Questions and Answers #31
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
This morning I would
like to examine the purpose for these trials that we are going through, because
God is sovereign, and he is eternal, and he was content in His solitary
existence a whole eternity in the past. So therefore, we can not add to Him nor
take from Him. Then all that He does is because of who He is. He is the God of
Love, and thus all He has done for us is for us, and not for Himself.
Therefore if God tries
us, and places our faith to the test, it is not for His sake that He does so,
but for our sake.
Therefore, the trial is
not for God’s sake, as though He needs to try us so that He can find out if you
will pass the test or not, but the trial is for your sake so that you will know
what is in your heart, so that you can begin to deal with the unbelief and
wickedness that lays in your own heart, so you can deal with it, and rid your
own self of your own selfish motivations and self servitude.
Therefore with this
little thought planted in our little minds, let’s look again at these
scriptures this morning.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (Now, so far we see
this is a completely passive thing that is happening here. You have not one
thing to say about what God has already done on your behalf. Peter tells us, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Why?
What does Peter say that God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ is so
blessed? He tells us it is because of what He has done for you and me…Listen… which according to
his abundant mercy (Not just mercy but His abundant Mercy, His
plenteous mercy) hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope (That means God without our
asking, and without even our knowledge or consent begat us, which means made us
to come alive to a living hope, a hope that has been made alive. How, By something you had not one thing to do with.) by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ out from among those that are dead,
(Notice, God has caused us to come alive by the same resurrection that He
caused His Only begotten Son to come alive again from the dead. The same Spirit
that raised up Jesus from the dead comes into us by
the new birth, and causes us to come alive with a living hope. A hope that
includes as you see in the next verse) 4 an inheritance that is incorruptible,
and undefiled, and thatcould never fade not away,a Hope that has been reserved or kept guarded in heaven for you,
Notice in then in the
next verse he adds, 5 and You who are kept by the power of
God through this faith, this revelation that is to be revealed in the last time
that will produce the ultimate salvation which is the redemption of your soul,
which is the redeeming or buying back of your soul. (So we see that the trials are to bring our soul back
to the place that God ordained it to be before the foundations of the world
when we were still in Him .
Now, notice he is
fixing the conversation from what God has already done for you to what you
should be doing as a result of what God has already done, and that is to be
rejoicing in what God has already set in motion for you. A
restoration of the Bride Tree. A complete restoration of Who you really are. The One He knew before the foundations
of the world, not the worldly you that you are now, but the real you that He
ordained to be there. And that is why we can rejoice.) 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a
season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
Notice what he is
saying. Even though you may be in manifold tests at the moment, and to the
flesh that may produce a heaviness and sorrow, yet because of what it is to
produce in you, you should be rejoicing with a joy unspeakable and full of
Glory, because) 7 The
trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, (Not) might be (as though it might happen or it might
not happen, but shall be) found unto praise and honour and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
And we know the Wuest
translation showed us that the tests are for the purpose of approval, because He promised
us that he would not place upon us anything that we could not bear.
WUEST TRANSLATION ....In which last season you are to be
constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant
exuberance, although for a little while at the present time if perchance there
is a need for it, you have been made sorrowful in the midst of many different
kinds of testings in order that the approval of your
faith, which faith was examined by
testing for the purpose of being approved, that your approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which
perishes, even though that gold be approved by fire-testing, may be discovered after scrutiny to
result in Praise, Honor and Glory at the time of the Revelation of Jesus
Christ;
Notice that there are three things that our trials are
to produce in us. Praise, Honor and Glory. So what is
this praise? It is a word that means the
Expression of approval, commendation, or admiration. 2. The extolling or
exaltation of God.
Hebrews 13: 15 By him therefore let
us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
And Paul said this condition
that brings us to praise God and not men comes from within the heart and not
from the outer man. Romans 2: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
And in Ephesians
Peter also said in 1 Peter 2: 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
And the Apostle Paul told us
how to bring forth this praise in Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things.
