Congregation sings "Only
Believe".
Let's bow our heads
again.
Precious heavenly Father,
such a privilege now to come together, Lord, to see these precious people,
knowing that some of them are suffering in their bodies. Satan has slipped in
and took a strike at us, Lord, but we know where the power of God lays. We know
where his limit is, Lord. We know that You will not let him go too far. I feel
like Lord, that You'll move him off the territory, and give us the victory over
these things. We thank You Lord for bringing us through this day. I pray for
each one tonight Lord. We know that some of our children are suffering tonight,
and so many of the people of the assembly, Lord. You've heard the prayers and
we're claiming it Father, for the glory of God. Now speak to us through Thy
Word Lord, give us courage, give us strength tonight in our physical bodies. We
ask it in Jesus' name, the Son of Man. Amen.
May be seated.
Good to see you. I'm so
sorry that there's so many afflicted with this, whatever it is, flu symptoms.
I've been trying to get in contact with some of them today. I got in contact
with some, but I've called every number that Brother
Tiny's got, I guess, a half dozen times, and I ain't got not response. The only
response I got was on his fax machine; I didn't fax him something. I guess I've
called fifteen times today trying to check on him, but I never did get an
answer. And I called Brother John's place to try to find out about the children
there. I know James was sick yesterday, and so I didn't get an answer there.
Anyway we're glad tonight that you're here, and we know that God knows all
things. He's the Master. We got two that's sick. Phillip and Anna; both of
them's big fighters when it comes to sickness. Phillip said, he said, "Daddy
you don't think I'm going to have this all night, do you?" I said, "No, I
don't." I said, "I'll tell you what, I believe by the time we get back from
church, you'll be sitting up eating and you'll be alright." He hadn't eat a
thing today; just took a few little drinks of sprite, and it just right back.
And that little girl, she started last night with a high temperature and so I
just prayed for her off and on all night.
Then this morning, after
I got out of my study... I stayed in there, until about, I guess, 9:00. I heard
Brother Joseph and them out there, you know, working on that truck. They come
over there trying to help me and they got in all that kind of trouble and took
hours and hours. Brother Don worked over there yesterday, and I don't know how
long he worked trying to unload the truck. It wouldn't dump and he worked and
worked and worked. And big old pieces of stuff out there. I felt so sorry for
him; I wanted to get up there so bad, and I knew I couldn't do it. You know, I
told him, I said, "Brother just go on..." I said,"Take it on somewhere else and
get your tractor and dump it." I said, "Don't do this." Then Brother Joseph and
them back out there this morning; I don't know who was with him, I saw him out
there. I was in my study praying, "Lord let that thing dump." But for some
reason I don't think it ever did, did it? Did it finally dump? But I know I
just kept saying. "Lord let it dump. Don't make them... take every bit of it."
Brother John they had a great big load of that stuff. I mean, it was loaded.
You don't know how I felt. I felt like I was the cause of it, see. If it hadn't
been for me they wouldn't have been in that mess. When I'm the cause of
something, brother, I tell you, I get down to business with God. And Brother
Don's sick, and I feel like that that was one thing, you know, he worked so
hard last night, yesterday evening, way on in after dark out there, trying to
get that thing unloaded, because he needed it today. I've been a lot of trouble
over there. I want you all to forgive me and just pray for me. I guess, you
know, it seemed like Satan has tried every time anybody'd start and Brother
Kenan and them have been putting my walkway down out there and it looks so
pretty now. I just thank the Lord so much for what He has done. I thank the
people, and, you know, I can't pay you enough. Ain't no way I can do it. I'm
just praying for you, I'll tell you that. You're so good, and we appreciate
you.
Now tonight, I miss the
ones that are not here. We've been missing Sister Edith now, for awhile. She's
down visiting with the sick. It's been quiet awhile since we've had all of them
together at one time. They'll come back, everybody, and we'll get them all
together again. So Satan... The remark that Brother Kenan made awhile ago about
the old turtle, that's what I told Darlene last night. I said, "You know what?"
I said, "Satan, he's already dead." I said, "You know, Brother Branham said
that 'the stinger of death was taken out when Jesus died on the cross.'" And I
said, "And he's still snapping around." I said, "But he's going to get him a
good lick." Because I believe. He's on God's territory now. He's on God's
territory; he ain't got no right to be here. No sir, Brother David, he ain't
got no right to be here, and I know what I'm talking about. Because, you know,
we've been suffering... Now this has been going on now for two or three weeks,
and it's time now for us to get down to business with God and put him in his
place, put Satan in his place because he can't do this. I mean he can't do it.
We know that we've got the authority through Jesus Christ; through the Name.
