Token no 40

Making ready

December 6, 2015

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

 

This morning we will pick up at paragraph 151 of The Token. "That's what they did in Egypt. That's what they did in Jericho. If you want to read another one? Acts 16:31. Paul told the centurion, "Believe; I'm the messenger of the hour. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou and thy house shall be saved." Is that right? Believe for your house. Bring them all under it. Now, you've seen the God of heaven perform a miracle, just before judgment. You believed it. "Yes, what can I do?" He said, "Rise and be baptized." Paul took him out and baptized him, said, "Now, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou and thy house shall be saved." Believe what? Believe the Lord Jesus Christ for you house. Apply the Token to your house. Then what do you do when you apply It to your house? Move all the trash out.

 

In other words, you have to show God that you have heard and recognized and now you are acting upon the Word of God. God wants to see that not only have you seen the vision, His Word,  but that you have recognized it, and now you have stepped into the vision, and you are actively acting out what you saw the action that was taken in the vision.

 

Then he said, show God that you mean business, and "Get all the short skirts, and the shorts, and the cards, and the cigarettes, and televisions, and what evermore, and kick them out the door. You're going to apply the Token, won't stand still for it. Yes, sir. Take it all out. All the dances and the parties, and rock-and-roll, and old vulgar newspapers, and the stuff that's of the world, kick it out the door. Say, "We're cleaning out this place around here."


Ok, so the sanctification we spoke of last night, that's your proving that you have died to self. God wants to see you mean business.

 

Brother Branham also said in his sermon, God hiding Himself in simplicity 63-0412E P:124 Now, if you'll believe with all your heart, it'll be settled from right now. This'll be a memorial night. They probably won't close these doors tonight. You'll stay all night in here. But if you do like this, say, "Lord, I'm standing on my feet. Until You fill me according to Your promise I'll never move from where I'm standing." You mean business with God, He'll get to business with you. But until you do, you're hammering, "Lord, will You give me the Holy Ghost tonight? I don't feel nothing. Well, maybe I'll try tomorrow night." You're not going to get anything from God like that. You've got to come desperate, dying. Then you get it. That's right. He promised it. If it isn't, what are you using your time for? If them promises is not true...

 

To whom would we go 60-0606 P:78 Now, you're in the stage of glorification the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Then go in the room there where they'll be seeking the Holy Ghost, and God will pour out the Holy Spirit upon you. And then you'll be filled with the Spirit. That'll give you power to live, live as Christians until the time of the restoration of all things when Jesus comes. Then you'll be taken up into glory with Him for that three and a half years, and then return to earth for a millennium and then live with Him forever. Now, let us pray for these people. And you now that's going to want to receive the Holy Ghost, remember, "Blessed are ye that do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be filled."Now, don't go in just to say, "Well, I'll go try it again." This is a convention. We got six more nights in here. This is the hour to receive it. Go in there and stay there until you have received the Holy Ghost. You mean business with God, you that wants the Holy Ghost tonight? Raise up your hand if you're ready to die right now or receive the Holy Ghost. That's it.

 

Now, let's continue with The Token and read from 152 Like Jacob did. He told his wife and all of them, said, "Wash your clothes and everything. Put away them gods." Amen. You know what Joshua said 'fore crossing over? He said, "Wash your clothes, come not at your wives, and so forth, and get ready. For within three days we'll cross Jordan." Amen. He was getting ready. They was applying the token. Amen. That's it. Get ready. Apply it. Believe it. Clean up. Let your children, let your family, let your loved ones see it in you. That's right. It'll take effect. Yes, sir. Then apply the Token in prayer with consideration, with believing. Apply it with such love and so forth, you know it's going to take place. That's all. Apply it in confidence, believing it's going to help. When you talk to that child, when you talk to your husband, talk to your wife, talk to this loved one, believe that it's going to help, and stand there and say, "Lord, I've claimed them; they're mine. I'm getting them for You, Lord."

