Questions and Answers #35
The
Attitude of Christ
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
ROMANS
This morning I
would like to approach this Scripture from the aspects of attitude, and how we
can take inventory of our own attitudes to ensure that we will never be of
those that would cause such contrary offenses.
Now to begin, we
must understand that Christ is the Doctrine that Paul is speaking of. That is
why I simply can not understand how people can get so upset at those who are
preaching the Message Doctrine, as though the word Doctrine is some cuss word.
The Doctrine is Christ!
2 John 1:9 Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works, and of faith toward God,
We’re not
talking about the doctrine of Buddha, or Mohammed, nor are we talking about the
Baptist doctrine, or Methodist doctrine, nor are we speaking of Catholic
Doctrine, nor Pentecostal doctrine. But Paul and John called it the doctrine of
Christ. They both said, “The Doctrine of Christ”. Then Christ is the Doctrine.
Yes, He is the
Doctrine. Then to preach the Message-Doctrine you must preach Christ. And yet
the brethren everywhere have been cut off from the mainline churches for the
simple reason they are teaching the Message-Doctrine which is the revelation of
Jesus Christ the way brother Branham taught it. And He was vindicated by God to
be teaching it correctly.
GODHEAD EXPLAINED
61-0425B 34-3 Here not
long ago a man got up here at the Chatauqua and said, "Brother Branham is
a prophet." I don't claim to be no prophet. See? But he said,
"Brother Branham is a prophet when he is under the Spirit of
discernment," but said, "Oh, his doctrine is poison; be careful with
it." I thought of an educated man would say a thing like
that. What does a "prophet" mean? "A Divine
interpreter of the Word." The Word of the Lord came to the prophet.
You see?
And in the
message Five Identifications of the
1 Timothy 6:3 If
any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4He
is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words,
whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt
minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such
withdraw thyself.
Now, to be a
Bible believer you must believe that God is the Word, and therefore God is in
His Word, and if He is the Word and He is in His Word, then God must backup His
Word. Therefore, what attitude we take towards God’s Word and the promises of
God we find in His Word, The attitude we take towards those promises, we are
taking towards God Himself.
Therefore this
morning I want to speak on our attitude towards God and His Word, and to do so,
I would like to break down these thoughts into 5 major points.
1.
I want to show what having the right mental attitude is.
2.
I want to show what the right mental attitude will produce.
3.
I want to show why we must have the right mental attitude.
4.
I want to show how our mental attitude affects those around us.
5.
I want to show how a wrong attitude can cripple our walk, and the walk of
those we have influence over.
Now, to begin
with, we must first know what a right mental attitude is, and in order to know
what the right mental attitude is, we must first understand what an attitude
is.
I) What having
the right mental attitude is.
Brother Branham
made a statement in quite a few places that the right mental attitude towards
any divine promise of God will bring it to pass.
First let me say
that the right attitude would have to be the attitude that Christ Jesus had,
for the attitude He had towards the Word of God paid the price for yours and my
salvation. It paved the way for the redemption of our bodies. It brought back
the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer. And if we could just have the attitude
that Jesus Himself expressed towards the promises of God, then our Oneness with
God would be complete.
Therefore what we are looking at here is
our attitude, and what attitude we are reflecting. Therefore the attitude we
have towards God’s Word is critical to what we receive from God. Therefore, it
is most important that we have the right attitude. And what better attitude
could we have than the attitude of Christ Himself.
Webster’s
So we are looking at the position or
posture of the body, and those attributes that show when you are thinking,
felling or that express your mood.
Therefore, attitude is not just something
you do mentally, but it is something that outwardly shows what is going on
mentally. It is not a mental cognizance, or a mental understanding, or a mental
leaning, but rather attitude is an outward
expression of our disposition, it is an outward expression of our feelings,
it is an outward expression of our thoughts, it is the connection of the body
to those thoughts, and how the body expresses those thoughts. That’s what
attitude is.
The key is that it SHOWS how we feel, it SHOWS just what we think about something, etc.
The Bible told us God sent forth an angel,
to mark those who sighed and cried for the abominations done in the city. The
sighing and crying is the bodies response to what was
being done in the city, and that is an outward expression of what their
attitude was inside their soul.
