Token no 44

To will then to do

December 20, 2015

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

This morning we will pick up where we left off Wednesday night and begin our reading from brother Branham's sermon the Token, preached September 1, 1963 at paragraph 157.

157 Now, they think it's crazy, but to us who believe and know the truth, we know It is His living Presence, for It does the same things that He did when He was here on earth. Amen. Oh, they say, "They just imagine they see that Pillar of Fire." Oh, no. Oh, no. We don't imagine nothing. They thought Paul imagined it too. Egypt thought Israel imagined it; but it taken them to the promised land. Yes, sir. We don't... Hebrews 13:8, you know, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever," if you're putting that down. See? That He's the same... It ain't... They say... some imagination...

158   When I write this here Scriptures I write down here, I know where the Scriptures are, and that's how I go to it. See? Know it is His living Presence, for He does the same in this Spirit. Now, if, had done went off into some creed or denomination, we'd know right quick, it wasn't Christ. Is that right? If I led you into some creed or something another, I'd be sent from some denomination. But I'm not bringing you creeds, and I'm not teaching you denominations; I'm teaching you the Word of God, which is the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, manifested, not only for me, but for whosoever will. See?

Now, I hope you see that he's not only referring to John 14:12 here which he says that is not only for himself, but for whosoever will. But he is also referring to what the Apostle Paul taught when he said,

Word became flesh and India Trip October 03, 1954 pp. 183 "And they that are sons of God are led by the Spirit of God." Then when the human element goes out, and the Spirit of God fills that vacancy, where you empty yourself (amen), then will be when the Church in Its power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, will walk in His steps, in His Power, in His thoughts, in His Being, in His moving... You see what I mean? Then your thoughts will become words, and words will become material. That's when the Church in its power...I believe it's on its road, that when the Church will be so wrapped in Christ, the Holy Spirit, mankind so away from theirselves, that they don't see themselves, they don't have no thoughts but to serve God. And their thoughts move on. They refuse the things of the world. They just move in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, move in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, so fulfill the law of Christ. Then the love of Christ in the human heart, moving in the Holy Ghost, that great wonderful Church will go forth with power and Deity; because Deity will be revealed in human beings by the Holy Spirit bringing to pass the thought of their mind.

Is your life worthy 63-0630E P:122 But Paul, when the Light struck him, let's compare his life and see whether it's worthy. What happened? When Paul, the Light struck him, he forsook all of his knowledge and got away from that intellectual group, and he walked in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Glory to God.) But as smart as he was, he never even used big words. When he come from amongst them Corinthians, he said, "I never come to you with the wisdom of men. I never come to you with swelling words, because you'd put your faith in that, but I come to you in simplicity, in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that your faith would be in there." There's a life. Watch it. He never used his education. He never walked with the intellectual bunch. He walked in the Spirit of Christ, humble, obedient to the Word of God when It was very much contrary to their creeds. But Paul saw the Light and walked in it (That right?), letting the Life of Christ reflect Jesus Christ to the age that he lived in, that the people might see the Spirit of God in him. And the humble believed it so much till they even wanted to bring handkerchiefs in. They'd take them off of his body. And they believed it so much... He was such a representation of Jesus Christ till whatever he touched they believed was blessed. Yes. What a man that was. Give his life, his riches, his everything he had, his education, forgot all to walk down with fishermen, and beggars, and bums on the street, to let his lights reflect the love of Jesus Christ. He said, "I've been striped across the back forty and nine times. Don't bother me, 'cause I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ." The poor little fellow in such a terrible condition, he said, "I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ." What a different from this great dignitary with the priests all around him.

Is your life worthy 63-0630E P:120 And remember, he still wanted to hold his profession in hell. He seen Lazarus in the bosoms of Abraham, and he said, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus down here," (See?) still calling him his father. See? He took his knowledge and went to an intellectual church. When the Light struck him, he turned It down. If that isn't the modern trend of the church today, I don't know it. No matter what God flashes across their path, the Pillar of Fire or whatever it might be, they still with their knowledge, they can explain It away and go to the intellectual group for the social standing. But Paul was already in the social standing, with great knowledge, a great scholar under Gamaliel, a right-hand to the high priest insomuch till he went to the priest and got orders to put all them holy-rollers in jail. But when the Light struck his path, and he seen that that same Pillar of Fire that led Israel through the wilderness was Jesus Christ, he forsook all he ever knowed. He come to Life.