 

 

Oneness 62-0211 P:110 Here we are in the end time, coming from the east and west, north and south. What are we doing? Getting ready for that rapture, getting ready, holding ourselves steady for a few minutes till every fiber is filled with the Holy Ghost. Then she'll go up. Oh, my. Calling His people together to Himself in the true oneness with Himself, because it's His one Holy Spirit. "By one Spirit are we all individually baptized into one body, collectively, the Body of Jesus Christ." And Jesus Christ living with His Spirit in our flesh is serving the church and doing the same things He did as a sign, as an ensign to the world, that we're in the last days, getting ready for the rapture. Oh, I love Him, don't you?

 

And we find this condition of getting ready spoken of in Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

 

From his sermon, Knoweth it not 65-0815  36-6 Brother Branham said, "Clean your lives up; pay your debts; owe no man. Jesus said, "Now... Now, I don't mean things like your house rent and stuff. You got to do it. Get all your things off your hands. Get everything right. Make ready. Get ready. Remember in the Name of the Lord, something's fixing to happen."

 

Now, this brings us to James 1:2-8 because this getting ready or making ready is not an easy thing to do. Dying to self is not an easy thing to do. But it is a necessary thing to do. Dying to self and getting ready or making ready is in itself a great trial of our Faith, and so I would like to speak on this subject of the trial of our faith for the rest of our sermon this morning.

 

We read in James 1:2-8 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers trials and testings. 3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

Notice we are to count it all Joy when going through our trials. And this morning we will see how this is made possible because we know the "trials will work into us a patience" that has an end result that we will be perfect, complete, finished off and wanting nothing of this world but to please the Father.

 

We see in Romans 5:3 where Paul said, we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation (trials and testing) worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience;(which is character) and experience,(character produces) hope:(which is an earnest expectation) 5 And hope (or our earnest expecting) maketh us not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

So we see that there is a purpose behind our trials, and that is to produce in us a character that we could never develop without the trials and testing. And since the only thing we will bring with us when we leave this world is our character, then I would like to focus on this process this morning, because ultimately this is the making ready of the Bride of Christ, This is the making ready a people who have been prepared since before the foundations of the world to receive the change of the body which is culminated at the time of Adoption.

 

By Scripture we are told that Abraham was not tried until after he had received the promise. And so it is with all sons. God doesn’t try you or put you to the test and then give you the promise. He makes the promise first and then placed the trials to see how we are going to do with them.

 

In Hebrews 11:17-19, we read, “By faith, when Abraham faith was tried when he was told to offer up Isaac: 18 and he knew the promise Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

 

And in Hebrews 6:15 concerning Abraham we read: And so, after he had patiently endured, Then (and only then) he obtained the promise.

 

Again we find in Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence (Confidence in Who? Or In what? In God’s Word, that’s what.) which hath great recompense of reward.”(So we see that the Word of God, God’s Promises have a great recompense of reward. There is reward in believing what God promises!!!) 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. When do you get the promise? After you are tried and endure.

 

It says in Hebrews 5:7-9 concerning Jesus: 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared (He was not heard because he cried and sobbed and fasted—He was heard because he feared); 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, (How? By suffering…to get patience…to get character…and only then) he became the author of eternal salvation…

 

Even Jesus Christ had to suffer to develop character. Now, this morning I will speak on the

Subject “The Trial of Your Faith" which we find in 1 Peter chapter 1.

What most people do not understand is that God has ordained a Faith for us and that faith is to bring us into the very mind of God to think like God thinks. And therefore when God gives us this Faith, (and we know Faith is a revelation) we know that most assuredly as He has given us this revelation, he will also test us in this Revelation. Therefore the Revelation and thus the trial of that Revelation are for the purpose of bringing about the very mind of God in us. We speak what God speaks and we do what God shows us to do, and we have no doctrine but His doctrine and we have no will but His will.

