Questions and Answers #38
The
Attitude of Christ no. 4
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
December 16, 2007
Before we begin our message this morning on the
attitude of Christ, I would like to say that I have enjoyed this study
tremendously. Over the past several years I have seen our ability to look into
the Living Word of God and see it become more crystal clear than ever before.
The Bible tells us to rightly divide the Word of Truth and what I am seeing is
a honing in more and more. Things are becoming clearer than ever before. As
soon as the unbeliever raises a question, the Word which is living and abiding
in our heart has the answer to their unbelief. In Hebrews 4 we read that the
Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword even dividing to the joints and
marrow of the bone. And we have been given a looking glass of the Word which is
able to microscopically see things in this Word that others have passed over
throughout the ages, and never dreamt of seeing.
Man that is not born again resides in the
five outer senses of the body and with those five senses of see, taste, feel,
smell and to hear they have been able
to move closer and closer into the unseen, even to the place of dissecting
atoms. The Apostle Paul said, “EPHESIANS 5:13 But all things that
are reproved (convinced or proven) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever
doth make manifest is light. So we can see that man’s great strides
in science have only become possible by his ability to use light.
And now man has
come to the place where they can see with their eyes through electronic
microscopes what is called inner space and as they have perfected their use of
light with those microscopes, they are able to see clearer and clearer until
they have discovered that there is a far greater universe within the atom than
there is in what we have called the universe out here where we see the sun and
the moon and the stars and the planets. A far greater universe lies within that
which has been unseen for ages, and is now being made visible, by Light.
Men through science, through understanding how to
utilize the natural principles of light, are able to see more clearly those
things which have been hidden from age to age. And through light they are
utilizing what they have been given in the natural sciences to look at the
unseen with instruments that are becoming more powerful as the years go on. And
to think that they are just looking with the natural eye. They are doing this
with just the five outer senses. Then what about us who have been given such
illumination that goes beyond these outer senses when we have been given access
by The Light of His Glorious Presence and have been given ability to know and
understand the five inner senses, of imagination, conscience, memory, reason,
and affection; (the senses of the spirit), and then that inner sense called
Faith. For by Faith we can see into the unseen.
And to think
that with just the outer five senses which were given to man to contact his
earthly home man has been able to move closer and closer into the unseen
dissecting atoms, and now have come to the place of what is called inner space
and have discovered that there is a far greater universe within the atom than
there is in the whole universe that we can see through telescopes.
Then what about us? We are the ones who are standing
in the very presence of the Creator of the Universe Himself. He is The Supreme
Light of Lights. What kind of sight ought we to have as we grow in the Wisdom
and Revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ? Then how ought we to be seeing more
and more the things of God that He has so willingly brought to us through a
vindicated prophet, and by His own personal presence with us in the form of the
Pillar of Light. Things are becoming clearer and clearer as we come closer and
closer to the source of that light which is the Glorious Presence of Jesus
Christ. How we ought to be able to see things that no man has ever seen before.
For the Scripture tells us, “JOHN 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5
¶ And the light shineth in
darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” and we know that
when that light strikes the dark places it brings illumination to those places.
And the Apostle Peter told us when that Light strikes,
it would illuminate the dark places and the hidden mysteries would be revealed.
II
PETER 1:19
¶ We have also a more sure word
of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day star arise in your hearts:
And yet the world continues in darkness concerning the
Creator who gave them natural light, because they have turned down the Light of
His Glorious Gospel. In fact the Apostle Paul said, II CORINTHIANS 4:3 But if our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
And so too has the light of the glorious Gospel shown
in our hearts bringing light upon the Word of God that lays within our hearts
revealing the deep secrets of God which have been hid since the foundations of
the World but have been revealed to us in this hour by the Presence of that
Great Light, the Pillar of Fire which is here in our midst..
