ONENESS # 21

God Deals Only with Individuals

December 20, 1992

Brian Kocourek

Last  week  we examined pp. 108 of brother Branham's  message  on ONENESS  where he spoke about how that it is God  who  personally brought  down  the Revelation to Abel of what  to  sacrifice.  We examined  the scriptures and found Him to act the same  in  every age. We saw how Abraham was helpless to have the promised son  on His  own and that it took God to come down and personally  change Abram  and  Sarai in their bodies to be able to bring  forth  the promised  son.  God also gave them a name change  from  Abram  to Abraham and from Sarai to Sarah.

Next we saw how that Moses knew from his youth that he was called by  God to be instrumental in the deliverance of the children  of Israel  but when he tried to do it outside of God's presence,  he utterly  failed and had to flee into the wilderness  for  safety. God  has a way of humbling you and allowing you to do things  and lose the victory when you get to a place where you attempt those things  on your own, or when you carry about in you  an  attitude that says, I don't need the Lord to help me, I can do it  myself. So  after  Moses sat in the wilderness for 40 years  as  a  sheep herder  which was the lowest occupation to an Egyptian,  He  went from being in the number one position to take over the  highest  office in the land to working the lowest job in the eyes of the Egyptians.  Yet the Bible credits him with forsaking the treasures of Egypt in favor  of  the treasures of God's righteousness.

We saw how dependant Daniel was on God's Personal Presence  and intervention  in  the lions Den when the pillar of  fire  entered into the den to keep back the lions.

We went into many more examples where God's seed were made to be dependant upon Him for their promotion and God usually did it  by first bringing them demotion.

You know, it is interesting how God works. In order to be lifted up one must humble himself. Up is down and down is up with God. Jesus said those most notable words, "He that  humbles  himself will be exalted and he that exalts himself will be brought down."

Today  I  would like to pick up this study  of  brother  Branham’s sermon on ONENESS by reading from pp. 110. This is number 21 in our series..

PP. 110 <READ>

Now, this is the subject for this morning. God doesn't deal  with you as a group, He only deals with you as an individual.

You  know, that is a good thing. We find that so many today  base everything  they do on what others do and look where it  has  led to.  Peer pressure is an extraordinarily strong thing and can  be used  for good but just like all things that deals with man,  and things  that  man  can do, it can also be used  to  produce  much wrong. And that is the condition of the world today.

It's  just  like television. It could have been used as  a  great tool to promote the Gospel, but instead it has been a tool in the hands of the devil to destroy the moral fiber of this nation  and the rest of the world.

Television  is  expensive and therefore in order to  operate  the equipment and things it costs much to do so, so they had to  open it  up to commercialism in order to pay for the programming.  The love  for money has always been the root of all evil and that  is exactly what commercialism is all about.

Everything  has been commercialized anymore. In order to get  the attention  of  youth  they promote sex and music.  The  two  most powerful attention grabbers that is known to man. Why? Because it appeals  to the senses. It appeals to the lower man, the  sensate being in every one of us.

That's what's wrong with Christmas. It doesn't matter what day we honor as the birth of Christ, to honor Him is what really counts. But  He has been taken out of Christmas altogether. Just like  at Easter, we honor His resurrection and Ascension, but instead  the world  has replaced the meaning of Christ at Easter with  bunnies and chocolate eggs. Now, what does that have to do with Christ.

43 GOD'S GIFTS ALWYS FIND PLACE 63-1222 Now, watch the gift that these wise man bought... Or brought to Him.  Today we find that we're swapping gifts. Everybody  has  to get a gift, and try to figure out what the next fellow's going to give  him, so he can give him something comparing that much.  And if it isn't, well, on the New Year's, he feels he has to make  it up. And each one studying and worrying and walking the floor, the millionaires,  how they're going to get by. They give so much  to this one and that, when it--it's altogether wrong.

182 WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR 63-1216 Oh,  brother, sister, how nice it would be if each one of  you, if each one of us, us, me, if each one of us could lay aside  all this  here Christmas tinsel, see, quit all this  swapping  gifts, one  with  another, all of this nonsense of the world;  and  just take  off  our pride and lay it down, and stomp the  thing  under foot,  say, "Lord Jesus, guide me to that perfect  Light."  Watch something  Supernatural  happen. The Holy Spirit will come  in  a phenomenal way. See?

16-6  SIRS WE WOULD SEE JESUS 61-1224  We  take the word Christmas. It's very seldom you ever hear Christ's  Name mentioned. You don't hear it mentioned. The lights and tinsel  is all  on Santa Claus, not on Christ. The people hardly knows  what Christmas is really for. They've just paganized it and  paganized it  till  it's all become pagan. It's a great commercial  day  of celebration.  Now,  if they want to make a  commercial  day  like Mother's  Day, or Father's Day, or son's day, or daughter's  day, that's all right, but keep that commercial off of Christmas.

