Token no 7
Evidence of your death to self
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
This evening as we commemorate
the last supper before the death of our Saviour Jesus Christ, I would like to
take for our text Colossians 3:3-4
Colossians 3:3 "you are dead and
your life is now hid with Christ in God". 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory.
Let us pray...
Paul speaks to us in Colossians
3 about our dying to self, and our life being hid with Christ in God. What Paul
is telling us here is not some religious philosophy, but he is letting us know
that unless you are dead to self, you will never be Hid
with Christ in God. And then he went on to tell us that if we truly have died
to self, and are hid with Christ, then Christ becomes our Life.
In Galatians
2:20 Paul tells us concerning his own life, that he, Paul, is dead
and yet he is still living, but the life that is living in him, is not his own
life, but the life of Christ that is living in him.
He said, I am (present
tense) crucified with Christ: nevertheless I am alive;
yet it is not I that is alive, but Christ that is alive in me: and the life
which I now live in this body of my flesh, I live by the faith (the
revelation) of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.
So Paul knew what he was
talking about. He said the same revelation that Jesus had to die to himself in
the
Jesus knew that He came into
the world as the lamb that was slain in the mind of God before the foundations
of the world. And he said to the brothers in the garden, for this purpose have
I come into the world.
John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
Now, this word "cause"
that Jesus used here means for this "reason
or purpose". and
the word cause according to our English dictionary means: A person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way
that some specific thing happens as an effect: 2. The reason or motive for some human action:
So we see Jesus knew the reason
or purpose for His coming to this world, and He had to step into that purpose
in order for His purpose of existence to become complete. I wonder if we knew
our very reason or purpose for coming into this world would cause us to step
into our role and become the manifestation to the world that portion of God's
Word that was meant to be unfolded in our day. I believe William Branham knew
his purpose in life.
Do you know yours?
Then I would like to ask you
this question, "Do you know why you were sent into this world?" Because if you do, then why do you not step into it?
If you know your purpose of
being, The reason why God sent you into this world,
then why are you not stepping into it?
Brother Branham said in The Token
In other words, he is saying,
"I kind of question whether you are really a lamb, when your nature seems
to rebel against the Word of God. I wonder if you really are a lamb when you rebel
against the simple things of being a Christian, which means to be Christ-like.
He continues in saying, "A lamb is obedient. A lamb is self-sacrificial; it doesn't claim its own. You can lay it right down and
shear the wool off of it (That's the only thing it's got.), it never says anything
about it, just sacrifices everything it's got. That's a lamb.
It gives everything to its, gives everything away, itself and all it is.
And that's the way a real Christian is. If they're self sacrifice themselves, caring nothing for this world, but giving all they got to God.
See?
Oh, brother
have we come short or what. when someone
accuses you of something that may be true, do you go on the defensive? Do you
get offended when people see your faults? Do you go into self protection mode
every time someone says that may or may not be concerning you?
We have a long way to go church
to where we are actually living as the early Christian church lived. Today, you
say something to try to help someone and they get offended, and immediately go
into protection mode, and then cast off the blame on others.
A real Christian says, "do
you think so my brother, my sister?" I never noticed that I was doing
that. I am extremely sorrowful that you might think that of me." I never
intended to do you any harm. Please pray for me.
But the unregenerate person,
that means the person that has not died to self, will try to hide their sin,
and their shortcomings. They will cloak themselves and disguise their
shortcomings. Like let's use the example of a bad habit. We know the old adage
that says, you get rid of a bad habit by adopting
another habit. In other words, you replace one habit with another. Like if you
are a Smoker, and you want to get rid of your smoking, you replace your smoking with chewing gum.
You can't smoke and chew gum at the same time.
But that I
just covering over your sin. That
is just placing a mask of pretention over the desire to smoke. But Paul said,
"You are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God."
So brothers and sisters, are
you just pretending to be dead? Have you just changed one bad habit with a
different habit to try to hide the fact that you are not really dead.
If we could just understand
what that really means to be dead. Dead men don't fuss. Dead women don't
gossip. Dead people don't take out their frustrations on other people.
