The Doctrine of Christ no 14

“Christ died for us we die to self”

September 8th, 2011

Brian Kocourek,

 

Tonight I would like to take our text actually from brother Branham’s sermon,

 

God’s Only Provided place of Worship and pp. 269-270 where Brother Branham said, Notice Enoch, God's perfect reflector in type. When God was through with him, He just translated him, took him up. The mechanics that he had reflected become dynamics with the Spirit, and took him up. Same in the days of Elijah. Elijah, even to his bones, ... Reflector of God in his body being made manifest the Word of God. They laid a dead man on it, he sparked to life again. We are flesh and bone of Him, as long as we are the Bride of Christ. Do you believe that? All right. He died for us, and we died to ourselves and are buried in His Name, that we would "no more be of the world, but in Him," of which both the family in Heaven is named after Jesus Christ. That's [Ephesians 1:21] For both Heaven... the family in Heaven. What's the family in Heaven named? Jesus. What's the family on earth named? Well, that's the house of God where the Blood's at. Is that right? That's the door, that's the gate, that's the place He put His Name, and the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us. It's the Word reflecting and sparking off the age that you're living in.


Notice, he said of Christ, He died for us, and we died to ourselves and are buried in His Name. Notice, he said, that Jesus dies for us and we also have to die to ourselves. I believe that this is significant if we are to claim the authority to become sons. We can't keep going on and being bantered about by every little thing that comes our way. Brother Branham said, God's Prophet is a Reflector of God in his body being made manifest the Word of God. So we see the Word of each hour was actually lived out by One man and One man only and that is the Prophet of that hour. But as brother Branham told us, we can be a part of this living Word by believing it and receiving it. SUPER.SIGN pg. 171 63-1129 "It's on your hands, tonight, thrown right back in your lap! Hebrews 13:8, regardless of how many Council of Churches we have, still remains as "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever." "The works that I do!" (John 14: 12) If His Life is in you, it'll manifest Jesus Christ. Amen. Now you all can't be that one, but you can be a part of that, with your faith. All of them couldn't be a Jesus, when they was on earth, but they could believe Him and accept the message. There was one Moses, one Elijah, one Noah, on down, always been that, but the rest of them could accept it. And they would of had no ministry unless there had been somebody believe it. Jesus would of had no ministry unless somebody believed it. Paul would of had no ministry unless somebody believed it."


And remember, when the people wanted to do the works of God Jesus Himself told them what the works of God were. In John 6: 29  he said, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." So we see the importance of the One in whom God sends to reflect Himself through. If not for this ministry we would not become sparked off to the revelation of Jesus Christ and without this Revelation, we would never secure ownership to our inheritance and "all spiritual Blessings in heavenly places." That's what He was, that's what Moses was, that's what Jacob was, that's what the rest of them was, sparking off that Word of God, the reflector that God was reflecting Himself. And come to that perfect image of God, Jesus Christ, God's Masterpiece; was struck that He might take the rest of them for a Bride that's been reflecting Him.


" Elijah, even to his bones, where that reflection... Reflector of God in his body being made manifest the Word of God" then he says, "It's the Word reflecting and sparking off the age that you're living in. That's what He was, that's what Moses was, that's what Jacob was, that's what the rest of them was, sparking off that Word of God, the reflector that God was reflecting Himself." From these words, we were able to break this thought down into 3 distinct points


POINT # 1) God predestinates a Word for each age.


POINT # 2) God predestinates a man to reflect that Word for each age.


POINT # 3) These men of God's choosing are used by God to spark off all others who are ordained to Life in their age. (And they do so by perfectly reflecting the Word which contains Life.)


And so we can see the significance of the Prophet of God and His role in bringing to Flesh the Word for Each age. For not only is the Prophet of God, the Word of God become Flesh, but by receiving this revelation of God to us, the Elect then receive ownership of this revelation and the process of a change in the body that is part of the Word becoming flesh. And thus this process brings the Elect to the place where the Life that is in the Word is released to them and takes over them and they in turn become a reflection of the Living Word. The thoughts that were God's and were spoken through the lips of His Prophet are now on the lips of His Elect who have been sparked off by the Reflection of God through His Prophet.


