The Doctrine of Christ no 32
(Knowing of whom you are taught)
Sunday, November 20th, 2011
KJV II TIMOTHY 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But
continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned [them] 16
For All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
PHILIPPIANS 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard,
and seen in me, do: and the
God of peace shall be with you.
Let's bow our heads in prayer…..
This morning I would like to speak on the subject
of: The
importance of knowing of whom you are taught. As you can see by these
two scriptures, it is very important to know who is teaching us, because our
eternal destination will be determined by what Word we receive.
As you know, we live in a time when deception is one
of the keynote attributes of this age.
In 2nd John we read,
II JOHN 1:7 ¶ For many deceivers are
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we
lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not
God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son. 10 ¶ If there come any unto you,
and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him
God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
NIV 2 John 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of
Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father
and the Son.
WUEST 2 John 9 Everyone who goes beyond the limits of True
doctrine, and does not remain in the aforementioned teaching with reference to
Christ, does not possess God. The One who remains in the aforementioned
teaching, this one possesses both the Father and Son.
Therefore, we are in danger of losing everything we
have hope in concerning salvation and laying up treasure for the other side, if
we receive the wrong teaching. Therefore it is all important to know who it is
that is teaching us.
In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us that men will come
along and they will teach another Jesus, one of a different Nature, and this
will bring a different Spirit, one that is not the True Holy Spirit, but one
that is of a different nature, and thus many will be deceived thinking they
have received the Holy Spirit when they have received the Spirit of Satan.
II
CORINTHIANS 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I
have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to
Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any
means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh
preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Notice, Paul not only calls her a virgin which is one
which has been kept free from intimate relations with man, One who has been kept clean, but he more
specifically calls her a chaste virgin, one who has been set
aside, sanctified, and no mingling has taken place at all. VINES Expository
definition of Greek words tells us the root word here means to
be “free from any admixture altogether”. Not even the slightest mixing. She's clean,
pure, holy.
Yet we see the Apostle Paul tell us that in his day,
instead of the people staying pure in doctrine, the people began receiving others who were not
right in their teaching. Men entered in
among the flock who began to pollute the truth by changing the nature of the
Word, thus producing a Gospel of a different nature than what they had been
given. Thus the Apostle Paul was upset with the people because when these guys
came along, they put up with this other natured Gospel so easily enough. Notice
verse …4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than
the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you
received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5 But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those
"super-apostles." 6
I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this
perfectly clear to you in every way.
We find in the book of Galatians, Paul comes against these
false apostles, very hard…Here he let's us know the true nature of what they
teach and it's end product. Because after all,
Doctrine is a seed. If it is
true doctrine it is a True seed that will produce eternal Life, but if not it
is an incorrect doctrine, it will produce death, spiritually and physically.
GALATIANS 1:6 ¶ I marvel that ye are
so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (Now this
word “another” was translated from the
Greek Word “heteros,” which means “of a
different nature” Paul continues, 7 Which is
not another ( Here Paul
is more specific, by saying, it is not an “Allos,”
which means a different one altogether, no he is saying it is not a totally
different Gospel, but it is a Gospel that has been given a twist which changes
it’s nature, it is a perverted Gospel) ; Then he adds, but
there be some that trouble you, and would “pervert
the gospel” of Christ. (Now, this word pervert
here was translated from a Greek word “Metastrepho”,
which means “to turn one's course or to change one's mind”.)
So we see this other Gospel or this Gospel of a
different nature has turns and twists in
it that lead you in another direction. Now, let’s go to verse 8 to see some
very strong words the apostle Paul uses concerning those who would thus pervert
the Gospel and present a Gospel that was of a different nature than the one
that he presented. Verse 8, “But though we, or
an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again,
If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him
be accursed.”
Now, brother Branham, Like the Apostle Paul and like
any true called, true ordained ministry sent by God, notice they have a certain way in which they
approach anything. They don't just jump into things, but they set back and
watch to see where these things are going. They watch to see where these things
will lead. Because after all, our
eternal destination hangs on the direction to where we are led by the teaching.
From His sermon, TESTIMONY 63-1128M
014 Brother Branham said, “I'm
not a preacher. Anybody knows that. I'm not a preacher. But it's made up in a spiritual form of
watching things and seeing things move, and forewarning people of things that's coming to pass. (Notice, not things that will come to pass,
but warning of things which are [present tense] coming to pass.) And it's just that's
my makeup. I can't help that, no
more than you can help your makeup. But God has put us each one in the Body to
do certain things. And I watch every
little move, every objective, every motive, 'cause everything is governed by
spirit. This church was put here for a purpose. There's a spirit behind this church. Certainly. Spirit behind your home, behind every
building, behind everything there is a
spirit, motive, and objective. This church
comes here to greatly exalt some human system or something, then its motives is
not right; but if it's put here to
try to achieve something for the Kingdom of God, then the motive and objective
both is right, if the motives is directed that way.
