List Židom 6. kap, 3.časť
No, jediný spôsob ako môže byť postavená cirkev, jediný spôsob ako človek môže mať vieru, nie je skrze jeho denomináciu, nie skrze jeho pričlenenie; ale jeho viera odpočíva, nie na teológii nejakých ľudských predstáv, pretože to všetko spolu je viac alebo menej ľudské ... Ale jediný spôsob, kde viera môže nájsť svoje velebné miesto odpočinku je na nepohnuteľnom a nemennom Slove Božom. „Viera prichádza z počutia, počutia Slova.“ Tak sa to deje. A keď viera počula a prijala je to naveky vybavená vec. Nič to už viac nemôže pohnúť, nezáleží na tom čo prichádza alebo čo sa deje. Nič viac nemôže zmeniť tú vieru. Pamätajte na to. Ste zakotvení a viac sa nemeníte pre časnosť ani večnosť. Ste navždy zakotvení. Lebo Boh skrze jednu Obeť zdokonalil navždy tých ktorí sú posvätení alebo povolaní.
A viera má také veľké miesto v tom kresťanovi, v živote veriaceho, že dokáže obstáť pri temnom hrobe, alebo nad truhlou, kde drahé dieťa alebo niekto milý prešiel z tohoto života tam a s vážnym pohľadom orlích očí môže hľadieť na Neho, ktorý povedal: „Ja som Vzkriesenie a Život.“ A oni zabúdajú na veci, ktoré pominuli a ženú sa za cieľom horného povolania.
Som tak rád, že to Boh tak pripravil, a dal to zadarmo ako dar všetkým. To je to, čo má byť cirkev. Cirkvi neoznačuje denominácie alebo organizácie, to označuje skupinu ľudí, veriacich, ktorí sa schádzajú spolu v obecenstve Slova.
504 Dobré ráno priatelia, je to privilégium, že tu môžem byť. A ... Vyplniť tieto nádherné slová, ktoré povedal náš pastor na úvod, na to treba naozaj skutočný život, či nie? A tak chválime nášho Pána za všetky jeho veľké uzdravovacie moci a za jeho milosrdenstvá, ktoré nám dal za tie roky.
505 Chcem povedať niekoľko oznámení. Jedno je, že my, brat Wood a brat Roberson a ... chceme vám všetkým poďakovať, že ste sa za nás modlili, aby sme mali bezpečnú cestu. Mali sme ohromný čas. Myslím, že sme tam boli na štyri a pol dňa a znovu sme sa bezpečne vrátili. Pán nás požehnal.
506Oznamujeme, že brat Graham Sneling, že jeho evanjelizácia ďalej pokračuje, hore na konci Brigham Avenue, tu v meste. A teraz v stredu večer ... (Zajtra večer chcem ísť na jedno zhromaždenie po pohrebe, oznámim to za chvíľu). Oznámime to v stredu večer, chcem ísť všetci tam hore ako delegácia a navštíviť brata Grahama skôr ako zakončí svoje zhromaždenia. A budeme sa snažiť ak sa nám bude dať zhromaždiť tam celý zbor a ísť tam ako delegácia, aby sme tam boli s bratom Grahamom na jednom jeho zhromaždení.
507A teraz, dnes popoludní je na pohrebnom ústave v Charlestown pani Colvinová, ktorá sem chodievala pred mnohými rokmi, sedemdesiat štyri ročná, opustila včera tento život a odišla aby bola s Pánom Ježišom. A na jej pohrebe má kázať v pondelok reverend pán McKinny, on bol ... býval pastorom metodistickej cirkvi v Port Fulton za mnoho rokov, bol ich osobným priateľom. A ja mu mám asistovať, v pondelok ... myslím že je to o pol druhej v kaplnke, v Charlestowne, v Indiáne. A vy všetci, ktorí sa priatelíte s Colvinovcami ... viem, že budú radi, keď ich trochu povzbudíte a potrasiete si s nimi ruky. Lebo všetci vieme čo toto je, ktorí sme sami prechádzali cez takéto (cez tie údolia) a viem čo to znamená stratiť priateľa. A tak ... Ona leží teraz v kaplnke, v Charlestowne, v Indiáne. Ak tam pôjdete v to popoludnie som si istý, že Colvinovci si to budú ceniť. Mnohí od nich chodia ešte sem do zhromaždenia. Ja som sobášil, pochovával, krstil skoro celú ich rodinu. A tak pán Grayson, ktorý býval hneď tu naším susedom pracuje teraz tam na pohrebnej službe.
508A potom, toto dnes, ak Pán dá, tam kde dnes ráno skončíme, tam sa budeme snažiť dnes večer pokračovať v tomto veľkom štúdiu, ktoré teraz preberáme. A myslím pokiaľ si pamätám, že to boli tie oznámenia. A teraz na túto budúcu stredu večer, oznámime to večer, že ideme tam hore ku bratovi Grahamovi.
509Vítame v našich bránach všetkých neznámych a sme radi, že vás tu dnes ráno máme a modlíme sa, aby vás Boh dnes nadmieru, bohato požehnal za to, že ste sem prišli.
510Brat Cox mi práve povedal, že verejné ozvučenie teraz dobre nefungovalo. To je možno od počasia, v reproduktoroch je veľká vlhkosť. A oni hneď od začiatku veľmi dobre nefungovali, tak to môže byť preto.
511Keď tu vidím sedieť sestru, ktorú poznám, sestru Arganbraightovú, chcel by som ... Nie je to pekne a podľa etikety, pýtať sa toto ale počula si niečo o bratovi Arganbrightovi odvtedy ako odcestoval. Veľmi by som sa chcel s ním porozprávať len čo to bude možné. On je vo Švajčiarsku a v Nemecku na zhromaždeniach s bratom Tommy Hicksom a Paulom Cainom. Sestra Ruth, keď sa dopočuješ ako sa majú daj mi vedieť, hneď len čo sa ti bude dať.
512No, v tejto malej modlitebni nemáme žiadne členstvo ale máme obecenstvo. Nemáme žiadne vyznanie okrem Krista, žiadny zákon okrem lásky, žiadnu knihu okrem Biblii. To je jediná kniha, o ktorej vieme a jediná vec, ktorú poznáme. Keď máme ... keď nás krv Ježiša Krista očisťuje od všetkých hriechov máme všetci obecenstvo jeden s druhým, všetci.
513Zmienil som sa dnes ráno niektorým z vás, možno ste počuli toho brata, ktorý sa modlil, on bol katolík. Tak ... alebo, predtým bol katolík a sem ku nám chodia všetci rôzni ľudia. Práve pred chvíľou som mal príležitosť potriasť si ruky s bratom od menonitov, ktorý tu sedí. A od menonitov, od metodistov, baptistov a od katolíkov, ktokoľvek nech sem chodia. A máme spolu obecenstvo okolo požehnaní Božieho Slova. Je tu svedok Jehovov a rôzni ľudia, vidíme rôzne denominácie.
514Miloval som západ a stále milujem. Milujem kone a dobytok. Vyrastal som na farme a milujem to. A zvykli sme zháňať dobytok a ja som s nimi pracoval a mali sme ohradu, do ktorej sme ho zháňali. Neviem či vy, ktorí ste z východu viete čo je to ohrada na zháňanie dobytka. To je vtedy keď dávate dobytok do lesa, oni majú ohradu aby sa nerozutekal (ako to nazývajú), aby neprišli naspäť na farmu. Oni by požrali tam tú trávu, kde ju pestujú na zimné kŕmenie. A potom, hore v horách, oni tiež majú ohrady, kde oddeľujú jalovice od býkov a tak ďalej, nazývajú to ohrady proti rozbiehaniu. Ale tá hlavná ohrada, cez ktorú prechádza ten dobytok je tam, kde stojí ten správca.
515A tak, veľa dní som strávil v sedle a dával som na nich pozor, ako ten dobytok tam prechádzal. Vchádzali tam všetky rôzne značky. Niektoré sa nazývali Diamant a niektoré Mreža X a niektoré ... Naša značka bola Trojnožka, niečo ako skautský znak. Ten ďalší farmár poniže mal stopu moriaka na kozlíku. A všetci mali rôzne značky aby poznali svoj dobytok, keď ho vyháňali von.
516No, toho správcu nezaujímalo akú oni mali značku ale to, čo jeho zaujímalo a čo si všímal bola visačka v ich ušiach. Všetko čo tam vošlo, bez ohľadu na to akú malo značku, musel to byť čistokrvný Hereford. Nemohol by tam vojsť ak by to nebol Hereford; musel to byť registrovaný rod inak tam nemohol prejsť.
517Myslím na ten deň keď Pán príde, On si nebude všímať akú značku nosíme, ale či sme všetci znovuzrodení kresťania. Je to tak. To je Kristov rod. Krvná skúška nás overí; všetci sme kresťania. A ak takto tam budeme, môžeme tu tiež tak byť. Nemyslíte? To je ten spôsob, ceníme si všetko obecenstvo zo všetkých rôznych cirkví.
518Študujeme teraz tento požehnaný List Židom. Jeden brat je tak z toho potešený, že zobral tie pásky a z tých lekcií o tomto a robí knihu.
519 No zakrátko sa dostaneme do tej 11. kapitoly. Predpokladáme že strávime pri tom zimu, pri tej 11. kapitole. Lebo každá jedna z tých postáv, prajeme si ísť naspäť cez Bibliu a zviazať dokopy celé Písmo. Chystal som sa to robiť ... Robím to po častiach, v niektorých týchto predchádzajúcich kapitolách, aby sme mali pospájanú spolu celú Knihu. Lebo viete, Písmo musí potvrdzovať Písmo.
520Preto ak je nejaký rozpor, čo by si niekto myslel, že Písmo si protirečí, to je omyl. Žiadne Písmo neprotirečí inému Písmu. Ten rozpor je tam, kde to možno prichádza do rozporu s tým, ako sa my na to miesto Písma dívame, ale ono samo si neprotirečí. Som v službe teraz už 26 rokov a ani raz som nenatrafil na jedinú vec v Biblii, ktorá by niečomu protirečila, čo je v Biblii napísané, a proste viem, že tam nie je nič také.
521A dnes študujeme jednu z najpožehnanejších kapitol Listu Židom, 7. kapitolu. A je niekto kto nemá Bibliu? Chcete čítať spolu s nami? Radi vám prinesieme Bibliu ak len zodvihnete ruku. Poprosím niekoho zo starších ... kto sem príde a zoberie nejaké ... Niektorí tam zodvihli ruky a ... Ďakujem brat. Ak chcete Bibliu, len zodvihnite ruku a oni vám ju prinesú.
522No, jediný spôsob ako môže byť postavená cirkev, jediný spôsob ako človek môže mať vieru, nie je skrze jeho denomináciu, nie skrze jeho pričlenenie; ale jeho viera odpočíva, nie na teológii nejakých ľudských predstáv, pretože to všetko spolu je viac alebo menej ľudské ... Ale jediný spôsob, kde viera môže nájsť svoje velebné miesto odpočinku je na nepohnuteľnom a nemennom Slove Božom. „Viera prichádza z počutia, počutia Slova.“ Tak sa to deje. A keď viera počula a prijala je to naveky vybavená vec. Nič to už viac nemôže pohnúť, nezáleží na tom čo prichádza alebo čo sa deje. Nič viac nemôže zmeniť tú vieru. Pamätajte na to. Ste zakotvení a viac sa nemeníte pre časnosť ani večnosť. Ste navždy zakotvení. Lebo Boh skrze jednu Obeť zdokonalil navždy tých ktorí sú posvätení alebo povolaní.
523A viera má také veľké miesto v tom kresťanovi, v živote veriaceho, že dokáže obstáť pri temnom hrobe, alebo nad truhlou, kde drahé dieťa alebo niekto milý prešiel z tohoto života tam a s vážnym pohľadom orlích očí môže hľadieť na Neho, ktorý povedal: „Ja som Vzkriesenie a Život.“ A oni zabúdajú na veci, ktoré pominuli a ženú sa za cieľom horného povolania.
524Som tak rád, že to Boh tak pripravil, a dal to zadarmo ako dar všetkým. To je to, čo má byť cirkev. Cirkvi neoznačuje denominácie alebo organizácie, to označuje skupinu ľudí, veriacich, ktorí sa schádzajú spolu v obecenstve Slova.
525A tu v tomto vynikajúcom učení svätého Pavla, v tom podklade v tých predchádzajúcich kapitolách sa zvlášť zaoberal zvrchovaným Božstvom Pána Ježiša a tým, kto On bol. Kristus bol Boh v takej forme, že človek ho mohol cítiť a dotýkať sa ho a mať s ním obecenstvo. Kristus, Pán Ježiš bol telom v ktorom prebýval Boh: „Boh sa stal telom a prebýval medzi nami.“ 1. Timotejovi 3:16 „A vyznane veľké je tajomstvo pobožnosti, Boh bol zjavený v tele.“
526Ten veľký Jehova prišiel dole a stal sa hmatateľný, tým že žil v tele svojho vlastného Syna, vyjadroval sa a zmieroval svet so Sebou. Kristus nebol ničím menším ako Boh a Boh nie je ničím menším ako Kristus. Tí dvaja spolu tvorili Božstvo telesne, učinený čosi málo menší od anjelov aby mohol trpieť. Anjeli nemôžu trpieť. Ježiš bol Chrámom, v ktorom prebýval Boh.
527Biblia hovorí v 7. kapitole Skutkov Apoštolských, že chrámy a zápalné ... „Obete a zápalné obete si nechcel ale telo si mi ustrojil. Lebo najvyšší nebýva v chrámoch učinených rukou ale telo si mi pripravil.“ Tak v stánení alebo v prebývaní v obecenstve s ľuďmi ...
528Ak Boh dovolí, len čo preberieme túto kapitolu, alebo tento list, chceme ísť naspäť a zobrať knihu Ruth a ukázať tam, ako sa Boh stal naším príbuzným aby zmieril to stratené naspäť so Sebou, tým, že mal s nami obecenstvo a stal sa jedným z nás. Vykupiteľ musí byť príbuzný. A jediný spôsob ako sa Boh mohol stať naším príbuzným, je že sa stal jedným z nás. Tak On sa nemohol stať Anjelom a byť príbuzný človeku.
529Minulý večer, keď som hovoril so synom, ktorý mal boľavé srdce, so svojím spoločníkom, ohľadne matky, ktorá práve odišla, povedal: „Ó brat Bill, teraz je z nej hádam anjel.“
530 Povedal som: „Nie Earl, ona nebude nikdy anjelom. Ona je dnes ženou, práve tak ako ju Boh stvoril, a stále taká bude, nikdy anjel.“ Boh stvoril anjelov. On nikdy nespravil človeka, aby sa stal anjelom. On stvoril anjelov a ľudí. Tak človek nikdy nebude anjelom a anjel nikdy nebude človekom. Boh ich stvoril rozdielnych.
531No, a v Kristovi sa stáva telom aby nás vykúpil z tej veľkej diaľky na druhej strane kde človek upadol a tá nesmrteľnosť skrze hriech upadla, Boh prišiel dole a zobral na seba formu alebo podobu človeka a stal sa naším príbuzným, aby mohol niesť naše hriechy a našu smrť.
532A v jednej z ilustrácií, ktorú sme ukazovali v predchádzajúcich lekciách ... (Trošku to zopakujeme ak je tu niekto nový aby porozumel.) Boh, na svojej ceste na Golgotu, keď osteň smrti bol na ňom a bzučal okolo neho a nakoniec ho uštipol až On zomrel ... On tak zomrel, že až slnko prestalo svietiť. On zomrel, že až mesiac a hviezdy nedali svojho svetla. Lebo mal ... On to musel urobiť, aby zakotvil osteň smrti. Keby On bol nesmrteľnou osobou, keby bol v teofánii, alebo v Duchu, nad tým by smrť nemohla zavládnuť. To sa muselo stať telom, aby mohol vziať osteň smrti.
533Ale keď včela alebo iný bodavý hmyz raz bodne, už nebude mať viac žihadlo. Ona nechá svoje žihadlo v tom tele. A to je to, Boh sa stal Kristom, prebýval v tele, tak že vo svojom vlastnom tele mohol zadržať to žihadlo smrti. A keď sa smrť odtiahla od neho na kríži, zanechala svoje žihadlo, už viac nemôže uštipnúť veriaceho. Môže bzučať, môže robiť bzukot a vyhrážať sa, ale nemôže uštipnúť. Nemá žihadlo.
534Ten veľký svätý Pavel, keď kráčal na smrť zvolal a riekol: „Ó smrť, kde je tvoj osteň a hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dal víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista,“ lebo oboje smrť aj peklo stratili svoju moc.
535No ... Potom, minulú nedeľu sme brali: „Zanechajúc počiatky učenia o Kristu,“ v 6. kapitole sme čítali toto: „nesme sa k dokonalosti.“ A našli sme, že dnes ľudia v mnohých cirkvách, spolu s Branhamovou modlitebňou a rôzne ďalšie, kladieme príliš veľa na študovanie počiatkov učenia o Kristovi. On bol Syn Abrahámov; On bol Syn toho a toho a znovu do rodokmeňov. Ale Biblia povedala: Dajme nabok tieto veci a poďme do dokonalosti.“
536Prv musíte poznať učenie a potom musíte vedieť všetky tieto veci; potom ich odložme nabok, povedal, vzkriesenie mŕtvych, vskladanie rúk, krsty a všetky tie mŕtve Božie články. Oni aj tak nemajú v sebe Život ... Ale cirkev ide dnes len do tých vecí. „Ó, my veríme v Božstvo Krista. Áno, samozrejme. Veríme vo vodný krst. Áno, samozrejme. Vskladanie rúk ...
537Pavel povedal: „Všetko toto urobíme, keď Boh dovolí. Ale pri všetkom tomto, položme to teraz nabok a poďme do dokonalosti.“
538No, cirkev nemôže prísť do dokonalosti skrze organizácie. To po celý čas odchádza ďalej od Boha, alebo ďalej jeden od druhého. My kladieme prekážky, oddeľujeme sa, zdá sa že nemáme vieru. Ale potom, keď opustíme tieto počiatky náuky, ak ideme ďalej do dokonalosti, potom sa tie malé veci tak veľmi nepoužívajú.
539Ideme do súvislosti a nachádzame, že jediný spôsob ako môžeme byť dokonalí je byť v Kristovi. A potom nachádzame, z toho čo učí Biblia, že ... ako sa dostaneme do Krista. Nie skrze vodný krst, nie skrze položenie rúk, nie skrze učenie, „ale skrze jedného Ducha sme všetci pokrstení do jedného Tela a stávame sa dokonalí skrze Jeho utrpenie.“ Potom sa inak dívame, inak rozmýšľame, inak sa správame, inak žijeme. Nie preto, že je to povinnosť alebo že patríme do cirkvi, ale preto, že „láska Božia je rozliata v našich srdciach skrze Ducha Svätého“, to nás robí spoluobyvateľmi Kráľovstva Božieho, potom v tom nie je žiadna denominácia ani žiadne prekážky. Všetci sme jedným veľkým Telom.
540Teraz sme pripravení vojsť za chvíľu do dnešnej raňajšej lekcii. Ešte jedna vec, ktorú by som tu chcel povedať a to, že Pavel, keď hovorí v knihe, v 7. kapitole ... alebo v 6. kapitole, nachádzame tu, že v Kristovi sme sa stali dokonalí. Potom v 13. verši 6. kapitole, položíme len trochu podklad:
Lebo keď Boh dával Abrahámovi zasľúbenie, keďže nemal na koho iného väčšieho prisahať, prisahal sám na seba,
Boh prisahal sám na seba, pretože nemohol prisahať na nikoho väčšieho.
541No, chceme ísť naspäť, poďme na chvíľu do listu Galaťanom a zoberme Galaťanom 3:16. A budeme tu chvíľu čítať, o tom na čo On prisahal.
A zasľúbenia boli povedané Abrahámovi a jeho semenu. Nehovorí: I semenám, ako keby ich bolo mnoho, ale hovorí ako o jednom: I tvojmu semenu, ktorým je Kristus.
542No ak si všimnete, keď to pozorne čítate, teraz ako čítate:
... Abrahámovi a jeho semenu
(jednotné číslo)boli dané zasľúbenia
(množné číslo). (Abrahámovi a jeho Semenu) ...543No, Semeno Abrahámove bolo jedno, ktorým bol Kristus, popredku znázornený v Izákovi. Ale Abrahám mal mnoho detí. Jedného mal pred tým ako mal Izáka, čo ukazovalo, že sa tam vkĺzla Sárina nevera, ktorá chcela aby Hagar priniesla to dieťa, myslela si že je už príliš stará a že Boh to obíde a spraví nejakú inú cestu, nie tak ako to On zasľúbil urobiť.
544Ale Boh dodržuje svoje zasľúbenie! Bez ohľadu na to ako nerozumne to môže vyzerať, Boh je zaviazaný voči svojmu zasľúbeniu. A Sára si myslela, že možno by mohla dať Hagar, svoju slúžku, aby porodila to dieťa od Abraháma, a že ona si ho vezme. A to prinieslo Izmaela, ktorý bol tŕňom v tele odvtedy až doteraz. Stále tŕňom v tele, pretože z tade pochádzajú Arabi a oni sú stále takí.
545No, stále keď neveríte holému Božiemu Slovu a prijímate niečo iné, to bude potom ďalej tŕňom vo vašom tele. Berte len to, čo povedal Boh! Keď to On povedal, to je to čo On tým myslel. Nech je požehnané Jeho Meno. Berte len Jeho Slovo!
546Bez ohľadu na to čo sa snaží prejsť popri tom, ľudia hovoria: „Dobre, to v skutočnosti neznamená to.“ To znamená presne to, čo Ono hovorí, keď Boh dáva zasľúbenie.
547Ak si teraz dobre všimneme:
... zasľúbenia boli povedané Abrahámovi a jeho semenu ..
To Semeno bolo jedno, jednotné číslo a to ďalšie boli zasľúbenia. Je viac, ako jedno zasľúbenie a viac než jedna osoba, ktorí sú zahrnutí do Semena Abrahámovho. Vidíte? Je jedno Semeno ale mnoho ľudí tohoto Semena. Vidíte? Oni neboli len Abrahám sám, alebo sám Izák, ale ... to bolo pre všetko semeno Abraháma. Tie zasľúbenia boli dané každému individuálnemu semenu toho Semena. Rozumiete tomu?
548A tak my, súc mŕtvi v Kristovi, podľa Písma berieme na seba Semeno Abrahámove a sme dedičmi podľa toho zasľúbenia, nie tým že sa pripojíme do cirkvi, alebo že budeme zachovávať mŕtve články alebo niečo také. Ale tým, že sme sa narodili z Ducha Kristovho, sme semenom Abrahámovým a sme spoludedičmi s Ním v Kráľovstve.
549Potom, ideme potom čítať ďalej, ešte teraz trochu ďalej, Boh prisahá. V 17. verši tej 6. kapitoly.
A preto, že Boh chcel zvrchovane ...Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom zasľúbenia nezmeniteľnosť svojej rady, vložil do toho prísahu,
550Ó, oddýchnime si teraz na chvíľu: „Boh chcel zvrchovane!“ Nie žeby On musel, ale aby to urobil istou vecou.
551No, my sme už našli, že Boh sa stal telom, prebýval medzi nami, ako sa On manifestoval pred svetom. Keď našiel ženu v cudzoložstve, povedal: „Ja ťa neodsudzujem, choď a nehreš viacej.“ Keď našiel nemocného, On sa správal presne tak, ako sa mal správať, pretože On bol Boh a uzdravil nemocného. Vzkriesil mŕtveho. Odpúšťal hriechy, bez ohľadu na to aký veľký alebo koľko ich bolo alebo ako odpadli. On im jednako odpustil, ak oni boli ochotní prísť a požiadať.
552Všimnite si teraz! Keď Boh raz niekoho prijal za nejakých okolností a ak znovu povstanú tie isté okolnosti, On musí postupovať druhý krát tak, ako to robil prvý krát, inak by bol nespravodlivý. Rozumiete? Bez ohľadu na to, ako hlboko ste v hriechu, ako veľmi ste poklesli, On musí jednať s vami, ako jednal s tou upadnutou ženou, inak by vtedy bol postupoval nesprávne.
553Božie správanie to je Jeho Osoba a aký je vo Svojom správaní, to vyjadruje Jeho Osobu. A tak je to s vami, ako sa v živote správate, to hovorí čím ste. Ako sme to mali a preberali sme to, jednu alebo dve lekcie pred týmto, Metodisti chceli povedať, že keď kričíte, tak To máte, Letniční hovorili: „keď hovoríte v jazykoch, máte To.“ Shakery hovorili: „Keď sa trasiete, vtedy To máte.“ Pennsylvánsky Shakery. A my nachádzame, že oni sa všetci mýlia. Váš život To vyjadruje! Vaša osoba vyjadruje čím ste. Človeka poznať podľa jeho skutkov. A taký aký je váš život ...
554Počuli ste to staré porekadlo: „Tvoj život hovorí tak hlasno, že nemôžem počuť tvoje slová.“ Tak čokoľvek ste, to ste. Život, ktorý žijete ukazuje, aký druh ducha je vo vás.
555A potom môžete napodobňovať zlú vec ... alebo, napodobňovať tú správnu vec, teraz hovorím. Môžete napodobňovať kresťana, ale neskoršie príde čas, keď nastane to napnutie, to potom ukáže čo ste. Reťaz je taká mocná, ako jej najslabšie ohnivo.
556Keď Kristus Syn Boží bol daný do skúšky, to ukázalo čo On bol. Skutočne! Keď ste vy privedení do skúšky, to dokáže čo ste. Váš život stále odzrkadľuje, čo je vo vnútri vo vás. Neskoršie ... ale buďte si istí, že vás vaše hriechy nenájdu. A to je to, čo sa snažíme povedať.
557Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 5:24: „Ten kto čuje ... (nie ten, kto sa trasie, nie ten kto hovorí, nie ten ...) „Kto čuje moje slovo a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do života.“
558To je vaša viera. A vaša viera, vyznaná cez vaše ústa, manifestuje ľuďom, ktorí môžu počuť, ale váš život je otvorený pred všetkými. Tak, nezáleží na tom, ako veľmi sa snažíte konať toto a robiť tamto, to nebude nikdy fungovať, to musí byť vo vás. To je skutočné jadro celej tej veci. Vaša osobná viera vo vzkrieseného Krista, ako vášho Spasiteľa; že On je po pravici Božej pôsobí dnes ráno na vašom mieste, ako vy pôsobíte na Jeho mieste tu dole ako svedok. Svedok má pôsobiť namiesto niekoho, stáť za vás ako svedok. A ako váš život tu odzrkadľuje aké je vaše svedectvo v Kristovi, to odzrkadľuje tam a to odzrkadľuje tu. A On je tam hore; ako to čo On pre vás je, odzrkadľuje oboje, tam aj tu. Tak ste ... Skrze svoju vieru ste spasení a jedine tak. Tak, senzácie, emócie, pocity, čokoľvek v tom nehrá vôbec žiadnu roľu.
559No, ja nie som ... toto ... No nemyslite to zle, že ja neverím v emócie. Samozrejme! Ale o čom teraz hovoríme, snažíme sa vydrezírovať týchto ľudí v tomto čase, že to nie sú emócie. Diabol zobral tieto veci a pobláznil ľudí, pôsobí aby svoje večné miesto určenia zakladali na nejakej emócii. Na vykrikovaní, na hovorení v jazykoch, na tom, že každú nedeľu chodia do zboru, že sa správajú ako kresťan, to v ten deň vôbec neobstojí! „Jedine znovuzrodený človek.“ A váš život odzrkadľuje to čo ste vo vnútri. Vidíte? Nie vaše emócie.
560Môžete mať na rukách krv, môžete hovoriť v jazykoch, môžete uzdravovať chorých, môžete vierou hory prenášať a ešte pritom nič nie ste! 1. Korinťanom 13. Vidíte? To musí byť niečo, čo sa stalo skrze narodenie, ktoré pochádza od Boha a Boh prináša do vás nové narodenie a dáva vám časť Seba Samého. Potom sú tieto veci! Ste novým stvorením. „Dám do nich Večnosť.“
561Preberali sme slovo Večný. Naveky, to je časová doba. Večnosť to je naveky, naveky a naveky, ale je len jedna Večnosť. a nachádzame, že prijímate Večný Život a to slovo v Gréčtine je Zoe, čo znamená „Boží Život.“ A prijímate časť Božieho Života, a to vás robí duchovným synom Božím a ste práve tak veční, ako je Boh večný. Nemáte koniec, žiadne miesto skončenia, pretože ste nemali miesto začiatku. Všetko, čo má začiatok má koniec a to, čo nemá začiatok nemá koniec.
562Ako milujeme to vzácne Slovo! Ako majú byť kresťania založení vo viere, ktorá raz bola darovaná svätým a nie byť zmietaní sem a tam, z miesta na miesto a pripájať sa do rôznych cirkví. To je v poriadku ak chcete patriť do ktorejkoľvek cirkvi pokiaľ ste kresťan; ale prv dajte do poriadku tú prvú vec, ktorou je to narodenie, ktoré vás robí príbuzným s Bohom, ako Boh sa stal príbuzný s vami.
563On sa stal príbuzný aby ťa mohol zodvihnúť. Prv ako ťa mohol zodvihnúť, musí ti dať Večný Život. Potom Boh sa musel stať príbuzným aby zobral smrť, aby ťa zodvihol. Potom vy sa musíte stať príbuznými s Ním, aby ste mohli ísť do vzkriesenia. Vidíte čo to je? To je proste výmena. Boh sa stal vami, aby ste vy mohli stať Bohom. Vidíte? Boh sa stal časťou vás (telom), aby ste sa vy z jeho milosti mohli stať časťou Neho (to je všetko), aby ste mali Večný Život. To je proste nádherný obraz! Ó milujeme to!
564A teraz:
... Boh chcel zvrchovane
... (Nemusel, ale On chcel)565Ja sa z toho tak teším (vy tiež?), že náš Boh chcel. Pozrite sa, čo ak On - čo ak by On nebol zhovievajúci? Čo je ovocie Ducha? Láska, radosť, viera, pokoj, zhovievavosť. To je časť Boha, ktorá je vo vás. A môže ... Znášanlivosť, znášajte bremená jedni druhých. Odpúšťajte jeden druhému, ako Boh kvôli Kristovi odpustil vám. Duch Boží vo vás robí, že sa takto správate. A potom, keď Boh bol tu na zemi a stal sa vami, stal sa hriechom, aby sňal váš hriech, zniesol to za vás a zaplatil vašu pokutu za to. Boh je zhovievajúci, znášajúci naše bremená.
566A potom, On je dobrý Boh. Ak chcete aby ... určité veci svojím spôsobom, viete, že Boh je natoľko dobrý aby to urobil. On je rád, keď vás môže urobiť šťastnými. On chce ... On je láska a jeho veľká láska Ho núti dokonca zostúpiť niekedy dole, aby vám dovolil mať veci, ktoré chcete.
567Pozrite sa na Tomáša, po zmŕtvychvstaní. Tomáš neveril. Ó, on má dnes veľa detí. Ale Tomáš povedal: „Nie! Nie!Ja budem musieť mať nejaký dôkaz. Ja budem musieť položiť svoju ruku do Jeho boku a do Jeho ... moje prsty tu do Jeho rúk, prv ako Tomu uverím. Nestarám sa o to čo vy hovoríte.“ Vidíte on hneď vtedy bol úplne pomimo poriadku Písma. Vy tomu máte veriť! Tak on povedal: „Ja musím mať nejaký dôkaz, ktorý to potvrdí.“
568A Ježiš sa zjavil, On je dobrý: „Poď? Tomáš, keď toto je to čo chceš, dobre, tu to máš. Môžeš to mať.“
569Takíto sme. Hovoríme: „Pane, ja musím hovoriť v jazykoch. Ja musím kričať. Ja musím ...“
570„Ó, len do toho, Ja spôsobím aby ste to mali.“ On je dobrý.
571Tak, on strčil svoje prsty do jeho boku a potom povedal: „Ó, to je môj Pán a môj Boh.“
572On povedal: „No, Tomáš, ty veríš odkedy si videl. Ale, o čo väčšia je odplata tých, ktorí nemali dôkaz a jednako Tomu veria!“ Tu to máte. Tam sa musíte dostať. „O čo väčšia je odplata tých, ktorí nič nevideli ale jednako Tomu veria!“ To je skutok viery, že to prijímame.
573No, Ja verím, že znamenia nasledujú veriacich, ale dajme na prvé miesto tie prvé veci. Môžete mať znamenia bez tohoto. Pavel povedal, že môžete. On povedal: „Mohol by som hovoriť ľudskými jazykmi aj anjelským, ničím nie som. Môžem svojou vierou vrchy prenášať, ničím nie som. Mohol by som rozumieť Bibliu, takým spôsobom, že by som mohol poznať všetky tajomstvá Božie, ničím nie som.“ Vidíte? To sú dary Ducha Svätého, bez Ducha Svätého.
574Duch Svätý je Boh a Boh je Láska, Radosť, Pokoj, Zhovievavosť, Krotkosť, Trpezlivosť. To je Duch Boží. To je to čo Boh pozdvihuje v poslednom čase, skrze toho Ducha.
575No:
... Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom zasľúbenia ...
Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom ... Kto sú tí dediči? „My, súc mŕtvi v Kristovi berieme na seba Semeno Abraháma a sme dedičmi.“ Ó, preniká to do vás? My sme dedičmi Kráľovstva Božieho skrze odprisahané zasľúbenie! Boh nemusel prisahať, jeho Slovo je dokonalé. Ale On prisahal, tiež, na Seba samého, lebo nie je nikoho väčšieho.
576Keď čítame ďalej, ešte chvíľu, počúvajte:
... zasľúbenia nezmeniteľnosť svojej rady, potvrdil to prísahou ...
(nezmeniteľnosť, nemennosť)577Boh sa nemôže meniť, On musí zostať taký istý. A ak Boh uzdravil jednu chorú osobu, On nikdy nemôže zmeniť svoj postoj. Ak Boh odpustil jednému hriešnikovi, jednej prostitútke, On nikdy nemôže zmeniť svoj postoj. Nezmeniteľnosť, nemeniteľné Božie Slovo. Ak Boh na jednom mieste povedal „Ja som Pán, ktorý uzdravujem všetky tvoje nemoci,“ On musí pri tom stáť; lebo On je nekonečný, On poznal koniec pred začiatkom.
578No, ja môžem povedať: „Urobím toto“ a Biblia hovorí, že máme vravieť: „Ak Pán bude chcieť“ Pretože ja som smrteľný, ja neviem. Ja niekedy musím odvolať svoje slovo, ale Boh nemôže odvolať svoje. On je Boh!
579A On požaduje len jedno: „Keď môžete veriť!“ Ó. „Ak môžete veriť, všetko je možné! Ak môžete veriť.“ To je všetko čo vy ... Ak vy môžete! To je tá otázka. Ale nie otázka voči Božiemu Slovu, pretože On je nemenný, On sa nemôže meniť. Aké úžasné!
580Počúvajte teraz, čítame ďalej:
Aby sme dvoma nezmeniteľnými vecmi, v ktorých je nemožné Bohu oklamať, …
(Nemožné, nemožnosť a nezmeniteľnosť to je v podstate to isté slovo: nemôže sa zmeniť, nemôže sa pohnúť, To musí zostať naveky to isté. Nemôže to byť zmenené: nezmeniteľnosť a nemožnosť)
A dvoma nemeniteľnými vecmi, v ktorých je nemožné Bohu oklamať ...
„Máme dve veci?“ Áno! Prvá, Jeho Slovo povedalo, že On to urobí. Druhá bola Jeho prísaha, keď to odprisahal, že to urobí.
581Ó! Akým druhom ľudí máme byť? Prečo by sme mali byť zmietaní sem a tam a behať okolo a prijímať veci sveta a správať sa ako tento prúdový model kresťanstva roku 1957? My chceme byť tým starodávnym typom, ktorý bral Boha za jeho Slovo a nazýval tie veci, ktoré neboli akoby boli, „Keď Boh tak povedal, Tým je to vybavené!“
582Abrahám, ktorému boli dané zasľúbenia, jemu a jeho Semenu, on nazýval tie veci, ktoré neboli, ako keby boli. Lebo to bolo Božie zasľúbenie, vedel že Boh nemôže klamať. On mu to zasľúbil a on Tomu veril. A ako roky prechádzali a zdalo sa že to zasľúbenie sa stáva vzdialenejšie pre to prirodzené oko, Ono bolo čoraz bližšie Abraháma.
583Namiesto toho aby slabol a hovoril: „No, možno nie je niečo také ako Božské uzdravovanie. Možno som sa zmýlil. Možno také niečo neexistuje. Možno som to všetko zle rozumel.“ To potom ukazuje jednu vec, že ste sa neznovuzrodili.
584„Lebo je ...“ Prebrali sme to minulú nedeľu, len trochu dozadu v tej kapitole, „Lebo je nemožné, aby človek, ktorý už raz ochutnal tie nebeské dary a tie veci, keby odpadol aby sa znovu obnovil ku pokániu“ (absolútne, úplne nemožné). Lebo ten kto sa z Boha narodil nehreší a nemôže hrešiť. Lebo Semeno Božie zostáva v ňom a on nemôže hrešiť.“ Semeno Božie je Slovo Božie. „Viera prichádza z počutia, z počutia Slova. Obeť bola prinesená, všetko pominulo!“
585No, ak robíte zle, Boh spraví, že budete za to platiť. Ale ak robíte zle, nerobíte to dobrovoľne. Zdá sa mi, že je to 10. kapitola 47. verš: Lebo keď dobrovoľne hrešíme po prijatí známosti pravdy.“ Ale potom, keď ste sa raz narodili, máte Pravdu; nie poznanie Pravdy; ale ste prijali Pravdu a To sa stalo skutočnosťou a ste dieťaťom Božím na časnosť aj Večnosť. Boh prisahal, že On to urobí!
586Ježiš povedal: „Ten kto čuje moje Slová a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a ja ho vzkriesim v posledný deň; nepríde na súd, prešiel zo smrti do života.“ A teraz s takouto prísahou: „Boh chce, aby sme to prijali,“ ...