 

Therefore there are three things we must understand and about The trial of our Faith or Revelation. Number One: The Trial of your Faith is predestined for your glory. In other words where God has predestined “The Faith” because there is but One Faith, and that is the Faith of the “One Lord,” then that Faith is the Doctrine of Christ which God had ordained for our Glory.

 

Therefore God has predestined the Trial of your Faith, in which He has selected out specific trials that are ordained to go through as a test your Faith in Him.

 

Number Two: You are ordained to pass the test.

 

Therefore Number Three: You are tested for the purpose of approval.

 

Now, let’s see if these statements are not exactly correct from the Word of God and the Message of the Hour. Now, let’s open our Bibles to 1 Peter 1 and I want you to notice who Peter is addressing here. He is addressing the Elect of God.

 

I Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (that’s a living hope, or a hope that has been made alive. And How has that hope been made alive?) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (and where is that hope to lead us? ) 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

 

So we see that this hope, this earnestly expecting keeps us alive and in a living anticipation of the inheritance. The we see that this hope is not for just anybody, but only for those who are to receive the inheritance, namely sons and daughters of God who have the mind of God. That is what we learned about the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him.

 

That is Ephesians 1:17-18. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and

what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

 

Notice Paul said the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him, God, is to

come to get us ready and to make know the earnest expectation we have in the inheritance

of the saints. So we see this spirit in our midst is to get us ready to receive our inheritance.

 

Now there is the promise of God to us, and last week we established that when God gives

us a promise he will also give us trials or test us whether we believe that promise or not.

 

Br. Branham said in his sermon, Seventy weeks of Daniel 61-0806 P:36 You remember in Daniel 12 He said, "The wise shall understand in this last days"? It's been given to him. The Spirit of wisdom comes into the church to make known to the church by the revelation of the Holy Ghost--bringing the church in and revealing what day that we're living in. Just the same as Gabriel come to Daniel, the Holy Spirit comes to the church in the last days to reveal these great, deep, secret things. Do you understand now?

 

So we see that The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him is to get us

ready for the adoption, because you don’t receive inheritance unless you are adopted first.

 

And the adoption is for those who are sons as John said in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved you are already sons, but it does not yet appear what you shall be, but when He shall Appear, When He shall phaneroo, When He shall manifest in His true character, then you will also manifest in your true character because you will see Him as He really is, and in seeing Him as He really is you will become like Him, and manifest the same charaterter that He manifests.” Now, notice then what this hope does.

 

Now. Let’s continue reading in 1 Peter 1:5 And you who are kept by the power of God and what is the power of God, it is the Message of Christ according to Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

 

Now, again in reading from 1 Peter 1:5 And you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (So we see that there is an end-time salvation that will be revealed in the last time, or the end-time.) 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 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.

 

Notice he is speaking of trials that we are ordained to receive and these trials are associated

with our faith, to test our faith to see where we stand in that faith, or that revelation. And

not only are we ordained to these test, but we are also ordained to pass them.

 

Wuest Translation ....In which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a little 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 your approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which perishes, even though that gold be approved by fire-testing, may be discovered after scrutiny to result in Praise, Honor and Glory at the time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ;

 

So you see our trials and tests come after we receive the promise from God, in order to see if we are going to hold to the promise, and you know what? God doesn’t give the promise to just anybody. Peter here tells us that He gives them to those who are ordained to pass the tests.

 

Now, 1 Peter 1 speaks of the end-time trial of our Faith that is ordained to bring forth Glory, which is the Opinions, values, and judgments of God or His very mind and character into the believer. So the trial is made in such a way as to bring the thoughts of God into our minds as we are going through them. Thus we are given a test or tests because of that Word or that promise of God, but then when we are given trials by the Word we are also Given specific Word to pass the Trials. Let me repeat that. Our trials are because of the Word, and yet God gives us Word to pass the trials. So it all goes right back to Him Who is the Word.

