Unveiling of God no 46

The Character of Christ in you pt2

August 22, 2018

Brian Kocourek, Pastor

From his sermon God identifying Himself 64-0320 P:33 Brother Branham said, "The pouring out of the Holy Ghost in the last days upon the common people has identified God's characteristic with the people. He promised it. It's the Word. He said He'd do it. Nobody can take it back. He said He would do it. So all these things that He's promised, that's what He does. It identifies His characteristic. Yes, sir. "Don't believe it, don't believe My claims, if My characteristic isn't that of God." Now, notice in John 14:12, "He that believeth on Me," He said, "has My identification, My characteristic. He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." That identifies that the character of Christ is in him, displaying the characteristics of Him. Amen.

So what did he just say? He said if you have John 14:12 in your life it is because you are expressing or displaying the very character of God in your life.

That is why he said in his sermon 62-1014M - The Stature Of A Perfect Man 138 And that’s what we’re supposed to do, reflect the Son of God. And now we’re supposed to do His work. He said, “He that believeth on Me…” Saint John 14:12, “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also.” You’re beginning to reflect the works of Christ. 139 But so many of us try to do the works of Christ before the reflection of Christ is in us. Now there’s the trouble. We find those things happening. You know it. I know it. We see these, stumbles along the road. We find the scrap heap of ministers, of Christians, piled along the road, is because they didn’t go into it right. 140 And that’s why I’m here this morning, is to try to teach this little church, and myself, how that we can become the dwelling place of the living God.

And so you see, it is all in our approach, how we approach God's Word. But you first of all have to believe that promise is for you, that means you recognize it, and then you must step into it.

In Br. Branham's sermon, Spiritual Amnesia-64-0411 he said, "You can't forget it and be a Christian. You must be identified with it.  You must be identified with St. John the 14th chapter, the 12th verse, "He that believeth with Me, the works that I do shall he do also." Don't forget it. If you do, then you've got spiritual amnesia. You've forgotten who you are. You've forgotten what your testimony means.

Notice he said you must be identified with it or you have spiritual amnesia. The word "Identified" means to cause to be, or become identical . b: to conceive as united in spirit, outlook, or principle): to be or become the same. Therefore it means more than to just agree with John14:12, it means you must become John 14:12 in your own life.

He said in his sermon Pardoned 63-1028 P:39 Here some time ago I asked a young lady in the prayer line, "Are you a Christian?"She said, "Well, I'm an American; I'll give you to understand."Now, like that had anything to do with it. An American, it's great to be an American, but that don't mean you're a Christian. You've got to be born again. Another woman I asked, "Are you a Christian?"Why, she was so put out, she said, "I give you the understanding I burn a candle every night."Like that had anything to do with it. You've got to be identified with Christ and His life living in you. That's when you're identified with Christ, is when Christ lives in you. It isn't a ritual. It isn't belonging to church.

And in his sermon 1963-0728 Christ is the Mystery (86-1) And then the Word moves on down into the Body from the Head. What is it? This same word. Nothing can be added or taken from It. So that same Word moves from the Head as the day comes close, down into the Body, down into the Body vindicating that they are One. They're Husband and Wife. They're flesh of His flesh, Word of His Word, Life of His Life, Spirit of His Spirit. See? Amen. How do you know it? Bears the same record, same fruit, same Word (See?), manifests Christ: same Life, same God, same Spirit, same Word, same Book (Amen!), same signs, "Things that I do shall you also." Oh hallelujah. My...