Your attitude then shows outwardly what
you are thinking inwardly. You can not hide an attitude, it shows, it
manifests. You might be able to hide your thoughts but an attitude goes beyond
inner thoughts. Attitude speaks of the expression of your disposition. The way you show it in your body language; in your eyes, in your
facial expression, in your tome of voice, and in your posture.
Therefore attitude is the expression of
your opinion, and your disposition. Now the word disposition comes from two
words, “dis”, and position. Together
they speak of the putting in order and refers to the
normal aspects of ones nature. Therefore what we see in attitude is the
disposition or the setting in order or the outward reflection of ones true
nature.
Now, this leads us to point number I) What is the right mental
attitude is. Well, to have the right attitude means
you would first have to have the rights thoughts about whatever the object of
your thinking is. And that means you must have the right opinion, and there is
only one right opinion and that is God’s opinion. What does God think about it,
Because His thoughts are not our thoughts, for His
thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and if we are to have a right thinking
about anything, it must be what God thinks about it. And in order to know what
God’s thoughts are about anything, it must come through the instrument of His
Word, for out of the abundance of the mouth the heart speaketh.
I CORINTHIANS 2:6 ¶ Howbeit we speak wisdom among them
that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this
world, that come to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
[even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as
it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But
God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of
man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing
spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But
he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Therefore, we can see that first of all,
we must think like God thinks, and we also see that no natural man can think
like God thinks. In fact they can not even understand His thoughts to begin
with. God’s thoughts are not understandable to the natural man. Therefore, Paul
tells us that in order to even comprehend the things of God we must have His
Spirit living in us. So God Gives us of His Own Spirit
to quicken our soul to the understanding of His Word which are His thoughts.
Now, once we have His Spirit living in us,
it gives us power or ability to think the right thoughts. So what do we mean by
point number One that we must have the right attitude? It means we must receive
the attitude of God Himself. And where do we have an example of a man that held
God’s attitude? In Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
Contending for the faith
55-0220E P:24 Now, the first thing we find that when
Jesus was born, and we know the story until it comes to the place of His great
miraculous works setting in, or when He begin to teach after His baptism. And
if we'll notice, quickly closely that God was in Christ reconciling Himself or
the world to Himself. The Bible said that God Himself dwelt in Christ
Jesus." Jesus said, "The Father dwelleth in Me.
So if you can find out what God thinks about mankind, you'd find out what Jesus
said about mankind, and you'll know what the Father thinks about Me. "Even
the Father Himself on Mount Transfiguration said, "This is My beloved Son,
hear ye Him." Don't hear nothing else but Him. Then
we'll have to find out what God's attitude towards... If we can find out
through the life of Jesus Christ, what God's attitude was to the sinner, to the
sick, to the prostitute, to the gambler, to the beggar, we can find out what
God's permanent attitude is towards the same matters today.
We would see Jesus 57-0226 P:21 But
now, while He's here working with His Church in the form of the Spirit... Then
if His Spirit is with us, He will act just exactly like He act
when He was here on earth. It'll make you act the same way, because it's not
your spirit any more; it's His Spirit in you, Christ's Spirit in you.
"The things that I do... He that believeth on Me
(
Doctor Moses 55-0114 P:1 God
is in His Word. So if God is in His Word, then if you receive the Word, you
receive God. Now that is God's plan, God's
motive, God's attitude, God's love, God's salvation. Everything rests in His printed Word. And if those Words
are just like grains, or seed that you could pick out and swallow, every one of
them would produce just exactly what it says it'll do here. But by faith we
receive them.
Therefore if we are to have the
right attitude then we must have the attitude that was in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul said, PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus: And
the word mind here has the same Greek word Phroneo that is used for the word
likeminded. Let this mind that was in Christ be in
you. That’s the key that Paul is bringing to us here, and it is a gift from God
that only those whom God chooses can receive that gift.
