Unveiling of God no 7
The Resurrection Message
Easter Sunday April 1, 2018
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
This morning the Easter Message will be preached
in many churches and from many pulpits across the world, and there will be as many
different approaches to this Doctrine of the resurrection as there are pulpits.
I'm afraid most will bypass the Truth of the
Resurrection evidence we have seen as eye witnesses of the great Appearing of
Christ in this hour, and instead will present a social Good News version of a
historical event that took place nearly 21 hundred years ago. Substituting a
dynamic revelation for a historical
record. The historical record won't change the heart of those who hear it, but
a true revelation of the resurrected Christ among us will.
The Cross and Resurrection has been preached for
21 hundred years and yet the so called Christian world continues to fall
further and further into Luke-warmness and sin, until the Light of the Glorious
Gospel has all but gone out, until darkness, Gross-darkness now covers the
earth.
And why is this? Does not the Word of
God, and the Good news of the glorious resurrected Christ have power above
darkness? Yes, it does, but it is also written, "many
are called but few are chosen, and great is the way, but narrow is
the pass, and few there be that find it."
I believe that the Easter Message in most
pulpits today will not be preaching the resurrected Christ alive today and
working in the midst of the people, showing Himself to be alive after 2,000
years. But they will focus on the history of what took place 2,000 years ago
with no real power coming from their words, nor from the pulpits, because
through their organizations they
have Crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh and have put him to an open
shame as the Apostle said
they would do in Hebrews 6:6.
To most of the American so called Christians
today, Easter to them is a day of celebration, no different than Presidents
day, or Valentine's day, and it is not even celebrated as much as Halloween which is a pagan holiday in
remembrance of the dead.
But Easter is not a remembrance of the dead, but
rather of the resurrection out from among those who are dead.
And in this hour, when the Spirit of Wisdom and
Revelation in the knowledge of God has come down, and the Great Appearing of
the Lord Jesus Christ in the form of the Pillar of fire has come back among the
church, the True Christian does not look at Easter as a historical record, but
rather as a Living evidence that He is here getting the Bride ready for another
resurrection and catching away.
But those who look back are missing Him Who has
raised from the dead and is alive forever more. His Presence is here, His
Pillar of fire is still being seen, and it is leading us to the Millennium. But
those who look back are in danger of missing Him who is here.
As Brother Branham said several times, “Man is are always looking back to what God did,
and always looking forward to what God promised to do, but failing to see what
God is doing in right now.”
Therefore this morning I would like to examine
the resurrection of Christ and ask you what does
it mean to you personally this morning. Is it just a story that took
place according to this Book we call the Bible? Is it because you've read what
some witnesses wrote 21 hundred years ago? If that is so, how do you know today
that He's still alive? Or is it more than just a story to you. Is it
because your life has been affected by the personal presence of the resurrected
Christ Himself, and you have personally become witness to the Resurrection
power and presence of Christ in your own life?
Because if you are looking back you are still lost,
and if you are looking forward and missing what He is here doing today, you are
still lost and have no clue to the reality of the Living Christ in our Midst
today.
If you have become a witness of His Personal
Presence in this hour, then it is because you have been made alive by His Life
in you.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the
right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on
things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with
Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Notice that the preaching of the resurrected
Christ is not about historical matter, but rather a personal matter to every
one of us. Because Paul said in 1
Corinthians 15:14 And if
Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is
also vain.
Notice the
resurrection of Jesus Christ affects us personally, because if it is not true then
our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. So God has not left our
eternal destination up to a historical debate, but rather a personal faith in
the record that what was good for the first born son is good also for all sons.
Because the
apostle Paul also said a little later in 1
Corinthians 15: in verse 20 But now
is Christ risen from the dead, and by his raising from the dead has become the
firstfruits of them that slept.
And
first fruits means others will follow. So the resurrection was not about Him,
it is about the entire family of God. He was the first we are to follow in his
footsteps.
Therefore, Easter, and resurrection is not about
a psychological effect of a belief system, and your personal commitment to that
belief system, because the Muslim’s show more commitment to their
belief system and they have no hope of a resurrection of the just. That's
not even in their language. They simply have a place where they believe they
will go called heaven where they will have 72 virgins and a very carnal sexual
gratification awaiting them. That's not the Gospel, that's not the
good news. The world is full of those psychological mythical hopes and belief
systems.
