Romans 110

Ordained of God

April 6, 2003

Brian Kocourek

Before we begin this morning, I would like to mention that today is Brother Branham’s birthday, and he was born 93 years ago. I wonder what his thoughts would be today if he were still alive. But His message is still alive and those thoughts will never change, for they are the Word of God and the Word of the Lord liveth and abideth and endures forever.

ROMANS 13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore [ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 ¶ Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

To begin this morning I would like to take just this first sentence and look at this thought, For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Now this word ordained here comes from the Greek word tasso pronounced {tas'-so-- appoint and means to the following:-- to set or determine 1) to put in order, to station; to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint; to appoint, ordain, order; to appoint on one's own responsibility or authority;

Now, I like that because he tells us that God has ordained these higher powers and God is then responsible for having placed them in power, or ordained them to be in their seat of power. In the Gospel of Luke we find the same word used when it speaks of the centurion who himself uses the same Greek word to describe his authority over men, and his Faith is such that he is sure that Jesus has the same power or authority as well to just speak and the thing will be.

LUKE 7:1 ¶ Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. 3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: 5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it].

We find in the Book of Romans chapter 9 Paul speaking of the very purpose of Pharaoh being raised up by God and given his authority was that the Purpose of God might stand in Election. Therefore don’t think for one minute that everything in this world is getting out of control. Everything is just exactly how God has ordained it to be. Everything is right on time with the purpose and plan of God.

ROMANS 9:16-17 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Therefore we must never look beyond the fact that God has a purpose and plan for everything, and as Paul said in Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. 29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 ¶ What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?

Again we find the same roort word used in speaking of God’s elect, in ...ACTS 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And that means that God has placed us in that position and how dare anyone try to say it is not so.

Again in the Book of Acts we find this word root word used again in speaking of how God ordained a certain thing for Paul to do. ACTS 22:10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

Now, there is another Greek word that speaks of God’s power to set in motion and to place in order, and that is the word, tithemi {tith'-ay-mee which means: -- to appoint to set forth, establish, ordain, to make (or set) for one's self or for one's use 3) to set, fix establish

We find it used in the Gospel of JOHN 15:16 by Jesus Himself when he is speaking of our having been chosen before the world began. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Here we find Jesus speaking of election and how He has not only marked out and chosen us before hand, but has also ordained, set forth or ordered that we should have a life that not only will bear fruit but one that will enter into a special relationship with God our father.

Again we find this word ordain to mean that God hath set forth his purpose and plan and as He has spoken it, so shall it be done. ACTS 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.

In the book of 1 Corinthians we find another word is used in the Greek which speaks not only of God setting froth or ordaining, but pre-ordering or ordaining. In other words this scripture shows that the ordaining is done before hand.

I CORINTHIANS 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

The word used here is the Greek word, prographo {prog-raf'-o and it means: -- to write before (of time); of old set forth or designated before hand.

We find in the book of JUDE 1:4 this word used that again describes what God has set forth before hand will be as he has spoken and thus written before hand. 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.

And again we find it used in Romans 15 and Galatians 3.

ROMANS 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

GALATIANS 3:1 ¶ O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Now this then leads us to the study of Foreknowledge, and there are two things most people are ignorant of concerning the concerning the Foreknowledge of God. Number 1 is the meaning of the word itself, and number 2, is the extent to which it is used throughout Scripture. Because this ignorance is so extensive, it has become the norm for preachers and teachers to just preach any sort of perversion concerning this subject, even among us in this message.

There is only one safeguard against such error, and that is to be established in the faith; which is the correct word as has been revealed by God through His vindicated prophets. But the problem is that the ministry today will not teach doctrine. And then when they do they will run after just any old thing and call it Bible doctrine.

We are commanded by Gods Holy Word in 2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.

And Again we are warned not only by the Apostle Paul, but once again in this hour when God gave this Scripture to William Branham when the Angel appeared to him in 1946. 2Timothy.4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Since brother Branham has left the scene, the pulpits have become so week that very little time and study of the doctrine has taken place. It seems today, with very rare exceptions, it has no place at all. It seems the cry from the pew is, “we want to hear of living experiences, and we want our focus to be on the family, and not this dry old doctrine spoken to us. In other words they are asking for practical sermons on how to live, and they say, “Give us Christ and not theology”. But the problem is that without doctrine you haven’t even got a backbone to stand with. There is no foundation for the everyday living to be built upon without a prioper understanding from Scriptural doctrine.

But Christ cannot be known unless he be preached as Paul said in I CORINTHIANS 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God., and he certainly cannot be 'preached' if doctrine is shelved.

Various reasons may be given for the inexcusable failure of the pulpit, the chief reason being either laziness, or a desire for popularity, which comes in the form of superficial and lop-sided evangelism, or as we find in this message, among those who refuse the Truth, there seems to be a love for the sensational'.

But let’s look here at these reasons one by one.

1) Laziness. It is a far more demanding and calls for much closer commitment to study, to prepare a series of sermons on, the doctrines of the Message, than it does to make addresses on prayer, missions, or personal-work. It demands a far wider acquaintance with the Scriptures, a more rigid disciplining of the mind, and a more extensive perusal of the Message, scriptures, and the other early writers than to just talk from experience. But this is too much work for most of the ministers, and so they choose the line of least resistance and follow an easier course. It is because of this weakness that the ministry was warned by Paul in 1 Timothy 4: 13 & 16 I 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

The second reason for neglecting the doctrine is the Desire for popularity. It is only natural that the preachers should want to please their hearers, but it is spiritual for them to desire and aim at the admiration of God. In other words, it is only natural to want to be men pleasers, but it takes a spiritual thinking to focus upon and please God.

I CORINTHIANS 2:11 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.

Nor can any man serve two masters. As the apostle expressly declared, 'For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ' (Gal.1:10): solemn words are those! How they condemn them whose chief aim is to preach to crowded churches! Yet what grace it requires to swim against the tide of public opinion, and preach that which is unacceptable to the natural man. But on the other hand, how fearful will be the doom of those who, from a determination to curry favor with men, deliberately withheld those portions of the truth most needed by their hearers. 'Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it' (Deut.4:2). Oh to be able to say with Paul, 'I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you ... I am pure from the blood of all' (Acts.20:20, 26).

A superficial and lop-sided 'evangelism'. Many of the pulpiteers of the past fifty years acted as though the first and last object of their calling was the salvation of souls, everything being made to bend to that aim. In consequence, the feeding of the sheep, the maintaining of a Scriptural discipline in the church, and the inculcation of practical piety, was crowded out; and only too often all sorts of worldly devices and fleshly methods were employed under the plea that the end justified the means; and thus the churches were filled with unregenerate members. In reality, such men defeated their own aim. The hard heart must be ploughed and harrowed before it can be receptive to the gospel seed. Doctrinal instruction must be given on the character of God, the requirements of his Law, the nature and heinousness of sin, if a foundation is to be laid for true evangelism. It is useless to preach Christ unto souls until they see and feel their desperate need of him. for that, there has to be prayerful and diligent study, and a receiving with meekness the engrafted Word of God. Only then are we fortified against the attacks of those who assail us. There are those today who are misusing this very truth in order to discredit and deny the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners. Just as higher critics are repudiating the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures; evolutionists, the work of God in creation; so some pseudo Bible teachers are perverting His foreknowledge in order to set aside His unconditional election unto eternal life.