And let me tell you something,
you will never receive the Holy Ghost until you have died to yourself. Because you can not be born AGAIN if you have not died in the first
place.
I am thoroughly convinced that
most people who claim to be Christians today are not Christ Like and therefore
are not even Christian. They are just filled with theology and doctrines and
are no more Christ like than the Catholic, Muslem, or
Jew. And that includes the people who claim to believe this message.
I am thoroughly convinced that
most people who claim to be Christians have never died to self, and therefore
have not the Holy Spirit of God. How can you have the Holy Spirit and live
unholy? A Spirit is a life, and that every Life has a nature. And if your
nature is not that of Christ, then you do not have His Spirit living in you.
Then what does that mean for
you? That means although you might have been raised up in the Message, you are
still lost and are on your road to the lake of fire. That means that no matter
how much you claim to believe God sent us a prophet, your life shows you do not
believe it.
That means as much as you are
counting on the rapture to take you out of here before things get pretty ugly,
it means you will be here for the tribulation and you will have to finally give
your life for your belief because you were not willing to give your life for
your believe before the rapture.
Yes, I means
what I am telling you tonight. You had better be taking inventory of your life.
You know deep inside whether you are Christian (Christ-Like) of not. YOU know
when you gossip, that your gossiping is not right. You know when you're just an
angry person and treat others wrong. But you justify your behavior and try to
cover your sin. That doesn't work with
your family and it doesn't work with God. You will be here for the tribulation
unless you are truly filled with the HOLY-Spirit.
Now, I have been sharing with
you for the last I don't know how many years, quote after quote and Scripture after
Scripture that God requires us to have the same nature that He has if we are to
be received up into His Presence in the Rapture. And if you do not have His
presence in your life daily now, do you really think that you will be accepted
into His presence with a last minute (I see the tribulation coming) repentance.
I believe we are entering into
the time where "he that is filthy will be
filthy still, and He that is righteous will be righteous still." And
the only way you can be righteous still is if you are dead and your life is hid
with Christ in God. For their is only one who is righteous, and that is the Son
of God, and His life was shown to be righteous, and if you have not His life
living yours, you are not righteous in God's eyes nor anyone else.
It takes dying to self in
order to live in Christ,
and that is the only thing God requires of you. To recognize your need for a
Saviour, and then die to self that He might live your life for you.
That is when you receive your
new spirit, and this new spirit is not you getting a different spirit, but it
is you changing your own spirit. And you can only do that when
you die to your spirit. It must be dead, "for
you are dead and your life is Hid with Christ in God."
Your spirit is changed by your dying
out to your own self. Then when
you have totally died to your own self, your nature becomes like a lamb nature which is willing to be led. Then
and only then God will come into you with His own Spirit and lead you like the
Dove leading the lamb. But you must have
a lamb-like spirit within you before God's Dove-like will come in and lead.
But I am afraid most who claim
to be Christian do not have this lamb like spirit, for they act more like
wolves in sheep clothing.
So what does a wolf do? A wolf
doesn't attack a fully grown animal, they attack the
weak and the defenseless. Look at any nature film, and you will see it is
always the very young or the very old that the wolves attack. Why? because they are afraid of a one on one with something that
can injure them. So they will hang in packs and as pack animals they work
together and circle the weak and aging, and run them and chase them until they
are too weak to fight. Then they sink their fangs into them.
And I have seen this very thing
among so called Christians as long as I have known what it means to be
Christian. Let a person make a mistake and instead of doing what the Bible
says, Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by
them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in
danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever
is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,
(that means worthless, you are worthless) shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the
altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and
offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way
with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou
shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Brother Branham makes it very
clear that we must have the nature of Christ which is the nature of a lamb, if
we are to be accepted by God.
In the next paragraph, 34 And now, this was a perfect Lamb: Christ was. And
then through the shed blood of this lamb, the natural lamb in
Notice,
he tells you that the Token, the Life that was in the blood stands as a witness
that you have died to yourself and your death to self has been accepted by God.
And
he says the Token identifies that you and the lamb have become identified
together. The Life is your identification "that
you are dead and your life is hid with Christ, Together with Christ you are hid
in God".