But what I am talking to you about this morning
is the awareness within that comes from a personal communion with the
resurrected Christ, Himself.
Therefore, the question I would like to present
to you this morning is this. What
does the resurrection mean to you. And be careful what you say,
because if your answer is based on what it has meant to others, you are lost.
I want to know, what is the resurrection and
Presence of Christ personally mean to you. If your answer is based on the
experience and witness of others as I said you are still lost and Christian in
title only.
But if your understanding of the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ is based upon your
own personal experience with the resurrected Christ, then you have been made
alive by His Spirit in you.
As Paul said in Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, then seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Then you will
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead to yourself, and your life is hid
with Christ in God. Which means no one can see you without first
seeing Christ. 4 For When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, Shall phaneroo, shall manifest in His true
identity, then shall ye also appear with
him in glory. Then shall uyou also manifest in your true identity with him in
Glory, in doxa, in the same opinions, values, and judgments of God.
And by having the same mind that was in Christ,
you will act like him, talk like him, live like him and do the works that He did. And people will not
see you, because you are hid in Him, Your life is hid in His life. Your actions
are hid in His Actions, your speaking is hid in His Words, and Your Life is hid
in HIs life. Therefore the works that he did you will do also.
And unless this is you that I am speaking of
here, you are still dead in your sins, and you are a Christian in title only.
And you will know that He lives in you, and
speaks out from you, and acts through you, and live through you. For you are
hid in Christ and what people see when they look at you is him.
Listen, let me put it this way, if you hide in a
tree, and stay hidden in that tree, then when people look right at you, they
will only be able to see the tree. Right? Well, that is what Paul is saying
here, our life is hid in
Christ with God.
And that is why the apostle Paul could say, 2
Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore
henceforth know we no man after the
flesh: yea, though we have
known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Because we do not look at the vessel, but we
look at the Christ, the anointer, God Himself, who is using the vessel.
You know, many people talk about what Christ has
done, but what are they saying concerning what He is here doing
now? They look forward to the Coming of the Lord but they fail to
recognize the Appearing of the Lord, and what God is doing right now with us in
this hour.
Third Exodus 63-0630M P:126 Now, I want you
to notice, this same Pillar of Fire is leading, the people again to a promised
land, the millennium, where we found under the inspiration of this Sixth Seal,
that's never been taught before, how the earth has to be purified for the
millennium. The Pillar Fire is leading them to a millennium. And notice, the Pillar
of Fire that led Israel from the bondage in that exodus, the Pillar of Fire,
under the leadership of God, God was the Fire, and the Pillar of Fire only
anointed the prophet.
Israel at the red sea 1
53-0326 P:92 Now, to the Branham Tabernacle, and to you who are
associated and know these truths. Did you know that same Pillar of Fire
is with us tonight? You remember having His picture taken down yonder,
and how It's swept across the world now, the same Pillar of Fire that
followed Moses back there in the burning bush. What is it? Any scholar here
daresn't... If I have been slopping along here with these words and things, I
do know where I'm standing. I got my head screwed on right, I believe, by the
Holy Spirit. Let me tell you, any scholar here knows that that Angel Who
followed the children of Israel through the wilderness was the Angel of the
Covenant. And the Angel of the Covenant was Jesus Christ. Moses
esteemed the riches of Christ greater treasures than all of Egypt. Is that
right? Sure, the Angel of the Covenant. Then what is It here with us?
They may say we got, lost our mind, we're this, that, or the other, a bunch of
holy-rollers, or something. Maybe they might say it. But God Himself has
a-vindicated Himself in the same Pillar of Fire that led the children of
Israel, is leading us right on today. Hallelujah. Glory to God. The
same One was with Jesus Christ back yonder when He stood and He said to
them Pharisees, they was standing there, told the woman at the well where her
secret sins was, and so forth. It's operating in our midst now.