Uncertain Sound 62-0714 86 Let the God that be God speak like God. Let the God that answers by fire be God. Let the God tonight... If your systems is better than the Word, then let them speak and heal the sick, and discern the thoughts, and do what God said He would do. Amen. If your denominational systems is better than the Word of God, then let them speak. Let's see them raise up a church in their Roman dogmas, and so forth, and produce something like Jesus Christ. Let's see them with the dogmas make the Word live again. They bypass the Word by their dogmas, their creeds today, because they're afraid to meet the issue. And they bypass it and base the people upon intellectual education in the stead of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the manifestation of His Being. Amen. Nothing uncertain about that. Try it. Certainly it's the truth. Yes, sir.

Convinced and then concerned  62-0521  P:20 20 Oh, the people believe, of course, that they believe those things. But they're... As my old southern mother used to tell me, "Your actions speaks louder than your words." That's right. When we see that people turn down the Gospel... How can you say you believe the Gospel, when you turn down the very thing you say you believe? It just don't work. Now, Jesus said, "If you love Me, feed My sheep." That's it. Now, we don't want to feed them educational programs, and we don't want to feed them denominational weeds. But sheep eat sheep Food. That's what it takes to make a sheep fat, is sheep food. That's exact right. And sheep Food is the Gospel of preaching of the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing Him in Person to the people. He's not dead; He's alive, and alive forevermore. He's here tonight, and that's the Gospel.

Who is this  59-0510E  P:43 God, if they could only realize that that power that they long for is the power of the resurrection of the Son of God, the power of the Holy Ghost to change their lives, not blow up nations, but change their lives and make them Your servants.

Ever present water 61-0723M P:72 And when we die, our souls will go under the altar of God, where I was privileged to see a few mornings ago, as you know, in the vision, where the Bible speaks of. Our spirits will go to God Who give it, and our bodies shall return to the dust of the earth. But someday where the Scripture is fulfilled, our spirits will be released from God, will pick up the soul, and the soul to the body. And the power that'll raise us up, is right in us now. We are now in heavenly places. We are now in the power of the resurrection. If there wasn't a law to that, sons and daughters of God would create them a world out here and go live a private life on it. You have the power in you to do it. If you've got a shadow of the power of God in you, you got power to do it. God is omnipotent. See what I mean? The power that's in you will make... You could speak a world into existence and go live on it. Hallelujah. There you are. That's what power is in the Church now, but it is controlled by a law. And that law is not keeping a bunch of commandments.

And that is what we spoke on Wednesday night. All the things of church, all the "Churchianity", the laying on of hands, the baptism, and all the formulas and all the conduct, all the order and doctrine that goes along with church. Leaving all this behind, because there is no perfection in them, they are nothing but dead works. And that is what Paul said, laying all the dead works aside let's go onto perfection, Let's go on to the perfect one, Christ. And let's not just go onto Christ but let's go into Christ, and become one with him and live by the same power of His resurrection, living our lives as He would live them for us.

Oh if you will study what was brought out Wednesday night, you will know what I am talking about. Brother Branham in reading what Paul said in Hebrews 6, all those doctrines of laying on of hands, and baptisms, and forgiveness of sin and all, we believe all that but that is not where our perfection lays. It lays in Christ. We believe those things but they are only dead works, and won't produce perfection in us. But once we die to self and come into Christ, then the perfection begins, right there.

We need all those things to help us to get pointed in the right direction, but once you have found Christ, everything else becomes a blur. Now, brother Branham continues, ...

It's a law of faith. Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe." And if you can believe it, whatever God will lead your soul to believe, that is yours. Every place the soles of your foot can set upon by faith, God gives it to you. Amen. It's yours; you possess it, if you can find the key to this law of faith that opens it to you. You see what I mean? That power is controlled by... If you are a son of God, you are a daughter of God, that never leaves you. It's with you all the time. But your faith gets away from It, but It's still there. Hallelujah.

Moses spoke these same word to the people of God as they stood by the river Jordan getting read to cross over into the land of promise. And he said, Deuteronomy 11:24"You are about to cross over to the promised land, "Every place where on the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours:"...

