Token no 18

Witness of The Spirit no 5

The New Birth

September 6th, 2015

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

 

Colossians 3:3 "For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God." and if you are dead then what kind of an expression does a dead man have? A dead man doesn't retaliate does he? Dead horses don't kick, and dead men don't fight back. Then if you want to know if you are truly dead to self and your life is covered over by Jesus Christ's life, give yourself the Word test.

 

This morning I would like to continue with our thoughts that we left off on last night from brother Branham's sermon The Token, and we will continue from where we left off reading last night at paragraph 65. Therefore we will begin reading at paragraph 66.

 

66 What if there was one Jew standing there stirring the blood as the lamb was bleeding, saying, "This is Jehovah."And there stood a priest saying, "Yes, sir, I believe that's true." But on his own house, it hasn't been applied. He don't want to identify himself out there with that group (No, sir.), with this fanatics with the blood on the door. He don't want that identification; no matter how much priest he was, how much he knowed the Word, how well he had been raised, what works he had done, how much he give to the poor, how much he'd sacrificed..Paul said, "I give my body to be burned as a sacrifice, give all my goods to feed the poor, I have faith to move mountains and so forth, and speak in tongues like men and angels; and all these other things," and said, "I'm nothing until the Token's been applied."Until this Token (That's what I'm speaking on tonight, the love. See?), now, until this has been applied, I am nothing. See?


 67 I don't care. You might've cast out devils; you might've healed the sick by your prayer of faith. You might've done all these things, but if that Token's not there, you're under the wrath of God. You might be a believer. You might stand in the pulpit and preach the Gospel. "Many will come to Me in that day and say 'Lord, Lord, have not I prophesied in Your Name? preached in Your Name. Have not I cast out devils in Your Name?' (That's both Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostals.)" Jesus said, "Depart from Me, you that work iniquity; I never even knew you. But when I see the Token, I'll pass over you." It's God's requirement of the hour. The evening time message is to apply the Token.

 

68 Satan's throwed all kinds of counterfeits of shaking hands and evidences and everything like that. Forget it. The hour has arrived that the Token Itself, not some counterfeit, make-believe substitutionary, anything; the hour is here when the Token Himself is identifying Himself right among us and proving that He's the same Jesus yesterday, today, and forever, and He's right with the Word. It's got to be applied. A man that says that he's got the Token, deny this Word, then what about it? See, you can't do it. The Token's got to be there. When I... "The Blood shall be a Token unto you." Now, the Holy Spirit, the Life that was in the Blood is a Token unto you. (Get to it in a moment. See?) The Holy Ghost is the Token. The case is closed. Yes, sir.


Notice that brother Branham is saying, no matter how much He is here, if you do not apply it you are out. If you do not live like He is here, it will do you no good knowing he is here.

 

69 Now, remember, and it doesn't matter what you are, how good you are, how many times you jumped up and down, how many churches you've joined, how many good things you've done; it won't mean one thing to you, if the Token isn't applied. This is the evening time. That worked all right in the days of Luther. That worked all right in the days of Wesley. But it don't work now. No. Yeah, keeping up the lamb was all right then. Those who died then before the lamb was applied, the blood, it was different. Yes, sir. They went on because of good conscious. They'd be judged whether they were... If they were predestinated, it struck them. If it didn't, it don't. That's all. It's just God. He justifies who He will, have mercy on who He will, and He condemn who He will. He's God. That's all. He has mercy on whom He has mercy and condemns who He wants to condemn.


70 A Jew could plainly show by the circumcision, that he is a believer. There's many men, fundamental men who can take this Bible, say, "I am a believer."And Jesus said, "By faith we are saved." And, "I am a believer, but that baptism of the Holy Ghost is nonsense." Then the Token isn't applied, no matter how much he believes; it's annulled. Just like the circumcision of the Jew. He said, "I'm a Jew. Why do I have to go out there and act like that other bunch of fanatics."