"He that Was, Which Is, and Will Come." Hallelujah. I'm looking for Him,
are you? Glory to God. Hallelujah. All the guessing is gone. Oh, my.
Third Exodus 63-0630M P:122 Notice, the
Pillar of Fire that called them out, led them to the promised land under the
anointing of a prophet. A Pillar of Fire that they could look at, led
them to the promised land under an anointed prophet. And they
constantly turned him down.
Great warrior Joshua 55-0119
P:43 Hallelujah. Devils are on the move, for
Jesus Christ the Chief Captain, said, "In My Name they shall cast out devils." They
failed to get it forty years ago, but we're coming in now, possessing the land.
The same Pillar of Fire, the same Chief Captain is a leading the host of the
Lord. It's your land.
Indictment the 63-0707M P:20 In the first exodus He was a Pillar of Fire. Then when He
came on earth in the Lamb, to where He led them... What a beautiful type it'll
be in the millennium, where He's leading the church now. We shall see Him as He is.
We'll have a body like His own glorious body. And today, by the Light of the Gospel
reflecting from a Light, a Pillar of Fire visibly among us...
Science has seen It; It's in the magazines and across the world; and It's both
scientifically and spiritually recognized as the same Pillar of Fire, by
the same signs and same things It did always. And now, in the midst of
days when there's a lot of fanaticism and things, yet, God always
identifies Himself.
I Corinthians 15:12 ¶ Now if Christ be preached
that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no
resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection
of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
Now, I want to stop here and look at what Paul
is saying here: The resurrection is not just about what took place when God
raised up our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s about what God who is the resurrection
not only did for his son, but what he is doing with you and me in our own
personal lives. If God raised up His first born Son, then God is
obligated to raise up all His Sons or he is not the same yesterday, today and forever. And so we read on...
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
And why is that? Because the whole hope of
mankind is based on the fact that Jesus was a first fruit of
the resurrection, and without that there is hope for ourselves. And
not only Hope, but the Same God and Father who made a promise to His Son Jesus
to raise Him from the dead has also made promise to us to raise us up
as well, to live forever more.
John 3:15 That “whosoever believeth” (ὁ
πιστεύων) in him should
not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that “whosoever believeth” (ὁ
πιστεύων) in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
John 3:36 “He that believeth” (ὁ
πιστεύων) on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on
him.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, “He that
believeth”
(ὁ πιστευων) on me hath
everlasting life.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: “he that
believeth” (ὁ
πιστευων) in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that
through his name “whosoever believeth” (everyone who believes (ὸν
πιστεύοντα) in him shall
receive remission of sins.
1 John 5:10 “He that believeth” (ὁ
πιστεύων) on the Son of God hath
The witness in himself:...
1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because
we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so
be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not
Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye
are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are
fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
Now, there is the answer to the question I posed
to you. If Christ be not risen then we also have no hope. And then in
the next verse the Apostle Paul delares...
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 ¶ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of
them that slept.
That means that if Jesus is the first fruit,
then he is the first to receive the manifestation as a son of God, and that
means then that other sons will follow. because God promised that we also will
partake of the resurrection.)
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of
the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Now, you may not have caught what Paul was
saying here, but let me read it again to you more slowly.
"Even so IN Christ
shall all be made alive. And if we are hidden in Christ, then we also which
are in Him shall also be made alive. 23 But every man in his
own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at
his coming.
You see, because Paul also said in 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.
So we have the same promise of being raised up
that God made to His first born son.
And this is our hope. He said Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that
are Christ's at his coming, and the word coming here is the Greek
word Parousia, which simply means presence, which does not speak of the act of arrival, or
the second coming, but it actually refers to an event the precludes the 2nd coming.
This speaks of the
Appearing that gets us ready for
the 2nd Coming. For Paul continues by saying,
24 Then cometh the end, (In other words, after this great Parousia takes
place, then cometh the end...) when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;
when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For
he (God) must reign, till he (God) hath put all enemies under his (the son of God’s) feet. 26 The last enemy [that] shall be
destroyed [is] death. 27 For he(God) hath put all
things under his (the Son of God’s) feet. But when he (God) saith all things are put under him (The Son of God), it is
manifest that he (God) is excepted, which did put all things under
him (the Son of God). 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him (the son of God), then
shall the Son also himself be subject unto him (God) that put all
things under him (The Son of God), that God may be all in all.
