The
Doctrine of Christ no 44
“The Life of Christ no. 7”
Status and State no 2
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
January 18th, 2012
Romans
8:28-29 And we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. 29 For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
Now, as we read the other day the first part of that
shows your standing or your current state.
And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God. So
we see this working together for the good is the process that you are now
undergoing. It shows progression towards a goal somewhere and that goal is the
status whereby God saw you and ordained for you to be, even before He made the
Universe. to them
who are the called according
to his purpose. 29 For whom
he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
So we see then that everything you are going through
is working together to get you where God ordained you to be. And that is why
Peter told us in 1 Peter 1:7 that the trial of your faith is to be more
precious to you than Gold or silver.
1 Peter 1:5-7 5 Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a
season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the
trial of your faith, 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:
Now, the Wuest translation words this verse in a way
that is even more positive than the wording of the King James version. The
Wuest Translation says, "In which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing
with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a
while at the present time if perchance there is a need for it, you have been
made sorrowful in the midst of many different kinds of testings in order that
the approval of your faith, which faith was examined by testing for the purpose
of being approved, that the approval being much more precious than the approval
of gold which perishes,…
So we see that God uses all these trials and tests to
work into our flesh what he ordained to be there when he took his snapshot of
how we were to end up. And we also know that all sons who come to God must
first be tried and chastened.
Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with
you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the
LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let
not thy soul spare for his crying.
2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my
son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with
the stripes of the children of men:
Deuteronomy 21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son,
which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that,
when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
We even see the same rule applied to Christ Jesus, who
learned obedience by the things that He suffered. Hebrews
5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered;
Jesus Christ the eldest son fought a good fight, and
he ran with the patience the course that was set before him, and Henceforth there is
laid up for Him a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give Him at that day: and not to Him only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing.
So the trial of your Faith is not just for you, but
scripture tells us, “every son who comes to God must first be tested, so each
of us must endure the trial of our Faith. And those trials are meant to bring us to the
place of your status, where God saw you before the foundations of the world.
And so we have our course
set before us just as Jesus Christ the first born son had his course set before
him, but we are fortunate to have the pattern
already set, so we do not have to cut that pattern ourselves. You know the
trail blazed is the person who cuts in the trail so that others following will
not have such a difficult time following. And Jesus by Faith, trail blazed our
path, and laid down each step for us that we might not stumble and fall.
1
John 3:22 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. So what is this
purification? We are told in Psalm 119 that a young man purifies himself by
taking heed to the Word. So there is a purging that must go on and God lays
that on us for our free moral agency to allow.
Look, God doesn’t beat you
over the head or push you through a tube and then say blessed is he that
overcomes.
Brother Branham said that
you know. In His sermon, Marriage of the lamb
62-0121E P:28 Brother
Branham is reading from the book of Revelations and says, We know that there is going to be a bride,
and there's going to be a wedding supper served in the sky. That's just as sure
to be as God is, because it's His Word. And we know that those that are going
to make up that bride is going to be His church, and they're going to appear
before Him without spot or wrinkle. And they have the material on earth now to
make themselves ready. If you notice, it said, "She has made herself ready." So many says, "If the Lord will take this evil spirit
from me, from drinking, or from gambling, or from lying, or stealing, I'll
serve Him."
But that's up to you. You got to do something too. "They that overcome shall inherit all things," they that overcome. You have power to do it, but you must be
willing to lay it down. See? She has
made herself ready. I like that Word. You see, God could not push us through a little pipe, pull us out on the other
end, and then say, "Blessed
is he that overcometh."
You had nothing to overcome; He just
pushed you through. But you've got to
make decisions for yourself. I have
to make decisions for myself. In doing that, we show our faith and respects to God.
And then in showing our
Faith to God we can come boldly to His throne or mercy and Grace.
Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of him.
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father.
Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into
this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
So we see that we have access through Faith which is Revelation.
And this access to God’s mercy and Grace helps us to find our way through the
trial of our faith.
Now, we see that Faith begins it all. Faith brings us
into grace, and remember, in 2 Peter our Grace is multiplied by the knowledge
of God. And so we see that Faith gives us access and faith is a revelation. And
this revelation is the Word of God revealed to us and never forget this Word of
God is a seed. Then when the Life that is in the Word is made known, it is
released back into our lives and it takes over. It must bring forth after it’s
own kind, and that kind or nature is the very nature of the author of Life,
which is God.
That is why Peter told us also that everything we have
need of pertaining to Life comes from the Word. He even said for us to receive
God’s Divine nature, it must come through His Word.
Now, in Romans 4 we are told that not only does faith
bring us access to the grace and mercy of God but it brings us character as
well, therefore purifying us in the process. And this let’s us know that the
trials which we are going through are only but indicators of the current
standing in our path to Adoption. And the trials have no relevance as to our
status as we are already justified, sanctified and glorified in the mind of God
our Father. And the only way that this could be possible is that we are indeed
the seed of God.
Now, this brings us to the place of all things working
together to produce in you that glorified position or condition that God
ordained for you before the foundations of the world.
