The Parables of Christ 7
The
Sower and the Seed
November
23, 2003
Rev. Brian Kocourek
4) Matthew 13, verses 3 – 9 3: And he spake many things
unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4:
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came
and devoured them up: 5: Some fell upon stony places,
where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because
they had no deepness of earth: 6: And when the sun was
up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they
withered away. 7: And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung
up, and choked them. 8: But other fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty-fold, some
thirty-fold. 9: Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13, verses 18 - 23 18: Hear ye therefore the parable
of the sower. 19: When any one heareth the word of the
kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and
catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed
by the way side. 20: But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy
receiveth it; 21: Yet hath he not root in himself, but
dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,
by and by he is offended. 22: He also that received seed among
the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and
the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh
unfruitful. 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.
1)
By
the way side These are they that just do not Understand the word, and when the wicked
one comes along, they get caught off guard and are snatched away from the
Truth.
2)
Stony Ground, hear the word and receive it with joy for a while, but because they have
no root, because they are shallow Christians, they endure for a while, but when
tribulations come because of the Word, by and by or time after time they become
offended. The word offend means to become stumbled, or to cause to sin. And we
know that sin is disbelief. They stop believing. They did believe for a while,
but they have stopped believing.
Romans Chapter 11
Verse 16For
if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so
are the branches.
3)
Thorny
Ground, are
those who hear the Word but the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of
riches chokes the Word, and thus that person bears no fruit.
4) Good Ground, heareth
the word, understand it, bear fruit many fold.
Mark 4, verses 3 - 9 3: Hearken; Behold, there went out
a sower to sow: 4: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell
by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured It up. 5:
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and
immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6: But
when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered
away. 7: And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and
choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8: And other fell on good
ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought
forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9: And he said
unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 4, verses 14 - 20 14: The sower
soweth the word. 15: And these are they by the way side, where
the Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh
away the Word that was sown in their hearts. (This is an aborted life because
satan does this to the life of the word in this person)
16: And these are they likewise
which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the Word,
immediately receive it with gladness; 17: And have no root in
themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or
persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. (This
is the miscarriage, because it is not the power of another exorcized over them
as in abortion, where the child has no control over it, but these are they who
hear and receive with joy but then when the Word is preached that calls forth
for them to bear the cross of the Word, they get offended, they stumble at that
Word. They have no root IN themselves, and as the egg that can not hold onto
the uterine wall becomes flushed away, they become a miscarriage. There is
a weakness in them, and they can’t hold
onto the lifeline, and because they have no root, no true tie down to the
uterine wall, they never do come to maturity, and in that weak condition they
die.
18: And these are they which are sown
among thorns; such as hear the word, 19: And the
cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other
things entering in, choke the word, and it (The Word)
becometh
unfruitful. 4: 18 - 19, These are they which still birth.
(This is the Laodicean bunch who
love the cares of this world more than they love God's Word which calls for a
total separation from unbelief and the things of this world.) And as the
umbilical wraps itself around the unborn child and strangles it, so too do the
cares of this life wraps itself around the child of God that has not yet come
full maturity and chokes the life of the Word right out from them. This is the
bunch that brother Branham was the most worried about. This is what he tried so
diligently to shake the church because he saw that she was being affected by
the choke hold of the world. That is why he cried out with a loud Voice in the
vision as he stood watching the bride go by, and he cried out, “Stay in line”.
20: And these are they
which are sown on good ground; such
as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some
thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred. (This is the Elect seed Gene of God who are ordained to
receive the change in the body) These are the Bride who bring forth Life in the Image of the
Father.
Now, where there is a birth,
something has to die. There is movement and change that takes place in
the body. Your body doesn't do what it used to do. There's a transforming power that has taken over.
It's bringing forth a manifestation in your flesh that at first is not
so noticeable, but as the development comes forth more and more, it
becomes apparent to everyone just what is happening.
The apostle Paul said in the book of
GAL
Others don't want to be
inconvenienced. Others think it will cramp there lifestyle. In
the natural we find women aborting their child because they don’t want the
inconvenience of that Life coming forth, and in the so called Christian we find
the same mindset. They don’t want the inconvenience that comes with the
transforming power of another life and so they abort their Christian walk. They
want a religion of convenience. One which won't cramp their lifestyle. One
which won't cause too much pain. One which will let them live any old way
they choose. But you know abortions not only kill the
Life that is being brought forth, it also places a mark
upon the one allowing it to happen.
Luke 8, verses 5 - 8 5: A sower went out to sow his
seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden
down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6:
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it
withered away, (attrition, falling away from the Truth) because it lacked moisture. 7: And
some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked
it. 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 8, verses 11 - 15 11: Now the parable is this: The
seed is the word of God. 12: Those by the way side
are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of
their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13: They
on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy;
and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of
temptation fall away. 14: And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked
with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to
perfection. 15: But that on the good ground are they,
which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring
forth fruit with patience.
