Does God Ever Change His Mind About His Word? #03
Ecumenism And Separation#5391
Shall we pray.
Heavenly Father, we’re grateful for the impossible that has taken place, especially in the sense, that no one really understood what the hour was; they knew it was imminent, and they knew something was happened.
They knew the relativity of Yourself to it, even as back in the olden days when You appeared in the form of a little child to inhabit that vessel, and now today we have the Appearing and people don’t understand It.
They’re still looking for something else and having missed the reality there won’t be something else, except destruction, not because we ask it, not because we want it, but we know it’s there because You said so and the proof is already extant.
So we thank You for Your Presence, and especially the part Lord, now, the Shout which is over concerning the given Message, we believe that. If there’s something more coming forth; the Resurrection, we appreciate that also.
And we don’t turn anything aside Lord, but we do know there’s a Shout and also, Brother Branham did tell us, and this by vindication, that we’re into the Voice; that we are already Easter, we already Resurrection, for Christ our life has appeared and it is not our living, but it is His living which we know to be true.
Because He is that Tree of Life in our midst and we are coming to Him at this hour with healing in His wings having risen over us into the place of immortality.
We appreciate that Lord, and we recognize it now, as we feast on your Word this morning, may it be a time of rich blessing, because this is the first part of the events of the Rapture and already we are into the first two.
So we know, Lord God, the gathering is taken place around Your Word, the Message, and those coming in will come to that carcass, the soma, the healthy Word of Almighty God, bringing us into immortality. We appreciate that; may we feast this morning, therefore, by divine revelation with Your help in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
You may be seated.
Well, now we’re going to go to the third message on the; Does God Ever Change His Mind About His Word?
And as we go into message number 3 we must be aware that this sermon preached by Brother Branham which was a teaching session devoted to this specific particular subject, is not going to be different from all the other sermons or subjects, wherein he held us to the Word’s True Revelation or meaning; which he gave us by vindication.
Now you’ll notice, in every single message and it became clearer and clearer that Brother Branham was that one sent to bring us the Revelation which is, of course, in the book of Acts, the 3rd chapter, telling us that at the end time just prior to the literal physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ, there would be a revival.
And Brother Branham positively identified that as a revival in which God placed him when the true ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ came forth; the days of the Son of man indicating and vindicating; it was a true healing revival.
Then it tells you positively, that Jesus Himself cannot come; he will still be retained in the heavens. He can’t come. Even though it would appear, that positively, he must come. But he can’t come until first of all there’s a restoration which is by Elijah, which is a restoration of the Word.
Now, of course, when you talk about restoration of the Word, you’re not going to go back to the whole beginning and take the whole Bible all the way through, because a great deal of that is history. And the Word of God is passed away on the grounds that already was fulfilled.
So, you can’t ‘refulfill’ the fact Jesus being born again and many things, you know you got to come to the place where we’re at. And so the Word restored: is going to be, literally, the Word of this hour which is a true revelation of It. So this message is not going to differ from the rest of them; there’s no way it can.
Now, all right, also, furthermore, there is no subject or treatise set forth by Him that does not apply to this hour. That’s already; I mentioned that. Wherein, he himself is vindicated to be the prophet Elijah, and therefore, the prophet restorer of the Word.
And you’ll find that Brother Branham in this Message is no different from every other message he brings that out continuously, so that actually you’re hearing maybe eighty percent of his entire content of his discourses will be bringing you to the understanding of the prophet messenger, Elijah, in this hour restoring the Word which is the Shout and It vindicated to be so.
And there is never any wavering or leaving his ministry of the declaration of the Presence of the Lord God who is Spirit and through him, that’s William Branham, this Spirit is revealing that Presence of Almighty God and with It the great mysteries, according to Ephesians 1:17 which takes us to verse 23, also. And which ends in the Rapture and the Wedding Supper.
You’ll notice that, the Spirit, as Brother Branham said in Daniel’s Seventieth Week, and one other place, I forget where it is now, but anyway he mentions that Spirit comes in our midst and tells us the hour in which the church is living, revealing the deep secrets and mysteries of God.
And then he says, concerning that, that Spirit that’s in our midst and that’s that Spirit, that wasn’t there for the wind-up; but is here for the wind-up; that Spirit will become incarnate to us.
And at the time of the incarnation that will be just before the Wedding Supper that’s the time you crown him King of kings and Lord of lords and that will be the Son of Man, the Son of David, the Son of God; and it will be the altogether Lovely, the Lily of the Valley, it will be…
In other words, you’re going to see the complete Godhead incarnated, God Himself in that body which we have called the Lord Jesus Christ which is Head of the Church in the physical form.
Now, since according to Matthew 24; there is a separation of church and Bride by the prophet and false prophets which to our presenting different words entirely.
He invariably goes back to the Genesis worshipping and separation by Cain and Abel and that was; that one had a revelation and one didn’t. And then goes to the end which is our day.
In this particular Message, he has started to deal with Cain and Abel and then Moab and Israel. He sort of seems to drop Egypt, as typing Babylon and now he goes into Moab as typing the world church council.
So, in this particular Message he has started to deal with Cain and Abel and then Moab and Israel. And here we learn that Moab and Israel are but the extensions of Cain and Abel. They’re simply extensions. You’re not looking at anything different from what started back there in worship; you’re not looking at anything different from what you see in the time of the tower of Babel.
Indeed, you are looking, absolutely, at going even back further to the Garden of Eden, wherein, there was the revealed Word of God which was then turned down through the intervention of the imposter, Satan, who wanted to receive worship for himself and supplant God and did so by a falsification of the Word.
And remember this as long as you live, Satan can do nothing but pervert. He doesn’t have even a word. Satan does not have a word of his own. What, what.. Listen it’s common sense; if he wants to supplant God, and he wants to take worship, he is going to have to bring a confusion based upon God Himself and the Word of God Itself.
He’s not going to come and say, “I’m Satan and I’ve got a word.” The first thing he said through the beast was, the serpent, he said, “Yea, hath God said?” So Satan doesn’t have a word of his own. As Brother Branham constantly told us, “What is a lie but the Truth perverted.”
So what you’re looking at is never white and black. Now you’ve got to learn that there is a white but if you’re kidding yourself that there is a black. Hey, you’ve missed the boat. Say well, Brother Branham said, “There’s no white blackbird.”
That is true when you’re looking at sources, but when you are talking religion you are looking at; white and grey. See, that’s the whole thing.
I say, “Well what about what the heathen has and way back was?” You could say that could be a black if you wanted to, but I doubt very much because every single thing has its origin in truth.
Because how do you have a counterfeit? Or how do you have hybridization? Unless there’s something to fall from; whatever you’d fall from. As Brother Branham said, “Spoken Word is original seed.”
So you go back always understanding that this… everything that Brother Branham mentions, all the history of the Scripture and all; has to do with a perversion.
