Questions and Answers #19
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
September 29, 2007
This evening I would like to speak again on the new birth, but this time
to tie it into our body change and readying for the resurrection. Last week
when we began to look at this subject we took for our text from 2 scriptures which
give us our basis for understanding the new birth and how we receive it.
John 3:3 Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the
1 Peter 1: 23 Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth for ever.
We saw that there are two things that stand out from our text concerning
the new birth.
1: Without the new birth you will never understand the
2: You are born again by the Word of God which lives and abides forever.
Therefore the life commensurate with this birth would have to attest to the
Word of God.
Now, concerning point number 1, Brother Branham said, in his sermon Mary's belief 61-0121 P:30 "Except
a man be born again he cannot even see the
And from IT SHALL BE EVEN
AS IT WAS TOLD ME 50-0818 23 Anyhow, "to see" doesn't mean "to look
at." The word "see" means
"to understand." Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water
and Spirit, he cannot see the
Notice in particular
what Jesus is saying. He is saying that unless you are born again there is
absolutely no way for you to understand the message.
Now, we could go on
and on with a couple dozen quotes from Br. Branham concerning this evidence of
the new birth, but two will suffice since all things are established in the
mouth of two witnesses.
What I would like to
look at next is the difference between the natural birth and the new birth.
John 1: 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power (exusia, the ability to make a right decision. And
what is that right decision? To become what they were ordained to become.) to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So we see that those
who were of such a nature that they were able to receive Him when He was
manifested in the person of His Son, these are the ones who He has given power
to become sons of God. Now, this tells us in verse 13 that it is not something
you can do by your own will, nor can you do it via your own power. But it says
that this birth can only be done by what God Himself has done.
So we see two forms of birth, one that is produced by an act of the flesh
and that which is not produced by an act of the flesh, but by the Will of God. Then
the one produced by an act of the flesh must tend towards the flesh. But the
other that is born of the will of God then must gravitate towards the will of
God. Then this is the only birth that will gravitate to the will of God instead
of the will of man, because every seed must bring forth after its kind.
In John 3: 6 we read, That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. So you see there is a nature
difference between the two kinds of seeds.
In 1 Peter 1: 23, Peter tells us “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” So
we see what it means to be born of corruptible seed, because corruptible seed
must produce a corruptible life.
Now, let’s look at the
natural birth to see just how the soul and spirit join together with the body
to make a tri-partite being. From his sermon The Comforter
61-1001E P:24 brother
Branham said, When a little baby
is conceived in the mother's womb, it's just flesh and blood, jumping,
quivering. But as soon as it's born, you don't see it, but there's a spirit and soul hanging near that
mother to come into that baby just as soon as it's born. Just as soon as that
baby is born, God has created a soul and created a spirit to be in that baby
just as soon as it's born into this world. That little baby becomes matured,
and it begins to learn; then it becomes a living soul when it knows what's
right and wrong. Then it's got, just like Adam and Eve, set before a tree of
right and wrong. It makes its choice. And then it becomes intelligent. It's
growing all the time in God's great economy. And finally it comes down to the
end of the road, for this physical body. And just as this body is deteriorating
and going away, there is one being prepared to receive it. Just as soon as it
leaves here, this soul that's in us now and this spirit leaves this body and
goes to another, a young one, a good one, a better one, a one that won't get
old, or one that won't pass away. Why, He's a good God. But certainly He is.
Now, this makes the human being a very complex character, because he is
born with a body that has a spirit allowed by God. Then when he is born again,
the spirit of God comes into that body, changing the life of that body from
mortal to immortal. Then when his soul and spirit leave that body it goes to
another Body which is already waiting for us.
That is why brother Branham taught us that what we are here is only a
reflection of where we are going.
EXPLAINING HEALING AND JAIRUS 54-0216 E-37
What you are here is a reflection of what you are somewhere else. "Those
who He called, He justifies." Is that right? "Those
who He justified, He has glorified" Romans
8:29. Already in the
Presence of the Father, we have a glorified body. Whew! Wasn't that deep? All
right We'll find out whether it right or not "If
this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting"
Is that right? That's right So right now, and what we are there, is a
reflection. Here, what we are here, is a reflection of what we arc somewhere
else. So if your deeds are evil, you know where it comes from. You know where
your other body's a waiting.
Then my question is
this… If my earthly body is only reflecting where my heavenly body is, then
where is my earthly body… is it in church, fellowshipping around the Word of
God? Is it in fellowship around God’s Word? Is it studying God’s word to show
myself approved a workman that needs not be ashamed? Or is it feeding on the
things of the world? Ask yourself where does my joy come from? That will tell
you where your soul is reflecting….
Webster’s dictionary
tells us that an Attitude is the position
or posture assumed by the body in connection with an action, feeling or mood. A
manner of acting, feeling , or thinking that show's ones disposition, opinion or mental set.