Therefore my question to you remains this. What does the resurrection mean
personally to you? It means that you also have a promise from God that
you will be raised from the dead even as God fulfilled the raising of His
First born Son from the dead.
Now, then that would lead us to another question.
And that is this. If God is to raise
us up from the dead, then in what form will we be raised up from the
dead? And I believe it is because men do not understand this question
is why they do not really long for the resurrection and catching away. It is
because they are afraid of what they might get for a body. And they are not
sure that they will like that body. Most people have some silly notion that
heaven is a place where you just float around on a cloud and are kind of like a
spirit or a little cloud like mist or spirit or come notion as that.
But God made the earth for man and intends for us to dwell on the earth
thorough out an eternity future. And to answer this question as to how we come
back the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
I Corinthians 15:35 ¶ But some man will say,
How are the dead raised up? and with
what body do they come?
You see, there is that same question.
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened,
except it die:
Now, he is talking about sowing a reaping here
and he is talking about the body
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not
that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and
to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes,
and another of birds.
Therefore you do not have to worry about coming
back as a bird of some other animal like the Hindu people do. You go down as a
man you come back as a man.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the
glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory
of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So
also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption;
it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown
in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness;
it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is
raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was
made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Paul tells us here that "we
have a natural Body and a
"spirit body". When the seed goes into the ground, it
has to lie there and rot in order for the life that is in it to be released from
its natural body or husk or shell. But once that spirit body is released from
its dried up husk, the life begins to bring forth another body in the same
image of the one that went into the earthly grave, only one that is not all
dried out and old, but one that is new and full of life.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the
Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also
that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly.
Now, what Paul is telling us here is that just as we have born the image of earthly sold under sin because of the fall in the
garden, so too shall we receive a
body that is incorruptible, which is not born by a sexual desire but from the Spoken Word
Promise of God. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. 51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, 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.
Now, If we were to come up in a body that
is old and worn out, what kind of a life would that be to live in that
condition for an eternity? And He is telling us the body that goes into the
grave will come back but it will be changed. For if we came back with another
body, that would not resurrection, that would be replacement. But we
will come back with our own body that went into the ground, but it will be a
changed body, incorruptible, and immortal, which means it will be of such a
nature that it will never grow old again, nor weaken from any outside influence
upon it.
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, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Now, concerning the body that we come back
with. We all know that when Jesus was raised from the dead the brethren
did not recognize Him. And why is that? Because when Jesus died he
was only about 33 years old, but because of the rigor and strain of the
ministry he appeared to be around 50 years old.
John 8:57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast
thou seen Abraham?
In the Book of John, we have a witness who had
firsthand experience of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And in
his telling us of the happenings surrounding the resurrection from the dead, we
find that no one recognized Him from his looks but it was the things he did and
said that they were able to recognize him from.
John 20:1 ¶ The first day of the week cometh Mary
Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre,
and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other
disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away
the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to
the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple
did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, [and looking in], saw the linen clothes lying;
yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went
into the sepulchre, and seeththe linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen
clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to
the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture,
that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own
home. 11 ¶ But Mary stood without at
the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked
into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting,
the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had
lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman,
why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they
have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus
standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing
him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have
borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him
away.
Now, here lays two clues as to the image that
Jesus was showing here. Number one he appeared to be young like a gardener
would be. And two he appeared to be strong and full of health in order to be
able to carry away the body.
16 Jesus saith unto
her, Mary.
She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to
say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for
I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto
them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. 19 ¶ Then the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst,
and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Several time more Jesus appeared to them and
they did not recognize him. He appeared to the brethren while they were
fishing, and broke bread with them. He appeared to them on their road to
Emmaus, and in all cases they did not recognize him until he did something or
said something that identified who he was.
Let’s look now for another example of this in
the old Testament, for if we believe that God changes not and that He
is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Then what he did back then, He is
obligated to do the same today.
