Spoken Word no. 138
The Word of God is for the Elect, not the
world
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
January
3, 2010
This morning I’d like to continue with several
paragraphs of the Spoken Word is the original seed as we have only to this
point examined up to paragraph 116. There is so much in this message that it just
wouldn’t do it justice to quickly breeze right through it. I believe this sermon
is to the elect and our series so far is really helping us to know our relationship
with our Father much better and to learn to get out of the way and let Him have
the preeminence to work through us. So, this morning we’ll read beginning at
paragraph 117.
117… Let's
go to Ephesians
now, over to the book of Ephesians,
and we're going to start at the 1st chapter of Ephesians.
And then we'll read a little bit here and just see what God has to say about this
subject. Now, listen. Paul, now, watch the way he address this now. Everybody
on your feet now, on your lookout. We got just a few minutes now, about
forty-five minutes, something, then we'll dismiss for lunch. Now, look. Paul,
an apostle... (What is "apostle?" "One sent.")... Paul, a
sent one of Jesus Christ... (Is that right? "By the will of the
Sanhedrin?" I misread that, didn't I? "By the will of the Luther...
or the a..." Well, anyhow...) Paul, a sent one of Jesus
Christ by the will of God, to the saints...
(Who is it? To everybody? No, sir. Everybody can't take it. That's
right.)... to the saints which are at
118 Them
that's already in there,
that's what I hope I'm talking to in
this congregation this morning: those that are already in Christ Jesus. Now, that's where this is advantage,... See,
you can't tell those babies out there about it. They can't eat meat; they have
to drink milk. They're stunted. See? So remember, they can't eat strong meat. Now, “to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be unto you, and
peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ”.
(All right.) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us... (Now, he's talking to the
church now. This is not the outside;
this is church)... with all spiritual...
(spiritual)... blessings in heavenly places... (like
this morning, those who love it is just eating it up. See?)... heavenly
places in Christ:
Now, I would like to stop
here for just a minute and have you notice that brother Branham was quoting
Scripture, here and I want you to notice that Paul was an Apostle, which means,
“one who is sent”, and if he is one who is sent, then we must know who sent
Him? And he tells us that He was sent by the will of God.
Now, this is very important to know who sends the man
because if he is sent by his church, or by an organization, or if his preacher
sends him, or some other man sends him, then he is not an Apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ sent by the will of God.
From his Message, Ephesians parallels Joshua
60-0515E P:36 Brother Branham said, “Now, the Book of Ephesians
placed us positionally in Christ, what they was in the holy land. We are placed
not in the
So you can’t expect unbelievers to understand this
Bible, because it’s not for them. It’s for the Saints, the sanctified ones who
have been called out. That’s why I don’t get excited when I hear some politician
quote the Bible, or some person on the radio or television who quotes this
Bible. It’s not theirs to quote. It’s not for them, so they are not going to understand
what they are quoting even if they do quote it anyway.
Brother Branham said in his sermon, Shalom
preached in 01-19-1964, PP 92, all the New Testament speaks of this hour. So
unless you can quote it to me and tell me how it apply for this hour, forget
it, I’m not interested.
So all the politicians like to quote the Bible, but so
does the devil but it won’t do them any good. The devil quoted it to Jesus but he
didn’t understand what he was quoting because it wasn’t for him, so all they
can do is quote it, but it will never quicken them because it is not meant for
them, just like it was not meant for the devil to understand, and his own seed
will never understand it either. But this is our Love letter from our Father to
his children, our God, not theirs. It’s not for them. It’s not a love letter to
them. It’s a historical book to some of them, and to others it’s just a book of
laws, things to do and don’t do, a book of conduct.
Therefore, Paul let’s us know that it is not only
important to know who sent him but to
whom also he was sent to? Jesus said the same thing. So, we need to
know who was he sent to? Because many people think the Apostle is someone who
goes overseas and starts churches? Or someone who takes a Bible overseas and
lives amongst the natives and converts the savage heathen? Or someone who goes
out to the world to convert the unbeliever? Or even someone who will go to the
nominal Christians to bring them into the Message? But that’s not the duty of
an Apostle. Brother Branham told us that
an Apostle is one who sets things in order.