God uses the sowing and reaping and all the
circumstances and trials and tests that we go through to produce in us that
glorified condition that he ordained for us before he even created one molecule
or one atom.
And it all began to come to pass because God came down
to bring it all about with His shout. Is not that what the apostle Paul told
us? He said, they without us can not be made perfect, and William Branham said
they have got to have this Message. So it is this Message that changes us first
in the inner man, and as Paul said in Romans 12 we receive our transformation
by the renewing of the mind.
Look, we didn’t even know we were sons. We never had a
clue as to seed and God-life coming forth in that seed. No one spoke on seed like William Branham
did. Like brother Branham said, we all thought that we would leave this earth
and go to heaven and sit on clouds and have harps and such silly notions as
that. But now we understand that we are coming back to earth in bodies that are
commensurate with our glorified mind. Yes, our glorified mind. That is why he
comes to earth in this hour to be glorified in His saints. Because your mind
must be glorified before the body can be glorified. And that word Glorified is
endoxazo which means in the same values in the same opinion expressed. En
eaquals in doxa is the values and opinion of God and zoe is the life expressed.
IN DOXA ZOE. Doxa expressed in us. Hallelujah, praise our God.
And so the whole process begins by Faith and that
Faith gives us access to the Glory of God, to His values, to his opinion, and
Faith is a revelation. And so he is now, making changes in the body of this
death bringing you from mortal to immortal.
The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you. So He is here doing
it, brothers and sisters, and that which He has began he will perform it unto
the end.
1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit
sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he
cannot sin, (he can not disbelieve) because
he is born of God.
And remember, as long as
that God-Life is in you through seed, through the new birth, you have access to
the Divine nature, for the Divine Nature to express itself through your mortal
body.
In Matthew 7:17
Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their
fruits ye shall know them.
The fruit is the teaching of
the season, and therefore, a good tree can not bring forth bad teaching, but
just because you recognize a ministry
that is right and try to imitate it, doesn’t mean that you have it right yourself.
As brother Vayle has told me so many times concerning certain one, he said, “Brian, they’ve got
it but they don’t got it.”
Now, how can you have it without having it? Because although you might
say the same words, you don’t have the same spirit and inflexion in those
words. Remember, and never forget the Words of Jesus Christ Himself. “The Word
killeth but the Spirit giveth life.”
Look, those people filled
with demons knew who Jesus Christ was better than the priests did. They said,
“o son of God have mercy on me”. That’s Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into
the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming
out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29 And,
behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son
of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
It was a palm reader on the
bus that recognized the Pillar of Fire over the head of William Branham when
others could not see it. So just because you may recognize a servant of God and
try to say the same thing he says, it doesn’t necessarily mean you know what
you are talking about. And it’s very apparent that there are many who have not
a clue.
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the
man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit (his teaching) in his season; his leaf also
shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like
the chaff which the wind (doctrine) driveth away. 5 Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the
righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
John
10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Then if no man can pluck them out of His hand then
what are you afraid of. Look, they can try to put you out but they will never
be able to do it. Your status is locked in, and it is just your current
standing that is able to be moved. You sow wrong brothers and sisters and you
will reap what you sowed wrong. As the
proverb says, you sow to the wind and you will reap a whirl wind. But that
won’t take you out of God’s purpose and plan. It just means you will have a
harder time obtaining the promise, and you will certainly struggle with it a
lot more.
And what you sow here you will reap not only here but
over there as well. Did not Jesus say,
if you give up family and houses here you will receive not only here but
over there as well? Mark
10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses,
and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Did not the prophecy over William Branham says,
Because thou has chosen this harder way, you've
chose it, you have chose it by your own choosing. ('Course we know that, Moses
had to make his choice. Said) This is the precise and correct way, because it's
My way. And what a glorious decision you've made. (Said) Because of this, a
large portion of heaven awaits you. And this in itself is that which will make,
and bring to pass, the tremendous victory in the Love Divine. All three was the
same. I thought I had that in my Bible tonight (I looked in there, but I
didn't.), the original copy of it.
You sow and you will reap. Sow, then and keep sowing
and you will reap abundantly. Now, you have a status that was in God’s mind
before the world was framed, but you’ve got to sow to that calling for it to
produce, because brother Branham said, being in the family is just the
beginning, but you’ve go to be the right kind of son to be adopted. Now, you
could never do away with your son-ship, but you can do away with your
inheritance.
2
Timothy 2:19 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one
that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there
are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto
honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and
prepared unto every good work. 22 Flee also
youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that
call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But
foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24 And the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach,
patient, 25 In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will
give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And
that they may recover themselves out of the snare
of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Serpent's seed 58-0928E P:22 We're not here as a bunch of illiterate
crack pots; we know where we are standing in the Word of God.
Now, brothers and sisters,
you’ve go to know where you are standing in this word. I don’t care how much
you identify with the man William Branham or the man Lee Vayle. I know brothers
who claim to follow both and have for more than 40 years and ran into error
concerning something as simple as the right formula for baptism. Let me read
this whole quote from br. Branham’s sermon Serpent Seed just so you have the
context of what he was saying.
