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| Ephesians 2
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 3
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
You always have to do that. The Kingdom of God doesn't come without trials. Men press into It, into the Kingdom of God; not observation.
Look what the sinners was doing in Sodom. Look what the Angel of the Lord did when He come down to bear record of it. Watch what the three angels did, all three of them. Look at the world today in its sin. Look at the church today in its condition like Lot. Look at the called-out church having a struggle like Abraham was. The man or woman today that tries to live for God has a struggle to keep on going. You have to press into the Kingdom of God.
It is most evident from these Scriptures that no man of himself can hear God. That ability has to be given him of God.
Matthew 16:17,
"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Which is in heaven."
Putting these verses together we see that there is only one group of people, and that a very special group of people who are able to hear what the Spirit says in each age. It is one special group that receives the revelation for each age. That group is of God, because the group that cannot hear is not of God. (John 8:42-44.) The group that can and does hear what the Spirit is saying and receives the revelation thereof is that group described in I Corinthians 2:6-16. They are the ones who have the Spirit of God. They are the ones that are born of God. They are baptized into the body of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit. They are baptized with the Holy Ghost.
THE.INTER.VEIL_ STURGIS.MI SATURDAY_ 56-0121
E-23 And now, I find that people so struggle. Seems like, I meet people and they say, "It's just such a struggle." Have you seen people that way? And probably there's many setting right before me now, that has the ups-and-downs, the ins-and-outs. This day, they're all right. You meet them and, well, they--they love the Lord today, and tomorrow they--they're having such a struggle to hold on. The devil is so tempting them, and they're having such ups-and-downs. Then you meet somebody that's on the hilltop all the time. Brother, there's nothing bothers them at all.
Now, there's bound to be something lacking somewhere. God's no respect of person. Or God doesn't respect persons. He wants all of His children to have the same. He wouldn't... A righteous father wouldn't give one a dish of ice cream, without giving them all ice cream. Certainly. He wants you to live... And I'm not talking about gifts; I'm talking about grace.
Now... 'Course, some are called apostles, and prophets, and teachers, and evangelists, and church offices, and so forth. That's... God has placed in the church these things. And, but I'm talking about measures of grace, overcoming grace to each one. Then He elects you to your office.
THE.QUEEN.OF.SHEBA_ TULSA.OK FRIDAY_ 60-0401E
E-6 Now, we must get right along, because tonight we promised to run a--a little line of prayer for the sick. I do not claim to heal people. I don't believe there's anybody would do that. We just claim that we pray for them, and someone said, "Are you a Divine Healer, Brother Branham?"
I said, "No, sir. I'm not a Divine healer, but I certainly had some great answers to prayer. So, thank the Lord for that. But anything that we can do to help, some... What I'm here for, is to try to make the burdens of life just a little bit lighter for you. That's... It's kind of a struggle any way you take it. We all know that. And if we can lighten up each other's load, just a little bit, I think it shows such a real brotherly love and care for each other.
143-1 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4
Now when God is silent we had better be silent. But where He has spoken we had better speak, too, and say what He has already said. He told us the evidence, or what would happen after being baptized with the Holy Ghost was that we would have the Teacher come and teach all truth. But that Teacher was an INSIDE teacher, not an outside teacher. If the Spirit wasn't inside, you wouldn't hear the truth and receive it by revelation if you heard it every moment of the day. That was the sign of the indwelling Spirit in the days of Paul. Those who were filled with the Holy Ghost heard the Word, received it and lived by it. Those who did not have the Spirit heard it only as carnal men, put a wrong interpretation on it and went into sin.
170-1 PERGAMEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.5
I wonder if we are sufficiently impressed with the Word in our midst. Let me give you a thought here. How do we pray? We pray in Jesus Name don't we? Every prayer is in His Name or there isn't any answer.
Yet in I John 5:14, we are told,
"This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."
Now we ask, "What is the will of God?" There is only ONE WAY to know His will and that is by the WORD OF GOD.
Lamentations 3:37,
"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not?"
There it is. If it isn't in the Word you can't have it. So we can't ask unless it's in the Word, and we can't petition or ask unless it is in His Name. There it is again. JESUS (the Name) is the WORD (will). You can't separate God and the Word. They are ONE.
334-1 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9
"He is the True Witness."
Now this word, true, is the same word we saw back there in Revelation 3:7. You recall that it does not mean 'true' as in contrast with 'false.' It has a richer, deeper meaning by far. It expresses perfect realization in contrast to partial realization. Now back in the Philadelphian Age, the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh. What great love that age manifested for Him.
It reminds me of those beautiful words of I Peter 1:8,
"Whom having not seen ye love, in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."