From his sermon, WARNING THEN JUDGMENT 63-0724 51 Brother Branham said, “And then we find
out the apostle is a special man. He's a setter-in-order. He's a man that's
sent from God to set the things in order.”
And another thing is that an Apostle is not someone
who goes to a country and lives there for years. An Apostle is one who comes
and goes, in order to set things in order. And you don’t set the heathen in
order, you set the church in order. You can not set the unbeliever in order, he
has no tie post. You set the church in order by the Word which is The tie post.
In fact brother Branham said that in his sermon,
Uncertain Sound 60-1218 P:170 he said, “Let me tell you something.
I'm a missionary, you know. And now, I believe a missionary is a guy that goes
and comes. That's a missionary. If you go over there to stay, they call that a
missionary; but that's a homesteader; you just changed your residence. See?
That's not a missionary. A missionary, he, Paul was a missionary; he didn't
stay; he just kept going and going and going, a missionary: not change
residence; just keep going, a missionary.
So Paul was the pattern for what an Apostle is, And
John followed in that pattern, and so did Peter. And we find these went to the
Jews who were looking for the coming of the Lord, and they established them in
the doctrine of Christ. Paul then went into the gentile Cities where he met up
with fellow Jews who were believers, and together they were used by God to
establish churches in those cities. Then the gentiles could come to the church
where the Word of God was established in the hearts of the people, but there
never was any mass movement from heathen to believer. Show me the scripture for
it, if you can?
You say, what about on the day of Pentecost? What
about the 3,000? Those were Jews who had come to
But many of the churches Paul established there were
already Jews who believed the report, and together with Gentiles who were
ordained to Life, they established works from one city to another. They taught
the people who already were sanctified and only a few who were not, but who
believed the report, and Paul taught them the deeper truths of the Word of God.
To give them greater light for the hour in which they lived.
It is the evangelist
that goes to the heathen and unbelieving world to convert the sinner. Look at
Billy Graham, and Billy Sunday, and even the work of William Branham who said
he was doing the work of an evangelist. But the Apostle is a person who is sent
to set in order. So let’s not mix our roles up.
I know churches that
tell their people that anyone who wants to go on a mission trip is an apostle,
and they get the people to go with them to Africa and South America, and build
churches and hold rallies and other things, and some of these guys married two
and three times, and they call themselves missionaries, which is Apostles? I
don’t think so. Religious maybe, James said in, James
1:27 Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world. So they may be religious, and that is fine, but to call yourself an
Apostle because you attend a meeting overseas? no way. What are they
setting in order?
I was talking to a friend of mine, back in
So I want you to notice the Epistles of these
Apostles, (their writings), their sermons in print form, were not written to or
for the heathen, nor were they addressed to or for the unbelievers. That would
be like casting pearls before swine. But all their epistles were addressed to
the sanctified ones, to the Elect, to those of like precious Faith. Those believers
who were already saints, sanctified and called out ones, who were set apart for
the service of God.
Again notice what Br. Branham says of the apostle Paul in his sermon, Christ is the mystery 63-0728 P:95 Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God... (Now, watch, it's not
addressed to the world, but)... to the
saints which are at
And what about Peter? Look
how he addressed his epistles… In 1 Peter 1:1 we read, Peter, an apostle (one who is sent) of Jesus Christ, to the
strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (Now, who are
these Strangers or foreigners he is addressing? These are certainly not
unbelievers or heathens? Because he says, ) 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Again let’s turn to 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a
servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to them that have obtained like-precious-faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
So we see Peter didn’t
write to the unbelievers but he was addressing his epistles to those of like precious faith.