Amen. Little babies like Elijah suffering like that. He don't have no respect
for nobody, so let's don't have no respect for him. Amen. Let's just get on the
case and get him out of the way, amen, and go on with God. Amen. I expect them
all to be well Sunday and back in church. Amen. And we'll be moving right on,
you believe that? Amen.
Like I told my son
tonight, I said, "Do you believe you're going to be better and up from there
when I come home from church tonight?" He said, "I believe it daddy." I said,
"Ok, then let it be done." Amen. See, we believe God. Amen.
I mean, listen, I'm not just saying this. We're serving a God that's big enough
to do anything. He's real. Alright.
Don't get upset if you
don't see my Bible tonight, because I got it printed out here so I just didn't
bring the Bible because I brought the Church Ages book and it's the Bible. This
is the Bible, but I didn't bring the black Bible, but I've got Scripture on top
of Scripture here. We're going to get into a little lesson tonight. How many of
you know that there is such a thing as a consecration? There is such a thing as
that, a consecration. When we consecrate ourselves to God... You know, Brother
Branham said, before each of his healing services, when he was going into a
healing service, usually he would fast; he would leave off a couple of meals,
sometimes, maybe more, and he would consecrate himself for that service. And
we... You know, just because we're Christians, don't think that... I believe it
was mentioned tonight that Satan keeps coming at us, and if we're not being
buffeted, then, of course, we need
to check up. We need to realize also that a dedicated, consecrated life to God
is a separated life. It is not a life that is mixed and mingled with the world.
It's a separated life. Amen.
So tonight, for just a
little sub-title for the tape of "Life and Death Set Before Us", the sub-title
tonight is, "The Consecration of the Priest", "The Consecration of the Priest".
Now we're going... There was seven things that were given to Moses to carry out
with Aaron and his two sons that was called to the ministry of the priesthood.
We're going to take two of those things tonight, and Sunday we're going to take
one of them, because it'll be a big subject; that one. Just remember it's
consecration. Amen. So I want to read tonight from two places to start with.
Then I want to wind up tonight, sometime, over there about another hour and a
half from now, in this Book, right here. I want to see what Brother Branham
said about some of these things. Amen. Alright. But I want to read first in
Exodus 29, Verses 1-6 and then I'll be going to Leviticus 8:1-9.
And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to
hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young
bullock, and two rams without bemish,
And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered
with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou
make them.
And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.
There's not no two or
three baskets. Not not four or five different ideas of opinions. Just bring it
all in one basket. Don't need three or four baskets, just one basket. Amen.
Alright.
And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron...
Now notice how the
garments was spoken of to be put on. It's very odd. The first thing he
mentioned is the coat, which, you would think, would be the last thing,
wouldn't you? Watch, see,
... And put the garments upon Aaron the coat, and the
robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the
curious girdle of the ephod:
So he started from the
outside going all the way, see, in clothing him.
And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put
the holy crown upon the mitre.
Now that's Exodus 29:1-6.
Now we're going over here to Leviticus, you're going to find, similarly, the
same thing, see.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
It's just a little
plainer here.
Take Aaron and his (two) sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;
And gather thou all (of)
the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the
assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation.
And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.
I like that. This is the
thing, not that Moses commanded, not that Aaron and his sons commanded. This is
the thing that the Lord, that Jehovah has commanded to be done.
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them
with water.
Now, this is the first
time as far as I can see, in all of the washings and all of the rituals that
they went through, the priests did their own washing and so forth. But this was
one that Moses was going to do the washing. See? Moses, a type of Christ, we
know, (I mean God), you know. He said, "You be God to them, Moses, and Aaron
will be your prophet." See.This is in type now, and it's a very good type if
you'll just look at it. But now they were to be washed, not wash themselves,
but they were to be washed. Amen. We'll get on that Sunday. Alright. A long
one.
And he put upon him the coat,...
Now here he goes again,
virtually the same thing, see.
And put upon him the coat and girded him with the
girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he
girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him
therewith.
And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
Now, how many of you know
what the urim and the thummim was? See? So you know that that was the thing
that sent off the signal whether God had accepted the sacrifice, had accepted
the offering, or if God was pleased. If a dream or something come up, and that
dream was brought out before the people and if that Urim and Thummim put off a
ray of light, then that simply meant that God had spoken. If it didn't, that
meant that it was just human reasoning; it wasn't God. See? And so, we have a
Urim and Thummim today, which is the Word. Amen. Take it back there and see if
that's what God said. If that's what He said, then we're fine. If that isn't
what He said, we'd better find what He said. See? Amen. Alright.
And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the
mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as
the LORD commanded Moses.