This morning we read to you how that we receive our transformation by first seeing the reflection of Him in the mirror of His Word. When we see this Image in His Word and being lived out before our very eyes, by His Prophet, we become sparked off by this Revelation and the very same Word that we saw take over the Life of a Prophet, begins to take over our mortal bodies, bringing on a transformation from mortal to immortal. That is why I can never understand how any one who believes this message could in any way state that "Had the bride read their Bibles and Prayed like they're supposed to we would never have needed a prophet." Just because they may not have read their Bible doesn't mean that others didn't. Reading your Bible and Praying has nothing to do with it. It takes a Reflector of God to spark you to the Word for your age, and that's all there is too it. Because we have "thus Saith the Lord" on that! Now this does not mean that we are to worship that Prophet any more than it means that you and I will take that prophets place. It simply means that God has a plan for our redemption, and it comes by a Revelation and your receiving that Revelation.

 

I Peter 1:7 - 13 That the trial of your faith( Revelation), being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end (goal or outcome) of your faith ( Revelation), [even] the salvation of [your] souls. (so you can see this Revelation has to do with your salvation) Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ ( His first coming) , and the glory that should follow ( His Appearing). Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;


So we see the great significance of this Revelation of Jesus Christ and we know that we could never receive this great Promise of God without it coming to us from the lips of God's Prophet as we see in Amos 3: 7  "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth it by His servants the Prophets."


And as we read this morning from Deut 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law".

 

And this implies two things, First- what God has not revealed to us belongs only to Him). In other words, as long as God has not revealed it to us, it does not belong to us and therefore we are not accountable for it either. But what He has revealed to us belongs to us, and the ownership of it is actually transferred to us at the time of It's Revealing. Then if it belongs to us we are also accountable for it as good stewardship would dictate. Secondly, we find that there must be a Prophet on the scene to handle this transfer of Revelation from God to us as He indicated in Amos 3.


Now, for the rest of our Message tonight I want to first read paragraph # 271-272...


GOD'S.PROVIDED.PLACE.WORSHIP 65-1128.1M 271 Moses was in Him. Joshua was in Him. And if you are in Him, you was in Him before the foundation of the world, the family of God; you suffered with Him, you died with Him, you went to the cross with Him, you raised with Him; and now you're still with Him, setting in Heavenly places, reflecting the Message of the age to the world, the Light of the world. "Ye are the Light of the world," but if it's hid by a denominational bushel basket, how are they going to see It? For your traditions, you make the Light of no effect! By trying.. You denominationals, trying to keep the Light away from your church; you won't go in, neither will you let them. Amen.


Now in this paragraph we come across a further enlightenment to this thought on God's Reflectors. Here we see Brother Branham telling us that not only is Moses and Joshua which were God's Prophets reflectors of the Word for their Age, but now he brings it a step closer to home and tells us that this reflection doesn't just stop at the Prophet but reflects forth from the Prophet to and upon the Elect people of their day. And when this reflection comes forth from God and reflects off of His Prophet, who ever is in line with the reflection will begin to reflect as well provided they are God's Elect Seed and have been built to be able to Reflect which we know is an echo which means to say the same thing. Now you might ask, Scripture Please? And so we shall oblige your minds, thusly.


2 Corinthians 3: 1-18  Do we begin by commending ourselves? or need we, as some [others], epistles of commendation to you, or [letters] of commendation from you? (now Paul is saying these things with tongue in cheek, and of course the answer is no!) But we see Jesus address the same thing in John 5: 30 - 32 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. And so Jesus let's us know that the witness of a lone individual is not to be taken, but that it takes the witness of others, and yet Paul tells you right quickly that it is not some letter of credit from some group or organization that is to be our witness. What he goes on to say is that The Word preached has an effect upon the hearts and lives of those who really do hear and it changes their lives, and they begin to reflect in themselves the life that is in the Word.

 

He says, 2 Corinthians 3: 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God;

 In other words, Paul is telling us that He actually was given the ministry of taking a - hold of the Spirit of God and etching it into your very hearts. Now this would suggest to us 2 things;


#1) Either Paul had an over inflated opinion of Himself and his own self worth, or #2) He was given the grave responsibility to take the Spirit of God under His Control and to literally etch it into the hearts of the believers. Now how is this possible? God's Spirit can not be contained?

 

King David said in 2Chronicals 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!

 

So then how is it possible for Paul to make this boast? The answer is in the Words of our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. John 6: 63 My Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life" So what we have in Paul's statement to us is that he was charged with a ministry that was to take the Word of God and bring it to the people in such a way as to literally through the discharge of that Word, the very Life that is contained in that Word would be released to the people and as they yielded their own lives to it, the Greater Life of God-Life would take over and thus become a "Living Epistle known and read of al men."


