What the Holy Ghost was Given
for no 7
The Spirit of Truth
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Wednesday night we began reading from paragraph number
8 from brother Branham's sermon, What the Holy Ghost was Given for, in which he
was reading from John 14:14 through John 14:26. We only got as far as verse 19, so this morning I will recap what he said
concerning verse 14 through 19 before we pick up at verse 20.
What the Holy Ghost was Given for pp. 8 "Now, you that's keeping these
Scriptures down, if you would turn with me to
"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". And then brother
Branham adds, "(What a blessed promise.)
Now, I want you to understand this blessed promise
brother Branham is referring too as he read from verse 14 has to do with verses
12 and 13. So let's just read them to get a fuller view of what he is calling a
blessed promise.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He (whoever)
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he (anyone
who believes) do also; and greater works than these shall he
do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye
shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any
thing in my name, I will do it.
Now, I want you to understand this. You can not read
verse 14 without having read first verse 12 and 13 because verse
14 is just a repeat of verse 13. To prove that let's just read 13 and 14 again
together.
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask
in my name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing
in my name, I will
do it.
Notice verse 13 Jesus says "whatsoever
you ask in my Name", and in verse 14 the whatsoever is changed "to anything you shall ask in my name." Now, both whatsoever and anything are both translated
from the same Greek root "tis" which is used in both words, and means
"anything", "anyone", "any person", "any thing", or "whatever", or "whatsoever", or even "whoever" or "whosoever".
Therefore, verse 13
and verse 14 are the way in which Jesus
says you will do the works of verse 12.
In other words, "you ask it, and I will do
it" that the will of My Father may be glorified in both the
asking and doing.
To me this speaks of harmony between God and man. Because
what you are willing to ask, and what He is doing in you, are both according to His good pleasure.
Because actually, Paul said in Philippians
Notice brother Branham doesn't stop here, but continues
to read from John
Notice the continuity of Jesus Words, "if you will, I will."...
You love me and show it by keeping my Word,
and I will do this for you.
15 If You love me, keep my
commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he 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... Not... "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 who? The Truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him... (Who? The Comforter.);...(the Greek word there is parketos
and it means advocate, a consoler (which is one who consoles), or comforter
which is one who brings comfort) for He dwelleth
with you,... (Now, present
tense.)... he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (What is it? The same Comforter.)
I will not leave you comfortless:
Now, I would like to stop here for just a minute
because we see this promise, where in he says, I
will not leave you comfortless: and we see this word comfortless and
you would automatically assume that it was taken from a root of the same Greek
word parakletos, because parakletos was translated into the word
comforter, so
why would not this word here have not come from the same root of parakletos as comfort came from, but it
isn't. It doesn't.
The Greek word here was "orphanos",
and anyone who can read English knows that from this word we get our word orphan.
In other Words, Jesus tells them he will send them the
comforter which is the same Spirit that lives in Him, and then He will also
come to them Himself.
Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither
knoweth him: (and remember we
have already read brother Branham's comments on this where he said the word see
means to understand. Thus they seeth Him not mean they neither will understand
Him neither will they know Him.) but ye know
him... for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Now, this word know
that Jesus spoke here, the original Greek word is ginosko, which does not mean to know
from an intellectual way of understanding, but it means to know experientially.
In other words, like Mary said, How can I be with
child never having known any man. Never having ginosko
any man. Never having had an intimate relationship with
any man.
Therefore, when Jesus says the world will seeth me
not, he means they will not understand him, and then he says and they know me
not, meaning they have not personally intimate relationship to know and thus
understand Him. So that speaks of all people on earth except those who have
truly received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and truly know Him in the power of
His resurrection.
Then Jesus adds, I will not leave you comfortless: which the Greek
word for comfortless is orphanos,
so He's actually saying here, I will not
leave you orphanos: I will not leave you orphans: I
will come to you.
