The Doctrine of Christ no 17
“He that Believeth on Me”
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
September 21st, 2011
2 Timothy
3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness:
2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore
seeing we have this ministry, as we
have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in a deceptive way, nor
handling the word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation of the truth commending
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
The Word of God is not given to us to play games with.
It is given to us for correction and for building a temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in.
The ministry is never to hold back the truth, or suppress it because it doesn’t
fit their theology. Nor should they never avoid Scripture out of fear that the
people might go out into fanaticism. If you rightly divide the Word of Truth
you need not fear fanaticism. I have spoken to ministers who say, I don’t teach
on the Spirit of Adoption because people might run wild with it. How can a
person run wild with the understanding of obedience in Sonship? There is a
right division and a wrong division but who in the world that knows better be
afraid to teach a right division of the word. In fact that is the
responsibility of the Pastor to teach the people so they do not go astray.
You
must be born again 61-1231MP: 28 … Therefore, it's
the duty of we as pastors to see that this flock is fed and fed right, because
God Almighty will require your blood at our hands. At the day
of the judgment we'll answer for you. So seeing this great tremendous
responsibility that's placed upon us, and God has given us people who love us
and come to hear us, then we should spend our time constantly watching
for your souls. And when the first little thing we see raising up
that's not right, it's our duty to come to that person, because we are
shepherds watching that sheep. And if I see that sheep eating on a weed
that will kill it, I better drive it away
from that weed, jerk the weed right away from it so it cannot get to it because
it'll kill the sheep.
P:29 And there's known in the
western countries a weed that an--an animal can eat; it's called locoweed. I
don't know whether anybody ever heard of it or not, a locoweed. Yes. A
horse can eat that, and you just can't do nothing with him. He just
becomes an outlaw. You can't put a saddle on him, and you can't do
nothing with him. It's called locoweed. And you must keep your--your
stock away from that weed. And if it'll cause a horse to eat
something... If a horse, rather, it'll eat something that throws him into this
condition, into this spasm, why, you
would be a very poor cowboy to let your horse eat a weed, locoweed. It shows
that you don't care. And a real pastor, a real servant of Christ will be
a poor example of Christ to see the sheep eat something that's going to drive
him away, or make him a outlaw before God, a breaker of His Word, a breaker of
His commandments. You shouldn't do that. You should watch that very closely.
How can withholding the Word ever teach the people to
rightly divide it. How can the Word of God be seen as poison. Mix it with human
reasoning and you hybrid it, but we have a non hybrid word in this hour. Give
it to them the way he said it and leave the results up to God. I am not afraid
of any statement William Branham made, not one. Because I know he taught us
from this Bible which is God’s Word, and God backed up what he said. And to
think that quoting our prophet or this Bible will lead others into fanaticism
shows we do not understand what the Word of God is telling us. What ever
happened to believing all the Word? What ever happened in the minds of the
ministry to adding to or worse yet taking away. You all know the warning of
revelations 22 to add to brings the plagues and to take away takes your name
from the book of Life. So it is our duty to rightly divide the Word of Truth
and feed the sheep that spiritual food in due season.
Paul continues in verse 3 But
if our gospel be hid (that means covered
up), it
is hid (that means it is covered up) to
them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds (obscured
the perception) of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach
not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sake. So the lost have a Gospel that has been
white washed and covered up so the people can’t see it for themselves.
Now, this morning I would like to take our sermon from the thoughts of
Jesus concerning where he said, “he that believeth on me”. Now, If you will notice
Jesus says this phrase half a dozen times in the Book of John alone. Five times
he says, “he that
believeth on me, and once he says “he that believeth in
me.”
Now, the first thing I want you to understand concerning each and every
time Jesus uses this phrase these half a dozen times, is that each and every usage that Jesus speaks
these words, The Greek uses the very same words each time with one exception,
and that is in John 6:47 where the Greek does not say “he that believeth in
me”, but it says, “He that believeth” so we see the “in me”
was not used here whereas it is used in all the others.
So let’s look at these six verses to examine each this morning because in
each one there is a blessing for the
believer who believes and I want you to not only recognize what the
blessing is but I also want you to claim that blessing for yourself. Because if
you do not claim it for yourself, no one else is going to claim it for you. And
as I list these six verses here for your viewing, I want for you to see that
each Greek Letter is the same, and it never says “he that believeth on me”, but rather
it says, “whoever
believes in me”. And as we see in each usage of this phrase there is
a specific blessing promised to the person who believes in Christ Jesus.
Now, I will read these first and then we will examine the promises
associated with each times that Jesus uses this phrase.
1) John 6:35 ο
πιστευων εις
εμε Who believes in me: Shall
never thirst
2) John 6:47 ο
πιστευων Who
believes: Hath
Everlasting Life
3) John 7:38 ο
πιστευων εις
εμε Who believes in me:
Out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water
4) John 11:25 ο
πιστευων εις
εμε Who believes in me: Though dead yet shall he live
5) John 12:44 ο
πιστευων εις
εμε Who believes in me: believes Him who sent me
6) John 14:12 ο
πιστευων εις
εμε Who believes in
me: The works that I do shall he do also
Now let’s examine first John 6:35 Whoever believes in
me: Shall never thirst. Now, let’s read
the Scripture together in it’s entirety.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I
am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst.
Now, this promise of never thirsting Jesus presents to the believer here,
is also given to the believer in John 4:14 But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
So we can see that
Jesus associates believing in Him with drinking of the water that he’s given to
us. And after all the scriptures are replete with illustrations where water
represents not only His Word, in which we are
washed in the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26) but it also
represents a living Word, or a Word which is
made alive and full of Life, Eternal Life, Because the Spirit of God is alive
within His Living Word. For Jesus said in John 6:63, “My Words are Spirit
and they are Life. And so we see that drinking this living water
produces something in us as well. He says, “the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Therefore we see the promise Jesus gives the believer will actually
affect the believer in such a way that within the very believer himself, the
same waters he has believed or has drunk, will, because it is living water, that Living waters
will spring up within him and with it everlasting life.