So we can see here
that the attitude is a condition of growth. It is the outward reflection of our
mind set. And if your attitude is a reflection of what is going on in your
heart, then the heart and mind must come into the right disposition first and
then the body will only reflect what is on the inside. Once your mind has come
to the place of live, die, sink or drown, then your body will follow. So many
people walk around with such rotten attitudes that you have to wonder what they
have been feeding their souls. The attitude is only a reflection of the inside.
Now when we think of the conditions we think of mechanics, but when we think of
attitude, we see something different. It is the breach between mechanics and
dynamics. You can have all the mechanics right and like brother Branham said,
put a live egg under a dead hen and it won't work. You can have all the
mechanics right, al the conditions right, but without this link between the
mechanics and dynamics you will only be a legalist. The mechanics is the
conditions, the dynamics is the Living Word of God in operation, and the little
link between them is your attitude.
God spoke in Genesis 1:11 the law
of reproduction when he said, “every seed shall bring forth after its kind.” That
means that every seed will reproduce the nature of the original life the seed
came forth from.
And the nature or
character of a seed is what distinguishes one form of life from another. The
characteristics describe the nature, and our character defines what Life is
governing us. Therefore you either have the beast nature ruling in the flesh or
you have God's very own nature ruling and living out Itself in you. And there
is only one thing we will take with you when you die, and that is your
character. It doesn't matter how popular you are, or how much wealth you have
accumulated, that will all stay here. When you die you are stripped naked of
everything you own, or possess with one exception, and that is your character.
That is who you are. That is the essence of your being. And your life here is
just a reflection of where you are going. Now, the thing that we are looking at
here is the Nature of God in the believer. In other words, it is the God-life
reflecting itself out in the believer. But we have a problem. We have this
flesh to deal with. And to have the actions and speech of god cannot come until
we have a mind like God's own mind. And unless we think God's thoughts we could
never do or speak words that are pleasing to God.
II Cor 5:1 For we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan,
earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be
found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not
for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is
God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are
always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are
absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent,
we may be accepted of him.
ROMANS
12:1 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.
This evening I
would like to look at the order of the resurrection, how that the dead come
forth first, and then we assemble or gather together with them for a period of
time, perhaps a month or so, and sometime during this time, we receive our Body
change, and then we go up to meet the Lord halfway between Heaven and Earth,
somewhere in an elevated place, or dimension that is greater than the three
that we are now living in.
SEVEN CHURCH AGES 54-0512 97
His great,
glorious Presence shall strike the earth. "He cometh in clouds." Oh,
I love that. "Clouds," there will be wave after wave of His glory
will come across the earth, and the resurrection of the saints shall come….
LETTING OFF THE PRESSURE 62-0518
112 See where we're living, friends. What's
the matter with people? Can't you see we're at the end time? It's all over. The
next thing will be a sweep will...?... that little group together. In a month
or so she'll be gone, as soon as she's gathered together. Well, we're at the
end. There's no hope left nowhere. Run to Christ, people.
SEVEN CHURCH AGES 54-0512 97 "He that was last will
be first, and he that was first will be last." How can it be that way?
That's the order of the resurrection. I won't know nobody in the generation
before me or the generation after me. I'll know those in the generation of
this. And every generation will come successfully, right as it went down. "They
which were last will be first." Sure, it has to be. See? I'll know my
people. The next fellow, my dad will know his people; his grandfather, his
people, on down like that. Wave after wave, after wave, after wave, and the
saints arising from everywhere, won't that be wonderful
So we are looking
forward to a wonderful time ahead, when the time of the Resurrection sets in an
we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them, and then we
will go to meet the Lord in the air. We get our change first and then we go to
meet the Lord in the air. That is what we have been speaking of for the past
few weeks.
Now, as we found in our study that the
apostle Paul said, and brother Branham taught as well, that we have already
been spiritually resurrected from the dead. That is why we all do not have to
die first. There is a group who will be living, and we that are alive and
remain to the Parousia of the Lord will be changed in the moment, in the
Twinkling of an eye, when the Trumpet sounds.
I CORINTHIANS
15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal [must] put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall
be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. 55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? 56
The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 57 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.
I THESSALONIANS
4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them
which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
And what comfort these words bring to us
who are tired of this old pest house. But, the thing of it is, is that the
Shout has already begun. The Lord has already descended with a Shout. And that
Shout is a Message quickly gathering His people. Then the next thing is the
Voice which if you will remember in the Alpha Ministry of Jesus Christ, when He
cried with a Loud Voice, the graves were opened and many of the sleeping saints
arose and came out of there graves after He was resurrected. Therefore the
Voice, the Loud Voice is to waken the sleeping virgins as we also saw in
Matthew 25, the Wise are awakened out of there sleep, and as Paul said in Hebrews 11
they must have this ministry for they without us can not be made perfect.
This evening we
are going to look at this process of the body change. We know a loud voice is a
shout, therefore, I believe that the resurrection has already began. It is a
process that happens over a period. The living are spiritually resurrected or
awakened from a deep sleep, and then those that sleep in the grave. But the
Living are quickened first, then the dead come froth in Life.