Now, we must then ask ourselves the question, "when
is an orphan no longer an orphan?" And the answer is simple,
"when he is adopted". Therefore Jesus is giving us an
understanding here that He will come again at the time of the adoption. Now,
let's continue with reading from br. Branham's sermon.
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 shall--but ye see me: 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.
Now, notice what Jesus says here. "At that day you will know". At
that day. At what day? At the day when I come and you are
no longer an orphan, that day at the time of adoption.
There's going to be the center of my
thought, but we're going to read a little farther. Let me read that also now,
again.
At that day... (the great day, the
judgment day)... (or the day of the judge, when he is standing at the door
knocking.) that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and ye in me, and
I in you. He that has my commandment, 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. Judas said unto
him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou will manifest thyself to us, and
not to the world? (That's "Kosmos," "the world order." If you got a
margin reading there, you'll notice... Mine's a "g." And it says over
here, "Kosmos or world system." That's
churches and so forth. See?
"How is it that You'll manifest
Yourself to us and not to them? How can You do it?") Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep
my word:... (Amen.)...
Now, the word "keep"
is not a very fitting word, because it doesn't have enough teeth in it to
really get across what Jesus is telling the disciples here.
The word "keep"
was translated here from the Greek word "tereo", from the root of the Greek
word "teros"
(which means: to keep a watch; to guard (from loss or
injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; i.e. to take note of a
prophecy; or figuratively, to fulfill a command); by
implication, it means to detain (to hold onto or keep in custody; and
figuratively, it means to maintain);
So we are looking at an active "keeping," that Jesus is speaking of here.
One that you are fully aware of and you are actively holding onto lest His
Words escape your hold. In other words, the attitude Jesus is bringing to them
is a "live die, sink or drown" attitude. And He tells us here, if you hold onto my Word
with determination not to let them slip from your grasp, then "my Father will love you, and we will come unto you,
and make our abode with you. He that loveth me not keepeth
not my sayings:...
(Might keep the church's sayings, but keep His sayings. You see?)... and
the words which ye hear is not mine, but the Father which sent me. These things
have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is
the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all these things... (That's
His Word.)... to your remembrance, whatsoever
I have said unto you. (What purpose did God
send the Holy Spirit then? May He add His blessings to His Word.)
Notice brother Branham's comments right
there. After reading what Jesus said to us about keeping a watchful eye on His
Word and embracing it with all that we have, then the
Holy Ghost will teach us and bring His Word to our remembrance.
Then notice brother Branham's comment. What purpose did God send the Holy Spirit then? And
by asking them this question, he is implying that he just told us.
Now, what we have read in John
14:16-21 is that the Spirit of Truth is to make us to know and be
known and to recognize the
manifestation of Himself.
Now, I want you to further notice the progression from
John 14:16-17 which the picture
Jesus is speaking of is not complete yet and then compare it with John 14:20-22.
Let's read (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.) There must be a further fulfillment in order to
bring forth the Life into manifestation which is John
17: 20 - 22.
Notice Jesus tells us the world can not receive the
Spirit of Truth. and the word receive was translated
from the Greek word Lambano and it
means to have experienced, or to have taken to one's self. This word is also
used in John
"And to them He gives power to become
sons"… Now the word power used here, is the Greek word "exousia",
which means the power of choice, or the power to make a right decision.
And the word to become was translated from the Greek word Ginomai and it means: to generate, or to come forth into manifestation.
Therefore, to them that experience Him and
openly receive Him, to them are given an ability to make a right decision and
to become what they were meant to be in the beginning. Paul said in, Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of
his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
But notice that Jesus tells us in John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, (it's impossible for them to receive Him) because it seeth (understandeth) him not, neither knoweth him: (neither has had an intimate relationship with him) but ye know him; (but you have an intimate experiential relationship with Him) for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 17: 20-22 At that day ye shall
know (at
that day, the day of adoption, you shall know, you shall have an intimate
knowledge of Him based on an experiential relationship) that I am in my Father, and ye in me,
and I in you. 21 He that hath (echos)
my commandments, and keepeth
them, (he that echo my commandments,
my Word and holds onto them with all he has) that's
the ones who really love me: and they
that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how
is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love
him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Notice then the fulfillment is not in vs 16-17 but in 20-23, God coming into you and making his
abode with you and in you.