And in fact the very next time Jesus uses this phrase a few verses later
in the same chapter, gives the same promise of everlasting life. Notice in John 6:47 Jesus uses this same phrase again, and
that is exactly what he says it will produce in the believer.
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me hath
everlasting life.
Notice the believer
not only receives eternal Life by taking into him via drinking this same Living
Water, (which is the Word of God and literally God’s own Spirit-Life) but Jesus
also tells us, He that believeth on me “hath,” “echoes” everlasting life.
Now that is what this
word “hath” was translated from. In
the Greek it is the word “echo,” it means the same as it does in
the English language. It means “to give back or to reflect back in the same
way it was given”. It also means repetition or imitation. Therefore,
the seed nature or life will be repeated or imitated in the seed that comes
forth from the original seed. So whether it be fruits, life or works, it will
produce just the same because it is the same life producing it. Therefore, no
matter what son of God we look at, Son of God seed will produce son of God
results every time, or it isn’t the same life in it as was in the original
seed.
In Romans 8 and Ephesians
1, and Galatians 4 and Hebrews 1, 3,
and 7 all of these Scriptures show us that not
only the pattern of behavior is predestined by the seed we receive, as brother Branham said, if Son of
God seed is in us, we will produce in our
bodies Son of God life for
brother Branham said that Jesus was the
“example seed” or the pattern seed. And since he
was the Original Seed
and the law of reproduction says “every seed must come forth
after the life that is in the seed,” then if Son of
God Seed
produced
an obedient son
in the original seed it will also produce
obedient sons
in the other seeds
that were in the original seed to begin with and came froth from that original seed into
other seeds that had the same source as the original seed.
And that is why Jesus tells us to believe in Him is to receive waters of life. Then
that is why he further tells us that those waters will spring up into everlasting Life,
because they are living waters, and not stagnant water.
The next time Jesus uses this same phrase he promises us in John 7:38 Who believes in me: Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Now, so far we see that he has made the same promise and said the same
phrase three times in three different verses, but the meaning of each verse has
been basically the same thing, and the same promise is also given to us for
believing in Him.
In John 7:38 we hear Jesus again
say, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water.
Therefore if those rivers of living waters which He gave you to
drink are received into you through the act of your believing in Him, then those rivers of Living
waters will not only spring up into everlasting life within you, but
in the process of springing up into life everlasting the promise
also tells us that the water of life shall
also flow forth from your belly, which is your heart. This
literally means that your own vessel can not contain what is growing within you
and you must share it with others.
Now, this is a promise from Jesus to the believer who ever that person or
persons may be.
What we have seen so far is the same promise made over and over again and
each time it is given Jesus adds a little bit to that promise, showing that the
promise itself is alive and will grow within us. Each time Jesus spoke that
promise it grows bigger and better, from Life, to Life springing up, to life
overflowing and flowing forth from your heart.
So that should lead us to ask the question: Where does or to whom does
that Life that has come into us, and has sprung forth within us, and is now
overflowing from us, where is it going? Where does it flow forth too? And the
answer is also found in the book of Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, (Notice the Spirit and the bride are saying the same
thing. He says it and she says it. She says what he says, because she is
echoing what he said. And why does she say
the same thing that he says? Because she is echoing the promise he gave to her.
And therefore as He said to her “come”
she says to whoever thirsts the same thing, she says “Come”). And let him that
heareth say, “Come”.
I hope you are
catching what is happening here. The person or persons who hear the Bride will
also say the same thing she said, and not only will they say the same thing,
but they will do what they are saying as well.) And let him that is a-thirst come. (You
see, they not only say it, but they live what they say. They say “come”, and then they come.) And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
O, how I love that. It
is not a promise to just one person. It is a promise to whosoever will.
So we see that the rivers of living water which came froth
from Jesus enter into the bride and then from her into whosoever is willing to listen
and believe what she tells them, because she is echoing the same promise that
Jesus spoke to begin with. That is when Son of God seed Life from the Original
Seed comes down into seeds that come forth from the Original Seed, for every seed shall
bring forth after it’s kind.
Now, we are not yet through examining these six times that Jesus makes a
promise to the believer. So now that we see that each of these promises so far
concerns the receiving of Life into the believer, that life building up within
like a stream springing up and then we see that Life begin to overflow the
individual and go out to others. Is not that what William Branham said eternal
life is all about? Did not he say, “Eternal Life is living for others”. And is that not exactly what we see happening
to the believer in Jesus? He says this living water will enter you and bring
everlasting life, but then it will begin to grow in you and spring up which
shows that it is building cell upon cell upon cell, building up, building up,
building up, increasing with each heart beat, until you are so full of God-Life
that you can’t help but for that Life to flow forth until it says, for out of Thy belly
shall flow forth rivers of life.
Now, the next time Jesus uses this phrase “Who believeth in me” we find him
using it in John
11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection,
and the life: “he that believeth in me”,
though he were dead, yet shall he
live: Again we see in this verse that the promise to the believer
is Life, and that Life is more powerful than death. And even if that believer
goes to the grave, yet that river of water of Life that not only springs up witin him,
but flows forth shall also quicken his mortal body and the
grave could never hold such a believer.
In John 12:44 we see the sixth time
Jesus uses this phrase as we read, “Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.”
Now, this simply put is telling us that the believer will understand that
God is greater than His son, and that God sent His son, and therefore, the
person or believer who believes in Jesus not only believes in Jesus but also
believes in the God who sent Jesus.
And that takes us to our last verse where Jesus uses the phrase, “he that believeth on
me”, and we will find that in John 14:12
where Jesus again says “he that believeth on me”.