Now, let’s turn in our
Bibles to KJV II Timothy 3:13 And
as we begin to read I want to examine this Scripture word by word and line by
line. Notice Paul is speaking of the end-time and he says, But evil men (The
word evil was translated from the Greek word “poneros,”
which means hurtful, i.e. evil (properly,
in effect or influence, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue;
diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, derelict, vicious, mischief,
malice, --bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked.
In other words, these men have a wrong nature, full of
malice, and a spirit which wishes hurt
on others. He also continues by calling them) seducers
(which means they are imposters, and they use flatteries to enchant with purpose
to deceive. And he tell us these men) shall
wax worse and worse, (In other words they shall advance from a mode of thinking which is bad in nature, to a mode of thinking which becomes
destructive in nature, like the process of rotting and decay. Then Paul
says they are) deceiving, (which means
they will be leading others into error) and (he continues all the while they themselves are )being deceived (or being led into error
themselves).
Now, let’s move on to verse
14 But
continue thou in the things which thou hast learned (Don’t
deviate yourselves, but rather continue in the things which you have come to
know and understand) and the things which thou hast
been assured of (or fully persuaded of), knowing of whom thou
hast learned them.
So Paul is talking to the people about how ungodly
men, deceivers will come in among the true believers to try to lead off into a
Gospel of a different nature, a perverted Gospel, but he says, you must know
the ones who are teaching you, because Jesus Himself said, not every one who says Lord Lord shall enter
in, but they that do the will of my Father. And that means you must not only look
at what they are teaching you, but you must also look at their life to see if
they are even worthy of the Gospel they claim to be preaching.
When the Apostle Paul says,
“knowing of
whom thou hast learned them”. He is talking about you being discerning, observing, perceiving the person who or
teacher who is increasing your knowledge);
Then he says in verse 16 For All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, (in other words, the word inspiration comes from the
root inspire which means to be breathed, so he is telling us the Word of God is
God breathed), and since it is God breathed because it has come
from the mouth of God, then it is profitable for
doctrine (it’s useful for teaching), and for reproof (that means
convincing), and it is good for correction (correction
of what? Correction from errors.), for instruction
in righteousness (which is right-wise-ness, or right-doing): 17 That the
man of God may be perfect (which means complete), thoroughly furnished (completely
equipped) unto (for) all good works.
Now, the
Now, Why are we telling you it is so important to know
of whom you are taught. Because if the wrong person teaches you, you will
receive a wrong teaching, and if you receive a wrong teaching, you will receive
a wrong spirit. And if you receive a
wrong spirit, you receive a wrong life. And if you receive a wrong life, it is
not eternal life, then it is temporal which means it will have an end, and
therefore it is a spirit of death…
Now, this same Apostle Paul who warns us in 2 Timothy,
also told us that our salvation comes from hearing the right words from the right
ministers.
Please turn with me to the
Book of Romans and we will read from
chapter 10: and verses 13-17 And I want you to mark these thoughts in your Bibles,
because I am going to point out just exactly what he is telling us here,
because knowing this is very important concerning your salvation. He says, “For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Now, notice, he says our calling on the
Lord has to do with our salvation. But then notice what he says next.)
Now, let’s see what he has
to say about that. Verse 14, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things! Then he says in verse 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Now,
Martin Luther in his comments on these verses said,
"Even though they say they hear, they boast in vain, unless they hear true preachers; for to hear false prophets means as much as not to hear. They hear and they do not hear. They have ears, but do not hear, nor do they preach The True Word of God. There are four statements which follow one
another is such a way that one leads to the other, but so that the last forms
the foundation on which the others rest. Thus, 1. It is impossible that those preach who are not sent. 2. It is impossible
that those hear who are without a preacher. 3. It is impossible that they believe who do not hear. 4. It is
impossible that they call upon Him
who do not believe. To these must be
added a fifth, it is impossible that
they who do not call upon the name of the lord shall be saved. So, then, the
entire source and origin of salvation rests on this, that God sends out someone, (a true minister of the Word). If He
does not send out any, then they who
preach, preach falsely, and their preaching is no preaching at all.
In fact, it would be better for them not to preach. Then also, they who hear, hear error, and it would be better for them not to hear.
Then also they who believe, would
believe false doctrine, and it would be better for them not to call. For such preachers, do not preach; such hearers do not hear; such believers do not believe; such callers do not call; they will be damned because they would be saved by
falsehood. As we read in Proverbs 1:28
"Then shall they
call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall
not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the
Lord". Then only they can preach with certainty who
preach without error."