Br. Branham said, in his message, HAVE FAITH IN GOD 54-0900
E-13 What's the matter
with us, the Christians? We've laid down on our job. That's right. Science has
taken men farther with his five senses than ministers has taken him with his
soul, his spirit, which is superior over his science. I’d just like to ask you a
question. Many of you brethren in here can go back with me to the old Model T
age. Science could only... Now listen, just before I close, here's a remark I
want you to remember. Science is only as good as it can measure. As close as
science can measure, that's how powerful they become. And as close as the
Church can measure that's just as powerful as the Church becomes.
14 Science, about thirty-five years ago could only
measure to ten thousandth of an inch; in that they could make a T-Model Ford,
with a ten thousandth of an inch piston ring which could give it the terrific
speed of about twenty-five miles per hour. Up above it, set a spark plug, a
valve to pump the gas up, the gas fired by the spark plug, but it lost so much
of its compression as it went out with a ten thousandth of an inch, you could
only drive it at that. A thirty-five--thirty-five miles an hour was an
extremely good, fast T-Model Ford. Now, did they stop at that? No sir. They can
go down to a hundred-thousandth of an inch now. They're cutting in their rule,
measuring closer. Now, they can take that same Ford, or that same piston in a
jet plane and almost drive it six-hundred miles per hour, with the same spark
plug firing over the top of it. Why is it? They can measure closer, that
nothing leaks out. The pressure's there, but your measurement wasn't close
enough. They can even take that hundred thousandth of an inch and split an atom
with it. Are they stopping? No, they're going on, but us, oh, well, we're
satisfied with what Moody said, what Finney said. Them men were all right. They
were Christians, brothers that's in glory.
15 The first time the rule was ever laid
across the Word of God... How do you measure it tonight? What value has the Word of God got to you? Now look,
Christian, Martin Luther come out laid it across Catholicism and found out that
the just shall live by faith. He left a great gap there; many things past
through. But he believed that the just should live by faith, and he stepped out
on it because God's Word said so. He measured God's Word out to the people:
"Just shall live by faith." Along came a little fellow from
16
Along come Pentecost and measured down the gift of the Holy Spirit,
speaking with tongues and signs. But we're just letting the big gap through.
Let's us tonight lay the measure of God down and measure the whole Word of God.
The same Holy Ghost that fired the piston back there that brought them out by faith,
justification, same One gave sanctification, the same One give the baptism of
the Holy Ghost, that same power, the same Holy Ghost can move the Church to
perfection, and It will do it: to everything that God has promised in His Word.
God will do it. The trouble of it is... Let's cast out the world. Let's measure
God's Word, and it's the Truth. "Have faith in God," Jesus said. For
if thou shall say to this mountain be moved and don't doubt it, it'll do just
what you tell it to do. Isn't that wonderful? Let's measure up. I don't care.
The Lutherans are fine. The Baptists are fine. The Methodists were fine. The
Pentecostals are fine. All these different things is all right. But let's put
it right down and say every Word of God is true. Everything God said is
perfect, and if He said, "Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray
believe you receive it..." I believe that's the truth. God, let me lay my
measuring stick down on my soul and spread it across God's Word to say,
"God, it's the truth; send the unction of the Holy Ghost and Fire the
cylinder above me. I'll believe every word of It." And you'll see things
take place. Do you believe it?
I JOHN 2:1 ¶ My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he
is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins
of] the whole world. 3 ¶ And hereby we
do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know
him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him
verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought
himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 7 ¶ Brethren, I write no new
commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in
you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9 He that saith he is in the light, and
hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10 He that loveth his
brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and
knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 12 ¶
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his
name's sake.
Now, this Morning we will conclude our
study of the Attitude of Christ. This will be number four in our series. I
would like to focus our attention this morning on the fifth point concerning
the attitude of Christ. which is “how
a wrong attitude can cripple our walk, and the walk of those we have influence
over.”
Thus far as we have examined
the attitude of Christ we have seen that an attitude is not a mental
conception. Nor is it something that only resides in the mind. The word attitude
does not refer to the mind but rather the bodies outward expression of your
thoughts, feelings, and emotions which are displayed using body language of
some sort.