Now, I have shown you from the Greek six times where the Greek words were
not, “He that
believeth on me” as though this is speaking of only one person
and that person is a male, but the words used in the Greek are “who believes in Me”,
showing that it speaks not of just One, nor specifically of a male person, for
Paul said in Christ there are neither male nor female, bond nor free, Jew nor gentile.
The Believer is made up of all nations, tongues, and gender. The believer is
one or many who believe in Jesus Christ and he is the living Word.
And it is not only Who in the Greek, but in every other Language except
in the English translations where they use the words he instead of Whoever. The
French Language is translated as “celui qui croit en moi” “whoever believes in me” and the
word WHOEVER means: Whatever person or persons so it is not singular in
the Greek nor is it singular in the French. Therefore it speaks of the
individual or individuals whether they be one or many, but does not speak of
just only one.
We see the same thing in the Spanish Language. In John 14:12
it reads whoever because
there is an accent mark over the e in the word el which makes it whoever not
he. And therefore, it speaks not of one person but of the individual being who
ever that individual or individuals may be.
And we have shown you that Jesus has promised the believer life, and not
only Life, but abundant Life, life springing up and life so full that it
overflows out of the believer because the believer can not contain all that
God-Life that has channeled itself in and through him. The Believer is now a
conduit of the Holy Ghost by the Word of God.
I have shown you that the phrase “whosoever believeth in me” In the
original Greek, brings forth Divine promises from God to His Seed.
There are many times we speak of the individual but do not mean that
there is only one individual we are speaking of. We know Christ has come for
the individual but we do not mean by that, that Christ is come for only one
individual. Therefore, we can not apply the term singular just because the
English translation of Scripture speaks of ‘he” when it is in fact speaking
of “whosoever”.
We do know that when the word Jesus used was addressing the individual
and not a group, but the Greek never was put forth as a singular or only one
man and William Branham prophet of God never said it was singular.
And if the word “he” used in the English Translation of the
phrase “he that believeth on me” speaks
of only one person whom some believe was
William Branham, then if we are to be consistent with our laws of
Language, each time we see that phrase “he that believeth on
me” we would have to conclude that all six of those verses I read
this morning would then by the law of language would have to refer to only one
person. Then if that were the case, there would be a promise of eternal Life
for only one man, and that just isn’t what the Scriptures nor what God’s
prophet plainly teaches us.
Therefore with this in mind let us
examine the sixth time that Jesus used the phrase “who believes in me” and we find
it in John 14:12 where the promise is
made, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, “He that
believeth on me”, “who believes in me,” the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Now, I do believe that the last part of this verse refers to just one
man, and have always believed that not because of any language rules, but
simply because no other man has qualified for this throughout the history of
the church. That is not to say that there may never be others who will qualify
in the New Jerusalem or New Earth. But so far as history has recorded, no other
man has qualified in doing the greater works except for Brother Branham.
And since God interprets his word by bringing it to pass, I think it is safe to
say, that portion of John 14:12 has been manifested. Therefore, since God has interpreted this second
part of John
14:12 as in the ministry of William Branham, we are safe to say
the same thing.
But, that is not what we are here to settle today. What we are here to
settle is the first part which is the works, not the greater works, but simply the works.
Now, I have talked to br. Vayle on two occasions concerning this, and I
have several witnesses who saw that he agreed with me that the works and greater works are two
different things. I know one
brother questioned what I preach and he went to brother Vayle but he never asked
brother Vayle if he believed the works and greater works are the same or
different. He simply asked if John 14:12 identified brother Branham’s
ministry, and of course br. Vayle had to say it did, because it does, the
greater works.
But that questioning only blurs the question. The question is, what did
brother Branham says about the works that Jesus said would be in the believer.
Jesus said in John 14:12 “He that believeth on me”, the works that I do shall he do also; then there is a semi colon. Now if we are going to
accept grammatical rules here then we must honor this semi colon. A semi colon
means A mark of punctuation (;) used to connect independent clauses. Now
independent means free from the influence or control of another. Therefore each
clause being separated by a semi colon means they are independent from influence
or control or one another, period.
But I could care less about the rules of grammar, because what I care about
is what did brother Branham says about this anyway. That is what I want to
know. What did he says about John 14:12.
And the issue comes down to who is vindicated in this hour, the five fold
ministry or God’s Vindicated Prophet William Branham.
So from here on out we all agree that the grater works was in the
ministry of William Branham. That’s a given, and I have about 3 dozen quotes on
that if you would like to study them out. But I am not concerned with that
point because most everyone in the Message will agree on that point that in the
ministry of William Branham God displayed the greater works.
So the point I wish to close with this morning having showed you that
every time Jesus made this statement, “who believeth in Me” there was a promise for the believers. And
So let’s just read what William Branham had to say without me adding any
comments, since I haven’t anything to add anyway, to what he said, because he
was very plain in what he said, and unless we can not read or perhaps are
unwilling to read what he said, He said what he means and he meant what he
said.
Now, I have more than 30 quotes or shall we say about 2 or three from each
year of his ministry beginning with 1956 all the way through 1965. I will also
add the quotes about the greater works as well to this study for those who
would like to reference them.
But since we do not have the time to preach all of this, I will just add
them to the sermon notes, but I will close this message this morning with just
a handful. If you wish to see all of them you may just keep reading after I
close.
In 1964 brother Branham was asked the question in Questions and answers COD 64-0830M P:167 373.
“And will every true believer do the
works that Jesus said, as stated in
Now, if you can read, brother Branham said here that not every individual
will have those works but it will be in the group of believers, but I want you
to catch that he also said it will not be one person only either. He said, “Now, that is among the believers.
See? Every man doesn't have those gifts,
and that don't mean
that just one person will do it; there'll
be groups of people. And then he said, that's the way
they did it in the early church.
Now, let’s look at another quote from God’s vindicated prophet. Now, I am
just going to shut up and read, because it is not my words you must believe, it
is God’s Vindicated prophet you must believe.
1959) Faithful
Abraham 59-0415E P:69 How can you be blind and not see it? "The works that...
