WHO IS THIS MELCHISEDEC #1
Inheriting the Promises
of God
Brian Kocourek
HEBREWS 6:10 For God [is] not
unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward
his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew
the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers
of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to
Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
WHO IS THIS
MELCHISEDEC 65-0221E 1 Let us bow our
heads for prayer. Dear heavenly Father, we hear this song of "Only Believe"; it
makes us to know that that's all we have to do to inherit any of God's
promises, just believe them. For it is written, "All things are possible to them that believe." As we cry as the man who had the epileptic child,
"Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief!"... We thank Thee for Thy great power, Thy
great revelation of Thyself to us in this last days. It makes our heart
most happy and joyful to know that we have come in contact with the living
God, Who vindicates it right back in physical, material evidences as
He did in the days gone by and as He has promised for this day. We're so
grateful to Thee our God. This dark day where no one seems to know which
a-way to go, we're so glad that we found the safety zone, the retreat. Now,
bless us tonight, Lord, as we speak of Thy Word. And the promises that's
given to us, may we (1) nurture them in our heart, (2) cherish them with
reverence, and (3) obey them with real godly discipline. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Prayer…
This morning I would like to
begin a series from WHO IS THIS MELCHISEDEC that
brother Branham preached in 1965. Now, we have a series in the library that
brother Vayle preached from the same Message of Brother Branham's. This is not
an attempt to reproach what He has preached, but this is a new look at this
great Message of Brother Branham's with
the light we have since received over the past few years. I believe that if
brother Vayle was to preach this series all over again, there would be much
more depth brought out than what he did back a few years ago. I know, because I
have talked to him and that is what he said.
Since those sermons were
preached, God has opened our understanding of His Godhead and His Godhood in a
much greater depth than we would have ever imagined back then.
I have known and correctly
understood the Godhead for nearly 20 years, and yet each day
it seems there is still something new that I come across in reading the
Scriptures or brother Branham's Message that seems to penetrate the inner man
and adds reality to my relationship with God as My Father and Jesus as my
Brother.
Now, I will be the first to
admit that I'm not even worthy to wash the feet of Jesus Christ, my older
brother, but I do love Him with all my heart for what He has done for me.. As
Paul Said, Romans 7:24-25 "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body
of this death, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind
I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin..
Then in I CORINTHIANS 15:57 Paul said, "But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 ¶ Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Then we must admit that the
victory was given to us, and if it has been given to us, then it is a gift, and
if a gift then it belongs to us whether we choose to abide in it or not, it is
still ours.
In fact, as we examine the
promises that Brother Branham spoke of
in his opening statement I want you to notice again what he said.
Dear heavenly
Father, we hear this song of "Only Believe"; it
makes us to know that that's all we have to do to inherit any of God's
promises, just believe them. For it is written, "All things are
possible to them that believe." As we cry as the man who had the
epileptic child, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief!"...
ROMANS 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion. 16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
And this is what we believe
for, a God, not just a God, but a God Who is our Father, A God Who is Great and
full of mercy, to show us mercy. Notice Brother Branham said, we hear this song of "Only
Believe"; it makes us to know that
that's all we have to do to inherit any of God's promises, just believe them..
And remember this, "Only those who are ordained to eternal Life can believe".
Let's turn in our Bibles to ACTS 13:48b "and as many
as were ordained to eternal life believed."
Did you know that Jesus said
the same thing? In Matthew 9:29 He said, "According
to your faith be it unto you.".
And what is Faith? It is a
revelation, something that has been revealed to you. And did you know that if
it has been revealed to you, then it belongs to you? Certainly does. That's
what God Himself said in Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret
[things belong] unto the LORD our God: but those [things which are] revealed
[belong] unto us and to our children for ever, that [we] may do all the words
of this law.
Therefore the things which
are revealed belong to us, and that is they are meant to produce something in
us. He said, "that [we] may do all the words of
this law".
Now the word "do" used here does not necessitate works, but it
speaks rather of observing, or to attend to in order to acquire, and thus to
step forward and to act upon, as brother Branham preached the Message, "Hearing, Recognizing and Acting upon the Word of God."
And if we truly do "hear", then we will truly
"recognize", and if we truly recognize, then we will truly "act
upon" what we hear and recognize. And the acting upon shows that we have
truly recognized the Word for what it truly is.
And that makes the Word manifested to us in a reality, not just some
sort of intellectual conception to debate upon.
That is why brother Branham
could say, "God interprets His Own Word by
bringing it to pass." And then if you actually see that Word come to
pass, and you know it is the word which God had promised in His Word, then when
you see it, it is revealed to you and when it is revealed to you, it is yours.
Because God promised us that whatsoever is revealed belongs to you and to your
children.
Then let's look again at
brother Branham's statement that he
makes in his opening prayer. He said, Dear
heavenly Father, we hear this song of "Only
Believe"; it makes us to know that
that's all we have to do to inherit any of God's promises, just believe them.
For it is written, "All things are possible
to them that believe." As we cry as the
man who had the epileptic child, "Lord, I
believe, help thou my unbelief!"...
Now, what we see him telling
us here is that if God said it, and we believe it, then it is ours. And notice how
He clarifies this by quoting the man who had the epileptic child. He said, Lord, I believe, help though my unbelief. Even
when we seem to have our doubts, it is not your doubts that you must look to
but we must focus upon what God said, and aask God to help us through our
doubts.
Let me use an example of
what I mean from the scriptures.
Let's turn in our Bibles to MATTHEW 14:22 ¶ And straightway Jesus constrained his
disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while
he sent the multitudes away.23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he
went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was
there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with
waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went unto them, walking on the sea. 26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus
spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter
answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. Now, notice, there's the
promise… Jesus said, COME. And when Peter was come down
out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Notice,
he walked, it didn't say he took a step or two, he actually walked on the
water. How many minutes did he walk? How many steps did he take? It really
doesn't matter. He walked the Bible tells us. He walked on the water to go to
Jesus. 30 But
when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Now, he didn’t go down
instantly, for if he had, he would not have been able to blurt out Lord save
me. No, I believe his sinking was gradual. Like the waters turning from ice
under his feet to snow and as he began to sink, he cried out to the Lord to
rescue him from drowning, and notice what took place then. 31 And immediately
Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him,Immediately Jesus
reached out and caught a hold of Peter. Jesus didn't wait until he had gone
under 3 times, like a bobbing buoy. But Jesus immediately grabbed a hold of
him. The Weymouth translation says, Instantly, and therefore, we know that
Jesus did not leave any room for error. He knew exactly what He must do to keep
Peter from being lost and He instantly, immediately, and it means at once.
Then after the rescue, comes
the rebuke. and
said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when
they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Notice, the wind
ceased once the walk was over. Once the test was over, the winds stopped. 33 Then they that
were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son
of God.
Even when Peter seemed to
have faith to walk on water, he did ok until he got his eyes off the promise
and onto the waves. Then he lost his
faith and when he lost his faith he began to sink, but notice that Jesus was
right there to reach out and take a hold of his hand and help him to walk again
in the promise of God.
HEBREWS 10:23 Let us hold fast
the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that
promised;)
Now, how can we apply this
in our lives?
I JOHN 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
JAMES 5:13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they
shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray
one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we
are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the
earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and
the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the
truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him
know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save
a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.