Serpent's seed 58-0928E P:22 So if
we are teaching baptism in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, it's
false prophecy. Now, I don't want to hurt you, but I got to pin this
down so this church will know what... We're not here as a bunch of illiterate
crack pots; we know where we are
standing in the Word of God. See, we
know... I challenge anybody to show
me one place where anybody was ever baptized in the name of Father, Son, Holy
Ghost. Now, are you going to
listen to false prophecy or the truth? Search the Scriptures. It's up
to you. Show me where one person in the
Bible, where a church was ever ordained a denomination in the Bible. Show
me in the Bible where they ever ordained a woman preacher. Show me in the Bible
where all these things that we been talking about ever was ordained in the
Bible. They're not there. Tell me one place.
Now, come on, brothers and sisters, let’s face the
issues. We have people in pulpits that are there only because someone laid
hands on them to make them a minister when they have no more a call from God
than nothing. Your fruits shows what you are. Your actions and what you teach. And
the ones who laid hands on them are no better than the ones who went to get
hands laid on. Didn’t Simon the sorcerer go to get Peter to lay hands on him?
He even offered Peter money to do so. And what did Peter tell him? To hell with
you and your money.
Brother Branham said in his sermon Does God change His mind 65-0427 P:64 I do not believe
that you lay hands on people and give them gifts. Gifts and callings are
without repentance. They are
predestinated of God, to meet the age and the time of that age. Any Bible
student knows that's the truth.
And these same preachers went into error concerning
baptism of all things. And the Apostle Paul said that baptism is one of the
elementary things. It is one of the principle things concerning the Doctrine of
Christ. And they lead brothers astray and are still leading brothers astray
concerning other Scripture as well, teaching that the fullness of the Godhead
is in the Bride and taking Ephesians 4 for their Bible text. Shame on them. And
then fussing over the fact that William Branham said if you have the Spirit of
Christ in you, you will have the nature of Christ and you will do the works of
Christ, and then fussing with someone whop would quote a vindicated prophet
concerning The Life of Christ in a believer doing the same thing that life did
when it was in Christ?. Brother, you better know where you are standing because
if you don’t there will come along something to take you out of the way.
Christ 55-0221 P:23 The
church is the only one that'll live today and not go out into universalism and
so forth, (let me just stop here for a moment and tell you I
know certain preachers right in this Message that teach or have taught
Universalism from their so called message pulpits. They even say the devil will
be saved because they don’t understood the Scripture when it says that Elijah
is to come and restore all things. Listen, “all
things” refers to the saints. We are all things in Christ Paul said.
So brother Branham continues, …) and out into this modernistic, social Gospel, (And don’t’
tell me there aren’t churches that preach a social Gospel. Afraid to teach the
doctrine of Christ, and so it’s Focus on the Family… And if that isn’t a social
Gospel I don’t know what is. And so brother Branham continues…) The church is the
only one that'll live today that won’t go after those things, because
she is the one who's got the Blood on the doorpost out here, of the Blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ: born again. They
know where they're standing, if they're really born again. They'll not
be entangled with every yoke, and every doctrine, and tossed about here, and there, and every cult.
They know where they're standing: in
Christ, through the Blood.
Uncertain sound 55-0731 P:39 Jesus, standing on earth, He knew where He stood. He knew Who He was. He said, "I
have power to lay My life down. I have power to take it up again." No
uncertainty about that. "I have."
Hallelujah. "I now have the power to lay it down. I have the power to take
it up." Yes, sir. No one holds Me. Any
man or woman that's born of the Spirit of God knows where they stand,
regardless of what takes place, or how many says yes or no. They know where they stand. There's no
uncertain sound. Hallelujah. Oh, my.
Hear ye Him 58-0209A P:37 if
the new life that you think you've received doesn't pattern with God's Word,
you've got the wrong life in you. The
life of Christ will produce the works of Christ, will produce the faith of
Christ, will make you act as Christ, make you love Him. He will be first in
your life. Your objectives, your motives, and everything will be all-together
different. It'll be for the glory of God.
Jehovah Jireh 58-0127 P:36 And the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus
Christ, will have to be operating in His church to make them coincide together
at the rapture, or it won't go up at that time. The Spirit that was in Jesus, will have to be in His church, or the
two pieces won't dovetail together, the life of the church and the life of
Christ cannot dovetail together. The body's setting there to make
reconciliations, to make intercessions upon our confession, and the Spirit's in
the church.
And in closing, from the sermon, Seven church
ages 54-0512 P:65 brother Branham said, Lukewarm, that's a horrible
condition for the church to be in. You don't watch, the Branham Tabernacle's
got in that same sway. Listen, you know these things. It's been taught year
after year, after year, after year, over this platform, warning you of these
things coming. When the Bible said there would be a time they'd go from east to
the west, and north and south, trying to find the true Word of God, and fail to
find It, you'd better get anchored,
where you know where you're standing. Let us pray,