Romans * 92

Reputation

December 1, 2002

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

 

ROMANS 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is at rest with you in Christ, not to think of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man The Measure of Faith.

 

Now, this morning I want to take our thoughts again from what Paul has said in this 3rd verse of Chapter 12.

 

Last night in examining this Verse, it led us to our study on Scriptural Humility where we  found it does not speak of mannerisms or actions,  but rather a condition of the mind. For Scriptural humility is simply knowing your place in the Gospel, or knowing your position in Christ. Now, in our study we came across a strange verse in the book of Colossians.

 

COLOSSIANS 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, (Now, as I mentioned last night the King James version does not translate this right, as it appears to be saying, “let no man rob you of your reward of worshipping the angels or messengers.” Now, since we know that would be Anti-Christ, Therefore, that cannot be the correct translation of what the Apostle Paul was saying here.

 

ASV: Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels.

 

KNOX: You must not allow anyone to cheat you by insisting on a false humility which addresses its worship to angels…

 

The right translation, then would read, “Stop letting men influence you away you’re your reward by using their false humility and messenger worship, for these intrude into those things which they have not seen, vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind, 19  And these do not even give preeminence to the Head, ..

 

You see, it is the wrong spirit that intrudes into things they know nothing about, and speak as though they do. These are those men in this message who come on with a false humility and such false sweetness until you ask them about the Parousia of Christ or ask them about the difference between the Father and the Son and they will snarl and try to keep you from your reward, using their worship of the messenger and their false humility to do so.

 

Brother Branham said, “You cannot be a big shot and be a Christian.

 

I PETER 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5   Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Peter is telling us here the way up is down, and the way down is up. If you want God to exalt you, then you had better approach Him in Humility. Then Peter says,  6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

 

 

 

PRAYER LINE  53-1121   E-23 That's the way God does: just takes the nothing to make something. And when you can become nothing in your own sight, you're becoming something in God's sight then. And always remember this, friends, the way up is down. "He that exalts himself shall be abased, but he that humbled himself shall be exalted." So just love Him with all your heart and forget all you ever knowed about all other things but Jesus Christ. Just go ahead and love Him and work for Him; serve Him. If He wants you to be the doormat, well, you just be the doormat and that... It's whatever He wants you to do, you do it. God bless you now.

 

INFLUENCE OF ANOTHER 62-1013  123  Always notice, a big man humbles himself. The way up is down always. Make yourself little, and God will bring you up. "He that exalts himself, shall be abased, but he that humbles himself shall be exalted." Oh, my, I like that. Make yourself little; always be little. Don't be the big shot; be the little fellow. See? God's the only One among us that's big anyhow. That's right.

 

MATTHEW 6:1   Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2    Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

 

 GOD IN SIMPLICITY 63-0317M  36-2  {222}    The way up is down, always. Humble yourself. Don't never say, "Well, I've got this and that." You ain't got nothing. Just remember, if you've got the grace of God, just be thankful for it and be humble...?... Just keep humbling yourself.

 

LOOK 63-0428  E-65    The way to know God is get simple. The way up is down. Which way is the north or south pole? You're standing in space. See? The way up is down. "He that humbles himself shall be exalted; he that exalts himself shall be abased." See? We must humble ourselves, not try to know too much. Just know one thing. Focus everything else out of the way and look unto Christ. If you don't know how to write your name, that don't have one thing to do with it. Just focus your heart to Christ and His will, and watch what happens. Yes, certainly.

 

MATTHEW 6:16    Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18    That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

 

HUMBLE THYSELF  63-0714E   77    You know, people are--want power, and really they don't know what power is. See? They--they don't really know what--what--what goes with it. The--the way up is down always. If you want power, see how humble you can get. Just get away from all your worldly thinking, and humble yourself before God, and then you've got more power than the man that runs all over the building and makes a big lot of noise (See?); because you have been able to conquer yourself and commit yourself to Christ (You see?) to humble yourself before Him. That's really power. You show me a church that's humble, real humble, not a--a arrogant church, just a sweet, humble church, I'll show you a church that has the favor and power of God in it. That's right. That's the thing it takes, humility, humbling ourselves before God, and letting God just work through us. Don't have to make a lot of noise. You...