And so, in this particular Message he has started to deal with Cain and Abel and then Moab and Israel. And here we learn that Moab and Israel are but an extension of Cain and Abel or ‘ecumenism and separation’.
See, in always you’re going to find, “Come out from among them”, and that starts back in our Christian heritage, particularly, as we go back to Abraham.
Now, there’s a lapse in there. The Scripture in Genesis doesn’t tell us too much; it doesn’t need to tell us everything. You don’t have to know every single thing about a car before you drive it, or even about driving.
I don’t care how fastidious you are about picking up a manual on driving a car. You just try to suddenly bring into play what you learned about a car when it goes into a skid on a slick road. There’s only one thing can teach you that; and that’s experience. In other words, you got to get into it.
So, if we don’t understand anything between the flood and Abraham, you don’t necessarily need to know, because you see what already was going on there is the process of election. So God bringing out by foreknowledge, out of one lump; and that’s where the Bible takes you.
It doesn’t have to take you any further back, you know it’s already been going on, because when God created, there had been no further creation. Then later on you get back into Moses where there’s a bit of a creation.
But you notice the creation that has gone on there is not an original creation, it’s already based upon the fact there already were fleas and flies and a lot of other things. So you see what I’m saying.
Once you get the picture and you have an authenticated vindicated prophet showing you these things, you just fall right in line with it, if you’re seed. And if you’re not seed you’re going to have your own ideas.
“So, Brother Vayle, where do my ideas come from?” Well, if you can’t figure it out; I’m not going to tell you. It’s the devil, if you can’t figure it out. Say, “Man, you, you, you’re tough and uncouth.”
Now I got a nice sweet gentle spirit this morning so, don’t think I’m tough and uncouth; I’m just telling you the Truth. I’ve got to live by it; I’m not up here to say now, “You people live by it and I don’t have to live by it, because I’ve got a special measure of grace.”
That would be a terrible thing to tell you that; and you’d of believed that. See, Brother Branham didn’t have that; Paul never had that kind of an attitude and I don’t think you can have any of the true spirit of God and have an attitude like that.
Now thus on page 16 and paragraph 78; he sets forth a spiritual principle from the Word of God. Cain worshipped through carnal or human sense reasonings.
Whereas Abel worshipped by Spirit mind revelation which Paul sets forth bringing them together, showing it in; 2 Corinthians, chapter 10. So we went there the other day to get the perfect picture and believe me it is a perfect picture and notice what it says; it says.
(01) Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ,…
Now you notice in here that this man is setting the congregation, even by epistle, he’s setting them up, and by that I mean, he’s letting them know exactly where he’s coming from. And he’s not out to do anybody any harm or any injury; he is about to teach them something which is going to have a tremendous pressure and bite upon them.
In other words, he is using a 4 by 4 made out of sandwich bread, rather than a baseball bat that’s made out of ash and drilled and loaded with lead. That makes a very, very good weapon, as you well know. Not that this is not more powerful than the cudgel, the shillelagh; it’s much more powerful. It’s in the form of bread.
(01) …by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, [In other words, a crucified Lamb.] who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
(02) [And] I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
Now there you are. He said, “I am a spiritual minded man; I am a spiritual man, I’ve been face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, and as He was meek upon earth; I am meek, also.”
But I want you to know something; as He could stand there and challenge the critics and proved that He was what they weren’t, and that He was authoritative, wherein they were not. Do not think for one moment, I cannot do the same thing: a Sherman tank acting like a butterfly, but the butterflies always want to act like Sherman tanks.
The less the man has; the cockier he is. The less the man has; the mouthier he is. The less the man has; the more he wants to show off that he really is somebody, he is alright, but he’s in the wrong camp. He’s in the right camp really, but he wants to make you think he’s in the right camp.
I remember years back I talked to Don Hockenbury; and there was a certain man, I said, “Hey?” and I kind of was quizzical in my attitude toward Don; I mean ‘with Don’, not toward Don, but with Don.
And I said, “Say is that guy in the Message?”
He said, “Not as much as he’d like to make you think he is.” That’s what these guys were.
Now, Paul says, ‘we don’t walk according to the flesh’.
(03) For though we walk in the flesh, [Naturally, physically] we do not war after the flesh:
(04) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, [They do not start within me; what I have as a human being.] but [they are] mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
(05) Casting down [reasonings], and every high thing that [exalts] itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
(06) And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Now he’s telling you right there; that he has something that will stand right before the White Throne of Almighty God and don’t mistake it, that is known as vindication. Vindication does not make you cocky and almighty.
It does not make you where you have to beat anybody over the head; it is simply you say, “Look, this cannot be performed through natural means; it is only God and God alone.”
And if a man takes an attitude then of superiority, or any authority over the people because the authority lies in the vindicated Word; that person is not of God. And if he is; he will repent and change his ways because Lordship belongs to the Lord, and the obedience is to the Word.
And as I spoke this morning concerning foot-washing and communion already, I don’t have one thing to do with it. And I am not interested, just to have somebody drink at a cup and spill a little water, pat a little water on somebody’s feet; I don’t have one thing to do with it. But I’m here to declare It and help anybody who wants help.
Now, if you don’t want any help, hey, there’s nothing anybody can do for you this late in the day. See? And there’s no excuses anymore. Say, well I’ve been drinking out of a cup that’s been filled up by Satan. What has that got to do with This!
There’s where I get intolerant and indignant at people’s attitudes, because I went all through that years ago. It’s done! Plow it under! A corpse that isn’t buried merely causes trouble. We’re not eating off of corpses, the toma, we’re on to the soma. See?
So Abel worshipped by spiritual mind revelation; not carnal, human reasonings. And remember, he said, “Cast down reasonings.” The word in the King James is ‘imaginations’, but it’s wrong; it’s ‘reasonings’.
And remember ‘reasoning’ is ‘imagination’ because from what you see here, you can only imagine. But what you see There; there is no longer any imagination. It’s face to face with reality.
Now, we’re going to take some time this morning because hey, you know how I do Brother Branham’s sermons, I take it like a page out of the Bible.
And so when I find something that’s intriguing to me in the sense, that it’s spiritual… you know, spiritually interesting and elevating and makes you look into the mysteries of God, then of course, I like to spend time on it because we’re in no rush, as I say every single sermon of Brother Branham’s has just one great focus to it and as we go, it’s like if you took a complete study of justification.
By the time you got finished you’d have covered everything in the Bible. If you took a complete study of sanctification you could never get there without mentioning justification and what’s the use of being sanctified if you don’t know what you’re sanctified for, so pretty soon, that’s covered the whole Bible.
Then you go to the Baptism with the Holy Ghost; oh, how could you possibly cover that, without not covering the whole Bible! So even take one sermon of Brother Branham’s; we don’t have to worry about moving to the next and moving to the next.
You’ll find that the Holy Spirit is faithful to bring everything to your remembrance even from the subconscious.
Of all the tapes you’ve heard, of all the sermons; you are not left alone with It, even the Holy Spirit inside of you is praying for you; and you can talk to the Holy Spirit to pray for you.