Now to get a better picture of what Jesus is telling
them in John 14 we will need to go
further into this discourse Jesus is having with his disciples which carries us
into chapter 16.
John 13 is the discourse Jesus has with the apostles
at the last Supper. John 14 Jesus speaks to those who are in the Passover
chamber after Judas has left. and John 15 through 17
are Words Jesus spoke to the disciples on their way to
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for
you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Notice that it was necessary for Jesus to die on the
cross, so that the Spirit of God that lived in Him could come back as it did in
the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
Now, in verse 8 he is
still talking about the comforter, the parakletos. And I want you to notice
what the attribute of the Holy Spirit in the believer will do.
8 And when He is come, he will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Notice the attributes
of the Holy Ghost in the believer. There are three things he will do.
1) He will reprove the world of sin. Here we see
these attributes on display in each of the seven church ages in the believers.
And in all ages, we see the attributes of the Holy Ghost alive in the
believers, as they in each age reprove the world
of sin. and Jesus breaks these three
things down himself as we see in the next verse.
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
So we see the attributes of the Holy
Ghost in the believer will reprove the world of their unbelief.
The word reprove was translated from the Greek word elegcho which
means: to confute, to admonish:--to convict, to convince, to tell a
fault, to rebuke, to reprove.
Key to the door 62-1007 P:68
Now, when He went away, He said, "It's
expedient for Me that I go away. For, if I go not away, the Holy Ghost will not
come." See? Then when He
comes, He will reprove the world of sin, and teach righteousness, and show you
things to come; that's visions. "He'll
take the things that I've taught to you, and reveal them to you."
The very Words that He's come... No man can understand the Word outside the
baptism of the Holy Ghost. And when a man says he's got the baptism of
the Holy Ghost, and disputes the Word being right, there's something wrong.
2) 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father,
and ye see me no more;
And the word "righteousness"
comes from the old English "rightly wise". and the bible says,. He that is righteous
doeth what is righteous. So the Holy Ghost in a person will lead them
into a righteous life.
Souls in prison now 63-1110M P:140 You've got moral; you've got virtue. She's
got nothing. She's got a bait that traps the lost
souls into hell. The blind walks into it. And you got something. "You know
you might not be even in our church book." But it might be your
righteous life that's holding the wrath of God from the world today. The
world won't believe it. You woman that's called holy-roller, you little men
that don't hardly know anything, but you cry to God day and night for the sins of
the country, you might be the one that's holding off the wrath. "If I can find ten, I'll spare it. If I find
ten...""As it was in the days of
God's provided way 53-1201 P:10 Now, a righteous man is not a sinless man.
For you notice he said, "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are." He had his ups-and-downs and his
differences. And the Scripture of his life proves that he had his
ups-and-downs like we do. And he had his times of wondering and his times
that his temper got away from him, and he had a lot of things, that went wrong.
But he was still a righteous man, because he confessed his unworthiness and
believed in God. So that's what made him righteous. We're not righteous
within ourselves; we're righteous through Jesus Christ. I cannot be
sanctified within myself; I am sanctified through Jesus Christ Who stands in the Presence of God in my place. It isn't
my holiness; it's His holiness. My holiness won't work at all, but His does. Because God done accepted Him. And in accepting Him He had
to accept me, because I'm in Him. Amen. That's what makes it real isn't it.
Then we don't have to depend on ourself. Now, that doesn't make us say we
can sin. Brother, if you sin, you're just away from God. That's all.