 

Have you ever noticed how a big dump truck that is full and weighted down  makes very little noise when it hits a bump in the road, and have you ever noticed, that the same truck when it is empty, you can hear it coming for blocks away when it hits a bump it sounds like it has a mega phone on it, it makes so much noise. Now, why is that? Because when it is empty it is like a hollow room that can just echo and echo.  You ever notice how noise can travel further and louder in an empty room than a room filled with furniture? The emptier the room, the louder it becomes. And that is the same way with people.

The hollow ones make all the noise, the emptier they are, the louder they become.  

 

I will never forget back in 1999, a brother invited me to come to Lima Peru to minister to himself and several other Pastors, and I went not knowing who would come, but believing that if God wanted me to go, he would have the people there that He wanted to hear.  Last year when I went to Bolivia, one of the ministers there told me of a big name minister in this message that he invited to come to Bolivia to speak to the brethren there. This minister with the big reputation wanted to know how many churches would attend and how many ministers would attend before he would give his consent to come. He noted to me how different that was from my own meetings, not wanting big crowds, but being content to work with a handful of ministers only.

 

Look, I have been very cognizant of what brother Branham said about Billy Graham. He said he would come to as town and get 30,000 converts and the next year come back and there wouldn’t be 30. Then Brother Branham said the Apostle Paul would go into a town and work with perhaps 3 and stay there until those men understood and then he would leave. The next year he would go back and there would be 30, and that is exactly the way I have conducted my meetings. I don’t want crowds. Crowds allow mixed multitudes to be there. And where you have mixed multitudes it hinders the working of the Holy Spirit.

But Jesus was not any different. The Bible tells us in many places he came and went without no man knowing it. The Bible says, He made Himself of no reputation.

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, (Now the root word here is kenos, He emptied Himself out to appear top be nothing, and then after emptying himself out, he) took upon him the form of a servant, (now a servant is one who is devoted to another with little regard to self) and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 ¶  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. 14   Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

 

Now, it is an interesting observation upon our civilization in this 21st century that men are more worried about their legacy than they are about being right with God. They will cheat and steal in hopes of building a great reputation, all the while hiding their motives from the public eye.

 

Now, the word reputation means 1. the general estimation in which a person is held by the public. 2. The state or situation of being held in high esteem. So you can see how that if the word reputation speaks of an estimation, then I want you to notice how it comes into direct conflict with our worshipping of God. For the word worship comes from 2 words, worth which speaks of an estimation, and ship which is the suffix meaning, the quality or state of being. Therefore, we can see that worship is the state of high estimation, and yet that is also what reputation is all about.

 

WHY LITTLE BETHLEHEM  63-1214  41    One of my little girls was asking the other day about importancy. I said... Well, talking about some important man... Why, it was the President that was just assassinated, and our hearts was grieved over it. And I said, "Well, he was important man." The papers played it up, and the television shot it, billions and billions of dollars it cost the government to broadcast that. Which that's all right; that's their business. But I said... This little Pentecostal preacher up there in Carolina, that a man walked in, a drunk with his shotgun, called for his wife, and shot the man plumb out of the pulpit, then shot his wife, and shot himself, a little piece in the back of the paper about that big. Let me tell you, brother, no matter who we are, "You want to know how important you are," I said to my little girl, "Stick your finger in a bucket of water and pull it out, and try to find the hole." We're nothing. There's only One important; that's God. We must remember He's the One.

 

Therefore if we seek out a reputation, we are seeking out praise and importance, and a high estimation from the people. Then if we are doing that, who are we serving? God or self. You cannot be looking to build a reputation and be a servant of God. That is an oxymoron. Those are two opposites. A servant is not concerned with self, but with the interest of the one he is serving. Then you can’t even please God if you are seeking a reputation. And that is why Jesus was so pleasing to God. Because He made Himself of NO reputation, but became a servant.

 

If you forsake your reputation, God will give you a greater reputation than you could have ever accomplished here in life. He said to David, I have taken thee from among the sheepfold, and have given thee a name among the great men. Who did it? God did it.