Remember from
Brother Branham’s study on the three fold body that we are tri-part beings. We
have a Body which has five senses, see, taste, feel, smell and hear. With these
senses we contact our earthly home.
Spiritual amnesia 64-0411 P:29 You must be identified. Somewhere you must show, your life shows, tonight, where you are identified. You are
identified either in Christ or out of Christ. You are not halfway. There's no
such a thing as a drunk sober man. There's no black white bird. You're either a
saved, or you're not saved. You're a saint or a sinner, one or the other. And your spiritual attitude towards God's Word
identifies you, exactly where you're standing.
Now, what I
would like to get across to you this morning is that our attitude is only a
reflection of the condition of our soul. And the actions we do, is only a
reflection of that condition. In fact brother Branham said, from the message…
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." 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's
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
are somewhere else. So if your deeds are evil, you know where it comes from.
You know where your other body's a waiting.
Now, we can look
again at men in the bible to see how that their attitude affected those around
them.
If we look at
the First Exodus we found that there were men in the camp of
Influence 63-0112 PP. 13 You know, there's so many of us, and most all of us influence somebody by the
things that we do, and the way we live, and the things we say. We influence
somebody. Somebody is watching your life.
And then, when we profess to be
Christians, what type of life should we live if somebody is watching us?
And your life that you live will reflect
an influence on somebody that might be their eternal destination will rest upon
the way that you live and the things that you do, for they watch you. And
in our text this morning, as "influence," we find that this King
Uzziah was a great influence to Isaiah, the--the young prophet. Isaiah had been
called to his side, and being a noted, a-vindicated prophet of his day, and he
had a... I believe the way that Isaiah spoke it, he was a--had a great
influence upon Isaiah.
14 Now, we find that Uzziah was called to be
king at the age of about sixteen years old after his father's death. And his
father was a great believer, and his mother also was a very fine woman. And
this young king had been crowned at a young age, and quickly he taken the road
that was right, because of the influence of a godly father and a godly mother.
And I think that's a very fine example for we parent today, is to set an
example before our children. Now, you'll
live your best and your worst at home. And I think that our lives... Though
the children might not just exactly act like they're noticing it, but they are
noticing it. Don't you never think that they are not, because they're watching.
Not only the children are watching, but
the neighbors are watching. Not only the neighbors are watching, but all that you are associated with watch you.
The people at your church watch you. The people that you do business with in the
markets, they're watching you, after your confession. And we should always try to reflect Christ in everything that we do.
15 I know a little motto that I had hanging in
my house many years ago. I picked it up one day when at Billy Sunday's tabernacle
when I was at one of the meetings up at
E-16 And you know, There's two
ways to do anything: that's right and wrong. I had my little son Joseph on my
lap the other day, and I said to him... He's eight years old, and some little
boy had stepped on his toes. And he and the little boy had a fight. So I said,
"Joseph, don't do that." He said, "But, daddy, he did
such-and-such." I said, "But that doesn't matter (See?), what he did.
Just remember, Joseph, that... You love your father?" He said, "Yes,
daddy." I said, "Then remember, that people are going to look at your
life as a minister's son. And then if you do anything wrong, then they're going
to say, 'Does this minister permit his child to do such?'" Now, we know
they do it anyhow. But we know that. As Christians, we know that we try to
bring up our children right. But it's a good thing to keep that before them all
the time, to do what's right. Don't never take that other side. So I said,
"Because, you see, that doesn't only reflect on you, Joseph, but it
reflects on your mother, reflects on your sisters; it reflects on your father,
and the very cause of the family, what we're standing for. And then what we
stand for, it reflects on that, on Jesus Christ. You don't want to do
that." I said, "Our Lord told us if somebody smites us on one cheek,
just turn the other." And of course, that's kind of hard for a little boy
with a hot temper to begin with to think of such things. But place it before
him anyhow (See?), that he should not do it.