You’re thoroughly integrated. And oh my, may the Lord help us as a people to get thoroughly integrated with each other as we walk in the light as He is in the light as we have fellowship one with the other and the Blood of Jesus Christ’s Gods Son cleansing us.
That’s the secret of being free from your pessimisms and your pressures and your weights because all of those come… actually from us rubbing shoulders and elbows with each other.
But if you come to the united tie post of the Word, as Brother Branham said, “How could you not love each other when you’re all bound by this Word?” How could you not? How could you?
You can tell right away where the people are that are off base; sure, not enough Word in them. If you get enough Word you’re like little children and that’s the way it should be.
Carnal: flesh or by senses. Now, where is Paul coming from when he comes to chapter 10 in 2 Corinthians and he said, “Now the trouble is that you haven’t given up your humanistic approach; your sensual approach.” And the word ‘sensual’ is not necessarily ‘sexual’; it’s sensual means concerning the five senses.
We have a sixth sense, which is a faith sense; which was lost in the Garden and we’re coming back to it, but we’ll come back to it by the Holy Spirit; that’s what we do. And the Word becomes real and the Life and the Word now coming through us.
He said now, “You cast down those reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” Now what is the high thing that he is talking about? Knowledge; now where is knowledge? Knowledge is in the mind which is a receptacle; the natural receptacle of knowledge is the brain, we know that.
And so therefore, the spirit has everything to do with the mind, information wise, which goes into the brain. And the brain cannot help itself; there’s no way it can, because the 8th chapter of Romans tells us that. It’s the enemy of God; there’s nothing you can do about it, so don’t try to.
The thing is to throw it down, step on it, kick the guts out of it, so to speak, ride roughshod over it, say, “Well, the Bible said so.” “I don’t care what the Bible says.” Well, I do care what the Bible says.
So that’s where Cain got involved. “I don’t care.” What it says, “I’ll just take this and this.”
Well, Abel said, “I do care.”
See? So, in the one place you’ve got that which cares for the senses, the human thinking and the other where it knows that that’s fallible because when you die it’s over, it’s finished. Oh, people think they come back but they’re… nobody’s ever proved that. Simply can’t do it on the little evidence that they think they have.
See, you got to look at what is eternal and you only know it is eternal because there’s vindication. How can anybody ever after reading the Gospels, after reading the life of Moses and the great prophet; how can they ever get away from vindication? But they’ve done it.
Israel did it; by the time Jesus came on the scene, fully vindicated, they said, “Crucify him.”
And when Paul came in the same footsteps, absolutely vindicated, stood right there like a *Regulus morning [* brightest star in the constellation Leo] and said, “Hey, I’m telling you in the sweet Spirit of Jesus Christ, I’m vindicated, even though I stand behind you, up in front of you rather; I hope you don’t call my bluff because I’ll murder you.”
And I’ll do it so sweetly; and I haven’t got… and I’m not angry at you. I’m not trying to grind an axe. I’m not trying to put myself forward. I’m not trying to put you down. I’m just going to stand there with THUS SAITH THE LORD, now you come and you do it.
Now I got a book on, some said the ‘Thunders’ by a man named Pretcherson, I think he’s a wonderful man of God, he’s an Anglican, or something, I guess in England. And Brother John sent me the book because it has to do with people I know personally. And I want to tell you something that book is full of lies.
You say, “Brother Vayle, how do you know?” because I talked to the kingpin and I know him desperately well; what’s in that book and it ain’t so. And they’re building the whole Word of God, trinity and everything upon this man that’s… and I love the guy, but honest to God, let me tell you something, I can love a man and know he’s as phony as a three dollar bill.
And if you don’t know what I’m talking about; how come some of you women sitting here but for the grace of God would be wrapped up with the phony whoremongering jackass that would beat you and destroy you but he’s so subtle with his… Brother Branham said, “With his cute little feet.” Shee.
Because he’s a con artist and a seducer and you could be a hundred percent taken in by him, except for the grace of God and don’t tell me that’s not the truth because our granddaughter is a hundred percent that way right today and he can slap her around or anything.
Say, I let my hair down. Well, you haven’t got the guts to do it, but I’ll talk about family or anything up here because I know nothing is sacred except this Word. You think it can’t happen? Phttt.
Now Paul here, in the 1st Book of Corinthians, [1:3] he said,
(03) Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
(04) I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
(05) That in every thing [you] are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
Now, notice what can happen, ‘the enrichment’. So that you have the perfect balance of the knowledge and the utterance even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
Now these people here didn’t only see; they appreciated the reality of vindication knowing that they were face to face with God and Paul explained it, he said, “I am an ambassador. I face Him. I face the King. You don’t, but believe me, the Message that He gave me for you; you got It.”
So you by proxy are face to face. So when we talk about 1st Corinthians 13, the veil has been lifted and it’s face to face; it is done by proxy because there isn’t any other way.
Now come on, Deuteronomy 18; Israel wanted it that way, they got it. He said, “They’ve spoken well, from now on I’ll speak by a prophet; from now on they will not see Me; they will not hear Me; they’re going to have to go through a man.” [Deuteronomy 18:17,18]
And the Catholic church says, “Okay, I’m the man.” And so they elect a guy and he said, “I’m the great one.” There’s no doubt he’s a great one; but he’s no vicar of Jesus Christ, anymore than a bunch of stupid Protestants can get a conclave or a synod or something and vote in a group of men to take over.
When God came down, and these people I’m talking about know it, in the form of human flesh there wasn’t anybody that voted Him in; He came and proved who He was! And let the pope prove it; he can’t prove anything.
I think this fellow is going to die; but the next one, no doubt, will prove it, not as though I’m prophesying. But somebody, shortly, is going to have prove that he is the great one; the devil, just the same as Judas was.
(07) [Now] so that [you] come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of [the] Lord…, [which is the apocalypse, the revelation.]
Now tell me; what did the gift age which is Latter Rain bring forth? It brought forth the Revelation. Because at the time of the Latter Rain, the Former Rain falls which is the teaching rain as in the beginning.
Not month, the word ‘month’ is not in there; It’s Alpha and Omega principle that Omega repeats Alpha. And what did you see? At the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, his vindication like every prophet was based upon the fact that he could prove that he was a prophet. See, that’s your picture of your Latter Rain: the manifestation of gifts.
And then at that time Jesus began to teach, and Paul came to establish the Corinthian church; I believe the Gentile church, because he had to do it because that’s in the Word of God; the promise to Abraham.
“And in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” So Paul had to come on the scene and he was a hundred percent vindicated. I showed you here in Corinthians. I can show you in Romans. I can show you in Thessalonians. I could show you all through the Bible that Paul was vindicated.
So at the end time Paul said, “All the gifts and the gifts completely manifested at the end time turn into chaff, because the life goes out of them because they turn down the Word.” Now they had the Word right for the gift’s restoration but they didn’t have it for the Word restoration; that’s got to take a prophet.