So our praise is to be reflective of those things wich are pure, and holy, and honest and true, etc.
So we see the trial of our
faith is to deal with our heart so that we can see what God sees in our heart
and then we can willingly just get out of the way so God can mold us into His
very image. Remember, under the Elijah ministry of Malachi 4 it is to change
our hearts.
1 Corinthians 4: 5 Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
And in what other age have
we seen Hebrews 4:12, the Word as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Did you ever stop to think of why God manifested that Word to us? Why did God manifest the discerning of the
heart to us? So he could show us just how rotten and downright ugly we can be
in our hearts to one another. And He allowed this to be so we will be more than
willing to want to change our hearts.
1 Peter 1:8 Whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him
not, yet believing, ye rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory: (so you pass the test because you are ordained to pass
the test. God has you in the place where he wants you, because he has opened
your own soul to yourself and you don’t like what you see, and yet God in His
mercy placed a seed of God-life in you before the foundations of the world,
that when you see what is in there you don’t like it because you know it
doesn’t measure up to what you know you were called to be. And OOOHH that is
the beauty of it all. For in opening yourself to the correction of His Word,
you are )9 Receiving the end of your
faith, (the outcome or goal of your
faith) even the salvation of your souls.
Now, notice then that we are told that the trial of
our faith is to be considered more precious to us than Gold that has been tried
by fire. Now, we
all know the story of how the artisans would beat the gold out until all the
dross and impurities were removed from it leaving it so perfect that the
artisan could see his own image in the gold. Well, that is what God wants to
see in us, but the tests are performed for you r sake so you can see the dross
inside, and then allow God to beat it out of you. In fact you will want Him to
do whatever it takes to remove all the dross from within.
Now, in studying this subject on the trial of our
Faith, we also read where James said in, James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when
you fall into divers testings. (Why?) 3. Because you Know something. You
know that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But
let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
So you see that when the trial work in you patience,
you come to the place that you are not in too big a hurry to do anything, but
you are content to let God have His way, and to help you through no matter what
trial you have or what need that comes your way. You are content is Christ,
because you know that all things are working together for your good, because
you love the Lord and are His Elect.
Romans 5:1: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope (in this living Hope of receiving) the glory (or
doxa) of God. 3 And not only that,
but we glory in testings
also: knowing that testings works within us patience; 4 And patience
produces experience which is character; and character produces yeta true earnest expectation: 5 And a true earnest
expectation makes us to be not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
So the trials are ordained to show u sin our hearts the true condition of
our hearts as God shows us in James 3: 14 But if ye have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Now,
in Deuteronomy 8: 2 we hear God speak to Israel saying, And
thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy
God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to
know what was in thine
heart, whether thou wouldest keep his
commandments, or no.
Most people who read this Scripture read it as though
the Lord put the people to the test so that He could find out what was in them.
That is not what this scripture is saying at all. Here we find that God put the
pressure on them for forty years to try their hearts, to put
their hearts to the test, not that He could know what was in their
hearts, because he knows our hearts. But God put
Luke 6:
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of
the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
You see the test will allow us to know what is in there, and also we are
given words to measure up to, so that our measure of Faith is the measure God
has ordained for us to have.
In 1 Corinthians
God wanted
And as David said in, Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God,
and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.
Proverbs 17: 3 The
fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. Who
tries the hearts? God does? Why? For your benefit.
Hebrews 4:
12 For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Now, Deuteronomy did not say that God didn’t know what
was in their hearts, and so He tried them so he could find out what was in
their hearts. He wanted them to know what was in their hearts.
So, God their very Creator, put the pressure on them, and He put them to the
test, and they soon found out what they had inside of themselves. You see?
So, you see, brothers and sister, it’s not your action
that God is looking at. It’s your reaction that pins you down and tells what is
inside of you, whether you are a Christian, or not, because He said, “When a
man smites you on the cheek, you will say ‘here you go, you missed this side,
so just go ahead, it’s free, it’s on me.”
