Questions and Answers #29
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Wednesday evening we spoke again on faith but this
time on the Joy which we should have when we are receiving trials based on our
Faith. The subject was “Count it all joy, and took our text from James 1:2-8 My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations. 3. Knowing this, that
the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing.
We looked mostly at verse one and spoke on the subject
of the Joy that we are commanded to show when going through our trials. We saw
how this is made possible because we know the trials will work within us a
patience that has the end result that we will be wanting
nothing.
We saw how that in Romans 5:3 Paul said, “we
glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto
us.
So we see that
there is a purpose behind our trials, and that is to produce in us a character
that we could never develop without the trials and testing.
By Scripture we are told that Abraham was not tried
until after he had received the promise. And so it is with all sons. God
doesn’t try you or put you to the test and then give you the promise. He makes
the promise first and then placed the trials to see how we are going to do with
them. Hebrews 11:17-19, we read, “By faith, when
Abraham faith was tried when he was told to offer up Isaac: 18 and
he knew the promise Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God
was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him
in a figure.
In Hebrews
Hebrews
It says in Heb
5:7-9 concerning Jesus: 7 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 (He was not heard because he
cried and sobbed and fasted—he feared); 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by
the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, (How? By suffering…to
get patience…to get character…and only then) he became the author of eternal
salvation…
Even Jesus Christ had to suffer to
develop character. Now, this morning I will speak on the Subject “The Trial of
Your Faith which we find in 1 Peter chapter 1.
What most people do not understand is that God has
ordained a Faith for us and that faith is to bring us into the very mind of God
to think like God thinks. And therefore when God gives us this Faith, (and we
know Faith is a revelation) we know that most assuredly as He has given us this
revelation, he will also test us in this Revelation. Therefore the Revelation
and thus the trial of that Revelation are for the purpose of bringing about the
very mind of God in us. We speak what God speaks and we do what God shows us to
do, and we have no doctrine but His doctrine and we have no will but His will.
Therefore there are three things we must understand and
about the Trial of our Faith or the Trial of our Revelation.
Number
One: The Trial of your Faith is
predestined for your glory. In other words where God has predestined “The
Faith” because there is but One Faith, and that is the Faith of the “One Lord,”
then that Faith is the Doctrine of Christ which God had ordained for our Glory.
Therefore God has predestined the Trial of your Faith, in which He has selected
out specific trials that are ordained to test your Faith in Him.
Number
Two: You are ordained to pass the
test.
Therefore Number
Three: You are tested for the
purpose of approval.
Now, let’s see if these statements are not exactly
correct from the Word of God and the Message of the Hour. Now, let’s open our
Bibles to 1 Peter 1 and I want you to notice who Peter is addressing here. He
is addressing the Elect of God.
I PETER 1:2 Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope (that’s
a living hope, or a hope that has been made alive. And How
has that hope been made alive?) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, (and where is that hope to lead us? ) 4 To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you,
So we see that this hope keeps us alive and in a
living anticipation of the inheritance. The we se that
this hope is not for just anybody, but only for those who are to receive the
inheritance, namely sons and daughters of God who have the mind of God. That is
what we learned about the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of
Him. That is Ephesians
1:17-18. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints,
Notice Paul said the
Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him, God, is to come to get
us ready and to make know the earnest expectation we have in the inheritance of
the saints. So we see this spirit in our midst is to get us ready to receive
our inheritance. Now there is the promise of
God to us, and last week we established that when God gives us a promise
he will also give us trials or test us whether we believe that promise or not.
Br. Branham said in
his sermon, Seventy
weeks of Daniel 61-0806 P:36 You remember in
Daniel 12 He said, "The wise shall understand in this last days"?
It's been given to him. The Spirit of
wisdom comes into the church to make known to the church by the revelation of
the Holy Ghost--bringing the church in and revealing what day that we're living
in. Just the same as Gabriel come to
Daniel, the Holy Spirit comes to the church in the last days to reveal these
great, deep, secret things. Do you understand now?
So we see that The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in
the knowledge of Him is to get us ready for the adoption, because you don’t
receive inheritance unless you are adopted first. And the adoption is for those
who are sons as John said in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved you are already sons, but it does not yet appear what
you shall be, but when He shall Appear, When He shall phaneroo,
When He shall manifest in His true character, then you will also manifest in
your true character because you will see Him as He really is, and in seeing Him
as He really is you will become like Him, and manifest the same charaterter that He manifests.” Now, notice then
what this hope does.