With them we rejoice also. We haven't seen Him, but we have felt Him. We know Him now as much as our limiting senses can let us. But one day it will be face to face. That is for this age. He is coming at the end of this age. Partial realization will be made PERFECT REALIZATION, COMPLETED REALIZATION. Hallelujah! We have been looking through a glass darkly, but soon it will be face to face. We have been going from glory to glory, but soon it will be right in the glory; and in HIS GLORY WE'LL SHINE. WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, WONDROUSLY LIKE HIM, JESUS OUR SAVIOUR DIVINE! Isn't that wonderful? We are complete in Him. That is true. He would not lie to us about that. But one day we will be changed in the atoms. We will put on immortality. We will be all swallowed up in life. Then we will REALIZE REALIZATION.
336-4 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9
But now He is standing in the midst of the Church. As He stands there revealing Who He is in this last age, He calls Himself the "Author of the creation of God". This is ANOTHER CREATION. This has to do with the church. This is a special designation of Himself. He is the CREATOR of that church. The heavenly Bridegroom created his own bride. As the Spirit of God, He came down and created in the virgin Mary the cells from which His body was born. I want to repeat that. He created the very cells in the womb of Mary for that body. It was not enough for the Holy Spirit to simply give life to a human ovum supplied by Mary. That would have been sinful mankind producing a body. That would not have produced the "Last Adam". Of Him it was said "Lo a body hast Thou (Father) prepared for Me." God (not Mary) provided that body. Mary was the human incubator and she carried that Holy Child and brought Him to birth. It was a God-man. He was the Son of God. He was of the NEW creation. Man and God met and joined; He was the first of this new race. He is the head of this new race.
Colossians 1:18,
"And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence."
II Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things are become new."
There you can see that though man was of the OLD ORDER or creation, now in UNION WITH CHRIST, he has become the NEW CREATION of God.
Ephesians 2:10,
"For we are His workmanship CREATED IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS unto good works."
Ephesians 4:24,
"And that ye put on the NEW MAN which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
This New Creation is not the old creation made over, or it could not be called a new creation. This is exactly what it says it is, "NEW CREATION". It is another creation, distinct from the old one. No longer is He dealing by ways of the flesh. That was how He dealt with Israel. He chose Abraham, and of Abraham's issue through the godly Isaac line. But now out of every kindred, tribe and nation He has purposed a new creation. He is the first of that creation. He was God created in the form of man. Now by His Spirit He is creating many Sons unto Himself. God the creator, creating Himself a part of His creation.
This is the true revelation of God. This was His purpose. This purpose took form through election. That is why He could look right down to the last age when all would be over and see Himself still in the midst of the church, as author of this New Creation of God. His Sovereign power brought it to pass. By His own decree He elected the members of this New Creation. He predestinated them to the adoption of children according to the good pleasure of His will. By His omniscience and omnipotence He brought it to pass. How else could He know that He would be standing in the midst of the church receiving glory from His brethren if He did not make sure? All things He knew, and all things He worked out according to what He knew in order that His purpose and good pleasure be brought to pass.
Ephesians 2:11
"In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."
Hallelujah! Aren't you glad that you belong to Him!
360-4 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9
Now notice again how Jesus overcame the world systems of religion. When He was repeatedly badgered by the theologians of His day, He constantly applied the Word. He spake only what the Father gave Him to speak. There was not a time when the world was not utterly confused by His wisdom for it was the wisdom of God.
360-5 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9
In his own personal life, contending with Himself, He overcame by obedience to the Word of God.
In Hebrews 5:7 it says,
"Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him That was able to save Him from death and was heard in that He feared:
Though He were a Son, Yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;
And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."
What was He obedient to? The Word of God.
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| Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Those who fought the Word will one day find the Word fighting them. It is a serious thing to take from, or add to the Word of God. For those who changed it, and did with it as it suited them, what will their end be but death and destruction? But still the grace of God cries out, "Repent". Oh, how sweet are the thoughts of repentance.
2 Cor 6:
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Gen 13:
9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
14 ¶And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
So if you notice, every believer, when you come to a place where you have to sell out, you'll feel the cold waves of Jordan lapping at your feet. Are you going to cross or are you not? Jordan is separation--separating.
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (See, not any attach to the world.)
HEARING.RECOGNIZING.ACTING.ON.THE.WORD.OF.GOD_ JEFF.IN V-13 N-7 SUNDAY_ 60-0221
77 But that spiritual seed of the living God, though it has to be a sojourner, though it has to be a rambler, it always causes separation. Esau didn't last very long with Jacob. As soon as Jacob obtained the birthright (Praise God), it called for separation. And when a man... I don't care what church you belong to, if it's carnal, and your associates that you run with, the people you play cards with, and your literature societies, and so forth, when you obtain the birthright, that something that's down in your heart that's hungered for God, when you receive that, it calls for separation. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith God." Separation...
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
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| WITHOUT.MONEY.OR.WITHOUT.PRICE_ JEFF.IN V-16 N-4 SUNDAY_ 59-0802
29 There is so many entertaining things of our days. There's so much to entice people to what we would call pleasures, and it's for all peoples and all ages.