Anybody knows that; would have to be. Because for years they’ve been saying, “I got this, I got this; I got it all.” My heavens, you got people that dress in a stupid kind of hat and robe and say they got it all. They got nothing.
Don’t tell me they have; the life went out under Simon Menno, just hundred.. hundred years ago the light went out. Your Bible doesn’t last more than three years. Say, how do you know? The prophet said so.
How does he know? Well, he talked to the devil or read some encyclopedia by Yugo Falls; that’s meant to be sarcastic, because it is sarcastic. Prophet got THUS SAITH THE LORD; he’s got THUS SAITH THE LORD.
He said, “The calendar is seven years out.” How come? A man wrote him and asked him; he wrote back. He told me. It’s not 1991. It’s 1998 if you want to know the truth. It is the truth, too. Did I add seven onto one? Yup. I might make a mistake. Correct me on that, Russell. I can make a mistake anywhere here; but God never makes mistakes.
(07) [Now, it says here at the time of the unveiling]… [the] Lord Jesus Christ.
(08) Who shall… confirm [unto you] the end, that [you might] be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that word ‘blameless’ has got to be the same thing that’s concerning the elders. I didn’t look it up but it’s got to be. Which means: you know the conditions and how to parry the blow that you can take it; and you’re not going to get flattened.
Now, it says right here, that the apocalypse is that which confirms you unto the day. So therefore the apocalypse is the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, is not the Rapture; it’s got to come before the Rapture. It’s got to come after the gifts. It’s got to be a revelation.
And when It does It has a power in It so that you are not going to be deceived. Oh, this is exactly what Jesus said, concerning his Presence. What is the sign of your Presence? He said, “False prophets, false prophets, false prophets.”
So now it tells you which side you’re going to get gathered on. Are you going to go with Abel? Are you going to go with Israel? Are you going to go with Moab? Or are you going to go with Cain? Now you’ve got your pick. It’s Cain, and Balaam, and Korah; in that order.
You can go after the devil and you can be a wage earner; you can serve God for what you’re going to get out of it, so to speak. Be ecumenical and end up with the false prophets because that’s the last one mentioned; Cain, Balaam, Korah.
Oh, I got something else to mention; oh, get out of here. Can’t you read the Bible the way It’s written? It puts them in that order. So that’s the order it’s supposed to be in.
So this bunch, he’s telling you here right now, “Look, I’m telling you at that time you will be able to make it. You’ll be confirmed to the end!” And remember, it’s Paul’s Gospel that makes the difference.
Now everybody’s other church has been arguing for thousands, two thousand years about what Paul said. So alright, we’re going to have to either bring Paul back from the dead or get the same Jesus on the scene that talked to Paul. Well, Paul ain’t coming back!
Well, you say, “Brother Vayle, say ‘isn’t’.” Well, Paul isn’t coming back. He can’t come back. So who’s going to come on the scene? The Pillar of Fire.
You say, “Well, Brother Vayle, aren’t you carnal, just going ahead and using your reasoning?”
No! I’m speaking from the Bible. This is what the Bible said; how it was done. Then this is the only way it can be done. So, put that down. I’m not reasoning; although, reasoning is allowed under righteousness as Paul said. In other words, you look at it and say, “What is the real truth?”
And if your mind’s of God; you’ll come to the Word. And remember, God’s Word can’t change; God cannot change and the way He does things cannot change. That’s Ecclesiastes. That’s the revelation.
That’s the Bible. “…I’m the Lord, I change not; …you sons of Jacob were consumed.” [Malachi 3:6] How many, Jacob’s children haven’t got a prayer, if God were to change? He’s not going to change His Mind, His Ways or anything else.
Now he said,
(09) God is faithful, by whom [you are] called [into the fellowship] unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. [See, that goes back to the very beginning.]
(10) Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [So watch.] that [you] all speak the same thing, …that there be no divisions among you;
Now listen, if they all spoke the same thing; the only divisions would be, I like pie made out of apples and you like one made out of mincemeat. Or you’d sooner have cheesecake. From that point on, if they said the same thing the only difference would have to lie in their physical preferences. And you can do that.
The Bible said distinctly, ‘if you’re coming through Jerusalem and it’s too far to bring a sacrifice you sell the animal or the thing that you were going to sacrifice, no matter what it was, and take the money and whatever your soul lusted after, you desire, you can get it for the sacrifice.’ You know something you can eat.
So if you wanted to wear green clothes, black clothes, you wanted to put a hat on different, or clothes on different that doesn’t matter one iota. It’s where do you stand in the Word? Because now listen, you’ve got to bring the mind under and the bringing of the mind under is only according to the Word of God, not what kind of glasses you wear unless the Bible speaks of it.
Now it does say to women; you can’t wear men’s clothes, so that takes care of that. And it says to the men; you can’t wear women’s clothes: that takes care of that. So you see where the Word is that’s the only thing that counts but you can go on your way.
And if you like sweet things well, hey man, you’re going to eat more sweet things perhaps than you should, but the Bible is not going to send you to hell for it; it doesn’t condemn you, it doesn’t do anything about it.
You like too many starches; you just get fat, that’s all, like me. Maybe develop something you shouldn’t develop but that’s nothing to do with it. It’s the Word he is talking about. See?
Now,
(10) …there be no divisions [concerning the Word] …that [you] be perfectly joined together in the same mind and… the same judgment.
In other words, you believe the same thing, you’re going in the same direction. “Well, Brother Vayle, I don’t know if we’re going in the…” Oh… for… why don’t you just… can it and listen? If you’ve got the same mind; you’re all going to the same place. If you got the same Word by revelation; you all got the same judgment.
Nothing is up for grabs anymore. Like the prophet; we’re put into a straitjacket because you can’t add and you can’t take. Now, he was in a straitjacket or in a tube as he also said, because of the way he had to be in order to receive for you and me. But the minute that we receive the vindicated Word we are now in a tube or a straitjacket as pertaining to It.
How in the world can we have the mind of Christ which is delineated here in the second chapter and not be in the same direction in the same time, Yeah!, and go to the same place? Impossible! So if a church wants to get anywhere; it better get in the mind of the Word; and all come to one mind.
Now he said:
(11) …it [has] been declared unto me… unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. [In other words, there’s arguments and things going on; and one refuting the other.]
(12) Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. [Now watch.]
(13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were [you] baptized in the name of Paul?
(14) I thank God… I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius.
(15) Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
(16) And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
(17) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Now I want to ask you a question: how many people really believe the Word of William Branham when they say, “I follow Lee Vayle. I follow Joe Coleman. I follow this guy. I follow that guy. And he makes… and they make themselves a way unto you.”
Let me tell you something; you ain’t got nothing! And if you do have, you better get back and prove it. I wasn’t crucified for you, neither was William Branham.
Paul, absolutely tells them, “You can have a thousand instructors but you’ve only got one Father, because I, by the Gospel…” which he alone had the correct revelation, he had begotten him to God.