71  Moses standing up and down the streets said, "The evening message is here. It shall come to pass, at the end of the fourteen days, you shall gather the congregation together and kill the lamb. The whole congregation of Israel shall kill it, putting their hands upon it, identifying themselves with it. And the blood shall be struck upon the post and upon the lintel of the door; 'And when I see the blood, I'll pass over you, for it's a token that you've accepted the death of the lamb that I've provided for you.'"

 

 72 The blood was a token. Now, the Spirit is the Token. "You shall be filled with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." And when the Blood was shed, the Token was sent down on the day of Pentecost like a rushing mighty wind. That was the theme of every apostle. That was... "Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" "Repent everyone of you and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive this gift of the Holy Ghost, for it's a Token (Amen!) that you've passed from death unto Life." There you are.


73 When the Jewish church faded out, the Gentiles taken it over in that perversion like that, now she's come out to get that remnant of the Gentile for His Namesake: the Bride. See, what I mean? See what the Scripture's speaking of here? If the Token was not displayed, then the covenant was not effective. See? It must be; because if you say you believe, and you don't follow the instructions of the Word, then you don't believe. See? Though you be circumcised, though you join, though you're baptized, you've done all these things like that, that still isn't the Token. The Holy Ghost...


And that is the pathetic truth we see all over the Message today. So many claim to believe but you can't tell their life from a Baptist life.

 

we read last night in the Church Age Book  Chapter 2 - The Patmos Vision  P:60 "Those who heard and wouldn't listen will be judged by what they heard. Those that rested in it saying they believed it, but didn't live it, will be judged."

 

But brother Branham said you must follow the instructions. From his sermon, You Must Be Born Again  61-1231M 28 brother Branham said, "I want to take the subject this morning of Jesus' first doctrine. The first doctrine of Jesus was, "You Must Be Born Again." That was His first doctrine… 29 And we find out that there is so many different meanings that people put to it. Nearly all churches say that you must be born again, but each one has their different interpretations to that, what it means to be born again. I might go to the Methodist church this morning; they say, "We believe that you must be born again." How do you interpret it? I go to the Baptist church, "And we believe you must be born again." How do you interpret it? And I would go to each church, and we'd find, if we went to all the nine hundred different denomination of churches, there'd be nine hundred different interpretations. So seeing that there is so many different interpretations, and yet a Bible doctrine, there must be, and is, a truth somewhere.  64 Now, there is approach to this birth. And to approach this birth, you have to go through a process, just like anything that lives. Anything that lives again has got to die first. And you cannot keep your same spirit. You cannot keep your same habits. You cannot keep your same thoughts. You got to die. You've got to die like He died. You got to die on His altar, like Abel did with his lamb. You got to die with your Lamb. You got to die, die to your own thinking to be born to His thinking. Let the mind that was in Christ be in you. You got to think His thoughts. And now, brother, sister, let me say this as intelligent as I know how to say it. How can you think His thoughts and deny His Word, and yet claim you're born again? Just ask yourself that question. How can you do it? You can't. If you're born again, you got His thoughts. If the mind of Christ is in you, then you are a new creature. The Bible teaches that. And if any brother would like to, where you find that creature, look that word "creature" up in the Lexicon, and you'll find out that the word "creature" there is interpreted or translated, "a new creation," because you are a one creation, a human being born in sexual desire here on earth, and now you're a new creation born by Spirit.  Your own thoughts are dead. They're so dead until they're crystal like the brass serpent, or like He died when the heavens and earth and everything witnessed He was dead.

 

Notice brother Branham said there is an approach to this birth, so we need to know what that approach is and we must know if we have come God's provided way. And that way is the way of death. You must die, and not only die, but you must die so bad that you rot to your own self.

 

You must be born again 61-1231M P:73 And if you still love the things of the world, you're deceived; your sacrifice hasn't been accepted yet; your nature hasn't been changed. Now, do you know what it means to be born again? See, your nature's changed; you become a new creature. You got to die first and then be born again.

