The Masterpiece 99
God’s Correction and Your Attitude towards it
December 3rd, 2006
Brian Kocourek
2
Timothy 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That
the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Let us Pray. Dear Father we are so thankful that you
have come down in this hour because we were a wayward church. A people that had
forsaken Thy Way, and were a sleeping virgin that could not see the light. But
you came down with the Great Light of your Glorious presence and You have
awakened a sleeping virgin to Who You are and that You are here, and we have
seen The Light of Your Glorious Presence and we bear witness that you are here.
We thank you Father for making your presence available
for us that we might walk in this Light as you are in this Light, and by this
we have assurance that the blood of Your son Jesus is cleansing us from all our
sin, our unbelief, and not only that but it allows us to walk with you and to
walk with others of like minded faith, because it is not our faith but the
faith of your Son Jesus that we have been called top walk in. And this walking
together we call fellowship because we are fellows in the same ship on the same
journey, crossing over Life’s solemn waves.
Grant us a refreshing from Your presence, o Lord, for
we ask it in Jesus Christ’s Precious name. Amen. You may be seated.
Now, this morning we will continue in our series of
studying the Masterpiece preached by brother Branham July 5th of
1964. although this Message was brought to us 42 years ago, it is as alive
today as it was back then, for our God is an unchanging God, and His word lives
and abides forever.
Now, let’s pick up at paragraph 183 of THE MASTERPIECE 64-0705 as we continue in our
study. Now, someone said to me,
said, "Brother Branham," said, "there's one thing I can't
understand about you." I said,
"What's that?" Standing out there in a hall... I guess Sister Dauch
and them, after I shook hands with Bill, and standing there and all, and went
around the corner; there's a whole bunch of people. A minister pressed his way
in, collar turned around, he said, "Why
is it that you're always bawling the people out?"
Now, before we continue with our reading, I would like
to say that this is what we will be examining this morning more closely. This very thought the man
asked, "Why
is it that you're always bawling the people out?"
The reason we will examine this thought is because
people just do not understand what it is that God is doing. They do not really
believe that all things are working together for their own good.
I remember years ago, Brother Vayle took me aside
while the brothers were doing a general work detail at Grace Gospel when they
were still in the farm house on Brother Russ Evans place. We were in the
building along with quite a few others and he turned to me and said, let’s go
outside for a minute. I followed him, and we walked clear around the back of
the building out of sight of the others. He then stood about 12 – 18 inches in
front of me and said, I want to teach you about Love. He then punched me in the
arm. Then as he began to shed tears, he said, now was that Lee Vayle of was
that God?
I stood there hurting inside, not so much from the
punch in the arm, because I used to trade punches in the arm with my brothers,
but when I saw the hurt in brother Vayle and the tears come down his cheek, I
hurt very badly inside for him. I then
understood from his little illustration that men of God are led by the spirit
of God and sometimes they are called to do things that are not so pleasant to
the eyes of others. And even though what they are called upon to do or say to
others, it is not an easy thing for them to do. It hurts them as much if not
more to have to do it.
And so let’s get back to our study of what brother
Branham is illustrating for us in this sermon called the Masterpiece, because
remember that is what this sermon is all about. How God brought forth a
Masterpiece in His Son, and in this hour He is again bringing forth another
Masterpiece in His other sons and daughters.
“He said, "Them people
believe you to be a servant of God, to be gentle and sweet to them and
everything." Said, "Every time I hear you get up, you're bawling
women out about having short hair, and about wearing shorts, and wearing
makeup, and all this other stuff, and bawling the people out and telling them
how cold, formal, and indifferent they are." Said, "Why do you do
that?" Said, "Them people love you. How can you be a loving son of
God and do a thing like that?
Now, before we get to brother Branham’s answer here, I
would just like to say to this man to answer his question. He is saying how can
you do that and be a loving son of God? I do not think this man knows what it
is to be a loving son of God. Did not this same Jesus go into the temple and
turn over the tables and take up some chords and make a whip out of them and
begin to beat the people with them?
Now, if this man understood anything about what it
means to be an obedient son, and a loving son of God, he would understand that
our love is expressed to our Father by our obedience to Him.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him.