 

INFLUENCE  63-0112   E-58    Now, they had two wings over their feet. What was that? Humility in His Presence. Moses took off his shoes in the Presence of God. Paul fell down to the ground, to kiss the ground, as it was. He was in the Presence of God. John the Baptist said, "I'm not even worthy to loose the shoes on His feet." Wings over their feet, humility, watching where they walk, what they do, realizing they're on holy ground. Oh, if we would do that, we'd never walk in the--these places that's wrong. We'd never do these things that's--that's wrong. Now, notice. Always... Listen. Be conscious of your littleness. Who are you? Stick your finger in a bucket of water and pull it out, and find the hole you put your finger in. Then say, "That was me." You're nothing. You'll not be missed after, a little while after you're gone. They'll have a funeral possession out here, and that's all. But your influence will live on, and on, and on.

 

MATTHEW 5:11 Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 13   Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

 

In other words, give God the preeminence in your life, and He will reward thee openly.

 

EXPECTATION  61-0205M  E-32   Don't make any difference about reputation. That's what... too much is getting to our churches today, even to our Pentecostal churches. Too much fashions, too much reputation stuff, like we have great reputations, you know, in the society, and things. What we need is an old fashioned, back woods, sky blue, sin killing religion. What we need is gun-barrel straight, something that'll preach the gospel without compromise, and let the chips fall wherever they wish to, and chop into it. We need men of God, stand with power, get the church back into the place where it ought to be. Something's wrong. We realize that. We all know it. We're aware of it. Our churches is falling away, getting weak. What we need is not a new organization to spring up, what we need is not another latter rain; what we need is back to faith in God's Word and God's Bible. A soul-shaking experience back in the church, that's what we need.

 

LUKE 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23    Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward [is] great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

 

Look, if you are talked of with high regard in the mainstream of this message then you are a compromiser on the truth. I like what Brother Joseph Isaac from Spain said to me the other day. He said, he read in a book of brother Vayle’s where he said, his name is spoken of the worst in Europe and the United States, and brother Joseph told me he called brother Vayle and said, brother Vayle, of all the things I’ve read in your books, I agree with everything you said except one. You said you were the most ridiculed name among the ministers in Europe, and I have to disagree with that because I am.

 

You see, Jesus was ridiculed, Paul was ridiculed, Peter was ridiculed, and so was John. Luther was ridiculed, and Wesley was ridiculed. These men were kicked out of almost every church they went to preach in. Read the biographies. You’ll understand what I mean. Even Jesus said, LUKE 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 27    But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not [to take thy] coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask [them] not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

 

That is exactly what we need to do. If they walk out on you and trash you, don’t return trash for trash. No, rather, show them love anyhow, and if you can’t say something good about them, then just don’t say anything. No one wins in a food fight. No one wins in a mud slinging contest. Everyone gets soiled. So just leave it alone, and walk away from it.

 

Jesus also said, MATTHEW 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

 

MARK 9:41For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

 

LUKE 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32    For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 ¶ Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

 

I CORINTHIANS 9:16  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17 For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation [of the gospel] is committed unto me. 18 What is my reward then? [Verily] that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. 19   For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

 

I CORINTHIANS 3:1   And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 5    Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11   For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16   Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are. 18    Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20    And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21   Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ [is] God's.  1 CORINTHIANS 4:1   Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2    Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and [to] Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think [of men] above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7    For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?

 

And that pretty well says it all. If you have nothing in yourself but what God has shown you, then how can you honestly take credit for it. How can you honestly make yourself some big name when you have nothing to begin with? Look, I don’t take credit for the doctrine. It’s not my doctrine, but the Father’s doctrine. It was not William Branham’s Message. He is not the One who descended with a Shout. God descended with the Shout. It’s God’s Message. And we should just be thankful that he has allowed us to see it. I hate it when people get arrogant and puffed up as though they are better than the next guy. Brother Branham said you are no better than the drunk that got saved an hour ago. All these men claiming to believe the Message and making a great name for themselves, robbing the credit from the ones who really did all the work, and claiming it for their own, as if they were the ones who did it. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. And we should never look on man as anything more than he is my brother, and she is my sister. That’s all. Love and be loved. Serve and be served. Console and be consoled. Give friendship and receive friendship in return, for whatsoever you sow you shall surely reap.

 

Then if you want friends, you must show yourself friendly. If you want to be loved, you must be willing to love. If you want forgiveness you must be willing to forgive. Bless and you shall be blessed. Let’s bow our heads and our hearts now in a word of prayer.