 

You must be born again 61-1231M P:56 Now, it must die. Now, that don't mean turn a new page now, this new year. You say, "Brother Branham, I've been coming here for a long time. I've been a member of the church. This New Year's I'm going to turn a new page and start new. That don't mean that. Not turn a new page, but actually die and be born again. See? You've got to feel so guilty when you stand in His Presence. Whether you go the Methodist way, or the Baptist way, or whatever way you go, you've got to be so guilty and feel so guilty till you... It'll kill you. That's right. You, it'll kill you. Your worldly life will die right there. You've got to reckon yourself so guilty in the Presence of God until your worldly life dies right there. The sin question's over for you when you're standing in His Presence. When you look like that, you're sure to live, because you die. And the only way you can live again is to die first so you can live again. Now, you see what I'm coming to, don't you (See that?), what the birth is, the new birth. First, to die, in order to be born again... And if you still got the things of the world in you, you're not born again. And how you going to claim to be born again and still with the things of the world hanging on you? See? How can you do it?

 

Remember, brother Branham told us there is an order, there is a process in order to be born again. And in his sermon, You must be born again 61-1231M P:54 He tells us what that process is. "Yes, to be born again you must go through a process of death; everything does. You take a grain of corn; if that corn ever expects to live again, it's got to die first. If a grain of wheat ever expects to live again, it's totally impossible for... That corn, that wheat, that flower, that tree, that grass, that vegetable, everything that expects to live again must die first. Then how you going to escape it? You got to die first. You got to die. Die how? To yourself, die to everything, so that you can be born again. You've got to do that. If you don't die, you can never live again.

 

You must be born again 61-1231M P:51 Now, the approach to this birth, there is approach to it. And to approach this birth, you have to go through a process, just like anything that lives. Anything that lives again's got to die first. And you cannot keep your same spirit. You cannot keep your same habits. You cannot keep your same thoughts. You got to die. You've got to die like He died. You got to die on His altar, like Abel did with his lamb. You got to die with your Lamb. You got to die, die to your own thinking to be born to His thinking. Let the mind that was in Christ be in you. You got to think His thoughts. And now, brother, sister, let me say this as intelligent as I know how to say it. How can you think His thoughts and deny His Word, and yet claim you're born again? Just ask yourself that question. How can you do it? You can't. If you're born again, you got His thoughts. If the mind of Christ is in you, then you are a new creature. The Bible teaches that. And if any brother would like to, where you find that creature, look that word "creature" up in the--the Lexicon, and you'll find out that the word "creature" there is interpreted or translated, "a new creation," because you are a one creation, a human being born in sexual desire here on earth, and now you're a new creation born by Spirit. Your own thoughts are dead. They're so dead until they're crystal like the brass serpent, or like He died when the heavens and earth and everything witnessed He was dead.

 

Sirs we would see Jesus 61-1224 P:96 If he's a true disciple of Christ, he'll lead you to the cross. "Oh, Brother Branham, I went out and spoke in tongues." That don't mean nothing; a mule did that one day. Yes, sir. That's... Yeah, I don't mean to make fun of God's holy Word. I believe in speaking in tongues, but devils speak with tongues. A people can speak in tongues and live any kind of a life. But I mean that the devil's got a copy of everything that God did. And he can copy everything but the genuine birth of Christ; and he can't do that, 'cause you have to die first, then the Word raises you up. How do you know when you're alive? When that Word, every word of It's made flesh in you; everything that the Bible says, you say the same thing, and it comes to pass, just exactly like He said it. That's when it is. When  your spirit agrees with Him (He is the Word.), when your spirit agrees with what He said and the Spirit makes Itself manifest through His Word, then you're living. See? You're through shopping then, and swapping, and all the rest of it. It's all settled.