The
word "Identified" means: "to cause to be, or become identical.": "to conceive as united in spirit, outlook, or principle:
"to be"
or "become
the same as"
Therefore when you have died
and your life is hid with Christ in God, that means
your life is hid by Christ's life in God. Your life is identical to Christ's
Life, for you are dead nevertheless you are living, yet it is not you that is
living but Christ is living in you, and the life you are now living in your
flesh you are living by the revelation of Christ in you the hope of Glory.
And unless you are dead and
your life is actually hid with Christ in God, you are only fooling yourself
that the rapture is for you. You are not going to make it brothers and sisters, if you have not dies to your own selfish you.
Brother Branham
goes on to say, 35 Then the blood was a token of our identification. The blood
identified that the worshipper had slain the lamb, (he's talking
about your identification with the sacrifice here. And you have to slay
yourself to identify that you are in need of the life of that Lamb in you. Too
many people who claim to be Christian, are just self professed
Christians, but their lives tell you a different story. They fuss and stew and
fight and even get violent.
I have never seen in my 62
years of life any person who was dead and yet was able to hit back, or kick
when kicked. I have never seen one dead person who could argue or get mouthy. I
have never seen one dead person who got angry. Dead men don't fuss. Dead men
don't hit back. Dead men don't argue. Dead men aren't mouthy. Dead men don't
respond to violence with violence. Dead men don't fight. Dead men don't gossip.
Dead men don't fuss. Dead men don't, ... well I hope you understand what I'm driving at.
In the Bible when God calls a
man, sometimes he gives that man of God a wife who doesn't control her tongue,
and get's mouthy with him, and God places that woman with that man just to try
that man to see whether he has died to himself or not. Look at Moses.
And God will give you sisters a
husband who seems to not have it all together in areas you think are important
just to try you to see whether "you are dead
and your life is hid with Christ in God."
35 Then the blood was a token of our identification.
The blood identified that the worshipper had (1) slain the lamb, and (2) accepted
the lamb, and
(3) applied
the token to himself, that he was not ashamed. He didn't care who saw it.
He wanted everybody to see it. And it was placed in such a position,
that everybody passing by could see that token.
And then brother Branham says, Christianity has to display its Token (See?) publicly, in public life, at the office, on the
street, when trouble is around, anything, in church, everywhere else. The
Blood is the Token, and the Token must be applied (See?), or even the
covenant is not in effect. The blood was a token or an identification,
identifying this person has been redeemed.
So what is he saying here? he's saying, your death must be displayed for all to see. When people see you, are they seeing Christ?
Or are they seeing you in all your human frailty.
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.
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,
Romans
In closing let me
read what this dying to self is all about.
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, (when Christ who is our life shall phaneroo,
shall manifest in his true identity and characteristics) then shall ye also appear (phaneoo, then shall you also manifest in your true identity
and characteristics) with him in glory. (in
doxa, in the same values and the same opinions and the same judgments as he
manifests in).
And
if you have died and you r life is hid with Christ and you are expressing or
manifesting in your true characteristics and are identified with the lamb life
to the point that you have become one with the lamb life, which is the same
nature of the Son of God, then you will 5 (1) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; (2 and you will be dead to)
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
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;
(1) anger,
(2) wrath, (3) malice, (4) blasphemy, (5)
filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 (6) 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, (Christ) which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
And
if you have put on the new man, then the attributes and characteristics of the
new man which is the very life of Christ in you, will manifest in the
following:
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, (1) bowels of mercies, (2)
kindness, (3) humbleness
of mind, (4) meekness, (5) longsuffering; 13 (6)
Forbearing one another, and (7) forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any:
even as Christ forgave you, (8) so also do ye.
14 And
above all these things put on (9) charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let (10)
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also ye are called in one body; and be ye (11) thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ (12) dwell in you richly in all wisdom; (13) teaching and (14) admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, (15) singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, (16) do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, (17) giving
thanks to God and the Father by him. 18 Wives, (18) submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the
Lord. 19 Husbands,
(19) love your
wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, (20) obey your parents in all
things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, (21)
provoke not your children to
anger, lest they be discouraged. 22 Servants, (22) obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And (23) 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.
Let us pray.