Masterpiece 45
There in His Own
Image Reflecting God.
January 29th, 2006
Pastor, Brian Kocourek
1. Today we will read from Brother Branhams sermon called
THE MASTERPIECE
and we will pick up at paragraph
68. The foundation was laid by the patriarch, but the body was built by
the Word, which was the prophets. And here comes the Head of all of it; Jesus
came on the scene. There when this Headpiece was put upon it, we find in Him
the entire handiwork of God. We find in
Him the perfect reflection of the Word, for He was the Word, the fullness
of the Word. Now, again God has the perfect Masterpiece again, as Isaiah said,
"Behold My Servant, My
Masterpiece that I have portrayed through all the ages of this perfect One coming. And here He stands right before Me, a perfect..." There
in His own image reflecting God, for He said in
This morning in reviewing this paragraph we notice
that brother Branham tells us that Jesus was the perfect reflection of the Word.
And then he tells us There in His own
image reflecting God, And then finally he quotes Jesus saying, When you see Me, you see the
Father.
Now, categorically what we are hearing brother Branham
tells us is that Jesus was a perfect reflector of God who is the Word, and that
is why Jesus could say when you see me you see the Father. Then what we
are talking about is that Jesus reflected God and God is the Word. Thus the
same Word that is God is what Jesus was reflecting. And that is why He could
say, I and my
Father are One, because they were One by the
same Word.
Now, I know that there are many who
would disagree with that statement but that is the truth. In fact William
Branham said just exactly that in his sermon called, Baptism Of the Holy Spirit
58-0928M 94 Jesus, He said, "I and My Father are One. My Father dwelleth in Me."
No one could read that any plainer. They said, "Why don't You show us the Father, and it'll
satisfy us." John 14:8.
He said, "I've been so long with you and you don't
know Me?" He said, "When you see Me, you see My Father."
As a lady once jumped up, she said, "Why, Brother Branham," she said,
"the Father and the Son are one, just like you
and your wife are one." I said, "Oh, no they're not." I said,
"Do you see me?" She said, "Yes." I said, "You see my
wife?" Said, "No." I said, "Then
they're not the same kind of one. Jesus said, 'When you've see Me, you have seen the Father. The Father dwelleth in
Now,
that is the key to understand what Brother Branham meant when he uses this
story about the confrontation with this woman. He said, "Then they're not the same kind of one. Jesus
said, 'When you've see Me, you have seen the Father.
The Father dwelleth in
And from his sermon called Palmerworm Locust Caterpillar
59-0823 140 God Almighty, the Father, dwelt in Him. At the day of the baptism,
when He received the Holy Ghost on the day when John baptized Him, John said,
"I beheld and saw the Spirit of God like a
Dove descending from heaven, and a Voice saying, 'This is My beloved Son in
Whom I'm pleased to dwell in. Jesus said
that God was with Him, "I and My Father are One. My Father dwells in Me. Not Jesus, and being one with God; but God was in Christ, reconciling
the world to Himself. 143 And you Oneness brethren, many of you get off the wrong track when you
try to think that God is one like your finger is one. He can't be His Own Father. He can't be.
Now,
Brother Branham is letting us know that God and Jesus were one in that God was
indwelling the Body of His Son. But I also want to show you that this Oneness
between God and His Son was more than God indwelling His Son, but in fact Jesus
and God were One because God is the word and Jesus was One with the Word in the
same sense that God was One with His Own Word. And to
further verify this understanding, Jesus prayed in John 17 that we might be one
with God even as he was One with the Father.
From
Brother Branhams sermon HARVEST TIME 641212 87 034 brother Branham said, Jesus said, "That they might be one, Father, as You and I are one." Not for some man to be over something,
it never will work; one denomination wants to take over the other, and one man
over the other. But that you might be one with God, like Christ and God
was one; that's what the prayer is. That... He
was the Word, and Jesus prayed that we might be the Word, reflecting Him.
That's His prayer to be answered. See how Satan scruples it up in the carnal
mind? But that wasn't Jesus' prayer, at all, that we might all congregate
together and all have a certain creed and so forth. Every time they do it, they
go further and further from God. He
wants us to be one with God, and God is the Word. Each individual in his heart must be that one with God.