And yet people say, “I believe Joe Coleman got it. I believe Lee Vayle got it. I believe Brother Neville had it. I believe now Collins got it. I believe maybe McKew’s got it. I believe Billy Paul got it. I believe Joe got it. I believe this guy got it;’ Phttt. Shhh… if you want hogwash.
There is no way that you can possibly be a believer in this hour in the Lord Jesus Christ any way than they could have believe in the first age and that’s by a vindicated prophet and he alone has the leadership. That’s why you’ll find all times, in every message; I point you right to Jesus Christ and his prophet.
Because if you want to follow me; you are stupider than I am because I’m doing my best, no I’m not doing my best, I wish I were doing my best to get away from me.
I couldn’t even do it by suicide so it’s not even any use getting Kevorkian; what’s his name? Kevorkian: to help me with the death machine. Kevorkian, his name is something like that anyway. [Dr. Jack Kevorkian]
All right.
(18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us [that] are saved it is the power of God.
(19) [Now watch!] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Now what is Paul talking about? He’s talking about his relationship to this people where they have gotten off the authoritative word by looking at people, rather than the vindicated authority which is God. See? Now these people have become carnal. They’re reasoning, they’re fussing, messing around when they shouldn’t be.
They should go right to the Word that Paul gave and say, “Look it, it’s by vindication and that’s all there is to it. Now look to the Word of God.” And if you got a question; go to the prophets. That’s the Bible. We’re the children of the prophets.
(19) [Now] …I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Now he’s talking about these guys here with the visions. One says, “I’m of Paul.” Which is fine: if you go back where Paul took them. Now he said, “I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And he said, “What I want you to understand; I’m preaching the cross and the cross was crucifixion and Paul meant, “Listen, I’m dead. I’ve stepped aside, if God’s going to do anything; let God do it. I’ll just stand by and watch Him. And if He can use me: Hallelujah.”
Now Paul came in the meekness of Christ which was, listen, not trying to bulldoze anybody. Once in awhile I try to bulldoze people, but not really. Because I learned years ago, I bulldozed one guy and I said, “Never again by the grace of God.”
Because he was the bulldozer; and I knew I had to hit him where it hurt. And like a fool; I bulldozed him. Never again; I don’t care what you do. You do it on your own kid. But just don’t do it around me. You know what I mean, hey. Give me some kind of a break.
Now Paul is talking about these guys with their carnality; using their senses, trying to weave something in that wasn’t there, trying to put man on the scene when man is not on the scene: he’s off the scene.
Christ died to put man off the scene and God on the scene; then his death is a hundred percent useless, unless God is on the scene and man is off the scene. Now that’s Grace. That’s where the faith lies. And he says right here,
(19) [I’m going to] destroy [all this that you guys are doing,] and… bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
(20) Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? [Now the wise is a man that can handle the Scripture. That’s the prophets, apostles, and all those guys. What’s a scribe? He’s simply a man that can write it.] where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolishness the wisdom of this world?
In other words when you come face to face with reality, THUS SAITH THE LORD, by vindication everything else is up in smoke. And I don’t care what you try to do about it; you’ve got to go back to that prophet because that’s God to you. Now come on, let’s understand that.
Now,
(21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
What preaching? Huh, you think all kind of preaching is going to bring you in? There’s only one kind of preaching. That’s the preaching of the Cross. In other words, where God is highly exalted in a way that man would never believe he would be exalted.
So where are the Jews today? Huh, reaping what they did two thousand years ago and still sobbing as though Isaiah 53 is written about the Jews, and you know what they’re doing; they’re waiting for the Messiah to save them and then by them the world will be saved. Hogwash! That’s Catholicism.
That’s the biggest bunch of crud I’ve heard in my life. God’s going to save by you? Phttt. You ain’t worth nothing; not even the whole bunch of you put together. And I’m the worst of the worst. If you knew my heart; you’d likely agree with that. See?
Preaching what? The Truth. Now I ask you a question. If the world rejects the wisdom of God, how many people are really going to be born again? Eight people made the ark. Never forget that in this church as long as you live, whether I’m with you or not, never forget my words I bring them up to you all the time.
Millions now living, billions now living will die! And the foolish virgin is called unholy and ungodly and wicked in the sight of God. In spite of the fact they’re nice people who make it at the White Throne by being nice to people and good and kind. Let it sink in this morning.
You know these sermons keep getting tougher year by year, week by week, and they get clearer and clearer, too. Just what Brother Branham said, supposed to happened, happens here; it’s got to happen here or it’s not the Word of God.
1 Corinthians 1:22.
(22) For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Now listen, the Jews require a sign that in itself is not devilish; it’s only when you stand back and say, “Now, just a minute, I’m going to ask for the sign that I want.”
We don’t have a right to ask God for anything; unless God said we can have it. And even when we can have it; there are rules laid down.
Now these people here didn’t want to go God’s way; the Jews said, “We want our own signs.”
You say, “I don’t believe that.”
Well, you better read your Gospel because when he… when they said, “These signs are very good but we’d like our own signs.” He said, “You stinking bunch of hypocrites.”
I add the word ‘stinking’ in there, but I’m sure they smelled. Because the Bible talks about odious things: stench in the nostrils of God. So I’m right on target but I’m muddling a couple of Scriptures in there which is no big problem.
(22) …and the Greeks… wisdom. [What is the wisdom of the Greek today? Our church doesn’t believe that.] [Brother Vayle says this with a sarcastic tone.]
(23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock… unto the Greeks foolishness;
What is Christ today being preached in His Revelation? Well, it’s… you know what he is, he’s the devil. Ya, this is the devil. We’re deluded. You know, strange.
(24) But… them which are called, both Jew… and Greek… Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
(25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(26) For [you] see your calling, brethren, how… not many wise men after the flesh, …mighty, …noble, are called:
(27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things [that] are mighty;
(28) And the base things of the world, and things [that] are despised, [which] God hath chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to [nothing the] things that are:
(29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
In other words, you cannot anyway at anytime think of anything in your skull, in your best intentions, in your greatest integrity, in your finest, what you might think, flawless wisdom, and uncorrupt heart; that you may think something will stand before God unless your thinking is the revealed Word of God, you are sunk; right here it tells you.
No flesh is going to glory. So carnal knowledge, carnal worship, is a hundred percent out.
(30) But of him are [you] in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, [even] righteousness, [even] sanctification, [even wisdom]…
(31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Now watch:
(01) And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
And he’s telling you right here; people, what he is saying, ‘let go and let God’. Remember, that old saying, “Let go and let God.” And another saying is, “God will pull you through if you can stand the pull.”
So the guy said, “One fellow was screaming on my left hand, “Let go.” And the other guy was screaming on the right hand saying, “Hang on.” What does it mean? It means just what it says here.