Now this is in Leviticus,
I said, 8, and that's Verses 1-9. Alright.
So now in Leviticus 28,
Verse 1, (Brother Holmes means Exodus) we find some more things that was taken.
And I didn't want to take a whole lot of Scriptures, but I will, probably refer
to this one. I want you to notice seven things that was required concerning
Aaron and his two sons. One of them that he was to be taken. You say, "Well
what does that mean Brother Holmes?" Well that simply means what it says. He
was to be taken. Then the next thing, (after he's been taken), then he was to
be brought. See? Then after he was brought, then he was to be washed. See?
After he was washed then he was to be clothed. See? And then after that, he was
to be anointed with all this anointing oil. And then, of course, their hands
were to be filled. These are the seven things that was required of Aaron and
his two sons.
Now I want to cover as
much of this as I can tonight on these two. 'Taken' and 'brought'. 'Taken' and
'brought'. The real thing that I want to emphisize to you tonight is, at the
same time that Jesus Christ was chosen in the mind of God, you were chosen at
the same time. He was chosen to be the High Priest, you were chosen to be
priests and kings under Him, working with Him, which... like the two sons of
Aaron. Aaron was the high priest, the two sons - Aaron could not do anything
without them. They were a part of the ministry. You understand? So Christ can
do nothing without us. In other words, we're the body, He's the Head. See? Even
though the head can think and think and think and think and think, but it can't
reach out. That head cannot reach out and take this water. See? What does that?
The body. The body does it, see. So you see where we're at. We are under
obligation to God, to carry out the work, under the headship of the Son of Man
ministry, to bring forth the manifestation of the Son of God again. I'm talking
about the full manifestation of the Son of God which is the Word. Amen. Now
it's not sacreligious, no sir, that is the absolute fact. Amen. So let us look
at it now.
And
take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the
children of Israel,...
Now, they were to be
taken out from among the people. See? That's the Scripture that I want you to
read when you get time, Exodus 28, Verse 1. Now.
Take Aaron and his sons with him, Levi...
Leviticus 8, Verse 2.
So then we find here that
Aaron was chosen, taken out from among the children of Israel, to do a specific
job. His two sons were taken to minister with him, see, to minister with him.
Alright? So now we're going to get on into some things in a little bit. We're
going to get in Hebrews and that beautiful picture here. Alright.
So Aaron, actually, was
called of God because Moses said, "The Lord Jehovah has commanded this." See?
Jehovah has commanded this, not Moses, not the people of Israel, but God, the
Lord, Jehovah. Now he had been called to the priesthood. Alright? See, this was
not his own idea. And this was not by some great honor that had been bestowed
upon him because of some great work or something that he had done. But it was
because that God chose it. God had chosen Aaron to do this. No fancy of his
own, none of his self-will had nothing to do with it. So it's the same thing if
you notice Christ. Jesus Christ was ordained from the foundation of the world
to be the propitiation for the sins of the people. To be the High Priest. See?
Which would offer the offering that Aaron could not offer. Aaron could not
offer the offering that was ordained for Jesus Christ to offer. The only thing
he could do was to just throw a few types there, see, and let you look at it.
Alright.
We find here, in Hebrews
5, and I want you to read that whole chapter sometime between now and Sunday.
Hebrews, the fifth chapter. Alright.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an
high priest;...
No sir. He was not in His
own honorable way of thinking, not His own chosing from the foundation of the
world, (God did that)... You say, "Well I thought he was God." Jesus was a man.
You understand? The Son of God.
Jesus was the Son of God which, actually, was God incarnate. See? Amen. Alright. So now.
...He glorified not himself to be made an high
priest...
No sir. He was God's
servant. Yes sir, He was God's servant and how was He taught respect and so
forth? What did the Scripture say about that? Through suffering. Even to the
death of the cross. He was taught what? Obedience. Obedience. The High Priest
was taught obedience. You say, "Why He didn't need none." Oh yes, the Scripture
said that He was taught obedience. And we have to obey before we receive the
Holy Ghost. We have got to obey God and separate ourselves from the things of
the world to receive God in our life. Amen. You're not going to get it
dilly-dallying. You ain't going to do it. No sir, you'll be a
borderline. You'll wind right at the river of Jordan a borderline. You can't do
it. You see we don't... And what did the borderliners do? They denied that God
had made the promise. They said, "There are giants over there." They said,
"Well this is asking too much." "Well why do we have to ...?... like this? Well
why do we have to do this? Well I don't see no harm in this. Well everybody
else does this and they're Message people."
I'm talking to you
tonight. Huh? Did God say do like everybody else? What did He say do? Separate!