Notice Paul says, Now the God of
patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: (And
notice then that it is according to Christ Jesus , the
Anointed Jesus. So we see that God has given us a gift to be likeminded, and
not only to be likeminded, but likeminded towards one another and notice he
tells us, ACCORDING to Christ Jesus. Now, the only way we can be likeminded is
if we have the same mind. So he is telling us here the same thing he is telling
us in PHILIPPIANS
2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
And we know this can only come
as God has ordained it to come.
JOHN 1:12 But as many as
received him, (Now
the word received here is the Greek word Lambano which means to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take
possession of, i.e. to appropriate to one's self 3e)
catch at, reach after, strive to obtain) to them
gave he power (Now this word power is not the Greek word Dunamis
that we associate so often with miraculous power, but it is the Greek word
exousia which means 1) power of choice, So we see God gives us a gift, and that
gift is the power to make a right decision. And that decision is to become a son,
or act like a son ought to act.) ) to them gave he power
to become the sons of God,(now
this word becomes comes from the Greek word
ginomai, and it does not mean that you were a hog, and now you have
power to become a lamb. It does not mean that you were a seed of the devil and
now you have been given power to become a or a seed of
God. No, it means to
become fulfilled. In other words, God gives you the power to make
the right decision to become what you already are.
The Apostle John said in I JOHN 3:2 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 every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure. And how do you purify yourself? You
get yourself out of the way, and let the Word of God abide in your heart.
PSALMS 119:9 ¶
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by
taking heed [thereto] according to thy word. 10 ¶ With my whole heart have I sought
thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 ¶
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12
¶ Blessed [art]
thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. 13 ¶ With my lips have I declared all the
judgments of thy mouth. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as
[much as] in all riches. 15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect
unto thy ways. 16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy
word.
There are 150 verse
in this Psalm that show us how to cleanse our own selves, and get out of the
way and every verse tells us to let the Word of God abide richly in our hearts.
That is how we become sons. That is how we become fulfilled in our role as
sons. By getting out of the way as Jesus Himself got Himself out of the
way, to where he said, in John 5:19 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of
himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth,
these also doeth the Son likewise. And
in John
And in JOHN
JOHN 4:34 Jesus saith unto them,
My meat (that which I live by and that
which I live for) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Phil 2:1 ¶ If [there be] therefore any consolation in
Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels
and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind. 3Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better than themselves. 4 Look not not every man on his own things, but every
man also on the things of others.: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus.
In other translations this word mind is
translated attitude. And before we read them, remember the word attitude and
even this Greek word phroneo speaks not of the cognitive only but also of the
expression of those thoughts. In other words the entire expression we have as a
result of the attitude we possess.
New International Version: Your attitude
should be the same as it was in Christ Jesus. Then not only should
our thoughts but also our actions and our posture, and our body language should
be as His was. And that can only come if your thoughts are the same. In other
words, if you have the same thoughts about the Word of God as Jesus had, then
you will be repulsed by the things that repulsed Him, and you will have mercy
for the ones who need mercy even as He had mercy on them.
Now the Amplified Translation is a little
more specific. : Let this same
attitude and purpose and humble mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus, Let
Him be your example in humility.
New American Standard: Have the attitude in
yourselves that was also in Christ Jesus.
Now, the American Heritage
dictionary tells us that attitude is our disposition, and our disposition
reflects our temperament or inclination towards the word. That is why the
Therefore what is the right mental
attitude? Brother Branham said, God in His Word 57-0323 P:35 But you've got to
have the right attitude. The attitude is what brings the results. If you say, "Yes, yes, I believe it but I don't know
now." That's not the right attitude. The right attitude is to receive it, and say it's "THUS SAITH THE
LORD." Then it's right.
The right mental attitude is to say what
God says about it. That is what “Thus saith the Lord” means. The Lord
says Thus and Thus about it. Brother
Branham taught us that when Word is added to Word to Word, it takes a hold of
every fiber of our body. Then what we see by the attitude is an expression in
the body of the Word that is abiding in the mind. That then is the Word
becoming flesh in you.
Now, the second
thing I would like to bring out is that what it means to have the right mental
attitude.
II) What having the right mental attitude
is.