Therefore
those that teach the Oneness or Unitarian concept of the Godhead could never
believe that we (Gods other Children) could be One with God AS Jesus and God were One, because
they believe that God was Jesus and Jesus was God, and not two beings
inhabiting the same body. But Jesus in his prayer said, JOHN 17:11
Ά And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one, AS we are. And how is
it that we might be One AS Jesus and His Father were
One? First of all this word as that jesus used was translated from the
Greek word Kathos which means in the same manner as,
or even
as.
Now,
this same word kathos was used by the
apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians when speaking to Husbands showing them
how to love their wives.
Ephesians
5:23 For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head
of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Now, here we see that the word even as means in the
same way or in the same manner.
Ephesians
5: 25 Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; Again we see the word even as meaning that husbands are
to love their wives in the same way or the same manner that Christ loved the
church.
Ephesians
5: 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the
church: Again we see that this word even
as means that the husband is to cherish his wife in the same way or in
the same manner that Christ cherished the Church.
Ephesians :5: 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in
particular so love his wife even as
himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Again in this usage we see the Apostle Paul use the
words even as in regards to a man loving his wife in the same way or in the
same manner that he loves Himself.
Now, in all of these
usages we see a common occurrence in that they all speak of equality. That a
man loves his wife in an equal manner as he loves himself, or as Jesus Loves
the church. So you see the word kathos
which is used in all these Scriptural references speaks of equality, sameness,
etc.
Notice how it is used in Luke 6: 40 The
disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
And again in Matthew 10: 25 It
is enough for the disciple that he be as
his master, and the servant as
his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more
shall they call them of his household?
And in Matthew 12: 13 Then
saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and
it was restored whole, like as
the other. Notice here it speaks of
one hand that had been withered being restored to the same condition as his
other hand.
In Matthew 17: 2 We
see the story of how Jesus was transfigured before God in such a way that His
clothing was white as light, and his face shined as brilliant as the Sun. And was transfigured before
them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light.
And in Matthew 13: 43 we see that
the elect will shine forth like the sun in the same manner as Jesus shined like
the sun in the last passage we read about his transfiguration.. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Now, in getting back to Jesus Prayer in JOHN 17:14 Jesus said in his prayer, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Here
Jesus tells us that we become One with God by
receiving the same word he received and thus became One With God. He also lets
us know that when we receive that same Word we also will be hated as he is
hated by the world. JOHN 17:20 Ά Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also
which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one;
AS thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one,
even as we are one:
Therefore
it is very apparent that we are one by receiving the same Word which brings us
into the same Glory or the same mind as the Father. And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even
as we are one:
So contrary to what the Unitarians Oneness believe,
Jesus and God were not One like your finger is one, but rather God indwelt His
Son, and thus the two beings occupied one body, and in like Manner God wants to
occupy your body and my body that we two also may share our bodies with him,
and that makes us One with God even as Jesus was One with Him.
From the Message ATTITUDE AND WHO IS GOD? 50-0815 015 brother Branham said,
"And we're taught in the
beginning, that the Logos, or the Son of God went out
of God. Now, I do not believe in eternal sonship.
That's even radical to even mention such a thing, eternal sonship.
How could He had an eternal sonship...?...
He had to have a beginning. See? 016 So He first was God, Jehovah. And out of
Him... Let's just picture now as a little drama so you can get it. Let's see
coming out of space where there's nothing, let's make it a little white Light, like a mystic
Light, like a Halo. And that
was the Logos that went out of God in the beginning. That was the Son of God
that came out of the bosom of the Father. That was what was in the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And
the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us. In the beginning was God. And
then out of God came the Logos, a part of God that went out of God.
Notice, brother Branham told us it was only a part of God that went out of God. And
we know as with any child born, it is a part of the father in him. Brother
Branham said from the Message, GO TELL MY DISCIPLES 53-0405S 170,
he is a part of God, (if) he's an offspring of God.
Hebrews 1: 1-5 Ά God, who at sundry times
and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2)
Hath in these last days spoken unto us in [his] Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the
brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, (The
expressed image... or the out-raying or etching of God.) and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4) Ά Being made so much better
than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than
they. 5) For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he
shall be to me a Son?