There are the enticements for the young people: the modern dances, and the rock-and-roll parties, and the music that they have that goes with it. And it's all enticing, for entertainment.
I don't care how good a home a child has been brought up in, and how it's been taught to do right; if that child hasn't accepted the experience of the new birth, rock-and-roll music catches his attention just as quick as he hears it. Because in him is born in him by nature, a carnal spirit. And the power of the devil is so great today, till it catches that spirit of that little one.
THE.VOICE.OF.GOD.IN.THIS.LAST.DAYS_ PHOENIX.AZ V-9 N-7 SUNDAY_ 63-0120M
107 If you're just a lukewarm believer, the Voice of God cries in your heart this morning, "you are a lukewarm believer," you'd better repent!
108 You man, women, boys or girl, that's not living for Christ, and the Voice of God speaks to you through His Word and says "stop doing that," you better do it. Because you're going to hear It again one day, and It'll condemn you. You can't deny It, It's speaking to you now. And, remember, it's recorded.
109 And those who does right and hears His Voice, will rise to righteousness, to Glory, to Heaven.
THE.VOICE.OF.GOD.IN.THIS.LAST.DAYS_ PHOENIX.AZ V-9 N-7 SUNDAY_ 63-0120M
110 So you're going to hear the Voice of God some time. Maybe faintly this morning It speaks in your heart, that you should turn from the way that you're going, turn back to God. Now, remember, they'll record that Voice that's speaking to your heart, in Heaven. And someday when Jesus does call, and all that's in the grave, all, right and wrong, will rise. And then this very same Voice will whisper right back to you, "In Phoenix, Arizona, on a certain Sunday morning, when the minister held you so long, speaking on the Voice, I spoke to you; told you women to let your hair grow out, quit dressing immorally; told you man to quit that lying, smoking; told you preachers to turn back to the Word of God." See what I mean? That's right.
That still Voice say, "It could be right."
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| Faith is of God. The natural man can be wrong, but God cannot be wrong.
You know it. There's nothing can take it out of your heart. You know it. It's just positive act right there.
Friends, if you don't believe in Divine healings, you're lost.
if you can't have faith enough for God to patch up this body to glorify Him in, how much more you going to have faith to believe that God will take this old mortal and make immortality out of it to take it up.
when God sent the deliverer to them, they failed to see it, because it was by a man. But it wasn't a man; it was God in the man.
God is not in material things. God is in men. The Holy Ghost never fell on organizations; it fell on men.
Today I had a wonderful day alone with God. No one was there but just the Lord and I. And I get myself more settled down when I get alone.
I like to be alone with God. That's the way to--that I find Him so dear to me
it doesn't take a big house to make a home. It's the character on the inside that makes a home.
Your faith to believe has saved you. Not what you worked up and thought in your mind, but what you really know, the very evidence of things not seen. You see what I mean?
You're afraid to take God, friends. You're scared. Now, I might've left that knife laying on the dresser where I changed clothes awhile ago. But just as sure if that knife is on the dresser right now, if I believe it with all my heart, it'll be in my pocket. That chokes you. But God is able to put it there if you believe it.
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| GOD'S.CHOSEN.PLACE.OF.WORSHIP_ JEFF.IN V-5 N-7 SATURDAY_ 65-0220
47 We can different upon creeds; we can different upon man-made theories. You can go to a Methodist church, you have to be a Methodist; a Baptist, a Baptist; the Catholic, a Catholic; but when once you're baptized into Christ and become a member of His Body, there's no differences. The middle walls of partition is tore down and you're free because you're in Christ Jesus; and you worship God in Spirit and in Truth when you are in Christ Jesus. It's God's plan for you to worship Him in Christ Jesus.
Now, no church denomination can claim this; no one can claim that. How dare you to make such claims? To do such a thing would be an antichrist spirit, be taking away from Christ, to take from Him. You cannot do that. Christ is the only place that God meets the worshippers.
GOD'S.CHOSEN.PLACE.OF.WORSHIP_ JEFF.IN V-5 N-7 SATURDAY_ 65-0220
49 They say today, I've have people tell me... A man called me not long ago in Beaumont, Texas; he said, "Mr. Branham, if your name is not on our church book, you cannot go to heaven." Would you ever think of that. Don't you believe such a thing as that. They think you have to belong to that certain church or you cannot go to heaven. That's wrong. To believe that is antichrist. I'll say this: If you believe such a spirit, you're lost. That's a good sign you are lost, because it's taking away from what God did. God never put His Name in any church. He put It in His Son Christ Jesus, when He and His Son became One. That's the genuine place of worship. No other foundations is laid, no other Rock, "On Christ, the solid Rock I stand, all other grounds is sinking sand." Denominations will crumble and fall; nations will pass away, but He will remain forever. No other place that a man can find to worship God that God will speak back to him, no place but in Christ Jesus. That's the only place, the only place that God chose to put His Name, and the only place that He meets men to worship. You're lost to believe anything else.
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