John 14:
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
So you see, our love is expressed to God by obedience
just as any son will express his love to his father through obedience to him.
Now, after hearing this question from this minister
who totally had no clue as to the Will or word of God, brother Branham quietly
prayed and asked God to give him an answer that would shut his mouth.
“I thought, "Lord, let me answer this smart man. (See?)
You just let me answer him somewhere that'll hang him on his own rope."
I said, "Well..." I
said, "Sir, did you ever read of the great producer of music, the great
composer called Beethoven." He said, "Oh, sure, I read of
Beethoven." I said, "He
probably tore up waste baskets full of scrap paper, but he give the world
masterpieces."
He never opened his mouth and
said another word. I said, "When he was setting in his study under the
inspiration, he'd write something down. He'd
go into his study and pray. It
wasn't right, he'd scrap it up and throw it in the wastebasket. But when He
got through in all inspiration, the world had a masterpiece." Oh, how the Word cuts, but It produces
masterpieces, takes all the husk and stalk away, It brings forth
Masterpiece.
Hebrews
12:5 And
ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be
without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in
subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For
they verily for a few days chastened us after
their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
In fact, Brother Branham said from his sermon on the Book of Hebrews, Hebrews Chapter 4 57-0901E P:12 Now,
we notice over here then, that He said...For some, when they had heard, did
provoke:...Certainly. They got weary every time they'd get to a place where a
showdown come, then what would they do? They would fly loose and get weary and
want to turn back, and "Why did this happen to me?" Strange thing,
this morning after preaching that just as hard as I could, there was many came
to the altar and questioned it, "Why does this happen to me?" You see
how it goes? It goes over the top of the people's head. It's just the same
people. Jesus said, "You have eyes but you can't see." He said that
to the disciples. They said, "Lo, now Thou speakest plainly; now we
believe. No man has to tell You anything, 'cause God shows it to You." He
said, "Do you now believe after all this time?" See? You mustn't
question anything to God. "For the footsteps of the righteous is ordered
of the Lord." And every trial is
put upon you to prove you. And the Bible said they're more precious to you than gold. So if God let a few light
afflictions happen to you, remember, it's for the correction of you. "Every son that cometh to God must first be
chastened of God and tried," child-trained. There's no exceptions, "Every son that cometh..." And these afflictions are done or brought about
to see what attitude you'll take. See, it's God on this proving ground.
That's all earth is, is a proving ground, and where He's trying to prove you.
Then
the next time you are undergoing a trial of any kind, I just want you to
remember what he said here. God tries you to prove you, to test your attitude. “to see what attitude you'll take”.
I am the
resurrection and life 52-0810A P:61 It's your attitude towards
it. Your attitude towards God's Divine gift, will get you just what ask you for. Do you understand? Oh, how I'd like to
stop right here, Brother Boze, and punch that for about a half hour, but I
can't do it. Your attitude: God can
send a gift, and no matter what you, Depends
on what attitude you take towards it. Look at them who smote His face and
spit on Him, and everything, was no virtue there. But a woman that believed the
Word touched the hem of His garment, was healed. Is that right? All right. It depends on what you think about it.
God sends it. It's your attitude towards
any Divine gift, determines what you get out of it. So there...
I would like to stop here for a minute and say, this. Brother Branham
told brother Vayle, he said, I have a gift and nobody wants it, and you have a
gift of teaching and nobody want it. How do you know? Look at their attitude
towards it and you will see for yourself. And God has allowed brothers who had
been with brother Branham to leave behind their testimonies of what brother
Branham’s friendship with them meant to them, and we get young ministers making
fun of them and calling them a bunch of old men with Alzheimer’s and then laugh
at it. Well, the last laugh is yet to come, and “many who say lord, lord will be told, depart
from me I never knew you.”
We will see who has the last laugh, brother. Do I understand everything
these men are saying? No! Do they have Scripture for everything they believe?
No! But does that change the fact that they are giving an account of what they
heard and saw? It doesn’t matter what their conclusions many be, it is a matter
of common courtesy to listen to their testimony and hear them out. I do not
care what you do with it, that is your business, but the honorable thing to do
is if you do not agree then you don’t have to listen to it. Just let it go. But
to ridicule and make fun, shame on you.