Joel 1:1 ¶ The word of the LORD that came to Joel the
son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye
inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of
your fathers? 3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your
children tell their children, and their children another generation. 4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that
which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the
cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath
eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great
army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in
plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God,
that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and [that]
I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will
I pour out my spirit.
Resurrection is not about receiving another
body, but the same body restored back to the fullness of life.
Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his
heart, Shall [a child] be born unto him that is an hundred years
old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live
before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear
thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will
establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed
after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I
have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him
exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah
shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee
according to the time of life;
Now this time of life comes from a Hebrew words. Eth which means a period of time, and it comes from the root word, ad that speaks of a time in the past, but
that will continue into the future. The Word for Life here is the Hebrew word chay or chayah which means: to quicken, revive, refresh, to restore to life and it refers to being restored to life, full health, vitality and
energy, which means to be
changed back from an old woman to a young one again, and from an old man who
had dried up to a young one again.
...and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah
heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah
[were] old [and] well stricken in age; [and] it ceased to be with Sarah after
the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old
also? 13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying,
Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is anything too hard
for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee,
according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Not only did God restore them back to their
youthful bodies, but he also gave Sarah ability to receive seed and bring forth
from her womb, life as well. So we are looking at restoration as not only bringing
you back to the age of vitality, and energy, but it also speaks of restoring
everything, including your health. And then in chapter 20 we find Abraham and Sarah journeying into
the kingdom of Gerar and the King there looked upon her
beauty and wanted her for his own wife. Now, this woman had said she was old
and well worn out, and yet now she is so attractive that the young
King wants her for his own?
Genesis 20:1 ¶ And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the
south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and
sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is
my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took
Sarah. 3 ¶ But God came to Abimelech in a dream
by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman
which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt
thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my
sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity
of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done
this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that
thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from
sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore
restore the man his wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee,
and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that
thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8 ¶ Therefore Abimelech rose early in the
morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears:
and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and
said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that
thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds
unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto
Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11 And
Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place;
and they will slay me for my wife's sake. 12 And yet indeed [she is] my sister;
she [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she
became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused
me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness
which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall
come, say of me, He is my brother. 14 ¶ And Abimelech took
sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto
Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelechsaid, Behold, my
land [is] before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto
Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand [pieces] of silver:
behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and
with all other: thus she was reproved. 17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God
healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare
children. 18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech,
because of Sarah Abraham's wife. 21:1 ¶ And the LORD visited Sarah
as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah
conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God
had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto
him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Why do you think the 1st Resurrection took place in
the Spring time? Because God is the God of the Resurrection, and all
of creation testifies to the resurrecting power of our God and Father. Spring
is when the grass comes up, and the trees come up and the flowers come up and
all life comes back from the shallow grave of the winters snow. Up,
and living, up and living, up and living pops up every seed that went into the
ground and was buried there for a season.
Curtain of time 55-0302
P:32 "Bother, botany doesn’t only mean flowers and things, it means
resurrection too. Just as the springtime, when the Easter flowers are blooming,
everything's so pretty, a very type of nature; resurrection has to come in the
spring. That's the reason the resurrection is in springtime. Resurrection of
everything, and surely the King of nature resurrected, the Creator of nature,
resurrected with the rest of the resurrection of nature."
And if God changes not, then the resurrection we
shall experience in this hour must also come in the spring. Now, I am not
limiting what God can do, but God has shown Himself to be the same yesterday,
today and forever. Therefore, why would he change what He has already
established throughout all of creation.
And the resurrection doesn’t bring you back in
an old worn-out body? It brings you back at your best. What a cruel god that
would bring you back in this same old worn out body. Could you imagine nature
bringing forth broken old trees with the bark peeling off to begin with, and
the leaves drying up to begin with, and the fruit withering before it has a
chance to come forth? That wouldn’t be a spring time? That would be a time of
horror. But resurrection is to bring up from the dead, into a condition that is
new and youthful and full of expectation, and vitality and energy, and just
brimming full of life.
Psalms 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they
are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to
their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. 31 ¶ The glory of the LORD shall endure for
ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me.