I JOHN 5:7-8 For there
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one. Notice here that we have three principle factors in the bringing forth
of life. The Father who is the giver of Life, (and the word Father means one
who begets life.) The second factor of Life mentioned by John here is “The
Word” which is the Seed of Life, and the third factor of Life that John
mentions here is the “Holy Ghost” which is the Life.
Remember, Jesus Himself said, My words are Spirit
and they are Life”
Now, a few weeks ago we talked about
how the bushel basket symbolized the preservation of Life, and last week we
found that the meal offering is a type of Christ the bead of life and the meal
or bread also types the sustaining of life. And since there were three measures
of meal, we found them to be Justification, sanctification and the Baptism of
the Holy Ghost.
Always three’s. why? Because God is
Perfected in three's. The Father, The
Word, and the Holy Ghost. These
are not three, but John says, they are one. Notice how God is perfected in
three’s. There are 3 comings,
LAW OR GRACE 54-1006
20 God wrote three Bibles. God does everything
in threes. He wrote three Bibles. He had three comings of Christ. There is
three dispensations of grace. Now, like Jesus came the first time, He's been here once
hasn't He? He come to redeem His Bride. He comes the second time to receive His
Bride, catch her up, meeting in the air, and comes the third time with His
Bride as King and Queen. See? So then, then, there is three also, the three in
the manifestations of God. God manifested Hisself once in the Fatherhood as He
led the children of Israel. The next time God manifested Hisself was in the
Sonship, the Lord Jesus Christ. The third time God manifested Hisself is with
us now, the Holy Spirit. See, three manifestations, everything in the threes...
ANGEL OF THE COVENANT 54-0301 E-6 There's
three comings of the Lord, you know that. There's three of everything in the
Scripture. Three is God's perfect number:
SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEPFOLD
56-0403 E-9 See, there's
everything in the Bible runs in threes; we know that. And there's three comings
of the Lord. The first coming is past; the second coming's the rapture when we
meet Him; and the third coming is when He's coming to rule and reign a thousand
years.
BE.CERTAIN OF GOD
59-0708E E-51 The coming of Jesus is
three times. Did you know that? Jesus come the first time to redeem His Bride.
He comes the next time; we're caught up in the air to meet him in the air. We
caught up to meet Him. He comes to receive His Bride. The next time He comes,
He comes as King and Queen to reign on the earth with His Bride: three comings.
Right. And the
Church is in three stages: "Let him that's filthy, filthy still; let him that's righteous, righteous still; him that's holy, holy still."
And there are 3 Exoduses under
the Pillar of Fire. And there are 3 pulls to each ministry. And there are three stages of Grace, Justification,
Sanctification, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And the earth is cleansed three
times...The first by water, the
second by man’s fire, and the
third by God's Holy Fire. There are
three stages of our growth in Christ, (it begins with Faith, and then moves
into Hope, and finally into Love which is an outward expression of Faith.
And John said, and the greatest of these is love… And in I peter, He speaks of three stages
that the Bride of Christ will come through at the time of the Revelation of
Jesus Christ. And those three stages are Praise, Honor and
Glory which is three stages of our Growth process into Sons. And then we have
as the Scripture says here, "water, blood and spirit." Three stages
of Life.
Now in order for Life to come
forth, in the natural, the woman must receive the seed first.
Then the process begins, then the life comes forth. CONCEPTION,
TRANSFORMATION, and IDENTIFICATION. Again three stages of life.
CONCEPTION:
means to take in or receive, to begin life.
A seed being planted.
Now there are a few
things about this Conception that we must understand, if we are to
understand this process of Life.
1) The seed that is sewn is
not the same as what comes up. I COR 15:35 - 39
¶ But
some [man] will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they
come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare
grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased
him, and to every seed his own body. 39
2)
There has got to be an order or law that governs reproduction in all
life. Otherwise, conception would bring total chaos. GEN 1: 11 - 12. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass,
the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind,
whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth
brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree
yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that
[it was] good.
Notice, God says it then He performs
it. The law of God is only God in
action. Word and Power. And Brother Branham said, "he Who gave the Word is
here to perform it."
3)
The seed must bring forth after it's kind. If there is Life in the seed, then what life is in that seed
is the same life that will manifest
itself. JOHN 1:
1 In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God., 14. And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. I JOHN 1: 1 - 3. 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.