And so with each step the promise became a reality, and a possession of the people of God. And today it is for your taking if you want it and are willing to step into it.

Expectation 61-0207 P:32 But here was the commission, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." What is the Gospel? Not just the Word only, Paul said, but the manifestation of the Word. "The Gospel came to us not in word only, but through power and demonstrations of the Holy Ghost." In other words, "Go ye into all the world and demonstrate the power of the resurrection. These signs shall follow them that believe." Just teaching the Word won't do it; you've got to have the power of the Holy Ghost behind that Word to make it come to life again. Amen. It'll come to life.

Brother Branham said in his sermon, Seventy weeks of Daniel 61-0806 P:36 " It's laying back in that condition. And that only shows that this is just a period of time. Can't you see? God don't have things out of cater. He's just letting it run like that for a little time. And I truly believe that that thing was done, and at this last days is when God is going to reveal these secrets to the church. He hasn't done it before, and the reason He hasn't done it is to keep the church a-watching and praying all the time, not knowing when it was coming. But you remember in Daniel 12 He said, "The wise shall understand in the 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?"

And we see Paul tell us the same thing in Ephesians 1:17 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, 19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Look, people don't read this right. They read it and stop with Paul telling us that God will send the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God, 18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; but Paul didn't stop there, so why do we? The Spirit of Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, is not only that God comes down with a Shout, but opens the eyes of our understanding, that we may be enlightened, but he continues, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

So this is adoption talk here. and not only are we to have our eyes opened by the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, but we will also come to a place where we are adoption ready. And not only that but Paul tells us And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,...

So he is talking about this Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him will bring with it not only adoption knowledge and understanding, but the power of the resurrected Lord Jesus with it.

Hebrews 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

So we see there must come a power into the church, the bride to not only point us to the way, but to give us the power of an endless life, a resurrected Life.

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.

Show us the Father 59-0419E P:71 "The thing to do is know that you're coming to fulfill a promise that God made you". ... and then he said, "You have done something that God give you a promise what would happen. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. You go right out of this building testifying that you're saved. What if you go out of the building saying that, "Well, I don't know." Then you're not saved. But God will make your body obey your confession. See? And He's the High Priest of our confession. Before you can be healed, you have to confess it first. You have to believe that you are healed. And then when you believe you're healed, God makes your body obey your confession. So now when you come by here, just let it be settled; say, "God, this is Your command. I believe I'm healed," walked off the platform say...

Let me say it this way, when you come to the place where your will submits to God's will, then when you step into it first by your confession and then by your profession, your doing, then God is obligated to do for you what He promised to do if you will just act upon His will.

Attitude and who is God? 50-0815 P:35 And when the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is here to inspire you, remember, God will make your body come into your confession. If you say you're a drunkard, and want a drink. Don't worry, you'll soon be one. If you say you're a sinner, and want to sin, you'll be right into it. If you say you're a Christian and believe it all along, God will bring... Your testimony will bring you right into it. If you believe in healing, and believe that God has healed you, confess it, and God will make your body obey your confession, for He's the High Priest of your confession; setting at the right-hand of the Father now with His own Blood to make intercessions for any confession upon anything that He died for. And He died to rid sin. And sickness is the result of sin. "He was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes we are healed." Remember that. Have faith. Don't waiver. Stand on it.

We must never forget, that whatever God promises, God also sends His power to those who step into His will, so that you can do. With jesus He showed Jesus in a vision the doing, which was His will. Go walk past 300 people at the pool of Bethesda, and go over to where there will be one man sitting on a cot waiting for the troubling of the water. So all Jesus had to do was step into the vision, walk to where the man was sitting on the cot, and then pronounce the healing as was foreseen in the vision. The vision was God showing Him His will. He said, "The Father worketh and the son worketh likewise".

Right? well then if the Father works and the son works what He has seen the father do, then what's the difference if Jesus said, "the works that I do you will do"? It's the same principle. Right? Then we must learn to look for the will of God, and wait until we are sure it is His will, and then step into the vision, and do as He did. That's just how simple John 14:12 is. And you know what that also fulfills? It also fulfills Romans 8:29, you becoming conformed to the image of the first born son. And it also fulfills Romans 8:19 manifesting as a son of God.