AMPLIFIED = Hebrews 1:1-5, In Many
separate revelations, - each of which set forth a portion of the truth, - and
in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophets.
But in the last of these days, He has spoken to us in the person of a Son, Whom
he appointed heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by, and through Whom, He
created the worlds, and the reaches of space, and the ages of time, - that is,
He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order. He is the sole expression of the Glory of God, -
the Light-being, the
out-raying of the Divine, - and He is
the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature, upholding, maintaining, guiding, and propelling the universe
by His mighty word of power. When He had, by offering Himself, accomplished our
cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, he sat down at the right hand of the
Divine Majesty on High. Taking a place and rank by which He, Himself, became as
much superior to angels as the glorious Name which He has inherited is
different from and more excellent than theirs. For which of the angels did God
ever say, "You are My Son, today I have begotten you, And
Again, I will be to Him a Father, and he will be to Me a Son."
BELIEVE FROM THE HEART 57-0623 E-46 Jesus was a witness of God.
He become so full of God, till him and God was One.
God dwelt in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, the very expression. A man's work declares his character. Christ
was God's work. And Christ declared God's character, His feeling for the
sick, His longing for saving of souls, till even He gave His own life. God's
work... God's character was declared in Christ.
Therefore, we see that He was the very expression of
God. This first light that God brought forth was the Logos which was a part of
God coming forth into an expression which God
called His Son, and then through this expression, or expressed
Word, or Manifested Word, God brought forth all of creation. ROMANS 11:36 For
of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for
ever. Amen.
But, remember, it was not the Son creating, but God
was in the Son doing the work.
Jesus as His Son said, JOHN
5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what
things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise.
EPHESIANS 3:9 And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the
mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who
created all things by Jesus Christ:
COLOSSIANS 1:15 Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they
be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist.
Now, how was it that God in-dwelt his Son? The
scripture tells us it was a mystery how that God was in Christ. I TIMOTHY 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of Godliness
(God-like-ness): God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory. The only way
that God could make Himself known, was to live in His Son, Christ Jesus, suffer
death and temptation for all human race. And He had all the qualities
of the Father was in Him.
II CORINTHIANS 5:19
"To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to Himself". So all the great
qualities of the Father was in Christ Jesus the Son when He was here on earth.
All the Father has was His.
Now, Jesus was not just a mask like the oneness want
to believe. He was a man, just like you and I with his own body, soul and
spirit. But then God came into that man which made him
the God-man, and this made him a dual person.
HIDDEN LIFE 55-1006A When God was here on earth, He occupied a three
room House, the Soul,
Body, and Spirit of
Jesus Christ.
JEHOVAJIREH 56-0429 053 "That's the reason
people couldn't understand Him. Sometime it was Christ speaking... or was the
Son speaking. Other times it was the Father speaking. He was a dual Person.
He was one Man, the Son. God was in, which was tabernacling
in Him. But what did He do? Did He go around saying, "I'm the Healer." Very contrary, He said, "I'm not the
Healer." He said, "It isn't Me that doth the
works; it's My Father that dwelleth in Me." And in Saint John the 19th
chapter when He was questioned for passing a whole bunch of crippled, lame,
withered, halt, blind people, healed one man laying on a pallet, the Father
showed Him to go there and heal. Walked away and left the rest of them laying there, they questioned Him. A man packing his bed on
the sabbath. Listen to what
He said.
LET US SEE GOD 131 59-1129
I said, "He was more than... God was in
Him. He was a man, but He was a dual Person. One, He was a man; the
Spirit in Him was God." I said, "God was in Christ." She said,
"Aw, no." I said, "Look, lady, I'll take your own Scripture. He
was a man, but He was a God-man. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He
did weep like a man. That's true. But when He stood there, straightened His
little stooped shoulders up, and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a dead man,
that'd been dead four days come to life again, that was more than a man. Man
couldn't do that. That was God in His Son."
Now, this duality of being did not begin when He was
in the flesh. We see in the very beginning God birthed Himself a Son as we have
already established and then God worked in that Son to create all things.
ATTITUDE AND WHO IS GOD? 50-0815 018 There He puts the first
Bible. Oh, back in the days of--ancient days, they looked at those things.