Luke
1 Corinthians
A
man comes along and takes your coat, instead of getting ready to fight, you should
say, “Well, that’s alright, and while your at it, this one will look good on you as well.”
If your heart is right with God, then you’ll enjoy it,
knowing that all things will work out for your own good, for God takes an
active participation in watching over His Children.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 We are bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth
exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; 4 So that we ourselves glory in you
in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and
testings that ye endure: 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of
God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also
suffer:
God says it’s a manifest token of His approval of you.
If you are His son? He’s trying to make you strong.
He’s trying to give you character. It’s your reaction that tells the real
story.
1 John 3:
9 Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin;(That
means he does not initiate sin or an act of unbelief) for his (God’s) seed remaineth in him: and he (the
one who is born of God) cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Therefore, no real saint of God will ever start
anything. Show me in God’s Word where a saint of God ever started anything. You
say, “David did!” No he didn’t.
That woman stripped in front of the public. He really didn’t mean it. I don’t
believe he did. But in that moment, it was too late. Christians don’t start
things; but, when somebody else starts it, they often finish it. See?
David didn’t go out looking to sin, but he fell into
sin, and there is a big difference in initiating it verses falling for it. When
David was reviled, he never reviled back. When Jesus was cursed and hung on the
cross, He said, “Father, Forgive them.” He didn’t
cry out to God for vengeance upon those that despitefully used Him. And the
Bride does not cry for vengeance either. She cries for forgiveness. She
understands and says, “I’d be in the same
place, if it wasn’t for the grace of God.”
So God puts pressure on you so you can see your own
reaction, because how you react to any stimulation will prove what you are
inside. And in this day the pressure is going to come from God as never before.
It has to, because we are awfully green. We’re not mature. We have not laid in the presence of God to ripen as we should.
We should be aware of God’s Presence with us at all
times. And knowing he is the judge it ought to make you walk very humbly and
reverently.
Hebrews
10:35-36: Cast not away therefore your
confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. So your confidence in God has a great reward. 36 For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise.
Look, Abraham did not receive his promise until after
he was tried and found patient. Then God gave him his promised son.
God said, “You need character,” “which can only come by patience.” You need
character! You think you need healing. No! You think you need a new car. No!
Need a new home. No! No! You don’t need those things. Oh, you do, yes, but not
like you need character. Not like you need patience. “You have need of patience.” See?
Hebrews
10: 36 For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise.
Now, listen carefully, because this is a
principle of faith, and this is what it all boils down to right here. From the
time that you prayed the prayer of faith until the time the answer came, there
is a path that every Christian must walk upon: and it is the path of Christian
character development, and it is on this path that you will receive your answer
or lose it forever. Paul said in Romans
You will not share in God’s glory, nor have His very
mind without suffering first to get that character in you that was in Him. Why? Because power apart from character is the satanic, but power
with character is from God. You and I are not fit to be trusted with
power, unless we have character.
That is the reason why the governments of the world
today are in shambles? There’s no character. And with no character to rule,
then the rule goes hay-wire. There’s no men of honor amongst the world leaders today.
That’s what’s wrong with the world? Just read your world history and that of the
Catholic Church and see what the popes were like. One of the Popes, I believe
it was Julius II had 22 illegitimate children. And these were the spiritual
leaders of the church? May God save the church from it’s
leaders.
Power without character is satanic. Power with character
alone is fit to reign, and God wants us to reign with
Him. If we’re going to do it, we’ve got to have character. That’s sensible.
That’s what He teaches us. That’s what the Bible teaches us.