 

As I preached to the brethren in South Africa, we must come to the place where we see everything by the Word. Brother Branham taught us that "Faith sees what God sees". and brother Branham came to the place where he said, "all my thoughts are God". Nor all my thoughts are about God, but "all my thoughts are God." In other words, his mind had been taken over, and his heart reflected in every move he made God's Word. So we must see what God sees. Then when we see a scene develop before us, and we have seen that scene before in the Bible, then we begin to say to ourselves, something is about to happen. Then as we see a need in that scene, we know that God is about to do something.

 

When we have come to the place where all our thoughts are God then we will hear, recognize and act upon just as we saw the scene and need played out before us in the Bible. That is our vision. We have seen the vision in here (our Bible) and we identify the need that is accompanied in the scene, and then we step into the vision and the vision, the Word of God becomes material before us and a reality to others.

 

When God spoke to Moses and said, Speak and go forward, brother Branham told us if Moses had just spoken, nothing would have happened. Moses had to step into the water and took his staff and struck the water for the waters to part. Moses had to recognize the vision taking place before him, and he had to hear it, recognize it and then act upon it.

 

When Joshua came to the River Jordan, He also had to step into the river and took the staff Moses had left him, and struck the water for the river to part. When Elijah crossed the river he had to step into the vision, step into the water and then he took off his mantel and struck the water and it parted just like, Moses and Joshua before him. When Elisha came to the river he took that same mantel that Elijah had used, and he stepped into the river just like Elijah, just like Joshua, and just like the patter they all saw in Moses and he stepped into the river, took the mantel and struck the water and the waters parted.

 

The same way with raising up the boy. Elijah came into the room, put everyone outside, because he wanted an atmosphere of complete faith, and he laid his mouth on the young boys mouth, his hands on his hands, and breathed into him the breath of lives just as God had set the pattern with Adam in the garden.

 

Elisha came to a similar scene, he saw the same need, a young man was dead. He stepped into the pattern and placed his mouth on the boys mouth and his hands on the boys hands, and breathed into him the breathe of lives, and the young man was raised from the dead.

 

Then we see the same thin take place with Martin and Columba. Also with Saint Patrick, and brother Branham

 

I remember in my early years of pastoring that I heard brother Branham on tape talk about a man who had died of Tuberculosis and he went into the room after clearing out the room and placed his mouth on the mouth of the dead man whose body organs had come out of his mouth, and brother Branham also placed his hands on the mans hands, and God raised up that man from the dead.

 

So, God is here working in you both to will and to do, but first he must teach you His Word so you will Not only hear it, but you will recognize it and once you see the scene, and you see the need you will then act upon it, and step into that scene and His Word in y ou tales over and brings that Word to Life and to materialization. 

 

I saw the scene in 1997 of the people of God, his children hurting from the heat, and I saw the scene and the need and stepped into it and asked God to change the weather and it became material. We had just come outside the restaurant and I saw a very small black cloud moving swiftly across the sky. I looked and saw myself in the scene where Elijah said, "I hear the abundance of rain". I said to the brothers who were looking at that little cloud with me, "Something is about to happen."  Within a very short time, there came up a huge front and pushed the heat down 30 degrees just as we had asked God to do.

 

Hearing, recognizing and then acting upon the Word of God. The Word produces the scene and the need, and when we see it, recognize it, we step into the vision of the Word and that word becomes material all around us.

 

In 2012, we had a similar scene unfolding in Argentina, I saw that scene, I recognized it was the same as in 1997, I saw the need was the same as in 1997. The heat was about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and people of God were suffering, so the scene was there, the need was there, and I asked the people to bow their heads, and I was so happy to see the same scene take place, and I knew I could apply the same faith I had back in 1997 and I would get the same results.

