What the Holy Ghost was Given for no
6
The minute you add to or take away you die
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Tonight I am going to read from paragraph number 8 of
brother Branham's sermon, What the Holy Ghost
was Given for, and for his text brother Branham will read from John 14:14 through verse John 14:26.
Now, I wish to say here first that whoever the person
who did the transcribing for the Voice of God Recording on this sermon, did not
do a very good job of it because he placed all of this into
one paragraph. But there are many various thoughts that brother Branham has as
he reads from the Scripture here, and this should not be lumped into one
paragraph for that reason.
Even in the Scripture reading, Jesus speaks of several
thoughts and we ought not to read it like we are racing through a book but
rather we ought to read each thought as God's thoughts to us. We ought to read
them thought by thought and meditate upon each thought as we read it. Other
wise we loose the meaning of what God is trying to tell us and teach us through
His Words to us. I have broken them down as we read them.
Notice brother Branham begins here by saying, "8 Now, you that's keeping these Scriptures
down, if you would turn with me to
"Now, in this you will find much of
the context that I want to speak on tonight.
Now, notice brother Branham did not say you will find "you will find all of the context"
but he said "you will find much of the context",
and there is a difference between the words all
and much. To borrow brother Branham's own words, "These are two different words and therefore they mean two
different things".
We will find later on in this sermon as we read along,
that Br. Branham will actually go back to verse 12 and tie verse 12 and 13 into
the rest of what we have into what he reads here for his text from verse 14
through 26.
"And remember, you that have the
"red letter" Bibles, it's in red, this is. It's the words that Jesus
Himself spoke of. So therefore, we can rest assure that it will be just as He
has said: heavens
and earth will pass away, but His Word shall never fail.
Notice
brother Branham already quotes from what Jesus told the people in Scripture
here although he does not tell you which Scripture he is quoting because we
find this direct quote in three places such as Luke
21:33, and Mark 13:31 and Matthew 24:35, and
we find the same thought indirectly in Matthew 5:18
and Luke 16:17 where Jesus says the same
thing but using different words, For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled.
Now,
the Bible is very clear that in the mouth or two or three witnesses all things
shall be established. The very fact that God has placed in His Holy Word not
just three but actually five witnesses to this statement, where he tells us
that "heavens and earth will pass away, but His
Word shall never fail", ought
to let you know how important this thought from God is that we learn it and
respect it.
And
the reason is because in the beginning, at the first Exodus, we are told by God
through His mouthpiece Moses, Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to
hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest
not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth
not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
So
we see that Moses tells us here that God humbled the people and made them to
suffer in order for them to understand that what God says, He means it, and man
will only survive, man can only live by what God has said.
And we find brother Branham tell us
in his sermon, From God of this evil age 65-0801M P:56 “you'll die the day you disbelieve one word
of God's Word to be the Truth when It's vindicated and proved to you. That's
the day you separate yourself from God. Not just the whole sentence: one word.
Whosoever shall add one word or take one away, that's the day you die.”
So all it takes to die
spiritually is to disbelieve just one word, that's all.
Eph
4:17-18 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart:
Notice we are told that they cut themselves off from the
Life of God because their understanding has become darkened. The word "alienated" that we read here was translated
from the Greek word (apallotrioo)
which means "to shut off ones self from fellowship and intimacy".
Now why is this? Because we find in 1 John 1:7 But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin.
Now, I believe this Bible and every word of it. And if it says
you have fellowship with one another by walking in the light, then that tells
me when you begin to cut off fellowship with one another it is because you have
cut off the light.
Now, I don't care how many tapes you claim to be
listening to, when you walk away from the fellowship of the saints you have
walked away from the light that God is walking in. And there is no getting
around it. John also said "they went out from
among us that they might manifest they are not of us." There's you Bible truth.
And
brother Branham said, Christ is the mystery 63-0728
P:45 And now,
you've got tapes on that. You've got tapes on what we believe. You got tapes
on discipline in the church: how we behave ourself in the
Listen brothers and sisters, we are told that our
fellowship comes from walking in the Light. So if we no longer walk in the
Light, then we no longer have fellowship. It’s just that simple. And the word
walk here is a word (peripateo) which
means “to make ones way, to progress forward in, or to regulate one’s
life by, or to pass ones Life in.”
So we see The Word of
God is a Living Word in which we live out this Word. It is not
only something that we believe in, but it is our very Life. And if it is our
very Life then to leave it means death to us.
And the word fellowship here is a word (Koinonia)
which means “communion, fellowship,
communication, association or joint participation in.”
And so we see that it takes this Word of God to become
a reality in our lives and when it does then it brings a common bond to us. It
is not just a matter of knowing that it's true. It is a matter of it being real
to you, because it is alive in you.
For to just know it's true you could still just place it
in a historical perspective as the nominal Christian do. But to know it is real, is because it is alive in you and it has become your
very life.
