The Doctrine of Christ no 61

“He that believeth on Me no 15”

The Life of Christ Part 1

Brian Kocourek

 

 

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

 

Let us pray, Dear Gracious and Loving Father, we know that it is impossible for you to lie, and although we have examine 19 Promises you made to your Elect, the ones you call believers, yet Father we find in the hearts of so many the lack of faith to claim those promises for themselves. It seems it is so easy for men to always look forward and always look back and we see that in doing so they fail to see what you have for your Elect in the very hour they are living in.

 

So than you Lord for opening our eyes that we might not only se but that we might perceive and understand the thins you have for us in this hour. We also wish to thank you Lord, for having made known to us over these past 35 weeks these 19 promises that you have given to those who are Believers in you and Your son Jesus.

 

As your children, we have come to examine your promises to the believer and we have found Your Words not mysterious, nor veiled, but rather quite plain in your promises to us, and for this we are very, very thankful. Your prophet William Branham once told us a story about Abraham Lincoln, and how he had pardoned a certain man, but that man rejected his pardon because it did not come to him the way he had thought it should. And we understand from that story that, “a pardon is not a pardon unless it is accepted as a pardon”, and we can also say “a promise is not  promise unless it is accepted as a promise.” So we just want to tell you Lord, that we do accept all these divine Promises that you have laid out for us in Your Word, and we ask that You might manifest them in these mortal bodies before we are changed from mortal to immortal, and we ask this is the precious name of Your Loving and obedient son, who is our pattern, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.    You may be seated…

 

Now, this morning after 15 sermons examining the promises that are given to the believer with the phrase “Whoever Believes in Me” , we’ve finally arrived at the promise that began this entire series and that is John 14:12 where Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, “He (or whosoever) believeth” ( πιστευων) on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

 

First: let me says that during the course of this study, we have shown that in all 19 verses of Scripture that use the phrase “He” or more accurately “Whoever Believes in Me” that God has given the believer promises associated with all 19 Bible verses.

 

Secondly:, We found that these promises are a “Universal Truth” because these promises are the same in most every language including the original Greek, and we found the same expression or phrasing was used throughout all 19 Scriptures throughout all languages we examined.

 

Thirdly: We found the words “He that Believeth in me( πιστευων) were not even used, but rather the words “whoever Believes in Me” were used. We also found the only language where the word “he” was used in describing these promises from God was in the King James English version and those versions which used the King James version as their pattern. In many other English translations the words “whoever believes in Me” we used. Therefore we can conclude by our studies that the correct translation should have been “Whoever believes in Me” as it is found using these words in all known languages and the words “whoever believeth” were consistent throughout all 19 Scriptural verses that spoke of the Believer.

 

Fourthly: We found that the Word in question that was translated in the King James English version as “he” was in fact in the original Greek language as well as in every other language translated as “whoever”. And this Greek Letter or symbol () that looks like the English letter “O” with an accent mark above it. We found when we copied this letter from the Greek Bible and pasted this () Greek letter/Symbol, into the world famous www.Translate.google.com software, the translation into English comes back as the word “son” when translated without any other words before or after it. So we see the real true hidden meaning gives us the precise translation of  Son” before the grammarians messed with it in trying to figure out how to apply it into the phrase, “whoever believeth in me.” And if we take that word’s true meaning of “Son” into the sentence, it would read, “Son that Believeth in me” which runs us straight back to God’s first promise to man in Genesis 1:11 (the law of reproduction) which tells us that “every seed must bring forth after it’s kind”.

 

Thus the phrase “Son that believeth” shows that only “sons” are ordained to receive every Divine promise of God because it is not only “sons” who inherit from their father, but the fact that the believer is a “son” of God, means that his very nature will be the nature of God, and as “son” he is ordained to receive everything God has for him, and will manifest in him, and so believing is simply an attribute of being “son”.

Thus these attributes and characteristics represent the very essence of the God-Life that was in the Original Seed Jesus, and expressed to all mankind, and thus by the law of Life, or the law of reproduction, must also be manifested in every other son of God who came from the loins of God. Or shall we say who came forth from that original Seed which is the example seed which was Christ as brother Branham said in The Spoken Word is the original Seed Message.

  

Fifthly: We then proved that these verses of Scripture that speak of “the believer whoever that believer may be”, does not speak of only one believer, as though only one seed off of the original seed is capable of inheriting those promises of God, but it speaks of “whoever that son is who believes”, showing the promises belong to Him as a son.

 

Sixth: We showed where Br. Bosworth in His book, “Christ the healer” spoke of John 14:12 being the very evidence of the promise of healing to sons through the church.

 

Seven:  We showed the historical evidence of the fulfillment of these promises throughout the seven Church Ages, using examples as Paul, Peter, John, Irenaeus, Polycarp, Martin of Tours, Columba, St. Patrick, Joan of Arc, Wesley, Br. Bosworth, The great Scottish revival, and in this day William Branham who himself had more than all the others combined.   