587No dávajte pozor čo on tu hovorí, Pavel hovorí cirkvi:
... je nemožné Bohu oklamať,
aby sme mohli maťsilné potešenie,
... (Nie „Dobre ak baptisti nebudú so mnou náležite jednať, pôjdem ku metodistom.“ Vidíte?) ... my máme maťsilné potešenie, ktorí sme unikli, uchopiť nádej, ktorá leží pred nami.
588A teraz, čítame ten posledný verš.
ktorú to nádej máme sťa kotvu duše
(nádej: zložená prísaha Božia) ...máme ako kotvu duše, bezpečnú a pevnú, a ktorá vchádza dovnútra ... za oponu;
589Hovorme za chvíľu o „opone.“ Neprebrali sme to príliš dobre minulú nedeľu.
590„Za oponu!“ Tou oponou je telo. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť Boha, tvárou v tvár, v tomto zbore. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť anjelov na ich pozícii dnes ráno, ktorí stoja vedľa sedadiel. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť. My sme skrytí za oponou a tou oponou je telo. My sme synovia a dcéry Božie, sme v prítomnosti Božej. „Anjeli Boží táboria okolo tých, ktorí sa Ho boja.“ Sme v prítomnosti Božej po celý čas: „Ja ťa nikdy neopustím, nikdy ťa nezanechám. Budem stále s tebou až do konca.“ Ale tou oponou je telo, to je to, čo nás zadržiava od Jeho prítomnosti. Ale skrze dušu, Ducha, pomocou našej viery vieme, že On nad nami bdie. On stojí pri nás. On je teraz tu!
591Tam v Dotáne, raz ráno, starý prorok bol obkľúčený armádou a ... jeho sluha vyšiel von a povedal: „Otče, celá krajina je obkľúčená cudzincami.“
592A Eliáš vstal a povedal: „Synu, s nami je viacej ako s nimi.“
593No, on si šuchal oči a díval sa okolo, on nemohol nič vidieť.
594On povedal: „Bože, keby si otvoril jeho oči, odtiahni tú oponu.“ A keď tá opona spadla z jeho očí, okolo toho starého proroka boli ohnivé vozy, kopce boli v ohni, stáli tam anjeli a bojové vozy. Tu to máte!
595Ó! Potom Geházi mohol povedať: „Teraz rozumiem.“ Vidíte? Tá opona spadla. Tam je tá prekážka.
596Tu to je. Drží pevne; opona je to, čo nám bráni žiť tak, ako by sme mali! Opona je to, čo nám prekáža robiť to, čo skutočne chceme. A Boh sa zaclonil za oponou v tele a tá opona bola roztrhnutá na dvoje. A Boh sa stal znovu Bohom a On vzbudil tú oponu, v ktorej sa On sám ukrýval, to je vzkriesenie Pána Ježiša. Dokazujúc nám, že v tejto opone, v ktorej sme teraz ukrytí ... Pomocou viery Tomu veríme a prijímame to. A keď táto opona bude roztrhnutá nadvoje, ja pôjdem do Jeho prítomnosti s touto istotou, vediac že „Ho poznám v moci Jeho zmŕtvychvstania.“ Pri príchode Pána Ježiša, táto opona bude znovu vzbudená, na dokonalý spôsob, že až budem chodiť a rozprávať sa s Ním, ako so svojím Spasiteľom a Bohom, keď On zasadne na trón Dávidov. A budeme žiť naveky v tejto opone, keď ona bude zdokonalená, ale táto opona má v sebe hriech. To bolo ... bez ohľadu na to ako ... Nikdy nemyslite na to oslávené telo na tejto zemi. To musí zomrieť, tak isto ako musí zomrieť vaša duša, aby ste sa znovuzrodili. V dokonalosti ...
597Nejesť mäso a robiť toto a zdokonaľovať telo, nikdy to tak nedosiahnete. A musíte prestať toto a robiť toto a robiť toto a robiť toto, to je zákon. To je zákonnosť. Neveríme v zákonné formy spasenia. My veríme to, že „z milosti sme spasení.“ A to nie ste vy, vy s tým nemáte nič spoločného, to je Božie vyvolenie, ktoré to robí. „Nikto nemôže prísť ku mne, jedine ten koho potiahne Môj Otec.“ Je to tak. A On ... Všetko čo Ježiš prišiel urobiť bolo, aby dostal tých, ktorých Otec predzvedel; a predurčil ich pred založením sveta, aby ste sa stali synmi a dcérami Božími. Amen. „Nezáleží od toho kto beží alebo kto chce, ale od Boha, ktorý sa zmilováva.“ To je Boh, ktorý to činí! Vôbec sa nemôžete chváliť. Nie je žiadna vec, ktorú ste vy urobili; Boh, z milosti vás spasil; nie vy, sami; ak by ste to vy urobili, máte sa čím chváliť. Ale nemáte nič, čím by ste sa pochválili. Všetká chvála patrí Jemu. To je On. Potom On vám dal túto spoľahlivú nádej, na čo prisahal a je nemožným, aby Jeho deti niekedy zahynuli.
598No, oni dostanú výprask, ak robia zle, budete žať to čo sejete, dostanete to. Nemyslite si teraz, že môžete chodiť ďalej a hrešiť a vyviaznuť s tým. Ak to robíte a máte taký postoj, to ukazuje, že ste sa nikdy neznovuzrodili. Rozumiete? Ak stále máte v sebe takú túžbu robiť zle, potom ste stále zlí. Vidíte? Lebo On zdokonalil, navždy tých ... A tie zvieratá v starom Zákone, vo dňoch zákonníctva, obetované z roka na rok, ustavične, nikdy nemohli sňať hriech. Ale keď kladieme ruky na Jeho hlavu a vyznávame naše hriechy a sme znovuzrodení z Ducha Božieho, nemáme viacej túžbu po hriechu. Hriech odišiel od nás. To platí v časnosti aj vo večnosti.
599Urobíte chyby, upadnete, vedome urobíte zle. Vyjdete si niekedy a urobíte niečo, to neznamená, že ste stratení, to znamená, že budete napravení.
600Môj malý chlapec, mnohokrát ... Moje deti urobia niečo, vaše tiež, že vy ... oni vedia, že to je proti vašim pravidlám. A oni vedia čo môžu očakávať, keď to robia: dostanú za to výprask, niekedy poriadny. Ale stále je to vaše dieťa! Samozrejme!
601Je nemožné pre toho človeka aby znovu niekedy zahynul, ktorý sa raz narodil z večného života. Boh nie je ako Indián, ktorý niečo dáva. „Ten kto čuje moje slová a verí v toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do života. A Ja ho vzkriesim v posledných dňoch.“ To je Božie zasľúbenie.
602No ak idete ďalej a hovoríte: „Ó, dobre, potom môžem robiť proste ...“ Ja stále robím to, čo chcem. Ale ak si kresťan, nechceš robiť to čo je zlé, pretože práve ten život v tebe, samotný ten základ ... Ak chceš robiť zle, to ukazuje, že tu je tá zlá vec. Ako môže horká a sladká voda vychádzať z toho istého zdroja?
603Tak ste boli celí pomiešaní, na nejakom vzrušení alebo na niečom vybájenom, na senzácii. Zabudnite to! Choďte naspäť ku oltáru a povedzte: „Bože, odstráň môj starý hriešny život a daj ma do takého stavu, že celá moja túžba ...“
„Ten kto sa z Boha narodil nehreší.“ Je to tak, on nemá túžbu tak robiť.
604Samozrejme diabol ho sem tam chytí do pasce, ale nie dobrovoľne. Biblia tak povedala. Vidíte? Diabol ho chytí sem tam do pasce. Skutočne, on to urobí. On sa snažil hodiť pascu na nášho Pána Ježiša. On ju hodil na Mojžiša a chytil ho. On ju hodil na Petra a chytil ho. On ju hodil na mnohých, ale ... Peter Ho dokonca zaprel, ale potom išiel a horko plakal, niečo v ňom bolo.
605Keď holubica bola vypustená z korábu ... Krkavec vyletel, krákal okolo. V korábe bol celkom v poriadku, ale keď vyletel, jeho povaha bola iná. On mohol jesť všetky tie staré mŕtve zdochliny, ktoré chcel a bol spokojný. Prečo? On bol od začiatku krkavcom, on bol požierač zdochlín, on nebol dobrý. On bol pokrytec a sedel na pánte s holubicou, je práve taký veľký ako holubica. Mohol lietať všade tam kde holubica. Ale on mohol jesť dobrú potravu, práve tak ako holubica a potom mohol jesť zhnitú potravu, to čo holubica nemohla. Lebo holubica je iná zmiešanina, ona je inak stvorená, ona je holubica. A holubica nemôže stráviť zhnitú potravu, pretože nemá žiadnu žlč.
606A človek, ktorý je narodený z Ducha Božieho sa stáva Božou holubicou, jeho povaha, jeho premena, jeho líčenie. Tak veru! Dajte ducha holubice do krkavca, nikdy nesadne na mŕtve zdochliny. Keby sa náhodou pomýlil a sadol na nejakú, skutočne veľmi rýchlo by odletel, on to nemôže zniesť. Človek, ktorý je narodený z Ducha Božieho to neznesie. On môže náhodou vojsť niekedy do výčapu, ale rýchle odtiaľ vyjde. Nejaká žena ho môže lákať, spraví, že sa otočí, ale on znovu odvráti svoju hlavu. On veľmi rýchlo odtiaľ odíde. Prečo? On je holubica. Je to tak. Nebudete si robiť z neho blázna, pretože on pozná! „Moje ovce poznajú môj hlas a za cudzím nepôjdu.“ On je od začiatku holubica. To je to o čom hovorím, to niečo skutočné čo je tam zakotvené.
607Dávajte teraz dobrý pozor, Boh prisahá:
ktorú máte sťa kotvu duše, bezpečnú a pevnú a ktorá vchádza dovnútra za oponu,
608Opona: Boh prišiel dole zahalený v tele. Aby urobil čo? Ukázal seba samého. On sa musel ukryť, pretože by sme Ho nemohli vidieť. A On sa ukryl za oponou. A tou oponou bol kto? Ježiš. „Nie ja konám tie skutky, môj Otec,“ povedal Ježiš. „Môj Otec prebýva vo mne. Ja pracujem, a môj Otec pracuje a ja pracujem až doteraz.“ Tu On je ako Ten zahalený, chodí v tele, Boh Emanuel (Boh s nami). „Boh bol v Kristovi, mieriac so sebou svet,“ tu On chodí okolo.
609No, On prišiel dole a vykonal posvätenie alebo zaopatrenie, zmierenie, aby skrze svoju smrť predložil, zaplatil cenu za hriech, aby On mohol prísť naspäť a bývať v nás. Potom viera, ktorú máme je zaclonená viera, či vlastne zaclonená osoba, a tak nehľadíme na veci, ktoré vidíme v tejto opone. Tá opona má vzdelanie a ona robí rôzne veci a hovorí rôzne veci. To je vedecká vec. Ale Duch živého Boha, ktorý býva tu vo vnútri, nazýva tie veci, ktoré nie sú ako keby boli, ak Boh tak povedal. Tu je vaše zaclonenie. My sme v tej opone.
610No, jedného dňa On zodvihne túto oponu, nie zrodenú zo ženy skrze sexuálnu žiadosť muža a ženy, ale skrze vôľu Božiu On povie a ona príde do existencie. Potom budeme mať telo ako Jeho vlastné oslávené telo. Budeme zaclonení tak, že budeme môcť rozprávať jeden s druhým, potriasť si ruky.
611No, keď pôjdeme odtiaľto, je príbytok, teofánia, proste obraz človeka, ktorý neje, nepije, nespí, stále prebudený. Ideme tam do toho. Ale oni čakajú pod oltárom, volajú: „Pane, ako dlho? Ako dlho?“ aby prišli naspäť dole pretože si chcú potriasť ruky jeden s druhým, chcú si sadnúť a jesť a rozprávať sa jeden s druhým. Oni sú ľudia. Nech je požehnané meno Pánovo.
612Keď Boh na začiatku stvoril človeka na Svoj vlastný obraz, On ho tak stvoril. On mal obecenstvo jeden s druhým, pretože poznáme jeden druhého. Máme radi tie veci ako nás Boh stvoril, pretože sme tak boli stvorení. A pri Jeho veľkom príchode, tí ktorí sú hotoví, budú tak naveky, nesmrteľní, povstaneme v Jeho podobe. Ó, nech je požehnané meno Kristovo!
613A teraz máme istotu nášho spasenia, keď Ho prijímame ako svojho osobného Spasiteľa, ako svojho Uzdravovateľa. Všetky tieto ďalšie odmeny sú podiely, ktoré sú vyplatené pri poistení. Amen. Viete čo je to poistka. Môžete na základe toho čerpať podiely až kým nie je uhradená skutočná hodnota. Samozrejme, môžete čerpať podiely a my teraz čerpáme podiely. Jedine, tá vec, len čo vyberieme podiely, tá odmena znovu narastá.
614Jeden poisťovací agent mi raz povedal: „Billy, chcel by som ti predať nejakú poistku.“
Povedal som: „Ja mám.“ Moja žena sa pozrela na mňa.
615No, nemám nič proti poisteniu. Ale niektorí ľudia sú „biedne poistení.“ Tak oni sa obrátili, on povedal ...
616Moja žena sa divne na mňa pozrela: „Ty máš poistku?“
617Povedal som: „Samozrejme.“ No, ona nič o tom nevedela.
618On povedal: „No, Billy, akú poistku to máš?“
619Povedal som:
Požehnaná istota, Ježiš je môj!
Ó čo za predchuť Božskej slávy!
Dedič spasenia, Bohom vykúpený,
Narodený z jeho Ducha, umytý jeho Krvou.
620Povedal: „To je veľmi dobre Billy, ale to ti neposkytne miesto tu na cintoríne.“
621 Povedal som: „Ale to ma stade zoberie, to je to hlavné. Ja sa nestarám o to aby som sa tam dostal, ja sa starám aby som sa odtiaľ dostal.“
622A odkedy mám túto istotu, na základe prísahy, ktorú zložil Boh večnosti, že On ma znovu vzbudí do podoby Jeho Syna v posledný deň, budem chodiť smelo a mať útechu a kotvu duše, že pokiaľ som v tejto opone, je niečo Neviditeľné, čo ma zakotvilo tam na tej Skale vekov. A keď vody vyskakujú a hučia, to nič na tom nemení. Či smrť, nebezpečenstvá, ani nič nás neoddelí od lásky Božej. Moja kotva drží za oponou! Nech povstane príval, nech sa valí. Nech prídu neveriaci, znovuzrodený veriaci má kotvu. Nemôžete ešte vidieť cez túto oponu. Ale ja viem, že moja kotva drží tam na tej Skale vekov, čo je zasľúbené pod prísahou, že On ma vzbudí v posledný deň.
623Nie divu, že sa môžete pozrieť smrti do tváre a povedať: „Kde je tvoj osteň? Hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dáva víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista.“ My sme v Predbehúňovi. Ó. Nedostaneme sa ku tej lekcii. Máme Predbehúňa, ktorý tam vošiel za nás.
624Predbehúň. Všimli ste si niekedy v tých dávnych západniarskych časoch, mnohokrát, po tých starých cestách, predbehúň, prieskumník ... Keď tá kolóna hynula, lebo nemali vodu, ten prieskumník bežal dopredu (a on videl indiánske kmene, on ich obišiel) a videl kde je zdroj vody. On sa vrátil naspäť aby povedal vodcovi kolóny: „Vysadnite na kone, naberte každý odvahu, lebo hneď tam za tým kopcom je veľký prameň vody.“ On je predbehúň.
625A tu ten Predbehúň ... Človek bol raz držaný diablom pod paľbou, že sa nemohol pohnúť, ale Niekto dobyl to guľometné hniezdo. To bol Ježiš, Predbehúň odišiel pred nami. A satan tam stál s guľometom, držal nás, že sme sa nemohli pohnúť, stále v otroctve a vystrašení na smrť. On strážil ten Zdroj; skutočne, on mal poverenie, pretože sme zhrešili a boli sme odtiahnutí od Toho. Ale Predbehúň, Kristus, prišiel a dobyl to hniezdo.
626Počuli ste tú starú pieseň, „Udržuj pevnosť, lebo prichádzam?“ Nestačí udržovať pevnosť, zaberme ju. Už ju viacej nechceme udržovať, Kristus dobyl tú pevnosť! Haleluja! Dvere sú otvorené. Zdroj je otvorený v dome Božom, v meste Dávidovom, pre vás aby ste sa očistili, na očistenie nečistého. Náš Predbehúň tam vošiel za nás.
627Predbehúň, On nám hovorí: „Je miesto hneď za tým, tam ďalej, kde nikdy nezostarnete.“ Kde nebudú žiadne vrásky, kde nebudete musieť používať Max Faktor aby ste sa spravili krajšou pre svojho muža. Predbehúň odišiel dopredu. Na tom mieste nikdy nezostarnete, neunavíte sa a nebudete sa triasť. Je miesto kde nikdy neochoriete. Kde deti nikdy nebude bolieť brucho. Kde nikdy neprídete o zuby, aby ste mali umelé. Haleluja! Nech je požehnané Jeho Meno! On tam vošiel a jedného dňa tam zastaneme nesmrteľní v Jeho podobe, a budeme svietiť viac ako hviezdy a slnko. Samozrejme, ten Predbehúň tam vošiel pred nami.
... predbehúň vošiel za nás Ježiš stanúc sa veľkňazom podľa poriadku Melchisedechovho až na veky.
628 Tento veľký Predbehúň odišiel pred nami, robiac cestu. On sa stal z Ducha, z tých veľkých fontán Božej dúhy, ktorý nemal začiatok ani koniec. On bol, naveky Boh. Tento lúč svetla vyšiel dopredu, to bol lúč lásky, to je ten najhlavnejší, červená. Ďalšia farba, ktorá nasleduje, bola modrá; modrá, pravdivosť. Ďalšie, ktoré nasledovali za tým, boli ostatné farby do tých siedmich farieb, a to je sedem Duchov Božích, ktoré vyšli z tej veľkej Fontány alebo z toho veľkého Diamantu o ktorom Ježiš hovoril. Ten veľký Diamant, ktorý je štiepený, aby odrážal tieto farby. Boh sa stal telom a prebýval medzi nami, aby mohol odrážať Svoju dobrotu a milosť medzi nami skrze dary a znamenia a zázraky. Celá tá veľká dúha sa stala v teofánii ... urobená na podobu ako človek. Jednako On nebol človek, On ešte nemal telo, On bol teofániou.
629Mojžiš povedal: „Chcel by som Ťa vidieť.“ Boh ho skryl v skale.
630A keď prešiel okolo, a bol obrátený chrbtom, Mojžiš povedal, že To vyzeralo ako chrbát človeka.
631Čo sa potom stalo? Jedného dňa, keď tam Abrahám sedel vo svojom stane ... Dostaneme sa ku tomu dnes večer. Keď Abrahám sedel vo svojom stane, Boh prišiel ku nemu v tele z mäsa.
632„Dobre,“ poviete, „Brat Branham, on bol ...“ Nájdeme Ho tu, ako sa stretáva s Abrahámom predtým, v poriadku Melchisedecha; telo z mäsa, ktorým bol Boh. Skutočne, bol, On bol Boh v tele.
633Poviete: „Potom, brat Branham, prečo musel prísť naspäť a narodiť sa?“ On nebol vtedy narodený, On bol proste stvorený, telo v ktorom On prebýval.
634Melchisedech bol Kráľ Sálema, čo je Kráľ Jeruzalema, čo je Kráľ pokoja; ktorý nemal ani otca ani matku, začiatok dní ani koniec života. Ježiš mal oboje otca aj matku, začiatok dní aj koniec života. Ale On bol urobený podľa poriadku Melchisedechovho, ktorý nemal začiatok dní ani koniec života.
635Melchisedech bol sám Boh. Melchisedech bol Jehova Boh, ten istý, ktorý stretol Abraháma, niekoľko rokov neskoršie, pred svojím stanom. Bol obrátený chrbtom ku nemu, povedal: „Prečo sa Sárah smiala?“ Je to tak. On bol ten, ktorý tam stál a díval sa smerom Sodomy. Abrahám Ho rozpoznal, pretože vo vnútri jeho opony bola kotva, ktorá sa držala toho zasľúbenia. Nie preto, že prežil nejakú senzáciu, ale Boh mu dal to zasľúbenie. A keď prišiel do kontaktu s tým veľkým magnetom, on poznal, že To bolo v tom tele.
636On vyšiel von s Abrahámom, tam von na kúsok. A povedal Abrahámovi, povedal: „Vidím, že nebudem tajiť tieto veci pred Abrahámom, keď vidím, že on je dedičom sveta; Ja to proste nechcem tajiť. Tak, Abrahám, poviem ti čo idem urobiť (Dotkneme sa toho dnes večer) tam dole v Sodome (A čo oni všetci - čo On išiel vykonať.) A len čo požehnal Abraháma, On znovu odišiel naspäť do priestoru. Muž, ktorý tam stál a mal na šatách prach, človek. A nie len to, ale On jedol mäso z teľaťa, ktoré Abrahám zabil a pil mlieko od kravy a jedol nejaké placky (nejaký kukuričný chlieb), s maslom. Presne tak. A potom sa premenil znovu naspäť do teofánie.
637Čo to bolo? Prečo to On vtedy nezobral? On nebol narodený ako vy alebo ja; ale On sa musel narodiť v tele aby mohol chytiť ten osteň. Tamto bolo stvorené telo. To bolo telo, kde On len dal dokopy vápnik a draslík zo zeme a povedal [Brat Branham fúkol. – pozn.prekl.] a vstúpil do toho. To bolo to isté čo bol Melchisedech. On vstúpil do toho, v tele v ktorom mohol chodiť pred ním za tou oponou, za oponou Svojho vlastného stvorenia; nie za oponou stvorenia zo ženy, cez lono ženy, cez bunku, nie, ale On stvoril toto a vošiel do toho a hovoril v poriadku Melchisedecha.
638Kto je tento Melchisedech?
Lebo ten istý Melchisedech, kráľ Sálema
(ktorým je Jeruzalem),kňaz najvyššieho Boha,
... (samozrejme) ...ktorý vyšiel v ústrety Abrahámovi, ktorý sa navracoval od porážky kráľov a požehnal ho,
ktorému aj desiatok udelil Abrahám zo všetkého, ktorý sa volá, keď sa preloží jeho meno, najprv kráľ spravodlivosti,
(tá veľká Láska - Láska, ten veľký Duch na začiatku) ...Kráľ spravodlivosti, ... a potom i kráľ Sálema, čo je v preklade: kráľ Pokoja;
bez otca, bez matere, bez rodoslovia nemajúc ani počiatku dní ani konca života,
639Kto to bol? On sa nikdy nenarodil, On nikdy nezomrie. Kto je to? To bol Boh, samozrejme. Ako predzvesť Pána Ježiša. Skutočne to bol On. Ale On musel prísť cez ženu lebo vy prichádzate cez ženu, a On musel prísť tak ako vy, aby vás priviedol naspäť ku Sebe. Haleluja!
Úžasná milosť ako sladko to znie,
ktorá spasila takého biedneho slepého chudáka ako som ja!
Bol som stratený ale teraz som nájdený (skrze Jeho milosť)
Bol som slepý a teraz vidím.
640Rozumiem, čo On musel urobiť. Boh sa stal mnou, aby ja skrze milosť som sa mohol stať Ním. On zobral moje hriechy, aby cez Jeho spravodlivosť som mohol mať Večný Život. Ja sám som sa nemohol rozhodnúť, od prirodzenosti som bol hriešnik, ja som s tým nemal nič spoločného. Narodil som sa zo sveta, sformovaný v neprávosti, prichádzam na svet a hovorím klamstvo. Vôbec žiadna šanca, nijako, ani len túžba.
641Povedzte svini, že robí zle, keď žerie pomyje, či poviete? Uvidíte ako veľmi vás bude počúvať! Povedzte vrane, že robí zle, keď žerie mŕtvu zdochlinu a uvidíte čo vám povie. Keby mohla hovoriť. „Staraj sa o seba.“ Určite.
642Ó, ale milosť Božia, ktorá zmenila túto prirodzenosť a dala mi príležitosť túžiť a dychtiť a byť smädným, „Ó Bože, Tvoja milá dobrota, je pre mňa lepšia ako život. Moje srdce túži po Tebe.“
643Dávid povedal, „Ako jeleň reve za potokmi vody, tak moja duša po Tebe, Bože.“
644Boh dal človeku tú túžbu aby uctieval Jeho, aby miloval a hľadal Jeho. Ale človek to prevracia skrze Diablove volanie a ide a je žiadostivý po ženách a rozkošiach a veciach toho sveta, snaží sa uspokojiť to sväté stvorenie, ktoré mu Boh dal aby miloval Jeho, on to uplatňuje na veci toho sveta. Ale, brat, keď je on raz premenený, a ten prameň s tými žubrienkami (všetok možný neporiadok v tej cisterne) bol vyčistený a sterilizovaný a je tam vložené čisté Slovo Božie, hriech sa nemôže toho dotknúť. Amen!
Ó ako Ho milujem! Ako Ho zbožňujem!
Môj život, môj slnečný svit, moje všetko vo všetkom!
Ten veľký Stvoriteľ sa stal mojím Spasiteľom;
A celá Božia plnosť prebýva v Ňom.
Stále živý príbeh, dole zo svojej slávy prišiel;
Môj Boh a Spasiteľ a jeho meno je Ježiš.
Narodený v jasliach, svojim vlastným cudzí;
Boh žiaľu, sĺz a trápenia.
Môj dych, môj slnečný svit, moje všetko vo všetkom! (Ó Bože)
645Ako to On mohol urobiť? Človek sa to snažil opísať. Jeden povedal:
Keby sme oceán naplnili atramentom,
a každé steblo na zemi perom;
Celé nebesia pergamenom,
a každý človek by bol pisárom;
Aby opísali lásku Božiu
(ako sa ten veľký Nebeský Boh stal telom a zobral môj hriech)
Aby opísali lásku Božiu, oceán by vyschol;
Ani na ten zvitok by sa to všetko nespratalo,
Hoci by bol roztiahnutý po celej oblohe.
646A aby dal istú nádej dedičom tohoto spasenia: On prisahal na Seba samého, že On nás vzkriesi v posledných dňoch, dá nám Večný Život, „A nikto ich nevytrhne z Mojej ruky.“ Amen!
Modlime sa!
647Či ste vinní toho, že pohŕdate Jeho láskou? Vyhýbate sa Jeho požehnanej Bytosti? Tohoto veľkého, ktorý vás učinil tým čím ste? A teraz ste tu, dnes ráno, prišli ste potadeto v živote, a toto vám dáva príležitosť. Chcete ďalej žiť? Je len jedna cesta pre život, a to je veriť v Pána Ježiša. Ak vy, zo srdca veríte, že On je syn Boží a prijímate Ho ako svojho Spasiteľa a veríte, že Boh Ho vzkriesil pre vaše ospravedlnenie, ak to chcete prijať na tomto základe, teraz je to vaše.
648Zodvihnete ruku? Nejaká nekajúcna duša, ktorá by rada ... činila dnes ráno pokánie, povedz: „Pamätaj na mňa, brat, kazateľ, keď sa budeme modliť. Ja, tiež, upadol som. Pripojil som sa ku cirkvi, ale viem, že nikdy som nemal to o čom hovoríš. Nikdy som sa nenarodil z toho Ducha, brat Branham. Ja len - proste som to neprežil, to je všetko. Chcem aby si sa za mňa modlil, aby mi to Boh dal dnes ráno.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná. Ešte niekto? Povedzte: „Bože sprav ma ... aby som bol taký, akým Ty chceš aby som bol. Chcem aby si ... Chcem byť takým, akým ma Ty chceš mať. Pohŕdal som Tvojou láskou.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná, synu.
649Ešte chvíľu teraz:
Keby sme oceán naplnili atramentom,
a každé steblo na zemi by bolo perom;
Celé nebesia pergamenom,
a každý človek pisárom;
Aby opísali lásku Božiu;
Oceán by vyschol;
Alebo by sa to nespratalo na ten zvitok;
Roztiahnutý po celej oblohe;
Ó, láska Božia aká si bohatá a čistá!
Aká skutočná a silná!
Ona bude trvať naveky -
Pieseň svätých a anjelov.
650Drahý Bože, skutočne ten básnik, ktorý napísal tieto slová, bol ako mnohí iní Tvoji veriaci, snažil sa nájsť slová aby to vyjadril. A v Biblii je napísané: „Ponad to, pretože ten kazateľ bol múdry, snažil sa to predstaviť mnohými slovami.“ Ó, ako radi by sme mali jazyk a slovnú zásobu, aby sme mohli vysvetliť ľuďom, čo to skutočne je, ale nedá sa to ústami smrteľníka. Celá večnosť, bezpochyby, či to kedy zjaví, ako Boh neba prišiel na zem, aby spasil biednych, stratených mizerných hriešnikov.
651Prosím Ťa, Otče, aby pomocou týchto niekoľkých neucelených slov ... či neucelených slov dnes ráno, ktoré som hovoril, aby niekto našiel pokoj a uspokojenie a silnú útechu, ten kto utekal, aby našiel útočište. A nech sa zakotví ich duša na tom zasľúbení, na ktoré Boh prisahal, že On ich vzkriesi v posledný deň. Niekoľko rúk sa tu v budove zodvihlo, tu v tejto modlitebni. Bože daj im tú pevnú nádej, hneď teraz. Nech môžu byť zakotvení na Skale vekov. Nezáleží na tom ako veľmi sa môže zmietať more a ich malý čln môže poskakovať, oni majú kotvu: zasľúbenie Božie. Tam oni hovoria: „Boh To povedal, On nemôže klamať.“
652„Ten kto čuje Moje Slová (ktoré som sa dnes ráno snažil kázať) a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, Jehova, má večný Život; a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do Života.“
653Ó Večný Bože, žehnaj dnes týchto, a nech každá osoba tu, ktorá nie je pod Krvou, ich duša sa nikdy neobrátila, nech sa to stane teraz, Pane. Ty robíš to tajomstvo, to je všetko Tvoje, je to poručené Tebe. Prosím, aby si im to dal, Večný Život. Nech, jedného dňa, tam na druhom brehu, jeden vedľa druhého pôjdeme dole tým údolím, nech sa tam stretneme, kde sa už viacej nebude rozlúčenie.
A jedného dňa pri zakončení času prídeme ku rieke;
Keď skončili tie posledné myšlienky trápenia;
Tam bude niekto čakať, kto nám ukáže cestu;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán;
Bude tam Niekto ... niekto čaká, kto mi ukáže cestu;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán
654Všetci, ktorí majú tú nádej, zodvihnite teraz ruky ako ste zodvihli hlavu.
Nebudem musieť...
(chváľte Ho len, posolstvo skončilo. Či nie ste šťastní? Boh prisahal, že nebude ... Boh sa tam s vami stretne.)
Ježiš zomrel aby zaplatil za každý môj hriech.
Keď vidím temnosť ... (čo hovoríte? ten osteň je preč) …
On bude čakať na mňa;
Nebudem musieť prejsť sám cez Jordán.
... som opustený a unavený ... (oslavujte ho len teraz)
Zdá sa že všetci priatelia všetci odišli
(prišiel si niekedy na to miesto?)
Ale je jeden, ktorý ma teší ... (aké bolo zasľúbenie?)
...potešuje moje srdce;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
655No, deti zasľúbenia, chváľte Ho len za to, že to robí:
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán;
Ježiš zomrel aby zaplatil za všetky moje hriechy;
(čo sa teraz deje?)
Keď vidím temnosť, On bude na mňa čakať;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
„Keď prídem ku tej rieke.“ Každý jeden z vás tam príde. Je veľký tmavý tieň tam pred vami. To sú veľké dvere. Vy tam vojdete, v jednom z týchto dní, možno skorej ako skončí tento deň, možno skorej, ako sa skončí dnes ráno toto zhromaždenie. Pôjdete tam. Za každým úderom srdca ste o krok bližšie ku tomu.
Ale keď uvidím tú temnosť, On tam bude čakať;
(On povedal, že bude. On prisahal, že bude!)
Potom nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
656Ó požehnaný Pane, naše srdcia sú plné, dnes ráno až do pretekania.
657Pomyslite si, keď prestane pulz a ošetrovateľka vám dá okolo hlavy vankúš. A už viac nemôžete pohnúť rukami, ruky sa vám stali ako ľad. Vaše deti, vaša matka, vaši milovaní plačú a nariekajú. Tie veľké dvere sa náhle otvorili. On bude čakať!
658Dávid povedal: „Keby som si ustlal v pekle, On tam bude.“ Ja to nemusím prechádzať sám. A keď sa vám začne do tváre odrážať hladina tej rieky, Boh bude viesť ten čln života, prevedie nás na druhú stranu. On zasľúbil, že to urobí. Dávid prorok povedal: „Keby som išiel aj dolinou tieňu smrti, nebudem sa báť zlého; Ty si so mnou, tvoj prút a tvoja palica ma potešujú.“
659Pane, my sme dnes tak šťastní, že sme boli započítaní za dedičov toho zasľúbenia. Dnes máme v sebe Večný Život, pretože milujeme Pána Ježiša a veríme Mu a prijali sme Jeho Slovo a Jeho učenie. A On nám dáva ako pečať našej viery, Ducha Svätého, tú pečať Ducha Svätého, naša viera v nás je zakotvená. A hoci mnohokrát prechádzame cez tmavé tiene, mnohokrát sa potkýname na ceste, ale naša kotva stále drží. Niečo v tom je, tam ďalej, čo sa zdá, že nás vedie a hovorí: „Kráčaj ďalej. Ideme ďalej.“
660Bože, žehnaj nás. Potrebujeme Ťa. Zachovaj nás stále svedomitých a verných až kým pre nás neprídeš a my Ťa budeme chváliť nekonečné veky. A v ten deň keď zastaneme na zemi ... Jeho požehnané nohy sa ešte nedotkli zemi. On tam stojí vo vzduchu a tí svätí a požehnaní zo všetkých vekov, z každej stráže (z prvej, druhej, tretej, štvrtej, piatej, šiestej, siedmej) všetci tam stoja oblečení v Jeho spravodlivosti a korunujeme Ho Kráľa kráľov a Pána pánov a budeme spievať tie príbehy vykúpenia, naše biedne srdcia sa budú triasť, keď sa budeme dívať na Neho, ktorý nás miloval a dal Seba samého za nás. Keď sme neboli schopní milovať a boli sme hriešnici, Kristus zomrel aby sme mohli byť spasení. Ďakujeme Ti za to, Otče, v Kristovom mene. Amen.
661Milujete Ho? Ó, aký je On skutočný. Necítite práve akoby ste Ho chceli práve objať? Nechceli by ste sa priplaziť a dotknúť sa Jeho nôh?
662Viete, boli nejakí ľudia, ktorí prichádzali na moje zhromaždenia v Phonixe, v Arizone a hovorili: „Rád by som sa s Ním o tomto porozprával. Chcel by som povedať: - Pane, Ty si ma miloval, keď moja cesta sa stávala taká nejasná.“ Rád by som sa o tomto s Ním porozprával, prv ako prejdeme na druhú stranu. Chcem Ho vidieť. Chcem Ho proste vidieť. Keď si pomyslím ako sa budem cítiť. Ó, moje biedne srdce sa bude triasť, keď Ho tam budem vidieť stáť.
663Stále som bol zvedavý: „Prajem si aby som mohol počuť ten hlas, ktorý hovorí: - Poďte ku Mne všetci, ktorí pracujete a ste obtiažení, Ja vám dám odpočinutie.“
664Možno to nikdy nebudem počuť doslovne ako to On vtedy povedal, ale chcem Ho počuť povedať toto v ten posledný deň: „Dobre to bolo urobené, Môj dobrý a verný sluha, teraz vojdi do radosti Pánovej, ktorá bola pripravená pre teba.“ Odkedy?
665„Odkedy si bol spasený?“
666Nie, brat. „Od založenia sveta, keď som ťa videl a dopredu som ťa poznal a určil som ťa do Večného Života.“ Vtedy ste boli požehnaní. „Všetkých ktorých dopredu poznal, On povolal.“ Je to tak? „Všetkých, ktorých povolal, On ospravedlnil. A tých, ktorých ospravedlnil, On už oslávil.“ Tu to máte. On nás dopredu poznal, povolal nás, ospravedlnil nás a už sme oslávení s Ním na konci sveta, ideme si pre svoju odmenu. Či nie ste šťastní? Skutočne, to robí, že Ho milujeme. Keď ste si sami nemohli pomôcť a tu On prichádza a urobil to pre vás.
667Požehnané zväzky, ktoré viažu, ... (sestra Gertie) ... Naše srdcia v kresťanskej láske. Teraz za chvíľu tu máme toto malé obecenstvo na chválu, potom sa budeme modliť za chorých. Nech vás Boh žehná, vy ktorí ste zodvihli ruky dnes ráno ku Kristovi, nachádzate svoje miesto aby ste Ho chválili, slúžili Mu.
668No, oslavujem Ho len teraz, ako zhromaždenie, všetci vy Metodisti, Cirkev Božia, Zhromaždenia Božie, Presbyteriáni, Luteráni, Katolíci. Všetci spolu teraz, spievajme teraz:
Požehnané zväzky, ktoré viažu naše srdcia v kresťanskej láske; Obecenstvo príbuzných myslí, je ako to tam hore.
Pred trónom nášho Otca vylievame svoje vrúcne modlitby;
náš strach, naša nádej, náš cieľ sú jedno;
Naše potešenie a naša starostlivosť.
Keď sme rozlúčení robí nám to vnútornú bolesť;
Ale stále budeme spojení v...
(koľko baptistov, metodistov a všetkých?)
A dúfame, že sa znovu stretneme.
669Nerobí vám to dobre? Obráťme sa a potrasme si teraz navzájom ruky, kým to znovu budeme spievať:
Pred...
(potrasme si ruky; s niekým za vami, pred vami, dookola)
... trónom
Vylievame svoje horlivé modlitby;
Naše potešenie a naša starostlivosť.
Keď sme rozlúčení; (budeme milovať jeden druhého ..?...)
Robí nám to...