When you read this Word you can actually see it
manifesting itself in you and all around you. Because after all, Gods Prophet
said, “God
interprets His Word by bringing it to pass.” And so when you read His Word, and then see
it taking place in you and around you, then you have become that portion of Gods Word
for the hour by becoming the reality of that Word in your Life and soul.
Remember, God said through Moses. Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses said to the people, And He (God) humbled thee, and suffered thee to
hunger, and then when you hungered, he fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”
Has God been humbling you? Has God
caused you to hunger and thirst that He might fill you? If not you should be
very fearful that you're not His. And I would get to my knees and tremble
before Him until he speaks to you.
And if you still do not have the Holy
Ghost as evidenced by a Holy Life living itself out from you, then I would get
to my knees brothers and sisters, and I would not leave them until God either
gives me His Spirit or slays me dead. Because why would I want to live in an
hour where the whole world is going insane? Why would I want to live in a world
where the wrath of God comes against it and brings down plagues and curses, and
burns it up. No, I would rather be a dead man, than go
through that. And when the time comes and God takes home only those with the
Holy Ghost the rest of the world will wish they were dead. They will cry out
for the rocks to fall upon them then.
And in Luke 4:4 notice that Jesus quotes Moses, And Jesus answered him, saying, It
is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
At the Second
Exodus the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye
have received, let him be accursed.
And in the Book of Revelations we are
commanded not to add one word to or take one word away. Revelations 22:17 18 For I testify unto every man
that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if
any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Therefore it behooves us not to bypass
the Word of God whether it comes from this Bible or from a vindicated prophet
of God. Because remember, it was one Biblical point that Martin Luther received
and the rest of the Church could not receive, “The Just shall live by Faith”.
That’s all that separated the Bride from the church in his day. Just one word. Justification. and just one word off brought death into all the world
through Eve.
Oneness 62-0211 P:35 "Brother Branham, repeat it again. What is Satan's
kingdom?" Anything
contrary to the Word of God. Now, that's cutting, but it's time for cutting.
See? The branch, the tree, if it's going to bear, must be pruned. It's
time. Anything contrary to the precepts of God, the Word of God, is not God.
What is it? What is sin? Righteousness perverted. What is death? Life
perverted. What is
the
If God be with us 61-1231E P:49 Many person has been deceived in receiving the Holy Ghost;
as I said, they've got
doctrines today like Elijah's garments, and all these other things,
manifested Sons of God, and all these different isms, and so forth, in the
world today. People fall blindly on there, and go through some kind of a
sensation, raise back up with a arrogant spirit, indifferent, fussy, high-tempered.
That's not the Spirit
of God. Still continue right on out of order, don't know what church
order is, don't know how to behave themselves in the house of God, no manners,
no, just no audacity at all, no feelings towards God, all they think about
is "my church." It shows they received a church spirit, and not the Spirit of God,
'cause It (God’s Spirit) knocks all that out of you,
burns it up.
I’ve seen it for years, we have two extremes following this Message. We have
the intellectual group who think it all lays in your ability to know and
understand, and then we have the other extreme that believes it all lays in
manifestations, and supernatural phenomena.
As brother Branham said so plainly in, Jehovah Jireh 55-0222 P:28 "One of the greatest curses on the full
gospel church, is not positionally knowing what they are in Christ Jesus. I've
always said, "I
meet two classes of people. And one of them is the full gospel, and
the other is the fundamental." Fundamental knows where he's standing
positionally, only he's never been born again, just the fundamental
teaching alone, so he doesn't have any faith. And the full gospel
has been born again but don't know where he stands. So it's just, if I
could ever get full gospel pentecostal
faith and fundamental believers, or either fundamental believer, fundamental
doctrine in the pentecostal faith, we'd have it made.
It's like a man that can write a check, but he hasn't have
any money in the bank. The other one can't write it, and when they can write a
check, hasn't got no money in the bank. The man that
can't write a check has money, but he don't know how
to write the check. That's the way it is. What's he going to do? One's got
money in the bank, but he can't write a check. The other one can write a check,
and ain't got no money in the bank. Then what can he
do? You got to get those two together.
Now,
listen to what he said, he saw those two classes of people right there in the
meetings that he spoke in. And I ask the question tonight. Are we so proud as
to think the church has moved beyond that? No, way. God
changes not and man doesn't change either.
Brother
Branham said in his sermon, Why it had to be
shepherds 64-1221 P:15 He would be more able to get His message to a unlearned
group, than He would be to a mixed-up group that was so set in their ways
that nothing could turn them, not even the Word of God. And now, Christian
friends, let me ask this question, with all sincerity and love. I just wonder
if He would make the same act tonight, and send to us in this generation the
promised Word that's promised for this generation, I wonder if our theologians,
and educators, and wise, wouldn't turn the message down just the same as
they did then? Man
doesn't change,
neither does God's Word change. He's the unchanging God, He doesn't change.
So you can see the importance of what the prophet is
telling us here. To turn down just one word of God places you out of the Book
of life. And to add to the Word will place you in the position of the
tribulation period, where you will receive the plagues.