 

Hearing, recognizing and then acting upon the word of God will bring the same results every time because God is God and He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

 

Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes (the preacher) that "there is nothing new under the son, that which is past is now, and that which will be has already been". But we must see it, recognize it, and then act upon it, and you will see the Glory of God in fulfillment right before your very eyes. what you are here is a reflection of what you are somewhere else. But when you see it, recognize it, and then act upon it you are hearing from your theophany, your celestail being. Halelujah.

 

Now, Peter also says in 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Here we see that it should not surprise us when we face our trials, because these trials are made for the purpose of testing us. 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory (and we know this Glory is His Doxa which is His very mind) shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. And why should we rejoice when God reveals his Doxa to Us?

 

Because Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. and that means that as long as it remains unrevealed it is still God’s but once it has been revealed to us then the title deed is our. It is the earnest of our possession. but those things revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.

 

So we are talking about a time when the very mind of God is to come into the Elect as Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, And brother Branham taught us what that was. He said,  "Now, we have already seen and are witnessing the Appearing of the Lord. Now, remember, Appearing and coming are two different words and they mean two different things." And we have seen the revelation of the Son of Man coming from the Heavens in the form a white wig which was to designate Him as the Supreme Judge, and notice that the white wig was made up of angels. Exactly what Paul is speaking of here.

 

Now, Paul continues in verse 8 In flaming fire (the Pillar of Fire) taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (and notice what happens to those who do not believe or obey) 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (So just like Cain they go out from the presence of the Lord. But notice what happens to the Elect Saints of God. And remember if they are saints it is because they are sanctified. So this is not speaking of those who are borderline Christians. It speaks to those who have been sanctified which means cleansed and set aside for service.) 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, (Notice he said, When He, Christ, shall come to be glorified, endoxa’d in His Sanctified Ones. That means He comes at this time to place the very mind of God in the sanctified ones.) and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.(So Paul is telling us that this is the hour that His testimony, his Message will be believed. And did not Br. Branham say, He was only preaching what Paul Preached?) 11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling,

 

So you see to receive the very mind of God is your calling if God has ordained you to it) and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Now, in getting back to 1 Peter 4:14 He is talking about the reproach for the Word that you are ordained to be tested in. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for The spirit of glory (that’s God’s doxa again) and of God resteth upon you (So not only is the Spirit of God to rest upon you, but his very mind will be in you) on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. (In other words, in them will come cursing, but in you will come forth the very mind of God, the doxa of God.) 15 Only let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. (Let him reflect the doxa of God during these trials),

 

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

 

Peter tells us that we should not think it is strange when we are tried and tested. But rather he tells us to make sure that our trials are because of our stand for God’s Word and not for doing things that are not right. For if we suffer for those things we have brought upon ourselves because we have not sowed right, then just bear it because you deserve it. But when you suffer for taking a stand on God’s then that is when you should be extremely happy. It’s like those people who get under a false ministry and they suffer for it. Those false ministries take advantage of them, and bleed them of all they have, and shear them like sheep. Now, that suffering is not because of God’s Glory. That suffering is do to sheer stupidity and not knowing wherein ye now stand. Job tells us that when God rebukes us we should be happy. Not when men tell you which is up and down, and call you down, but when God set’s you in your place because when God does it, it shows He is actively participating in your way of Life.

 

Let us turn to Job 5:17-27. Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. 18 For God maketh sore, and God bindeth up: God woundeth, and God’s hands make whole. 19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 20 In famine shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. 21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: (But it’s going to be there.) neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. 25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed [shall be] great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. 26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season.

 

So, when does a shock “come into season?” When it’s mature. When it has dried out and ready for harvest; it’s not green any longer; it’s ripe, and it has character. The Life is fully ripe, and ready for harvest. It is fully grown. It has no more growing that is necessary.

God develops character in you by suffering.