Don’t have a thing to do with yourself and hang onto God’s Word. Don’t even waste your time on anything that you yourself are evolving, even by the Word of God, here, you got to go There, where the vindicated revelation is.
Now Paul, watch what he says.
(01) And… when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, [I didn’t sit down and argue. I wasn’t a guy like Irenaeus, who could you know, bat heads with the gnostics. He said, “No way, I didn’t waste my time on that…] declaring unto you the testimony of God. [which God raised him from the dead. See, that Christ.]
(02) [But] I determined not to know any thing among you, save… Christ, and him crucified.
(03) And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [And watch!]
(04) And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and… power:
(05) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. [God backing His own Word to prove.]
Paul proved it wasn’t his word; God proved it was God’s Own Word and that’s exactly where It stands. But you know; people don’t believe that. People don’t believe that; they cannot see the pattern of a prophet.
But you know, I’m not going to get mad at those guys, because you know you’ve heard me preach, some of you folks for roughly twenty-five years since Brother Branham passed off the scene, some of you have.
People right in this congregation have heard me over these twenty-five years and you know that I never preached with this clarity twenty-five years ago. You know it’s getting clearer and clearer all the time concerning God and His Word and His prophets and vindication and these things I bring to you.
And yet they have been as clear as crystal for two thousand solid years since It was written. All you’ve got to do is look at It, but you see when you start looking at It from what was given the prophet, It’s all a whole new concept.
Certainly, I couldn’t preach this way twenty-five years ago, I realize it was there but to realize it as I know now and put it in words is a different story.
(05) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
Your faith stands in perfect vindication which is perfect faith. The man that brought that stood there and he said, “If God told me to raise Abraham Lincoln; I would go and raise him or let the armies of the world shoot me down.”
In other words, he said, “You could bring on the United Nations. You can bring on the same number of troops that went against Iraq with a hundred nineteen nations represented and ninety-nine nations having men there. Bring them on, let them shoot me down.”
Shuuuu… you talk about calling the world’s bluff. Why don’t you shut-up? If it weren’t for the strength of God you couldn’t even brush your teeth. You know, you people just don’t see where man’s wisdom goes to?
(06) Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: [Full-grown, mature. You know what? We’re only coming to that maturity where Melchisedec can be revealed to us. And] yet… the wisdom of this world, nor… the princes of this world, that came to nought:
(07) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
(08) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
It’s a same thing today because they crucified to themselves afresh the Son of God and put him to an open shame. Because remember, He has to come down with the fan in his hand and separate; that’s the Bible. That’s Matthew chapter 3; Malachi chapter 4. You can’t get away from it. The Bible runs in continuity.
1 Corinthians 2:9-13.
(09) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
(10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
(11) For what man knoweth the things of… man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. [That identifies God with His Spirit; He’s one Spirit. He’s not two or three spirits; He’s One.]
(12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
(13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teach…; but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
And there you are right now; you cannot let your mind come into a revelation. That’s why they went haywire in Europe under this great, famous guy that’s now a doctor. Huhhhh, Herr Docktor. Docktor Swineheart without a doubt; no doubt.
Oh, he said, “Brother Branham made fifty-seven mistakes.” That’s a pickle factory, not Brother Branham’s. The man hasn’t got a clue.
It tells you right here; if that vindicated revelation comes and it centers on the Cross, “Shut your mouth and listen.” And if it centers on revelation in the end time then, “Shut your mouth and listen, and don’t ask questions.”[Matthew 22:46]
So, I’ve got to ask a question. I asked Brother Branham very few questions. His presence was something like the Presence of God; Presence of Christ, God in Christ on earth, “they durst not ask questions.” I asked very few.
We seldom talked issues which were… we had a dissent; one to the other concerning, on the Baptism we did, the evidence of the Holy Ghost; we both ended up wrong. He was wrong; I was wrong. God showed him. And the minute God showed him, I said, “That’s it. That’s it.” and I didn’t know why I said “That’s it.”
And one day when I was going down the road, why did I say, “That’s it,” for? He didn’t give me one bit of Scripture. Like a sarcastic voice said, “Because I’m sarcastic, God treats you the way you treat Him.”
A sarcastic voice said, “Why don’t you look in the Bible; it’s full of It.”
I got so tickled; I said, “I’ll do that.” I didn’t get mad. I thought it was a good joke on me. I enjoyed the joke, the Bible’s full of it.
So when I saw Brother Branham the next time, I said, “Brother Branham, man, I said, “when you said, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, the evidence was receiving the Word for the hour,” I said, “I rejoiced, I know that’s true.” But I said, “you know what you never…”
He said, “Thank you, Brother Vayle.”
See, he appreciated it, you see. I was laying a trap for him; he wasn’t in the right mood to get it. I said, “Ya, but you didn’t give any Scripture. Could you do it?” I hit him so quick he couldn’t think.
He said, “Can’t think of it right now.”
I said, “You mind if I tell you some.”
He said, “Please do.”
I just rattled them off. Well, he sat there and grinned. You know, prophet doesn’t make mistakes; he doesn’t have to run to the Bible like you and me. He is the Bible in his own limited way; God manifested in flesh for this hour.
You know people don’t like things like that; but you say, “You’re God manifested.” Yes, yes, yes… simper, simper, like a… I could say something a little off color here; but it’s a true story but I won’t. It illustrated the case perfectly, but I told you I’d be nice today, so I’m going to be nice… wait for the punchline. See?
1 Corinthians 2:13-14.
(13) …comparing spiritual… with spiritual.
(14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
Now what is he talking about? Word! The revealed plan of God, the absolute Rhema into Logos, for Rhema-Logos has got to be a hyphenated thing; it can’t be otherwise.
Don’t let anybody ever tell you, if you see Logos without a Rhema, forget it. And if there’s a Rhema that isn’t producing a Logos, forget it. Right? Right! Thank you. Hope you caught it.
(14) [Now] the natural man [cannot receive it: and they become foolish to him. Yeah, I could tell you some stories, but ain’t gonna. I ain’t got time. Huh!] neither can… know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [They don’t have the Holy Ghost.]
(15) But he that is spiritual [got the Holy Ghost] judges all things, [and] yet he himself is judged of no man.
(16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And Paul right there said, “You could have a thousand instructors but you got one Father that begot you and I am that person.” And remember, if you are a true son of God and there’s a true teacher there, a pastor, or whatever he is, there will be complete union with the Word as given vindicated.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3.
(01) And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as… spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as… babes in Christ.
(02) I… fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto [you are] not able to bear it, neither yet now [can you do it. See, he couldn’t tell them Melchisedec and things like that.]
(03) For [are you] yet [not] carnal: for whereas there is among you envying,
Now see, envying, jealousy. What did Brother Branham said caused the death of Abel? Jealousy! What was it that Moab turned on on Israel? Jealousy! Why did the Egyptians hate Israel? Jealousy! Why did the devil raise up against God? Jealousy!
People won’t let you carry the ball when you’re ordained to do it. You see, right from the top down; it comes from the top down.