 

Eighth:  We showed that in the phrase John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, “He that believeth on me”, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” In this Scripture we showed how there is a semi Colon used to separate the works from the greater works, and we showed that the definition of a semi colon is that it is used to connect independent clauses, meaning in this usage that the works and greater works are independent from each other.

 

An example of this can be seen in the NIV translation where it shows a very good distinction between the works and greater works.

 

The New International Version: which uses the Biblica Hebraica makes the distinction between the works and the greater works as it reads; “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing; He will do even greater things than these”. Notice it speaks generically of the works when it says “anyone who has faith in me”, but when it speaks concerning the greater works, it switches to the singular, “he” which verifies that only one person will do the greater works, and as William Branham is the only person evidenced by 2,000 years of history where only one man has done “more than Jesus” in quantity over the past 2,000 years, then we can say based on historical empirical evidence over the past two thousand years shows only one person did more than Jesus did in His earthly ministry. And since God interprets his word by bringing it to pass, we can thus say the greater works was confirmed in the ministry of William Branham, but the works as has been evidenced throughout the last 2,000 years has been from saint to saint within the church of the Living God.

 

Ninthly: We shared quite a few quotes from brother Branham concerning this topic “The Works That I Do shall he do also

 

Tenthly: I would like to review a whole lot of quotes from brother Branham today showing where he said, “if the Life of Christ in you will do the works of Christ, you will act like he did and you will live like he did, and you will do the works that he did.

 

Eleventh: We will show you what brother Branham defined as the works of Christ so that you can know exactly what to look for when you think in terms of those works that defined His ministry and the ministry of the believer.

 

Twelve: We will show you the quotes on the greater works and show you that brother Branham himself defined the greater works three different ways.

 

Now, for the next 30 minutes or so I am just going to read a whole lot of quotes from Brother Branham that he ties into John 14:12 showing you that when he speaks of the believer, He is speaking of the person who is born again and the Life of Christ is abiding in them. But before we read from William Branham’s sermons, let’s open our Bible to see where the Apostle Paul taught the same thing in the alpha ministry.

 

Colossians 3:1-25 If, (Notice here the word) “If” ye then be risen with Christ, (So right off we see he is not speaking to everyone who claims to be a Christian here, but to those who are risen with Christ. He said, If” ye then be risen with Christ, and in order to be risen with Christ, you had to die first, so this is only to those believers who have died to self, and have become born anew by the Spirit of God living in them.

 

You will find in the book of Colossians that the Apostle Paul speaks of this dying to self as being a very significant event in our renewed Life with Christ.

 

In Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. We can see here the importance of our death to self first then our being hid with Christ in God.

 

Again in Colossians 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, So we see here that the death he speaks of is our dying to the cares of this life, the things of the world.

 

Return and Jubilee 62-1122 P:68 Don't take some little emotion, some little frustration; wait there until you are dead and buried and born again anew in Christ Jesus, and every pulsation of your life beats out Jesus Christ, so you can see the life of Christ reflected right in your living, the way you go. Yes, sir, till you can find that power like they had back there in the beginning...

 

Again in Colossians 2:12, Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

 

And we see this same Apostle Paul tell us in Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  

(So notice what I dead, it is not your spirit, but your flesh to the things of this world. And then he says, ) 11 But if (now, here’s that big “if” again. Notice he says,) 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.

(Notice what quickens your mortal body? Is it your own will power? Absolutely not. He says,  your mortal bodies is quickened by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.)

 

Again we see in Romans 6:13 Paul says, Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. “

 

 

 

Again we see this theme spoken by the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I am  living; yet it is  not I that am living, but Christ is living in me: and the life which I am now living in the flesh, the body of this death,  I am living by the faith, the revelation of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 

Therefore Christ Jesus died for you that you might live, now He wants for you to die to yourself, that He might live again in you. As brother Branham said in Great and mighty conqueror 57-0421M P:44 O God, as these hands has gone up, and the music is sweetly echoing back down the road, as  we have passed from death unto Life, for Thou hast said, "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me hath Everlasting Life." They've passed from death unto Life, because You became death that they might become Life through Your resurrection.

 

Forsaking all 62-0123 P:86 If the spirit of a gangster was in me, I'd have guns on me. If the spirit of a painter was in me, I could paint the picture of a painter... he could do. If the spirit of a mechanic was on me, I could tell you what was wrong with your car. See? And if the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in me, I'll do the works of Christ because it's the life of Christ in you. See? Manifested in who? Manifested in who? He be, forsaken His Sonship and became sin and took our sins, that He might take sinners and make them sons. He became me that I might become Him. He become a sinner that I might become a son of God. Oh, it's striking what He done. See, He taken your place that you might take His place. You're joint heirs with Him in the Kingdom. He become a sinner like you, your sins placed upon Him that He might take you and make you a fellow citizen of heaven and set you with Him in God's Kingdom. There you are: put His Spirit in you. And if His Spirit's in you, the works that He did you'll do also.