17 Now, this young fellow Uzziah had such a
training in his early days till when he taken the throne, he never turned right
or left from the thing that was right. He stayed right with it. He never let
politics influence him in any way. He was a man who was determined to serve
God, regardless. And so politics didn't... He ignored all those things. And
another thing that I liked about Uzziah was that he ignored popularity or
popular opinions. No matter what anybody else thought, or what the popular
trend of the day was, he wanted to serve God, regardless.
Oh, we need men like that in our political world. We need men like
that in the White House. We need men like that in business. We need men like
that in the pulpit, men that will not turn to popular opinions or popularity,
but will stay straight with the Word, not turn right or left.
18 God in commissioning Joshua, said,
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate
therein day and night. And then thou shall make thy ways prosperous. Then thou
shall have good success." And not only that, but you're influencing
somebody the same way you're traveling. And so I appreciate this stand that
Uzziah took, to be determined... The first thing he begin to do was to repair
the house of the Lord, and to build up the places that had been torn down, and
then go out to the enemy after he'd proved to God that he was sincere. And he
was going to take the right stand, regardless of what his people around him,
his advisors to influence him to a political side of the kingdom. He would not
stand for it. He wanted God's will and that alone.
19 That's the kind of men we need, the kind of
mothers we need, a woman, a mother of this day that will take the right stand,
and do what's right regardless of what the other women does, do what's right.
Two weeks ago
before I left for South America to hold meetings in Venezuela, Argentina, Chile
and Peru, we showed from the Scriptures how that the attitude of Lot living in
the gate was such that his own sons in law thought he was just joking when he
warned them to flee from Sodom, and when he did so, they just thought he was
joking. The Bible said they thought of him as though he were just mocking. And
that tells us his respect and reverence were not what you might call an
admirable quality.
I have seen
parents that won’t even attend church because they seem to have nothing good to
say about anyone. These same people will try to justify there not going by
saying, “Why should I go to church
when there are so many hypocrites going there?” Well, then who is the
hypocrite, anyway? The one who is at least trying to come and hear from God or
the one who thinks they are right and don’t need to hear from God? And if you watch that family long enough you
will see their children go plumb off into gross insanity and immorality. And
their attitude affected those children until those children learned to hate all
authority, and don’t even have enough social grace to give respect to anyone,
let alone to God.
They become an
island to themselves, and their children are lost because of their actions,
just like Lot’s sons in law were lost because of the attitude of
And I have seen
this same attitude even among those who claim to believe the Doctrine of
Christ. Everywhere I go, I have been trying by God’s Grace to tell the brethren
not to let this Great Revelation make you an island unto yourselves. If they
draw you out of their circle you must try to draw them back in. Do not adopt
their attitude that we got it all attitude for as soon as you do, the Lord will
move right on and leave you behind.
Ministers in
every country I visited in
Hebrews Chapter 7 part 1 57-0915E P:86 Your attitude towards Christ will make a
great impression on what your children will be.
Your life that you live before your family will make an impression on what your
children will be. 'Cause the Bible said that He'd visit the iniquity of the
parents upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
Now, a couple of
Sundays ago we examined the attitude of
quite a few people in the Bible. We looked at both those that expressed a
positive attitude towards God’s Word and then we also looked at those that
expressed a negative attitude towards God’s Word. But this week, I want to show
how our attitude towards God’s word has an effect upon others. And more
specifically, I want to show how a wrong attitude can actually cripple others
in their walk with God.
As you know,
brother Branham said we are little Messiettes. We are little creators and we
create around us an atmosphere that either attracts people to be around us, or
it repels others from wanting to be with us. It’s your attitude that creates
that atmosphere. And your attitude is not what you think, or say, but is the
way you carry yourself and the way in which your body sends off signals to
others. You don’t need for someone to tell you that you are welcome or you are
not welcome. Their attitude can be heard louder than their words. As the old expression says, “ a picture is worth a thousand words.”
WHY 60-0309 10 Your
life, today, will reflect in your children. You must remember that.
Your attitude identifies who you are, and
what you stand for, and it also tells others what you are thinking even though
you may not tell them with words.