(03) …envying, [Put it away. Don’t be jealous of anybody.] …strife …divisions… [aren’t] ye… carnal… walk[ing] as men?
See, what did this? They were off the Word. They didn’t listen to the tie-post; William Branham, vindicated prophet of God, God to the people. Oh, no, somebody raise up, well, it’s a guy, I won’t mention, I’m too nice this morning for my own good.
Anyway, he got up in the pulpit and he said, “If Brother Branham were here, he’d admit that he was wrong and I was right.”
And he’s the guy that had the dream of being on that little white horse behind Brother Branham, and the white horse came back and Brother… Then he said, “Brother Branham, where are you?” And Brother Branham was gone. Brother Branham called him a ‘dreamer’.
And I think I might call him a ‘nightmare dreamer’ myself, because of all the stuff he’s pulled off; women wearing slacks and everything else, chopping off their hair, talking in tongues in a meeting; come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Where do you get this stuff against the prophet? See?
Now here; carnality;
(05) Who… is Paul… who is Apollos, [Now watch.] but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
(06) I have planted, Apollos watered; [and] God [gave] the increase.
Now listen, let’s put that with William Branham and a true five-fold ministry. Now I don’t know that I’m a true five-fold minister; except Brother Branham said, “You and I are just… we’re just alike.”
“Well,” I said, “that’s pretty nice.”
He said, “I was seed; you’ll be back because you’re ‘seed’.”
So I take the word of the prophet; that I’m a true seed of Almighty God and therefore, a true teacher. And let me tell you something; as he talked the vindicated Word of God, I am one with that prophet, and I will teach that same Word, because Christ is not divided.
Now, that’s the chance you got to take on me. I could be lying to you. You don’t know. Want to bring your pendulum and see if I’m telling the truth? Want to feel my pulse; give me a stress test. Won’t do any good because all I got to do is to self hypnotize myself and believe it; then I’ll speak the truth and it will be a lie.
Stress; voice stress won’t do it. Blood pressure won’t do it. Hee, hee, hee [Brother Vayle laughs.] If the helmsmen of this boat and I’ve got to take that position in the teaching ministry here, if I’m steering you down a dark narrow path, kid, that’s where you’re going with me.
That’s why I keep saying, “Look, don’t look to me; you look to God and weigh these words and see if I’m with this message or not.” It’s the only hope you got and I’ve got. Although Brother Branham did say things to me and I believe them. Why should I not believe them?
(07) So then neither… he that [plants] any thing, [or] he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Gives the increase of what? The life within the Word; as God’s planting in human beings because he said, “You are God’s husbandry.” What’s husbandry? Farming, agriculture, right? Greg? Yup. So, you’re God’s little animals: God’s agriculture, God’s plants, God’s flowers. What from?
Peter said it, “Being born again not of incorruptible sperma but of the corruptible spora.”
See the flowers of God, the planting of God, the wheat seed: aren’t you called wheat in the Bible? Coming out of the chaff, certainly, the life went on. The chaff was necessary, took everything out for that age, now it’s into the wheat.
What proves it’s wheat? Days of the Son of man; the Apocalypses proving that is the genuine One that spoke to the apostle Paul. See? You’re God’s husbandry; you want to hear it right here. Now he said, listen:
(09) …we are labourers together… [Paul and Apollos; with this one Word. And a five-fold ministry that believes this Message will be laboring diligently with Brother Branham even though he’s gone because it’s the Word.] [you] are God’s building.
(10) According to the grace of God which is give unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. [And so on right on down the line.]
Now, and then he says, again…
(18) Let no man deceive [you] [verse 18], If any man among you seemeth…
Well, let’s see if we can go above that; he’s talking about the Spirit of God and the giving of the Word. And so we know that every single thing here has to do with the Word.
(11) [And] another foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [He was the cornerstone, now the capstone. And he… and He is the Word.]
(12) [And] if any man build upon this [that] foundation… [It’s got to be Word, upon Word, upon Word, upon Word.]
(13) Every man’s work [should] be made manifest: for the day shall declare it…
When did that take place? It took place right in our hour; Hebrews 4:12, under discernment. Exactly where the church is; Brother Branham said, “I condemn this generation.” Laid it right out there. The combines have come; the flashing lights of warning are here, it’s over. Cannon fodder; I don’t pray for America.
See, now listen, why? Because they went off that Word. Why do the foolish virgin miss it? Because they don’t have the Word for the oil: they turned down the Word and the oil leaked out; under the gifts.
You better be careful about gifts. If you’re going to have gifts, you put them right where they belong or don’t have them. Brother Branham said, “Don’t have them if you’re not going to do them right by them.”
See?
(14) [So] if any man’s work abide… he… [build] …upon, he[’ll] receive a reward.
It means you’re one with the Word of God; you’re congruent. How can God go against His Word? By you going against His Word and then give you reward and say, “That’s the building of God.”
See, the whole thing is based upon Word vindication. Don’t you understand this morning where you are sitting? Vindicated! You don’t have anything to do with it. Faith has nothing to do with anything outside of vindicated Word, period. Say, what about the age that didn’t have vindication?
Brother Branham said, “God winked at it.” Everybody knows that Scripture. He said, “You can shake hands, do this, do that; and it was alright.” which is the same thing as winking at ignorance. But now, that which makes manifest is light; the light is come because it is manifest.
(14) If any man work abide… he [shall] …thereupon, he [’s going to] receive reward.
Now, that’s rewards; not eternal life. You’re dealing… not dealing with foolish virgin here.
(15) If any man’s work… be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself [is] saved… by fire.
You could say, that might have to do with the foolish virgin. I won’t argue any point; I’m just telling you. If it’s not based upon Word, look out.
(16) Know [you] not that [you] are the temple of God, and… the Spirit of God [dwells] in you? [Talking about Word again.]
(17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;… [how do you defile the temple of God, going against the Word of God.]
What was the first sin, what is it? Adultery. What did it?
(18) Let no man deceive himself. If any among… seem… to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, [if] that he may be wise.
(19) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness [to] with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
(20) And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. [That’s a sophist. You know the kind of smarty-pants. He thinks he knows it all.]
(21) Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; [On what condition? Word.]
(22) Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, [Now he’s got to Peter here. Never mind the others.] or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
(23) And [you’re] Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Now take that to the 8th chapter of Romans, don’t let it sit right there. Take it to the 8th chapter and you’ll see a hundred percent; foreknowledge, election, predestination, only, take this to the 9th chapter of the Book of Romans, and it’s fully explained. If you weren’t in the beginning with representation you don’t have it now. So all right.
Now Paul goes on and his talking about the Word, the Word, the Word, the Word. And he’s talking about the difference that God gives, yet makes people different, but he never made the Word different, so It’s the one Word that applies to every single thing.
And he said,
(08) Now [you’re] full now [you’re] rich, you have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God [you] did reign, that we also might reign with you.