(prajeme si aby zhromaždenie mohlo pokračovať? Vidíte, takto ...?...)
...vnútornú bolesť;
Ale v srdci sa stále budeme radovať; (v Jednom)
A dúfame, že sa znovu stretneme.
(ak nie viac tu, v ten veľký deň sa stretneme)
670A teraz, Otče, prijmi dnes ráno od nás chválu, zober to Slovo a zasaď ho do sŕdc veriacich. Nech nie sú zmietaní sem a tam, dnes hore a zajtra dole. Ale nech tieto Slová nájdu miesto odpočinutia v srdci každého veriaceho, aby vedeli toto, že Boh prisahal a sú dve nemeniteľné veci, nemeniteľného Boha a pre Neho je nemožné aby klamal. Tak dediči tohoto spasenia môžu mať túto silnú nádej, pevnú a istú, kotvu v duši. Aby sme toto vedeli, že Boh nám zasľúbil zložením prísahy. Zajedno, že On nemôže klamať; zadruhé, Jeho zložená prísaha na to, že On nás vzkriesi v posledný deň a dá nám Večný Život. Vediac, že potom, keď sme boli povolaní, že On povedal, že On „nás poznal pred založením sveta a predurčil nás do synovstva skrze Ježiša Krista.“ A On nás dopredku poznal, On nás povolal. A keď nás povolal, On nás ospravedlnil. My sami sa nemôžeme ospravedlniť, tak On nás ospravedlnil skrze smrť Svojho vlastného Syna. A tých, ktorých ospravedlnil, On ich už oslávil. To Slovo je už vypovedané a my sme práve na ceste; ideme ďalej, radujeme sa na našej ceste do Slávy.
671Daj ľuďom vieru, a nech tie malé zvyky a iné veci, ktoré visia na tých ľuďoch, nech môžu byť z nich strasené dnes ráno, s týmto Slovom Božím, ktoré je kotvou duši, pevnou a istou. Nech sa strasú svojich zvykov, svojho hnevu, a tých vecí, ktoré boli ... Ako povedal Pavel v tej inej časti posolstva za niekoľko dní: „Zložme zo seba každé bremeno a ľahko obkľučujúci hriech aby sme s trpezlivosťou bežali závod, ktorý je pred nami; hľadiac na autora a dokonávateľa našej viery, Ježiša Krista, ktorý bol pokúšaný vo všetkom ako my, jednako bez hriechu.“ Bolo dovolené, že On bol pokúšaný, ale On nedbal na pokušenie. A my sme pokúšaní do hriechu, ale nedbajme na to. Pretože Život, ktorý je v nás je kotvou nášho večného predurčenia a my držíme to posvätenie vo svojom srdci.
672No, mnohí sú chorí a majú ... postihnutí. Chceme sa za nich modliť, Otče. Nech, keď prechádzajú dnes pod Božím Slovom ... to vzácne Slovo, ktoré bolo kázané, Biblia dáva svedectvo, anjeli Boží stoja nablízku a ten veľký Duch Svätý (ponad všetko) tu stojí aby vydal svedectvo o tomto Slove. Otče, ako prechádzajú pod Slovom zasľúbenia, dnes ráno, nech idú odtiaľto zdraví. Aby odložili svoje barly, aby opustili svoje kreslá a nosítka, na ktorých ležia a aby boli proste uzdravení. Udeľ to, Pane. Nech sa vrátia na ďalšie zhromaždenie, že im je dovolené prísť, alebo do ich vlastných zborov, radujúc sa, ukazujúc aké veľké veci učinil Kristus. Toto slúžime na Tvoju slávu v mene Ježiša. Amen.
673Musím sa ospravedlniť lebo som sľúbil, že dnes ráno budeme preberať 7. kapitolu, ale nedostal som sa do nej. A musíme tu nechať trochu času na ... na modlitby za chorých. A teraz, dnes večer, keď Pán dá, zoberieme tú 7. kapitolu a zistíme kto bol tento Melchisedech. Koľkí by ste to radi vedeli? Ó, ideme rovno ku nemu, zistiť presne kto to je. A Písmo hovorí, kto on je. Vidíte?
674A Scofield povedal: „To bolo kňazstvo.“ Ako to mohlo byť kňazstvo, bez začiatku alebo konca? Vidíte, to nebolo kňazstvo. To bol Muž, Melchisedech (meno) Osoba. Ako ...
675Nemám v úmysle sa nezhodovať, ale Kresťanská veda hovorí, že Duch Svätý je myšlienka. A Biblia hovorí: „On, Duch Svätý.“ A On je osobné zámeno, to je osoba. Nie myšlienka, to je osoba. Absolútne!
676A Melchisedech je Muž, Muž, ktorý nemal začiatok dní ani koniec rokov. On nemal ani Otca ani matku, žiadnych predkov. A my dnes večer zistíme kto To je, keď Pán dá, pomocou Slova. Milujete To? „Ó! Tvoje Slovo je sviecou na mojom chodníku mojím nohám.“ Ó!
677No, vy povite: „Brat Branham, ja tomu vôbec nerozumiem.“ Ja tiež nie.
678Ale raz, kázal som dole v Kentucky. A ak sú na zhromaždení nejakí noví ľudia a katolíci a rôzni iní, ktorí možno nerozumejú tieto hlboké, bohaté veci Písma, kázal som o Božskom uzdravovaní. Jedno bosé dievča prinieslo ... mala sotva pätnásť rokov, mala malé dieťa a ono malo triašku. A ja som povedal: „Sestra, čo je s tvojím dieťaťom?“
679Povedala: „Má kŕče.“ Ona nevedela čo povedať (triaška), ona nevedela ako sa to volá.
680Chuderka možno nikdy v živote nemala na nohách topánky. Niečí miláčik, dlhé vlasy jej viseli dole. Opýtal som sa: „Veríš?“
681A tie oceľovo sivé oči sa pozreli na mňa, povedala: „Áno, pane, ja skutočne verím.“
682Zobral som to malé dieťa. Chvíľu som sa zaň modlil, prestalo sa mykať. Ó, a to vyšlo.
683Na druhý deň, bol som poľovať na veveričky, tam na tej strane hory. Počul som, že niekto tam sedí a rozpráva, bzučanie píly. Podišiel som tam; poľoval som na veveričky. Hovorili o mne, sedeli tam, žuli tabak a pľuli, listy takto lietali. A hovorili tam teraz o tom, o zhromaždení z minulého večera. A jeden z nich povedal: „Videl som to dieťa, išiel som tam dnes ráno. Do rána nemalo kŕče.“ Vidíte? Povedal: „Bolo to skutočné.“ A pľul ...
684Pušky mali opreté o strom a tak som si myslel, že sa im račej ukážem. Viete, tam tiež platí krvná pomsta. Tak som prišiel ku ním a povedal: „Dobré ráno bratia.“
685A ten veľký chlap, ktorý ako sa zdalo to hovoril, mal v ústach žuvací tabak, takto na boku. Mal dlhý krk a na hlave mal veľký klobúčisko, zatiahnutý do tváre. Rozhliadol sa a keď ma uvidel, zložil si klobúk ... prehltol ten žuvací tabak a povedal: „Dobré ráno, parson.“ Vidíte? Skutočne. Rešpekt! Je to tak. Ako on žil poza tým, ja neviem. Ale on preukázal rešpekt.
686Tak, na druhý večer, prišiel som naspäť, bol tam človek, ktorý sa so mnou chcel trochu dohadovať. On chodil do zboru, kde neverili v Božské uzdravovanie. Tak, bol to metodistický zbor, White Hill, Kentucky. Tak on išiel ... Stál vonku. V ruke mal lampáš a povedal: „Chcem ti niečo povedať, kazateľ. Jednoducho to nemôžem prijať, pretože to nemôžem vidieť.“
687Povedal som: „Nemôžeš to vidieť?“
688Povedal: „Nie!“ Povedal: „Ja sám som chorý, ale ja to proste nemôžem vidieť.“
Opýtal som sa: „Kde bývaš?“
Povedal: „Tam na druhej strane v Big Renox.“
— No, ako sa dostaneš domov?
— Pôjdem pešo.
— Môžeš vidieť svoj dom?
— Nie.
— Dnes je zamračené a je tma.
— To je.
— Ako pôjdeš domov?
— Mám tu lampáš.
— Ten lampáš ti nedosvieti až po tvoj dom. Ako pôjdeš?
— Budem si svietiť a tak pôjdem.
689Povedal som: „To je to. Teraz musíš mať svetlo lampáša a za každým krokom, ako takto pôjdeš to svetlo ti bude stále ukazovať cestu pred tebou. Keď budeš len ďalej kráčať, to svetlo pôjde stále s tebou.“
690A vy to robíte dnes ráno. Chcete Krista, veľkého Najvyššieho Kňaza, Prímluvcu za vaše nemoci, alebo vaše choroby, alebo za svoju dušu. Nemusíte tomu rozumieť, my tomu nerozumieme, ale je nám prikázané „chodiť vo Svetle ako je On vo Svetle.“ Robíte jeden krok vo Svetle. A keď máte so sebou to Svetlo, to Svetlo bude svietiť do toho dokonalého dňa, ono bude osvecovať pred vami ten chodník.
A budeme kráčať hore touto hlavnou, starou hradskou,
budem to hovoriť všade kde idem,
že radšej budem starodávnym kresťanom, Pane,
než čímkoľvek iným. (nepočuli ste tú starú pieseň?)
Nieto nič také ako starodávny kresťan, ukazuje kresťanskú lásku; Ideme hore tou hlavnou, starou hradskou,
a hovorím všade kde ideme;
Radšej budem starodávnym kresťanom, Pane,
než čímkoľvek iným. (Proste to milujem.)
691No dobre a teraz sa budeme modliť za chorých. My nie sme ... netvrdíme o sebe, že môžeme uzdravovať chorých. Keby sme to tvrdili, hovorili by sme niečo zle. Každá chorá osoba, ktorá je tu, je už uzdravená, tak to hovorí Písmo: „Jeho ranami sme uzdravení.“ Je to tak?
692Každý hriešnik, ktorý tu je, ak je tu nejaký, ty si bol spasený odvtedy, keď Ježiš zomrel. Ale ty nezomieraš, keď je ti tu daná príležitosť, aby si išiel do Jeho prítomnosti, aby si sa to potom snažil prijal. Ona ti je daná teraz. Práve teraz to musíš prijať. Ak obchádzaš tú krv, potom nie si ničím než ... Už si odsúdený, pretože si súdený podľa toho, čo si urobil s vykúpením Pána Ježiša Krista. Rozumiete? Tam sa sami súdite.
693„Tak On bol zdrtený pre naše prestúpenia a jeho sinavicami sme boli uzdravení.“ Tak, ja nemám nič čím by som vás uzdravil. Cirkev nemá nič, čím by vás uzdravila. Jediné za čo sa môžeme modliť je: aby vaša viera neupadla, že prídete dnes ráno ku oltáru aby ste prijali Krista ako svojho Uzdravovateľa, tak ako ste Ho prijali za svojho Spasiteľa. A bez akejkoľvek ... Boh činí zázraky, ukazuje veľké znamenia. Slepí, hluchí, nemí, všelijakí sú hneď tu v modlitebni uzdravení. Ale či to je alebo nie, my to aj tak prijímame. Mnohokrát sa tieto veci dejú skrze videnia.
694Koľkí ste tu boli asi pred tromi týždňami, alebo pred štyrmi, keď sem prišiel ten človek, bol aj slepý aj porazený, sedel na stoličke a mal porušený nerv, ktorý udržiava rovnováhu. A skôr ako som odišiel z domu, videl som ho vo videní: že tu bude človek, tmavovlasý, prešedivený. Jeho žena na pohľad pôvabná, asi šesťdesiat ročná. Ona príde a bude plakať a bude sa pýtať ... aby som prišiel a modlil sa za jej muža. On sedel práve tam.
695A prišiel som sem a povedal som tu niektorým mojim bratom: „Dávajte na toto pozor.“
696A keď sme prišli ku oltáru, iní sa modlili. Keď som sa začal modliť, odišiel som preč a prišiel som sem naspäť. Jeho žena vstala a prišla presne tak, ako to Pán povedal. Ľudia to pozorovali aby videli, či sa to tak stane. To nikdy nesklamalo. A tak keď on išiel ...
697Prišiel aby zistil, ten človek, Dr. Ackerman, dole v Birdseye, Indiána, on bol ten, ktorý ho sem poslal; on je katolík a jeho chlapec je kňazom tam v kláštore Saint Meinrad. A Dr. Ackerman je môj spoločník z poľovačky a on poslal sem toho človeka. A Pán mi ukázal čiernovlasého muža, ktorý ho poslal ale ja som nevedel kto to bol.
698A povedal som: „Bol to Dr. Ackerman?“
699On povedal: „Bol.“ Vidíte? A potom ten človek ...
700Povedal som: „To je TAK HOVORÍ PÁN.“ Išiel dole, povedal som: „Pane, vstaňte.“ Oboje slepý a nemohol ... on bol ... nerv, ktorý udržiava rovnováhu bol zničený, on sa nemohol takto udržať. Vidíte? Roky bol v takomto stave, bol na klinike Mayo a všade. A len sme sa pomodlili za neho a zodvihli ho. A on išiel, kráčal dole cez ...
701Prv povedal: „Ja vás môžem vidieť.“ Potom vykríkol: „Áno! Môžem vidieť!“ Oči sa mu otvorili a tam ... On bol ortodoxný, jeho žena bola presbyteriánka.
702Niektorí ľudia si myslia, že presbyteriáni a ortodoxní nekričia. Mali ste ich počuť. Skutočne. Oni kričali od radosti a navzájom sa objímali. Prišiel, zobral svoje invalidné kreslo a išiel odtiaľto dole po schodoch tak ako každý iný človek, mohol vidieť a hovoriť a tak ďalej.
703Dostal som od neho dopis, či vlastne zatelefonoval. Myslím, že brat Cox ho bol navštíviť, povedal: „V očiach cítil pálenie.“ Samozrejme. To je nerv, tie zrakové nervy rastú a ožívajú, viete, a prichádzajú na svoje miesto. Tá kliatba bola odstránená.
704Ak necháte prírodu ísť svojou cestou, ak nič nebráni prírode, potom ona príde do plnej moci. Ak máte na ruke stiahnutý obväz, ktorý zadržiava krvný obeh, tak vám ruka nakoniec odumrie. No, pretože, prirodzene to bude v poriadku, keď to len necháte tak. Ale niečo narušuje prírodu. Potom, ak to nemôžete vidieť, ak doktor nijako nemôže na to prísť. On môže pracovať len na základe dvoch vecí: čo môže vidieť, čo môže cítiť. To je jediné na základe čoho on môže pracovať; čo môže vidieť a cítiť.
705Ak to nemôže vidieť, potom to musí byť duchovné. A je len jedno, čo ... môže sa stať jedno; my sa modlíme, Kristus odstraňuje tú kliatbu, posiela preč diabla a to začína byť normálne, zdravé. Prichádza do zdravia a to je všetko čo treba. „V mojom mene budú vyháňať démonov.“ Je to tak? To je zasľúbenie pre cirkev. To je zasľúbenie moci aby ... To je Jeho prítomnosť s nami. No, čo nám bráni aby sme dnes ráno boli dokonalí aby sme robili tieto veci tak ako to On robil, to je preto, že sme stále za oponou. Vidíte? Ale máme nejaké cítenie, ktoré nám hovorí: Ó, áno.“ Vidíte?
706A keď prijmete svoje uzdravenie ... Bez ohľadu na to čo hovorí tá opona, to je to čo hovorí Slovo. Vidíte? To je to. To je hlavné. A Slovo stále prevláda nad všetkým; Večné Božie Slovo.
707Pozrite sa na Sáru, jej lono bolo mŕtve, mala deväťdesiat rokov, žila so svojím mužom od šestnástych, sedemnástych rokov, nemali žiadne deti; Abrahám mal sto rokov a Boh to premenil a dal im dieťa. Vidíte? Pretože verili, oni nazývali tie veci, ktoré neboli ako keby boli. Pristúp takto ku tomu dnes ráno, priateľ.
708A dnes večer, očakávame ... Ak vy všetci, ktorí ste nás navštívili, sme radi že sme vás tu dnes ráno mali. A nech je Boh s vami. A ak večer budete v meste, budeme radi keď večer prídete na ďalšiu časť tohoto zhromaždenia o Mechisedechovi. A potom ak nebudete a máte svoj zbor, choďte do svojho zboru. To je vaša povinnosť. Keď patríte do nejakého zboru, choďte tam. Toto je len malá modlitebňa, kde sa tu zhromažďujeme a máme obecenstvo jeden s druhým. Nech vás Pán žehná.
709A sestra Gertie nám zahrá: Ten veľký Lekár je teraz blízko. A je tu niekto, kto chce aby sme sa za neho modlili? Zodvihnite ruky, ktorí chcete prísť sem aby sme sa za vás modlili, chcete položiť svoju vieru na Krista. Dobre, keby ste sa postavili na túto stranu ak môžete. A brat, keby oni trochu odtiahli stoličky, aby sme mali trochu miesta aby stade mohli prechádzať ľudia. Poďte po tejto strane.
710A teraz sa budeme modliť, zatiaľ čo budeme spievať. A ja požiadam tu starších (z akejkoľvek denominácie alebo cirkvi, bez ohľadu na to, čo to je), ak veríte, že Boh uzdravuje, postavili by ste sa sem so mnou tu na pódium, aby ste sa modlili za chorých? Budeme radi keď sem prídete. Akákoľvek denominácia, alebo žiadna denominácia, alebo čokoľvek ste, budeme radi keď sem prídete. Prídete teraz, modliť sa, poďte sem a postavte sa s ním. Brat Neville, keby si prišiel s olejom.
505 Good morning, friends. It's a privilege to be here. And--and to fulfill this great introduction from our pastor would certainly take a real life, wouldn't it? So we're giving praise to the Lord for all of His great healing powers and His mercies that He has given to us down through the years.
505a Now I have a few announcements to make. One, we, Brother Woods and Brother Roberson, and we want to thank you all for praying for us, for a safe trip. Had a wonderful time; just gone four and a half days, I believe, and back again safely. The Lord did bless us.
506 Now, we're announcing that the Brother Graham Snelling, his revival, is continuing on, up at the--the end of Brigham Avenue, at the... in the city here. And this coming Wednesday night... I want to go away tomorrow, after a funeral service for one I'll announce in a few moments. We'll let you know Wednesday night. We want to go in a delegation, all, up to visit Brother Graham before he closes his service up there. And we'll try to get the entire church together, if we can, and go as a delegation to meet, to be with Brother Graham in one of his services.
507 And, now, this afternoon at--at the undertaker's establishment at Charlestown, is a--a Mrs. Colvin, that once come to the church here many years ago, seventy-four years old, left this life yesterday to go to be with the Lord Jesus. And her funeral is to be preached Monday, by Rev. Mr. McKinney, used to, formerly, the pastor of the Methodist church at--at Port Fulton for many years, which was a personal friend of theirs. And I'm to assist him, Monday, at, I believe it's one-thirty, at the--at the chapel at Charlestown, Indiana. And all of you friends of the Colvin family would, I know, would appreciate now just a little courage or to... little handshake. For we all know what that is, we who've been down through those, in the valleys, ourselves, and know what it means to lose a friend. And so we... She's laying in the--in the chapel now, at Charlestown, Indiana. If you go up this afternoon, why, it would be appreciated by the Colvin family, I'm sure. Many of their people comes here to the tabernacle yet. I've married, buried, baptized, pretty near, their family, through. And so Mr. Grayson, that used to be our neighbor right here, is the undertaker up there.
508 And then this, tonight, the Lord willing, where we leave off this morning, we'll try to pick up tonight, in this great study that we're studying in now. And then I think that was the announcements, as far as--as I--I know of. And this coming Wednesday night, now, we'll announce the night that we're going up to be with Brother Graham.
509 And we welcome all the strangers in our gates. And we're happy to have you here this morning, and pray that God will exceedingly, abundantly, bless you today for this gathering.
510 Brother Cox has just told me that the public-addressing outfit wasn't working too well at the time. It's perhaps, maybe according to the weather, lot of dampness in the speakers there. And they're not too good, to begin with, so that may be the cause.
511 As I see a sister setting here that I know, Sister Arganbright. I... This is not nice and--and etiquettes, to ask this, but have you heard from Brother Arganbright since he's been over. I am very interested in hearing from him as soon as we can. He's in Switzerland and Germany, in a meeting over there with Brother Tommy Hicks and Paul Cain. If you ever hear, Sister Ruth, you let me know right away, just quick as you can.
512 Now, the little tabernacle has no membership, but we have fellowship. We have no creed but Christ, no law but love, no book but the Bible. That's the only Book that we know of, and the only thing that we know, as we have. As the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins, we have fellowship one with the other, everybody.
513 I was noticing, this morning, to some of you people might have heard the brother praying. That was a Catholic, so, or formerly a Catholic. And we have all different types of people come here. Just had the privilege, a few moments ago, to shake the hand of a Mennonite brother who is setting in here. And from the Mennonites, from the Methodists, from the Baptists, and the Catholic, or whosoever will, let them come. And we fellowship together around the blessings of God's Word. Setting present is Jehovah Witness and different types of the people, saw different denominations.
514 I used to love (well, I do yet) the West. I love horses and cattle. I was just raised on a farm, and I--I love it. And we used to have the round up, and I'd go with them. And we had a drift fence. I don't know whether you Eastern people know what a drift fence is, or not. It's when you put the cattle into the--the forest, they have a fence to keep them from drifting what they called, come back down to the ranches. They'd eat up the grass, where they're raising the grass for the winter feed. And then up in the mountain, they also have drift fences, where they separate so many females and male, and so forth. It's called a drift fence. But the main drift fence is where the ranger stands when the cattle are going through.
515 And now I've sat there, a many day, in my saddle, and watched them as the cattle would go through. There was all different kinds of brands went in. There was some called the "Diamond." And some of them called the "Bar X." And some... Ours was the "Tripod," something like a Boy Scout emblem. The next fellow, below it, was a "turkey track" on the horse. And they had all different kinds of brands, to--to know their cattle when they drove them out.
516Now, the ranger wasn't so interested in what brand they had, but here's what, the ranger was interested to watch a tag in their ear. Everything that went in there, no matter what brand it was, had to be a thoroughbred Hereford. It could not go in there unless it was a Hereford. Had to be registered stock or it couldn't get through.
517 I think, on that day when the Lord comes, He's not going to pay any attention to what brand we're wearing, but if we're all born-again Christians. That's right. That's the stock of Christ. The Blood test is going to prove us, we're all Christians. And if we're going to all be that way there, we might as well be that way here. Don't you think so? That's the way, we appreciate all fellowship from all different churches.
518 Now we're studying in this blessed Book of Hebrews. One brother has enjoyed it so much till he's taken the tapes and he's making a book of lectures on this.
519Now we're going to come, pretty soon, to the 11th chapter. We expect to spend the winter on that, on the 11th chapter. For each one of those characters, we wish to go back through the Book and tie the entire Scripture together. I was going to do it. I do in portion, on some of this, of these former chapters, to get the whole Book tied together. For, you see, Scripture must prove Scripture.
520Therefore, if there's any contradiction, that anyone would think that the Scriptures contradict each other, that's an error. There is no Scripture contradicts a Scripture. The--the contradiction is where that maybe It contradicts our way of looking at It, but It doesn't contradict Itself. I've been in the ministry, going on twenty-six years now, and I have never, one time, found one thing in the Bible that contradict anything else was written in the Bible. And I--I just know it isn't there.
521 And today we are studying in one of the most blessed chapters of the Hebrews, the 7th chapter. And there's anyone doesn't have a Bible, would like to follow us in the readings, we'd be glad to bring you a Bible if you'd just raise your hand. I'll have some of the elders, someone, come here and get some. Someone are raising their hands back there. And thank you, brother. And if you want a Bible, just raise your hand, and they'll bring it to you.
522 Now, the only way that a church can be built, the only way that a man can have Faith, is not by his denomination, not by his affiliation. But his Faith rests not upon the theology of some man's ideas, 'cause it's, more or less, altogether man. But the only way Faith can find it's solemn resting place, is upon the immovable and unchangeable Word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word." That's how it takes. And--and when Faith is heard and accepted, it's forever settled. Nothing no more can ever move it, no matter what comes or goes. Nothing can ever change that Faith. Think of that. You're anchored, and you no more change, for time and Eternity. You're anchored forever, "For God, by one sacrifice, has perfected forever those that are sanctified, or called."
523 And Faith has such a great place in the Christian, the believer's life, that it can take its stand by the side of a muddy grave or over a casket, where a precious baby or a sweetheart has passed from this life to the beyond. And with a stern look of the eagle eye, can look to Him who said, "I am the resurrection and the Life." And they forget the things that's in the past. They press on to the mark of the high calling.
524I'm so glad that God has provided such, and has made it a free gift to all. That's what churches are to be. Churches doesn't mean denominations or organizations; it means, "Groups of people, of believers, who is gathered together under the fellowship of the Word."
525 And in this marvelous teaching here of Saint Paul, in the backgrounds, in the former chapters, he has specifically been dealing with the supreme Deity of the Lord Jesus and who He was. Christ was God, made so that men could feel Him and touch Him, and--and fellowship with Him. Christ, the Lord Jesus, was the body that God dwelt in, "God was made flesh and dwelt among us." First Timothy 3:16, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, for God was manifested in flesh."
526The Great Jehovah came down and was made tangible, by living in the body of His Own Son, declaring and reconciling the world to Himself. God was nothing... Christ was nothing short of God, and--and God was nothing short of Christ. The two together made the Godhead bodily, made a little lower than Angels, so that He could suffer. Angels cannot suffer. Jesus was the tabernacle that God dwelt in.
527The Bible said, in the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that, "Tabernacles, and burnt sacrifice and burnt-offerings Thou wouldst not, but a body has Thou prepared Me. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in tabernacles made with hands, but a body has Thou prepared Me," that in tabernacling or dwelling in a fellowship with man.
528 God permits, as soon as we're through with this chapter here, or through with this Book, we want to go back and pick up the Book of Ruth and show in there that how God became kinfolks to us, to reconcile the lost back to Himself by fellowshipping and becoming one of us. The Redeemer must be kinfolks, and the only way that God could become kinfolks to us, is to become one of us. So, He could not become an Angel and be kinfolks to man.
529 Last evening when I was talking to the heart-broken son, my partner, of the mother that's just passed away, said, "O Brother Bill, I guess she's an Angel tonight."
530I said, "No, Earl. She'll never be an Angel. She's a woman, tonight, just as God made her, and will always be, never a Angel." God made Angels. He never made men become Angels. He made Angels and men. So men will never be Angels, and Angels will never be men. God made them different.
531 Now, and in Christ becoming flesh to redeem out of that great beyond where man had fell, and that immortality by sin had come down, God came down and taken on the form of a shape of a man, and became kinfolks to us, that He might bear our sins and our death.
532 And in one of the illustrations we were giving, in the previous lessons; just a little background so the newcomer would understand. God, on His road up to Calvary. As the sting of death was upon Him, and was buzzing around Him, and finally it stung Him till He died. He died till the sun quit shining. He died until the moon and the stars would not give their light.
533Or, how He had to do that, to anchor the stinger of death! If He had been an immortal person, if he had been in the theophany, or been in the spirit, death has no control of that. It had to become flesh, that He could take the stinger of death. But when a bee or an insect who stings, once stings deep, he'll never sting again. He leaves his stinger in the flesh. And that's what Christ be-... or God became. Christ dwelt in flesh, that He might anchor in His Own flesh the stinger of death. And when death pulled away from Him at the cross, it left its stinger, it could not sting a believer anymore. It can make a humming noise, it can make a buzz and a threat, but it cannot sting. It has no stinger.
534The great Saint Paul, on his death march, screamed and said, "O death, where is your sting? And grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God who has done give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, for both death and grave has lost its power."
535 Now, then, last Sunday we taken, "Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ," in the 6th chapter, we read this, "let us go on to perfection." And we found out that the people today in many churches, along with the Branham tabernacle and different ones, we lay too much on studying about the principles of Christ: He was the Son of Abraham, He was the son of--of so-and-so, and on back, the genealogies. But the Bible said, "Let us lay aside those things, and go on to perfection."
536First you must know the doctrine, and then you must know all these things; then let's lay them aside, He said, of resurrection of the dead, laying on of hands, baptisms, and all those dead articles of God. Yet, they--they have no Life in them. But the church today just goes to those things, "Oh, we believe in the Deity of Christ." Yes. Sure. "We believe in water baptism." Yes. Sure. "Laying on of hands."
537Paul said, "We'll do all this if God permits. But in the face of all of that, let's lay it aside now, and go on to perfection."
538 Now, the church cannot be perfected through organizations. It gets further away from God, all the time, or farther away from each other. We draw barriers, we separate ourselves, seemingly not having the Faith. But then when we leave those principles of doctrine, if we move on to perfection, then those little things become of not much use.
539We go into a relationship, and we find out that the only way that we can be perfected is to be in Christ. And we find out then, by the teachings of the Bible, that how we get into Christ; not by water baptism, not by laying on of hands, not by teaching. "But by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body and become perfected through His suffering." Then, we look different. We think different. We act different. We live different. Not because it's a duty or we belong to church, but because of "the love that God has shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost," that makes us fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God, then there is no denomination or barriers in that. We're all one great Body.
540 Now we're ready to enter in upon the morning lesson, in a few moments. One more thing I'd like to get to here, that is, that, Paul speaking in the Book, of the 7th... or the 6th chapter, we find out here that we're made perfect in Christ. Then in the 13th verse of the 6th chapter, just a little background.
For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
God swore by Himself, because He could not swear by anyone greater.
541Now we want to go back. Let's get at Galatians just a few moments. Turn back to the Book of Galatians, and get Galatians 3:16. And we'll read here just a moment, of what He swore by.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promise made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one,... to the seed, which is Christ.
542Now if you'll notice, reading that close now, as you read.
... to Abraham and his seed (singular) were the promises (plural) made.
543 "Abraham and his Seed." Now, the Seed of Abraham was one, which was Christ; in prefigure, Isaac.
But Abraham had many children. He had one before he had Isaac, which was showing the slipping up of the unbelief of Sarah who wanted Hannah to bring the child, thinking that she was too old, and God to bypass and make some other way from the way that He had promised to do it.
544But God keeps His promise. No matter how unreasonable it may seem, God is obligated to His promise. And Sarah thought that maybe she could have Hannah... or Hagar, rather, her maid, to give birth to a baby through Abraham, and she would take it. And that became Ishmael, which was a thorn in the flesh, from then until now. Still a thorn in the flesh, for out of there come the Arabs, and they've always been that way.
545Now, any time that you disbelieve the naked Word of God and adopt some other way, it'll be a thorn in your flesh from there on. You take just what God said. If He said It, that's just what He means. Oh, blessed be His Name! Just take His Word.
546No matter what tries to bypass, say, "Well, It really doesn't mean That." It means just what It says, when God makes a promise.
547 Now if we'll notice closely.
... Abraham and his seed were the promises...
One was the Seed, singular, and the other was promises. There's more than one promise, and more than one person that's included in the Seed of Abraham. See? There's one Seed, but many people of this Seed. See? They were not just Abraham alone, or to Isaac alone. But the... It was to all the Seed of Abraham. The promises was made to each and every individual seed of that Seed. You get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
548"Therefore, we, being dead in Christ, according to the Scriptures, we take on Abraham's Seed and are heirs according to the promise." Not by joining church, or forming of the dead articles, or--or so forth. But by being born of the Spirit of Christ, we are Abraham's Seed, and are joint-heirs with Him in the Kingdom.
549 Then we go on, to read, then, just a little further now, "God making an oath." Now the 17th verse of the 6th chapter.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly...
... God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it with an oath:
550Oh, let's just rest now a few minutes. "God more willing." Not that He had to, but to make this a sure thing.
551Now, we've already found that God became flesh, dwelt among us, how that He manifested Hisself towards the world. When He found the woman in adultery, said, "I don't. I don't condemn you. Go, sin no more." When He found the sick, He acted just the way He would have to act, for He was God, and He--He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He forgave the sins. No matter how they was, and how many, and how backslidden, He forgive them, anyhow, if they were willing to come and ask.
552 Now notice. If God acted any one time on a certain circumstance, and if that same circumstance arise again, He's got to act the second time like He did the first time or He's unjust. See? No matter how bad you are in sin, how stooped you may become, He's got to act to you like He did that fallen woman or He acted wrong then. God's behavior is His Person, and what He is in His behavior declares His Person.
553And that's the way you are, in your behavior of life, tells what you are. As we had and went through, a lesson or two ago, the Methodist people wanted to declare, "When you shout, you got It." The Pentecostal says, "When you spoke with tongues, you've got It." The Shaker said, "When you shake, you got It," the Pennsylvania Shakers. And we find out that they're all wrong. Your life declares It. Your person declares what you are. A man is known by his works, and whatever your life is.
554You've heard the old story, "Your life speaks so loud, I can't hear your words." So whatever you are, you are. The life that you live shows what kind of a spirit is in you.
555 And then you may impersonate the wrong thing... or impersonate the right thing, may I say. You may impersonate a Christian. But there will, by-and-by, come a time when the strain will be put on, then it'll show what you are. A chain is its strongest at its weakest link.
556When Christ the Son of God was put to the test, it showed what He was. Sure. When you're put to the test, it'll prove what you are. Your life always reflects what's on the inside of you. By-and-by, be sure your sins don't find you out. And that's what we're trying to say.
557 Jesus said, in Saint John 5:24, "He that heareth," not he that shaketh, he that speaketh. He that... "He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Eternal Life, and shall never come to the judgment; but is passed from death unto Life."
558It's your faith. And your faith, confessed by your lips, make manifest to the people that can hear, but your life is open before all. So, no matter how much you try to act this and do this, it'll never work. It's got to be in you. That's the real kernel of the whole story. Your personal faith in the resurrected Christ, as your Saviour; that He's at the right hand of God, acting in your place this morning, as you're acting in His place down here as a witness. A witness is to act instead of somebody, stand for you as a witness. And as your life reflects here what your testimony is in Christ, it reflects there and it reflects here. And He is up there, as what He is for you, reflects both there and here. So you are... By your faith, are you saved, and that alone. So, sensations, emotions, feelings, anything, has no place at all in It. Now, not...
559 Now, don't think wrong, that I do not believe in these emotions. Certainly. But what we're on now, trying to drill to this people of this day, is not emotions. The Devil has took those things and went wild with the people, letting them base their Eternal destination upon an emotion. Shouting, speaking with tongue, going to church every Sunday, acting like a Christian, that won't have one bearing at that day. "Except a man is born again." And your life reflects what you are on the inside, see, not your emotions.
560You could have blood in your hands, you could speak with tongues, you could heal the sick, you could move mountains with your faith, and you are nothing yet. First Corinthians 13. See? It's got to be something happened by a Birth which comes from God, and God brings the new Birth into you, and gives you a part of Himself. Then those things are. You are a new creation. "I give unto them Eternal."
561 We went through the word "Eternal." Forever is "a space of time." Eternity is forever, forever and forever, but there's only one Eternity. And we find out that you receive Eternal Life, and the word in the Greek is Zoe, which means "God's Life." And you receive part of God's Life, which makes you a spiritual son of God, and you're just as everlasting as God is everlasting. You have no end, no place to stop, because you had no place to begin. Anything has a beginning has an end, and that without a beginning has no end.
562 How we love that precious Word! How the Christian should be established in the Faith that was once delivered to the saints, and not be tossed about, place to place, and joining different churches. Any church you want to belong to is all right, as long as you're a Christian. But first put the first thing, which is that Birth that makes you kinfolks to God, as God became kinfolks with you.
563He become kinfolks, that he might raise you up. Before He could raise you up, He has to give you Eternal Life. Then God had to become kinfolks, to take death, to raise you up. Then you have to become kinfolks to Him, in order to go in the resurrection. You see what it is? It's just a swap. God became you, that you might become God. See? God became a part of you, flesh, that you might by His grace become a part of Him, that's all, to have Eternal Life.
564 Just a beautiful picture, and, oh, we love it.
Now, God, willing more abundantly...
565Didn't have to, but He was willing to. I'm so glad of that, aren't you, that our God is willing? Look. What if He--what if He wasn't long-suffering? What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, faith, peace, long-suffering. That's a part of God that's in you. And can forbearance, forbearing one another's burdens. Forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake forgive you. The Spirit of God in you makes you that way. And then when God was here on earth and became you, became sin, that Him taking your sin, bore it for you and paid your penalty for it. God is long-suffering, forbearing our burdens.
566 And then He's a good God. If you want to, certain things your way, you know, God is good enough to do that. He loves to--to make you happy. He wants to. He, He is love, and His great love constrains Him to even step down sometime, to let you have the things that you want.
567Look at Thomas, after the resurrection. Thomas wouldn't believe. Oh, he's got many children today. But Thomas said, "No. No. I'll have to have some evidence. I'll have to put my hands in His side, and in His... my fingers over here in His hands, before I will believe It. I, I don't care what you say." See, he was all out of the Scripture order, right then. You're supposed to believe It. So he said, "I have to have some sort of evidence, to prove It."
568And Jesus appeared, He's good, "Come on, Thomas, if that's what you want, well, here you are. You can have it."
569That's the way we are. We say, "Lord, I got to speak with tongues. I--I got to shout. I got..."
570"Oh, go ahead, I'll let you have it." He is good.
571So he stuck his hands in His side, then he said, "Oh, it's my Lord and my God."
572He said, "Now, Thomas, you believe since you seen. But how much greater is their reward who has no evidence and yet believes It!" There you are. That's where we must get to. "How much greater is their reward who seen nothing but yet believe It." It's an act of faith, that we accept It.
573 Now, I believe signs following the believers, but let's put first things first. You can have the signs, without This. Paul said you could. He said, "I could speak with tongue like both men and Angels; I'm nothing. I can move mountains by my faith; I am nothing. I could understand the Bible, in such a way I could know all the mysteries of God; I'm nothing." See, that's gifts of the Holy Spirit, without the Holy Spirit.
574The Holy Spirit is God. God is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, patience. That's the Spirit of God. That's what God raises up in the last days, through that Spirit.