And then he tells them
how that they may have Grace and peace multiplied unto them. Notice what he says
in verse 2 Grace
and peace be multiplied unto you (How?) through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. So it
is not just the knowledge of God but there must also be knowledge of The Son of
God as well, so that you can understand His relationship with the Father and
therefore understand your relationship with the Father.
Now, in getting back to “The Spoken Word is the Original Seed”,
let’s pick up at paragraph 119
and continue reading, According as he hath
chosen us...Did we choose Him? Huh?
"Oh, Brother Branham, I beg your pardon, I did." No, According to the
Word, you didn't. Jesus said, "You never
chose Me; I chose you." Oh, yeah. When did
He choose it? When did Jesus say He
chose His church? Before the
foundation of the world. According as he
hath chosen us in him... (at the last revival
that doctor So-and-so had? No, no. You might read that in the creed, a text
book, but not in this One. See?)... According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world,...
(When
were we chosen? At the last revival? The night we got saved? Why, when there
wasn't no world, wasn't no stars, there was no atoms, no molecules,
that's when we were chosen. Amen.
Oh, don't let me start preaching on that now. I'm just trying to explain
something here. All right.)... before the foundation of the world, that we
should be... (What? Members. "No, we
should... Oh, after we are saved we just do as you want to."
Hmm.)... we should be holy and without blame before
him in... (Membership? Oh, no. It's love ain't it? That's right.
All right.)... in love... (Excuse me, I'm just
cutting up I guess now. I shouldn't do it, All right.)... in
love. Having... (What? P-r-e-d-e-s-t-i-n-a-t-e-d...
Oh,)... predestinated us unto the adoption of
children... (the seed from the beginning...
See?)... of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will,
120 Who did it? God. When
did He do it? Before the foundation of
the world. Then if we come in a illegitimate birth through Eve's
corruption, making us all her children and subject to death, then the sovereign God has to make a way to
redeem His children, "And all the Father hath given Me will come
to Me. And no man can come unless My Father draws him."
Oh, my. Now, where's your great big
thing you done? You never done
nothing. You ought to be ashamed. God,
Who done all things... The wheel's a working just right. Someone come the
other day, said somebody had said something bad about me and accused me of
something that was wrong. And I said, "Oh forget it." Said, "How
can you take it like that? That involves your family. That..." I said,
"Oh, my." I said, "That
was predestinated before the foundation of the world to give me a trial.
I said, "Why, my, my, my. Sure, so that's all right." Said, "How
do you do it?" I said, "If I looked right down this way, I'd be
falling all the time."
121 That's
the way with the people today. "If I accept the Truth of God's Word,
Brother Branham, they'd kick me out." Why, what are you looking here for?
Look out here at the end of the road. See, a man who looks like this, he don't
know where he's going. He's looking this way. But if you look out yonder, you don't care what's going on now; you know where you're going. See?
That's it. Look where you're going.
Stay lined up with the Word.
And if that isn’t a
lesson we all need to learn. Get your eyes off the present conditions, or you
will become obsessed by what’s going on all around you. Instead, get focused on
the promise for this hour which is the translation of the body and the catching
away before the tribulation sets in.
That’s what you want to be focusing on, not the everyday distractions
like it was in the days of Noah and in the days of
Luke 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my
sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a
man which built an house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: (now remember that a rock represent revelation, so this man
built his house upon revelation) and when the flood arose, (And remember the Bible tells us that the devil will come
in like a flood) the stream beat vehemently upon that house,
and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not,
is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against
which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of
that house was great. Now, notice that the only difference is
that one heard and dug into what he heard, he applied what he knew to the day
and the hour he lived, and the other also heard but did nothing about what he
heard. Thus the revelation that the one had was to step into what was revealed
to him and the revelation of the other was that he didn’t think it was
necessary to enter into what he had been shown so he did absolutely nothing
about it.