Now, let’s continue reading in 1 Peter 1:5 And you who are kept by the power of God and
what is the power of God, it is the Message of Christ according to Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just
shall live by faith.
Now, again in reading from 1 Peter 1:5 And you who are kept by the power of God
through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (So we see
that there is an end-time salvation that will be revealed in the last time, or
the end-time.) 6
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in
heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ.
Notice he is speaking of trials that we are ordained
to receive and these trials are associated with our faith, to test our faith to
see where we stand in that faith, or that revelation. And not only are we
ordained to these test, but we are also ordained to pass them.
WUEST TRANSLATION
....In which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that
expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a little while at the
present time if perchance there is a need for it, you have been made sorrowful
in the midst of many different kinds of testings in
order that the approval of your faith, which faith was examined by testing for
the purpose of being approved, that your approval being much more precious than
the approval of gold which perishes, even though that gold be approved by
fire-testing, may be discovered after scrutiny to result in Praise, Honor and
Glory at the time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ;
So you see our trials and tests come after we receive
the promise from God, in order to see if we are going to hold to the promise,
and you know what? God doesn’t give the promise to just anybody. Peter here
tells us that He gives them to those who are ordained to pass the tests.
Now, 1 Peter 1 speaks of the end-time trial of our
Faith that is ordained to bring forth Glory, which is the very mind of God in
the believer. So the trial is made in such a way as to bring the
thoughts of God into our minds as we are going through them. Thus we are given
a test or tests because of that Word or that promise of God, but then when we
are given trials by the Word we are also Given a Word to pass the Trials. Let
me repeat that. Our trials are because of the Word, and yet God gives us Word
to pass the trials. So it all goes right back to Him Who is the Word.
Now, Peter also says in 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you: Here we see that it should not
surprise us when we face our trials, because these trials are made for the
purpose of testing us. 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers
of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory (and we know this Glory
is His Doxa which is His very mind) shall be revealed,
ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. And why should we rejoice when God reveals his Doxa to Us? Because Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children for ever, that we may
do all the words of this law. and that means that as long as it
remains unrevealed it is still God’s but once it has been revealed to us then
the title deed is our. It is the earnest of our possession. but
those things revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.
So we are talking
about a time when the very mind of God is to come into the Elect as Paul said
in 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, Now, we have already seen and are witnessing the Appearing of
the Lord. Now, remember, Appearing and coming are two different words and they
mean two different things. And we have seen the revelation of the Son of Man
coming from the Heavens in the form a white wig which was to designate Him as
the Supreme Judge, and notice that the white wig was made up of angels. Exactly
what Paul is speaking of here.
Now, Paul continues in verse 8 In flaming fire (the Pillar of Fire) taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (and notice what
happens to those who do not believe or obey) 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (So just like Cain, they must go out from the
presence of the Lord. But notice what happens to the Elect Saints of God. And
remember if they are saints it is because they are sanctified. So this is not
speaking of those who are borderline Christians. It speaks to those who have
been sanctified which means cleansed and set aside for service.) 10 When he shall come to be
glorified in his saints, (Notice he said, When He, Christ, shall
come to be glorified, endoxa’d in His Sanctified
Ones. That means He comes at this time to place the very mind of God in the
sanctified ones.)
and to be admired in all them that believe (because
our testimony among you was believed) in that day.(So Paul is telling us that this is the hour that His
testimony, his Message will be believed. And did not Br. Branham say, He was
only preaching what Paul Preached?) 11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would
count you worthy of this calling,
So you see to receive
the very mind of God is your calling if God has ordained you to it) and fulfil all the good pleasure of his
goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of
our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, in getting back
to 1 Peter
1 Peter
Peter tells us that we
should not think it is strange when we are tried and tested. But rather he tells
us to make sure that our trials are because of our stand for God’s Word and not
for doing things that are not right. For if we suffer for those things we have
brought upon ourselves because we have not sowed right, then
just bear it because you deserve it. But when you suffer for taking a stand on
God’s then that is when you should be extremely happy. It’s like those people
who get under a false ministry and they suffer for it. Those false ministries
take advantage of them, and bleed them of all they have, and shear them like
sheep. Now, that suffering is not because of God’s Glory. That suffering is due
to sheer stupidity and not knowing wherein ye now stand.