There's only one thing to do, is confess it and get right with God. As long
as you desire to sin, the desire of sin's still in your heart, then it's time
to stay down at the altar till that thing's taken out. Now you will sin.
You're bound to sin 'cause you just can't help it, but not willful sin. "He that sins willfully after he receive the knowledge of the truth (See?), there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sin." But every day you're bound to sin.
So
the Holy Spirit in the believer is Holy and being Holy He "will reprove the world of their unbelief and their
unrighteous living." How? By the Life that He lives in the
believer and the example he sets before the sinner.
Listen, people who
are not born again do not like to be in the presence of those who are born
again for very long because of their sinful nature. That is what we are told in
John
There's that word reproved again. Its not the
doctrine they hate, its that Life of Christ lived out in a Holy Ghost filled
man that they hate. 21 But he that
doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may
be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
That God is working in them both to will and to
do.
Now, in getting back
to the third attribute of a Holy Ghost filled believer, Jesus said, ...
3) 11 Of judgment, because the prince
of this world is judged.
Now, what does that
mean? We know the Doxa of God is His opinion, His values, and His judgment. And that judgment judges. And Jesus said the Holy Ghost will
say the same thing God says, thus it will speak the judgments of God. Now,
people actually get angry when a preacher of righteousness preaches
righteousness. Oh, yes they do, and I have witnessed it first hand. They get
angry and walk out. They don't want a preacher that will lay the
He was to pass this way 57-0727 P:23 Now, and the world wants glamour. They
don't want the old fashion preacher any more, the old hell-fire and brimstone,
as we used to preach it. Today they want a little curly-headed, Hollywood
type, with a little frocked-tailed coat on with, and I don't know what, and
stand up and crack a few jokes. We're got too many jokes on the public today,
the Arthur Godfreys and so forth, and all these
little, what you call them's, and of that. But what we need today is the old
fashion Gospel in the power and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and a
clean-up in the church from the pulpit to the cloak room. That's
right. We need it, men and women. We got too much
Perseverance
62-0218 P:117 If a real church was ordained of
God, really filled with the Holy Spirit, if sin would appear in the church,
it'd be another like Ananias and Sapphira.
When a real church... I'd like to walk into one, see all the women and men under
the power of the Holy Spirit. If somebody had done something wrong, the Holy Spirit rise right up and
reveal it. They'd have to clean up. That's gifts of the
Spirit in the church. O God, send us a church like that; send us one like
that. You believe it? Christ, is He dead? He's alive.
What it
takes to overcome all unbelief 60-0729 P:15 Like the Ananias and Sapphiras
and so forth, the
Spirit of God rise up and call somebody out and tell them they're living wrong,
and rebuke that
sin openly, and that's what the Holy Spirit is in the church for,
to keep the church clean and ready for the coming of the Lord. We believe that.
Convinced then concerned 62-0118 P:118 Let
the Pentecostal church straighten itself up, get right with God, and
I'll prove to you that the Holy Ghost will come right in. Why, The church will be so full of the
power of the Holy Ghost there can't be one member do one sin. The Holy Ghost will call it
right out, like Ananias and Sapphira. Right. But you can't do it when you won't even take your kindergarten
training. Certainly not.
Discerning body of Lord 59-0812 P:38 Paul promised that in the last day, by the
Holy Spirit, that the
church would fall away, millions of them. "There'll
come a falling away, for men will be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and
despisers of those that are good: not the right discernment." Oh,"
you say, "that is the Communist." That is
so-called Christians. Watch the next verse. "Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof,"
no spiritual discernment. When you got spiritual discernment and the
Holy Ghost is upon you, you have spiritual discernment. It says,
"Amen" to every promise of God.
