Romans 21

Redeemed Back

Brian Kocourek

 

Last night we read from Romans 2: 25-29 and we saw how Paul was telling us that Your circumcision  which is your separating yourself from the world ) doesn’t account for anything if you are a breaker of the Message. He said these things you do for God will have some  profit to you, if thou keep the Message: but if thou be a breaker of the Message, then your circumcision is made uncircumcision ( or your separation from the things of the world is counted as no separation at all). In verse he went on to say, 28 For he is not a Believer in the Message, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] considered being separate from the world), which is separated  outwardly in the flesh:  29  But he [is] a True Believer in the Message, which is one inwardly; and separation from the world [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

 

Therefore what we are looking at here is that no matter what you do in word or deed, if it is not from the heart then it is not real and therefore not acceptable to God. And in fact will actually be held against you as though you did the opposite.

 

Well, then you might say,  What’s the use then? What does it profit to work so hard at being a God fearing Christian if it has no merit in itself?   And if this comes to your mind, it is because you are human. If we would open our Bibles to the next chapter in the Book of Romans we will see that Paul addresses that same sort of thinking.

 

Notice his words as he continues looking at this thought in ROMANS 3:1 ¶ What advantage then is there in being a Believer? or what profit [is there]or what value or benefit is there for separating ourselves  from the cares of the world?  And he begins to answer this question in verse 2, Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. In other words, Paul begins by saying, hey! There is a great value involved here, because after all, you as a Believer were entrusted with the Word of God. And God doesn’t  just do that for no reason at all. And in thinking these thoughts, Paul is telling us something is special then about this relationship between God and His Elect, because He doesn’t just show or reveal His Word to just anyone.

 

Now, notice how Paul has so far taken it all out of yours and my hands and He has placed it all in the hands of God. Paul now, continues with this line of questioning here and asks the question... 3 well,  what if some did not believe and were without Faith, or could not exercise faith? Shall their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify or make void the faith of God so that it becomes of no effect? Can what someone else does, change the way God is faithful? Can what you do change God’s fidelity to His own Word? Or Does anything you do have one thing to do with God keeping His Word?  Then he answers, 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest come out the victor when your Word is placed on  trial.

 

5 But if our unrighteousness establishes the righteousness of God, what shall we say? [Is] God unrighteous for punishing us for our unrighteousness? (I speak as a carnal man would think )  6 and again I say, God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? Or in other words, if God’s supreme justice would depend on anything we would do, then How could we ever expect a righteous judgment of all men. God is not like other judges, He does not depend upon a previous court ruling, nor does His judgments change from time to time, for He is the same and changes not. Can you imagine a righteous judge who judges one man by one set of standards and another man by yet a different set of standards? I would say like Paul said, God forbid. Or else how could you ever know by what set of standards you will be judged? Then Paul goes on to say, 7 But if you say, if through my falsehood God’s integrity is manifested and advertised and abounds to His glory, why then am I still being judged as a sinner?  8 and why should we do then not do evil that  good may come? As some so slanderously charge us with teaching. and if this were true then such false teaching would be  justly condemned by them.

 

9 Well then? Are we more superior and better off  [than they]? No, in no way: for we have already proved both believers and unbelievers are all under sin, held down by and subject to it’s power and control. 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way and turned aside from God, together they have all gone wrong and become unprofitable and worthless, there is none that doeth good, no, not even one.  13 Their throat [is] an open grave; with their tongues they deceive; the venom of a snake [is] under their lips:  14 Whose mouths [are] full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet [are] swift to shed blood:

What a condition that man is in. Not just the unbeliever, but every man is shaped in iniquity and comes to the world speaking lies. In verse 16 he tells us that  Destruction and misery [are] in their ways:  17 And the way of peace have they not known: They have no experience with peace and therefore haven’t a clue.

 

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.  19 ¶ Now we know that what things so ever the Precepts and principles  of God saith, it saith to them who are under the principles of God: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  20 For no person will be justified or be made righteous, acquitted and judged acceptable in His sight by simply observing the works prescribed in the principles of Conduct, order, and doctrine. For the real function of these principles, is to make men recognize and be conscious of God’s Holy Presence, not just a mere perception, but a true acquaintance with His Divine Nature, which will bring man to a true repentance and holy character. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been revealed and manifested independently and altogether apart from the principles of Conduct, and is witnessed by the Word of God and the prophets;  22 namely that the righteousness of God [which is] by the faith of Jesus Christ is given unto all and is meant for all who  believe: And you could not believe unless you were ordained to believe.

 

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.

 

23 Since all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, the very essence and assessment of God’s own thinking; 24 Then the only way we could be justified is by the free exercise of  his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation ( or mercy seat) through faith in his blood, And God set Him forth and commanded that we come by faith alone in order to declare his righteousness because in his divine forbearance,  He passed  over and even ignored and has completely remitted our former sins without punishment. 26 This was done in order to declare and demonstrate,  in this present time his righteousness: that he justifies and accepts him who has True faith in Jesus.  27 Then, what becomes of our pride and our boasting? It is excluded, banished, ruled out entirely. On what principle? On the principle of works and doing good deeds in obeying the commandments of God? No: but on the principle of faith alone. In other words, if it were based on what you do, then you might well be able to boast, but since God has taken away all possible avenues for boasting, He bases our justification upon Faith which is a gift, One that He has given us. 28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified and made upright and considered righteous by faith alone independent from and without any assistance from good deeds in following the commandments of God, therefore the observance of the commandments of God has nothing to do with justification.

