:14 But their minds were blinded (hardened): for until this day remaineth the same vail
untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in
Christ. 15 But even unto this day,
when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the
Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
DEUTERONOMY 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of
thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor
brother:
EXODUS 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite,
he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
EXODUS 8:31 And the LORD did according to the word of
Moses; and he removed the swarms [of flies] from Pharaoh, from his servants,
and from his people; there remained not one. 32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time
also, neither would he let the people go.
EXODUS 9:6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow,
and all the cattle of
EXODUS 9:11 And
the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil
was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh,
and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
EXODUS 9:34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the
hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart,
he and his servants. 35 And the heart
of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of
EXODUS 10:19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west
wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there
remained not one locust in all the coasts of
EXODUS 10:26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there
shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD
our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come
thither. 27 But the LORD hardened
Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
EXODUS 11:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not
hearken unto you; that my wonders may be multiplied in the
EXODUS 14:8 And
the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of
DEUTERONOMY 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us
pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart
obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as [appeareth] this day.
31 And the LORD said unto me, Behold,
I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that
thou mayest inherit his land. 32 Then
Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. 33 And the LORD our God delivered him before
us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
II KINGS 17:13 Yet the LORD testified against
II CHRONICLES 36:13 And he also rebelled against king
Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and
hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of
NEHEMIAH 9:16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and
hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17
And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst
among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a
captain to return to their bondage: but thou [art] a God ready to pardon,
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest
them not.
JEREMIAH 7:25 Since the day that your fathers came forth
out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my
servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending [them]: 26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor
inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
EREMIAH 19:15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
MARK 6:52 For they considered not [the miracle] of
the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
MARK 8:17 And when Jesus knew [it], he saith unto
them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither
understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears,
hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19
When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full
of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20 And when the seven among four thousand, how
many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do
not understand?
JOHN 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened
their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with
[their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
What is the main difference between them that become
hardened, and those who never become hardened?
PROVERBS 28:14 ¶
Happy [is] the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart
shall fall into mischief.
PROVERBS 29:1 ¶
He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be
destroyed, and that without remedy.
Entombment
57-0420 42
As Job of old, when we hear that "ashes to ashes, and dust to
dust," it reminds me of Longfellow, who said: Tell me not, in mournful
numbers, Life is just an empty dream! And the soul is dead that slumbers, And
things are not what they seem. He said. Yea, life is real! Life is earnest! And
the grave is not its goal; For dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not
spoken of the soul. They call it a theophany, that when we leave here we go
in somewhere else. Whatever it may be, I take the apostle's Word, when he said,
"If this earthly tabernacle or dwelling place be dissolved, we have one
already waiting to move from this into that."
WASHING JESUS FEET
57-0310A E-28 How can you expect God to do anything for
you, when you turn down the very Prince of Life? God, be merciful. What this nation
needs... It's got a lot of hogs in the wallow. It needs an old fashion washing
out. Evangelists has crossed the country and people harden their hearts till
the Gospel don't even have any affect on them anymore. I believe the day of
grace of this nation is finished. I believe it. Preach, persuade, bring the
Gospel; it'll never attract them. A little handful of saints will gather out,
but the world sets on the sideline and makes fun of it. That's the way you
treat Him. No wonder He doesn't visit. Jesus only comes where He's welcome.
EXODUS 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou
goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh,
which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not
let the people go.
EXODUS 7:1 ¶
And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh:
and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall
speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of