A little while and the world will see Me no more (the Spirit speaking from
Him), yet ye shall see Me, for I (personal pronoun), I'll be with you, even in
you till the end of the world," not
just for the apostles, to the end of the world. "The
works that I do shall you do also. More than this shall you do for I go to My
Father." And then
the Holy Spirit wasn't only in one Person; it's in the entire church
universal doing the same works that Jesus did. Hallelujah. I challenge
the world to believe that. And you'll see a revival break through this country.
You'll see Divine healing and the power of Almighty God. He's here now.
1959) What
Holy Ghost was given for 59-1217 P:45 Now. "The
works that I do..." God is in His church to continue His works. That's why He sent the Holy Ghost.
Now, He knowed that. He knowed it couldn't be done that way, so was it by
otherwise... So The Father sent the Son, put all that's in the Son in you. And the same works that He did, the
same very works now that Jesus did, you'll do also, the church.
Wouldn't you like to do the works of God?
Jesus said, "If you want to do the works of God, believe
on Me.” How you believe on Him? You can't do it till you got the Holy Ghost, 'cause no man can say
He is the Son of God.
1960) Queen of
1962) Messiah
the 61-0117 P:62 They look like him. They act like him. They
are his flesh, his blood, his spirit. Amen. That's the way God's church is, His
Eaglets, His Messiahettes. They look
like Him; they act like Him; they preach like Him; they do the works that He did.
"The things that I do shall he also. More than this shall he
do, 'cause I go to the Father." Amen. "These signs shall follow My eaglets."
Amen "They'll do just as I do. If
My Spirit's in them, then they'll do the works that I do. If they don't do the
works I do, it's because that My Spirit's not in them."
1963) He
that is in you 63-1110E P:99 But
He that is in you is Christ. And if
Christ is in you, the works of Christ you'll do, if Christ lives in you. He
said so,
1962) The Spoken
word is the Original Seed 62-0318M P:89 The works that Jesus did--if a man has the Seed of God in him with
the Spirit of God watering that Seed, the same works that was
manifested in Jesus, Him
being the original Seed of God, His death brings you back to the original Seed of God, and if
the same Spirit that was within Him is in you, then the same works will be
manifested. You don't believe that? All right, let's turn over to
1957) Faith
once delivered to the saints 57-0610 P:46 Now, if Jesus Christ, God's
Son, said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. The works that I do shall you also. These
things that I do, you'll do it also. I'll
be with you even in you to the end of the world," then the disciples followed right
behind Christ, doing the very same
things that He did. That's right. Exactly. When they found out
that Peter and John were ignorant and unlearned men... They wasn't educated,
neither was they smart. But they had to take notice that they had been with
Jesus, because the Spirit that
was in Jesus was in them doing the same
things Jesus did, taking the same kind of a motive. And everything that Jesus had, that's what they
had. You don't have to be smart, you don't have to have an education. You just have to have a willing heart.
God sends His faith down, His power. Faith is power. And we're to earnestly
contend for it.
1957) Faith
once delivered to the saints 57-0610 P:38 It's that faith that was once
delivered to the saints that they believe. They
seen the works of God. They knew it was God. It was a vindicated to
them. Jesus said, "If I do not the works of God, then don't
believe Me." But He did the works of God. And He said, "I do not do nothing in Myself,
till I see the Father do it first. Whatever I see the Father doing, then the
Son does likewise." He said, "He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also."
That was the Church. Christ left
this that His Church would have His Spirit. And the Spirit of Christ will perform, and act, and live like Christ.
Amen. How can we segregate ourselves, when Christ taught brotherly love, "By
this all men will know you're My Church," when you've got love
one for another.
1957) Sirs
we would see Jesus 57-1211 P:16 Now, the fruits of Christ, when He was here
on earth, the things that He did when He
was here on earth, He promised that they would be done by His church after He
left. "The works that I do, shall you do also;
greater works than this shall you do; for I go to My Father."
Greater, if anyone who knows Greek, knows that that word "greater"
doesn't mean that it would be in quality; it means in quantity. Another words
it would be, "More than this shall you do," would be the way we would
read it. "More than this shall you do, for I go to My Father." Great,
because no one could do any greater work than He did; because He raised the dead;
He--He stopped nature. He done everything that could be done. And He stopped
the roaring sea, made the winds be still, raised up the dead after they were
done corrupted in the grave, and--and no one could do greater in quality. But
being that His Spirit would come into
the Church and would reach out, it would be a universal church, all around the
world; and they could do more of the same things that He was doing.
1958) Jesus
Christ the same 58-0323 P:55 The Bible said; Jesus said, "I am the
Vine; ye are the branches." The vine doesn't bear fruit, the branch bears fruit. And the branch will bear the fruit of the vine
it's connected with. And I ask any scholar of the Scriptures to show me
where Christ ever organized a church or made an organization, where He ever
said a certain bunch of creeds would do it. He said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot even
understand the
1958) Jesus
Christ the same 58-0214 P:26 Now,
Before our blessed Saviour left the world, He said in
1958) Expectation
the 58-0508 P:12 If
God dwells in immortality, then He cannot die. He is immortal. And it's He Who
we worship tonight. It was He who made the promise, "The works that I do, shall you do also." He promised His church, that He would work in His church, among
His members, His mystic Body, spiritually speaking, until He came again,
that the same things that He did, would be confirmed in His church by the
believers. The last Words that our Lord said as He left the
earth, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall
be damned. And these signs shall follow those that believe."... We could
not add to that or take from that. We must believe that which God has said.