See, we are talking about the same word that was in God expressing itself in Christ and now in you. That was Jesus prayer, in John 17:21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:"

Look, John 17:21-22 is the same as what we also hear Jesus say in John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18  I will not leave you comfortless:(that word is orphans, and when is an orphan no longer an orphan? At the time of adoption, so at the time of adoption he says,) I will come to you. That means His presence will be here, His parousia. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (because as the Scripture tells us, "as he is so are we in this world".) 20 At that day (What day? At Hi Parousia) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

And from his sermon, 63-1112 - Sir, We Would See Jesus 38 Brother Branham said, "Now, according to the Scriptures, we are supposed to be “written epistles” of Him. The Bible says that we are “written epistles.” And if, tonight, we would hunger and thirst to see the Lord Jesus Christ, we as Christian believers should reflect His Life, so much, till it would be His entire representative. We should be that. Every Christian should be represent and reflect the Life of Jesus Christ. Do you believe that? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] And I believe that every Christian should be reflecting the Life of Christ. (So how do you do it? How do you reflect the Life of Christ? He tells us next ) He said, in Saint John 14:12, “He that believeth on Me, the works I do shall he do also.” And then we know that that’s true, that we are His representatives. And if we claim that Christ lives in us, and if Christ lives in us, then we should do as Christ did. We should reflect His Life."

Life 58-0512 P:8 Now, the Christian church should have real character then. And if the Life of Christ is in the church of Christ, then it's got to have the character of Christ.

It'll produce the Life of Christ. (Notice - what will produce the life of Christ? The character of Christ will.) It's just a no more than just what we call in the south, common sense. If the Life of the Spirit of Christ is in the church, it has to produce that Life, because the life that's in you, makes your character. And what kind of characters ought we to be, who have solemnly promised that we would serve the Lord Jesus as long as we live, and we have been baptized to His death, burial, and resurrection, and have put our names upon the church rolls, take out place in Sunday school, and then go out, and live something different? Oh, it's more... It's more of an detriment to the cause of Christ, than all the bootleg joints we have in America. God grant the day, that when men will live just what they are. And you can always tell them by their nature, their make-up.

So just as he said, where men make their mistake is they go out and try to do what Christ did without first having His character in them, which is His Spirit, which is His nature.

Identified Christ of all ages 64-0401 P:11 And so Divine healing, the main thing is Divine healing of the soul. The Body of Christ, it needs healing worse than anything that I know of, is the Body of Christ. It's been so broken up by man's theology and denominational differences until it's a sick body. And I tell you, it needs healing, great healing. So I trust that the Lord will do a great thing towards the healing of His part of the Body that's in here. We believe that there is one church. And we never join it. Next Monday I'll be fifty-five years old, and the Branham family never did ask me to join their family; I was born a Branham, and that's how I am in Him. Now, that's how we're Christians; we're born a Christian. And you don't join it; you're born into it. Then you take the character of Christ.

Therefore you don't get the character by doing the works, but the works will prove you have the character of Christ. John 14:12 is not doing something to prove you are something, but John 14:12 is "you do because you are".

Stealing does not make a man a thief. He is a thief and therefore he steals. And John 14:12 does not make you a believer, nor does it make you a son of God. But because you are a believer you will do what he did.

Martin Luther in his Book on Romans makes this same point in saying: " Faith, is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Ghost. Faith is not that human notion and dream that some hold for faith, where because they simply say "I believe" that they hold true faith. Faith, however, is a Divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God. It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises; it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's Grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. It fills a man's heart with joy and makes a man happy in dealing with God and all His Creation.

From his sermon Choosing of a bride 65-0429E P:69brother Branham said, God chooses by character. Character, there never was a Character like Jesus Christ. It lives in Him, manifests in. We see it true. It's not worldly beauty of Him that attracts His Bride; it is His character, the character of the church that Jesus looks for; not whether it's big buildings; whether it's great denominations; whether it's big membership. He promised to meet with wherever two or three are gathered together. Truly. That's where the true believer rests his hopes, is upon that Word of God being vindicated in truth, what it is. Choose by His Word. Not a worldly loving group, they hate that. No wonder she is divorced from Him, because she's missed His revelation, and she don't have it. He cares not for her, the way she acts and does, and how much of this worldly stuff she has; He's looking for her character, the character of Christ.

In closing let's turn to John 17:11 we read, ¶  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. And how is it that we might be One even as which means in the same manner as Jesus and His Father were One?