 

29 [Is he] the God of the Jews only? [is he] not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Since it is one and the same God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith, and that Faith is the Faith of the Son of God, His Faith.. 31 Do we then, by this receiving this faith, make the Commandments of God of no effect, do we over throw them, or make them void?  God forbid: But on the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the commandments of God.

 

Now, what is Paul teaching us in this 3rd chapter in the Book of Romans. He is telling us that God has set forth principles that we must observe, principles of conduct and order and doctrine. But He also tells us that these principles and our observing of these principles has nothing to do with our salvation and neither do they have to do with our being freely justified and accepted as innocent, vindicated to be righteous. In other words, what Paul is telling us is that our righteousness comes only by one avenue and that is a free Gift of God to us, and it comes through Faith and Faith alone is the only access to this free gift.

 

Now, we know that Faith is a Revelation, and therefore He tells us that it must be the same revelation that Jesus had, for in Galatians 2:20 He says,  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Now, how can a man be both crucified and live, because He actually says, I have been crucified with Christ, and brother Branham makes that very plain to us when He says, that when Jesus was crucified we were in Him, and we went tot he cross with Him, for we were in Him. Now, how many believe the Life is in the blood?  Does not science prove that the Life I in the blood? Then if you and I were to have the same life that was in Jesus, It had to come forth from the same blood that moved through his veins, right?

Then how did we receive that blood? In Future Home brother Branham said that when Jesus died upon the

cross, when they pierced His side, His blood flowed forth from that open wound and poured out upon the earth. Now, our seed life was in the earth.  Genesis 1: 11-12, 2:5, Psalms 1:3   tree,  also notice the fruit tree yielding it’s fruit. the same word for tree and fruit are used interchangeably by God for both the trees of the field and for man.   And when that blood was spilled upon the earth it not only redeemed the earth, but the seed life that was in the earth as well. And His blood not only paid the price and redeemed back what was rightfully His, but it also quickened that seed which was in the earth mingling His own blood with that seed and giving it Life, the very same life that was in Him that came from the Father.

 

JOHN 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Then if we received His Life, the same life that was in the Father. If we received this Life through the blood of His Son, then in one way we would be cloned images of His son?

 

18-3  FUTURE HOME 64-0802  Now, the world, to be redeemed for this redeemed person, He uses His same method. He baptized it in water after the antediluvian destruction, shed His Blood upon it to sanctify it and claim it. It's His.   Satan tried to say, "I'll give it to you."   He said, "No, sir, I'll buy it." Let it be a witness. He was lifted up for an ensign--that He bought it; He purchased it. But now it has to go through a baptism of fire, holy fire from God which cleanses the earth and the heavens around it. Then it's purchased so that the redeemed can live on it--live in it in peace.  40-2   See, and look, you are part of that ground. Is that right? And when He redeems you, He redeemed the earth with the same thing, and you are together again. Oh, how much plainer can it be. See? You have to be redeemed, 'cause you're part of it. And if the Blood didn't drop on you, you ain't redeemed yet, you're not called. Then He cleanses it; that's the same thing He does in the fire. Even the Blood dropped; it's yet got to be cleansed by fire (That's right.) for a dwelling place for God. God already took up His abode. Potentially the Kingdom of God is in the earth now in the hearts of His saints. It's His attributes that He begin in the beginning. Now His attributes is redeemed. What's He waiting? to redeem the earth to set His attributes on it to fulfill exactly His predestinated plan. Do you see it?   41-5    God and His creation and His creatures of this creation is redeemed by His own Blood, cleansed by His own cleansing process, His germ-killing, sin-killing process, like if anything is sterilized. The best sterilization we've ever had's been fire. You can take anything and wash it with soapsuds and all these chemicals that they talk about; it still ain't free, but you burn it once. And when the holy fire of God sterilizes the earth... when the chemicals... He's lifted His Bride, which can come into heaven with Him while this is going on, and comes back upon the earth again--a new heavens and a new earth. 44-4    John said, "I saw the holy City, the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, as a bride adorned for her husband." And where did it settle on? Just exactly like it did on there, upon the earth. Jesus was part of that earth that the Holy Ghost descended upon (Is that right?) and remained upon Him forever. It never can leave Him, It's always there (He and God are one.), always has to remain. And so John saw the holy City, the New Jerusalem descending like a comet or a--a dove, coming down out of heaven and settling upon a redeemed entire earth. To do what? To claim every attribute that He made the earth for; every man that was represented in the eternity and every woman is redeemed then. She's been scoured and burned by fire; Jesus in His fiery temptations in the wilderness for forty days... After that, notice, it was ready for His ministry then. Think of it, the Holy Ghost descending upon earth, Jesus, and that holy Blood. Now watch. I hope I don't go too deep for you. See? 49-1  Look, them hands designed this for His Beloved and--Bride: designed in tenderly love for His Bride. Remember that the Holy Ghost descended on Jesus, which Jesus was a part of the earth. Why? The germ of God, the Life of God was designed in the womb of a woman (That right?), which was the earth. All right. And then the Life of God came in, so He was the beginning of the creation of God. See? And then that Blood of God, that was there by that germ, when it was shed at Calvary, dropped back upon the earth. What for? To redeem the earth. Now, it's been justified; it's been sanctified, called and claimed; and now it's to receive its baptism of fire, and be cleansed for Jesus and His Bride. And you are these other parts that's drawed out of this earth--the earth. You are part of the earth, your body. Your soul is part of God, a attribute of God, displayed here on earth in a body. The body's to be redeemed. Now the soul's redeemed, because it was in sin. So God come down by process of justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, and redeemed your soul. And you, being part of the earth, it's redeemed by it. You're in the process now, it's growing on.