That's why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. You see? Not just talking about it, but stepping into it, and allowing your body to obey your confession. The Father works and you work. That is what Paul meant by "it is God working in you both things, first to will and then to do." He is working in you to get to recognize His will first, and then when you do, he is there to help you to step into that will and to do it.

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

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.

Notice, even Jesus tells us that knowing the Word of God alone is not where we are to come to, but knowing the Word of God, the will of God and also the power of God that goes with it, the doing of His will so to speak.

Look at the admonition of the son of God. Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

And again in Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

That is why the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Because how can you really come to an understanding of the Son of God without understanding how he walked in the Power of God.

Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Notice, not just declared to be the son of God, but declared to be the son of God with power. Not just the son of God seeth whatsoever the father doeth, that's not the full picture of the son with power. But he said the son doeth likewise, or the son doeth in the same manner as he saw the father doing, that is the same way the son doeth.

And this is the condition that God ordained the true Five-fold ministry to get the people to some to ....

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, (and since Paul told us in verse 5 that there is only one faith and one Lord, then this is the unity that only the revelation of Jesus Christ can bring, and then he says,) and of the knowledge of the Son of God,(which is not just having a knowledge as though we have an intellectual conception, because Paul speaks of the Power of Christ, declared to be the Son of God with power.

Notice, the combining the mechanics (knowing the will) with the dynamics (or the power to do) takes us) unto a perfect man, (a mature man, a fully furnished man) unto the measure of the stature (or the character) of the fulfilling of Christ: 14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

So we see that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation comes into the church to not only bring the right understanding of the will of God but the power to do it.

Then we can see in the proper light what Paul meant by the words,

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will (that's the knowing what to do) and to do (is the power to do) of his good pleasure.

For what good would it be to know the will of God without the power to do it. So God comes in the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself and this not only opens to us the eyes of our understanding, but shows us how to use the power that is in that understanding.

In other words, the Word is a seed, and thus a life and thus it is full of power. And as Paul says, not only does it open our eyes, 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. In other words, not only does it open the eyes of our understanding to God's Will, but he adds, it also teaches us what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,...

So we are looking at will and power to do. Will and power to do.

Notice in his sermon, The Spoken Word is the Original Seed 62-0318E P:175 Brother Branham says, "Notice, what harmony. Jesus never did anything until seen of the Father or the Father showed Him first: (Why, because the Father showing him was His learning what the will of God was) (Harmony between God and Christ. See? John 5:19) So will the Bride, and He shows Her His Word of Life (He shows Her), and she receives It.

Now catch this. He says, He shows Her His Word of Life. Now, God's Word is His Will. So just as the Original Seed did, he had to catch the will of God first, and then he stepped into that vision and did.

Harmony between God and Christ. See? John 5:19) So will the Bride, and He shows Her His Word of Life (He shows Her), and she receives It.

She never doubts it. (she never doubts what? His Will, that's what.) Nothing can harm Her, not even death; for if the Seed be planted, the water will raise it up again. Amen. (Now, I got a great big "Hallelujah.") Here is the secret: the Word is in the Bride and the mind of Christ to know what He wants done with the Word,

Notice she knows His Will. Let me read that again, Here is the secret: the Word is in the Bride and the mind of Christ to know what He wants done with the Word, See that's His will. She knows His will. She knows what He wills for her to do with His Word.

Now, remember, "it's God working in us both to will," see? We've got to will first, and it's not our will, but His will that He is in us working in us His Will. It's God working in us both to will and then to do.

So God works in us first to get us to recognize His will and then once we recognize His will we step into it and do. And He guarantees the outcome because it is the stepping into His will to do His Will. That's what he means when he said, Notice, what harmony. Jesus never did anything until seen of the Father or the Father showed Him first: (Why, because the Father showing him was His learning what the will of God was) (Harmony between God and Christ. See? John 5:19) So will the Bride, and He shows Her His Word of Life (He shows Her), and she receives It.

Now, let's continue..."and She does it in His Name". How is this possible? Because "She has THUS SAITH THE LORD". God has told her what to do, and she recognizes it is God's Word, it is "Thus Saith the Lord". So all she has to do is recognize what is "Thus Saith the Lord" and what is not "thus saith the Lord".