Now, we shall read from the 14th verse of the 14th chapter. "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it". (What a blessed promise.) If You love me,
keep my commandments.
Notice Jesus tells us here that our love to God is
based on our receiving and accepting His Commandments, the Word which he has
given us. Therefore, that is how we express our love to God, is in what we do
with His Word. Because if you really love a person you are going to believe
what they say, and not question what they are telling you. And our receiving of
God's Spirit is based upon our Love for Him. And our Love for Him is shown by
what we do with His Word.
Notice brother Branham continues to quote Jesus as
saying, If You
love me, keep my commandments. and
then He says, And I will pray the Father, and He (The
Father) shall give you another Comforter, that He (This
comforter that God your Father will give you) may
abide with You for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not,...
(Now, you that would be reading from a
Greek Bible would see it in here... Now... "See" there means "to understand." "For the world "understandeth"
Him not." That is
so true. Let me read it again now.) Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him...
(Who? (in other words, who is this you will know that the world
will not know?) The Comforter.);...
for he dwelleth with you,... (Now, present tense.)...
Notice brother Branham makes it clear here that the
"Comforter" was present with the disciples when Jesus was talking to
them. Why? because the comforter is the same Spirit
that was living in Jesus Christ, and was talking to them. Notice that Br.
Branham says, ?) The
Comforter.);... for he
dwelleth with you,... (Now,
present tense.)...
Notice the present tense. That let's
us know Brother Branham is telling you that the Comforter that was to come to
the sons of God was the very one who was at that time present in Jesus Christ
the first born son of God.
And then brother Branham continues quoting Jesus and
says, "he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (What is it? The same Comforter.)
Notice again brother Branham shows this one who was
with and in the Son of God is the same one who is to come back upon sons.
I will not leave you comfortless: I...
(Anyone knows that "I" is a
personal pronoun.)... I
will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye
see me: (remember brother Branham
already told us to "see" means "to understand", so Jesus is
saying here, "the world understands me not, but
you will understand me", and then he gives us the clue to how
we will understand. He tells us it will not be a mental thing, but an
experiential thing.) because I live,
ye shall live also. At that
day you shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
There's going to be the center of my
thought, but we're
going to read a little farther.
I'd like to stop here before we go on any further and
just say this. we can see from what we have read so
far that God looks on what we do with His Word as our evidence to Him that we love
Him. And I think you can say that is true for any human relationship. Husbands
and wives, if you really love one another, you will not get yourselves so
wrapped up in self that take lightly the words of your spouse. You may not
agree with one another on certain issues, but that gives you no right to
mistreat the words of the other.
So many times husbands say to their wives, You do this because I say so and I am the head of this
house. But never forget my brothers that Christ is your head, and God spoke
through Paul and said Husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church and
gave Himself for it. And he also said, and be not
bitter with them. So He knew there would be a void sometimes in your union of
the mind, and that is why he said and be not bitter against your wife.
So we are looking at our union with Christ and he said
if you love me you will keep my commandments. You will keep my Word.
Now, I know we are living in the end times, and we can
see the stress is high among the peoples of this earth, and as we read last
week, that the same trials that will come upon all who live on the earth will
also come upon you as Believers. But your foundation is built on a rock, which
is the revelation of Jesus Christ and the world has no such foundation. And having no such foundation they will be
swept up into the torrents of the flood of stress and pressures we all face in
this hour.
We have been given plenty of warning from the
Scriptures what the conditions will be at the End Time. We read in 2 Timothy 3:1 This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Leadership 65-1207 119 O God, let me go, Lord. Don't leave me
behind, Jesus. Let me go with You, Father. I don't want to stay here on
this earth to watch these tribulations coming on. I don't want to stay here in
this insanity. I
don't want to stand here when hideous sights, the people losing their mind.
We look at men trying to act like beasts and look like beasts; and the women
trying to look like animals, with the paints on their face. Knowing that
these things are predicted to happen, that the thing will, they'll go so insane till
locusts will rise up with hair like women to haunt the women, and teeth like
lions, and things that You've said; the mental condition of the people will be completely
gone. We see it in the making right now, Lord. Help us. Restore us to the sane mind of
Christ Jesus our Lord. O great Leader of Eternal
Life, we accept Your promise tonight, Father. I plead for this
people. I plead for every one of them, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Lord. I pray that Christ the Son of
God will come into the hearts of every one of us, Lord, and mold us and make us
into new creatures in Jesus Christ. Grant it, Lord God. We love You. And we want our dispositions, our change to come into us, that we can be
Your children, feel of Your Spirit moving in our hearts, Lord, tendering us and
bringing us to realization of this insane age that we're living in.
Grant it, God. When we see young women so caught up in the web of the
Devil, young men, perverted minds, children, dope addicts, cigarette
smoking, drinking, immoral, Satan's Eden. God, it taken You six thousand years,
according to the Bible, to build an
let us pray...