1959) Balm
in
1959) New ministry 59-1115 P:85 When he was here on earth, He told Peter,
"On the revelation of the Word of God," He said, "upon this rock, I will build My Church, and
the gates of hell cannot prevail against It." Isn't that right? All right. When
He was... 'Fore He left, in Mark 16, He said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." Did He say it? "In My Name they shall cast out devils, speak with new
tongues, take up serpents, drink deadly things." He also said, "The works that I do, shall you do also." Is that right? That's
the signs that's to follow His Church. It's not a denomination. It's a
ordained of God, Holy Ghost filled, heaven born Church that comes out of all
denominations, a real believing bunch of people. Don't you
see what the greater thing is? That's the greatest
thing that could ever happen was to impart Eternal Life to people. 56
What is Eternal Life? The Life that He lived, the
Life that was in Him: impart that to others. Can a man do
that? A Son of God can. Jesus said, "Whosoever
sins you remit to them they are remitted. Whosoever sins you retain, to them
they are retained." Now, here's where the Catholic
church and many of the others made their big mistake. They go out and say,
"I forgive your sins."
That wasn't it. How did they get sins forgiven in
the Bible? Peter answered that question on the day of Pentecost. They said,
"What can we do to be saved? How can we get
this that you all got?"
He laid down the prescription. He told them what to do. He said, "Repent,
every one of you towards God, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ."
What for? "The remission of your sins." There's the greater works.
1959) From
the beginning it wasn't so 59-1125 P:3 Jesus said at the beginning, "The works that I do, shall you do also." That's the way it was at the
beginning. What kind of a works did He do at the beginning? The same works that He's
doing now. What kind of a church did He have at the beginning? A
church that was filled with the Spirit, that healed
the sick, and prophesied, and great
signs and wonders. And it wasn't ashamed of the religion.
They shouted and danced under the Spirit like drunk men, and had cloven tongues
like fire set upon them. And they done signs and wonders,
and exploits followed them. That's the kind it was at the
beginning. That's the kind it'll be in the middle. That'll be the kind it'll be
at the last. You say, "My
church don't teach that." Well, it
wasn't so from the beginning. You say, "I'm a Methodist." It
wasn't so from the beginning. "I'm a Baptist." It wasn't so from the
beginning." I'm a Lutheran." It wasn't so from the beginning. They
were baptized saints of God with the Holy Ghost. That's what the
beginning was: signs and
wonders. You say "My church don't believe in it." It wasn't so from
the beginning. "My church don't believe in seeing visions." It
wasn't so from the beginning.
1960) That day
on
1961) Be
not afraid it is I 61-0123 P:17 And I believe that the sign that the Angel
of the Lord did, manifested in flesh there, was the sign of the manifestation
of Christ in His church at the last days. Now, Jesus said,
1961) Be
not afraid 61-0311 P:93 Saint John 5:19, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you; the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing."
Is that right? Now, that's Scripture. It cannot be broken. "I do nothing until I see the Father doing
it. Whatsoever the Father worketh, and I worketh hitherto. What the Father
does, He shows Me, then I do it." He just acted out in drama what the
Father showed Him to do. That makes Him the same today. "The
works that I do, shall you also." If that was the sign of the Messiah then, that same Spirit that was in
Messiah will be in His church. The church will do the same things that
Messiah did. 'Cause a grape vine can only put forth grapes each time it
come it comes out. That's the way it is
with us here. It has to be the same.
1963) Awakening Jesus 63-0117 P:70 You
say, "How can this be, Brother Branham?" St. John the 14th chapter,
12th verse, said that He'd prove it. See, "He that believeth on Me, the
works that I do shall he do also." You say, "I wish you could
prove and show me that He is just as He always was. If you could prove it to
me..." Well, here's where He challenged the proof. "He
that believeth on me, the things that I do..." In other words, you will be an amateur Messiah, Messiahette.
That's exactly right. For if His life be in you; it ain't you; it's Him. See?
And you are ordained to carry His work on. "He
that believeth on Me, I'll prove that I am Messiah. And He that believeth on me
will do the same thing." Now, that... He can't lie and be
what you think He is, and what I know He is, and you believe He is too. See?
1963) Be
not afraid 63-0607 P:42 And Jesus said, "Who
can accuse Me of unbelief?" And, "If
I don't do the works of My Father,
then don't believe Me. But if I do the works, and yet you can't believe Me,
believe the works that I do." So, you see, here He was doing the same thing that God did.
Now, I want to ask you brethren, if
the life of Jesus Christ is in the church, then surely the church would do the
same thing He did, because the same life is in it. If here stands a
peach tree, and I take all the peach life out of it, and put apple life in it,
what kind of a fruit will it bear? Apples. That's the kind of life that's in
it. Well then, if the life that was in
Christ is in us, it'll bear the fruits that He bore. It's got to.
1963) Remembering the Lord
63-0122 P:76 “How wonderful to think that He promised this. "Yet a
little while, and the world won't see Me no more. The world won't see Me; but
yet you'll see Me." Oh. "Wherever two or three are assembled
together, I'll be in their midst." I remember that. You remember that,
brethren? Yeah. See? "And the works that I do, they'll do it also." (here brother
Branham quotes
God identified by characteristics 64-0311
P:22 John 14:12,
"He that believeth," Jesus said, "on
Me, the works that I do shall he do also." Now, look, "He
that believeth on Me (a true believer), the works that I do shall he do also."
Notice. In other words, like this, "He that believeth on Me, shall be identified by My characteristic,
the works."
1965) Rising
of the sun 65-0418M P:30 Now, if there is another gospel, as Paul
spoke to one of the groups, "I am
so surprised that you turned to another gospel (which there is no other but
a make-believe gospel), to a denominational fiction, turning from that good
news: 'And because I live, ye live also, and I live in you; and the works that I do (John 14:12), the works that I do will identify Myself
in you.'" Oh, what a Message. No wonder we've had a dark world of
theology. But in the evening time there shall come Light again. There will be a
resurrection in the evening time. It shall be Light at the evening time.