575 Now, "Not willing..."
... God, more willing abundantly to show unto the heirs of the promise...
... God, more willing... to show... the heirs...
Who is the heirs? "We, being dead in Christ, take on Abraham's Seed, and are heirs." Oh, does that soak in? We are heirs of the Kingdom of God, through a sworn promise. God didn't have to swear. His Word is perfect. But He swore, too, by Himself, for there was no one greater.
576As we read on, just a moment, listen.
... the promise of immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
577 "Immutability," the unchangeable. God cannot change. He has to remain the same. And if God healed one sick person, He can never change His attitude. God forgive one sinner, one prostitute, He can never change His attitude. The immutability, the unchanging of God's Word. God said, in one place, "I'm the Lord who heals all thy diseases." He has to stay with It, for He's infinite. He knowed to the end from the beginning.
578Now, I can say, "I'll do this." And the Bible said, we ought to say, "If the Lord is willing." Because, I'm a mortal. I don't know. Sometimes I have to take my word back, but God can't take His back. He is God.
579And He only requested one thing, "If thou canst believe." Oh, my! "If you can believe, all things are possible." "If thou canst believe," that's all. "You, if you can," there's the question. But not the question is on God's Word, because, His immutability, He cannot change. How wonderful!
580 Now listen, as we read on down.
That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie,...
Impossible! An impossibility and immutability is practically the same word; can't change, can't move. It has to stay the same forever. Can't be changed, the immutability and the impossibility.
And two, by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,...
"We have two things?" Yes. First, His Word said He would do it. The second was His sworn oath on it, He would do it. Oh, my!
581What type of people should we be? Why should we be tossed about and run about, and taking the things of the world and acting like this 1957 streamlined-model Christianity? We want to be the old-fashioned type that takes God at His Word, and calls those things which were not, as though they were. "If God said so, That settles it."
582 Abraham, who the promise was given, to him and his Seed, he called the things which were not, as though they were. For, It was God's promise, knowing that God could not lie. He promised him that, and he believed It. And as the years passed by, and the promise seemed to get further away, to the natural eye, It become closer to Abraham.
583Instead of being weak, and say, "'Well, maybe there is no such a thing as Divine healing. Maybe I misspoke. Maybe there is no such a thing. Maybe I been wrong in all my conceptions." Then, that shows one thing, that you haven't been born again. "For it's..."
584 We got through last Sunday, just a little further back in the chapter. "For it is impossible for a man that's once tasted the Heavenly gifts and things, to fall away, again to renew himself to repentance." Absolutely, totally impossible!
For he that is born of God does not and cannot commit sin; for the seed of God remains in him: and he cannot sin,...
The Seed of God is the Word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word, 'The Sacrifice was made. It's all over.'"
585Now, if you do wrong, God will make you pay for it. But if you do, you're wrong, you don't do it willingly. 10th chapter, 47th verse, I believe, "For if we sin willfully after we received the knowledge of the Truth." But after you're once Born, you have the Truth; not the knowledge of It, but you have accepted the Truth and It's become a reality. And you're a child of God, for time and Eternity. God swore that He would do it.
586Jesus said, "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting Life, and I'll raise him up in the last day. He'll never come to the judgment. He's passed from death unto Life." Now with a oath like that, "God willing that we should receive It."
587 Now watch what he says here, Paul speaking to the--the church.
... is impossible for God to lie, we ought to have a strong consolation,...
Not, "Well, if the Baptists don't treat me right, I'll go to the Methodists." See?
... we should have a strong consolation, who has fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
588Now in the reading of the last.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,...
The hope, the sworn oath of God, we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that is within the veil;
589Let's speak just a moment on "the veil." We didn't get it too good last Sunday night.
590 "In the veil." The veil is the flesh. The veil is what keeps us from seeing God, face to face, in this church. The veil is what keeps us from seeing the Angels at their positions this morning, standing by the seats. The veil is what keeps us from seeing Him. We are hid behind the veil, and that veil is the flesh. We are sons and daughters of God, we're in the Presence of God, "The Angels of God are encamped about those who fear Him." We're in the Presence of God, all the time. "I'll never leave thee, neither will I ever forsake thee. I'll be with thee always, even unto the end." But the veil is the flesh, that's what keeps us out of His Presence. But through the soul, the Spirit, by our faith we know that He's watching us. He is standing by us. He's here now.
591 Down at Dothan, one morning, an old prophet was surrounded by an army and his servant went out and said, "O father, the whole country is surrounded by the aliens."
592And Elijah raised up, and said, "Why, son, there is more with us than there is with them."
593Well, he batted his eyes and looked around. He could see nothing.
594He said, "God, I would that You'd open his eyes, take away the veil." And when the veil dropped from over his eyes, around that old prophet was chariots of fire, the mountains was on Fire with Angels and chariots. There you are.
595Oh, then Gehazi could say, "I--I understand now." See, the veil dropped. There is where the hindrance.
596 Here it is. Hold it tight. The veil is what keeps us from living the way we should. Veil is what keeps us from doing the things that we really want to do. And God became veiled in flesh, and the veil was tore in two. And God became God again, and He raised up the veil that He hid Hisself in. That's the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Proving to us that, in this veil that we're now hid in, by faith we believe It and accept It. And when this veil is tore in two, I'll go in His Presence with this assurance, knowing that, "I know Him in the power of His resurrection." At the Coming of the Lord Jesus, this veil will be raised up again, in a perfected way, till I'll walk and talk with Him as my Saviour and my God, when He takes the throne of David. And we'll live forever in this veil after it's been perfected, but this veil has sin in it. It don't matter how... Don't never think of that glorified body in this earth. It's got to die, same as your soul has to die, to be born again.
597 In the perfection, not eating meats, and doing this, and perfecting the body, you'll never have It. And you've got to quit this, and do this, and do this, and do this, that's law. That's legalists. We don't believe in the legal forms of salvation. We believe It that by grace are we saved. And it's not you. You have nothing to do with it. It's God's election that does it. "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him." That's right. And He... All Jesus come to do was to get these that the Father foreknew; and predestinated them before the foundation of the world. They become sons and daughters of God. Amen. "Not him that runneth, or him that willeth, but God that showeth mercy." God that does it. You can't brag, at all. There's not a thing that you did. God, by grace, saved you; not you, yourself. If you do, you got something to brag about. But you haven't nothing to brag. All praises goes to Him. It's Him. Then He's give you the sure hope, "Swore by an oath, the impossibility for His children to ever be lost."
598 Now, they get whippings for doing wrong. You reap what you sow. You get that. Don't think now you just going out and sin, get by with it. If you do, and got that attitude, it shows you've never been born again. You get it? If you still got the desire in you, to do the wrong, then you're still wrong. See? "For He has perfected, forever, those that is... And those beasts under the Old Testament, under legal days, offered yearly, continually, could never take away sin." But when we put our hands upon His head, and confess our sins and are born again of the Spirit of God, we have no more desire of sin. Sin has passed from you. That's for time and Eternity.
599 You'll make mistakes. You'll fall. You'll willfully do wrong. You'll go out sometime and do things. That don't mean that you're lost. That means that you're going to get correction.
600My little boy, lots of times, my children, will do things. Your does, too. That you... They know that's against your--your rules. And they know what to expect when they do it. They're going to get a whipping for it, sometimes a good one. But it's still your child. Certainly.
601It's impossible for that man to ever be gone again, that's once been born of Eternal Life. God is not an Indian giver. "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting Life; and shall never come to the judgment, but is passed from death unto Life. I'll raise him up at the last days." That's God's promise.
602 Now if you go on, say, "Oh, well, then I can do just..." I always do what I want to do. But if you're a Christian, you don't want to do the thing that's wrong, 'cause the very Life in you, the very foundation. If you want to do wrong, it shows the wrong thing is in here. "How can bitter and sweet water come from the same fountain?"
603So you been all mixed up, on some kind of emotion or fabulous something, another sensation. Forget it. Go back to the altar and say, "God, take my old sinful life away, and put me in such a condition that my whole desire..."
"He that's born of God does not commit sin." That's right. He has no desire to do so.
604 Certainly, the Devil will trap him here and there, but not willfully. The Bible said so. The Devil will trap him, now and then. Sure, he will. He tried to throw a traps for our Lord Jesus. He did to Moses, and caught him. He did to Peter, and caught him. He did to many. But Peter even denied Him, but then he went and wept bitterly. There was something in him.
605 When the dove was turned out of the ark... The crow went out, he cawed around. He was in the ark all right, but when he went out, his nature was different. He could eat all the old dead carcasses he wanted to, and be satisfied. Why? He was a crow, to begin with. He was a scavenger. He was no good. He was a hypocrite who set on the roost with the dove, just as big as the dove was. He could fly anywhere the dove could fly. But he could eat good food just like the dove eat. And then he could eat rotten food, what the dove couldn't eat. For, the dove is a different mix-up. She's a different make. She's a dove. And the dove cannot digest rotten food, because it don't have any gall.
606 And a man that's born of the Spirit of God becomes a dove of God, his nature, his change, his makeup. Yes, sir. You put the spirit of the--of the dove in the crow, he'd never set on a dead carcass. If he lit down by mistake, he'd certainly get away quick. He couldn't stand it. And a man that's born of the Spirit of God, don't in-tolerate. He might light in a barroom sometime, but he'll get out of there quick. A woman might entice him, get him to turned around, but he'll turn his head again. He'll get away from there quick. Why? He's a dove. That's right. You ain't going to fool him, because that he knows. "My sheep know My Voice, and a stranger they will not follow." He's a dove, to begin with. There is what I'm speaking about, the actual something that anchors in there.
607 Watch close now. "God swore." Oh, it...
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both... stedfast, and which entereth into--into that which is the veil;
608"The veil." God came down, veiled in flesh. To do what? To show Himself. He had to hide, because we couldn't see Him. And He hid behind the veil. And the veil was who? Jesus. "Not Me that doeth the works, My Father," said Jesus. "My Father dwelleth in Me. I work. The Father worketh, and I worketh hitherto." Here He is as the veiled One, walking in the flesh, God, Emmanuel, God with us. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself." Here He is, walking around.
609 Now, He came down and made a sanctification, or provision, or propitiation, that through His death offered, paid the price of sin, that He might come back and dwell in us. Then the faith that we have is a--is a veiled faith, or a veil person. Therefore we don't look at the things that we see in this veil. The veil has educations, and it does things and speaks things. It's a scientific thing. But the Spirit of the living God that dwells in here, calls those things which were not, as though they were, if God said so. There is your veiling. We're in the veil.
610Now, someday He'll raise this veil up, not born of a woman by the sex desire of man and woman, but by the will of God He will speak and she'll come to pass. [Brother Branham snapped his finger--Ed.] Then we'll have a body like His own glorious body. We'll be veiled, so we can talk to one another, shake one another's hands.
611 Now, when we go from here, there's a tabernacle, a theophany, just an image of a man, that don't eat, don't drink, don't sleep, awake forever. There is where we go to. But they're waiting under the Altar, crying, "Lord, how long? How long?" to come back down. Because, they want to shake hands with one another. They want to set down and eat, and talk to one another. They're human. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
612When God made man in His own image at the beginning, He made him thus. He fellowshipped with one another, because we know one another. We like the things that God made us, because we were made thus. In His great Coming, those who are ready will be thus forever. Immortal, we'll stand in His likeness. O blessed be that Name of Christ!
613 And now we have the earnest of our salvation, as we accept Him as our personal Saviour, as our healer. All these other remunerations are the dividends that's paid on the insurance policy. Amen. You know what an insurance policy is. You can draw dividends on it till the face value comes. Certainly. You can draw dividends. And we're drawing dividends now. Only, the thing, as soon as we draw dividends, the remuneration is built up again.
614 An insurance agent, one time, said to me, "Billy, I'd like to sell you some insurance."
I said, "I have some." My wife looked around at me.
615Now, nothing against insurance. But some people are "insurance poor." So, they turned around. He said...
616My wife looked at me, strange, "You got insurance?"
617I said, "Sure." She didn't know nothing about it.
618He said, "Well, Billy, what kind of an insurance have you got?"
619I said:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory Divine!
An heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.
620He said, "That's very good, Billy," he said, "but it won't put you up here in the graveyard."
621I said, "But It'll take me out. That's the main thing." I'm not worried about getting there; I'm worried about getting out.
622 And since I have the assurance, by the sworn God of Eternity, that He will raise me up again in the likeness of His Son, in the last day, I'll walk boldly and have a consolation and an anchor of the soul, that, while I'm in this veil there is some unseen Something got me anchored against the Rock of ages yonder. When the waters jump and blast, it doesn't make any difference. If death, perils, or anything, separates us not from the love of God. My anchor holds within the veil. Let the floods rise. Let her dash. Let infidels come. The born-again believer has an anchor. You can't see through this veil yet. But I know my anchor holds yonder against the Rock of the ages, Who is a sworn promise that He will raise me up at the last day.
623 No wonder you can look death in the face, and say, "Where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We're in the Forerunner. Oh, my! (We ain't going to get to the lesson.) We had a Forerunner for us.
624A forerunner. Did you ever notice in the old western days. Many times I've went across the old trails. A forerunner, or scout? When the wagon train was perishing, for water, the scout run ahead. And he seen the tribes of Indians; he bypassed them. And he seen where there was a fountain of water. He rushed back to tell the boss of the wagon train, "Step up the horses, everybody take good courage, for just over the mountain there's a big fountain of water." He's a forerunner.
625 And here, the Forerunner. Man was once pinned down by the Devil, under rapid fire, but Somebody took the machine-gun nest. That was Jesus. The Forerunner has gone before us. And Satan standing there with a machine gun, pinning us down, always in bondage and scared of death. He was guarding that Fountain. Sure, he was. He was given the commission, because we had sinned and been drove away from It. But the Forerunner, Christ, come in and took the nest.
626You've heard that old song, "Hold the fort, for I am coming"? Hold the fort, nothing; let's take it. We don't want to hold it any longer. Christ took the fort. Hallelujah! The door is open. "There is a Fountain open in the house of God, in the city of David, for to clean, for cleanliness of the unclean." Our Forerunner has done entered in for us.
627 The Forerunner, He tells us, "There's a place just beyond, yonder, where you'll never get old." Where there'll be no wrinkles, where you won't have to use Max Factors to make you look nice to your husband. The Forerunner has went on. There's never a place where you get old and weary and shaky. There's a place where you'll never get sick. Where the baby will never have a colic. Where you'll never shed a false... or a tooth, to get a false one. Hallelujah! O blessed be His Name! He entered in, and immortal we'll stand in His likeness, someday yonder. The stars and the sun they'll outshine. Certainly. The Forerunner has gone before us.
... the forerunner is gone, has for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
628 This great Forerunner has gone before us, making a way. He become from spirit, the great fountains of the rainbow of God, who had no beginning or no end. He was, forever, God.
This ray of Light went forth. It was a ray of love, that's the main one, red. The next color follows, which was blue; blue, the trueness. Next, followed after that was other colors, through the seven perfect colors, which is the seven spirits of God, that went from that great Fountain or that great Diamond that Jesus spoke of. That great Diamond was chipped, to reflect these colors. God was made flesh and dwelt among us, that He might reflect His goodness and mercy among us, by gifts and signs and wonders.
That whole big rainbow had become in a theophany, of made in the image like man. Yet, He wasn't a man; He didn't have flesh, yet. He was a theophany.
629 Moses said, "I'd like to see You." God hid him in the rock.
630And when He passed by, He turned His back. Moses said, "It looked like the back of a man."
631Then what come to pass? One day down there, when Abraham was setting in his tent. We'll get to it, tonight. When Abraham was setting in his tent, God came up to him, in a body of flesh.
"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, he was..."
632We'll find Him out here meeting Abraham before that, in the order of Melchisedec, a body of flesh, which was God. Sure, it was. He was God in flesh.
633You say, "Then, Brother Branham, why would He have to come back and be born?"
634 He wasn't born then. He was just created, a body that He dwelt in. Melchisedec was the King of Salem, which is the King of Jerusalem, which is the King of peace; which had neither father nor mother, beginning of days or ending of life.
Jesus had both father and mother, and a beginning of days and ending of life. But He was made "after the order" of Melchisedec, which had no beginning of days or ending of life.
635Melchisedec was God Himself. Melchisedec was Jehovah God, the same One that met Abraham, years later, in front of his tent. Had His back turned to him; He said, "Why did Sarah laugh?" That's right. He was the One who stood there, looking over towards Sodom. Abraham recognized Him, because inside of his veil was an anchor holding that promise. Not because he had some sensation, but God made him the promise. And when he come into contact with that great magnet, he knew It was in that flesh.
636 Walked out with Abraham, out there a little piece. He told Abraham. Said, "Seeing that, I'll keep these things from Abraham, to see that he's the heir of the world? I just won't do it." So, "Abraham, I'll tell you what I'm on My road to do," we pick it up tonight, "down there in Sodom," and what they all was going to do. And as soon as He had blessed Abraham, He went back into space again. A man that stood there and had dust on His clothes, a man. And not only that, but He eat the flesh of a calf that Abraham killed, and drinking the milk from the cow, and eat some hoe cakes (some corn bread), and had butter on it. That's exactly right. And then turned back to a theophany again.
637 What was it? Why didn't He take it then? He had never been born like you and I. But He had to be born in the flesh, so He could hold that stinger. That was a created body. That was a body that He just pulled the calcium and potash out of the earth, and said, "Whew," and stepped into it. That was the same thing Melchisedec was. He stepped into him, in a body that He could walk out before him under the veil, of a veil of His own creation; not a veil of the creation of a woman, through the womb of a woman, through a--a cell, never. But He created this and stepped out into it, and talked, in the order of Melchisedec.
638 Who is this Melchisedec?
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, (which is Jerusalem), prince of the most high God, certainly, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
To whom also Abraham give a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, (that great love, love, that great Spirit in the beginning)... King of righteousness,... after that... King of Salem, which is, the King of peace;
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, or ending of life;...
639Who was it? He never was born, He never will die. Who is it? It was God, sure, it was, in the foreshadow of the Lord Jesus. Certainly was. But He had to come through a woman, in the order you come through a woman. And He had to come the way you come, in order to bring you back to Him. Hallelujah!
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a poor, blind wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I'm found, by
His grace,
I was blind, but now I see.
640 I understand what He had to do. God became me, that I by grace might become of Him. He taken my sins, that through His righteousness I might have Eternal Life. I could not choose myself. My nature was a sinner. I had nothing to do with it. I was "born of the world, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies." Not even a chance, at all; nothing, not even a desire.
641Tell a pig he is "wrong, eating slop," will you? See how much he'll listen to you. Tell a crow he is "wrong, eating on a dead carcass," and see what he'll tell you. If he could talk, "You tend to your own business." Certainly.
642 Oh, but the grace of God that changed this nature, and give me the opportunity to desire and to crave and to thirst, "Thy love, kindness, is better to me than life, O God. My heart will longs after Thee."
643David said, "As a hart panteth for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God."
644God gave man that thirst, to worship Him, to love, seek after Him. But man perverts it by the call of the Devil, and he goes and lusts after women and pleasures and things of the world, trying to satisfy that holy creation that God has put in, to love Him. He places it upon the things of the world. But, brother, when he's once changed, and that fountain with wiggletails in it, all kinds of--of disorders of the cistern, has been cleansed out and sterilized, and the pure Water of God is put in there, sin can never touch it. Amen.
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My life, my sunshine, my all in all!
The great Creator became my Saviour,
All God's fullness dwelleth in Him.
Down from His glory, the ever living story,
My God and Saviour came, and Jesus was His Name.
Born in a manger, to His own a stranger,
The God of sorrow, tears and agony.
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all!
645 O God! How could He do it? Man has tried to write it. One said:
If we with ink the ocean fill,
And every straw on earth a quill;
All the skies of parchment made,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above.
How that great God of Heaven became flesh and taken my sins!
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Or though the scroll contained the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
646 And to make the heirs of this salvation a sure hope, He swore by Himself that He would raise up in the last days, give us Eternal Life. "And no man can pluck them from My hand." Amen.
Let's pray.
647Are you guilty of spurning His love? Have you shunned His blessed Being, this great One who made you what you are? And now here you are, this morning, this far in life, and it's giving you an opportunity. Do you want to continue to live? There's only one way to live, that's believe on the Lord Jesus. If you, from your heart, believe that He's the Son of God and accept Him as your Saviour, and believe that God raised Him up for your justification, if you want to accept it on that basis, it's yours now.
648 Would you raise your hand? Some unpenitent soul, that would like to... -pent, repent this morning, say, "Remember me, brother, preacher, as we go to prayer. I too have failed. I've joined church, but I--I know I--I've never had that what you're talking about. I've never been born of that Spirit, Brother Branham. I just--I just haven't got It, that's all. I want you to pray for me, that God will give It to me this morning." God bless you, sir. Would there be another? Say, "God, make me what You want me to be. I want You to be... I want to be as You want me to be. I've spurned Your love." God bless you, son.
649 Just a moment now.
If we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the sky of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Or could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How fathomless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure,
The saints and Angels song.
650 Dear God, truly the poet that wrote those words were just like many others of Your believers, searching, trying to find words to express it. And is written in the Bible, "More, because the preacher was wise, he sought out and set in order many words." Oh, how we would love to have the tongue and the vocabulary that we could explain to the people what it really is, but it could not be found on mortal lips. All Eternity, doubtless whether it'll ever reveal it, how that the God of Heaven ever come to the earth to save poor, lost, wretched sinners.
651I pray Thee, Father, that through these few unbroken words, or broken words this morning, as I should said, that someone has found peace and a satisfaction and a strong consolation, who has fled for refuge. And may their soul anchor to that promise which God swore to, that He'd raise them up at the last day. Several hands went up, in the building, right here in this tabernacle. God, give them that steadfast hope, right now. May they anchor against the Rock of ages. No matter how bad the sea may toss and their little barks may jump, they have an anchor, the promise of God. There they stay, "God said It. He can't lie."
652 "He that heareth My Words," which I've tried to preach this morning, "and believeth on Him that sent Me, Jehovah, hath everlasting Life; and shall not come to the judgment, but has passed from death to Life."
653O Eternal One, bless those today. And may every person in here that's not under the Blood, their soul never been converted, may it happen just now, Lord. You work the mystery. It's all Yours. It's committed to You. I pray that You'll give it to them, Eternal Life. May, someday, over on the other shore, as one by one we go down through the valley, may we meet over there where they'll never say "good-bye" no more.
Someday we'll come to the river at the closing of time,
When the last thoughts of sorrow has gone;
There'll be somebody waiting that'll show us the way,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
There'll be One, somebody waiting that'll show me the way,
I won't have to cross Jordan...
654 All that's got that hope, raise your hand up now as you raise your head.
I won't have...
Now just worship Him. The message is over. Aren't you happy? God swore He wouldn't... God swore He would meet you there.
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
When the darkness I...
What do you say? The stinger is gone.
He will be waiting for me,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
Times I'm forsaken, and weary...
Just worship Him now.
Seems that my friends have all gone;
Did you ever hit that place?
But there's one thought that cheers me.
What was the promise?
Makes my heart glad,
I won't have to cross Jordan...
655Now, children of the promise, just worship Him for doing it.
I won't have to cross Jordan alone,
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
What happens now?
When the darkness I see, He will be waiting for me,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
"When I come to the river." Every one of you is coming. There's a big, dark shadow setting there before you. It's a big door. You're going in there, one of these days, maybe before the day is over, maybe before church closes this morning. You're going in there. Every time that heart beats, you're one step closer.
But when the darkness I see, He will be waiting there,
He said He would. He swore He would.
Then I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
656 O Blessed Lord, our hearts are full, this morning, to the running over.
657To think of when the pulse is ceasing, and the nurse presses the pillow around your head. And your hands, you can't move no more. Your hands has turned to ice. Your children, your mother, your loved ones are screaming and crying. That big door swings open, yonder. He'll be waiting.
658David said, "If I make my bed in hell, He will be there." I won't have to cross it alone. When the sprays of the river begin to flash into our face, God will take the lifeboat, guide us right across it. He promised He would. David the prophet said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."
659 Lord, we are so happy today, that we was included the heir of the promise. Today we have within us Eternal Life, because we love the Lord Jesus and have believed Him, and accepted His Word and His teaching. And He give to us, as a seal of our faith, the Holy Spirit, the seal of the Holy Spirit. Our faith within us is anchored. And though many times we're walking through dark shadows, many times we're stumbling along the road, but our anchor still holds. There is something in it, way yonder, that seems to be guiding on, saying, "Move on. We're going on."
660God, bless us. We need You. Keep us ever faithful and true until the time You come for us, we'll praise Thee through the ceaseless ages. And that day when we stand on the earth... His blessed feet has never touched the earth yet. There He stands there, in the air; and the saints and redeemed from all ages, through every watch, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, all stand there robed in His righteousness; we crown Him the King of king and the Lord of lords, and sing those redemption stories. Our poor hearts will quiver as we look upon Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. While we were unlovable and sinners, Christ died that we might be saved. We thank Thee for it, Father, in Christ's Name. Amen.
661 You love Him? Oh, how real He is. Don't you just feel like you'd just like to just somehow put your arms around Him? Wouldn't you just love to crawl up and touch His feet, you know?
662You know, there used to be some people come to my services at Phoenix, Arizona, say, "I'd like to talk it over with Him. I'd like to say, 'Lord, You loved me when my path got so dim.'" I'd just love to talk it over with Him before we cross over. I--I want to see Him. I--I--I just want to see Him. To think how I'll feel, how my poor heart will quiver when I see Him standing there.
663 I've often wondered, "I wish I could have heard that Voice say, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and heavy laden. I'll give you rest.'"
664I'll probably never hear that literally like He spoke it then, but I want to hear Him say, "This is the last day. It was well done, my good and faithful servant, now enter into the joys of the Lord that's been prepared for you." Since how long?
665"Since you got saved?" No brother.
666"Since the foundation of the world, when I saw you and foreknew you, and ordained you to Eternal Life," you were blessed then. "All that He has foreknew, He has called." Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] "All He has called, He has justified. Those who He had justified, He has already glorified." There you are. He foreknew us, called us, justified us, and we're already glorified with Him, at the end of the world, going to our reward. Aren't you happy? ["Amen."] Sure. It would make you love Him. When you couldn't help yourself, and here He come and done that for you.
667 Blest Be The Tie That Binds, Sister Gertie. "Our hearts in Christian love," while we have this little fellowship of worship here now, then we're going to pray for the sick. God bless you. You who raised your hands to Christ this morning, find you a place to worship, serve Him.
668Now, let's just worship Him now, as a congregation, all you Methodists, church of God, Assemblies of God, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholic. All together now, let's sing now.
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred mind
Is like to that Above.
Before our Father's throne,
We pour our ardent prayer;
Our fears, our hope, our aims, are one,
Our comfort and our care.
When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in...
How many Methodists, Baptists, and all?
And hope to meet again.
669 Don't that do you good? Let's turn around and shake each other's hand now, while we'll sing it again.
Before...
Shake hands, somebody behind you, front of you, either side.
... throne,
We pour our ardent prayer;
Our comforts and our care.
Now when we asunder part,
We'll love one another.
It gives...
Wish the service would go on? See? That's how we think.
... inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart, in
one,
And hope to meet again.
If no more here, at that great Day we'll meet.
670 Now, Father, receive our worship this morning. Take the Word and plant It into the believers' hearts. May they not be just tossed about, and up today and down tomorrow, but may these Words find their resting place in every believer's heart. To know this, that, "God has sworn by an oath, and there's two immutable things. The immutability of God, that is, that it's impossible for Him to lie, that the heirs of this salvation might have this strong hope, steadfast and sure, an anchor in the soul." To know this, that, "God has promised us, by a sworn oath. One, that He cannot lie; the other, He swore an oath on top of that, that He will raise us up at the last day and give us Eternal Life." Knowing, that, "After we have been called, that He said that He knew us before the foundation of the world, and predestinated us unto adoption of children through Jesus Christ. And He foreknew us. He called us. And when He called us, He justified us." We cannot justify ourselves, so He justified us by the death of His own Son. "Those who He has justified, He has already glorified." The Word is already spoke. And we're just on our road, going along, rejoicing on our way to Glory.
671 Give people faith, and may the little habits and things that's hanging onto the people, may they shake loose from them, this morning, with this Word of God which is an anchor of the soul, steadfast and sure. May they shake away from their habits, their little tempers. And the things that's been... As Paul said, in the further part of the message in a few days, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that does easily beset us, that we might run with patience the race that's set before us; looking to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, Who was tempted in all manner like we are, yet without sinning." He was permitted to be tempted, but He did not heed to temptation. And we are tempted to sin, but never to heed. Because the Life that is within us is the anchor of our Eternal destination, and we hold that sacred to our heart.
672 Now, there's many that Satan has afflicted with afflictions. We're fixing to pray for them, Father. May they, as they pass by under the Word of God today... That precious Word that's been preached, the Bible giving witness, the Angels of God standing near, and the great Holy Spirit, above all, is standing here to give witness to the Word. Now, Father, as they pass under the Word of promise, this morning, may they go from here to be well. To remove their braces, to leave the chairs and--and the cots that they'd lay on, and to just be made well. Grant it, Lord. May they return at the next service that they are permitted to come, or to their own churches, rejoicing, showing what great things Christ has did. This we minister for your glory, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
673 I am to apologize for a promise that I made, that this morning we'd have the 7th chapter, but I didn't get to it. And we have to allow a little time here for--for this, for the prayer line. And now, tonight, the Lord willing, we'll take the 7th chapter, and find out who this Melchisedec was. How many would like to know? Oh, we're just going right down to Him, find out just exactly who He is. And the Scripture tells who He is. See?
674And Scofield said it was "a priesthood." How could it be a priesthood, without beginning or ending? You see, it wasn't a priesthood. It was a Man, Melchisedec (a name), a Person.
675Like, not disregarding, but Christian Science says the Holy Ghost is "a thought." And the Bible said, "He, the Holy Ghost." And He is a personal pronoun. It's a Person; not a thought. It's a Person. Absolutely.
676And Melchisedec is a Man, a Man who had no beginning of days or ending of years. He had neither father or mother, or descent. And we'll find out who He is, the Lord willing, tonight, by the Word. Do you love It? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Oh! "Thy Word is a lamp unto my path and my feet." Oh!
677 Now, you say, "Brother Branham, I don't understand It all." Neither do I.
678But, one time, I was preaching down in Kentucky. And to some of the newcomers, and Catholic and different ones, who may not understand how these deep, rich things of the Scripture. I had been preaching on Divine healing. A little barefooted girl brought... She wasn't fifteen years old, had a little baby, and it had the palsy. I said, "What's the matter, sister, with your baby?"
679Said, "It's got the jerks." She didn't know what to say, palsy. She didn't know what to call it.
680Little thing probably never had a pair of shoes on, in her life. Some man's darling, long hair hanging down. I said, "Do you believe?"
681And those little, steel-gray eyes looked at me. She said, "Yeah, sir. I sure believe."
682I took the little baby. And while I was praying for it, it quit jerking. Uh-huh. And it went out, went out.
683 Next day, I was squirrel hunting, over in the side of a mountain. I heard some man setting there talking, old saw buzzing. And I slipped down. I been squirrel hunting. They was talking about me, setting there, chewing tobacco and spitting. The leaves flying, like that. And they were talking about, now, about the meeting the night before. One of them said, "I seen that baby. I went by there, this morning. It isn't jerking, yet this morning." See? Said, "That was real." And he was spitting.
684And they had rifles leaning against the tree, so I thought I'd better make myself known. You know, they had feuds down there, too. So, I walked up. I said, "Good morning, brethren."
685That great big fellow, seemed to be speaking, he had a chew of tobacco in his mouth, like that, way out on the side like that, and big, long neck. And he had a great big old hat on, pulled down over his face. He looked around and seen me. He reached up and got that hat, jerked it off, went... [Brother Branham swallows--Ed.] Swallowed that chewing tobacco, said, "Good morning, parson." See? Yes, sir. Respect. And that's right. How he ever lived over it, I don't know, but he did.
686 So, the next night, coming back, there was a man there who wanted to argue with me a little bit. He went to a church that didn't believe in Divine healing. So, this was a Methodist church, White Hill, Kentucky. So he--he went to... He was standing outside. He had a lantern in his hand. And he said, "I want to say something, preacher. I just can't accept That, 'cause I can't see It."
687I said, "You can't see It?"
688He said, "No." Said, "I'm a sick man, myself. But," said, "I just can't see It."
I said, "Where do you live?"
He said, "Back over on Big Renox."
I said, "Well, how you going to get home?"
He said, "Well, I'm going to walk home."
I said, "Can you see your home?"
He said, "No, sir."
I said, "Awful dark tonight, it's cloudy."
He said, "Yes."
I said, "How you going home?"
He said, "By this lantern."
I said, "The lantern doesn't show light all the way to the house." I said, "How do you go?"
He said, "Oh, I walk by the lantern."
689I said, "That's it. You've got the light of the lantern now, and every time you step this way, the light will keep showing on ahead of you. If you just keep walking, the light will keep going with you."
690 And you do that this morning, you want Christ, the great High Priest, the Intercessor for your sickness, or your diseases, or your soul. You might not understand It. We don't. But we're commanded to "Walk in the Light as He is in the Light." You make one step in the Light. And when you got the Light with you, the Light will shine unto the perfect day. It'll keep the path before you.
And we'll walk up this grand old highway,
Telling everywhere I go,
I'd rather be an old-time Christian, Lord,
Than anything I know.
Ever hear that old song?
There's nothing like an old-time Christian,
Christian love to show;
We're walking in the grand old highway,
And telling everywhere we go,
I'd rather be an old-time Christian, Lord,
Than anything I know.
691 I just love it. All right. Now we're going to pray for the sick. We're not... We don't claim that we can heal the sick. If we did, we'd be telling something wrong. Every sick person in here is already healed. That's what the Scripture said. "By His stripes we were healed." Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
692Every sinner that's in here, perhaps there'd be one, you've been saved since Jesus died. But don't you never die here where your opportunity was placed before you, to go into His Presence then to try to accept It. It's made for now. Right now you must accept It. If you go beyond the Blood, then you're nothing but... You're already judged, because you're judged by the way that you treated the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. See? You, you judge yourself there.
693 "So He was wounded for our transgressions, and with His stripes we were healed." So, there's nothing I would have, to heal you. There's nothing the church would have, to heal you. The only thing we can pray for is this, that your faith will not fail, that you'll come to the altar this morning to accept Christ as your Healer, as you did for your Saviour. And without any... God works miracles. He shows great sign. Blind, deaf, dumb, everything, are healed right here at the tabernacle. But whether it is or not, we accept It, anyhow. Many times those things are by visions.
694 How many was here about three Sundays ago, or four, when the man come in here, both blind and paralyzed, or sitting in a chair with unbalanced nerve. And before I left home, I saw him in a vision, "That there'd be a man there, dark hair, turning gray. His wife is attractive-looking woman, about sixty years old. She'll come and be crying," and she'll ask me. "And to come back and pray for her husband." He set right there.
695And I come down. I said to some of my brethren here, "Watch this."
696And when we went down to the altar, others had prayed. When I went to pray, I walked right away and come back over here. And his wife rose up and come just exactly the way the Lord had said it would be. People watching, to see if it would happen that way. It never failed. And so when he walked...
697 Come to find out, that a man, Dr. Ackerman, down in Birdseye, Indiana, was the one who sent him up here; who is a Catholic, and his boy is a priest in the monastery there at Saint Meinrad. And Dr. Ackerman is a hunting partner of mine, and he sent the man up here. And the Lord showed me a black-headed man that would send him, but I didn't know who it was.
698I said, "Was that Dr. Ackerman?"
699He said, "It was." See? And then the man...
700I said, "It's THUS SAITH THE LORD." Walked down. I said, "Sir, stand up." Both blind and couldn't... he... The--the balance nerve was gone. He couldn't hold himself up like that. See? Been that way for years, been to Mayos and all around. And just prayed the prayer for him, and raised him up. There he went, walking down through.
701 First he said, "I can't see you." Then he screamed, "Yes. I can." His eyes come open there. He had been orthodox, his wife Presbyterian.
702Some people think that "Presbyterian don't shout, and Orthodox." You ought to heard them. Sure. They were screaming and hugging each other. Come back and got his wheel chair, and walked on out and down the steps, just like any other man, could see and speak and--and so forth.
703Had a letter from him, or called, other day. I believe, Brother Cox went to him. Said, "His eyes had a burning sensation." Certainly. It's the nerve, the optical nerves are growing and coming back to life, you know, and taking its place. The curse was taken off.
704 If you'll let nature have its way, if nothing hinders nature, then it'll--it'll have full sway. If you got a band around your arm, shutting off circulation, your hand will finally die. Now, because, naturally, it'll be all right if you'll just let it alone. But something has interrupted nature. Then, if you can't see it, there's no way for a doctor to catch it. Only two things he can work by: what he can see, what he can feel. That's the only thing he can work by: what he sees and what he feel.
705If he can't see it, then has to be spiritual. Then there's, only thing can, one thing can happen; we pray, Christ moves the curse, sends away the Devil, and that begins to get normal, well. Gets well, and that's all there is to it. "In my name they shall cast out devils." Is that right? It's a promise to the church. It's a promise of power. The what? It, it's His Presence with us. Now, what makes us from being perfect this morning, to do those things just as He did it, is because we're still in the veil. See? But we have some feeling there that tells us, "Oh, yes." See?
706 And when you accept your healing... No matter what the veil says, it's what the Word said. See? That's it. That's it. And the--the--the Word always is predominant over anything. God's Eternal Word!
707Look at Sarah, her womb dead, ninety-years old, lived with her husband since she was about sixteen or seventeen, no children; Abraham, a hundred. God turned right around and give them the baby. See? Because, they believed. They called those things which were not, as though they were. Enter that way this morning, friend.
708 And tonight, we expect... If you all are visiting with us, we're happy to have you here this morning. And God be with you. And if you're in the city for the evening, we'd be happy to have you this evening on the rest of this service, of Melchisedec. And then if you're not, and you have a church of your own, you go to your own church. That's--that's your post of duty. If you belong to a church, you go there. This is just a little tabernacle where we gather in here and have fellowship one with another. Now, the Lord bless you.