Now how are you going to reign and rule with Christ outside the Word? That’s how he got his. And that’s what he is. Try thinking, right on down the line, and notice what it says here in verse 15.
(15) For though [you] have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have [you] not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
All right, listen, let’s understand this: if you’re begotten by the Gospel, the Life being in It: how can you be sustained except by the same life or the same food? You can’t do it if you’re a Word creature; you’ve got to have Word. See?
Cow’s milk was never meant for babies; mother’s milk was. In fact you can say what you want, but evidence absolutely proves it. That’s why people are big more like cows than they are like people. It’s a fact: the doctors tell you flat; they know it.
Not some MD out there who’s got some stupid degree MD, and he’s an allopathic physician. Not in those drugs, drugs, drugs, will kill you; like they tried to kill Norman and back off. Good thing Norman didn’t sue them. I don’t know if I’d have been so nice. I don’t know if he’s just a nice guy or lazy. I can’t tell what it is.
It would of killed Norman with their drugs. Yeah, would of killed me, too. Kill any of you guys here; you get an infection, they’ll load you with antibiotics and another bug will come along and kill you. They don’t know how to balance out nature; haven’t got a clue.
And the poor doctors that try it, which are maybe, less than one percent, they ostracize them; tie a tin can on their tail and try to destroy them. Better they should get Kevorkian. Help him somehow. You know God’s going to take care of the whole thing.
Now see, watch,
(15) …[I’ve] begotten you…
(16) Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. [because you followed Christ. Now listen.]
(17) For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. [You’re back to the Word again.]
(18) Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
Now here’s a perfect picture of Paul absent and coming to the church; it’s a perfect picture of Jesus absent and coming to the church and throwing the gauntlet down. The same Pillar of Fire that brought the Word, demonstrating that He was God doing It; vindicated Word, is here now doing the same thing.
Now who are the puffed up ones? Where’s the kingdom of God? People talking; I can talk, you can talk, doesn’t mean one thing. Where’s THUS SAITH THE LORD? Where’s the vindication?
(20) For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Now he’s making an absolute statement here; as Brother Branham made absolute statements. This is an absolute statement.
There is no use, you talking about the kingdom of God unless there’s power. And there was power when Jesus stood there. And they said, “What about the Kingdom?” he said, “It’s here now in your midst and you turned it down flat.”
And they asked the question again, he said, “It’s in your midst, and when It does come the next time, you won’t recognize it anymore than you recognize it now. You know why? cause they turned down vindication.
And when you turn down vindication, brother/sister, you got only one thing left and that’s a carnal mind and I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. What do you substitute for vindication? Nothing I know except gross ignorance.
Let’s rise and be dismissed. We’ll get around Sunday morning to doing the right thing.
Heavenly Father, again we want to thank You for Your kindness and mercy to us and that You allowed us to be here and go into this Word right from the Bible, just letter by letter, just dozens of verses and there isn’t one of them that doesn’t ring the bell of this hour proving what It’s all about.
We know what It’s all about. It’s a Word that is Vindicated. And Lord, we don’t pretend to be able to put it all together, but we know there is one God. We know positively, there is one man Christ Jesus; Mediator, Intercessor, between You and us, representing the human race.
Knowing this true, that if we weren’t in You and in Him in the beginning, we aren’t now. We don’t have representation now, if we didn’t have it then. That’s why we understand the days of the Son of man, at least, Lord, we believe we understand, and we’re standing on, as ‘live, die, sink or swim’.
That this is the Bible, and when those people so blandly and so openly said, “Bible days are here again.” They were, merely exactly, prophesying the Word of God without even knowing It; telling the truth.
There was a recognition there, but it wouldn’t go all the way. Lord, I don’t believe that, at least, I trust I don’t believe and anybody in the building doesn’t believe that we’ve come this far in our recognition and not go all the way.
Looking for that glorious day; not of Your Appearing, but of the consummation of It: Your Presence raising the dead and seeing Brother Branham and Paul, the Apostle Paul, seeing these great men all come forth and we a part of It, and changed, structurally to immortal beings, to be caught away to the *ineffable [*inexpressible, unspeakable] glory to the great Wedding Supper.
My what a supper that’s going to be, if we can enjoy things down here and we do with perverted appetites, and jaded and perverted, senses of our taste buds. What it will be like when we get the real heavenly food? And the real heavenly bodies that You have ordained to us?
What a tremendous time of eating and drinking and coming back and working and singing and building… it’s going to be great.
Because it’s another step of sanctification, of progress going on, going more and more from that little negative to the hundred percent positive, though we know that that little bit that was in there, that little seed was the seed of the tremendous and great fullness of the manifestation that lies ahead of us.
Help us to believe that this morning Lord. Doesn’t take the big quantity, doesn’t take the ocean; just takes one drop. And that infinitesimal, no microscope could ever zero in on it and prove anything, for Lord, there’s a Spirit within us that goes right to vindication.
That makes every one of the Bride say, “If you ever listen,” hear the Voice say, “If you ever listened to anybody, listen to that man.” Makes the Voice say that, “When was he ever wrong?” When did you ever find him, that he ever made a mistake when he called anybody out; or did anything?
Look at the record, it’s not a record of a man, there’s no way a man could do that, as the prophet himself said, “No man can do that.” God’s doing it. And Lord, if God’s doing it; we know You’re speaking, You’re drawing us, You’re bringing us to something, just what the apostle Paul said.
So forgive us, Lord, for our unbelief and our reasoning, may they be cast down, get the head out of the way with its own thinking and meanderings and unsuccessful conclusions, and not only unsuccessful but have been diabolical, perverse, harmful, turn the mind open to the Word of God and rejoice and glory in It.
Until the soul and the whole life is aglow with the glory of the Life of God within the Word coming forth in vessels, ready to be received up into glory at the proper time under the proper conditions, which we know they’re here now, and by grace we’re a part of It.
Lord, just with one breath Lord, blast all unbelief, and unfaithfulness and all those things from amongst us, cleanse our hearts Lord, and our minds, our souls to the very depth until the body itself tingles as the temple of the Holy Ghost knowing we’re not our own, we’re bought with a price.
And the very bodies we have belong to Him, now in the process of glorification. All these things Lord, we know they’re here.
May they now not be drowned out by any other voice, but day after day, moment by moment, more conclusively, perfectly, exclusively are bound right into that Word, and our thoughts, our minds are full of It until our lives Lord, somehow, I don’t know all You want for us, but I’m still hoping they resound to Your Glory, because we’d like that.
To know that not adding to salvation but we’ve responded to It and what It did for us, not what we could do for It because we couldn’t do anything for It. So that’s what I am looking at this morning, Lord, you know every heart here and I believe the hearts beat like mine to that end, so hear our collective prayers, we’re one mind this morning, truly the glory is Thine and the honor is Thine.
Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, may it all be for You; but may we offer it back to You as discerning children, in the Name of Jesus Christ we pray.
‘Take the Name of Jesus with you.’