Look at the
example we read from the scriptures last week of the Pharisee who invited Jesus
to eat and yet did not have the courtesy to wash his feet which were weary from
travel, nor did he anoint Jesus head with oil, and yet the prostitute not only
anointed him with oil, but washed his feet with her tears and wiped them dry
with her hair. And Jesus used this scene to let Simon the Pharisee know that
his gestures were heard louder in heaven than his words.
LAMB AND THE DOVE
57-0325 E-13 Now, no matter how much you preach, you got a real
ill-temper, don't do you much good to preach. See? No matter how much you join
church and try to impersonate, if you're crabbing and nasty with your neighbor,
you'll never win him to Christ then. See? It's the fruit of the Spirit. As my
wife used to tell me, "Actions speak louder than words." That's
right. Live me a sermon instead of preaching me one; that's a good thing; live
me a sermon.
FAITHFUL ABRAHAM
59-0415E PP. 21 I believe it
was Abraham Lincoln said one time, "You can fool some of the people part
of the time, but not all the people all the time." And your emotions
prove, and your action proves what you are and what you believe. 22 In
the Bible James justified Abraham by what he did. Paul justified him by faith.
But Paul was talking about what God seen. And James was talking about what man
seen. But the way you act proves what you believe. If you say you believe God,
then you act like it. Put it into a motion. Get up and get at it. That's awful rough, isn't it? But it's the
truth. Your actions prove what you are. As my wife used to say, "Actions
speak louder than words." You could jump up-and-down and shout all
night, and then grumble at one of God's promises; it proves what you believe.
And what about
the Second Exodus. Look at the effect those Pharisees who called
themselves brothers had on even a leader like Peter. Paul called them false
brethren and look how Peter acted when they showed up. He had been eating with
one of Paul’s churches and was free and enjoying himself in the fellowship and
when these legalistic brethren showed up, Peter withdrew Himself.
GALATIANS 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought
in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage: 5
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth
of the gospel might continue with you. 6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat,
(whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's
person:) for they who seemed [to be somewhat] in conference added nothing to
me: 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was
committed unto me, as [the gospel] of the circumcision [was] unto Peter; 8 (For
he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision,
the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9 And when James, Cephas, and
John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me,
they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we [should go]
unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. 10 Only [they would] that we
should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. 11 ¶ But when Peter was come to Antioch, I
withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that
certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come,
he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also
was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked
not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before
[them] all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not
as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
FLASHING RED LIGHT 63-0623E
149 Tell one of them
about it, you know what they say? In so much as to say, "No old Bible's
going to stand in my way from having some fun." There, just exactly. You
tell them it's written in the Bible... Oh, they might not say those words, but
that's what they express. Did you ever hear the old saying, "Actions
speak louder than words"? Well then, does it? Action speaks louder
than words. No matter what you're saying, your life speaks so loud till they
can't hear your testimony. As I said this morning, just jump as high as you
live. See? Your action speaks louder than your word. And you just might
as well come out and say it, because your own words speak, their--your words...
No matter what it is, your actions speaks what you are. If you speak
anything different than what you really are, it becomes hypocrisy. Jesus said,
"You hypocrites, how can you say good things, when out of the heart
speaketh the mouth?" See, they were saying something they didn't mean.
And what about
the Third Exodus? That’s the one we live in today. The Scripture warns
us that it will be perilous times, and also warns us that ungodly men will take
over leading others into shame. II Timothy 3:1 ¶ This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come. 2 For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly
women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the
truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall
proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all [men], as theirs
also was.
II PETER 2:1 ¶ But there
were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And
many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.