Now, we know what Paul said in Romans 10, and we know what he said
in 2 Corinthians
11, and again in the book of Galatians, that if they receive a wrong word, then they will receive a wrong spirit.
How then can we think that anyone who sits under a wrong ministry and
has a wrong conception of the message has the right spirit, which is the Holy
Spirit? A wrong conception is a wrong quickening to life. Conception means to quicken to life.
We know Peter said, in 1
Peter 1:23 that "we are born again,
not by a corruptible seed, but by an incorruptible seed, by the Word of God
which Lives and Abides forever.” Jesus told us that the Sower sowed a
seed which is the Word of God. And that seed will produce a life
according to the law of reproduction, which states, "Ever seed must bring forth after it's own nature."
Then, to receive a wrong Word must produce a wrong
spirit or a wrong life. How can it be otherwise. Did you know that brother Branham said we
must have a right teaching in order to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
To receive the Seal of God? And if you don't receive the seal of God there is
only one seal left and that is the seal of satan, which is the mark of the
beast.
From his sermon, Unity One God One Church
58-1221E 76 042
brother Branham said, “The Scripture says, "All that didn't receive the Seal of God had the mark of the beast."
There's only two classes on the earth. One's got the Mark of God, the other
one's got the mark of the Devil. And all
that didn't receive the Mark of God had the mark of the Devil. That's what the Scripture said.
So you're forced to make a decision”.
And from his sermon,
So notice here that he places an emphasis on being
taught right. He says, if you really believe it,
and really have accepted it in your heart, and are taught right, then the Holy Spirit will come…as
a confirmation.
Again from his sermon 148-2 Smyraean
Church Age - Ch 4 he said, “So you can see right now that very few will ever believe all the way
to receiving the Spirit of God.”
And from
And again from his sermon, I Will Restore 54-0620A 029 he said, “Now, what is the circumcision today? Is the
Holy Spirit. God circumcises our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Where was done by
the flesh with hands in the days gone by, but it's done by the Holy Spirit now.
When we believe correctly on the
Lord Jesus Christ, God gives the Holy Ghost to us to confirm it, that our faith
has been reckoned before Him, and imputed to us for righteousness. Without the
Holy Spirit, He's never recognized it yet.
And in his sermon, ELIJAH 55-0301 E-51 he said, “You have to believe It yourself. And in believing so, if you correctly believe, God will
grant you your request.”
Again from his sermon, Doctor Moses 55-0114 E-31 031 he said,“God is under obligation to His Word. Peter said on the Day
of Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized every
one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
That's the Scripture, just as clear as I know how to read it. If you repented
and are baptized, then God's under obligation, if your faith is right towards God to give you the Holy Ghost the minute that you obey His Word.
Believe that. God will vindicate it to you. If your heart's really right before God, and you're taught
right, and believing it, and
walk up there with the assurance, something's going to happen, 'cause God's
more willing to give you the Holy Ghost than you are willing to accept It.
Again we read from his
sermon,
And in his sermon, Demonology 2 Religious 53-0609
"How little you preachers know." I said, "Instead of
baptizing your body, you need your
brains baptized.” That's right. You don't stop to think of things. You
don't try to consider it."
And from his sermon, Church and its Condition
56-0805 21 “we
can't have a better understanding unless it. And if we're going to have a
understanding of God, it must come out of God's Word, for the Word
is what God gave us to feed our hungry souls. And the Holy Spirit was sent to
take the Word of God and to feed us by the Word. You see it? See, we... The
Holy Spirit is sent from God to take the Word of God and to give It to us as we
have need. Now, I'm so glad that God made a provision like that (Aren't you?),
that He would feed us.
Now, here is the thing. I
believe the job of the five fold ministry is to do one thing. And that is to
teach you the Truth of the Word of God. The Five fold ministry can not give you
a revelation of the Word of God. Revelation only comes from God. But the reason it is so important that you have the
right person teaching you is because the Word is a seed, and If the wrong seed
is planted then wrong life will come up. But if the right seed is planted into
your minds, then God can anoint that right word and quicken it to you so that
you will then grow in that Word, and that Word can then come alive to you and
in you and work its way through you.