Jesus said, John 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Jesus tells us we become One with God through the same Word that He became One With God.

John 17:20 ¶  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Therefore it is very apparent that we are one by receiving the same Word which bring us into the same Glory or same mind as the Father. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

II Corinthians 5:1 ¶ For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Romans 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Now, remember, at the time of our adoption which will take place at His Parousia, because he promised, I will not leave you orphaned, I will come to you, My presence will come and when I come I will adopt you and you will no longer be orphaned. And concerning this presence br. Branham said,

Seven Church Ages  54-0512  97 His great, glorious Presence shall strike the earth. "He cometh in clouds." Oh, I love that. "Clouds," there will be wave after wave of His glory will come across the earth, and the resurrection of the saints shall come….

And from his sermon Letting off the Pressure 62-0518 E-112 See where we're living, friends. What's the matter with people? Can't you see we're at the end time? It's all over. The next thing will be a sweep will...?... that little group together. In a month or so she'll be gone, as soon as she's gathered together. Well, we're at the end. There's no hope left nowhere. Run to Christ, people.

Seven Church Ages  54-0512  97 "He that was last will be first, and he that was first will be last." How can it be that way? That's the order of the resurrection. I won't know nobody in the generation before me or the generation after me. I'll know those in the generation of this. And every generation will come successfully, right as it went down. "They which were last will be first." Sure, it has to be. See? I'll know my people. The next fellow, my dad will know his people; his grandfather, his people, on down like that. Wave after wave, after wave, after wave, and the saints arising from everywhere, won't that be wonderful

So we are looking forward to a wonderful time ahead, when the time of the Resurrection sets in and we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them, and then shall we will go to meet the Lord in the air. We get our change first and then we go to meet the Lord in the air. That's the order of the resurrection.

Now, the apostle Paul said, and brother Branham taught as well, that we have already been spiritually resurrected from the dead. That is why we all do not have to die first. There is a group who will be living, and we that are alive and remain at the Parousia of the Lord will be changed in the moment, in the Twinkling of an eye, when the Trumpet sounds.

I Corinthians 15:51 ¶  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, (not everyone will go by way of the grave) but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57    But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58  ¶  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, un-moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the Parousia of the Lord shall not prevent them (shall not go before them) which are asleep. 16 For The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, (that's the Message) with the voice of the archangel, (that's resurrection) and with the trump of God:(that's the catching away to the wedding supper) and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then (after the dead in Christ have risen) we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Notice that we are to get together first, the living with the resurrected saints. Then after this meeting, or gathering we go to meet the Lord in the air or that higher dimension.

What comfort these words ought to bring to us who are tired of this old pest house. But, the thing of it is, is that the Shout has already begun. The Lord has already descended with a Shout. And that Shout is the Message which has already gathered His people. Then the next thing is the Voice which if you will remember in the Alpha Ministry of Jesus Christ, when He cried with a Loud Voice, the graves were opened and many of the sleeping saints arose and came out of their graves after He was resurrected. Therefore the Voice, the Loud Voice is to awaken the sleeping virgins as we also saw in Matthew 25, the Wise are awakened out of their sleep, and as Paul said in Hebrews 11 they must have this ministry "for they without us cannot be made perfect."

Now, the process of the body change has to do with our having the character of Christ for if we do not have the same character as the first born son, there will be no body change which the apostle Called, "to whit the redemption of the body."

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

If you get time, I want you to read Romans chapter 8 because it is the chapter that deals with the time and conditions that will be necessary for the adoption and catching away to take place.

Now, we know a loud voice is a shout, therefore, I believe that the resurrection has already began. But the resurrection is not what takes place in the moment in the twinkling of an eye. That is the body change that does that. The resurrection is a process that happens over an extended period of time. 1) The living are spiritually resurrected or awakened from a deep sleep, and after that then those that sleep in the grave. But the Living are quickened first, then the dead come forth in Life.

And this quickening comes first to our spirit and soul and then when we get our body change to our bodies as well. So it is a process. Not an instantaneous thing.