709 And Sister Gertie will play for us, The Great Physician Now Is Near. And is there any here to be prayed for? Raise your hand, those who wants to come in the prayer line, to put your faith to Christ. All right. If you'll line up on this side of the church, if you will. And if they'll pull the seat down just a little bit, brother, if you will, so that we can get a little room in there and can bring the folks through. Come over on this side.
710And we're going to pray now, while we sing. And I'm going to ask the elders here, of any denomination or church, regardless of what it is, if you believe in Divine healing, would you stand here with me on this platform, to pray for the sick? We'll be glad to have you. Any denomination, or no denomination, or whatever you are, we'll be glad to have you. Would you just come now, for prayer, come up and stand with me.
Brother Neville, if you'll come with the oil.
504 Dobré ráno priatelia, je to privilégium, že tu môžem byť. A ... Vyplniť tieto nádherné slová, ktoré povedal náš pastor na úvod, na to treba naozaj skutočný život, či nie? A tak chválime nášho Pána za všetky jeho veľké uzdravovacie moci a za jeho milosrdenstvá, ktoré nám dal za tie roky.
505 Chcem povedať niekoľko oznámení. Jedno je, že my, brat Wood a brat Roberson a ... chceme vám všetkým poďakovať, že ste sa za nás modlili, aby sme mali bezpečnú cestu. Mali sme ohromný čas. Myslím, že sme tam boli na štyri a pol dňa a znovu sme sa bezpečne vrátili. Pán nás požehnal.
506Oznamujeme, že brat Graham Sneling, že jeho evanjelizácia ďalej pokračuje, hore na konci Brigham Avenue, tu v meste. A teraz v stredu večer ... (Zajtra večer chcem ísť na jedno zhromaždenie po pohrebe, oznámim to za chvíľu). Oznámime to v stredu večer, chcem ísť všetci tam hore ako delegácia a navštíviť brata Grahama skôr ako zakončí svoje zhromaždenia. A budeme sa snažiť ak sa nám bude dať zhromaždiť tam celý zbor a ísť tam ako delegácia, aby sme tam boli s bratom Grahamom na jednom jeho zhromaždení.
507A teraz, dnes popoludní je na pohrebnom ústave v Charlestown pani Colvinová, ktorá sem chodievala pred mnohými rokmi, sedemdesiat štyri ročná, opustila včera tento život a odišla aby bola s Pánom Ježišom. A na jej pohrebe má kázať v pondelok reverend pán McKinny, on bol ... býval pastorom metodistickej cirkvi v Port Fulton za mnoho rokov, bol ich osobným priateľom. A ja mu mám asistovať, v pondelok ... myslím že je to o pol druhej v kaplnke, v Charlestowne, v Indiáne. A vy všetci, ktorí sa priatelíte s Colvinovcami ... viem, že budú radi, keď ich trochu povzbudíte a potrasiete si s nimi ruky. Lebo všetci vieme čo toto je, ktorí sme sami prechádzali cez takéto (cez tie údolia) a viem čo to znamená stratiť priateľa. A tak ... Ona leží teraz v kaplnke, v Charlestowne, v Indiáne. Ak tam pôjdete v to popoludnie som si istý, že Colvinovci si to budú ceniť. Mnohí od nich chodia ešte sem do zhromaždenia. Ja som sobášil, pochovával, krstil skoro celú ich rodinu. A tak pán Grayson, ktorý býval hneď tu naším susedom pracuje teraz tam na pohrebnej službe.
508A potom, toto dnes, ak Pán dá, tam kde dnes ráno skončíme, tam sa budeme snažiť dnes večer pokračovať v tomto veľkom štúdiu, ktoré teraz preberáme. A myslím pokiaľ si pamätám, že to boli tie oznámenia. A teraz na túto budúcu stredu večer, oznámime to večer, že ideme tam hore ku bratovi Grahamovi.
509Vítame v našich bránach všetkých neznámych a sme radi, že vás tu dnes ráno máme a modlíme sa, aby vás Boh dnes nadmieru, bohato požehnal za to, že ste sem prišli.
510Brat Cox mi práve povedal, že verejné ozvučenie teraz dobre nefungovalo. To je možno od počasia, v reproduktoroch je veľká vlhkosť. A oni hneď od začiatku veľmi dobre nefungovali, tak to môže byť preto.
511Keď tu vidím sedieť sestru, ktorú poznám, sestru Arganbraightovú, chcel by som ... Nie je to pekne a podľa etikety, pýtať sa toto ale počula si niečo o bratovi Arganbrightovi odvtedy ako odcestoval. Veľmi by som sa chcel s ním porozprávať len čo to bude možné. On je vo Švajčiarsku a v Nemecku na zhromaždeniach s bratom Tommy Hicksom a Paulom Cainom. Sestra Ruth, keď sa dopočuješ ako sa majú daj mi vedieť, hneď len čo sa ti bude dať.
512No, v tejto malej modlitebni nemáme žiadne členstvo ale máme obecenstvo. Nemáme žiadne vyznanie okrem Krista, žiadny zákon okrem lásky, žiadnu knihu okrem Biblii. To je jediná kniha, o ktorej vieme a jediná vec, ktorú poznáme. Keď máme ... keď nás krv Ježiša Krista očisťuje od všetkých hriechov máme všetci obecenstvo jeden s druhým, všetci.
513Zmienil som sa dnes ráno niektorým z vás, možno ste počuli toho brata, ktorý sa modlil, on bol katolík. Tak ... alebo, predtým bol katolík a sem ku nám chodia všetci rôzni ľudia. Práve pred chvíľou som mal príležitosť potriasť si ruky s bratom od menonitov, ktorý tu sedí. A od menonitov, od metodistov, baptistov a od katolíkov, ktokoľvek nech sem chodia. A máme spolu obecenstvo okolo požehnaní Božieho Slova. Je tu svedok Jehovov a rôzni ľudia, vidíme rôzne denominácie.
514Miloval som západ a stále milujem. Milujem kone a dobytok. Vyrastal som na farme a milujem to. A zvykli sme zháňať dobytok a ja som s nimi pracoval a mali sme ohradu, do ktorej sme ho zháňali. Neviem či vy, ktorí ste z východu viete čo je to ohrada na zháňanie dobytka. To je vtedy keď dávate dobytok do lesa, oni majú ohradu aby sa nerozutekal (ako to nazývajú), aby neprišli naspäť na farmu. Oni by požrali tam tú trávu, kde ju pestujú na zimné kŕmenie. A potom, hore v horách, oni tiež majú ohrady, kde oddeľujú jalovice od býkov a tak ďalej, nazývajú to ohrady proti rozbiehaniu. Ale tá hlavná ohrada, cez ktorú prechádza ten dobytok je tam, kde stojí ten správca.
515A tak, veľa dní som strávil v sedle a dával som na nich pozor, ako ten dobytok tam prechádzal. Vchádzali tam všetky rôzne značky. Niektoré sa nazývali Diamant a niektoré Mreža X a niektoré ... Naša značka bola Trojnožka, niečo ako skautský znak. Ten ďalší farmár poniže mal stopu moriaka na kozlíku. A všetci mali rôzne značky aby poznali svoj dobytok, keď ho vyháňali von.
516No, toho správcu nezaujímalo akú oni mali značku ale to, čo jeho zaujímalo a čo si všímal bola visačka v ich ušiach. Všetko čo tam vošlo, bez ohľadu na to akú malo značku, musel to byť čistokrvný Hereford. Nemohol by tam vojsť ak by to nebol Hereford; musel to byť registrovaný rod inak tam nemohol prejsť.
517Myslím na ten deň keď Pán príde, On si nebude všímať akú značku nosíme, ale či sme všetci znovuzrodení kresťania. Je to tak. To je Kristov rod. Krvná skúška nás overí; všetci sme kresťania. A ak takto tam budeme, môžeme tu tiež tak byť. Nemyslíte? To je ten spôsob, ceníme si všetko obecenstvo zo všetkých rôznych cirkví.
518Študujeme teraz tento požehnaný List Židom. Jeden brat je tak z toho potešený, že zobral tie pásky a z tých lekcií o tomto a robí knihu.
519 No zakrátko sa dostaneme do tej 11. kapitoly. Predpokladáme že strávime pri tom zimu, pri tej 11. kapitole. Lebo každá jedna z tých postáv, prajeme si ísť naspäť cez Bibliu a zviazať dokopy celé Písmo. Chystal som sa to robiť ... Robím to po častiach, v niektorých týchto predchádzajúcich kapitolách, aby sme mali pospájanú spolu celú Knihu. Lebo viete, Písmo musí potvrdzovať Písmo.
520Preto ak je nejaký rozpor, čo by si niekto myslel, že Písmo si protirečí, to je omyl. Žiadne Písmo neprotirečí inému Písmu. Ten rozpor je tam, kde to možno prichádza do rozporu s tým, ako sa my na to miesto Písma dívame, ale ono samo si neprotirečí. Som v službe teraz už 26 rokov a ani raz som nenatrafil na jedinú vec v Biblii, ktorá by niečomu protirečila, čo je v Biblii napísané, a proste viem, že tam nie je nič také.
521A dnes študujeme jednu z najpožehnanejších kapitol Listu Židom, 7. kapitolu. A je niekto kto nemá Bibliu? Chcete čítať spolu s nami? Radi vám prinesieme Bibliu ak len zodvihnete ruku. Poprosím niekoho zo starších ... kto sem príde a zoberie nejaké ... Niektorí tam zodvihli ruky a ... Ďakujem brat. Ak chcete Bibliu, len zodvihnite ruku a oni vám ju prinesú.
522No, jediný spôsob ako môže byť postavená cirkev, jediný spôsob ako človek môže mať vieru, nie je skrze jeho denomináciu, nie skrze jeho pričlenenie; ale jeho viera odpočíva, nie na teológii nejakých ľudských predstáv, pretože to všetko spolu je viac alebo menej ľudské ... Ale jediný spôsob, kde viera môže nájsť svoje velebné miesto odpočinku je na nepohnuteľnom a nemennom Slove Božom. „Viera prichádza z počutia, počutia Slova.“ Tak sa to deje. A keď viera počula a prijala je to naveky vybavená vec. Nič to už viac nemôže pohnúť, nezáleží na tom čo prichádza alebo čo sa deje. Nič viac nemôže zmeniť tú vieru. Pamätajte na to. Ste zakotvení a viac sa nemeníte pre časnosť ani večnosť. Ste navždy zakotvení. Lebo Boh skrze jednu Obeť zdokonalil navždy tých ktorí sú posvätení alebo povolaní.
523A viera má také veľké miesto v tom kresťanovi, v živote veriaceho, že dokáže obstáť pri temnom hrobe, alebo nad truhlou, kde drahé dieťa alebo niekto milý prešiel z tohoto života tam a s vážnym pohľadom orlích očí môže hľadieť na Neho, ktorý povedal: „Ja som Vzkriesenie a Život.“ A oni zabúdajú na veci, ktoré pominuli a ženú sa za cieľom horného povolania.
524Som tak rád, že to Boh tak pripravil, a dal to zadarmo ako dar všetkým. To je to, čo má byť cirkev. Cirkvi neoznačuje denominácie alebo organizácie, to označuje skupinu ľudí, veriacich, ktorí sa schádzajú spolu v obecenstve Slova.
525A tu v tomto vynikajúcom učení svätého Pavla, v tom podklade v tých predchádzajúcich kapitolách sa zvlášť zaoberal zvrchovaným Božstvom Pána Ježiša a tým, kto On bol. Kristus bol Boh v takej forme, že človek ho mohol cítiť a dotýkať sa ho a mať s ním obecenstvo. Kristus, Pán Ježiš bol telom v ktorom prebýval Boh: „Boh sa stal telom a prebýval medzi nami.“ 1. Timotejovi 3:16 „A vyznane veľké je tajomstvo pobožnosti, Boh bol zjavený v tele.“
526Ten veľký Jehova prišiel dole a stal sa hmatateľný, tým že žil v tele svojho vlastného Syna, vyjadroval sa a zmieroval svet so Sebou. Kristus nebol ničím menším ako Boh a Boh nie je ničím menším ako Kristus. Tí dvaja spolu tvorili Božstvo telesne, učinený čosi málo menší od anjelov aby mohol trpieť. Anjeli nemôžu trpieť. Ježiš bol Chrámom, v ktorom prebýval Boh.
527Biblia hovorí v 7. kapitole Skutkov Apoštolských, že chrámy a zápalné ... „Obete a zápalné obete si nechcel ale telo si mi ustrojil. Lebo najvyšší nebýva v chrámoch učinených rukou ale telo si mi pripravil.“ Tak v stánení alebo v prebývaní v obecenstve s ľuďmi ...
528Ak Boh dovolí, len čo preberieme túto kapitolu, alebo tento list, chceme ísť naspäť a zobrať knihu Ruth a ukázať tam, ako sa Boh stal naším príbuzným aby zmieril to stratené naspäť so Sebou, tým, že mal s nami obecenstvo a stal sa jedným z nás. Vykupiteľ musí byť príbuzný. A jediný spôsob ako sa Boh mohol stať naším príbuzným, je že sa stal jedným z nás. Tak On sa nemohol stať Anjelom a byť príbuzný človeku.
529Minulý večer, keď som hovoril so synom, ktorý mal boľavé srdce, so svojím spoločníkom, ohľadne matky, ktorá práve odišla, povedal: „Ó brat Bill, teraz je z nej hádam anjel.“
530 Povedal som: „Nie Earl, ona nebude nikdy anjelom. Ona je dnes ženou, práve tak ako ju Boh stvoril, a stále taká bude, nikdy anjel.“ Boh stvoril anjelov. On nikdy nespravil človeka, aby sa stal anjelom. On stvoril anjelov a ľudí. Tak človek nikdy nebude anjelom a anjel nikdy nebude človekom. Boh ich stvoril rozdielnych.
531No, a v Kristovi sa stáva telom aby nás vykúpil z tej veľkej diaľky na druhej strane kde človek upadol a tá nesmrteľnosť skrze hriech upadla, Boh prišiel dole a zobral na seba formu alebo podobu človeka a stal sa naším príbuzným, aby mohol niesť naše hriechy a našu smrť.
532A v jednej z ilustrácií, ktorú sme ukazovali v predchádzajúcich lekciách ... (Trošku to zopakujeme ak je tu niekto nový aby porozumel.) Boh, na svojej ceste na Golgotu, keď osteň smrti bol na ňom a bzučal okolo neho a nakoniec ho uštipol až On zomrel ... On tak zomrel, že až slnko prestalo svietiť. On zomrel, že až mesiac a hviezdy nedali svojho svetla. Lebo mal ... On to musel urobiť, aby zakotvil osteň smrti. Keby On bol nesmrteľnou osobou, keby bol v teofánii, alebo v Duchu, nad tým by smrť nemohla zavládnuť. To sa muselo stať telom, aby mohol vziať osteň smrti.
533Ale keď včela alebo iný bodavý hmyz raz bodne, už nebude mať viac žihadlo. Ona nechá svoje žihadlo v tom tele. A to je to, Boh sa stal Kristom, prebýval v tele, tak že vo svojom vlastnom tele mohol zadržať to žihadlo smrti. A keď sa smrť odtiahla od neho na kríži, zanechala svoje žihadlo, už viac nemôže uštipnúť veriaceho. Môže bzučať, môže robiť bzukot a vyhrážať sa, ale nemôže uštipnúť. Nemá žihadlo.
534Ten veľký svätý Pavel, keď kráčal na smrť zvolal a riekol: „Ó smrť, kde je tvoj osteň a hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dal víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista,“ lebo oboje smrť aj peklo stratili svoju moc.
535No ... Potom, minulú nedeľu sme brali: „Zanechajúc počiatky učenia o Kristu,“ v 6. kapitole sme čítali toto: „nesme sa k dokonalosti.“ A našli sme, že dnes ľudia v mnohých cirkvách, spolu s Branhamovou modlitebňou a rôzne ďalšie, kladieme príliš veľa na študovanie počiatkov učenia o Kristovi. On bol Syn Abrahámov; On bol Syn toho a toho a znovu do rodokmeňov. Ale Biblia povedala: Dajme nabok tieto veci a poďme do dokonalosti.“
536Prv musíte poznať učenie a potom musíte vedieť všetky tieto veci; potom ich odložme nabok, povedal, vzkriesenie mŕtvych, vskladanie rúk, krsty a všetky tie mŕtve Božie články. Oni aj tak nemajú v sebe Život ... Ale cirkev ide dnes len do tých vecí. „Ó, my veríme v Božstvo Krista. Áno, samozrejme. Veríme vo vodný krst. Áno, samozrejme. Vskladanie rúk ...
537Pavel povedal: „Všetko toto urobíme, keď Boh dovolí. Ale pri všetkom tomto, položme to teraz nabok a poďme do dokonalosti.“
538No, cirkev nemôže prísť do dokonalosti skrze organizácie. To po celý čas odchádza ďalej od Boha, alebo ďalej jeden od druhého. My kladieme prekážky, oddeľujeme sa, zdá sa že nemáme vieru. Ale potom, keď opustíme tieto počiatky náuky, ak ideme ďalej do dokonalosti, potom sa tie malé veci tak veľmi nepoužívajú.
539Ideme do súvislosti a nachádzame, že jediný spôsob ako môžeme byť dokonalí je byť v Kristovi. A potom nachádzame, z toho čo učí Biblia, že ... ako sa dostaneme do Krista. Nie skrze vodný krst, nie skrze položenie rúk, nie skrze učenie, „ale skrze jedného Ducha sme všetci pokrstení do jedného Tela a stávame sa dokonalí skrze Jeho utrpenie.“ Potom sa inak dívame, inak rozmýšľame, inak sa správame, inak žijeme. Nie preto, že je to povinnosť alebo že patríme do cirkvi, ale preto, že „láska Božia je rozliata v našich srdciach skrze Ducha Svätého“, to nás robí spoluobyvateľmi Kráľovstva Božieho, potom v tom nie je žiadna denominácia ani žiadne prekážky. Všetci sme jedným veľkým Telom.
540Teraz sme pripravení vojsť za chvíľu do dnešnej raňajšej lekcii. Ešte jedna vec, ktorú by som tu chcel povedať a to, že Pavel, keď hovorí v knihe, v 7. kapitole ... alebo v 6. kapitole, nachádzame tu, že v Kristovi sme sa stali dokonalí. Potom v 13. verši 6. kapitole, položíme len trochu podklad:
Lebo keď Boh dával Abrahámovi zasľúbenie, keďže nemal na koho iného väčšieho prisahať, prisahal sám na seba,
Boh prisahal sám na seba, pretože nemohol prisahať na nikoho väčšieho.
541No, chceme ísť naspäť, poďme na chvíľu do listu Galaťanom a zoberme Galaťanom 3:16. A budeme tu chvíľu čítať, o tom na čo On prisahal.
A zasľúbenia boli povedané Abrahámovi a jeho semenu. Nehovorí: I semenám, ako keby ich bolo mnoho, ale hovorí ako o jednom: I tvojmu semenu, ktorým je Kristus.
542No ak si všimnete, keď to pozorne čítate, teraz ako čítate:
... Abrahámovi a jeho semenu
(jednotné číslo)boli dané zasľúbenia
(množné číslo). (Abrahámovi a jeho Semenu) ...543No, Semeno Abrahámove bolo jedno, ktorým bol Kristus, popredku znázornený v Izákovi. Ale Abrahám mal mnoho detí. Jedného mal pred tým ako mal Izáka, čo ukazovalo, že sa tam vkĺzla Sárina nevera, ktorá chcela aby Hagar priniesla to dieťa, myslela si že je už príliš stará a že Boh to obíde a spraví nejakú inú cestu, nie tak ako to On zasľúbil urobiť.
544Ale Boh dodržuje svoje zasľúbenie! Bez ohľadu na to ako nerozumne to môže vyzerať, Boh je zaviazaný voči svojmu zasľúbeniu. A Sára si myslela, že možno by mohla dať Hagar, svoju slúžku, aby porodila to dieťa od Abraháma, a že ona si ho vezme. A to prinieslo Izmaela, ktorý bol tŕňom v tele odvtedy až doteraz. Stále tŕňom v tele, pretože z tade pochádzajú Arabi a oni sú stále takí.
545No, stále keď neveríte holému Božiemu Slovu a prijímate niečo iné, to bude potom ďalej tŕňom vo vašom tele. Berte len to, čo povedal Boh! Keď to On povedal, to je to čo On tým myslel. Nech je požehnané Jeho Meno. Berte len Jeho Slovo!
546Bez ohľadu na to čo sa snaží prejsť popri tom, ľudia hovoria: „Dobre, to v skutočnosti neznamená to.“ To znamená presne to, čo Ono hovorí, keď Boh dáva zasľúbenie.
547Ak si teraz dobre všimneme:
... zasľúbenia boli povedané Abrahámovi a jeho semenu ..
To Semeno bolo jedno, jednotné číslo a to ďalšie boli zasľúbenia. Je viac, ako jedno zasľúbenie a viac než jedna osoba, ktorí sú zahrnutí do Semena Abrahámovho. Vidíte? Je jedno Semeno ale mnoho ľudí tohoto Semena. Vidíte? Oni neboli len Abrahám sám, alebo sám Izák, ale ... to bolo pre všetko semeno Abraháma. Tie zasľúbenia boli dané každému individuálnemu semenu toho Semena. Rozumiete tomu?
548A tak my, súc mŕtvi v Kristovi, podľa Písma berieme na seba Semeno Abrahámove a sme dedičmi podľa toho zasľúbenia, nie tým že sa pripojíme do cirkvi, alebo že budeme zachovávať mŕtve články alebo niečo také. Ale tým, že sme sa narodili z Ducha Kristovho, sme semenom Abrahámovým a sme spoludedičmi s Ním v Kráľovstve.
549Potom, ideme potom čítať ďalej, ešte teraz trochu ďalej, Boh prisahá. V 17. verši tej 6. kapitoly.
A preto, že Boh chcel zvrchovane ...Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom zasľúbenia nezmeniteľnosť svojej rady, vložil do toho prísahu,
550Ó, oddýchnime si teraz na chvíľu: „Boh chcel zvrchovane!“ Nie žeby On musel, ale aby to urobil istou vecou.
551No, my sme už našli, že Boh sa stal telom, prebýval medzi nami, ako sa On manifestoval pred svetom. Keď našiel ženu v cudzoložstve, povedal: „Ja ťa neodsudzujem, choď a nehreš viacej.“ Keď našiel nemocného, On sa správal presne tak, ako sa mal správať, pretože On bol Boh a uzdravil nemocného. Vzkriesil mŕtveho. Odpúšťal hriechy, bez ohľadu na to aký veľký alebo koľko ich bolo alebo ako odpadli. On im jednako odpustil, ak oni boli ochotní prísť a požiadať.
552Všimnite si teraz! Keď Boh raz niekoho prijal za nejakých okolností a ak znovu povstanú tie isté okolnosti, On musí postupovať druhý krát tak, ako to robil prvý krát, inak by bol nespravodlivý. Rozumiete? Bez ohľadu na to, ako hlboko ste v hriechu, ako veľmi ste poklesli, On musí jednať s vami, ako jednal s tou upadnutou ženou, inak by vtedy bol postupoval nesprávne.
553Božie správanie to je Jeho Osoba a aký je vo Svojom správaní, to vyjadruje Jeho Osobu. A tak je to s vami, ako sa v živote správate, to hovorí čím ste. Ako sme to mali a preberali sme to, jednu alebo dve lekcie pred týmto, Metodisti chceli povedať, že keď kričíte, tak To máte, Letniční hovorili: „keď hovoríte v jazykoch, máte To.“ Shakery hovorili: „Keď sa trasiete, vtedy To máte.“ Pennsylvánsky Shakery. A my nachádzame, že oni sa všetci mýlia. Váš život To vyjadruje! Vaša osoba vyjadruje čím ste. Človeka poznať podľa jeho skutkov. A taký aký je váš život ...
554Počuli ste to staré porekadlo: „Tvoj život hovorí tak hlasno, že nemôžem počuť tvoje slová.“ Tak čokoľvek ste, to ste. Život, ktorý žijete ukazuje, aký druh ducha je vo vás.
555A potom môžete napodobňovať zlú vec ... alebo, napodobňovať tú správnu vec, teraz hovorím. Môžete napodobňovať kresťana, ale neskoršie príde čas, keď nastane to napnutie, to potom ukáže čo ste. Reťaz je taká mocná, ako jej najslabšie ohnivo.
556Keď Kristus Syn Boží bol daný do skúšky, to ukázalo čo On bol. Skutočne! Keď ste vy privedení do skúšky, to dokáže čo ste. Váš život stále odzrkadľuje, čo je vo vnútri vo vás. Neskoršie ... ale buďte si istí, že vás vaše hriechy nenájdu. A to je to, čo sa snažíme povedať.
557Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 5:24: „Ten kto čuje ... (nie ten, kto sa trasie, nie ten kto hovorí, nie ten ...) „Kto čuje moje slovo a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do života.“
558To je vaša viera. A vaša viera, vyznaná cez vaše ústa, manifestuje ľuďom, ktorí môžu počuť, ale váš život je otvorený pred všetkými. Tak, nezáleží na tom, ako veľmi sa snažíte konať toto a robiť tamto, to nebude nikdy fungovať, to musí byť vo vás. To je skutočné jadro celej tej veci. Vaša osobná viera vo vzkrieseného Krista, ako vášho Spasiteľa; že On je po pravici Božej pôsobí dnes ráno na vašom mieste, ako vy pôsobíte na Jeho mieste tu dole ako svedok. Svedok má pôsobiť namiesto niekoho, stáť za vás ako svedok. A ako váš život tu odzrkadľuje aké je vaše svedectvo v Kristovi, to odzrkadľuje tam a to odzrkadľuje tu. A On je tam hore; ako to čo On pre vás je, odzrkadľuje oboje, tam aj tu. Tak ste ... Skrze svoju vieru ste spasení a jedine tak. Tak, senzácie, emócie, pocity, čokoľvek v tom nehrá vôbec žiadnu roľu.
559No, ja nie som ... toto ... No nemyslite to zle, že ja neverím v emócie. Samozrejme! Ale o čom teraz hovoríme, snažíme sa vydrezírovať týchto ľudí v tomto čase, že to nie sú emócie. Diabol zobral tieto veci a pobláznil ľudí, pôsobí aby svoje večné miesto určenia zakladali na nejakej emócii. Na vykrikovaní, na hovorení v jazykoch, na tom, že každú nedeľu chodia do zboru, že sa správajú ako kresťan, to v ten deň vôbec neobstojí! „Jedine znovuzrodený človek.“ A váš život odzrkadľuje to čo ste vo vnútri. Vidíte? Nie vaše emócie.
560Môžete mať na rukách krv, môžete hovoriť v jazykoch, môžete uzdravovať chorých, môžete vierou hory prenášať a ešte pritom nič nie ste! 1. Korinťanom 13. Vidíte? To musí byť niečo, čo sa stalo skrze narodenie, ktoré pochádza od Boha a Boh prináša do vás nové narodenie a dáva vám časť Seba Samého. Potom sú tieto veci! Ste novým stvorením. „Dám do nich Večnosť.“
561Preberali sme slovo Večný. Naveky, to je časová doba. Večnosť to je naveky, naveky a naveky, ale je len jedna Večnosť. a nachádzame, že prijímate Večný Život a to slovo v Gréčtine je Zoe, čo znamená „Boží Život.“ A prijímate časť Božieho Života, a to vás robí duchovným synom Božím a ste práve tak veční, ako je Boh večný. Nemáte koniec, žiadne miesto skončenia, pretože ste nemali miesto začiatku. Všetko, čo má začiatok má koniec a to, čo nemá začiatok nemá koniec.
562Ako milujeme to vzácne Slovo! Ako majú byť kresťania založení vo viere, ktorá raz bola darovaná svätým a nie byť zmietaní sem a tam, z miesta na miesto a pripájať sa do rôznych cirkví. To je v poriadku ak chcete patriť do ktorejkoľvek cirkvi pokiaľ ste kresťan; ale prv dajte do poriadku tú prvú vec, ktorou je to narodenie, ktoré vás robí príbuzným s Bohom, ako Boh sa stal príbuzný s vami.
563On sa stal príbuzný aby ťa mohol zodvihnúť. Prv ako ťa mohol zodvihnúť, musí ti dať Večný Život. Potom Boh sa musel stať príbuzným aby zobral smrť, aby ťa zodvihol. Potom vy sa musíte stať príbuznými s Ním, aby ste mohli ísť do vzkriesenia. Vidíte čo to je? To je proste výmena. Boh sa stal vami, aby ste vy mohli stať Bohom. Vidíte? Boh sa stal časťou vás (telom), aby ste sa vy z jeho milosti mohli stať časťou Neho (to je všetko), aby ste mali Večný Život. To je proste nádherný obraz! Ó milujeme to!
564A teraz:
... Boh chcel zvrchovane
... (Nemusel, ale On chcel)565Ja sa z toho tak teším (vy tiež?), že náš Boh chcel. Pozrite sa, čo ak On - čo ak by On nebol zhovievajúci? Čo je ovocie Ducha? Láska, radosť, viera, pokoj, zhovievavosť. To je časť Boha, ktorá je vo vás. A môže ... Znášanlivosť, znášajte bremená jedni druhých. Odpúšťajte jeden druhému, ako Boh kvôli Kristovi odpustil vám. Duch Boží vo vás robí, že sa takto správate. A potom, keď Boh bol tu na zemi a stal sa vami, stal sa hriechom, aby sňal váš hriech, zniesol to za vás a zaplatil vašu pokutu za to. Boh je zhovievajúci, znášajúci naše bremená.
566A potom, On je dobrý Boh. Ak chcete aby ... určité veci svojím spôsobom, viete, že Boh je natoľko dobrý aby to urobil. On je rád, keď vás môže urobiť šťastnými. On chce ... On je láska a jeho veľká láska Ho núti dokonca zostúpiť niekedy dole, aby vám dovolil mať veci, ktoré chcete.
567Pozrite sa na Tomáša, po zmŕtvychvstaní. Tomáš neveril. Ó, on má dnes veľa detí. Ale Tomáš povedal: „Nie! Nie!Ja budem musieť mať nejaký dôkaz. Ja budem musieť položiť svoju ruku do Jeho boku a do Jeho ... moje prsty tu do Jeho rúk, prv ako Tomu uverím. Nestarám sa o to čo vy hovoríte.“ Vidíte on hneď vtedy bol úplne pomimo poriadku Písma. Vy tomu máte veriť! Tak on povedal: „Ja musím mať nejaký dôkaz, ktorý to potvrdí.“
568A Ježiš sa zjavil, On je dobrý: „Poď? Tomáš, keď toto je to čo chceš, dobre, tu to máš. Môžeš to mať.“
569Takíto sme. Hovoríme: „Pane, ja musím hovoriť v jazykoch. Ja musím kričať. Ja musím ...“
570„Ó, len do toho, Ja spôsobím aby ste to mali.“ On je dobrý.
571Tak, on strčil svoje prsty do jeho boku a potom povedal: „Ó, to je môj Pán a môj Boh.“
572On povedal: „No, Tomáš, ty veríš odkedy si videl. Ale, o čo väčšia je odplata tých, ktorí nemali dôkaz a jednako Tomu veria!“ Tu to máte. Tam sa musíte dostať. „O čo väčšia je odplata tých, ktorí nič nevideli ale jednako Tomu veria!“ To je skutok viery, že to prijímame.
573No, Ja verím, že znamenia nasledujú veriacich, ale dajme na prvé miesto tie prvé veci. Môžete mať znamenia bez tohoto. Pavel povedal, že môžete. On povedal: „Mohol by som hovoriť ľudskými jazykmi aj anjelským, ničím nie som. Môžem svojou vierou vrchy prenášať, ničím nie som. Mohol by som rozumieť Bibliu, takým spôsobom, že by som mohol poznať všetky tajomstvá Božie, ničím nie som.“ Vidíte? To sú dary Ducha Svätého, bez Ducha Svätého.
574Duch Svätý je Boh a Boh je Láska, Radosť, Pokoj, Zhovievavosť, Krotkosť, Trpezlivosť. To je Duch Boží. To je to čo Boh pozdvihuje v poslednom čase, skrze toho Ducha.
575No:
... Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom zasľúbenia ...
Boh chcel zvrchovane ukázať dedičom ... Kto sú tí dediči? „My, súc mŕtvi v Kristovi berieme na seba Semeno Abraháma a sme dedičmi.“ Ó, preniká to do vás? My sme dedičmi Kráľovstva Božieho skrze odprisahané zasľúbenie! Boh nemusel prisahať, jeho Slovo je dokonalé. Ale On prisahal, tiež, na Seba samého, lebo nie je nikoho väčšieho.
576Keď čítame ďalej, ešte chvíľu, počúvajte:
... zasľúbenia nezmeniteľnosť svojej rady, potvrdil to prísahou ...
(nezmeniteľnosť, nemennosť)577Boh sa nemôže meniť, On musí zostať taký istý. A ak Boh uzdravil jednu chorú osobu, On nikdy nemôže zmeniť svoj postoj. Ak Boh odpustil jednému hriešnikovi, jednej prostitútke, On nikdy nemôže zmeniť svoj postoj. Nezmeniteľnosť, nemeniteľné Božie Slovo. Ak Boh na jednom mieste povedal „Ja som Pán, ktorý uzdravujem všetky tvoje nemoci,“ On musí pri tom stáť; lebo On je nekonečný, On poznal koniec pred začiatkom.
578No, ja môžem povedať: „Urobím toto“ a Biblia hovorí, že máme vravieť: „Ak Pán bude chcieť“ Pretože ja som smrteľný, ja neviem. Ja niekedy musím odvolať svoje slovo, ale Boh nemôže odvolať svoje. On je Boh!
579A On požaduje len jedno: „Keď môžete veriť!“ Ó. „Ak môžete veriť, všetko je možné! Ak môžete veriť.“ To je všetko čo vy ... Ak vy môžete! To je tá otázka. Ale nie otázka voči Božiemu Slovu, pretože On je nemenný, On sa nemôže meniť. Aké úžasné!
580Počúvajte teraz, čítame ďalej:
Aby sme dvoma nezmeniteľnými vecmi, v ktorých je nemožné Bohu oklamať, …
(Nemožné, nemožnosť a nezmeniteľnosť to je v podstate to isté slovo: nemôže sa zmeniť, nemôže sa pohnúť, To musí zostať naveky to isté. Nemôže to byť zmenené: nezmeniteľnosť a nemožnosť)
A dvoma nemeniteľnými vecmi, v ktorých je nemožné Bohu oklamať ...
„Máme dve veci?“ Áno! Prvá, Jeho Slovo povedalo, že On to urobí. Druhá bola Jeho prísaha, keď to odprisahal, že to urobí.
581Ó! Akým druhom ľudí máme byť? Prečo by sme mali byť zmietaní sem a tam a behať okolo a prijímať veci sveta a správať sa ako tento prúdový model kresťanstva roku 1957? My chceme byť tým starodávnym typom, ktorý bral Boha za jeho Slovo a nazýval tie veci, ktoré neboli akoby boli, „Keď Boh tak povedal, Tým je to vybavené!“
582Abrahám, ktorému boli dané zasľúbenia, jemu a jeho Semenu, on nazýval tie veci, ktoré neboli, ako keby boli. Lebo to bolo Božie zasľúbenie, vedel že Boh nemôže klamať. On mu to zasľúbil a on Tomu veril. A ako roky prechádzali a zdalo sa že to zasľúbenie sa stáva vzdialenejšie pre to prirodzené oko, Ono bolo čoraz bližšie Abraháma.
583Namiesto toho aby slabol a hovoril: „No, možno nie je niečo také ako Božské uzdravovanie. Možno som sa zmýlil. Možno také niečo neexistuje. Možno som to všetko zle rozumel.“ To potom ukazuje jednu vec, že ste sa neznovuzrodili.
584„Lebo je ...“ Prebrali sme to minulú nedeľu, len trochu dozadu v tej kapitole, „Lebo je nemožné, aby človek, ktorý už raz ochutnal tie nebeské dary a tie veci, keby odpadol aby sa znovu obnovil ku pokániu“ (absolútne, úplne nemožné). Lebo ten kto sa z Boha narodil nehreší a nemôže hrešiť. Lebo Semeno Božie zostáva v ňom a on nemôže hrešiť.“ Semeno Božie je Slovo Božie. „Viera prichádza z počutia, z počutia Slova. Obeť bola prinesená, všetko pominulo!“
585No, ak robíte zle, Boh spraví, že budete za to platiť. Ale ak robíte zle, nerobíte to dobrovoľne. Zdá sa mi, že je to 10. kapitola 47. verš: Lebo keď dobrovoľne hrešíme po prijatí známosti pravdy.“ Ale potom, keď ste sa raz narodili, máte Pravdu; nie poznanie Pravdy; ale ste prijali Pravdu a To sa stalo skutočnosťou a ste dieťaťom Božím na časnosť aj Večnosť. Boh prisahal, že On to urobí!
586Ježiš povedal: „Ten kto čuje moje Slová a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a ja ho vzkriesim v posledný deň; nepríde na súd, prešiel zo smrti do života.“ A teraz s takouto prísahou: „Boh chce, aby sme to prijali,“ ...
587No dávajte pozor čo on tu hovorí, Pavel hovorí cirkvi:
... je nemožné Bohu oklamať,
aby sme mohli maťsilné potešenie,
... (Nie „Dobre ak baptisti nebudú so mnou náležite jednať, pôjdem ku metodistom.“ Vidíte?) ... my máme maťsilné potešenie, ktorí sme unikli, uchopiť nádej, ktorá leží pred nami.
588A teraz, čítame ten posledný verš.
ktorú to nádej máme sťa kotvu duše
(nádej: zložená prísaha Božia) ...máme ako kotvu duše, bezpečnú a pevnú, a ktorá vchádza dovnútra ... za oponu;
589Hovorme za chvíľu o „opone.“ Neprebrali sme to príliš dobre minulú nedeľu.