1965) God's
provided place of worship 65-0425 P:75 Jesus said in
1965) Does
God change His mind 65-0427 P:35 But I want to say this, in closing, that
God never changed His mind. His direct will was for Balaam not to go. And when God makes a statement, it has to ever
remain true. Now, the Bible said, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever." Now, that don't mean "in a certain way." That means He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. Jesus said, in Saint John
14:12, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do
also." Is that right? He promised in Mark 16, "These signs shall follow them that believe." They say, "Well, that was just for the apostles."
He said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. These signs shall follow them in all the world, and to every
creature. In My Name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new
tongues. If they take up serpents, or drink deadly things, it wouldn't harm
them. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Now, that is His qualification. See, we try
to qualify something. We are trying to qualify the church to what we think
God's Word is. We can't qualify to the church. We've got to qualify to God.
1965) Rising
of the sun 65-0418M P:48 Until
the church or the people... All these Easter bunnies, and
ceremonies, and big churches, and finery will fail and pass away, until that church becomes both Dynamics and
Mechanics, and the Spirit of God that moved Him to do the things that He did,
if He hit on sixteen cylinders, so will the Bride. Amen. For He said in John 14:12, "He that believeth on
Me, the works that I do shall he do also, I'll give him a charge of My Dynamics in
his mechanics, that the world will
not be able to withstand it, and I'll raise him up again at the last day."
That's the Easter message: the Dynamics
and the mechanics together. The
mechanics without the Dynamics, no good; neither is the Dynamics without the
mechanics. You can scream and shout and jump up and down all you want to,
and deny this Word; it won't do any good. You're just cranking around the
pistons got spark there to fire, but no gasoline to fire it by. It'll only work
as they come together. Amen. So one will set still and the other one'll go up;
that's the only thing there is to it. Yet they both might look like, both claim
to be churches, both claim to be brides,
but one has mechanics and Dynamics. It brings it to pass. But what He said is
the Truth. It just won't move, no matter how good the mechanics is, until the
Dynamics come. When the Dynamics come, that Fire is made to connect with that
octane in the gasoline. And when that explodes it, it causes a combustion, and that combustion moves every motion, every
move, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's the
resurrection; that's the real power of God: mechanics with the Dynamics.
1965) Paradox
a 65-0117 P:53 Was
a paradox vindicated, and it's then to be Gospel Truth; a Gospel that had
promised this, and here it happened and vindicated what it was. Now, let me
give you a great noble paradox here, just a minute. In John 14:12, Jesus said, promised that the believer that believed in
Him, would do the same works.
Is that right? God, Who makes a law or a promise, must keep that promise to be
God. He does keep it. To think, the God... Why, It's a paradox itself; for God,
Who makes a promise and cannot break that promise, to give that promise of the
things that He did to His people to
follow throughout the age until He returned again. "Go ye into all the
world, preach the Gospel to every creature (every creature, all the world.); he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall
be damned; and these signs shall follow them that believe."
He's got to keep that Word. And because
He said it, it went from His mouth, it's got to be fulfilled. All
Scripture's got to be fulfilled. So it's a paradox alone to hear Jesus the Son
of God make such a statement as that, "The things that I do will you do
also." Now, the Bible said in Hebrews 13:8, He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. That's a paradox, 'cause
it has to be done. "Heavens and earth will pass away, but not one Word
that I've ever said will ever fail," He said. It has to be done.
1965) Anointed
ones at end time 65-0725M P:35 Remember this was at the end time, not back
under Wesley and back there. Now at the end time this was to take place. Now,
watch the Scriptures; let Them testify. Jesus said, "Search the
Scriptures, for in them you think (or believe) that you have Eternal Life, and
They are the One's that testify of Me." In other words, "If this tree
ever brings forth a branch..." "I am the--the Vine, the Tree; ye are
the branches; he that believeth in Me,
the works that I do shall he do also."
The following quotes
are concerning the greater works in the ministry of William Branham.
“EVEN GREATER WORKS SHALL HE DO”
1958) Queen of the south 58-0620 P:50 And,
friends, I say unto you, that a greater than Solomon is here tonight. The Holy
Spirit is here. When Jesus was here, which was far beyond Him, when He was here
in His first form as a body of flesh, they called Him a devil. The Spirit that
was working in Him, the Spirit of God discerning the thoughts, a million times
more than there was in Solomon... And I
want you to notice, watch the things that Jesus done and compare it with one
single meeting. There's more done in
that respect in one night's meeting, then there is in the entire life of the
Lord Jesus. Why? Because "A little while and the world seeth Me no
more; yet ye shall see Me, for I will be with you, in you to the end of the
world. And the works that I do shall you also, and more than this shall you do, for I go
to My Father." I know King James says
"greater." There could be no
greater; the right translation is "more." 'Cause God's universal,
now in His whole Church, the world around. He was only in one Man then, His
Son. And here He is tonight in the power of His resurrection, moving in a
little bunch of people like this, performing, and working, and doing the very
same things that He did when He was here on earth. And if the Queen of
1958) Jesus
Christ the same 58-0214 P:47 You
have to know it by the Spirit. Flesh cannot do those things. What is it? The vine,
the branches, the same life that was in the vine comes through His branches. He
feeds the branch through His vine. That's how He declares Himself to be the
same yesterday, and forever, for He said, "I'm the Vine." The Holy
Spirit now, Christ in Spirit form in you, energizing you with His Spirit to
believe God, and He's everything that He does, He manifests Himself just like
He did in the Bible times. "The works that I do, shall you also. A little
while, and the world won't see Me no more (How many knows He said that? That's
the unbeliever.), yet ye shall Me (the believer), for I ('I,' personal
pronoun), I'll be with you, even in you, to the end of the world." Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. "The
works that I do, shall you do also." Now, the word there
in King James says, "Greater works than this will you do."
But if you'll run that back to the Greek Lexicon, you'll find out that it
doesn't mean, "greater," it means "more."
You couldn't do greater. He stopped nature; He healed the sick; He raised the
dead; He--He done things. Well, there could be no more done. But you could do
more of it, because He would be in His church as the branch--as the vine in His
branches, or whole world around...?... the same thing.