JUDE 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who
were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the
grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our
Lord Jesus Christ. 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once
knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not
their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as
Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 ¶ Likewise also these [filthy] dreamers defile
the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the
archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,
durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee. 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what
they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after
the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 12
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding
themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of
winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by
the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering
stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
IDENTIFICATION 63-0123 E-39
You see, sin is unbelief. There's
only two channels that you can live by. One of them is faith, and the other one
is unbelief. "He that believeth not is condemned already." Smoking,
drinking, committing adultery, lying, stealing, carnal impersonations, those
things are attributes of unbelief. If you was a believer you wouldn't do
those things. No. You do that because you're not a believer. Oh, you say...
"Oh, but I am a believer." But by their fruits you shall know them.
See? Your actions speak louder than what your confession proves. See?
When you disbelieve God's Word and count it as something gone by, or take some
book in its stead, and saying, "This is just as good as that," it
goes to show that you're not a believer. That's right. You're not. And if you
was, then you would believe God's Word and it would... He would express Hisself
through His Word. Now, He was God's Word expressed. And He said, "Now, if
you can't believe Me," said, "believe the works that I do. Search the
Scriptures, for in Them you think you have Eternal Life. And that's the very
thing that tells Who I am." Oh...?... "That's the One says Who I am.
The Scriptures tells Who I am."
40 And let me
take that a little further, will you? The Scriptures is what tells what you
are. That expresses you; and it expresses me. The Scriptures tell what we are.
It's so loud that our voice cannot be even heard. Our life speaks louder than
our voice (See?), and it is God's way of letting us see what we are. Jesus said
the same thing. "They are they that testify of Me. They prove what I am.
And which one of you can condemn Me of unbelief, sin? If I haven't
properly..." Listen, I'm talking about looking at yourself. "If I
haven't properly identified Myself as being what the Word said that I would
be..."
41 Wonder if
we Christians could think that tonight. Wonder if we can look in God's looking
glass of what requirements is of a Christian and identify ourselves that way. I
wonder if we could. I wonder if we could identify ourselves tonight with John
3:16, and, oh, all other kind of Scriptures: Mark 16th chapter, and all these
other places that, and over in Galatians, I believe, and different places, 2nd,
in Thessalonians, where the fruits of the Spirit and so forth. Wonder if we can
identify ourselves? Jesus said, "Which one of you can accuse Me, that I
haven't performed and done just exactly what the Scriptures said I would
do." Nobody could say a word, because He'd truly identified Himself. And
they, as they do always, the make-believer had identified Him as a Beelzebub, a
evil spirit when He made Hisself known in discernment of spirit, that He was
Messiah. Then they said, "That's an evil spirit in Him doing these
things." So you see, He was properly a-vindicated. There could be no
mistake.
42 The little
woman at the well didn't make any mistake. She said, "Sir, we know when
Messiah cometh He'll do these things, but Who are You?" She said... He
said, "I'm He." And a Man that could do a thing like that would surely
tell the truth. The truth of God was with Him. And they were commissioned...
Influence 63-1130B
53 Now, we find out, though a good man, blessed of God; but, if God blesses
you, you stay in the category that God has called you in. If it's a housewife,
remain a housewife. If it's in a business, remain in that business, reflecting
God. And whatever God has called you to, let it be that. Because He wants you to be a real housewife to
reflect your influence upon another person that would want to be a good
housewife. If you're a good businessman, let your life so be that it will
reflect Jesus Christ in your business with honesty and integrity, and with
things that really mean something. Because somebody is watching your life.
You're influencing somebody. God has to have a real housewife. God has to have
a real teenage in school. God has to have a real minister, a real businessman,
somebody that will reflect Him. Because there they see in you, Christ. No
matter what the rest of the world's got to do, that has not one thing to do
with you or I. We are responsible to God for our life and for our experience
with Christ.
54 Now, we find out that in his
trying to take the minister's place, and someone telling him he's out of place,
telling him he shouldn't do that, he's out of place, he become angered; he was
so angered until his face turned red. You see, we must be able to stand and
take correction. Some of them won't do it. You can't... I've went to meetings
and I've set in the auditoriums, and you get up. And some people come in and
set down just for a few minutes; if you say one word that they don't agree
with, [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] gone (See?), flying up.
Let us pray…