590„Za oponu!“ Tou oponou je telo. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť Boha, tvárou v tvár, v tomto zbore. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť anjelov na ich pozícii dnes ráno, ktorí stoja vedľa sedadiel. Opona je to, čo nám bráni vidieť. My sme skrytí za oponou a tou oponou je telo. My sme synovia a dcéry Božie, sme v prítomnosti Božej. „Anjeli Boží táboria okolo tých, ktorí sa Ho boja.“ Sme v prítomnosti Božej po celý čas: „Ja ťa nikdy neopustím, nikdy ťa nezanechám. Budem stále s tebou až do konca.“ Ale tou oponou je telo, to je to, čo nás zadržiava od Jeho prítomnosti. Ale skrze dušu, Ducha, pomocou našej viery vieme, že On nad nami bdie. On stojí pri nás. On je teraz tu!
591Tam v Dotáne, raz ráno, starý prorok bol obkľúčený armádou a ... jeho sluha vyšiel von a povedal: „Otče, celá krajina je obkľúčená cudzincami.“
592A Eliáš vstal a povedal: „Synu, s nami je viacej ako s nimi.“
593No, on si šuchal oči a díval sa okolo, on nemohol nič vidieť.
594On povedal: „Bože, keby si otvoril jeho oči, odtiahni tú oponu.“ A keď tá opona spadla z jeho očí, okolo toho starého proroka boli ohnivé vozy, kopce boli v ohni, stáli tam anjeli a bojové vozy. Tu to máte!
595Ó! Potom Geházi mohol povedať: „Teraz rozumiem.“ Vidíte? Tá opona spadla. Tam je tá prekážka.
596Tu to je. Drží pevne; opona je to, čo nám bráni žiť tak, ako by sme mali! Opona je to, čo nám prekáža robiť to, čo skutočne chceme. A Boh sa zaclonil za oponou v tele a tá opona bola roztrhnutá na dvoje. A Boh sa stal znovu Bohom a On vzbudil tú oponu, v ktorej sa On sám ukrýval, to je vzkriesenie Pána Ježiša. Dokazujúc nám, že v tejto opone, v ktorej sme teraz ukrytí ... Pomocou viery Tomu veríme a prijímame to. A keď táto opona bude roztrhnutá nadvoje, ja pôjdem do Jeho prítomnosti s touto istotou, vediac že „Ho poznám v moci Jeho zmŕtvychvstania.“ Pri príchode Pána Ježiša, táto opona bude znovu vzbudená, na dokonalý spôsob, že až budem chodiť a rozprávať sa s Ním, ako so svojím Spasiteľom a Bohom, keď On zasadne na trón Dávidov. A budeme žiť naveky v tejto opone, keď ona bude zdokonalená, ale táto opona má v sebe hriech. To bolo ... bez ohľadu na to ako ... Nikdy nemyslite na to oslávené telo na tejto zemi. To musí zomrieť, tak isto ako musí zomrieť vaša duša, aby ste sa znovuzrodili. V dokonalosti ...
597Nejesť mäso a robiť toto a zdokonaľovať telo, nikdy to tak nedosiahnete. A musíte prestať toto a robiť toto a robiť toto a robiť toto, to je zákon. To je zákonnosť. Neveríme v zákonné formy spasenia. My veríme to, že „z milosti sme spasení.“ A to nie ste vy, vy s tým nemáte nič spoločného, to je Božie vyvolenie, ktoré to robí. „Nikto nemôže prísť ku mne, jedine ten koho potiahne Môj Otec.“ Je to tak. A On ... Všetko čo Ježiš prišiel urobiť bolo, aby dostal tých, ktorých Otec predzvedel; a predurčil ich pred založením sveta, aby ste sa stali synmi a dcérami Božími. Amen. „Nezáleží od toho kto beží alebo kto chce, ale od Boha, ktorý sa zmilováva.“ To je Boh, ktorý to činí! Vôbec sa nemôžete chváliť. Nie je žiadna vec, ktorú ste vy urobili; Boh, z milosti vás spasil; nie vy, sami; ak by ste to vy urobili, máte sa čím chváliť. Ale nemáte nič, čím by ste sa pochválili. Všetká chvála patrí Jemu. To je On. Potom On vám dal túto spoľahlivú nádej, na čo prisahal a je nemožným, aby Jeho deti niekedy zahynuli.
598No, oni dostanú výprask, ak robia zle, budete žať to čo sejete, dostanete to. Nemyslite si teraz, že môžete chodiť ďalej a hrešiť a vyviaznuť s tým. Ak to robíte a máte taký postoj, to ukazuje, že ste sa nikdy neznovuzrodili. Rozumiete? Ak stále máte v sebe takú túžbu robiť zle, potom ste stále zlí. Vidíte? Lebo On zdokonalil, navždy tých ... A tie zvieratá v starom Zákone, vo dňoch zákonníctva, obetované z roka na rok, ustavične, nikdy nemohli sňať hriech. Ale keď kladieme ruky na Jeho hlavu a vyznávame naše hriechy a sme znovuzrodení z Ducha Božieho, nemáme viacej túžbu po hriechu. Hriech odišiel od nás. To platí v časnosti aj vo večnosti.
599Urobíte chyby, upadnete, vedome urobíte zle. Vyjdete si niekedy a urobíte niečo, to neznamená, že ste stratení, to znamená, že budete napravení.
600Môj malý chlapec, mnohokrát ... Moje deti urobia niečo, vaše tiež, že vy ... oni vedia, že to je proti vašim pravidlám. A oni vedia čo môžu očakávať, keď to robia: dostanú za to výprask, niekedy poriadny. Ale stále je to vaše dieťa! Samozrejme!
601Je nemožné pre toho človeka aby znovu niekedy zahynul, ktorý sa raz narodil z večného života. Boh nie je ako Indián, ktorý niečo dáva. „Ten kto čuje moje slová a verí v toho, ktorý ma poslal, má večný život a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do života. A Ja ho vzkriesim v posledných dňoch.“ To je Božie zasľúbenie.
602No ak idete ďalej a hovoríte: „Ó, dobre, potom môžem robiť proste ...“ Ja stále robím to, čo chcem. Ale ak si kresťan, nechceš robiť to čo je zlé, pretože práve ten život v tebe, samotný ten základ ... Ak chceš robiť zle, to ukazuje, že tu je tá zlá vec. Ako môže horká a sladká voda vychádzať z toho istého zdroja?
603Tak ste boli celí pomiešaní, na nejakom vzrušení alebo na niečom vybájenom, na senzácii. Zabudnite to! Choďte naspäť ku oltáru a povedzte: „Bože, odstráň môj starý hriešny život a daj ma do takého stavu, že celá moja túžba ...“
„Ten kto sa z Boha narodil nehreší.“ Je to tak, on nemá túžbu tak robiť.
604Samozrejme diabol ho sem tam chytí do pasce, ale nie dobrovoľne. Biblia tak povedala. Vidíte? Diabol ho chytí sem tam do pasce. Skutočne, on to urobí. On sa snažil hodiť pascu na nášho Pána Ježiša. On ju hodil na Mojžiša a chytil ho. On ju hodil na Petra a chytil ho. On ju hodil na mnohých, ale ... Peter Ho dokonca zaprel, ale potom išiel a horko plakal, niečo v ňom bolo.
605Keď holubica bola vypustená z korábu ... Krkavec vyletel, krákal okolo. V korábe bol celkom v poriadku, ale keď vyletel, jeho povaha bola iná. On mohol jesť všetky tie staré mŕtve zdochliny, ktoré chcel a bol spokojný. Prečo? On bol od začiatku krkavcom, on bol požierač zdochlín, on nebol dobrý. On bol pokrytec a sedel na pánte s holubicou, je práve taký veľký ako holubica. Mohol lietať všade tam kde holubica. Ale on mohol jesť dobrú potravu, práve tak ako holubica a potom mohol jesť zhnitú potravu, to čo holubica nemohla. Lebo holubica je iná zmiešanina, ona je inak stvorená, ona je holubica. A holubica nemôže stráviť zhnitú potravu, pretože nemá žiadnu žlč.
606A človek, ktorý je narodený z Ducha Božieho sa stáva Božou holubicou, jeho povaha, jeho premena, jeho líčenie. Tak veru! Dajte ducha holubice do krkavca, nikdy nesadne na mŕtve zdochliny. Keby sa náhodou pomýlil a sadol na nejakú, skutočne veľmi rýchlo by odletel, on to nemôže zniesť. Človek, ktorý je narodený z Ducha Božieho to neznesie. On môže náhodou vojsť niekedy do výčapu, ale rýchle odtiaľ vyjde. Nejaká žena ho môže lákať, spraví, že sa otočí, ale on znovu odvráti svoju hlavu. On veľmi rýchlo odtiaľ odíde. Prečo? On je holubica. Je to tak. Nebudete si robiť z neho blázna, pretože on pozná! „Moje ovce poznajú môj hlas a za cudzím nepôjdu.“ On je od začiatku holubica. To je to o čom hovorím, to niečo skutočné čo je tam zakotvené.
607Dávajte teraz dobrý pozor, Boh prisahá:
ktorú máte sťa kotvu duše, bezpečnú a pevnú a ktorá vchádza dovnútra za oponu,
608Opona: Boh prišiel dole zahalený v tele. Aby urobil čo? Ukázal seba samého. On sa musel ukryť, pretože by sme Ho nemohli vidieť. A On sa ukryl za oponou. A tou oponou bol kto? Ježiš. „Nie ja konám tie skutky, môj Otec,“ povedal Ježiš. „Môj Otec prebýva vo mne. Ja pracujem, a môj Otec pracuje a ja pracujem až doteraz.“ Tu On je ako Ten zahalený, chodí v tele, Boh Emanuel (Boh s nami). „Boh bol v Kristovi, mieriac so sebou svet,“ tu On chodí okolo.
609No, On prišiel dole a vykonal posvätenie alebo zaopatrenie, zmierenie, aby skrze svoju smrť predložil, zaplatil cenu za hriech, aby On mohol prísť naspäť a bývať v nás. Potom viera, ktorú máme je zaclonená viera, či vlastne zaclonená osoba, a tak nehľadíme na veci, ktoré vidíme v tejto opone. Tá opona má vzdelanie a ona robí rôzne veci a hovorí rôzne veci. To je vedecká vec. Ale Duch živého Boha, ktorý býva tu vo vnútri, nazýva tie veci, ktoré nie sú ako keby boli, ak Boh tak povedal. Tu je vaše zaclonenie. My sme v tej opone.
610No, jedného dňa On zodvihne túto oponu, nie zrodenú zo ženy skrze sexuálnu žiadosť muža a ženy, ale skrze vôľu Božiu On povie a ona príde do existencie. Potom budeme mať telo ako Jeho vlastné oslávené telo. Budeme zaclonení tak, že budeme môcť rozprávať jeden s druhým, potriasť si ruky.
611No, keď pôjdeme odtiaľto, je príbytok, teofánia, proste obraz človeka, ktorý neje, nepije, nespí, stále prebudený. Ideme tam do toho. Ale oni čakajú pod oltárom, volajú: „Pane, ako dlho? Ako dlho?“ aby prišli naspäť dole pretože si chcú potriasť ruky jeden s druhým, chcú si sadnúť a jesť a rozprávať sa jeden s druhým. Oni sú ľudia. Nech je požehnané meno Pánovo.
612Keď Boh na začiatku stvoril človeka na Svoj vlastný obraz, On ho tak stvoril. On mal obecenstvo jeden s druhým, pretože poznáme jeden druhého. Máme radi tie veci ako nás Boh stvoril, pretože sme tak boli stvorení. A pri Jeho veľkom príchode, tí ktorí sú hotoví, budú tak naveky, nesmrteľní, povstaneme v Jeho podobe. Ó, nech je požehnané meno Kristovo!
613A teraz máme istotu nášho spasenia, keď Ho prijímame ako svojho osobného Spasiteľa, ako svojho Uzdravovateľa. Všetky tieto ďalšie odmeny sú podiely, ktoré sú vyplatené pri poistení. Amen. Viete čo je to poistka. Môžete na základe toho čerpať podiely až kým nie je uhradená skutočná hodnota. Samozrejme, môžete čerpať podiely a my teraz čerpáme podiely. Jedine, tá vec, len čo vyberieme podiely, tá odmena znovu narastá.
614Jeden poisťovací agent mi raz povedal: „Billy, chcel by som ti predať nejakú poistku.“
Povedal som: „Ja mám.“ Moja žena sa pozrela na mňa.
615No, nemám nič proti poisteniu. Ale niektorí ľudia sú „biedne poistení.“ Tak oni sa obrátili, on povedal ...
616Moja žena sa divne na mňa pozrela: „Ty máš poistku?“
617Povedal som: „Samozrejme.“ No, ona nič o tom nevedela.
618On povedal: „No, Billy, akú poistku to máš?“
619Povedal som:
Požehnaná istota, Ježiš je môj!
Ó čo za predchuť Božskej slávy!
Dedič spasenia, Bohom vykúpený,
Narodený z jeho Ducha, umytý jeho Krvou.
620Povedal: „To je veľmi dobre Billy, ale to ti neposkytne miesto tu na cintoríne.“
621 Povedal som: „Ale to ma stade zoberie, to je to hlavné. Ja sa nestarám o to aby som sa tam dostal, ja sa starám aby som sa odtiaľ dostal.“
622A odkedy mám túto istotu, na základe prísahy, ktorú zložil Boh večnosti, že On ma znovu vzbudí do podoby Jeho Syna v posledný deň, budem chodiť smelo a mať útechu a kotvu duše, že pokiaľ som v tejto opone, je niečo Neviditeľné, čo ma zakotvilo tam na tej Skale vekov. A keď vody vyskakujú a hučia, to nič na tom nemení. Či smrť, nebezpečenstvá, ani nič nás neoddelí od lásky Božej. Moja kotva drží za oponou! Nech povstane príval, nech sa valí. Nech prídu neveriaci, znovuzrodený veriaci má kotvu. Nemôžete ešte vidieť cez túto oponu. Ale ja viem, že moja kotva drží tam na tej Skale vekov, čo je zasľúbené pod prísahou, že On ma vzbudí v posledný deň.
623Nie divu, že sa môžete pozrieť smrti do tváre a povedať: „Kde je tvoj osteň? Hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dáva víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista.“ My sme v Predbehúňovi. Ó. Nedostaneme sa ku tej lekcii. Máme Predbehúňa, ktorý tam vošiel za nás.
624Predbehúň. Všimli ste si niekedy v tých dávnych západniarskych časoch, mnohokrát, po tých starých cestách, predbehúň, prieskumník ... Keď tá kolóna hynula, lebo nemali vodu, ten prieskumník bežal dopredu (a on videl indiánske kmene, on ich obišiel) a videl kde je zdroj vody. On sa vrátil naspäť aby povedal vodcovi kolóny: „Vysadnite na kone, naberte každý odvahu, lebo hneď tam za tým kopcom je veľký prameň vody.“ On je predbehúň.
625A tu ten Predbehúň ... Človek bol raz držaný diablom pod paľbou, že sa nemohol pohnúť, ale Niekto dobyl to guľometné hniezdo. To bol Ježiš, Predbehúň odišiel pred nami. A satan tam stál s guľometom, držal nás, že sme sa nemohli pohnúť, stále v otroctve a vystrašení na smrť. On strážil ten Zdroj; skutočne, on mal poverenie, pretože sme zhrešili a boli sme odtiahnutí od Toho. Ale Predbehúň, Kristus, prišiel a dobyl to hniezdo.
626Počuli ste tú starú pieseň, „Udržuj pevnosť, lebo prichádzam?“ Nestačí udržovať pevnosť, zaberme ju. Už ju viacej nechceme udržovať, Kristus dobyl tú pevnosť! Haleluja! Dvere sú otvorené. Zdroj je otvorený v dome Božom, v meste Dávidovom, pre vás aby ste sa očistili, na očistenie nečistého. Náš Predbehúň tam vošiel za nás.
627Predbehúň, On nám hovorí: „Je miesto hneď za tým, tam ďalej, kde nikdy nezostarnete.“ Kde nebudú žiadne vrásky, kde nebudete musieť používať Max Faktor aby ste sa spravili krajšou pre svojho muža. Predbehúň odišiel dopredu. Na tom mieste nikdy nezostarnete, neunavíte sa a nebudete sa triasť. Je miesto kde nikdy neochoriete. Kde deti nikdy nebude bolieť brucho. Kde nikdy neprídete o zuby, aby ste mali umelé. Haleluja! Nech je požehnané Jeho Meno! On tam vošiel a jedného dňa tam zastaneme nesmrteľní v Jeho podobe, a budeme svietiť viac ako hviezdy a slnko. Samozrejme, ten Predbehúň tam vošiel pred nami.
... predbehúň vošiel za nás Ježiš stanúc sa veľkňazom podľa poriadku Melchisedechovho až na veky.
628 Tento veľký Predbehúň odišiel pred nami, robiac cestu. On sa stal z Ducha, z tých veľkých fontán Božej dúhy, ktorý nemal začiatok ani koniec. On bol, naveky Boh. Tento lúč svetla vyšiel dopredu, to bol lúč lásky, to je ten najhlavnejší, červená. Ďalšia farba, ktorá nasleduje, bola modrá; modrá, pravdivosť. Ďalšie, ktoré nasledovali za tým, boli ostatné farby do tých siedmich farieb, a to je sedem Duchov Božích, ktoré vyšli z tej veľkej Fontány alebo z toho veľkého Diamantu o ktorom Ježiš hovoril. Ten veľký Diamant, ktorý je štiepený, aby odrážal tieto farby. Boh sa stal telom a prebýval medzi nami, aby mohol odrážať Svoju dobrotu a milosť medzi nami skrze dary a znamenia a zázraky. Celá tá veľká dúha sa stala v teofánii ... urobená na podobu ako človek. Jednako On nebol človek, On ešte nemal telo, On bol teofániou.
629Mojžiš povedal: „Chcel by som Ťa vidieť.“ Boh ho skryl v skale.
630A keď prešiel okolo, a bol obrátený chrbtom, Mojžiš povedal, že To vyzeralo ako chrbát človeka.
631Čo sa potom stalo? Jedného dňa, keď tam Abrahám sedel vo svojom stane ... Dostaneme sa ku tomu dnes večer. Keď Abrahám sedel vo svojom stane, Boh prišiel ku nemu v tele z mäsa.
632„Dobre,“ poviete, „Brat Branham, on bol ...“ Nájdeme Ho tu, ako sa stretáva s Abrahámom predtým, v poriadku Melchisedecha; telo z mäsa, ktorým bol Boh. Skutočne, bol, On bol Boh v tele.
633Poviete: „Potom, brat Branham, prečo musel prísť naspäť a narodiť sa?“ On nebol vtedy narodený, On bol proste stvorený, telo v ktorom On prebýval.
634Melchisedech bol Kráľ Sálema, čo je Kráľ Jeruzalema, čo je Kráľ pokoja; ktorý nemal ani otca ani matku, začiatok dní ani koniec života. Ježiš mal oboje otca aj matku, začiatok dní aj koniec života. Ale On bol urobený podľa poriadku Melchisedechovho, ktorý nemal začiatok dní ani koniec života.
635Melchisedech bol sám Boh. Melchisedech bol Jehova Boh, ten istý, ktorý stretol Abraháma, niekoľko rokov neskoršie, pred svojím stanom. Bol obrátený chrbtom ku nemu, povedal: „Prečo sa Sárah smiala?“ Je to tak. On bol ten, ktorý tam stál a díval sa smerom Sodomy. Abrahám Ho rozpoznal, pretože vo vnútri jeho opony bola kotva, ktorá sa držala toho zasľúbenia. Nie preto, že prežil nejakú senzáciu, ale Boh mu dal to zasľúbenie. A keď prišiel do kontaktu s tým veľkým magnetom, on poznal, že To bolo v tom tele.
636On vyšiel von s Abrahámom, tam von na kúsok. A povedal Abrahámovi, povedal: „Vidím, že nebudem tajiť tieto veci pred Abrahámom, keď vidím, že on je dedičom sveta; Ja to proste nechcem tajiť. Tak, Abrahám, poviem ti čo idem urobiť (Dotkneme sa toho dnes večer) tam dole v Sodome (A čo oni všetci - čo On išiel vykonať.) A len čo požehnal Abraháma, On znovu odišiel naspäť do priestoru. Muž, ktorý tam stál a mal na šatách prach, človek. A nie len to, ale On jedol mäso z teľaťa, ktoré Abrahám zabil a pil mlieko od kravy a jedol nejaké placky (nejaký kukuričný chlieb), s maslom. Presne tak. A potom sa premenil znovu naspäť do teofánie.
637Čo to bolo? Prečo to On vtedy nezobral? On nebol narodený ako vy alebo ja; ale On sa musel narodiť v tele aby mohol chytiť ten osteň. Tamto bolo stvorené telo. To bolo telo, kde On len dal dokopy vápnik a draslík zo zeme a povedal [Brat Branham fúkol. – pozn.prekl.] a vstúpil do toho. To bolo to isté čo bol Melchisedech. On vstúpil do toho, v tele v ktorom mohol chodiť pred ním za tou oponou, za oponou Svojho vlastného stvorenia; nie za oponou stvorenia zo ženy, cez lono ženy, cez bunku, nie, ale On stvoril toto a vošiel do toho a hovoril v poriadku Melchisedecha.
638Kto je tento Melchisedech?
Lebo ten istý Melchisedech, kráľ Sálema
(ktorým je Jeruzalem),kňaz najvyššieho Boha,
... (samozrejme) ...ktorý vyšiel v ústrety Abrahámovi, ktorý sa navracoval od porážky kráľov a požehnal ho,
ktorému aj desiatok udelil Abrahám zo všetkého, ktorý sa volá, keď sa preloží jeho meno, najprv kráľ spravodlivosti,
(tá veľká Láska - Láska, ten veľký Duch na začiatku) ...Kráľ spravodlivosti, ... a potom i kráľ Sálema, čo je v preklade: kráľ Pokoja;
bez otca, bez matere, bez rodoslovia nemajúc ani počiatku dní ani konca života,
639Kto to bol? On sa nikdy nenarodil, On nikdy nezomrie. Kto je to? To bol Boh, samozrejme. Ako predzvesť Pána Ježiša. Skutočne to bol On. Ale On musel prísť cez ženu lebo vy prichádzate cez ženu, a On musel prísť tak ako vy, aby vás priviedol naspäť ku Sebe. Haleluja!
Úžasná milosť ako sladko to znie,
ktorá spasila takého biedneho slepého chudáka ako som ja!
Bol som stratený ale teraz som nájdený (skrze Jeho milosť)
Bol som slepý a teraz vidím.
640Rozumiem, čo On musel urobiť. Boh sa stal mnou, aby ja skrze milosť som sa mohol stať Ním. On zobral moje hriechy, aby cez Jeho spravodlivosť som mohol mať Večný Život. Ja sám som sa nemohol rozhodnúť, od prirodzenosti som bol hriešnik, ja som s tým nemal nič spoločného. Narodil som sa zo sveta, sformovaný v neprávosti, prichádzam na svet a hovorím klamstvo. Vôbec žiadna šanca, nijako, ani len túžba.
641Povedzte svini, že robí zle, keď žerie pomyje, či poviete? Uvidíte ako veľmi vás bude počúvať! Povedzte vrane, že robí zle, keď žerie mŕtvu zdochlinu a uvidíte čo vám povie. Keby mohla hovoriť. „Staraj sa o seba.“ Určite.
642Ó, ale milosť Božia, ktorá zmenila túto prirodzenosť a dala mi príležitosť túžiť a dychtiť a byť smädným, „Ó Bože, Tvoja milá dobrota, je pre mňa lepšia ako život. Moje srdce túži po Tebe.“
643Dávid povedal, „Ako jeleň reve za potokmi vody, tak moja duša po Tebe, Bože.“
644Boh dal človeku tú túžbu aby uctieval Jeho, aby miloval a hľadal Jeho. Ale človek to prevracia skrze Diablove volanie a ide a je žiadostivý po ženách a rozkošiach a veciach toho sveta, snaží sa uspokojiť to sväté stvorenie, ktoré mu Boh dal aby miloval Jeho, on to uplatňuje na veci toho sveta. Ale, brat, keď je on raz premenený, a ten prameň s tými žubrienkami (všetok možný neporiadok v tej cisterne) bol vyčistený a sterilizovaný a je tam vložené čisté Slovo Božie, hriech sa nemôže toho dotknúť. Amen!
Ó ako Ho milujem! Ako Ho zbožňujem!
Môj život, môj slnečný svit, moje všetko vo všetkom!
Ten veľký Stvoriteľ sa stal mojím Spasiteľom;
A celá Božia plnosť prebýva v Ňom.
Stále živý príbeh, dole zo svojej slávy prišiel;
Môj Boh a Spasiteľ a jeho meno je Ježiš.
Narodený v jasliach, svojim vlastným cudzí;
Boh žiaľu, sĺz a trápenia.
Môj dych, môj slnečný svit, moje všetko vo všetkom! (Ó Bože)
645Ako to On mohol urobiť? Človek sa to snažil opísať. Jeden povedal:
Keby sme oceán naplnili atramentom,
a každé steblo na zemi perom;
Celé nebesia pergamenom,
a každý človek by bol pisárom;
Aby opísali lásku Božiu
(ako sa ten veľký Nebeský Boh stal telom a zobral môj hriech)
Aby opísali lásku Božiu, oceán by vyschol;
Ani na ten zvitok by sa to všetko nespratalo,
Hoci by bol roztiahnutý po celej oblohe.
646A aby dal istú nádej dedičom tohoto spasenia: On prisahal na Seba samého, že On nás vzkriesi v posledných dňoch, dá nám Večný Život, „A nikto ich nevytrhne z Mojej ruky.“ Amen!
Modlime sa!
647Či ste vinní toho, že pohŕdate Jeho láskou? Vyhýbate sa Jeho požehnanej Bytosti? Tohoto veľkého, ktorý vás učinil tým čím ste? A teraz ste tu, dnes ráno, prišli ste potadeto v živote, a toto vám dáva príležitosť. Chcete ďalej žiť? Je len jedna cesta pre život, a to je veriť v Pána Ježiša. Ak vy, zo srdca veríte, že On je syn Boží a prijímate Ho ako svojho Spasiteľa a veríte, že Boh Ho vzkriesil pre vaše ospravedlnenie, ak to chcete prijať na tomto základe, teraz je to vaše.
648Zodvihnete ruku? Nejaká nekajúcna duša, ktorá by rada ... činila dnes ráno pokánie, povedz: „Pamätaj na mňa, brat, kazateľ, keď sa budeme modliť. Ja, tiež, upadol som. Pripojil som sa ku cirkvi, ale viem, že nikdy som nemal to o čom hovoríš. Nikdy som sa nenarodil z toho Ducha, brat Branham. Ja len - proste som to neprežil, to je všetko. Chcem aby si sa za mňa modlil, aby mi to Boh dal dnes ráno.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná. Ešte niekto? Povedzte: „Bože sprav ma ... aby som bol taký, akým Ty chceš aby som bol. Chcem aby si ... Chcem byť takým, akým ma Ty chceš mať. Pohŕdal som Tvojou láskou.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná, synu.
649Ešte chvíľu teraz:
Keby sme oceán naplnili atramentom,
a každé steblo na zemi by bolo perom;
Celé nebesia pergamenom,
a každý človek pisárom;
Aby opísali lásku Božiu;
Oceán by vyschol;
Alebo by sa to nespratalo na ten zvitok;
Roztiahnutý po celej oblohe;
Ó, láska Božia aká si bohatá a čistá!
Aká skutočná a silná!
Ona bude trvať naveky -
Pieseň svätých a anjelov.
650Drahý Bože, skutočne ten básnik, ktorý napísal tieto slová, bol ako mnohí iní Tvoji veriaci, snažil sa nájsť slová aby to vyjadril. A v Biblii je napísané: „Ponad to, pretože ten kazateľ bol múdry, snažil sa to predstaviť mnohými slovami.“ Ó, ako radi by sme mali jazyk a slovnú zásobu, aby sme mohli vysvetliť ľuďom, čo to skutočne je, ale nedá sa to ústami smrteľníka. Celá večnosť, bezpochyby, či to kedy zjaví, ako Boh neba prišiel na zem, aby spasil biednych, stratených mizerných hriešnikov.
651Prosím Ťa, Otče, aby pomocou týchto niekoľkých neucelených slov ... či neucelených slov dnes ráno, ktoré som hovoril, aby niekto našiel pokoj a uspokojenie a silnú útechu, ten kto utekal, aby našiel útočište. A nech sa zakotví ich duša na tom zasľúbení, na ktoré Boh prisahal, že On ich vzkriesi v posledný deň. Niekoľko rúk sa tu v budove zodvihlo, tu v tejto modlitebni. Bože daj im tú pevnú nádej, hneď teraz. Nech môžu byť zakotvení na Skale vekov. Nezáleží na tom ako veľmi sa môže zmietať more a ich malý čln môže poskakovať, oni majú kotvu: zasľúbenie Božie. Tam oni hovoria: „Boh To povedal, On nemôže klamať.“
652„Ten kto čuje Moje Slová (ktoré som sa dnes ráno snažil kázať) a verí v Toho, ktorý ma poslal, Jehova, má večný Život; a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do Života.“
653Ó Večný Bože, žehnaj dnes týchto, a nech každá osoba tu, ktorá nie je pod Krvou, ich duša sa nikdy neobrátila, nech sa to stane teraz, Pane. Ty robíš to tajomstvo, to je všetko Tvoje, je to poručené Tebe. Prosím, aby si im to dal, Večný Život. Nech, jedného dňa, tam na druhom brehu, jeden vedľa druhého pôjdeme dole tým údolím, nech sa tam stretneme, kde sa už viacej nebude rozlúčenie.
A jedného dňa pri zakončení času prídeme ku rieke;
Keď skončili tie posledné myšlienky trápenia;
Tam bude niekto čakať, kto nám ukáže cestu;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán;
Bude tam Niekto ... niekto čaká, kto mi ukáže cestu;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán
654Všetci, ktorí majú tú nádej, zodvihnite teraz ruky ako ste zodvihli hlavu.
Nebudem musieť...
(chváľte Ho len, posolstvo skončilo. Či nie ste šťastní? Boh prisahal, že nebude ... Boh sa tam s vami stretne.)
Ježiš zomrel aby zaplatil za každý môj hriech.
Keď vidím temnosť ... (čo hovoríte? ten osteň je preč) …
On bude čakať na mňa;
Nebudem musieť prejsť sám cez Jordán.
... som opustený a unavený ... (oslavujte ho len teraz)
Zdá sa že všetci priatelia všetci odišli
(prišiel si niekedy na to miesto?)
Ale je jeden, ktorý ma teší ... (aké bolo zasľúbenie?)
...potešuje moje srdce;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
655No, deti zasľúbenia, chváľte Ho len za to, že to robí:
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán;
Ježiš zomrel aby zaplatil za všetky moje hriechy;
(čo sa teraz deje?)
Keď vidím temnosť, On bude na mňa čakať;
Nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
„Keď prídem ku tej rieke.“ Každý jeden z vás tam príde. Je veľký tmavý tieň tam pred vami. To sú veľké dvere. Vy tam vojdete, v jednom z týchto dní, možno skorej ako skončí tento deň, možno skorej, ako sa skončí dnes ráno toto zhromaždenie. Pôjdete tam. Za každým úderom srdca ste o krok bližšie ku tomu.
Ale keď uvidím tú temnosť, On tam bude čakať;
(On povedal, že bude. On prisahal, že bude!)
Potom nebudem musieť sám prejsť cez Jordán.
656Ó požehnaný Pane, naše srdcia sú plné, dnes ráno až do pretekania.
657Pomyslite si, keď prestane pulz a ošetrovateľka vám dá okolo hlavy vankúš. A už viac nemôžete pohnúť rukami, ruky sa vám stali ako ľad. Vaše deti, vaša matka, vaši milovaní plačú a nariekajú. Tie veľké dvere sa náhle otvorili. On bude čakať!
658Dávid povedal: „Keby som si ustlal v pekle, On tam bude.“ Ja to nemusím prechádzať sám. A keď sa vám začne do tváre odrážať hladina tej rieky, Boh bude viesť ten čln života, prevedie nás na druhú stranu. On zasľúbil, že to urobí. Dávid prorok povedal: „Keby som išiel aj dolinou tieňu smrti, nebudem sa báť zlého; Ty si so mnou, tvoj prút a tvoja palica ma potešujú.“
659Pane, my sme dnes tak šťastní, že sme boli započítaní za dedičov toho zasľúbenia. Dnes máme v sebe Večný Život, pretože milujeme Pána Ježiša a veríme Mu a prijali sme Jeho Slovo a Jeho učenie. A On nám dáva ako pečať našej viery, Ducha Svätého, tú pečať Ducha Svätého, naša viera v nás je zakotvená. A hoci mnohokrát prechádzame cez tmavé tiene, mnohokrát sa potkýname na ceste, ale naša kotva stále drží. Niečo v tom je, tam ďalej, čo sa zdá, že nás vedie a hovorí: „Kráčaj ďalej. Ideme ďalej.“
660Bože, žehnaj nás. Potrebujeme Ťa. Zachovaj nás stále svedomitých a verných až kým pre nás neprídeš a my Ťa budeme chváliť nekonečné veky. A v ten deň keď zastaneme na zemi ... Jeho požehnané nohy sa ešte nedotkli zemi. On tam stojí vo vzduchu a tí svätí a požehnaní zo všetkých vekov, z každej stráže (z prvej, druhej, tretej, štvrtej, piatej, šiestej, siedmej) všetci tam stoja oblečení v Jeho spravodlivosti a korunujeme Ho Kráľa kráľov a Pána pánov a budeme spievať tie príbehy vykúpenia, naše biedne srdcia sa budú triasť, keď sa budeme dívať na Neho, ktorý nás miloval a dal Seba samého za nás. Keď sme neboli schopní milovať a boli sme hriešnici, Kristus zomrel aby sme mohli byť spasení. Ďakujeme Ti za to, Otče, v Kristovom mene. Amen.
661Milujete Ho? Ó, aký je On skutočný. Necítite práve akoby ste Ho chceli práve objať? Nechceli by ste sa priplaziť a dotknúť sa Jeho nôh?
662Viete, boli nejakí ľudia, ktorí prichádzali na moje zhromaždenia v Phonixe, v Arizone a hovorili: „Rád by som sa s Ním o tomto porozprával. Chcel by som povedať: - Pane, Ty si ma miloval, keď moja cesta sa stávala taká nejasná.“ Rád by som sa o tomto s Ním porozprával, prv ako prejdeme na druhú stranu. Chcem Ho vidieť. Chcem Ho proste vidieť. Keď si pomyslím ako sa budem cítiť. Ó, moje biedne srdce sa bude triasť, keď Ho tam budem vidieť stáť.
663Stále som bol zvedavý: „Prajem si aby som mohol počuť ten hlas, ktorý hovorí: - Poďte ku Mne všetci, ktorí pracujete a ste obtiažení, Ja vám dám odpočinutie.“
664Možno to nikdy nebudem počuť doslovne ako to On vtedy povedal, ale chcem Ho počuť povedať toto v ten posledný deň: „Dobre to bolo urobené, Môj dobrý a verný sluha, teraz vojdi do radosti Pánovej, ktorá bola pripravená pre teba.“ Odkedy?
665„Odkedy si bol spasený?“
666Nie, brat. „Od založenia sveta, keď som ťa videl a dopredu som ťa poznal a určil som ťa do Večného Života.“ Vtedy ste boli požehnaní. „Všetkých ktorých dopredu poznal, On povolal.“ Je to tak? „Všetkých, ktorých povolal, On ospravedlnil. A tých, ktorých ospravedlnil, On už oslávil.“ Tu to máte. On nás dopredu poznal, povolal nás, ospravedlnil nás a už sme oslávení s Ním na konci sveta, ideme si pre svoju odmenu. Či nie ste šťastní? Skutočne, to robí, že Ho milujeme. Keď ste si sami nemohli pomôcť a tu On prichádza a urobil to pre vás.
667Požehnané zväzky, ktoré viažu, ... (sestra Gertie) ... Naše srdcia v kresťanskej láske. Teraz za chvíľu tu máme toto malé obecenstvo na chválu, potom sa budeme modliť za chorých. Nech vás Boh žehná, vy ktorí ste zodvihli ruky dnes ráno ku Kristovi, nachádzate svoje miesto aby ste Ho chválili, slúžili Mu.
668No, oslavujem Ho len teraz, ako zhromaždenie, všetci vy Metodisti, Cirkev Božia, Zhromaždenia Božie, Presbyteriáni, Luteráni, Katolíci. Všetci spolu teraz, spievajme teraz:
Požehnané zväzky, ktoré viažu naše srdcia v kresťanskej láske; Obecenstvo príbuzných myslí, je ako to tam hore.
Pred trónom nášho Otca vylievame svoje vrúcne modlitby;
náš strach, naša nádej, náš cieľ sú jedno;
Naše potešenie a naša starostlivosť.
Keď sme rozlúčení robí nám to vnútornú bolesť;
Ale stále budeme spojení v...
(koľko baptistov, metodistov a všetkých?)
A dúfame, že sa znovu stretneme.
669Nerobí vám to dobre? Obráťme sa a potrasme si teraz navzájom ruky, kým to znovu budeme spievať:
Pred...
(potrasme si ruky; s niekým za vami, pred vami, dookola)
... trónom
Vylievame svoje horlivé modlitby;
Naše potešenie a naša starostlivosť.
Keď sme rozlúčení; (budeme milovať jeden druhého ..?...)
Robí nám to...
(prajeme si aby zhromaždenie mohlo pokračovať? Vidíte, takto ...?...)
...vnútornú bolesť;
Ale v srdci sa stále budeme radovať; (v Jednom)
A dúfame, že sa znovu stretneme.