34-1 SIRS WE WOULD SEE JESUS 61-1224 The churches are swapping Christ for the world and creeds.  The church is on a swapping program. Oh, they sure want to swap. Yes, sir!  They'll go and they'll swap. They want a swapping  program. They  want to swap what God says for what the denomination  says. They  want to swap what God says to follow the pastor. They  want to  swap  what  God  says to  follow  the  organization.  They're swapping. Do you know what? The people is shopping. Oh, there's a big commercial going on now. It's another Christmas, just a bogus made-up.

E-28 PRESUMING -- PHX.AZ -- 62-0117 Now,  we  have just passed two of the major holidays,  that  we know here in America to be the Christmas time and the New Year's. It's actually not a Christmas. It's a day that we set aside... 'Course  we realize it isn't the Lord's birthday.  He  couldn't have  been  born on December the 25th, because it's  so  cold  up there  shepherds could not have been on the hill, and  so  forth. And if you was ever in Judaea along that time of year, you'd know it  wasn't  in  the wintertime. But it is  thought  that  it  was perhaps along in April, or May, when lambs are born. And like  He come by all nature, just like the regular lambs are born, He  was the  Lamb  of God, and He was born along that time. But  I  don't suppose  that He cares what day we set aside, because the  actual day is lost. But it's in commemoration of his birthday.

And  instead  of  we making it a commemoration, and  a  day  of worship  to  God  for  his  sending his Son  to  us,  we  have  a celebration,  see.  We  celebrate  Christmas. And  it  is  not  a celebration.  You  could  celebrate  Washington's  birthday,   or Lincoln's birthday; or some other great man's birthday you  might celebrate  it. But Christmas should be a day of worship.  But  we have  twisted  it  around and have made it one  of  the  greatest commercial  days.  It's all fixed up on passing presents  one  to another, and having feelings hurt if we don't do it, and pay them back. And it's just twisted all up.

26 FALLING APART OF THE WORLD 62-1216 That's  all  there is to it. "The whole world,"  as  the  prophet said, "has become a putrified sore." That's right. Just it's just no clean thing nowhere. Every holiday is backed up by an...  Why, Santa  Claus took Christmas' place, the birth in the manger.  The rabbit and chicken and new hats took the resurrection. And  where does  God  appear in all of this at? See? The reason of  this  is

because that man and commercial... Why, they started buying Christmas present months ago, and what is  it but a heathen trait. There's nothing about it  godly.  Oh, they  try to say, "Give gifts, to the wise men." That's  just  an oasis for a devil's excuse. You want to give something, it's your life to Christ. Don't give to one another; give it to Him. That's what He died for. That's His purpose of coming. See?

72 WHY LITTLE BETHLEHEM 63-1214 There's something lacking somewhere. What we try to do is twist it  up and make it some great something up there, put flower  and tinsel  on it, and we pollute it just like the nations  has  done Christmas.  That's right! If we could get the tinsel off  of  the things,  and  the humility back in the human heart! If  we  could bring the humility back to Christmas of what it ought to be!  Not a  commercial  day,  not lights and Santa Clauses!  But  back  to worshipping  the  God of creation Who come in a  stable  and  was borned  a  baby, God made flesh and dwelt among us! If  we  could come  back to that, get away from the tinsel and the big  things. God don't even deal with it at all.

90 GOD'S GIFTS ALWYS FIND PLACE 63-1222 The  commercial  world got into it and they... Why,  they  make enough  through Christmas time until they can retire the rest  of the year, almost. I talked to a merchant the other day, he  said, "You  give  me these two weeks, and if I didn't have to  keep  my band  here,"  said,  "I'd wait till next Christmas;  I  could  go fishing,  whatever I want to do, till next Christmas."  He  said,

"But  I  keep the boys going." Said, "Just keep  them  here  just enough  to keep my business open and it keeps--it keeps my  hands paid off and things." Said, "I don't make nothing till  Christmas time comes along." You see, it's become a great commercial  thing when it ought to be a worship; a worship.

14 WHY IT HAD TO BE SHEPHERDS 64-1221 And  give  us the Spirit, the true Spirit  of  Christmas.  When today... that when pagan ceremonies, Christmas trees  worshipped, fiction  stories  of a man named Santa Claus, and of  our  Easter rabbits, and the different fashions that the commercial world has capitalized  on,  may it be laid aside, God. Let  us  enter  into Christ  the Word, for we asked it in His Name and for His  glory. Amen.

43 WHO DO YOU SAY THIS IS? 64-1227 And  the people has turned into buying whiskey,  and  gambling, and fashions. And a man that's a merchant that can sell his goods through  Christmas  time can live the rest of the  year,  almost. See? It's such a great holiday, commercial. And poor little  kids on  the street; their parents are not able to visit them  with  a present,  like from Santa Claus, and they walk down  the  street, and  their little dirty hands and their little red eyes.  I  just hate to see it come along. It ought to be a solemn day of worship to  God,  instead of a heartache and a headache  and  the  things that's  done.  There's nothing to Christ about  that.  But  we're right in the midst of all this now.

When  this should be a time of great joy realizing what  God has done for us in this hour, people have become focused on the cares of this life. It’s later than you think. Let us pray.