What saved Noah and his household? His believing God
that it was going to rain? Or His stepping into that revelation and applying what was revealed
to him, and preparing his family for what he was shown that was to come. In
other words, his doing what God had instructed him to do and that was to build the ark. And we have been commanded to apply
the token, and I just do not understand how people can think that that means to
simply believe it. If I told you to apply the paint you would find a roller or
a paint brush and something to open the can if you are going to apply it. And
brother Branham said we must apply it.
THE TOKEN 63-0901M 34-9 You should love one another. Believers should
separate themselves from the world. Don't just take it now, lightly. And then,
you people that's listening to this on tape, you women, you men, you listen a
minute. If you ever believed me, you believe it now. It's time to quit fussing with one another. Believe the message of
the Bible. Believe Jesus Christ; and love, and honor, and respect one another.
Men respect your wives; you respect your home. Bring your home together,
because, you remember, this Lamb was for the home, not just one. The whole home
too had to be brought; everything had to be brought in. We should love each other, and believers should separate themselves
from the world.
35-3 Notice, they were not just yet come together to talk about the message.
They come together to apply the blood, to
apply the token. That's what you must do. Pastor
Neville, and to this congregation, trustees, deacons, to you brethren, it's
time that we laid aside all the foolishness of the world, time we laid aside
everything else. We've seen enough now, that we're positive, sure, and the Token must be applied. Without it, (without what? Without
applying the token) you're going to perish; you must perish. That is the only thing. Oh, don't come together,
say, "I believe it." Get
beneath it. Get into it. How to do it? By one Spirit we're baptized into
the Body of Jesus Christ. Everybody believe with
all your heart. See? He was not responsible for any out from beneath it.
If you just come to church because you
know you should, watch out? The rain is falling, and the next thing will come
is the waters of separation! Then you will find out where your home was built
upon. If you
have received the revelation of Jesus Christ you will be tested to see whether
you have it or not. That’s the trial of your faith, which is the trial of your
revelation. And that revelation will do you no good until you step into it and
claim every step you take into it.
Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Now, paragraph 122
All right. Predestinated us now unto the
adoption... Now, do you believe we were
predestinated? Now, was Jesus predestinated? He was the Lamb of God already slain before there was a
light, before there was a meteor, before there was a molecule, atom, anything. He was the Son of God slain. Oh, the
greatness of God. Then these little peanut brains out of some little
manufactured supernatural incubator over here tries to debate that and say it's
not right. That's a shame. Who are you? Even some of them saying there is no
hell, and you're setting on a pot of it everyday: eight thousand miles thick
just below you, volcanic, and then look up and defy God and His Word. When you
defy the Word, you defy God. Sure. Oh, my, how great Thou art, Lord. How
thankful we should be.
123 All right.
So believers of the Word and Spirit must
be One. You get it? Believers, the
Word, and the Spirit are absolutely One. You don't do your own thinking; you don't use your own mind. Isn't that wonderful? The mind that's in Christ is in you.
See? The mind's in Christ in you will take the Word just like He did, 'cause He was the Word. And the mind of Christ in you, you are the
Word. You're God's living Word, representatives of Him here on earth
(That's right.), continuing the work. The church should be that way. And when so, the Bible is manifested again
like in the early days of the disciples, just like the disciples. The Bible is
living again in you.
That is why I believe that we are at a juncture when
we should be stepping into who we are and Who God ordained us t0 be. When
Christ was ordained before the foundations of the world to be the bleeding
dying lamb, we were at that same time ordained and predestinated unto the
adoption of sons. And to be adopted we must have the mind of the Father and be
about our fathers business. And when the son is ready for adoption the Father
will take him to a high place and before all cloth him in a robe of glory, and
hand him the checkbook.
From Hear ye Him 07-12 -1960 pp.
58 Now, we find out then, what if this boy was
a fine boy? Oh, how the tutor must've enjoyed walk up before the Father and
say, "Father, I am so glad to tell you. You know, that boy of Yours is
just exactly like You are. You know, he will read Your Word, and he will say,
'That's just exactly the Truth. That's what my Father said. My Father can't
lie. I believe it just the way He said it.'" Oh, how the Father must say,
"That's My boy." See? Now, that's what God wants to do to us.