(ak nie viac tu, v ten veľký deň sa stretneme)
670A teraz, Otče, prijmi dnes ráno od nás chválu, zober to Slovo a zasaď ho do sŕdc veriacich. Nech nie sú zmietaní sem a tam, dnes hore a zajtra dole. Ale nech tieto Slová nájdu miesto odpočinutia v srdci každého veriaceho, aby vedeli toto, že Boh prisahal a sú dve nemeniteľné veci, nemeniteľného Boha a pre Neho je nemožné aby klamal. Tak dediči tohoto spasenia môžu mať túto silnú nádej, pevnú a istú, kotvu v duši. Aby sme toto vedeli, že Boh nám zasľúbil zložením prísahy. Zajedno, že On nemôže klamať; zadruhé, Jeho zložená prísaha na to, že On nás vzkriesi v posledný deň a dá nám Večný Život. Vediac, že potom, keď sme boli povolaní, že On povedal, že On „nás poznal pred založením sveta a predurčil nás do synovstva skrze Ježiša Krista.“ A On nás dopredku poznal, On nás povolal. A keď nás povolal, On nás ospravedlnil. My sami sa nemôžeme ospravedlniť, tak On nás ospravedlnil skrze smrť Svojho vlastného Syna. A tých, ktorých ospravedlnil, On ich už oslávil. To Slovo je už vypovedané a my sme práve na ceste; ideme ďalej, radujeme sa na našej ceste do Slávy.
671Daj ľuďom vieru, a nech tie malé zvyky a iné veci, ktoré visia na tých ľuďoch, nech môžu byť z nich strasené dnes ráno, s týmto Slovom Božím, ktoré je kotvou duši, pevnou a istou. Nech sa strasú svojich zvykov, svojho hnevu, a tých vecí, ktoré boli ... Ako povedal Pavel v tej inej časti posolstva za niekoľko dní: „Zložme zo seba každé bremeno a ľahko obkľučujúci hriech aby sme s trpezlivosťou bežali závod, ktorý je pred nami; hľadiac na autora a dokonávateľa našej viery, Ježiša Krista, ktorý bol pokúšaný vo všetkom ako my, jednako bez hriechu.“ Bolo dovolené, že On bol pokúšaný, ale On nedbal na pokušenie. A my sme pokúšaní do hriechu, ale nedbajme na to. Pretože Život, ktorý je v nás je kotvou nášho večného predurčenia a my držíme to posvätenie vo svojom srdci.
672No, mnohí sú chorí a majú ... postihnutí. Chceme sa za nich modliť, Otče. Nech, keď prechádzajú dnes pod Božím Slovom ... to vzácne Slovo, ktoré bolo kázané, Biblia dáva svedectvo, anjeli Boží stoja nablízku a ten veľký Duch Svätý (ponad všetko) tu stojí aby vydal svedectvo o tomto Slove. Otče, ako prechádzajú pod Slovom zasľúbenia, dnes ráno, nech idú odtiaľto zdraví. Aby odložili svoje barly, aby opustili svoje kreslá a nosítka, na ktorých ležia a aby boli proste uzdravení. Udeľ to, Pane. Nech sa vrátia na ďalšie zhromaždenie, že im je dovolené prísť, alebo do ich vlastných zborov, radujúc sa, ukazujúc aké veľké veci učinil Kristus. Toto slúžime na Tvoju slávu v mene Ježiša. Amen.
673Musím sa ospravedlniť lebo som sľúbil, že dnes ráno budeme preberať 7. kapitolu, ale nedostal som sa do nej. A musíme tu nechať trochu času na ... na modlitby za chorých. A teraz, dnes večer, keď Pán dá, zoberieme tú 7. kapitolu a zistíme kto bol tento Melchisedech. Koľkí by ste to radi vedeli? Ó, ideme rovno ku nemu, zistiť presne kto to je. A Písmo hovorí, kto on je. Vidíte?
674A Scofield povedal: „To bolo kňazstvo.“ Ako to mohlo byť kňazstvo, bez začiatku alebo konca? Vidíte, to nebolo kňazstvo. To bol Muž, Melchisedech (meno) Osoba. Ako ...
675Nemám v úmysle sa nezhodovať, ale Kresťanská veda hovorí, že Duch Svätý je myšlienka. A Biblia hovorí: „On, Duch Svätý.“ A On je osobné zámeno, to je osoba. Nie myšlienka, to je osoba. Absolútne!
676A Melchisedech je Muž, Muž, ktorý nemal začiatok dní ani koniec rokov. On nemal ani Otca ani matku, žiadnych predkov. A my dnes večer zistíme kto To je, keď Pán dá, pomocou Slova. Milujete To? „Ó! Tvoje Slovo je sviecou na mojom chodníku mojím nohám.“ Ó!
677No, vy povite: „Brat Branham, ja tomu vôbec nerozumiem.“ Ja tiež nie.
678Ale raz, kázal som dole v Kentucky. A ak sú na zhromaždení nejakí noví ľudia a katolíci a rôzni iní, ktorí možno nerozumejú tieto hlboké, bohaté veci Písma, kázal som o Božskom uzdravovaní. Jedno bosé dievča prinieslo ... mala sotva pätnásť rokov, mala malé dieťa a ono malo triašku. A ja som povedal: „Sestra, čo je s tvojím dieťaťom?“
679Povedala: „Má kŕče.“ Ona nevedela čo povedať (triaška), ona nevedela ako sa to volá.
680Chuderka možno nikdy v živote nemala na nohách topánky. Niečí miláčik, dlhé vlasy jej viseli dole. Opýtal som sa: „Veríš?“
681A tie oceľovo sivé oči sa pozreli na mňa, povedala: „Áno, pane, ja skutočne verím.“
682Zobral som to malé dieťa. Chvíľu som sa zaň modlil, prestalo sa mykať. Ó, a to vyšlo.
683Na druhý deň, bol som poľovať na veveričky, tam na tej strane hory. Počul som, že niekto tam sedí a rozpráva, bzučanie píly. Podišiel som tam; poľoval som na veveričky. Hovorili o mne, sedeli tam, žuli tabak a pľuli, listy takto lietali. A hovorili tam teraz o tom, o zhromaždení z minulého večera. A jeden z nich povedal: „Videl som to dieťa, išiel som tam dnes ráno. Do rána nemalo kŕče.“ Vidíte? Povedal: „Bolo to skutočné.“ A pľul ...
684Pušky mali opreté o strom a tak som si myslel, že sa im račej ukážem. Viete, tam tiež platí krvná pomsta. Tak som prišiel ku ním a povedal: „Dobré ráno bratia.“
685A ten veľký chlap, ktorý ako sa zdalo to hovoril, mal v ústach žuvací tabak, takto na boku. Mal dlhý krk a na hlave mal veľký klobúčisko, zatiahnutý do tváre. Rozhliadol sa a keď ma uvidel, zložil si klobúk ... prehltol ten žuvací tabak a povedal: „Dobré ráno, parson.“ Vidíte? Skutočne. Rešpekt! Je to tak. Ako on žil poza tým, ja neviem. Ale on preukázal rešpekt.
686Tak, na druhý večer, prišiel som naspäť, bol tam človek, ktorý sa so mnou chcel trochu dohadovať. On chodil do zboru, kde neverili v Božské uzdravovanie. Tak, bol to metodistický zbor, White Hill, Kentucky. Tak on išiel ... Stál vonku. V ruke mal lampáš a povedal: „Chcem ti niečo povedať, kazateľ. Jednoducho to nemôžem prijať, pretože to nemôžem vidieť.“
687Povedal som: „Nemôžeš to vidieť?“
688Povedal: „Nie!“ Povedal: „Ja sám som chorý, ale ja to proste nemôžem vidieť.“
Opýtal som sa: „Kde bývaš?“
Povedal: „Tam na druhej strane v Big Renox.“
— No, ako sa dostaneš domov?
— Pôjdem pešo.
— Môžeš vidieť svoj dom?
— Nie.
— Dnes je zamračené a je tma.
— To je.
— Ako pôjdeš domov?
— Mám tu lampáš.
— Ten lampáš ti nedosvieti až po tvoj dom. Ako pôjdeš?
— Budem si svietiť a tak pôjdem.
689Povedal som: „To je to. Teraz musíš mať svetlo lampáša a za každým krokom, ako takto pôjdeš to svetlo ti bude stále ukazovať cestu pred tebou. Keď budeš len ďalej kráčať, to svetlo pôjde stále s tebou.“
690A vy to robíte dnes ráno. Chcete Krista, veľkého Najvyššieho Kňaza, Prímluvcu za vaše nemoci, alebo vaše choroby, alebo za svoju dušu. Nemusíte tomu rozumieť, my tomu nerozumieme, ale je nám prikázané „chodiť vo Svetle ako je On vo Svetle.“ Robíte jeden krok vo Svetle. A keď máte so sebou to Svetlo, to Svetlo bude svietiť do toho dokonalého dňa, ono bude osvecovať pred vami ten chodník.
A budeme kráčať hore touto hlavnou, starou hradskou,
budem to hovoriť všade kde idem,
že radšej budem starodávnym kresťanom, Pane,
než čímkoľvek iným. (nepočuli ste tú starú pieseň?)
Nieto nič také ako starodávny kresťan, ukazuje kresťanskú lásku; Ideme hore tou hlavnou, starou hradskou,
a hovorím všade kde ideme;
Radšej budem starodávnym kresťanom, Pane,
než čímkoľvek iným. (Proste to milujem.)
691No dobre a teraz sa budeme modliť za chorých. My nie sme ... netvrdíme o sebe, že môžeme uzdravovať chorých. Keby sme to tvrdili, hovorili by sme niečo zle. Každá chorá osoba, ktorá je tu, je už uzdravená, tak to hovorí Písmo: „Jeho ranami sme uzdravení.“ Je to tak?
692Každý hriešnik, ktorý tu je, ak je tu nejaký, ty si bol spasený odvtedy, keď Ježiš zomrel. Ale ty nezomieraš, keď je ti tu daná príležitosť, aby si išiel do Jeho prítomnosti, aby si sa to potom snažil prijal. Ona ti je daná teraz. Práve teraz to musíš prijať. Ak obchádzaš tú krv, potom nie si ničím než ... Už si odsúdený, pretože si súdený podľa toho, čo si urobil s vykúpením Pána Ježiša Krista. Rozumiete? Tam sa sami súdite.
693„Tak On bol zdrtený pre naše prestúpenia a jeho sinavicami sme boli uzdravení.“ Tak, ja nemám nič čím by som vás uzdravil. Cirkev nemá nič, čím by vás uzdravila. Jediné za čo sa môžeme modliť je: aby vaša viera neupadla, že prídete dnes ráno ku oltáru aby ste prijali Krista ako svojho Uzdravovateľa, tak ako ste Ho prijali za svojho Spasiteľa. A bez akejkoľvek ... Boh činí zázraky, ukazuje veľké znamenia. Slepí, hluchí, nemí, všelijakí sú hneď tu v modlitebni uzdravení. Ale či to je alebo nie, my to aj tak prijímame. Mnohokrát sa tieto veci dejú skrze videnia.
694Koľkí ste tu boli asi pred tromi týždňami, alebo pred štyrmi, keď sem prišiel ten človek, bol aj slepý aj porazený, sedel na stoličke a mal porušený nerv, ktorý udržiava rovnováhu. A skôr ako som odišiel z domu, videl som ho vo videní: že tu bude človek, tmavovlasý, prešedivený. Jeho žena na pohľad pôvabná, asi šesťdesiat ročná. Ona príde a bude plakať a bude sa pýtať ... aby som prišiel a modlil sa za jej muža. On sedel práve tam.
695A prišiel som sem a povedal som tu niektorým mojim bratom: „Dávajte na toto pozor.“
696A keď sme prišli ku oltáru, iní sa modlili. Keď som sa začal modliť, odišiel som preč a prišiel som sem naspäť. Jeho žena vstala a prišla presne tak, ako to Pán povedal. Ľudia to pozorovali aby videli, či sa to tak stane. To nikdy nesklamalo. A tak keď on išiel ...
697Prišiel aby zistil, ten človek, Dr. Ackerman, dole v Birdseye, Indiána, on bol ten, ktorý ho sem poslal; on je katolík a jeho chlapec je kňazom tam v kláštore Saint Meinrad. A Dr. Ackerman je môj spoločník z poľovačky a on poslal sem toho človeka. A Pán mi ukázal čiernovlasého muža, ktorý ho poslal ale ja som nevedel kto to bol.
698A povedal som: „Bol to Dr. Ackerman?“
699On povedal: „Bol.“ Vidíte? A potom ten človek ...
700Povedal som: „To je TAK HOVORÍ PÁN.“ Išiel dole, povedal som: „Pane, vstaňte.“ Oboje slepý a nemohol ... on bol ... nerv, ktorý udržiava rovnováhu bol zničený, on sa nemohol takto udržať. Vidíte? Roky bol v takomto stave, bol na klinike Mayo a všade. A len sme sa pomodlili za neho a zodvihli ho. A on išiel, kráčal dole cez ...
701Prv povedal: „Ja vás môžem vidieť.“ Potom vykríkol: „Áno! Môžem vidieť!“ Oči sa mu otvorili a tam ... On bol ortodoxný, jeho žena bola presbyteriánka.
702Niektorí ľudia si myslia, že presbyteriáni a ortodoxní nekričia. Mali ste ich počuť. Skutočne. Oni kričali od radosti a navzájom sa objímali. Prišiel, zobral svoje invalidné kreslo a išiel odtiaľto dole po schodoch tak ako každý iný človek, mohol vidieť a hovoriť a tak ďalej.
703Dostal som od neho dopis, či vlastne zatelefonoval. Myslím, že brat Cox ho bol navštíviť, povedal: „V očiach cítil pálenie.“ Samozrejme. To je nerv, tie zrakové nervy rastú a ožívajú, viete, a prichádzajú na svoje miesto. Tá kliatba bola odstránená.
704Ak necháte prírodu ísť svojou cestou, ak nič nebráni prírode, potom ona príde do plnej moci. Ak máte na ruke stiahnutý obväz, ktorý zadržiava krvný obeh, tak vám ruka nakoniec odumrie. No, pretože, prirodzene to bude v poriadku, keď to len necháte tak. Ale niečo narušuje prírodu. Potom, ak to nemôžete vidieť, ak doktor nijako nemôže na to prísť. On môže pracovať len na základe dvoch vecí: čo môže vidieť, čo môže cítiť. To je jediné na základe čoho on môže pracovať; čo môže vidieť a cítiť.
705Ak to nemôže vidieť, potom to musí byť duchovné. A je len jedno, čo ... môže sa stať jedno; my sa modlíme, Kristus odstraňuje tú kliatbu, posiela preč diabla a to začína byť normálne, zdravé. Prichádza do zdravia a to je všetko čo treba. „V mojom mene budú vyháňať démonov.“ Je to tak? To je zasľúbenie pre cirkev. To je zasľúbenie moci aby ... To je Jeho prítomnosť s nami. No, čo nám bráni aby sme dnes ráno boli dokonalí aby sme robili tieto veci tak ako to On robil, to je preto, že sme stále za oponou. Vidíte? Ale máme nejaké cítenie, ktoré nám hovorí: Ó, áno.“ Vidíte?
706A keď prijmete svoje uzdravenie ... Bez ohľadu na to čo hovorí tá opona, to je to čo hovorí Slovo. Vidíte? To je to. To je hlavné. A Slovo stále prevláda nad všetkým; Večné Božie Slovo.
707Pozrite sa na Sáru, jej lono bolo mŕtve, mala deväťdesiat rokov, žila so svojím mužom od šestnástych, sedemnástych rokov, nemali žiadne deti; Abrahám mal sto rokov a Boh to premenil a dal im dieťa. Vidíte? Pretože verili, oni nazývali tie veci, ktoré neboli ako keby boli. Pristúp takto ku tomu dnes ráno, priateľ.
708A dnes večer, očakávame ... Ak vy všetci, ktorí ste nás navštívili, sme radi že sme vás tu dnes ráno mali. A nech je Boh s vami. A ak večer budete v meste, budeme radi keď večer prídete na ďalšiu časť tohoto zhromaždenia o Mechisedechovi. A potom ak nebudete a máte svoj zbor, choďte do svojho zboru. To je vaša povinnosť. Keď patríte do nejakého zboru, choďte tam. Toto je len malá modlitebňa, kde sa tu zhromažďujeme a máme obecenstvo jeden s druhým. Nech vás Pán žehná.
709A sestra Gertie nám zahrá: Ten veľký Lekár je teraz blízko. A je tu niekto, kto chce aby sme sa za neho modlili? Zodvihnite ruky, ktorí chcete prísť sem aby sme sa za vás modlili, chcete položiť svoju vieru na Krista. Dobre, keby ste sa postavili na túto stranu ak môžete. A brat, keby oni trochu odtiahli stoličky, aby sme mali trochu miesta aby stade mohli prechádzať ľudia. Poďte po tejto strane.
710A teraz sa budeme modliť, zatiaľ čo budeme spievať. A ja požiadam tu starších (z akejkoľvek denominácie alebo cirkvi, bez ohľadu na to, čo to je), ak veríte, že Boh uzdravuje, postavili by ste sa sem so mnou tu na pódium, aby ste sa modlili za chorých? Budeme radi keď sem prídete. Akákoľvek denominácia, alebo žiadna denominácia, alebo čokoľvek ste, budeme radi keď sem prídete. Prídete teraz, modliť sa, poďte sem a postavte sa s ním. Brat Neville, keby si prišiel s olejom.
505 Good morning, friends. It's a privilege to be here. And--and to fulfill this great introduction from our pastor would certainly take a real life, wouldn't it? So we're giving praise to the Lord for all of His great healing powers and His mercies that He has given to us down through the years.
505a Now I have a few announcements to make. One, we, Brother Woods and Brother Roberson, and we want to thank you all for praying for us, for a safe trip. Had a wonderful time; just gone four and a half days, I believe, and back again safely. The Lord did bless us.
506 Now, we're announcing that the Brother Graham Snelling, his revival, is continuing on, up at the--the end of Brigham Avenue, at the... in the city here. And this coming Wednesday night... I want to go away tomorrow, after a funeral service for one I'll announce in a few moments. We'll let you know Wednesday night. We want to go in a delegation, all, up to visit Brother Graham before he closes his service up there. And we'll try to get the entire church together, if we can, and go as a delegation to meet, to be with Brother Graham in one of his services.
507 And, now, this afternoon at--at the undertaker's establishment at Charlestown, is a--a Mrs. Colvin, that once come to the church here many years ago, seventy-four years old, left this life yesterday to go to be with the Lord Jesus. And her funeral is to be preached Monday, by Rev. Mr. McKinney, used to, formerly, the pastor of the Methodist church at--at Port Fulton for many years, which was a personal friend of theirs. And I'm to assist him, Monday, at, I believe it's one-thirty, at the--at the chapel at Charlestown, Indiana. And all of you friends of the Colvin family would, I know, would appreciate now just a little courage or to... little handshake. For we all know what that is, we who've been down through those, in the valleys, ourselves, and know what it means to lose a friend. And so we... She's laying in the--in the chapel now, at Charlestown, Indiana. If you go up this afternoon, why, it would be appreciated by the Colvin family, I'm sure. Many of their people comes here to the tabernacle yet. I've married, buried, baptized, pretty near, their family, through. And so Mr. Grayson, that used to be our neighbor right here, is the undertaker up there.
508 And then this, tonight, the Lord willing, where we leave off this morning, we'll try to pick up tonight, in this great study that we're studying in now. And then I think that was the announcements, as far as--as I--I know of. And this coming Wednesday night, now, we'll announce the night that we're going up to be with Brother Graham.
509 And we welcome all the strangers in our gates. And we're happy to have you here this morning, and pray that God will exceedingly, abundantly, bless you today for this gathering.
510 Brother Cox has just told me that the public-addressing outfit wasn't working too well at the time. It's perhaps, maybe according to the weather, lot of dampness in the speakers there. And they're not too good, to begin with, so that may be the cause.
511 As I see a sister setting here that I know, Sister Arganbright. I... This is not nice and--and etiquettes, to ask this, but have you heard from Brother Arganbright since he's been over. I am very interested in hearing from him as soon as we can. He's in Switzerland and Germany, in a meeting over there with Brother Tommy Hicks and Paul Cain. If you ever hear, Sister Ruth, you let me know right away, just quick as you can.
512 Now, the little tabernacle has no membership, but we have fellowship. We have no creed but Christ, no law but love, no book but the Bible. That's the only Book that we know of, and the only thing that we know, as we have. As the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins, we have fellowship one with the other, everybody.
513 I was noticing, this morning, to some of you people might have heard the brother praying. That was a Catholic, so, or formerly a Catholic. And we have all different types of people come here. Just had the privilege, a few moments ago, to shake the hand of a Mennonite brother who is setting in here. And from the Mennonites, from the Methodists, from the Baptists, and the Catholic, or whosoever will, let them come. And we fellowship together around the blessings of God's Word. Setting present is Jehovah Witness and different types of the people, saw different denominations.
514 I used to love (well, I do yet) the West. I love horses and cattle. I was just raised on a farm, and I--I love it. And we used to have the round up, and I'd go with them. And we had a drift fence. I don't know whether you Eastern people know what a drift fence is, or not. It's when you put the cattle into the--the forest, they have a fence to keep them from drifting what they called, come back down to the ranches. They'd eat up the grass, where they're raising the grass for the winter feed. And then up in the mountain, they also have drift fences, where they separate so many females and male, and so forth. It's called a drift fence. But the main drift fence is where the ranger stands when the cattle are going through.
515 And now I've sat there, a many day, in my saddle, and watched them as the cattle would go through. There was all different kinds of brands went in. There was some called the "Diamond." And some of them called the "Bar X." And some... Ours was the "Tripod," something like a Boy Scout emblem. The next fellow, below it, was a "turkey track" on the horse. And they had all different kinds of brands, to--to know their cattle when they drove them out.
516Now, the ranger wasn't so interested in what brand they had, but here's what, the ranger was interested to watch a tag in their ear. Everything that went in there, no matter what brand it was, had to be a thoroughbred Hereford. It could not go in there unless it was a Hereford. Had to be registered stock or it couldn't get through.
517 I think, on that day when the Lord comes, He's not going to pay any attention to what brand we're wearing, but if we're all born-again Christians. That's right. That's the stock of Christ. The Blood test is going to prove us, we're all Christians. And if we're going to all be that way there, we might as well be that way here. Don't you think so? That's the way, we appreciate all fellowship from all different churches.
518 Now we're studying in this blessed Book of Hebrews. One brother has enjoyed it so much till he's taken the tapes and he's making a book of lectures on this.
519Now we're going to come, pretty soon, to the 11th chapter. We expect to spend the winter on that, on the 11th chapter. For each one of those characters, we wish to go back through the Book and tie the entire Scripture together. I was going to do it. I do in portion, on some of this, of these former chapters, to get the whole Book tied together. For, you see, Scripture must prove Scripture.
520Therefore, if there's any contradiction, that anyone would think that the Scriptures contradict each other, that's an error. There is no Scripture contradicts a Scripture. The--the contradiction is where that maybe It contradicts our way of looking at It, but It doesn't contradict Itself. I've been in the ministry, going on twenty-six years now, and I have never, one time, found one thing in the Bible that contradict anything else was written in the Bible. And I--I just know it isn't there.
521 And today we are studying in one of the most blessed chapters of the Hebrews, the 7th chapter. And there's anyone doesn't have a Bible, would like to follow us in the readings, we'd be glad to bring you a Bible if you'd just raise your hand. I'll have some of the elders, someone, come here and get some. Someone are raising their hands back there. And thank you, brother. And if you want a Bible, just raise your hand, and they'll bring it to you.
522 Now, the only way that a church can be built, the only way that a man can have Faith, is not by his denomination, not by his affiliation. But his Faith rests not upon the theology of some man's ideas, 'cause it's, more or less, altogether man. But the only way Faith can find it's solemn resting place, is upon the immovable and unchangeable Word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word." That's how it takes. And--and when Faith is heard and accepted, it's forever settled. Nothing no more can ever move it, no matter what comes or goes. Nothing can ever change that Faith. Think of that. You're anchored, and you no more change, for time and Eternity. You're anchored forever, "For God, by one sacrifice, has perfected forever those that are sanctified, or called."
523 And Faith has such a great place in the Christian, the believer's life, that it can take its stand by the side of a muddy grave or over a casket, where a precious baby or a sweetheart has passed from this life to the beyond. And with a stern look of the eagle eye, can look to Him who said, "I am the resurrection and the Life." And they forget the things that's in the past. They press on to the mark of the high calling.
524I'm so glad that God has provided such, and has made it a free gift to all. That's what churches are to be. Churches doesn't mean denominations or organizations; it means, "Groups of people, of believers, who is gathered together under the fellowship of the Word."
525 And in this marvelous teaching here of Saint Paul, in the backgrounds, in the former chapters, he has specifically been dealing with the supreme Deity of the Lord Jesus and who He was. Christ was God, made so that men could feel Him and touch Him, and--and fellowship with Him. Christ, the Lord Jesus, was the body that God dwelt in, "God was made flesh and dwelt among us." First Timothy 3:16, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, for God was manifested in flesh."
526The Great Jehovah came down and was made tangible, by living in the body of His Own Son, declaring and reconciling the world to Himself. God was nothing... Christ was nothing short of God, and--and God was nothing short of Christ. The two together made the Godhead bodily, made a little lower than Angels, so that He could suffer. Angels cannot suffer. Jesus was the tabernacle that God dwelt in.
527The Bible said, in the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that, "Tabernacles, and burnt sacrifice and burnt-offerings Thou wouldst not, but a body has Thou prepared Me. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in tabernacles made with hands, but a body has Thou prepared Me," that in tabernacling or dwelling in a fellowship with man.
528 God permits, as soon as we're through with this chapter here, or through with this Book, we want to go back and pick up the Book of Ruth and show in there that how God became kinfolks to us, to reconcile the lost back to Himself by fellowshipping and becoming one of us. The Redeemer must be kinfolks, and the only way that God could become kinfolks to us, is to become one of us. So, He could not become an Angel and be kinfolks to man.
529 Last evening when I was talking to the heart-broken son, my partner, of the mother that's just passed away, said, "O Brother Bill, I guess she's an Angel tonight."
530I said, "No, Earl. She'll never be an Angel. She's a woman, tonight, just as God made her, and will always be, never a Angel." God made Angels. He never made men become Angels. He made Angels and men. So men will never be Angels, and Angels will never be men. God made them different.
531 Now, and in Christ becoming flesh to redeem out of that great beyond where man had fell, and that immortality by sin had come down, God came down and taken on the form of a shape of a man, and became kinfolks to us, that He might bear our sins and our death.
532 And in one of the illustrations we were giving, in the previous lessons; just a little background so the newcomer would understand. God, on His road up to Calvary. As the sting of death was upon Him, and was buzzing around Him, and finally it stung Him till He died. He died till the sun quit shining. He died until the moon and the stars would not give their light.
533Or, how He had to do that, to anchor the stinger of death! If He had been an immortal person, if he had been in the theophany, or been in the spirit, death has no control of that. It had to become flesh, that He could take the stinger of death. But when a bee or an insect who stings, once stings deep, he'll never sting again. He leaves his stinger in the flesh. And that's what Christ be-... or God became. Christ dwelt in flesh, that He might anchor in His Own flesh the stinger of death. And when death pulled away from Him at the cross, it left its stinger, it could not sting a believer anymore. It can make a humming noise, it can make a buzz and a threat, but it cannot sting. It has no stinger.
534The great Saint Paul, on his death march, screamed and said, "O death, where is your sting? And grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God who has done give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, for both death and grave has lost its power."
535 Now, then, last Sunday we taken, "Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ," in the 6th chapter, we read this, "let us go on to perfection." And we found out that the people today in many churches, along with the Branham tabernacle and different ones, we lay too much on studying about the principles of Christ: He was the Son of Abraham, He was the son of--of so-and-so, and on back, the genealogies. But the Bible said, "Let us lay aside those things, and go on to perfection."
536First you must know the doctrine, and then you must know all these things; then let's lay them aside, He said, of resurrection of the dead, laying on of hands, baptisms, and all those dead articles of God. Yet, they--they have no Life in them. But the church today just goes to those things, "Oh, we believe in the Deity of Christ." Yes. Sure. "We believe in water baptism." Yes. Sure. "Laying on of hands."
537Paul said, "We'll do all this if God permits. But in the face of all of that, let's lay it aside now, and go on to perfection."
538 Now, the church cannot be perfected through organizations. It gets further away from God, all the time, or farther away from each other. We draw barriers, we separate ourselves, seemingly not having the Faith. But then when we leave those principles of doctrine, if we move on to perfection, then those little things become of not much use.
539We go into a relationship, and we find out that the only way that we can be perfected is to be in Christ. And we find out then, by the teachings of the Bible, that how we get into Christ; not by water baptism, not by laying on of hands, not by teaching. "But by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body and become perfected through His suffering." Then, we look different. We think different. We act different. We live different. Not because it's a duty or we belong to church, but because of "the love that God has shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost," that makes us fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God, then there is no denomination or barriers in that. We're all one great Body.
540 Now we're ready to enter in upon the morning lesson, in a few moments. One more thing I'd like to get to here, that is, that, Paul speaking in the Book, of the 7th... or the 6th chapter, we find out here that we're made perfect in Christ. Then in the 13th verse of the 6th chapter, just a little background.
For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
God swore by Himself, because He could not swear by anyone greater.
541Now we want to go back. Let's get at Galatians just a few moments. Turn back to the Book of Galatians, and get Galatians 3:16. And we'll read here just a moment, of what He swore by.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promise made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one,... to the seed, which is Christ.
542Now if you'll notice, reading that close now, as you read.
... to Abraham and his seed (singular) were the promises (plural) made.
543 "Abraham and his Seed." Now, the Seed of Abraham was one, which was Christ; in prefigure, Isaac.
But Abraham had many children. He had one before he had Isaac, which was showing the slipping up of the unbelief of Sarah who wanted Hannah to bring the child, thinking that she was too old, and God to bypass and make some other way from the way that He had promised to do it.
544But God keeps His promise. No matter how unreasonable it may seem, God is obligated to His promise. And Sarah thought that maybe she could have Hannah... or Hagar, rather, her maid, to give birth to a baby through Abraham, and she would take it. And that became Ishmael, which was a thorn in the flesh, from then until now. Still a thorn in the flesh, for out of there come the Arabs, and they've always been that way.
545Now, any time that you disbelieve the naked Word of God and adopt some other way, it'll be a thorn in your flesh from there on. You take just what God said. If He said It, that's just what He means. Oh, blessed be His Name! Just take His Word.
546No matter what tries to bypass, say, "Well, It really doesn't mean That." It means just what It says, when God makes a promise.
547 Now if we'll notice closely.
... Abraham and his seed were the promises...
One was the Seed, singular, and the other was promises. There's more than one promise, and more than one person that's included in the Seed of Abraham. See? There's one Seed, but many people of this Seed. See? They were not just Abraham alone, or to Isaac alone. But the... It was to all the Seed of Abraham. The promises was made to each and every individual seed of that Seed. You get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
548"Therefore, we, being dead in Christ, according to the Scriptures, we take on Abraham's Seed and are heirs according to the promise." Not by joining church, or forming of the dead articles, or--or so forth. But by being born of the Spirit of Christ, we are Abraham's Seed, and are joint-heirs with Him in the Kingdom.
549 Then we go on, to read, then, just a little further now, "God making an oath." Now the 17th verse of the 6th chapter.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly...
... God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it with an oath:
550Oh, let's just rest now a few minutes. "God more willing." Not that He had to, but to make this a sure thing.
551Now, we've already found that God became flesh, dwelt among us, how that He manifested Hisself towards the world. When He found the woman in adultery, said, "I don't. I don't condemn you. Go, sin no more." When He found the sick, He acted just the way He would have to act, for He was God, and He--He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He forgave the sins. No matter how they was, and how many, and how backslidden, He forgive them, anyhow, if they were willing to come and ask.
552 Now notice. If God acted any one time on a certain circumstance, and if that same circumstance arise again, He's got to act the second time like He did the first time or He's unjust. See? No matter how bad you are in sin, how stooped you may become, He's got to act to you like He did that fallen woman or He acted wrong then. God's behavior is His Person, and what He is in His behavior declares His Person.
553And that's the way you are, in your behavior of life, tells what you are. As we had and went through, a lesson or two ago, the Methodist people wanted to declare, "When you shout, you got It." The Pentecostal says, "When you spoke with tongues, you've got It." The Shaker said, "When you shake, you got It," the Pennsylvania Shakers. And we find out that they're all wrong. Your life declares It. Your person declares what you are. A man is known by his works, and whatever your life is.
554You've heard the old story, "Your life speaks so loud, I can't hear your words." So whatever you are, you are. The life that you live shows what kind of a spirit is in you.
555 And then you may impersonate the wrong thing... or impersonate the right thing, may I say. You may impersonate a Christian. But there will, by-and-by, come a time when the strain will be put on, then it'll show what you are. A chain is its strongest at its weakest link.
556When Christ the Son of God was put to the test, it showed what He was. Sure. When you're put to the test, it'll prove what you are. Your life always reflects what's on the inside of you. By-and-by, be sure your sins don't find you out. And that's what we're trying to say.
557 Jesus said, in Saint John 5:24, "He that heareth," not he that shaketh, he that speaketh. He that... "He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Eternal Life, and shall never come to the judgment; but is passed from death unto Life."
558It's your faith. And your faith, confessed by your lips, make manifest to the people that can hear, but your life is open before all. So, no matter how much you try to act this and do this, it'll never work. It's got to be in you. That's the real kernel of the whole story. Your personal faith in the resurrected Christ, as your Saviour; that He's at the right hand of God, acting in your place this morning, as you're acting in His place down here as a witness. A witness is to act instead of somebody, stand for you as a witness. And as your life reflects here what your testimony is in Christ, it reflects there and it reflects here. And He is up there, as what He is for you, reflects both there and here. So you are... By your faith, are you saved, and that alone. So, sensations, emotions, feelings, anything, has no place at all in It. Now, not...
559 Now, don't think wrong, that I do not believe in these emotions. Certainly. But what we're on now, trying to drill to this people of this day, is not emotions. The Devil has took those things and went wild with the people, letting them base their Eternal destination upon an emotion. Shouting, speaking with tongue, going to church every Sunday, acting like a Christian, that won't have one bearing at that day. "Except a man is born again." And your life reflects what you are on the inside, see, not your emotions.
560You could have blood in your hands, you could speak with tongues, you could heal the sick, you could move mountains with your faith, and you are nothing yet. First Corinthians 13. See? It's got to be something happened by a Birth which comes from God, and God brings the new Birth into you, and gives you a part of Himself. Then those things are. You are a new creation. "I give unto them Eternal."
561 We went through the word "Eternal." Forever is "a space of time." Eternity is forever, forever and forever, but there's only one Eternity. And we find out that you receive Eternal Life, and the word in the Greek is Zoe, which means "God's Life." And you receive part of God's Life, which makes you a spiritual son of God, and you're just as everlasting as God is everlasting. You have no end, no place to stop, because you had no place to begin. Anything has a beginning has an end, and that without a beginning has no end.
562 How we love that precious Word! How the Christian should be established in the Faith that was once delivered to the saints, and not be tossed about, place to place, and joining different churches. Any church you want to belong to is all right, as long as you're a Christian. But first put the first thing, which is that Birth that makes you kinfolks to God, as God became kinfolks with you.
563He become kinfolks, that he might raise you up. Before He could raise you up, He has to give you Eternal Life. Then God had to become kinfolks, to take death, to raise you up. Then you have to become kinfolks to Him, in order to go in the resurrection. You see what it is? It's just a swap. God became you, that you might become God. See? God became a part of you, flesh, that you might by His grace become a part of Him, that's all, to have Eternal Life.
564 Just a beautiful picture, and, oh, we love it.
Now, God, willing more abundantly...
565Didn't have to, but He was willing to. I'm so glad of that, aren't you, that our God is willing? Look. What if He--what if He wasn't long-suffering? What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, faith, peace, long-suffering. That's a part of God that's in you. And can forbearance, forbearing one another's burdens. Forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake forgive you. The Spirit of God in you makes you that way. And then when God was here on earth and became you, became sin, that Him taking your sin, bore it for you and paid your penalty for it. God is long-suffering, forbearing our burdens.
566 And then He's a good God. If you want to, certain things your way, you know, God is good enough to do that. He loves to--to make you happy. He wants to. He, He is love, and His great love constrains Him to even step down sometime, to let you have the things that you want.
567Look at Thomas, after the resurrection. Thomas wouldn't believe. Oh, he's got many children today. But Thomas said, "No. No. I'll have to have some evidence. I'll have to put my hands in His side, and in His... my fingers over here in His hands, before I will believe It. I, I don't care what you say." See, he was all out of the Scripture order, right then. You're supposed to believe It. So he said, "I have to have some sort of evidence, to prove It."
568And Jesus appeared, He's good, "Come on, Thomas, if that's what you want, well, here you are. You can have it."
569That's the way we are. We say, "Lord, I got to speak with tongues. I--I got to shout. I got..."
570"Oh, go ahead, I'll let you have it." He is good.
571So he stuck his hands in His side, then he said, "Oh, it's my Lord and my God."
572He said, "Now, Thomas, you believe since you seen. But how much greater is their reward who has no evidence and yet believes It!" There you are. That's where we must get to. "How much greater is their reward who seen nothing but yet believe It." It's an act of faith, that we accept It.
573 Now, I believe signs following the believers, but let's put first things first. You can have the signs, without This. Paul said you could. He said, "I could speak with tongue like both men and Angels; I'm nothing. I can move mountains by my faith; I am nothing. I could understand the Bible, in such a way I could know all the mysteries of God; I'm nothing." See, that's gifts of the Holy Spirit, without the Holy Spirit.
574The Holy Spirit is God. God is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, patience. That's the Spirit of God. That's what God raises up in the last days, through that Spirit.
575 Now, "Not willing..."
... God, more willing abundantly to show unto the heirs of the promise...
... God, more willing... to show... the heirs...
Who is the heirs? "We, being dead in Christ, take on Abraham's Seed, and are heirs." Oh, does that soak in? We are heirs of the Kingdom of God, through a sworn promise. God didn't have to swear. His Word is perfect. But He swore, too, by Himself, for there was no one greater.
576As we read on, just a moment, listen.
... the promise of immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
577 "Immutability," the unchangeable. God cannot change. He has to remain the same. And if God healed one sick person, He can never change His attitude. God forgive one sinner, one prostitute, He can never change His attitude. The immutability, the unchanging of God's Word. God said, in one place, "I'm the Lord who heals all thy diseases." He has to stay with It, for He's infinite. He knowed to the end from the beginning.