My wife and I knew a woman that was expecting a child
and she went full term & then nothing. Just
like some Christians. They say they are born again but to what. There's
no manifested life. The woman saw a transformation within her self,
but there was no seed in her. No Life in her, yet she could see herself
being transformed, she thought. I think she was
just eating too much and she got
fat. But oh, how they were expecting but nothing came of it.
Now the Three stages of Life
is most important because if you just have
the first two stages, conception and transformation, you could still end up
with a still born. And if you have just
come up through justification and then onto sanctification, but do not come all
the way into the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you are still lost.
JOHN 14: 16 - 17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. But
this is not complete yet. There must be a further fulfillment in
order to bring forth the Life into manifestation. JOHN 17: 20 - 22. ¶
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on
me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast
sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Now notice Jesus prayed to the
Father, that the Glory which is the Doxa was necessary to
bring on this special identification. "That they may be One even as we are
One".
And how is it that we
might be One “even as.” which means in the same manner that Jesus and His
Father were One? Jesus said, JOHN 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Jesus
tells us we become One with God through the same Word that He became One With
God. JOHN 17:20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou,
Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that
the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou
gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Therefore it is very
apparent that we are one by receiving the same Word which bring us into the
same Glory or same mind as the Father. And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we
are one:
HARVEST TIME 641212 87 034 Jesus said, "That they might be one, Father, as You and
I are one." Not
for some man to be over something, it never will work; one denomination wants
to take over the other, and one man over the other. But that you might be
one with God, like Christ and God was one; that's what the prayer is. He
was the Word, and Jesus prayed that we might be the Word, reflecting Him.
That's His prayer to be answered. See how Satan scruples it up in the carnal
mind? But that wasn't Jesus' prayer, at all, that we might all congregate
together and all have a certain creed and so forth. Every time they do it, they
go further and further from God. He wants us to be one with God, and God is the Word. Each individual in his heart must be that one with God.
Brother Branham said,
the threefold mystery was " Christ with you, Christ in You, and
Christ through you”.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory.
I JOHN 3: 1 – 3 Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is. 3 And everyone that has this hope in him, purifies himself even as He is
pure.
I PETER 1:3 Tells us that it is God that begets us. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a living hope,
It takes the Lord Himself to bring
the new birth. JUSTIFICATION made a way for Sanctification which mad a
way for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, which made a way for the Baptizer
himself to become identified among us.
And in Abraham’s day, it was the appearing
of god in a body of flesh that made a way for the arrival of the promised son.
II COR 3: 18 <NIV> And we who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lords glory,
are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing Glory, which comes
from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.
JOHN 3: 1 – 7 There was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said
unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can
do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be
born again.
If you sow to the flesh you shall reap
from the flesh. If you sow to the Spirit you shall reap from the Spirit.
We move from the second
stage of Life into the third which is IDENTIFICATION.
I COR 13: 12 -13 Moving more and more into the face, Love himself.
I PET 1:3 Let the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ be eulogized, who impelled by his abundant mercy caused
us to be born again so that we have a hope which is made alive. This living
hope having been made actual through the intermediate instrumentality of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ out from among those whoa re dead, resulting in an
inheritance, imperishable and undefiled, and that does not fade away…
ROMANS 8: 18 - 25 The whole creation
travaileth and even you are.
Brother Branham said, "Nothing
outside the revealed word can come to life."
In
the SONG OF
SOLOMON, the identification was external. The Life was
manifested to her, but it then came to her and then entered into her.
The Life comes from the external and comes into the internal. This is the age
of the ear. The ear is a female organ. The seed enters the ear, and into the
womb of the mind. The Word spoken is a projectile, it is a spora, or the sperm
of God.
I PETER 1: 22 -23 Having purified your souls by means of your obedience to the
Truth, resulting in not an assumed but a genuine affection for the brethren, an
affection and fondness that springs from your hearts by reason of the pleasure
you take in them, from the heart love one another with an intense reciprocal
love that springs forth from your hearts because of your estimation of the
preciousness of the brethren, and which is divinely self sacrificial in its
essence, having been begotten again not of perishable seed but of imperishable,
through the Word of God which lives and abides.” The ear is the reciprocal, or the
female organ, the mind is the womb of the spirit. The EXTERNAL WORD
comes in and becomes internal Life.
The
woman has a sort of seed that must come in contact with the male to
be quickened. The church like the woman can't bring forth life on her own. The
Word is the seed that brings to life. That’s what I PETER 1:3 tells us.
But
just as the same spirit that is upon the N.O.W. group, they don't
want a man. They think they are self sufficient. Women type the church. A woman
can't produce life on their own. It takes the man. A woman that tries to bring
forth a child by coming together with another woman, is nothing but
a perversion. And so is it when the church tries to bring forth
life. They can't do it. They are only producing a perversion.