59
Now, if that boy was born (now listen), if that boy was born in the home as a
son, but he did not become a right boy, would not follow his father's
instructions, would not be about his father's business, that boy was always a
son. But he never did have any inheritance. Did you know that? He never got any
inheritance. He was just a castaway. He was always a son. And when you get the
Holy Ghost, you're God's son or God's daughter. That's true enough. But if you
don't obey God, walk in the Light, walk in the Word, believe God, then you
won't have any inheritance. Well, that's just exactly the way God does it yet
60
Now, notice this. Now, what if the boy was a righteous gentleman? He just loved
his father. He loved to be about his father's business. He liked to see all the
vineyards straightened up just right, every man at his post of duty. And he
found a man shirking. He walked over to him, and put his arms around him, and
said... "The other day, why, father, he walked over there, and he seen
this man was shirking on the job. So he walked over and put his hand on his
shoulder and said, 'Sir, you are my father's servant. See?' And Just like you
would've done." Oh, father say, "You know, I really like that boy.
That's my son." As we call it in
61
You know what happened then when that boy become a certain age? That boy was
adopted into the family. Now, what did they do? They took him out in a public
place, put a special robe on him, and had a ceremony. And all the people of the
city gathered around and looked. And then they looked upon this boy, and the
father had a ceremony of adoption. Oh,
don't miss this. After that son was adopted, his name on the checkbook was just as good as his daddy's. There's where God's trying to get His
Church. Just say to this mountain, "Be moved" and it will move:
Authority, sons of God... The whole creation's groaning, waiting for the
manifestations of the sons of God,
waiting to a spot to where that the sickness will be "Arise!" and it
will be that way. The blind will receive their sight. Deaf and dumb, we pray for them now, but then you'll
command it. Didn't say, "These signs shall follow them that believe,
they shall pray for the sick." He said, "They shall cast out
devils." Not, "I will": "They will." "If you say
to this mountain (not if I say). If you say to this mountain, 'Be moved,' and
don't doubt in your heart. What we need
is adoption. Sons and daughters needs adoption.
62
But how can the church, the Pentecostal church, and the Methodist and Baptist
churches be adopted until they come to
discipline? We've got to be
disciplined first. God could not trust this power with the church. It's
hard to tell what you would do. How could a father trust his business with a
boy that might simply pollute his whole inheritance? He couldn't do it. The church has got to come to a place to
where it's disciplined. God's on that work right now: discipline.
63
Now, he took that son out, and he made a ceremony. And he said, "This is my son, and I adopt him into my
family. Whatever he says, I say it, too." Now, God was doing the same
thing there to Jesus. He was doing just exactly what He required them to do.
He, Jesus had pleased Him. And He took Him up and took three earthy witnesses,
Peter, James and John (Hope, Faith, and Charity), brought Moses and Elijah down
to witness this great adoption. And what was He done? The Bible said that He
was transfigured. And His raiment shined like the sun, a special robe... Amen.
A special robe, a special anointing... And when they looked up, they saw Him
shining in the glory of God. And a voice said, "This is My beloved Son; Here ye Him." Oh, my.
64
What God wants to do with the Church tonight, wants to do with an individual,
is find somebody. The Holy Spirit is searching to find men. He
can take him out to a certain place, speak to that person, anoint them and give
them something special, great powers and gifts to work His will and to do His will. But how can He do it, when
He's constantly has to come and say, "Oh, it's terrible. They just, They
just run after this. They run after error. They won't go to church. They,. It's..." Look
what a condition the church is in. So,
if God can't do it to the body, He will pick out individuals and do it.
God's able of the stones to rise children unto Abraham.
Notice he said, if He can’t find a church to do it,
then he will find individuals to do it. O for God’s sake and your own sake, get
focused, Too much fussing and focusing on things, instead of who you are and
who your Father is. Let us pray….