And when she recognizes what is God's Word, "Then it is germitized; so the Holy Spirit waters it until it is grown and serves its purpose. They do only His will. (Amen. I'll believe that.) No one can persuade them different. They have THUS SAITH THE LORD, or they keep still. Then they will do the works of God. For it is Himself in them, ("It is God working in them to recognize His will and then to do") continuing His Word to fulfill as He did complete in His day. All things when He was here, He did not complete all when He was here, for it was not time yet.

176   Now, let us stand like Joshua and Caleb. (Now, watch close, this is going to have a spiritual background.) Now, let us stand like Joshua and Caleb as we see the promised land coming in sight. It's nearing the time to be given. "Joshua" in Hebrew means "Saviour" and represents the promised end time leader to take the church over. Caleb represents the true believer who stayed with Joshua. God started Israel as a virgin, with His Word, but they wanted something different. So did the last day church.

177 Notice how God did not move Israel until His own appointed time. (Now, listen. This is going to mean something.) Joshua waited for that time. No matter how much people might've said, "God gave us the land, the promise; let us go now and take it." They might've said, "Joshua, you lost your commission. You're all washed up. Why are you not doing something? You used to know THUS SAITH THE LORD in a moment and what was the will of God." But this wise God-sent prophet knew the promise of God, but also knew to wait for that promise, a clear-cut decision from God for his time.(These parables, now, watch.) And when the time come, God gave it to Joshua, who had stayed with Him by the Word, for He could not trust others; He could trust him. So will it repeat.

And brother Branham showed us how we are to wait until we see the entire picture lined up, then we are step into the vision, to perform that which God ordained for us to perform. remember, he told us how the hat had to be on the chair, and so he waited all day long for the musical chairs to end, and the woman was in her place, and the man was in his place, the hat was on the chair, then he could step forward and pronounce the will of God. "thus saith the Lord you are healed."

So we see, just as God was with the early church in His Alpha ministry, so He must be the same with His end-time bride as well.

And we read in Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

159 That you are my brother. I'm not a great person, and you a little person. We're all little persons in God. You believe it? We're His little children. We know nothing what we really ought to know. He lets us know as He will, and we are thankful to Him for what we do know of His blessings. And I don't share this by myself; I want to share it with you. See? I want you into it, and I want you to receive this Token. And if you haven't done it, many of you... Most of you has already done it; but if some of you haven't done it... (See, I'm talking on tape too; you understand that.) And many of you, and I don't say here in the church, we're all come out, suppose; but there may be thousands times thousands that hear the tape. You see? And that... It's a ministry. There'd be somebody to slip into Jericho, you know, with a tape. So we want to... We want to catch that predestinated seed when it goes in there (See?), 'cause the wrath is coming.

You see, God is here working in us to will and to do, so it is His presence that does it. You know we have a lot of people saying, He's here, he' here, yet their life and the way they conduct their life shows they do not believe their own confession.

And we hear brother Branham say in paragraph 160 Know that it is the Presence of the living God. Proves that God has raised Him up according to His promised Word. "A little while and the world won't see Me no more (Jericho, Egypt), they won't see Me no more. Yet ye shall see Me, for I ('I' the personal pronoun is always referred to. See?), I'll be with you. I am the Token. My resurrection is the Token. The works that I do will identify you--will identify Me in you."

Oh, my I think I will have to save this for another day,... The works that I do will identify you, it will will identify Me in you." Yeah, I think we will have to save that for perhaps Wednesday night.

"As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man," when the evening message goes forth. For it shall be Light about the evening time. Just about the evening time the Light will come on. Oh, glory to God. Makes me feel like I could run through a troop and leap over a wall. See? It shall be Light about the evening time." That's right. The prophet said so. "Now, I'll be with you. I'll be in the Lutheran age; I'll be in the Wesleyan age; I'll be in the Pentecostal age. But right at the evening time, it'll come Light." The denominationals will fade away, and then the Token will be applied.

And when we hear it, and recognize it, then we will step into the will of God, and do it. "For it is God working in us both to will first, and then to do." Here is the secret: the Word is in the Bride and the mind of Christ to know what He wants done with the Word, and She does it in His Name

Let us pray...