Now, what then is Paul's precedent for declaring this. For surely if this is God's way of doing things, and God changes not, then surely there was a precedent, a previous time in which this same sort of ministry took place where a Prophet of God was charged with the Mission to take the word of God and engraft it into the minds and hearts of the people. We next find Paul tell us where this happened before in God's great plan of salvation.


2 Corinthians 3: 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.( in other words, not just to give you a mental conception, for that alone will only lead to death, but where the Spirit and life within the Word of God will be opened to the people). [7] But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away [was] glorious, much more that which remaineth [is] glorious.

 

Now, what is Paul doing here.? He is showing you and I the comparison between the Ministry of Moses and this Great Ministry where the Glory of God is to be revealed in His saints. And remember, although Paul was commissioned to have this ministry, we are told that it would not be finished until the end-time.

 
2 Thessalonians 1: 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed ) in that day.

 

So we see that Paul is speaking of the ministration of Glory and he is comparing it to the ministration of Law under Moses.

 

Then he explains it like this, 2 Corinthians 3:12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

 

So what Paul is saying here is that this ministry that will take a hold of the Spirit of God and etch it into the hearts of men will come by speech, by Word and not a word that has been veiled, but a Word that is unveiled.  And not as Moses, [which] put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [veil] is done away in Christ.

 

Now when Moses came down from the Mountain of God he so glowed in his face from the Reflection of God that the people were so afraid that they made him to cover himself with a veil over his face thus preventing the true reflection from reflecting upon them and thus enlightening them.


Exodus 34:29-35 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.


And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel [that] which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.


Now notice how Paul says, Moses could not speak plainly to the people because of the Reflection, and because they were afraid of the reflection he had to veil this reflection to them, and when he spoke the Word of God it was veiled to them behind the law. But Paul tells us that when the ministration of the Spirit comes, it will no longer be veiled behind traditions and creeds, but will be openly declared by a True Reflector of God, and thus the Life that is contained in the Word will penetrate into the very hearts and minds of men and God-Life will transform their very beings.


2 Corinthians 3:15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it (what is it? Notice, He is speaking about the heart) when it ( the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. (And when are we told that the hearts shall turn? In Malachi 4 when the Spirit of Elijah is sent into the world to turn the hearts of the children) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty.

 

Now this liberty is not license but is freedom. You are no longer bound to the law but the Spirit has set you free. In Romans 8 we read that there was a time when we were bound under the elements of this world that we were born into. Even in Romans 7 Paul tells us that while in this flesh we are subject to it, but when God's Spirit is quickened and birthed into us by His word, then a warfare takes over for control of the body of this death. Nevertheless, we become free from the corruption of our bodies because a new and higher desire begins to operate down within these mortal bones of ours.

 

And so we read on in 2 Corinthians 3: 18 But we all, with open face ( in other words, there are no veils of creed and dogma to prevent our seeing clearly) beholding as in a glass 9 Mirror or reflecting glass) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory( we are changed into the same image from opinion to opinion,), [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. And thus we become in our bodies the very manifestation of the Word of God for the hour in which we live. A reflection from the Reflector Prophet who reflected the True Light of God.


And by thus we receive as a promise for this age a transformation that will come by the renewing of our minds which is Romans 12: 1 - 2 .  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.


So there you have it. The importance of the role of the Prophet of God as a True Reflector of God's Word. And as we receive the Revelation that is brought to us by God's Prophet, we then become owners and possessors of that which has been revealed.


How many believe tonight that God sends His Prophets to reflect His Word to us?

 

How many believe that God will surely do nothing unless He first reveals it to us through His Prophets?

 

Then how many believe that the Rapture can not take place without God first revealing it to His Elect Seed?

 

How many believe that God has sent His Prophet to us in this hour to Reveal all that the Scripture says is to be revealed in the end-time?

 

Then how many believe that the ministry of this Prophet was to bring forth the Revelation of Jesus Christ to us?

 

How many believe that when it is Revealed to you the ownership of that Revelation passes from God to you. Then if it is truly revealed to you, your body change is now under way, the Rapture is now at hand, and the catching away is ready at any time to take place.


Will you stand with me in a word of prayer while our brothers bring froth the elements to commemorate the Revelation of Redemption that our blessed Saviour had that made all this possible for us?