 

So we see this principle of dying to self first and then being raised up with a new life that has taken over, the very Life of Christ living itself out in you. And watch what things take place to those who are truly risen with Christ.

 

Colossians 3:1-25 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

 

Notice the evidence that Christ is living in you is that you also shall appear with Him in Glory, in Doxa. That word appear is phaneroo, and it means that you will manifest in your true identity. So if there is no manifestation in your flesh that Christ is living your life for you, then you are still dead. What do people think the manifestation of the sons of God is anyway? They are always looking down the road for some big hullaballoo, when it is God hiding in simplicity, always.

 

And if you have died to self and the Life of Christ has risen in you? Then you will 5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; Now, this word mortify means deaden, to make dead…

And Paul speaks of it again in  Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  

 

So we are asked to kill off the lusts and pulls of the flesh and he names them in Colossians 3:5 and on. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;

 

No.1) fornication,

No.2) uncleanness,

No.3) inordinate affection,

No.4) evil concupiscence, and

No.5) covetousness, which is idolatry:

 

6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8  But now ye also put off all these also;

 

No. 1) anger,

No. 2) wrath,

No. 3) malice,

No. 4) blasphemy, That’s hurtful talk

No. 5) filthy communication out of your mouth.

 

And once you have put away these things, then he says,  9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

 

Then after he lists for us the attributes of the flesh, he then turns the corner to instruct us in righteousness or how to be rightly wise, and he tells us what we need to start doing,

 

12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

 

No. 1) bowels of mercies,

No. 2) kindness,

No. 3) humbleness of mind,

No. 4) meekness,

No. 5) longsuffering;

No. 6) 13  Forbearing one another, and

No. 7)forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

No. 8) 14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

 

And when you have totally died to self, and allowed Christ to take over with all these wonderful attributes expressing themselves in you, he then says, 15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.  And once we are alive in Christ, we see that the next things he says will be so natural for you to do…

 

No. 21) 18  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

No. 2) 19  Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

No. 3) 20  Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

No. 4) 21  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

No. 5)22  Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

 

And then to all, he says, 23  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24  Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25  But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

 

So you see this is a journey we are on. A journey from death to Life, from sinner to saint.

 

The Apostle John said in 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Notice this passage he speaks of when he says, “We have passed from death unto Life”, because Christ is living in me, and we know we have made this passage because we love the brethren. And although Love may be corrective, Love also covers a multitude of sins.

 

And this journey was made possible because Jesus Christ abolished death for us, if we will accept it, as Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

 

Because he said in Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So if you are warring all the time, you by Biblical evidence are carnal and have not yet received Life and peace through Jesus Christ. You’ve got religion, but you don’t have new birth.

 

And Paul tell us in Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

Now for the next 30 minutes let me read to you quotes from Br. Branham.

 

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, will 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.

 

Now, can everyone in here say, yes, that is me? That’s the way I am living my life today? Can you say, “the life of Christ is working in me mightily to the pulling down of strongholds like my own opinions, my own prejudices, my own desires to gossip?

Well that is what the Apostle Pau said,. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

 

In Jehovah Jireh 58-0127 P:36 brother Branham said, 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.

 

So what does he mean by this? He means it is not enough to understand the doctrine, you must have a life that is commensurate with his life or there’s no rapture for you. And you can not say at that time that you haven’t been warned. You are being warned right now. And I have been hammering these things to you for the past 30 years.

 

Investments 63-1116B P:94 I wonder this morning, with all sincerity now, without any disturbance, think just a moment. Have you got this great blessing? Do you hold this policy of Life, the witness of the Holy Spirit that your life has turned in to Christ, and Christ is in you? As I said in the message; if Beethoven was in you, you'd do the works of Beethoven, you'd live the life of Beethoven. You couldn't do nothing else. You could do nothing else but compose songs. And you'd be the great writer, Beethoven, 'cause he's in you. That's who you would be. You would be a reincarnate Beethoven. And if Christ is in you, the Life of Christ you will be, the lover of the Word. Nothing can stand and take the place of the Word, 'cause He is the Word. He can't deny His Own Word and remain God.

 

How can I overcome 63-0825M P:27 And then, now you take a Christian that's supposed to be a Christian, let the Life of God go from him and the experience the joy of serving Christ, and living in the church where such is going on, he rots twice as quick (See? Right.), living right under it. So if we are trying to follow the Message of the hour, or at least this part of the Message, we should live constantly in the Life of Christ. See? 'Cause if it don't, you lay around, and know that these things that you're supposed to do and don't do it, the Bible said, "He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it's sin." And he becomes dotie, rotten when you're separated from the Life of God. So strive with all that's in you to stay in the Life of Christ, that you'd be fruit-bearing.