Your attitude then shows outwardly what
you are thinking inwardly. You can not hide an attitude, it shows, it
manifests. You might be able to hide your thoughts but an attitude goes beyond
inner thoughts. Attitude speaks of the expression of your disposition. The way you show it in your body language; in your eyes, in your
facial expression, in your tome of voice, and in your posture.
Notice Paul says, Now the God of patience
and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: (And
notice then that it is according to Christ Jesus, the Anointed Jesus. So we see
that God has given us a gift to be likeminded, and not only to be likeminded,
but likeminded towards one another and notice he tells us, ACCORDING to Christ
Jesus. Now, the only way we can be likeminded is if we have the same mind. So
he is telling us here the same thing he is telling us in PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus.
And we know this can only come
as God has ordained it to come.
Now, that we
know what the right mental attitude is, that it is an
expression of God’s opinion living itself and expressing itself in your body.
The next thing
we must look at is point number II). I want to show what the right mental
attitude will produce.
From the sermon,
I am the resurrection and life 52-0810A P:61 Brother Branham said, It's
your attitude towards it. Your attitude
towards God's Divine gift, will get you just what ask for. Do you understand? Oh, how I'd like
to stop right here, Brother Boze, and punch that for about a half hour, but I
can't do it. Your attitude: God can send a gift, and
no matter what you... Depends on what
attitude you take towards it. Look at them who smote His face and spit on
Him, and everything, was no virtue there. But a woman
that believed the Word touched the hem of His garment,
was healed. Is that right? All right. It depends on what you think about it.
God sends it. It's your attitude towards
any Divine gift, determines what you get out of it. So there...
Hebrews
11: Read all,
show how that our faith is a display of our attitude towards God’s Word.
Again, from the
sermon Proving His word 65-0426 P:12
he said, But before we pray for the sick, we've got
to get the people in that attitude. It's
the attitude that always brings the results. It's the attitude that you
take towards God. Here's a woman touched His garment; she was healed with a
blood issue. A soldier spit in His face, and put a crown of thorns on His head,
and felt no virtue. It's your approach.
The attitude is what it takes. And that's what it is tonight, dear friend;
it takes the attitude. We are, and
believe that we are in the Presence of Jesus Christ, but it's your attitude
that brings the results. The mechanics is here and so is the dynamics. If you
can just get started, God will do the rest.
Hour is come 51-0415E P:17 Now, the right mental attitude... All you
along here, do you understand what I mean when I say, "The right mental
attitude?" That's... Your right mental attitude towards God's Divine
promise will bring any promise to pass. Now, maybe you don't believe that. You
say, "Well, my faith is weak." I
wouldn't confess it. See? Don't let the devil know that. Always say,
"I have good faith. I believe God with all my heart." See? Don't
testify nothing of the devil. And when you accept Him
as your Healer, don't never act like you're sick or
crippled any more. Believe that you're healed. Take Him at His Word. Then it's
all over on God then and not on you. See? You... As long as you take God at His
Word, then the Word will produce what It promised to
do. Is that right? Now, have faith, believe Him with all your heart.
Remember, in 1 Corinthians
In 1 Corinthians
And in Romans
Expectations 50-0405 P:13 Just for a little text, if I should call it
that, I want to speak for a moment or two on the word of "Expectation. "We always get what
we expect. When people expect anything, well then they usually get what you
look for. It's the mental attitude that you have. Remember this, and never
forget it. The right mental attitude towards any promise of God will bring it
to pass, the right mental attitude towards any promise of God. It doesn't take
gifts of healing to heal sick people, any person in
here has a right to meet Satan anywhere, if you're a Christian, and defeat him
on any grounds that he could stand on. When Jesus Christ was here on earth, and
in Him dwelled the fullness of the Godhead bodily, all the great powers of God
was in His Son, Christ Jesus. For the Scripture tells us that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself. All things was delivered unto Him, though He spoke nothing but what the
Father told Him. He healed no one but what He first saw being healed. For He
said, "Verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what
He sees the Father doing." That was
In 1 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
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Here we are told
that we are sons of God. It’s a done deal, we are already sons, but it just doesn’t
yet appear to us what we really are. We just don’t see it yet, but when God
comes and appears then we will be like Him for we shall see Him for what He
really is, and God appeared in this hour and used a body to show us his
attitude once again towards humanity, and therefore verse three tells us that
everyone that has this hope in himself does something about it. They begin to
purify themselves, they empty out their own thinking to receive his thinking.