Job tells us that when God rebukes us we should be
happy. Not when men tell you which is up and down, and call you down, but when
God set’s you in your place because when God does it, it shows He is actively
participating in your way of Life.
Let us turn to Job
So, when does a shock “come into season?” When it’s mature. When it ready for harvest; it’s not green
any longer; it’s ripe, and it has character. The Life is fully ripe, and ready
for harvest. It is fully grown. It has no more growing that is necessary.
God develops
character in you by suffering.
Psalms
84:4-7, and It says: Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still
praising thee. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart
are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the
Now, Ps 94:12-13: Blessed [is] the man whom thou chastenest,
O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; (13) That
thou mayest give him rest…(How do you
get rest? Through your faith in God…the trial of faith.
How? By the trial of your faith.) That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the
pit be digged for the wicked.
Let’s turn to 1 Pet 5:6-11,
and It says: 6 Humble yourselves thyself therefore under the mighty hand
of God. What does It say? 6 Humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. In
other words God is going to bring you down by His Own Hand and, then, lift you
up. 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth
for you. See what
we are talking about? 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour.
How does he devour them? By the people thinking that
their sorrow is too much for them, and they get swallowed up. Now: 9 Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are (being) accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
(Not one misses it.)
(10) But the God of all grace, who hath called
us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.
You say, “I want
that, patience, without suffering, so I won’t mind suffering then.” I’m sorry,
but you get it by suffering. You don’t get it to enable you to suffer; you
suffer in order to get it. You don’t get money in order to go to work; you go
to work in order to get money. Huh? Now, don’t try to change God’s order of
scriptures.
God has never
changed His way. And we must come the way of suffering.
Revelation 3:19. “As many as I love…” This is said to your day and
mine. In no place in the Laodicean age does it say that we love
God. The last book of the Bible in the Old Testament, Mal 1:1 The burden of the word
of the Lord to
Finally, in closing
let’s turn to Hebrews
12:1 Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, (let us lay
aside all those things that are holding you down, or holding you back) and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us, (Now, how can you run the race if you are encumbered
which means you are strapped down with so much weight. Herb Brooks the coach of
the winning 1980 Olympic Gold medal hockey team knew this. So what he did was
to strap ankle weights on his player during practice and then when the time for
the real game came, he took off the weights and boy could those guys fly on the
ice. So it’s time to lay aside everything that can weigh you down and hold you
back from receiving the crown of Glory, and look to the author and finisher of
your faith and get ready because you are going to have to fly one of these
days. Just don’t be weighted down when that time comes.)
Now, verse 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God. 3 For
consider him (in other words,
consider him means to set your focus on him and what he did) that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye
have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And
ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto
you as unto children, My son, despise
not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth
he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. (So
if God really loves you and has received you, then you will get rebuked and
chastened, so when it comes, be happy, and don’t shrink back from him. It means
He truly Loves you and wants to see His own Glory, His own Mind in you.)
Verse 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof
all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. 9 Furthermore we
have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence: shall we not much
rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they
verily for a few days chastened us after their
own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby.
Now, what’s that
telling us? He is saying although you might not like what is happening or the
way it is happening get your minds off the circumstances and look at the
promise of what those trials are to do in your because they are to produce the
very nature and character and mind of the Father in you.
Verse 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the
feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14 Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord (Look, he’s telling us here that without holiness no
man shall see the Lord, so those people
who claim to believe God sent a promise but refuse to believe the message and
Live it, will never see the Lord. They just saw a man that saw the Lord that’s
all, and what good did it do to all those people who saw the man Jesus but did
not see that God was in Him? They died in their sins.)
Therefore we should
be 15 Looking
diligently (not dilatory, but
diligently looking. We should be looking with a pain staking effort. That is
what he is saying. ) lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
many be defiled; 16 Lest
there be any fornicator, or profane person, as
Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye
know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was
rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears. 18 For
ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with
fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And
the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice
they that heard intreated that the word should not be
spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not
endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain,
it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And
so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I
exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But ye are come
unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To
the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator
of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if
we turn away from him that speaketh
from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth:
but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but
also heaven. 27 And this word,
Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those
things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which
cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.