Ephesians 2:1 ¶  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Now the word quicken means to make alive again. The God life that we had in Him before the foundations of the Word is made alive, quickened, or re-animated. Animation coming into our bodies. The Soul being quickened begins the process of resurrection. Which is our returning to the way God planned before the foundations of the earth for us to dwell in His presence for all eternity. 

From his Questions & Answers - 64-0823 1M brother Branham said, "Now, the first thing happens when we're resurrected ... The ones which are a-living will just still remain ...The resurrection will set in first, the resurrection of those that are asleep. There'll be a wakening time, and those which are asleep in the dust now ... will be awakened first, and they'll - these corruptible bodies will put on incorruption in the rapturing grace of the Lord. And then we'll all get together. And when they begin to get together, then we which are alive and remain shall be changed. These mortal bodies will not see death, but just of a sudden, there'll be like a sweep go over us, and you're changed. You're turned back like Abraham was, from an old man to a young man, from an old woman to a young woman. What's this sudden change? And after while you're traveling like a thought, and you can see those then who are already resurrected. Oh, what a hour! Then we'll gather with them and then be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.  Yes, the Church will all be together, but after, after the resurrection and the rapture has set in. 

So you see it is important for us to come to adoption first, which means our character will be commensurate with the character of Christ. That is what Paul meant in Romans 8 when he says we will be conformed to the image of the first born son.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

We the Apostle Paul speaking of this growing up into Christ in Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; What for? 12  For the perfecting (or maturing) of the saints, for the work of the ministry,(whose ministry? Christ's ministry) for the edifying (the building up) of the body of Christ: 13  Till we all come in the unity of The faith, (the revelation of Jesus Christ) and of the knowledge of the Son of God, (therefore you will never come to a unity of the revelation of Jesus Christ until you come also to the knowledge of the son of God. How God was in Christ uniting God with man) unto a perfect man, (mature man, one ready for adoption) unto the measure of the stature of the fulness (character) of Christ: So you see our maturity will be based on a standard and that standard is the character of Christ. To understand this is adoption talk all we have to do is read the very next verse where he says, 14That 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: Notice we are to grow up into him, not unto him as though he is here and we are over here, but he said we are to have his full maturity of character and then in effect grow up into Him. The body must fit the head or it is not ready for adoption.

Notice brother Branham says in his sermon Easter Seal - 65-0410 And now, if that same Spirit that was upon Him to be the Redeemer in that age, that we have accepted... Now, the promise of in this last days what would take place, if you become part of that Word, you are redeemed with Him, because the same Spirit that dwelt in Christ is dwelling in you, quickening your life to this age. And it will also in the end time quicken your mortal bodies, resurrect them, bring them up again. That takes the gloom away when we look at it in that, and that's the truth. Romans here, Paul has proved it to us. See? "If the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, it will also quicken your mortal bodies." This is the same Spirit that raised Him up that quickened the true believer to Eternal Life. The Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells into the believer, quickens the believer to Eternal Life.

Again from his sermon Rising of the Sun - 65-0418 1M  50-6And now (see?), now you are already resurrected. When God raised Him up, He raised you; the Son is just now on you. And now you're growing into a blossom Life like He was, to be resurrected completely in that last day. Your potentials you have now. Why do you know? Your soul changed, didn't it? Your body come in obedience to It, didn't it? Into obedience to what? A Church? The Word, which is the Life. Then you are now resurrected from the dead.  You potentially have the Earnest, the waiting. Now, when you get the Dynamics, you have been quickened from mortal to immortality. It makes the whole body come subject to the Word. It'll make you act different, look different, live different; It'll just make you different.  Then notice, it's just like a little seed laying in the ground. Now, potentially, you are resurrected. You're resurrected when you receive the Holy Spirit in you; you're resurrected right then. Your body's potentially resurrected.

II Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. And this renewal comes by the Word of God living and abiding is us, adding cell upon cell to our glorified bodies.

Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Let us pray