And in 1 Peter 1:3 We read, 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,…
Here we are told
that this hope that we have was made possible y the resurrection of Jesus
Christ out from among the dead, and this hope is a living hope, because He is
alive and we have seen the resurrected Presence of Jesus Christ among us in
this hour.
We would see Jesus 58-0523 P:12 Now, if Mohammedan a living, let him speak.
If Jesus is a living, let Him speak, and you decide. Don't ever be afraid to
put any Divine promise of God to action. And remember, don't ever forget this
quotation: "That the right mental attitude towards any Divine promise in
this Bible will bring it to pass." Just remember that. The right mental
attitude toward any Divine promise that's written in this Bible will bring it
to pass. So now, just keep that on your mind. If God made a promise, and you'll
take the right attitude towards that promise, God will fulfill everything that
He's promised. I know that to be true. And I've seen a
sarcomas cancer healed with that, because people believe that it was the
Truth.
1 Thess 1: 1-3 2 We give thanks to God always for you all,
making mention of you in our prayers;3 Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4 Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God.
2 Thess 1: 1-3 1 Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my
dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I
thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with
pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers
night and day;
Roman nobleman 55-0621 P:3 I
want you to notice his attitude. He
didn't approach feeling that he had it coming to him; he approached, said he
was unworthy. I want you to take that attitude also, that you cannot come with
a predominating attitude and get anything from God. You must come reverent,
humble, and then God will deal with you. And then you will get what you ask
for. And that's the attitude that this Roman taken. Look at his a--approach to
the Lord Jesus. He said, "I am not worthy for You
to come under my roof. So I sent... I felt, myself, I wasn't worthy to come to You." Said, "Just speak the
Word." He said, "I am a man under authority." And said, "I say to this man 'go,' and to this man 'come,' and
they go and come." Said, "You just speak the Word, and my
servant will live." I want you to notice that. That Roman, being under authority, that knew that whatever was under him had to obey
him. On his testimony, he witnessed that Jesus Christ was over all sickness. He
could make sickness obey Him, just the same as he could make his soldiers obey
him. If one of the soldiers failed to obey him, it was a death penalty. And he
recognized that same authority in Jesus, over evil spirits or sickness. That's
why he said, "Just speak the Word."
Elijah 55-0301 P:32 Her attitude towards Elisha brought her the
victory. If she'd have went up to Elisha and said,
"Now, you looky here you hypocrite. My pastor was right after all."
See, if she'd have went away with that kind of an attitude,
she'd have never got nothing from him. But her attitude towards the man of God, produced exactly what she got, her victory, because she
believed. That's the only way that's you'll ever do. If you believe that Jesus
Christ, some mythical story, some Santa Claus affair that they tell children,
or something like that, you'll never get nothing, until truly in your heart
that you believe He's the Son of God, died, rose again, ascended on high, and
is living with us right here tonight, and will do anything that He promise He
would do in His Bible. When you get like that, something's fixing to happen.
Then she picked up the baby, and bowed before him, and recognized him to be a
servant of God, and bowed her head, and went out, went out with her heart full
of love. All the great crisis... What if she just set
still, and said, "Well, all hope's is gone. The doctor just left and said
there was nothing could be done. And now my baby's dead, so I suppose that's
all can be done." Said, "Set helpless." The story would've never
been told. If no faith had ever come into her heart, it would've been that way.
But God in His mercy placed something in that mother's heart, that she knew
there was something could be done. You may be setting like that tonight in your
family. Maybe every hope that you've ever had, that you've had, of ever getting
well, the doctors discourage you. The man has done all he can do, and said,
"It's passed medical science. There's nothing can be done." But if
something can just happen down here in this heart, that tells you, "Yes it
is. Yes it is." Then stay right with it.
Romans 4: 18
Who against hope believed in
hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which
was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Titus 2 :
13 Looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ;
1 Thess
Gal 5:5 For we
through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is
given unto us.