Presuming
62-0117 P:117 I'd
like to walk into a church. I hope I get to see it before I die (in closing), walk into a church sometime,
and walk through there, and just see, oh, how sin couldn't even set in that church. Any
member would have to confess it before they even got there. The Holy Spirit would call it
right out on the spot, like that (See?), just like, see the women
setting there look like ladies, see men like men, really men of integrity, Holy
Ghost-filled men, Spirit-filled. Let just one sin be in the church anywhere,
the Holy Spirit call it right out. Like Ananias, Sapphira,
have it right there before you. See? Oh, that's a church I'd like to see. I
wished I could see it.
Now, so far we have seen what the Holy Ghost in sons
will do. This was how God manifested God Life through the seven church ages.
Notice how in verse 7-11 Jesus spoke of
the role of the comforter in the believers. But now in verse 12, Jesus begins to speak of the Spirit of Truth. And what he says here is
quite different than what he spoke of concerning the comforter.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
So what he has told
them so far they are able to bear, meaning: they are able to be partakers of.
But what he is going to tell them next is for another time and season. And I
want you to notice, it is no coincidence that this happens to fall in verse 13
which is
13 Howbeit when He, The Spirit of truth,
is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall
He speak: and He will
shew you things to come.
Discernment of spirit 60-0308 P:57 A little while and I'll leave you, but I'll
pray the Father and He'll send you the Comforter, will bring these things to
your remembrance." Is that right? What He's doing
this morning. And will what? "Show
you things to come." The Holy Spirit in the church in the last day...
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall
shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I,
that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it
unto you.
You know, many
ministered thought brother Branham went off and left his calling as a prophet
and tried to become a teacher. But Jesus said His Spirit in the last days would
show us things to come, and then would take of mine and show them unto you. The
Holy Spirit is the teacher, and brother Branham's ministry following that
Pillar of fire had to go from prophetic to Teacher, because that is what God
did.
TO
So brother Branham tells us the Spirit of truth is the
Holy Spirit in the last day church, because it is a prophetic ministry, showing
you things to come. And like brother Vayle told me on many occasions, he said,
"Brian, people are saying when I'm gone
teaching will be over, but they are wrong, because the Holy Spirit is the
teacher and and as long as he is here there will be
teaching."
Why against organized religion 62-1111E P:67 And when you see His Life, then you will
know His Word. That's right. "When He,"
personal pronoun, not a thought, not an imagination, not a sensation, but
"when He the Holy
Ghost is come, He will take these things that I've told you, and reveal them to
you, and will show you things that is to come." That's the
birth. That's the vindication that It is Word. And when a man says
he's got the Holy Ghost, and deny the Word of God and place It
somewhere else, how can the Holy Ghost deny His Own Word? Now, show me an
organization in the Word.
In other words the Spirit of truth will show you
things to come, and if you have the Holy Ghost, if you have been born again,
you will receive whatever the Holy Ghost shows you.
Notice, brother Branham told us what the new birth is
in Christ is the Mystery of God Revealed,
63-0728 P:120 Look, Christ in you makes Him the center of Life of the
revelation. See? Christ's Life in you makes Him the center of the
revelation. Christ in the Bible, makes the Bible a
complete revelation of Christ. Christ in you makes you the complete
revelation of the whole thing. See, what God's trying to do? What is the new birth then?
You say, "Well, Brother Branham, what is the new birth?" It is the
revelation of Jesus Christ personally to you.
And remember,
revelation is defined as manifestation of divine truth. Christ in you
manifesting, expressing His own Life in you and through you.
123
So it's Christ expressing Himself in the individual, whether he's intellectual,
or whether he don't know his
124
The new birth is Christ, is a revelation. God has revealed to you
this great mystery, and that's the new birth. Now, what are you going to
do when you get all that group together, where the revelation is perfectly in
harmony, and God
expressing it through His Word by the same actions, the same things that He
did, making the Word manifest? Oh, if the Church only knew its
position. It will one day. Then, the rapture will go when it knows what it is.
Now, notice. You say, "Brother Branham, but that ain't..." Oh, yes,
it is, too. It is the Truth.
Let us
pray..