 

Psalms 84:4-7, and It says: Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca (the valley of tears, the valley of sorrow, the valley of testings, the valley of trials)What does It say? make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

Now, Psalm 94:12-13: Blessed [is] the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; (13) That thou mayest give him rest…(How do you get rest? Through your faith in God…the trial of faith. How? By the trial of your faith.) That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

 

Let’s turn to 1 Pet 5:6-11, and It says: 6 Humble yourselves thyself therefore under the mighty hand of God. What does It say? 6 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. In other words God is going to bring you down by His Own Hand and, then, lift you up. 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. See what we are talking about? 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

 

How does he devour them? By the people thinking that their sorrow is too much for them, and they get swallowed up. Now: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are (being) accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (Not one misses it.) (10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. You say, “I want that, patience, without suffering, so I won’t mind suffering then.” I’m sorry, but you get it by suffering. You don’t get it to enable you to suffer; you suffer in order to get it.

You don’t get money in order to go to work; you go to work in order to get money. Huh?

 

Now, don’t try to change God’s order of scriptures. God has never changed His way, or He Himself would be changed. The way of God is suffering. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve got to tell you. I wish I could be like the modern preachers and say, “You don’t want to go to hell.” Well, who does? I told you I wouldn’t want to get my little finger burnt, let alone my whole body cast into hell. So, you don’t want to go to hell; you want to go by easy make-believers ‘escapism’. You’re not escaping anything. You never were meant for hell if you’re in the Bride of Christ. You’re getting ready for heaven, honey. Don’t bat your eyes; just read your Bible. If I’m wrong, when I’m finished, you come up here and take over. We’ll go word for word. I’m ready for any man; I don’t care who he is. Let’s find out. Don’t twist It, just read It the way it is. He said, “…After ye have suffered a while, make you perfect…”When do you get perfect? After you have suffered. “Oh, if I could get perfect, then I could take it.” No, no, no! I’m sorry! Huh?

 

Revelation 3:19. “As many as I love…” This is said to your day and mine. In no place in the

Laodicean age does it say that we love God. The last book of the Bible in the Old Testament,

 

Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. 2 I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? God loved Israel; but they did not love Him. God does not say we love Him, but He says He loves us, and the only way we are capable of loving Him is that he first loved us. And to the Laodicean church He warns us. Why? Because He says, I’m going to have to rebuke you, and I’m going to chasten you: “Be zealous, therefore, and repent--because you haven’t seen it.”

 

Finally, in closing let’s turn to Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, (let us lay aside all those things that are holding you down, or holding you back) and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,...

 

Now, how can you run the race if you are encumbered which means you are strapped down with so much weight. Herb Brooks the coach of the winning 1980 Olympic Gold medal hockey team knew this. So what he did was to strap ankle weights on his player during practice and then when the time for the real game came, he took off the weights and o brother could those guys fly on the ice.

 

So it’s time to lay aside everything that can weigh you down and hold you back from receiving the crown of Glory, and look to the author and finisher of your faith and get ready because you are going to have to fly one of these days. Just don’t be weighted down when that time comes.)

 

Now, verse 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him (in other words, consider him means to set your focus on him and what he did) that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 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.

 

So if God really loves you and has received you, then you will get rebuked and chastened, so when it comes, be happy, and don’t shrink back from him. It means He truly Loves you and wants to see His own Glory, His own Mind in you.

 

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own

pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

 

Now, what’s that telling us? He is saying although you might not like what is happening or the way it is happening get your minds off the circumstances and look at the promise of what those trials are to do in your because they are to produce the very nature and character and mind of the Father in you.

 

Verse 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make

straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord...

Look, he’s telling us here that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, so those people who claim to believe God sent a promise but refuse to believe the message and Live it, will never see the Lord. They just saw a man that saw the Lord that’s all, and what good did it do to all those people who saw the man Jesus but did not see that God was in Him? They died in their sins.

 

Therefore we should be 15 Looking diligently (not dilatory, but diligently looking. We should be looking with a pain staking effort. That is what he is saying. ) lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

 

Let us pray...