It
takes the Lord Himself to bring the new birth. JUSTIFICATION made a
way for SANCTIFICATION which MADE A WAY FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY
GHOST, which made a way for the BAPTIZER HIMSELF to
become identified among us.
ABRAHAM:
God's appearing made a way for the arrival of the promised son.
Now
let's examine what takes place after CONCEPTION. The next stage is
transformation. This is the part that woman really hate. They don't
mind the conception part. But they do not like the transformation part
because it calls for sacrifice on her part. Our Mt. Carmel showdown
is when the rapture takes place. That will be our complete
identification. That will tell whether you really conceived or not. or
whether you went through a term birth but really had nothing there. This woman
I was telling you about felt
movement, she felt life. But when life is ended it goes back to gases.
and the doctor found no life there so you figure out what she had.
I JOHN 3: 3 And everyone that has this hope in him,
purifies himself even as He is pure. Now, what hope is this? Well,
just like the woman, at first she is not aware that she has
conceived: She feels lousy, she looks in the mirror, looks lousy,
feels sick. I thought when I was born again, I would become sinless. I
see more now that I hate about myself than ever before. A time of
inner turmoil takes place. Look at
Now, the thing of it is, is that in order to receive
the physical change in her body, the woman must first accept in her mind that
she is going to enter into a conception mode in her mind. And thus she creates
an atmosphere in which to receive the seed.
II COR 3:17 - 18. Now the Lord is that
Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. 18 But we
all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.
And we see in ROM 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The
transformation begins by the renewing of the mind.
ROMANS 8: 5-6 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6
For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life
and peace.
She
conceives, then she goes through a transitional period where she feels
lousy. But there is something happening inside of her. I remember one
time brother Vayle came to Minneapolis
Minnesota and I brought a friend. He went home that night and as he
prayed about what He heard , he got sick. So he thought that it was
God warning him to stay away. My goodness, can you imagine a woman who marries
a man and she conceives and when she starts to feel sick she says,
I need to get away from this man, he's making me sick. Don't
you know that when you come to the Lord and Conceive of His Life,
It causes you to have heart ache and inner turmoil and all sorts of
nausea about yourself.
Why?
Because something is about to take place. Something is coming alive
in you and it's displacing other parts of you. It's pushing out the old man.
She
who is aware of the birth prepares herself. A
woman who smokes and drinks when she finds out she is expecting,
she stops her smoking, her drinking, she prepares herself. She brings
her whole body to nurture that. The very camel that Rebecca watered is
the very thing that packed her home. In the 3rd or 4th seal Brother
Branham said, "the very seed she is watering will take
her on out of here." If the woman has any motherhood in
her, her whole life becomes dedicated to bringing forth that life
that is in her. I JN 3:3 And every man that
hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
When
the conception occurs, the first thing that forms is
the head and the spinal cord. Then later on, the body and the
limbs. Then as cell is added upon cell, the fingers and toes
begin to appear. The characteristics of the father are
beginning to come forth in finer detail as the life within you grows. It
comes more into the image of The Father as IT comes closer to the birth.
AS THE NEGATIVE COMES CLOSER TO THE POSITIVE , THE MORE
LIKE THE POSITIVE IT BECOMES. (the shadow). I JOHN 3:2 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is.
It's
begins drawing forth. "DRAW ME AND WE SHALL RUN AFTER THEE, FOR THE
KING HAS DRAWN ME INTO HIS CHAMBERS." JUST LIKE THE LILLY, THE SON DRAWING
IT UP. <explain>
When
people see her coming they don't know what is happening to her,
until she becomes to a place that it shows in her flesh. When the woman doesn't
understand what she is going through, she doesn't feel comfortable with
anybody else, and she doesn't feel
comfortable with herself either.
When
she finally understands what is happening, then she should be
able to deal with it. Oh, you may still have your
mourning sickness. You may still go through the pains and
uneasiness, (I used to tell my wife that it was all in her head,
but she said, no way, it's in here.)
I
won't deny that you may feel lousy, but just remember, Life is coming
forth. You may feel like you are the lousiest Christian that
ever walked the earth, but just remember, Life is
coming forth. Stick with it. Don't abort.
II COR 3: 18 <NIV> AND WE, WHO WITH UNVEILED
FACES ALL REFLECT THE LORD'S GLORY, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO HIS
LIKENESS WITH EVER INCREASING GLORY,
WHICH COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO IS THE SPIRIT.
We
move from the second stage of Life into the third which
is IDENTIFICATION.
I COR 13: 12 -13 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then
face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known13 And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.
Moving
more and more into the face, which is Love, for God Himself is Love. That
transformation brings us into an identification. We shall
know as we are known.
Let’s
just bow our heads and our hearts in prayer and thankfulness.