Isaiah 40:31 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew
[their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. 41:1 ¶ Keep silence before me, O islands; and let
the people renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let
us come near together to judgment.
Lamentations 5:21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be
turned; renew our days as of old. That speaks of bringing us back to the times
when we were young again.
Our promise is a change of the body from old to
youth again like Abraham and Sarah and Jesus Himself who appeared to be old and
yet when He rose from the grave they did not recognize Him for he appeared as a
young man to them at the grave.
The outer man is perishing but the inner man is
renewed daily.
He was risen from the dead for our
justification. You say, I thought He died for our justification.
NO! he died that your sins might be covered under his Precious blood,
and that your sinful life might be atoned for. But He rose that you might have
justification because to be justified means as though you never did do it, and
when He rose again for our justification it brought back His Spirit upon the
believer and quickened us by the same spirit that was in Him, and has made us
new creatures in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not
read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but
of the living.
Matthew 27:50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a
loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the
rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which
slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went
into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Psalms 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all
his benefits: 3 Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy
diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy
youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Resurrection is a living hope I Peter 1:3 ¶ 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 (Wuest: a Hope that has been made alive) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Acts 1:1 ¶ The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus,
of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was
taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the
apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive
after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
I John 3:1 ¶ Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is.
II Corinthians 3:12 ¶ Seeing then that we have
such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not
as Moses, [which] put a vail over his face, that the children of
Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is
abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this
day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of
the old testament; which [vail] is done away in
Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses
is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall
turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17 Now the Lord is
that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. 18 But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the
Lord.
I Corinthians 13:8 9 For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that
which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish
things. 12 For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even
as also I am known.
Colossians 3:1¶ If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, [who is] our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Ephesians 2:1 ¶ And you [hath he quickened], who were dead
in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) 6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in
heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
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. 13 ¶ And you, being
dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he
quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing
over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and
the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die. Believest thou this?
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.
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.
Ephesians 4:22 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.
Colossians 3:9 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], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
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.
Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God
our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be
made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Now the question is no longer whether there be a
resurrection. That was already proved when God raised up His Son. But the real question now, for each of us
here this morning is what
resurrection awaits us?
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in
himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because
he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is
coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
What does Easter mean to you this morning? That
God keeps His Promises? Or is it still just a social tradition to you. What did
Resurrection mean to Jesus, the Son of God? It meant everything to Him. It
meant that God would be there to raise Him up after He went to the cross. It
meant that God would not let one Word of His fall short, but will bring to pass
whatsoever He has promised.
Paul said to the men of Athens Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and
have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also
his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God
winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given
assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 32 ¶ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead,
some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
That Day On Calvary: 15-3
"He was just one Man, the perfect Man. He gave His life, and He made an example for you. Now, what must we do. Now, the first thing I want
to say is: Jesus never lived for
Himself. His Life was spent
for others.
That's perfectly Eternal Life.
When you say you go to church and you do good
things, that's fine. But when you
live your life to yourself,
you haven't Eternal Life. Eternal life is living for
others. It proved it when He
come in the Lamb of God. He lived and
had Eternal Life,
because He did not live for Himself. He lived for others.
And you receive Eternal Life by receiving that
day, and you don't live for yourself no more.
You live for others.
15-6 Someone said, "How can you stand and let anyone call
you such bad names?" You don't live for yourself. You live for others that you
might redeem that man.
You become sons.
And the trouble of it is that
the church has forgot they were sons.
You are sons.
You're taking Christ's place. You
are sons; so don't live for yourself; live for others.
"Well, Brother Branham, I can live for this brother because he
sure is a nice man." That's not it. Live for that man who
hates you. Live for that person who'd kill you if they could. That's what they
done to Him. They killed Him, and He died that He might save them. That's
Eternal Life. When you--that's in your bosom, you're facing
heaven then. But you sacrifice your own things, give them up
like the sheep gives its wool. You look on towards Calvary."
What will you do this morning? What
will your decision be this morning? Will you accept the promise of
Eternal Life and live your life for others? Or will you continue on in your
traditions, creeds, and high minded religion.
Let’s just bow our heads and our
hearts in word of prayer...