1958) Jesus
Christ the same 58-0207 P:21 Now, if He has appeared to us in these last
days... Now, remember, when He appeared to the Jew, He--He told His disciples,
"Don't go to any Gentile. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
1959) Let
us see God 59-1129 P:76 Now, this Angel of the Lord, if It doesn't
perform and do the same works that Jesus did, then it's not the Spirit was on
Jesus. But if It does the same works that Jesus does; because He said, "He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall he also." You know the
Bible says, same chapter, John 14, "The works that I do, shall he
do also; even more than this shall he do, for I go to My Father."
I know the King James puts it "greater." It couldn't be no greater;
the original says "more." 'Cause He stopped nature; He raised the
dead; well, it's just everything. You could do no greater than He did. But the church would do more of it, because
while we're having a meeting here, they're having a meeting in Africa; they're
having them in
1959) From
the beginning it wasn't so 59-1125 P:52 Oh, just think now, just in a
moment. Think, in a moment the words that I've preached God has to speak if
they're truth, or if He doesn't, then I've misrepresented Him. And if I've
misrepresented Him, His Word has misrepresented Him. Did not Jesus say in John
14, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." I
said that to a man one time, he said, "Oh sure, we got great churches,
denominations; that's the works that He didn't do." I said, "He said,
'The same works that I do, shall you do also. Greater than this shall you
do.'" You show me the works that He did first, then show me the greater. In the original translation doesn't say
greater; it says more. More than this, 'cause the Holy Spirit would cover
the whole earth at that time, this time now. "More than this shall you do,
for I go unto My Father."
1960) That
day on
1960) That
day on
1960) Queen
of
1960) Revelation
chapter one 60-1204M P:56 "He that believeth in Me..."
Saint John 14:7, "He that believeth in Me, the works that I do
shall he also. Do the same works, and greater than
this..." Because Christ cannot preach the baptism of the Holy Ghost would
be greater. He could not bring it to them, because the Holy Ghost hadn't yet
been given. But when Jesus came and sacrificed His Life, and the Holy Ghost
returned, then they could impart Eternal
Life to the people. That's the
greater. But the signs and wonders, Jesus plainly said in Mark 16, "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." How far?
All the world. How many? Every creature. Long as the Gospel's being preached,
these signs shall follow them that believe. And when that becomes a revelation, brother, you're near the Kingdom then.
"On this rock I'll build My church, and the gates of hell can't prevail
against it." Because the man or the
woman that's ever been in that back desert alone like Moses was, and the
revelation of God be made manifest to him through the Holy Ghost, there's
nothing can shake him. He's just as sound and solid as he can be. Satan
hates revelation. He don't like it at all: upsets his plans.
1960) Show
us the Father and it will satisfy 60-0731 P:83 You say, "Well, Jesus said, 'The works
that I do, shall you also, greater.'" "Well," you said, "He
said, 'Greater.' "Well, let's see you first do the works that He did, then
do the greater. You do the first works He did. That's it; then you'll do the
greater. See? Let's see you do the first things He did. "The works that I
do shall he also." Then greater, if you'll take the translation, it says,
"More than this shall he do." 'Cause he couldn't do any greater,
'cause He--He did about everything could be done. But now, if this woman...
Now, I'm just going to pray for the rest of the people down the line. But the
people might know that the Holy Spirit is here. Now I'm just going to see if
God will give us the vision for this woman.
1961) Mary's
belief 61-0121 P:33 We're looking for a Messenger. That
Messenger is the Holy Spirit. The Bible said, "A little while and the
world won't see Me no more (Jesus did), yet ye shall see Me, for I'll be with
you to the end of the world. The works that I do shall you do also. More than
this shall you do, for I go unto My Father." Now, the word there
"more," in the right translation... I'm using it there and
"more," because it said in the King James "greater." Who
could do any greater? He raised the dead, stopped nature, done everything. But
then He was is in one Person. All of God was bottled up into one Man, Jesus
Christ. But in this time He's across the universe in His church, doing more of
it, the same works. "The same works that I do shall they do also. More
than this shall I do, because I return back to the Pillar of Fire that I was
before I was made flesh and dwelt on the earth. I showed Myself alive by the
same works and the same manifestations I did." That is exactly right.
Jesus said, when He was here on earth, "I come from God and I return to
God." Is that right? All right. If He was God...
1962) Perseverance 62-0608 P:101 Now,
you sick people again out there, now, I can't go down through that--discernment
through that line. You know, it--it would take me right off the platform.
One--one little woman caused the Son of God to say He got weak, and Him the Son
of God. What do you think I would be, a sinner saved by His grace? I couldn't
even stand one of them if He didn't say, "The works that I do shall you
also, and more than this shall you do." I know the King James says
"greater" but it's actually "more." See? Greater, He
couldn't do no greater. He raised the dead, stopped nature, done everything.
See? So it's just more of it, because there'd be more people. The Spirit was
just in one man there. Now, it's universal around the world in all of His
people. Believe.