Now, listen. Let me show you what happens,
according to God’s Word. Turn to Psalms 106:7-15. Our
fathers understood not thy wonders in
And who did they provoke? It was Moses they
provoked, but God said it was Him they provoked. See? They told Samuel they
didn’t need him any more, but God said it wasn’t Samuel they rejected but
Himslef. And so
See? They didn’t care about His Word. Just give them
loaves and fish. 15: And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their
souls. Now, this word leanness means Not
productive or prosperous; meager: In other words, like the Laodicean
church, Not cold nor hot, but just lukewarm.
There has never been a leaner group of people today
than there are in this late hour. But talk about prayer lines; they’ve got
them. Talk about the shortcuts; they’ve got them. But they haven’t got the
Word. They said, “when he is discerning he never misses, but watch out for his
doctrine”.
Didn’t
Psalms 103:7 He
made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of
Where’s character today? The big shots are all begging
for your money and say they can’t do the work of God without it. I’m living
proof that you can go into all the world, (164
countries that I know of to date) with only a shoestring budget. Yeah, our
website cost $154 for two full years, and we gave away 82 laptops that we got
free from God. And we purchased another 30+ new ones for very little money, and
gave away over 160 complete sets of Brother Branham Sermons for just a little
more than $1,000 and we have given the bride of Christ a search engine to
thousands of believers all over the world that cost us pennies on the dollar to
make. God gave us $3,600 worth of Software through the University of $15, so
don’t tell me you need your millions to do less than what we have done for
pennies. Don’t tell me it can’t be done, because we’ve done it.
God wants your patience which gives you character,
which makes you fit to rule on the throne. He made known His ways unto Moses,
the meekest man ever known, but all
Mark
10:29-30 There is no man that hath left house, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this
time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands,
with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
You know I have pastored
this church for 25 years without taking a salary. That’s not your fault, that was my own decision. But I’ve done it and Paul was my pattern and he
worked so that he would not be accountable to any man. And he traveled to a lot
more places than any other apostle in his day. Br. Branham worked two jobs for the same
reason until his travel took him all over the world,
and away from home so much that it was impossible for him to hold down a job,
and that has been my pattern as well.
See? You can have it. God said you can
have it, but you get it God’s way. If you get it any other way, you will have
leanness of soul; something is going to happen to you. You want a fat soul today
or a lean soul?
Do you really want God? If you do, you had better be
willing to suffer. You say, “I want to get healed.” How patient are you? I
remember a woman who claimed to believe that I met years ago, and she had
migraine headaches all the time. Well, she went to her doctor and he told her
to cut off her hair. It was too long and it caused her headaches. So she cut
off her hair. Now, I am sorry, but if I had long enough hair as a woman to
cause me headaches, I would say, Jesus you told me not to cut it, because if I
cut it you won’t even hear my prayers. So I am going to bear these headaches
with joy in my heart that I know I am suffering for your Word sake. And if I
suffer with you, then I will be fit to rule with you. No, that woman who cut
off her hair showed she didn’t have a clue as to her healing. If she would have
said, “God, I’ll pay the price and if it pleases you give me even greater
headaches, because all I want is to be pleasing to you.” With that attitude the
devil would have to take flight.
So Get quiet before God. And
if you just ask for character straight, it won’t work. Don’t ask for patience
straight out either, because God cannot give you patience. It is affliction
that brings patience; it is persecution that works in you patience.
Church Age Book Chapter 4 - The Smyrnaean
Church Age P:18 Why does He stand by? The reason is in
Romans 8:17-18, "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. 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." Unless we suffer with Him we cannot reign with
Him. You have to suffer to reign. The reason for this is that character simply
is never made without suffering. Character is a VICTORY, not a gift. A man
without character can't reign because power apart from character is Satanic.
But power with character is fit to rule. And since He wants us to share even
His throne on the same basis that He overcame and is set down in His Father's
throne, then we have to overcome to sit with Him. And the little temporary
suffering we go through now is not worthy to be compared to the tremendous
glory that will be revealed in us when He comes. Oh, what treasures are laid up
for those who are willing to enter into His kingdom through much tribulation.