578Now, I can say, "I'll do this." And the Bible said, we ought to say, "If the Lord is willing." Because, I'm a mortal. I don't know. Sometimes I have to take my word back, but God can't take His back. He is God.
579And He only requested one thing, "If thou canst believe." Oh, my! "If you can believe, all things are possible." "If thou canst believe," that's all. "You, if you can," there's the question. But not the question is on God's Word, because, His immutability, He cannot change. How wonderful!
580 Now listen, as we read on down.
That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie,...
Impossible! An impossibility and immutability is practically the same word; can't change, can't move. It has to stay the same forever. Can't be changed, the immutability and the impossibility.
And two, by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,...
"We have two things?" Yes. First, His Word said He would do it. The second was His sworn oath on it, He would do it. Oh, my!
581What type of people should we be? Why should we be tossed about and run about, and taking the things of the world and acting like this 1957 streamlined-model Christianity? We want to be the old-fashioned type that takes God at His Word, and calls those things which were not, as though they were. "If God said so, That settles it."
582 Abraham, who the promise was given, to him and his Seed, he called the things which were not, as though they were. For, It was God's promise, knowing that God could not lie. He promised him that, and he believed It. And as the years passed by, and the promise seemed to get further away, to the natural eye, It become closer to Abraham.
583Instead of being weak, and say, "'Well, maybe there is no such a thing as Divine healing. Maybe I misspoke. Maybe there is no such a thing. Maybe I been wrong in all my conceptions." Then, that shows one thing, that you haven't been born again. "For it's..."
584 We got through last Sunday, just a little further back in the chapter. "For it is impossible for a man that's once tasted the Heavenly gifts and things, to fall away, again to renew himself to repentance." Absolutely, totally impossible!
For he that is born of God does not and cannot commit sin; for the seed of God remains in him: and he cannot sin,...
The Seed of God is the Word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word, 'The Sacrifice was made. It's all over.'"
585Now, if you do wrong, God will make you pay for it. But if you do, you're wrong, you don't do it willingly. 10th chapter, 47th verse, I believe, "For if we sin willfully after we received the knowledge of the Truth." But after you're once Born, you have the Truth; not the knowledge of It, but you have accepted the Truth and It's become a reality. And you're a child of God, for time and Eternity. God swore that He would do it.
586Jesus said, "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting Life, and I'll raise him up in the last day. He'll never come to the judgment. He's passed from death unto Life." Now with a oath like that, "God willing that we should receive It."
587 Now watch what he says here, Paul speaking to the--the church.
... is impossible for God to lie, we ought to have a strong consolation,...
Not, "Well, if the Baptists don't treat me right, I'll go to the Methodists." See?
... we should have a strong consolation, who has fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
588Now in the reading of the last.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,...
The hope, the sworn oath of God, we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that is within the veil;
589Let's speak just a moment on "the veil." We didn't get it too good last Sunday night.
590 "In the veil." The veil is the flesh. The veil is what keeps us from seeing God, face to face, in this church. The veil is what keeps us from seeing the Angels at their positions this morning, standing by the seats. The veil is what keeps us from seeing Him. We are hid behind the veil, and that veil is the flesh. We are sons and daughters of God, we're in the Presence of God, "The Angels of God are encamped about those who fear Him." We're in the Presence of God, all the time. "I'll never leave thee, neither will I ever forsake thee. I'll be with thee always, even unto the end." But the veil is the flesh, that's what keeps us out of His Presence. But through the soul, the Spirit, by our faith we know that He's watching us. He is standing by us. He's here now.
591 Down at Dothan, one morning, an old prophet was surrounded by an army and his servant went out and said, "O father, the whole country is surrounded by the aliens."
592And Elijah raised up, and said, "Why, son, there is more with us than there is with them."
593Well, he batted his eyes and looked around. He could see nothing.
594He said, "God, I would that You'd open his eyes, take away the veil." And when the veil dropped from over his eyes, around that old prophet was chariots of fire, the mountains was on Fire with Angels and chariots. There you are.
595Oh, then Gehazi could say, "I--I understand now." See, the veil dropped. There is where the hindrance.
596 Here it is. Hold it tight. The veil is what keeps us from living the way we should. Veil is what keeps us from doing the things that we really want to do. And God became veiled in flesh, and the veil was tore in two. And God became God again, and He raised up the veil that He hid Hisself in. That's the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Proving to us that, in this veil that we're now hid in, by faith we believe It and accept It. And when this veil is tore in two, I'll go in His Presence with this assurance, knowing that, "I know Him in the power of His resurrection." At the Coming of the Lord Jesus, this veil will be raised up again, in a perfected way, till I'll walk and talk with Him as my Saviour and my God, when He takes the throne of David. And we'll live forever in this veil after it's been perfected, but this veil has sin in it. It don't matter how... Don't never think of that glorified body in this earth. It's got to die, same as your soul has to die, to be born again.
597 In the perfection, not eating meats, and doing this, and perfecting the body, you'll never have It. And you've got to quit this, and do this, and do this, and do this, that's law. That's legalists. We don't believe in the legal forms of salvation. We believe It that by grace are we saved. And it's not you. You have nothing to do with it. It's God's election that does it. "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him." That's right. And He... All Jesus come to do was to get these that the Father foreknew; and predestinated them before the foundation of the world. They become sons and daughters of God. Amen. "Not him that runneth, or him that willeth, but God that showeth mercy." God that does it. You can't brag, at all. There's not a thing that you did. God, by grace, saved you; not you, yourself. If you do, you got something to brag about. But you haven't nothing to brag. All praises goes to Him. It's Him. Then He's give you the sure hope, "Swore by an oath, the impossibility for His children to ever be lost."
598 Now, they get whippings for doing wrong. You reap what you sow. You get that. Don't think now you just going out and sin, get by with it. If you do, and got that attitude, it shows you've never been born again. You get it? If you still got the desire in you, to do the wrong, then you're still wrong. See? "For He has perfected, forever, those that is... And those beasts under the Old Testament, under legal days, offered yearly, continually, could never take away sin." But when we put our hands upon His head, and confess our sins and are born again of the Spirit of God, we have no more desire of sin. Sin has passed from you. That's for time and Eternity.
599 You'll make mistakes. You'll fall. You'll willfully do wrong. You'll go out sometime and do things. That don't mean that you're lost. That means that you're going to get correction.
600My little boy, lots of times, my children, will do things. Your does, too. That you... They know that's against your--your rules. And they know what to expect when they do it. They're going to get a whipping for it, sometimes a good one. But it's still your child. Certainly.
601It's impossible for that man to ever be gone again, that's once been born of Eternal Life. God is not an Indian giver. "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting Life; and shall never come to the judgment, but is passed from death unto Life. I'll raise him up at the last days." That's God's promise.
602 Now if you go on, say, "Oh, well, then I can do just..." I always do what I want to do. But if you're a Christian, you don't want to do the thing that's wrong, 'cause the very Life in you, the very foundation. If you want to do wrong, it shows the wrong thing is in here. "How can bitter and sweet water come from the same fountain?"
603So you been all mixed up, on some kind of emotion or fabulous something, another sensation. Forget it. Go back to the altar and say, "God, take my old sinful life away, and put me in such a condition that my whole desire..."
"He that's born of God does not commit sin." That's right. He has no desire to do so.
604 Certainly, the Devil will trap him here and there, but not willfully. The Bible said so. The Devil will trap him, now and then. Sure, he will. He tried to throw a traps for our Lord Jesus. He did to Moses, and caught him. He did to Peter, and caught him. He did to many. But Peter even denied Him, but then he went and wept bitterly. There was something in him.
605 When the dove was turned out of the ark... The crow went out, he cawed around. He was in the ark all right, but when he went out, his nature was different. He could eat all the old dead carcasses he wanted to, and be satisfied. Why? He was a crow, to begin with. He was a scavenger. He was no good. He was a hypocrite who set on the roost with the dove, just as big as the dove was. He could fly anywhere the dove could fly. But he could eat good food just like the dove eat. And then he could eat rotten food, what the dove couldn't eat. For, the dove is a different mix-up. She's a different make. She's a dove. And the dove cannot digest rotten food, because it don't have any gall.
606 And a man that's born of the Spirit of God becomes a dove of God, his nature, his change, his makeup. Yes, sir. You put the spirit of the--of the dove in the crow, he'd never set on a dead carcass. If he lit down by mistake, he'd certainly get away quick. He couldn't stand it. And a man that's born of the Spirit of God, don't in-tolerate. He might light in a barroom sometime, but he'll get out of there quick. A woman might entice him, get him to turned around, but he'll turn his head again. He'll get away from there quick. Why? He's a dove. That's right. You ain't going to fool him, because that he knows. "My sheep know My Voice, and a stranger they will not follow." He's a dove, to begin with. There is what I'm speaking about, the actual something that anchors in there.
607 Watch close now. "God swore." Oh, it...
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both... stedfast, and which entereth into--into that which is the veil;
608"The veil." God came down, veiled in flesh. To do what? To show Himself. He had to hide, because we couldn't see Him. And He hid behind the veil. And the veil was who? Jesus. "Not Me that doeth the works, My Father," said Jesus. "My Father dwelleth in Me. I work. The Father worketh, and I worketh hitherto." Here He is as the veiled One, walking in the flesh, God, Emmanuel, God with us. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself." Here He is, walking around.
609 Now, He came down and made a sanctification, or provision, or propitiation, that through His death offered, paid the price of sin, that He might come back and dwell in us. Then the faith that we have is a--is a veiled faith, or a veil person. Therefore we don't look at the things that we see in this veil. The veil has educations, and it does things and speaks things. It's a scientific thing. But the Spirit of the living God that dwells in here, calls those things which were not, as though they were, if God said so. There is your veiling. We're in the veil.
610Now, someday He'll raise this veil up, not born of a woman by the sex desire of man and woman, but by the will of God He will speak and she'll come to pass. [Brother Branham snapped his finger--Ed.] Then we'll have a body like His own glorious body. We'll be veiled, so we can talk to one another, shake one another's hands.
611 Now, when we go from here, there's a tabernacle, a theophany, just an image of a man, that don't eat, don't drink, don't sleep, awake forever. There is where we go to. But they're waiting under the Altar, crying, "Lord, how long? How long?" to come back down. Because, they want to shake hands with one another. They want to set down and eat, and talk to one another. They're human. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
612When God made man in His own image at the beginning, He made him thus. He fellowshipped with one another, because we know one another. We like the things that God made us, because we were made thus. In His great Coming, those who are ready will be thus forever. Immortal, we'll stand in His likeness. O blessed be that Name of Christ!
613 And now we have the earnest of our salvation, as we accept Him as our personal Saviour, as our healer. All these other remunerations are the dividends that's paid on the insurance policy. Amen. You know what an insurance policy is. You can draw dividends on it till the face value comes. Certainly. You can draw dividends. And we're drawing dividends now. Only, the thing, as soon as we draw dividends, the remuneration is built up again.
614 An insurance agent, one time, said to me, "Billy, I'd like to sell you some insurance."
I said, "I have some." My wife looked around at me.
615Now, nothing against insurance. But some people are "insurance poor." So, they turned around. He said...
616My wife looked at me, strange, "You got insurance?"
617I said, "Sure." She didn't know nothing about it.
618He said, "Well, Billy, what kind of an insurance have you got?"
619I said:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory Divine!
An heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.
620He said, "That's very good, Billy," he said, "but it won't put you up here in the graveyard."
621I said, "But It'll take me out. That's the main thing." I'm not worried about getting there; I'm worried about getting out.
622 And since I have the assurance, by the sworn God of Eternity, that He will raise me up again in the likeness of His Son, in the last day, I'll walk boldly and have a consolation and an anchor of the soul, that, while I'm in this veil there is some unseen Something got me anchored against the Rock of ages yonder. When the waters jump and blast, it doesn't make any difference. If death, perils, or anything, separates us not from the love of God. My anchor holds within the veil. Let the floods rise. Let her dash. Let infidels come. The born-again believer has an anchor. You can't see through this veil yet. But I know my anchor holds yonder against the Rock of the ages, Who is a sworn promise that He will raise me up at the last day.
623 No wonder you can look death in the face, and say, "Where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We're in the Forerunner. Oh, my! (We ain't going to get to the lesson.) We had a Forerunner for us.
624A forerunner. Did you ever notice in the old western days. Many times I've went across the old trails. A forerunner, or scout? When the wagon train was perishing, for water, the scout run ahead. And he seen the tribes of Indians; he bypassed them. And he seen where there was a fountain of water. He rushed back to tell the boss of the wagon train, "Step up the horses, everybody take good courage, for just over the mountain there's a big fountain of water." He's a forerunner.
625 And here, the Forerunner. Man was once pinned down by the Devil, under rapid fire, but Somebody took the machine-gun nest. That was Jesus. The Forerunner has gone before us. And Satan standing there with a machine gun, pinning us down, always in bondage and scared of death. He was guarding that Fountain. Sure, he was. He was given the commission, because we had sinned and been drove away from It. But the Forerunner, Christ, come in and took the nest.
626You've heard that old song, "Hold the fort, for I am coming"? Hold the fort, nothing; let's take it. We don't want to hold it any longer. Christ took the fort. Hallelujah! The door is open. "There is a Fountain open in the house of God, in the city of David, for to clean, for cleanliness of the unclean." Our Forerunner has done entered in for us.
627 The Forerunner, He tells us, "There's a place just beyond, yonder, where you'll never get old." Where there'll be no wrinkles, where you won't have to use Max Factors to make you look nice to your husband. The Forerunner has went on. There's never a place where you get old and weary and shaky. There's a place where you'll never get sick. Where the baby will never have a colic. Where you'll never shed a false... or a tooth, to get a false one. Hallelujah! O blessed be His Name! He entered in, and immortal we'll stand in His likeness, someday yonder. The stars and the sun they'll outshine. Certainly. The Forerunner has gone before us.
... the forerunner is gone, has for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
628 This great Forerunner has gone before us, making a way. He become from spirit, the great fountains of the rainbow of God, who had no beginning or no end. He was, forever, God.
This ray of Light went forth. It was a ray of love, that's the main one, red. The next color follows, which was blue; blue, the trueness. Next, followed after that was other colors, through the seven perfect colors, which is the seven spirits of God, that went from that great Fountain or that great Diamond that Jesus spoke of. That great Diamond was chipped, to reflect these colors. God was made flesh and dwelt among us, that He might reflect His goodness and mercy among us, by gifts and signs and wonders.
That whole big rainbow had become in a theophany, of made in the image like man. Yet, He wasn't a man; He didn't have flesh, yet. He was a theophany.
629 Moses said, "I'd like to see You." God hid him in the rock.
630And when He passed by, He turned His back. Moses said, "It looked like the back of a man."
631Then what come to pass? One day down there, when Abraham was setting in his tent. We'll get to it, tonight. When Abraham was setting in his tent, God came up to him, in a body of flesh.
"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, he was..."
632We'll find Him out here meeting Abraham before that, in the order of Melchisedec, a body of flesh, which was God. Sure, it was. He was God in flesh.
633You say, "Then, Brother Branham, why would He have to come back and be born?"
634 He wasn't born then. He was just created, a body that He dwelt in. Melchisedec was the King of Salem, which is the King of Jerusalem, which is the King of peace; which had neither father nor mother, beginning of days or ending of life.
Jesus had both father and mother, and a beginning of days and ending of life. But He was made "after the order" of Melchisedec, which had no beginning of days or ending of life.
635Melchisedec was God Himself. Melchisedec was Jehovah God, the same One that met Abraham, years later, in front of his tent. Had His back turned to him; He said, "Why did Sarah laugh?" That's right. He was the One who stood there, looking over towards Sodom. Abraham recognized Him, because inside of his veil was an anchor holding that promise. Not because he had some sensation, but God made him the promise. And when he come into contact with that great magnet, he knew It was in that flesh.
636 Walked out with Abraham, out there a little piece. He told Abraham. Said, "Seeing that, I'll keep these things from Abraham, to see that he's the heir of the world? I just won't do it." So, "Abraham, I'll tell you what I'm on My road to do," we pick it up tonight, "down there in Sodom," and what they all was going to do. And as soon as He had blessed Abraham, He went back into space again. A man that stood there and had dust on His clothes, a man. And not only that, but He eat the flesh of a calf that Abraham killed, and drinking the milk from the cow, and eat some hoe cakes (some corn bread), and had butter on it. That's exactly right. And then turned back to a theophany again.
637 What was it? Why didn't He take it then? He had never been born like you and I. But He had to be born in the flesh, so He could hold that stinger. That was a created body. That was a body that He just pulled the calcium and potash out of the earth, and said, "Whew," and stepped into it. That was the same thing Melchisedec was. He stepped into him, in a body that He could walk out before him under the veil, of a veil of His own creation; not a veil of the creation of a woman, through the womb of a woman, through a--a cell, never. But He created this and stepped out into it, and talked, in the order of Melchisedec.
638 Who is this Melchisedec?
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, (which is Jerusalem), prince of the most high God, certainly, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
To whom also Abraham give a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, (that great love, love, that great Spirit in the beginning)... King of righteousness,... after that... King of Salem, which is, the King of peace;
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, or ending of life;...
639Who was it? He never was born, He never will die. Who is it? It was God, sure, it was, in the foreshadow of the Lord Jesus. Certainly was. But He had to come through a woman, in the order you come through a woman. And He had to come the way you come, in order to bring you back to Him. Hallelujah!
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a poor, blind wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I'm found, by
His grace,
I was blind, but now I see.
640 I understand what He had to do. God became me, that I by grace might become of Him. He taken my sins, that through His righteousness I might have Eternal Life. I could not choose myself. My nature was a sinner. I had nothing to do with it. I was "born of the world, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies." Not even a chance, at all; nothing, not even a desire.
641Tell a pig he is "wrong, eating slop," will you? See how much he'll listen to you. Tell a crow he is "wrong, eating on a dead carcass," and see what he'll tell you. If he could talk, "You tend to your own business." Certainly.
642 Oh, but the grace of God that changed this nature, and give me the opportunity to desire and to crave and to thirst, "Thy love, kindness, is better to me than life, O God. My heart will longs after Thee."
643David said, "As a hart panteth for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God."
644God gave man that thirst, to worship Him, to love, seek after Him. But man perverts it by the call of the Devil, and he goes and lusts after women and pleasures and things of the world, trying to satisfy that holy creation that God has put in, to love Him. He places it upon the things of the world. But, brother, when he's once changed, and that fountain with wiggletails in it, all kinds of--of disorders of the cistern, has been cleansed out and sterilized, and the pure Water of God is put in there, sin can never touch it. Amen.
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My life, my sunshine, my all in all!
The great Creator became my Saviour,
All God's fullness dwelleth in Him.
Down from His glory, the ever living story,
My God and Saviour came, and Jesus was His Name.
Born in a manger, to His own a stranger,
The God of sorrow, tears and agony.
O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all!
645 O God! How could He do it? Man has tried to write it. One said:
If we with ink the ocean fill,
And every straw on earth a quill;
All the skies of parchment made,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above.
How that great God of Heaven became flesh and taken my sins!
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Or though the scroll contained the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
646 And to make the heirs of this salvation a sure hope, He swore by Himself that He would raise up in the last days, give us Eternal Life. "And no man can pluck them from My hand." Amen.
Let's pray.
647Are you guilty of spurning His love? Have you shunned His blessed Being, this great One who made you what you are? And now here you are, this morning, this far in life, and it's giving you an opportunity. Do you want to continue to live? There's only one way to live, that's believe on the Lord Jesus. If you, from your heart, believe that He's the Son of God and accept Him as your Saviour, and believe that God raised Him up for your justification, if you want to accept it on that basis, it's yours now.
648 Would you raise your hand? Some unpenitent soul, that would like to... -pent, repent this morning, say, "Remember me, brother, preacher, as we go to prayer. I too have failed. I've joined church, but I--I know I--I've never had that what you're talking about. I've never been born of that Spirit, Brother Branham. I just--I just haven't got It, that's all. I want you to pray for me, that God will give It to me this morning." God bless you, sir. Would there be another? Say, "God, make me what You want me to be. I want You to be... I want to be as You want me to be. I've spurned Your love." God bless you, son.
649 Just a moment now.
If we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the sky of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Or could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How fathomless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure,
The saints and Angels song.
650 Dear God, truly the poet that wrote those words were just like many others of Your believers, searching, trying to find words to express it. And is written in the Bible, "More, because the preacher was wise, he sought out and set in order many words." Oh, how we would love to have the tongue and the vocabulary that we could explain to the people what it really is, but it could not be found on mortal lips. All Eternity, doubtless whether it'll ever reveal it, how that the God of Heaven ever come to the earth to save poor, lost, wretched sinners.
651I pray Thee, Father, that through these few unbroken words, or broken words this morning, as I should said, that someone has found peace and a satisfaction and a strong consolation, who has fled for refuge. And may their soul anchor to that promise which God swore to, that He'd raise them up at the last day. Several hands went up, in the building, right here in this tabernacle. God, give them that steadfast hope, right now. May they anchor against the Rock of ages. No matter how bad the sea may toss and their little barks may jump, they have an anchor, the promise of God. There they stay, "God said It. He can't lie."
652 "He that heareth My Words," which I've tried to preach this morning, "and believeth on Him that sent Me, Jehovah, hath everlasting Life; and shall not come to the judgment, but has passed from death to Life."
653O Eternal One, bless those today. And may every person in here that's not under the Blood, their soul never been converted, may it happen just now, Lord. You work the mystery. It's all Yours. It's committed to You. I pray that You'll give it to them, Eternal Life. May, someday, over on the other shore, as one by one we go down through the valley, may we meet over there where they'll never say "good-bye" no more.
Someday we'll come to the river at the closing of time,
When the last thoughts of sorrow has gone;
There'll be somebody waiting that'll show us the way,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
There'll be One, somebody waiting that'll show me the way,
I won't have to cross Jordan...
654 All that's got that hope, raise your hand up now as you raise your head.
I won't have...
Now just worship Him. The message is over. Aren't you happy? God swore He wouldn't... God swore He would meet you there.
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
When the darkness I...
What do you say? The stinger is gone.
He will be waiting for me,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
Times I'm forsaken, and weary...
Just worship Him now.
Seems that my friends have all gone;
Did you ever hit that place?
But there's one thought that cheers me.
What was the promise?
Makes my heart glad,
I won't have to cross Jordan...
655Now, children of the promise, just worship Him for doing it.
I won't have to cross Jordan alone,
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
What happens now?
When the darkness I see, He will be waiting for me,
I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
"When I come to the river." Every one of you is coming. There's a big, dark shadow setting there before you. It's a big door. You're going in there, one of these days, maybe before the day is over, maybe before church closes this morning. You're going in there. Every time that heart beats, you're one step closer.
But when the darkness I see, He will be waiting there,
He said He would. He swore He would.
Then I won't have to cross Jordan alone.
656 O Blessed Lord, our hearts are full, this morning, to the running over.
657To think of when the pulse is ceasing, and the nurse presses the pillow around your head. And your hands, you can't move no more. Your hands has turned to ice. Your children, your mother, your loved ones are screaming and crying. That big door swings open, yonder. He'll be waiting.
658David said, "If I make my bed in hell, He will be there." I won't have to cross it alone. When the sprays of the river begin to flash into our face, God will take the lifeboat, guide us right across it. He promised He would. David the prophet said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."
659 Lord, we are so happy today, that we was included the heir of the promise. Today we have within us Eternal Life, because we love the Lord Jesus and have believed Him, and accepted His Word and His teaching. And He give to us, as a seal of our faith, the Holy Spirit, the seal of the Holy Spirit. Our faith within us is anchored. And though many times we're walking through dark shadows, many times we're stumbling along the road, but our anchor still holds. There is something in it, way yonder, that seems to be guiding on, saying, "Move on. We're going on."
660God, bless us. We need You. Keep us ever faithful and true until the time You come for us, we'll praise Thee through the ceaseless ages. And that day when we stand on the earth... His blessed feet has never touched the earth yet. There He stands there, in the air; and the saints and redeemed from all ages, through every watch, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, all stand there robed in His righteousness; we crown Him the King of king and the Lord of lords, and sing those redemption stories. Our poor hearts will quiver as we look upon Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. While we were unlovable and sinners, Christ died that we might be saved. We thank Thee for it, Father, in Christ's Name. Amen.
661 You love Him? Oh, how real He is. Don't you just feel like you'd just like to just somehow put your arms around Him? Wouldn't you just love to crawl up and touch His feet, you know?
662You know, there used to be some people come to my services at Phoenix, Arizona, say, "I'd like to talk it over with Him. I'd like to say, 'Lord, You loved me when my path got so dim.'" I'd just love to talk it over with Him before we cross over. I--I want to see Him. I--I--I just want to see Him. To think how I'll feel, how my poor heart will quiver when I see Him standing there.
663 I've often wondered, "I wish I could have heard that Voice say, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and heavy laden. I'll give you rest.'"
664I'll probably never hear that literally like He spoke it then, but I want to hear Him say, "This is the last day. It was well done, my good and faithful servant, now enter into the joys of the Lord that's been prepared for you." Since how long?
665"Since you got saved?" No brother.
666"Since the foundation of the world, when I saw you and foreknew you, and ordained you to Eternal Life," you were blessed then. "All that He has foreknew, He has called." Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] "All He has called, He has justified. Those who He had justified, He has already glorified." There you are. He foreknew us, called us, justified us, and we're already glorified with Him, at the end of the world, going to our reward. Aren't you happy? ["Amen."] Sure. It would make you love Him. When you couldn't help yourself, and here He come and done that for you.
667 Blest Be The Tie That Binds, Sister Gertie. "Our hearts in Christian love," while we have this little fellowship of worship here now, then we're going to pray for the sick. God bless you. You who raised your hands to Christ this morning, find you a place to worship, serve Him.
668Now, let's just worship Him now, as a congregation, all you Methodists, church of God, Assemblies of God, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholic. All together now, let's sing now.
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred mind
Is like to that Above.
Before our Father's throne,
We pour our ardent prayer;
Our fears, our hope, our aims, are one,
Our comfort and our care.
When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in...
How many Methodists, Baptists, and all?
And hope to meet again.
669 Don't that do you good? Let's turn around and shake each other's hand now, while we'll sing it again.
Before...
Shake hands, somebody behind you, front of you, either side.
... throne,
We pour our ardent prayer;
Our comforts and our care.
Now when we asunder part,
We'll love one another.
It gives...
Wish the service would go on? See? That's how we think.
... inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart, in
one,
And hope to meet again.
If no more here, at that great Day we'll meet.
670 Now, Father, receive our worship this morning. Take the Word and plant It into the believers' hearts. May they not be just tossed about, and up today and down tomorrow, but may these Words find their resting place in every believer's heart. To know this, that, "God has sworn by an oath, and there's two immutable things. The immutability of God, that is, that it's impossible for Him to lie, that the heirs of this salvation might have this strong hope, steadfast and sure, an anchor in the soul." To know this, that, "God has promised us, by a sworn oath. One, that He cannot lie; the other, He swore an oath on top of that, that He will raise us up at the last day and give us Eternal Life." Knowing, that, "After we have been called, that He said that He knew us before the foundation of the world, and predestinated us unto adoption of children through Jesus Christ. And He foreknew us. He called us. And when He called us, He justified us." We cannot justify ourselves, so He justified us by the death of His own Son. "Those who He has justified, He has already glorified." The Word is already spoke. And we're just on our road, going along, rejoicing on our way to Glory.
671 Give people faith, and may the little habits and things that's hanging onto the people, may they shake loose from them, this morning, with this Word of God which is an anchor of the soul, steadfast and sure. May they shake away from their habits, their little tempers. And the things that's been... As Paul said, in the further part of the message in a few days, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that does easily beset us, that we might run with patience the race that's set before us; looking to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, Who was tempted in all manner like we are, yet without sinning." He was permitted to be tempted, but He did not heed to temptation. And we are tempted to sin, but never to heed. Because the Life that is within us is the anchor of our Eternal destination, and we hold that sacred to our heart.
672 Now, there's many that Satan has afflicted with afflictions. We're fixing to pray for them, Father. May they, as they pass by under the Word of God today... That precious Word that's been preached, the Bible giving witness, the Angels of God standing near, and the great Holy Spirit, above all, is standing here to give witness to the Word. Now, Father, as they pass under the Word of promise, this morning, may they go from here to be well. To remove their braces, to leave the chairs and--and the cots that they'd lay on, and to just be made well. Grant it, Lord. May they return at the next service that they are permitted to come, or to their own churches, rejoicing, showing what great things Christ has did. This we minister for your glory, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
673 I am to apologize for a promise that I made, that this morning we'd have the 7th chapter, but I didn't get to it. And we have to allow a little time here for--for this, for the prayer line. And now, tonight, the Lord willing, we'll take the 7th chapter, and find out who this Melchisedec was. How many would like to know? Oh, we're just going right down to Him, find out just exactly who He is. And the Scripture tells who He is. See?
674And Scofield said it was "a priesthood." How could it be a priesthood, without beginning or ending? You see, it wasn't a priesthood. It was a Man, Melchisedec (a name), a Person.
675Like, not disregarding, but Christian Science says the Holy Ghost is "a thought." And the Bible said, "He, the Holy Ghost." And He is a personal pronoun. It's a Person; not a thought. It's a Person. Absolutely.
676And Melchisedec is a Man, a Man who had no beginning of days or ending of years. He had neither father or mother, or descent. And we'll find out who He is, the Lord willing, tonight, by the Word. Do you love It? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Oh! "Thy Word is a lamp unto my path and my feet." Oh!
677 Now, you say, "Brother Branham, I don't understand It all." Neither do I.
678But, one time, I was preaching down in Kentucky. And to some of the newcomers, and Catholic and different ones, who may not understand how these deep, rich things of the Scripture. I had been preaching on Divine healing. A little barefooted girl brought... She wasn't fifteen years old, had a little baby, and it had the palsy. I said, "What's the matter, sister, with your baby?"
679Said, "It's got the jerks." She didn't know what to say, palsy. She didn't know what to call it.
680Little thing probably never had a pair of shoes on, in her life. Some man's darling, long hair hanging down. I said, "Do you believe?"
681And those little, steel-gray eyes looked at me. She said, "Yeah, sir. I sure believe."
682I took the little baby. And while I was praying for it, it quit jerking. Uh-huh. And it went out, went out.
683 Next day, I was squirrel hunting, over in the side of a mountain. I heard some man setting there talking, old saw buzzing. And I slipped down. I been squirrel hunting. They was talking about me, setting there, chewing tobacco and spitting. The leaves flying, like that. And they were talking about, now, about the meeting the night before. One of them said, "I seen that baby. I went by there, this morning. It isn't jerking, yet this morning." See? Said, "That was real." And he was spitting.
684And they had rifles leaning against the tree, so I thought I'd better make myself known. You know, they had feuds down there, too. So, I walked up. I said, "Good morning, brethren."
685That great big fellow, seemed to be speaking, he had a chew of tobacco in his mouth, like that, way out on the side like that, and big, long neck. And he had a great big old hat on, pulled down over his face. He looked around and seen me. He reached up and got that hat, jerked it off, went... [Brother Branham swallows--Ed.] Swallowed that chewing tobacco, said, "Good morning, parson." See? Yes, sir. Respect. And that's right. How he ever lived over it, I don't know, but he did.
686 So, the next night, coming back, there was a man there who wanted to argue with me a little bit. He went to a church that didn't believe in Divine healing. So, this was a Methodist church, White Hill, Kentucky. So he--he went to... He was standing outside. He had a lantern in his hand. And he said, "I want to say something, preacher. I just can't accept That, 'cause I can't see It."
687I said, "You can't see It?"
688He said, "No." Said, "I'm a sick man, myself. But," said, "I just can't see It."
I said, "Where do you live?"
He said, "Back over on Big Renox."
I said, "Well, how you going to get home?"
He said, "Well, I'm going to walk home."
I said, "Can you see your home?"
He said, "No, sir."
I said, "Awful dark tonight, it's cloudy."
He said, "Yes."
I said, "How you going home?"
He said, "By this lantern."
I said, "The lantern doesn't show light all the way to the house." I said, "How do you go?"
He said, "Oh, I walk by the lantern."
689I said, "That's it. You've got the light of the lantern now, and every time you step this way, the light will keep showing on ahead of you. If you just keep walking, the light will keep going with you."
690 And you do that this morning, you want Christ, the great High Priest, the Intercessor for your sickness, or your diseases, or your soul. You might not understand It. We don't. But we're commanded to "Walk in the Light as He is in the Light." You make one step in the Light. And when you got the Light with you, the Light will shine unto the perfect day. It'll keep the path before you.
And we'll walk up this grand old highway,
Telling everywhere I go,
I'd rather be an old-time Christian, Lord,
Than anything I know.
Ever hear that old song?
There's nothing like an old-time Christian,
Christian love to show;
We're walking in the grand old highway,
And telling everywhere we go,
I'd rather be an old-time Christian, Lord,
Than anything I know.
691 I just love it. All right. Now we're going to pray for the sick. We're not... We don't claim that we can heal the sick. If we did, we'd be telling something wrong. Every sick person in here is already healed. That's what the Scripture said. "By His stripes we were healed." Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
692Every sinner that's in here, perhaps there'd be one, you've been saved since Jesus died. But don't you never die here where your opportunity was placed before you, to go into His Presence then to try to accept It. It's made for now. Right now you must accept It. If you go beyond the Blood, then you're nothing but... You're already judged, because you're judged by the way that you treated the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. See? You, you judge yourself there.
693 "So He was wounded for our transgressions, and with His stripes we were healed." So, there's nothing I would have, to heal you. There's nothing the church would have, to heal you. The only thing we can pray for is this, that your faith will not fail, that you'll come to the altar this morning to accept Christ as your Healer, as you did for your Saviour. And without any... God works miracles. He shows great sign. Blind, deaf, dumb, everything, are healed right here at the tabernacle. But whether it is or not, we accept It, anyhow. Many times those things are by visions.
694 How many was here about three Sundays ago, or four, when the man come in here, both blind and paralyzed, or sitting in a chair with unbalanced nerve. And before I left home, I saw him in a vision, "That there'd be a man there, dark hair, turning gray. His wife is attractive-looking woman, about sixty years old. She'll come and be crying," and she'll ask me. "And to come back and pray for her husband." He set right there.
695And I come down. I said to some of my brethren here, "Watch this."
696And when we went down to the altar, others had prayed. When I went to pray, I walked right away and come back over here. And his wife rose up and come just exactly the way the Lord had said it would be. People watching, to see if it would happen that way. It never failed. And so when he walked...
697 Come to find out, that a man, Dr. Ackerman, down in Birdseye, Indiana, was the one who sent him up here; who is a Catholic, and his boy is a priest in the monastery there at Saint Meinrad. And Dr. Ackerman is a hunting partner of mine, and he sent the man up here. And the Lord showed me a black-headed man that would send him, but I didn't know who it was.
698I said, "Was that Dr. Ackerman?"
699He said, "It was." See? And then the man...
700I said, "It's THUS SAITH THE LORD." Walked down. I said, "Sir, stand up." Both blind and couldn't... he... The--the balance nerve was gone. He couldn't hold himself up like that. See? Been that way for years, been to Mayos and all around. And just prayed the prayer for him, and raised him up. There he went, walking down through.
701 First he said, "I can't see you." Then he screamed, "Yes. I can." His eyes come open there. He had been orthodox, his wife Presbyterian.
702Some people think that "Presbyterian don't shout, and Orthodox." You ought to heard them. Sure. They were screaming and hugging each other. Come back and got his wheel chair, and walked on out and down the steps, just like any other man, could see and speak and--and so forth.
703Had a letter from him, or called, other day. I believe, Brother Cox went to him. Said, "His eyes had a burning sensation." Certainly. It's the nerve, the optical nerves are growing and coming back to life, you know, and taking its place. The curse was taken off.
704 If you'll let nature have its way, if nothing hinders nature, then it'll--it'll have full sway. If you got a band around your arm, shutting off circulation, your hand will finally die. Now, because, naturally, it'll be all right if you'll just let it alone. But something has interrupted nature. Then, if you can't see it, there's no way for a doctor to catch it. Only two things he can work by: what he can see, what he can feel. That's the only thing he can work by: what he sees and what he feel.
705If he can't see it, then has to be spiritual. Then there's, only thing can, one thing can happen; we pray, Christ moves the curse, sends away the Devil, and that begins to get normal, well. Gets well, and that's all there is to it. "In my name they shall cast out devils." Is that right? It's a promise to the church. It's a promise of power. The what? It, it's His Presence with us. Now, what makes us from being perfect this morning, to do those things just as He did it, is because we're still in the veil. See? But we have some feeling there that tells us, "Oh, yes." See?
706 And when you accept your healing... No matter what the veil says, it's what the Word said. See? That's it. That's it. And the--the--the Word always is predominant over anything. God's Eternal Word!
707Look at Sarah, her womb dead, ninety-years old, lived with her husband since she was about sixteen or seventeen, no children; Abraham, a hundred. God turned right around and give them the baby. See? Because, they believed. They called those things which were not, as though they were. Enter that way this morning, friend.
708 And tonight, we expect... If you all are visiting with us, we're happy to have you here this morning. And God be with you. And if you're in the city for the evening, we'd be happy to have you this evening on the rest of this service, of Melchisedec. And then if you're not, and you have a church of your own, you go to your own church. That's--that's your post of duty. If you belong to a church, you go there. This is just a little tabernacle where we gather in here and have fellowship one with another. Now, the Lord bless you.
709 And Sister Gertie will play for us, The Great Physician Now Is Near. And is there any here to be prayed for? Raise your hand, those who wants to come in the prayer line, to put your faith to Christ. All right. If you'll line up on this side of the church, if you will. And if they'll pull the seat down just a little bit, brother, if you will, so that we can get a little room in there and can bring the folks through. Come over on this side.
710And we're going to pray now, while we sing. And I'm going to ask the elders here, of any denomination or church, regardless of what it is, if you believe in Divine healing, would you stand here with me on this platform, to pray for the sick? We'll be glad to have you. Any denomination, or no denomination, or whatever you are, we'll be glad to have you. Would you just come now, for prayer, come up and stand with me.
Brother Neville, if you'll come with the oil.
- 57-0922E List Židom 7. kap, 2.časť (Hebrews, Chapter Seven #2) | list židom,zidom
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