Now, brother Branham said in
his sermon, Blasphemous Names 62-1104M 053
“And the biggest part of our faith
is mental faith. By hearing the Word it brings us to a
mental recognition of God. But if this coming from above, oh, brother, if it ever strikes this, there is a godly,
spiritual faith. Then what does that faith do? That faith recognizes only the Word. No matter what anything else
says, it only recognizes the Word,
because "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (And the Word's still God.) And the Word was made flesh and dwelled
among us.” And when the word Itself is pouring into our
faith, our mental faith becomes a spiritual revelation. "And upon this foundation I'll build My
Church,” (See?), not upon a mental conception of church
joining, a mental conception of that,
but upon the revelation. When them streams of grace has poured into
that mental faith that you've got, then upon this, a spiritual revelation,
"I'll build My
Church and the gates of hell can't prevail against it.” See? That shows they would be against it,
but it'll never prevail. Oh, what a glorious thing.
And again a few paragraphs
down from this last one in Blasphemous Names 056 he said, “Number
one, coming to you, your mental faith,
right here, comes the Holy Spirit, coming down into your mental faith
making it a spiritual faith. Then the spiritual faith only recognizes the Word.
Now, and number three: Then you'll have spiritual, you'll have the Holy Spirit,
and will seal all these things into you,
as that Holy Spirit covers this. From your faith up to the Holy Spirit
seals you in with Christ; then you
become one. Amen. You become one. See, you and Christ live together. "At that day you'll know that I'm in the Father, the Father in
Me, I in you, and you in Me.” See? Then that's
a sealed unit of the Lord God. Now, and then they are vindicated and placed.
When that time takes place, they become vindicated sons and daughters of God.
So from what he is saying
here is this. The ministry of the five fold is to teach your mind, the right
Word, so that God can water that right Word, and bring it to the place of a
right revelation, which is a quickened Word which has been made alive by the
Holy Ghost in you. Then that quickened Word makes you a part of the revelation.
From
his sermon, Christ is the mystery 63-0728 P:12 brother Branham said, “Look, Christ in you makes Him the center of Life
of the revelation. See? Christ's Life
in you makes Him the center of the revelation. Christ in the Bible, makes the Bible a complete revelation of
Christ”. “Christ in you makes you
the complete revelation of the whole thing. ‘See, what God's
trying to do? What is the new birth
then? You say, "Well, Brother Branham, what is the new birth?" It is the revelation of Jesus Christ
personally to you. Amen. See? Not you joined a church, you shook a hand;
you done something different; you said a creed; you promised to live by a code
of rules; but Christ, the Bible... He is the Word that was revealed to you. And
no matter what anybody says, what takes place, it's Christ. Pastor, priest, whatever it might be... It's Christ in you. That is a--the revelation that the Church was built
upon.
From his sermon, Hebrews Chapter 3
57-0901M brother
Branham said, “And
one of them said, "We have down here, Elisha. He poured water on the hands
of Elijah." See his associate? In
other words, "Here's Elisha who's had associations with Elijah, the
Word of the Lord is with him." You get it? He'd been taught right. And he said, "He's here. Let's
go down and consult him because his teacher was Elijah, and he's got the
teaching of Elijah in him." See
what a difference it makes? Sure, we want to be taught.”
Now, that we understand what right teaching will do
for us, and how it prepares us for Divine Revelation from God, to contrast it, let's
see what wrong teaching will produce…
JAMES 1:13 ¶ Let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when
it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a
kind of first-fruits of his creatures.
Now, usually when a minister
teaches in error, he uses fear to control the people instead of the Word of God
to lead and guide them.
Brother Branham said in his sermon, Unpardonable Sin
54-1024 “Think of it: no fear. That's the
greatest plague there is in the Christian Church today, is "afraid.” And the
reason they're afraid is because they're not taught right, and
settled right, on the Gospel. So you see these
preachers who use fear to cajole the people
into submission are teaching wrong. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8: 15 For ye have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
From his sermon, Does God Change His Mind
172 087 brother Branham said, “But what happened? Balaam.
He succeeded in weakening
In closing, brother Branham said from his sermon Hebrews Chapter 5 and 6 57-0908M P:24 “Paul, speaking to this Hebrew group, yet
scholars he's speaking to now, scholars, well learned. We find that in a few
moments, very scholarly. But the deep spiritual mystery, the church is still
blinded to it. He said, "When you
ought to be teaching others, you're still a babe.” Oh, I know there's many
rise up, and go out, and say, "Oh, I don't need to go to
church anymore. Praise God, the Holy Ghost has come; He's the teacher."
When you get that idea, you're just
wrong. For why did the Holy Ghost set teachers in the church if He was
going to be the teacher? See? There are
first apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors. The Holy Spirit
set teachers in the church, so He
could teach through that teacher. And if it isn't according to the Word, God doesn't confirm it, then it isn't the
right kind of teaching. It must compare with the entire Bible, and be just as alive today as It was then.
There's the real thing made manifest”.