God in
His Word 57-0323 P:35 God in His Universe, now God in His Word.
You believe God is in His Word? The Bible said that the Word of God is like a
seed that a man sowed. Now, you people here in
Blind Bartimaeus 56-0407 P:27-28 27
Some of them said, "We challenge You. We dare you to perform a miracle in
our sight. We want to see it done. We want to see it with our own eyes. You Who
raised the dead, we got a whole cemetery full of here. Ha, ha, ha, come up here
and raise them. Sure. Come up here and raise them. Oh, you who destroys the
temple and raises it up in three days. Hey, miracle man, say, my Uncle John
down here, he's been crippled for five years, fell off his horse and hurt
himself. Come down and heal him. Ha. We'll believe You." Those who could
see, there was One Who kept a steady look towards heaven, walking on. He didn't
even hear it. He was too big to hear to it. That's right. Big men don't notice
nonsense like that. They--they just ignore it. They know the resource where it
comes from. They just go on. Jesus had one thing to do; He had a job to do.
That was do the will of the Father. That was always in His heart and mind. And
other man that's anointed of God, is too big to listen to criticisms and things
like that. They have one job to do; that's obey God. God will take care of the
rest of it. Just watch, watch the--what happens to that type of crowd. What if
they could rise out of hell tonight, what would they do? I imagine there would
be an old fashion altar call, sure enough. But they can't. Their attitude towards the Son of God then sealed their destination.
And your attitude towards Him
tonight will do the same thing for you. That's right. You either bring Him
in or seal Him out. And watch Him, as He marched, walks on. The whole world,
every sin that was ever committed from Adam to the last mortal that'll live on
earth, laid on His shoulders. Screaming and crying, everybody yelling, yelling
one thing and another... He walked on towards
Now, I will be the
first to admit that I do not fully comprehend what these brothers claim to
comprehend concerning the 3rd Pull. All I know is that brother
Branham said that he was told not to say too much about it or the devil would
do great damage, so I just leave it alone. Now, that does not mean because I do
not say much about it that I do not believe it. But what good does it do for us
to talk about something we really know very little about. Brother Branham said
that God interprets His own word by bringing it to pass. So if we with patience
wait for the promise like Abraham did, then we will obtain the victory.
Contending
for the faith 55-0620 P:3 He is the same Lord Jesus. You notice in
His ministry, He only raised three from the dead in His ministry here on earth.
He raised up Jairus' daughter, and the woman's son that was buried, and
Lazarus. Three is a confirmation. He could've done more, if the Father would've
showed Him. Now, let us be reverent, and let us take the right attitude towards
the Lord Jesus. For be it assured that your--your attitude towards any Divine
gift will determine what results you get from it. The woman that touched His
garment, she felt virtue. But the man who put a rag over His face and eyes, and
said, "I understand that You are a prophet," and then struck Him on the
head and said, "Tell us who hit You and we'll believe You," he felt
no virtue. It was his approach he went to Jesus. It's the way you come that's
what it will happen, just the attitude you take towards it. Here lays people
laying here tonight that are hopeless and helpless outside of Christ. But with
Christ, at the end of this meeting, those who have faith will be picking up
their beds and going out whole. Do you believe this? The Lord bless you.
Elijah
55-0301 P:32 Her attitude towards Elisha brought her the
victory. If she'd have went up to Elisha and said, "Now, you looky here
you hypocrite. My pastor was right after all." See, if she'd have went
away with that kind of an attitude, she'd have never got nothing from him. But
her attitude towards the man of God, produced exactly what she got, her
victory, because she believed. That's the only way that's you'll ever do. If
you believe that Jesus Christ, some mythical story, some Santa Claus affair
that they tell children, or something like that, you'll never get nothing,
until truly in your heart that you believe He's the Son of God, died, rose
again, ascended on high, and is living with us right here tonight, and will do
anything that He promise He would do in His Bible. When you get like that,
something's fixing to happen. Then she picked up the baby, and bowed before
him, and recognized him to be a servant of God, and bowed her head, and went
out, went out with her heart full of love. All the great crisis... What if she
just set still, and said, "Well, all hope's is gone. The doctor just left
and said there was nothing could be done. And now my baby's dead, so I suppose
that's all can be done." Said, "Set helpless." The story
would've never been told. If no faith had ever come into her heart, it would've
been that way. But God in His mercy placed something in that mother's heart,
that she knew there was something could be done. You may be setting like that
tonight in your family. Maybe every hope that you've ever had, that you've had,
of ever getting well, the doctors discourage you. The man has done all he can
do, and said, "It's passed medical science. There's nothing can be
done." But if something can just happen down here in this heart, that
tells you, "Yes it is. Yes it is." Then stay right with it.