1962) Greater
than Solomon is here 62-0628 P:34 Now, we got resurrection by
history. But then we got resurrection by sign, that Jesus Christ lives tonight
in His church. He's not dead; He's alive. Saint John 14:12, Jesus said,
"He that believeth on Me..." Not, "professes to believe,"
but He said, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do
also. More than this shall he do, for I go to the Father." Now, I know
King James says here, "greater." They couldn't do no greater. He
raised the dead; He healed the sick; He stopped nature; He done everything. But
the right translation in the original Hebrew, yet it says, "more than
this." That is, Christ was in one Man there, and Christ is in His church
universal now. "More of the same works will you do, for I go to My
Father." "A little while and the world (cosmos, world order) sees Me
no more. Yet ye shall see Me, for I (And 'I' is a personal pronoun as I have
said.) I will be with you, even in you (How long?) to the end of the
world." "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
1963) Jesus
Christ the same 63-0627 P:100 Now,
if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as I've told you, and you
know that I'm not a theologian, I'm not a preacher, as what I call like your
pastors here anointed to preach this. That's their call. This is my call, now
anointed with the Holy Spirit to let God flow through His people. See? Now,
will you believe it? If He'll show Himself among His people tonight, that He
promised, "A little while and the world won't see Me no more. The
unbelievers won't see
1963) God's gifts always find place 63-1222
P:35 I might drop some... No strangers among us
tonight, I suppose, so--in this prayer meeting. But let me say something. Did
Jesus, when He was here... Now, this is for thinking, now for...?... probably,
probing rather. Notice, just for thinking, Jesus said, in
1963) Man that can turn on light 63-1229M
P:103 Now, watch. Listen close. Get on your... I
pray that God will open your heart and your mind, understanding, so that you'll
understand without saying it's too much here. Notice. He said one day... Let's
see some of the great work He done. Let's just stop for just a couple of
things. Let's think. One time He said, "You feed them something to
eat." They said, "We have none." Said, "What have you got?
Bring Me what you've got." And they said, "We have five barley loaves
and two fishes." He said, "Bring them to Me." And He took the
original five barley loaves and begin to break the loaves. And from the
original He made bread that fed five thousand. Is that right? Then He said,
"Have you got a fish? Hand Me the fish." It was a fish to begin with,
and He took off that fish another fish, and another fish, and fed five
thousand. Is that right? But in the last day He had nothing; He just spoke and
said, "Say it'll be there," and it was there without anything in it.
He never had a squirrel; there was none there. He just said, "Let there
be," and there was. Oh, His Word's infallible. It has be fulfilled. I
could tell you things that would shake you. See? It's there when He says it's
there. Let Him say it. See? Just exactly. See?
1963) Be
not afraid 63-0607 P:107 Now,
this lady here, would you look this way just a moment? We're strangers to each
other. We don't know each other, but Jesus Christ knows us both. Well now, if
the Lord Jesus will reveal something like He has, say to the woman, "You
had five husbands," and you have a tumor, ulcer, cancer, you've got
domestic troubles, or whatever it is, you'd know it'd have to come from God,
wouldn't you? See, He just told that woman one thing, and the whole city
repented. And here He is doing more now, for He said, "The works that I do
shall you do also; and more than this shall you do." I know the King James
says "greater," but the Emphatic Diaglott says "more."
Couldn't do any greater. He stopped nature, raised the dead. You just do more of it. See? Quantity,
instead of quality.
1963) Man that can turn on light 63-1229M
P:104 See, the east--the west here has come back
and met the east. It was Moses even picked up sand and said, "Let there be
fleas," and so forth like that upon the earth. But in this last day He
doesn't take anything (See?), just the Word. "Let it be, and it is."
What's said, that's the way it'll be. I want to testify of some of those things
tonight (See, see?) of what's happened that you can see He's still God. His
Words cannot... "These works that I do, shall you also, and greater than
this shall you do. I took a fish to make a fish. You don't even have to have a
fish." He's still God. It's still the same Son, the same Son of God that
took a fish off of a fish. It's the same Son of God today. "These works
that I do shall you also; even greater than this will you do." It'll be
magnified. "Greater than this shall you do." And people refuse to see
it. Greater works...
1963) Man
that can turn on light 63-1229M P:101 And
He's the same yesterday, today, and forever; Hebrews 13:8 says He is. He's the
same today as He was then, because He does the same thing that He did. The same
Word that Christ...Listen, I want to ask--just take you now, and let this be
personal. I don't know; I'm going to decide whether to turn that off now or not
(See?) for that tape. I'll just let it stay there. I want to ask you something.
Watch this. See? He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Watch, His works
that He did manifest itself. Now, listen close. When He stood there in John 14:12,
He said, "The works that I do, shall you do also.
Greater than this shall you do, for I go unto My Father."
Now, He said it. Heavens and earth will pass away, but that Word will never
fail. Now, if we're at the last end of the age, where is them greater works
going to come? See, see? We're here. We haven't got...
1964) Shalom
64-0119 P:47 The Word is Light when It's vindicated.
Until the Word, it--that's promised for the day is a-vindicated, then it is not
Light. It cannot be. If God said, "Let there be light," and no sun
come in existence, there's no sign of light. But when God said, "Let there
be light," and there was light... When God promised a Messiah, Messiah
come, then His Word was fulfilled and He was the Light of the hour. When He
promised Noah, and He promised the others, and on down, they was the light of
the hour. And there's a Light of the hour today; that's Jesus Christ in the
power of His resurrection, His Word that's promised for this day. "The
works that I do, shall you also; greater than this will you do, for I go to the
Father." Greater works,
greater things than He did? You believe it? I believe it. It seems humble. It
seems like it goes over the top of people's head. Look when He was here on
earth. How could you do greater works? I've
translated that, many times, "more," but the same thing.
"Greater," He said in
1964) Shalom
64-0119 P:47 The
Word is Light when It's vindicated. Until the Word, that's promised for the day
is a-vindicated, then it is not Light. It cannot be. If God said, "Let
there be light," and no sun come in existence, there's no sign of light.
But when God said, "Let there be light," and there was light... When
God promised a Messiah, Messiah come, then His Word was fulfilled and He was
the Light of the hour. When He promised Noah, and He promised the others, and
on down, they was the light of the hour. And there's a Light of the hour today;
that's Jesus Christ in the power of His resurrection, His Word that's promised
for this day. "The works that I do, shall you also; greater
than this will you do, for I go to the Father." Greater
works, greater things than He did? You believe it? I believe it.
It seems humble. It seems like it goes over the top of people's head. Look when
He was here on earth. How could you do greater works? I've translated that,
many times, "more," but
the same thing. "Greater," He said in
1965) Man
running from presence 65-0217 P:73 Now, we believe that the hour
has come that