 

Why 60-0309 P:73 Oh, in the hour of your death, in the hour of your death, how you long to hear that. Let the water and the blood, from Thy flowing wounds supply, be for sin a double cure, safe from wrath and make me pure. You're here to die now. The only way you can be borned again is to die first, so that you can be borned again.

 

Why? 59-0813 P:30 But as long as there's any hopes for it not to rot, new Life won't come. That's why we get up from the altar so many times without the Holy Spirit, because we don't rot enough to our own ideas. We got to meet God on His level. I like to meet Him there, because that He never has failed me. The new birth is no  different from any other birth; it's a mess. You ought to seen what mess I was in when I got It. And every once in a while when It comes upon me again, I get messy again with It. I cry, and boo-hoo, and carry on till I guess I don't look very good to look at, but it... I got something on the inside of me that's taking me on and on and on and on and on. It's new Life. I don't care what It looks like; I want to know what It is. That's the main thing.

 

Way back the 62-1123 P:40 You know the reason they do it? They're afraid of that new birth, I mean the real new birth. Oh, everybody say, "Sure, I believe you must be born again. Yes, sir." Yes. But when it comes to the real birth... They believe the new birth by shaking hands, saying a bunch of creeds, or something another. They call that the new birth. That ain't the new birth. They're afraid of the new birth. Listen. Any birth is a mess. I don't care whether it's in a pigpen, or where it's at, it's a mess, any birth. And so is the new birth. It'll make you do things that you didn't think you'd ever do. But it brings life. And before you can have life, you have to have death. Before a seed can reproduce itself, it's got to die in order... And not only die, but it's got to rot. In order to get new life out of it, it's got to die and rot in itself. And so does every sinner. And every man, no matter how highly he's educated, and how much he's polished, how many degrees he has in the church, or so forth, how many of these things, how many colleges he's educated out of; he's got to die to his own theory. He's got to die to himself. He's got to die to everything to be reborned again by the Holy Ghost. It'll make him cry, and "boo hoo," and speak in tongues, and jump up and down, and carry on like a maniac. But he's got new life. That's what it takes to do it. He's got to have new life. They're afraid of the new birth. The new birth is a mess.

 

It is I be not afraid 62-0726 P:89 Now, if that Light doesn't do the same works that It did when It was in the Son of God, then It isn't the same one. It isn't. But if It does do the same works... Just like I said, if you could take all the life out of a apple tree, every bit of the life, and transfer the life of a pear tree in an apple tree, it would bring forth pears (See?), because the life's in it. That's what it bears. The fruit is in the life, of course. And that's the same thing here. If you put the Life of Christ, and take the life of a sinner out, he has to die first. And then when the Life of Christ comes into him, then he will produce the Life of Christ because that's what's living in him. See? If... "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also," 'cause His Life is in him.

 

Colossians 3:1 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.

Water of separation - 55-0121 You've got to absolutely accept the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And not only that, but you've got to die yourself. you've got to die to every thought of the flesh so that you can receive the mind of Christ and walk from henceforth, not of your own, but of His mind: the mind of Christ in you. That's the only way you can stay alive. That's the only way I can stay alive. That's all I live by, is by the Holy Spirit.

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. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to self, to live after self. 13 For if ye live after self, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Then when we die to self does that mean forever we are dead men? No! Because he said, "Because I live ye shall live also."

In one sense you are dead to self, but in another sense you have become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Didn't the Apostle Paul say, "For ye are dead"; but notice he went on to say, "For your life is hid with Christ in God"; and how can you then be in reality a dead man when you have a hidden life? It's not possible.

But since I have become one body by being baptized into one spirit then I am one with Christ, am I not? Then I am what Christ is: as the Life I am now living in this flesh, I am living by the Life of Christ in Me.

I am crucified with Christ, that's what I have done to the old man. I have killed it off. But Paul went on to say, that although I am crucified with Christ, yet nevertheless, I am living, I am alive, but it's not me that living, but Christ himself that is living in me. And as brother Branham said, if he is living in me then the works he does I will do.

let us pray