Today, He's got His Bible wrote here. But He wrote It
in the heavens, that man would look up and realize that Jehovah the Creator
lived above. And then I can see Him, He looked at that...I can see Him speak to
this world hanging there as an icicle, whatever it was, way away. And He moved
it over here. I can see this little Light go out. Now, WE GOT TWO NOW. The Father, and out of the Father came
the Light, the Son. And I can see
that Light moving over here and pulled the earth over
near the sun to dry it off. And begin to...?... raise
the water up, separating the land, earth from the water, and so forth.
Now, this in no way makes it two Gods. There is One
God and he has a Son. The Scripture calls Him the "Son of God", never does it say he is "God the Son".
QA ON GENESIS13-13 53-0729 007 Well now, if you'll notice close now, in Genesis 1:26,
let's get the first part first. God said, "Let us..." Now, "let
us," us is a... "Let us make man in our own image." Our,
'course, we realize He's talking to someone; He was speaking to another
being. "Let us make man in our own image after our likeness, and let
them have dominion over the cattles of the
field." If you notice in creation, the first thing that was created, of
course, was light. You come on down through the creation; the last thing was
created was what? A man. And woman was made after man.
All right, the first... Last thing that was created of God's creation is
mankind.
SIRS WE WOULD SEE JESUS 57-1211 021 Now, Jesus was born for one purpose, that
was for God to manifest Himself through that body. God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself. He was a body that was made physical,
that men and women could see what He thought, and His
expressions to the people in His gratefulness. And His attitude towards all
mankind, He expressed it through Christ. Christ seemed to be a dual
personality. He would speak sometimes and they'd scratch their heads; and
they didn't understand Him. He'd speak one thing one time, look like, and something else another time. What it was, was Jesus speaking, and then Christ speaking. Jesus was the
man. Christ was the God that was in Him. "Not Me that doeth the
works: My Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the work." See? God
will not share His glory with no one.
BALM IN GILEAD 61-0218 080 You know, Jesus right at
the end of His ministry, His disciples couldn't understand Him. No one
understood Him. How that... How many know that they couldn't understand Him?
Sure. Why? They thought He had a dual personality. No. Sometime it
was Jesus talking, sometime it was the Father in Him
talking. See, see? That was it, the man...
THY SEED SHALL POSSESS GATE 62-0121M 086 Why did
David say, "I will not see My Holy--let My Holy One see corruption (My
Holy One see corruption.), neither will I leave His soul in hell?" David
said that. See, both soul, body, and spirit was created of God by Him.
The woman was not a mother; it was a woman. I believe she was a good holy
woman. Absolutely, she'd never been a incubator. God
would've never chose no dirty incubator (Lord willing, I'm preaching on that
tonight) but an old dirty incubator to bring His--to bring His Son to the earth
in. He chose a virgin, knowing not a man, neither did
she have any sperm discharge or anything else when the Holy Ghost overshadowed
her, because God in His immaculate, infinite way created in her: soul, body,
and Spirit of Jesus Christ. That's right. He was a virgin born Son of God.
What did that do? It broke the gate of the enemy. Hallelujah. Whew. This is
getting good to me.
MATTHEW 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven,
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Brother Branham taught us that God did not indwell
Jesus Christ in the flesh until He was baptized in the
INTER VEIL 56-0121 E-58
You're living in a house, soul, body, and spirit. That's the way God
lived in Jesus Christ, both soul, body, and spirit. "Not Me that doeth
the works, the Father that dwelleth in Me." You
see?
Notice, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost. ACTS 10:38 How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with power: who went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL 61-1001M 039 See, Aaron, the high priest, before he could ever be
anointed, he had to be washed with water. Therefore, when Jesus, before He
could be anointed our High Priest, He was washed with water. And then not
anointing oil poured upon Him to anoint Him, like Aaron was anointed with oil; He
was anointed with the Holy Ghost. "For John bare record, seeing the
Spirit of God descending like a dove, and going upon Him, and a Voice saying,
'This is My beloved Son in Whom I am pleased to dwell in.'" So the Bible
said that, "Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost, went about
doing good things." See, He was anointed.