Hebrews 12:14 For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the
creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For
the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him
who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For
we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth,
why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for
that we see not, then do we with patience wait
for it.
Now, we know that the chastening of the Lord is for
our own admonition and our perfecting or maturing as sons of God. In nature we
see the same thing with fruit trees. If the tree is not bearing fruit we then
cut back the branches to prune it back so the tree does not waste valuable
resources on branches that are not profitable.
This we call pruning, and The word prune 1. To cut off or remove dead or living
parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth. 2. To
remove or cut out as superfluous. 3. To remove what is superfluous or
undesirable.
We
find Jesus speaking of this in John 15:1 I am the true vine,
and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me
that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(and isn’t that exactly what
Jesus said himself. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what He seeth the
Father do, that the Son doeth likewise.) 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them
into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide
in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified,
that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As
the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even
as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.14 Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call
you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have
called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye
shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These
things I command you, that ye love one another.
Rapture the 65-1204 P:57 Now,
when we find out, now, that big church has moved down through the ages bearing
its fruit, and as the limbs quit they prune them off. In
God's only provided place of worship
65-1128M P:80 One time there was a school called the
school of the ministers, or school of prophets; they trained up an educated
prophets. And there was a genuine God-called prophet one time went up to visit
them. Well, they were going to show the old prophet a little courtesy, so one
of them went out and picked a big bunch of what he thought to be peas; but they
were poison gourds, and he was going to feed them all on that. Oh, how many
seminary lapfuls have we had. See? That's right. They're cooking up something.
See? They got Methodist lapfuls, Baptist lapfuls, Pentecostal lapfuls. But, you
see, they are the second growth, the
kind that can be pruned off the tree (See?), not in the main Vine: Bearing
lemons, grapefruits, and so forth, not oranges, but professing to be citrus.
What is the attraction? 65-0725E P:55 Let's
take John 14:12, of the New Testament, Jesus said:... He that believeth on Me,
the works that I do shall he do also;...Also in Luke 17:22 to 30, He said: As
it was in the days of Lot, before Sodom was burned, so shall it be at the
return of the Son of man, that day when the Son of man is being revealed. Oh,
just look at the Scriptures! "The Son of man," Jesus Christ the same
yesterday and forever, growed a-past denominations, growed into the top of the
tree. What did He say in John 14, or 15? "Every branch that's in Me that
doesn't bring forth the fruit, it'll be cut off and pruned, throwed into the
fire and burned. But every branch that'll bring forth fruit, it'll be purged."
Matthew 7:16
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? 17 Even
so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit. 18 A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit. 19 Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye
shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 But he that received seed into
the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also
beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some
thirty.
Philippians
4: 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may
abound to your account.
Philippians
1: 11 Being filled with the fruits
of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
John 15: 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you.
Matthew 12: 33 Either make the tree good, and
his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the
tree is known by his fruit.
Hebrews 12: 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to
be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Romans 7: 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye
also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be
married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should
bring forth fruit unto God.
John 15: 8 Herein is my Father glorified,
that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Luke 13: 6 He spake also this parable; A
certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought
fruit thereon, and found none. 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then
after that thou shalt cut it down.
Luke 8: 8 And other fell on good ground,
and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these
things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Luke 6:
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither
doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by
his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush
gather they grapes.
Luke 3: 9 And now also the axe is laid
unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Matthew 3:
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 3:10 And now also the axe is laid
unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
2 Timothy
4: 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
1 Timothy
5: 20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
1
Corinthians 11: 32 But
when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be
condemned with the world.
Jude 1:12
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you,
feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about
of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by
the roots;
James 5:
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.