Amen. A consecrated life is a separated life. You don't look around and see
what other people's doing. It's between you and God. Amen. So I hope you get
the message tonight. It's really deep. You say, "Oh no, no. We've heard that.
We've read it. That's old Bible." No, I'm in the New Testament. I'm over here
in Hebrews. Amen. You'd better listen to what I'm talking about here.
Alright, now watch. He
was God's servant, Jesus was. And the elect which His soul delighted in, was
chosen at the same time He was. The same time that Jesus Christ was chosen to
be the sacrifice, the elect was chosen to be His wife. Amen. Alright. He was
the called of Jehovah. Amen.
I, the Lord, have called
thee in righteousness.
the Lord hath called me from the womb....
You say, "Where did you
get that?" In Isaiah. You've read that, I know. That's in the 43rd Chapter of
Isaiah, (I believe it is), Verses 1 and 6, and then in Chapter 49, Verses 1. So
God raised him up out of the dead. Right? He raised Jesus up. What did Peter
say on the day of Pentecost? This same Jesus whom you have taken and by wicked
hands you have crucified Him. And God has raised Him up the third day and made
Him both Lord and Christ. So Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. So you see He
was raised out from among the dead, just like you are raised out from among the
dead to follow Him. Amen. Alright
Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Thou
art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
All of it's in the 5th
Chapter of Hebrews. You'll get it. Alright. So now what is He doing? Taking Him
out from among the dead and saying that you are a son after the order of
Melchisedec. Melchisedec was that priest that was there with Abraham and
recieved after Abraham won the battle. After Abraham delivered Lot and brought
him back to his rightful place. Then there was Melchisedec to serve him, the
great God in flesh, standing there in a theophany we'll say, standing there to
serve him. He was so great and Abraham paid tithes to Him, (Amen) and
worshipped Him. Yes sir, he paid tithes to Him. Oh my! When you start looking
at these things then you see what a great and a glorious plan that God has had
all the way through. This is what I see in salvation, in the plan that God has
laid down before us. As I told you, I want to deliver my heart on what I see in
it, and how it is so rich and it's so real. Alright. Now watch.
Now Aaron could not
minister without his two sons. That's right. Those two sons were called with
him. Huh? So what did that tell you? See, that simply tells you that Christ can
not minister without His body. His body is that essential part. The Head comes
down; He's talked about that tonight. The Head comes down upon the body, and
life comes all the way down, and the body is resurrected and joined to the
Head. And then the Head directs the body, and the body functions under the
Head. Amen, it's the body that does these things. The body that does these
things under the direction of the Head, just like the wife under the direction
of the husband. She is obedient to him, she will not bring a reproach upon him.
No sir! She won't do it! If she thinks that wearing illegal, ungodly clothes
would bring a reproach upon her husband she will not do it, if she loves him.
She'll leave all of that off, she'll dress herself in the right kind of a
manner, amen, because she respects that man! Amen. And so does the Bride
respect the Son of God, the Husband. She respects Him in every way. She will
not do things that's ungodly. She will not participate in things that will hurt
Him or bring a reproach upon Him. She won't do it. No sir. She's borned of the
Spirit of God, she in the same kingdom with Him. Amen. Listen! I feel this
thing now. Amen. I know... You say, "Well Brother Holmes, you ask too much."
I'm not asking nothing. The Lord God has commanded it! Not me. Amen. "Be ye
separate," saith the Lord. Amen. Alright.
Then we notice that the
Lord... Look how He judged Korah. Somebody said "Well, I think I'll be a
preacher, when I get out of school I think I'll go to a seminary and be a
preacher. Korah! That's all it is. Korah was of the tribe of Levi, did you know
that? It looked like that he would have had a right but he wasn't called of God
to do it. No sir. So he thought, "Well I'm of the tribe of Levi, I can do this
too." Well you know what happened to him, don't you? The earth opened up and
down he went. Amen.
So you don't fool around
with your human ideas and your thinking that you learned in some seminary or
some college or some educational program. You don't do it. It's what God gives
you, is what counts. Amen. And I'm not trying to support ignorance either, you
know that. I believe that you ought to study. I believe that you ought to
prepare yourself, I believe you ought to go to school. I believe you ought to
be trained so that you can read and write, and arithmetic and all of these
things. But when it comes to you girls going out there and going to college, it
ain't going to do you no good, not if you do what God calls you for!God called
you to be a mama and raise your children and take care of your husband. He
didn't call you to go out there and spend six or eight or ten years in some
college. You see where they go and watch. Birds of a feather flocked together.
They start looking for people of equal qualifications. Come on. How are we
going to get it all? We might as well get it all. That's right. Amen. If you're
going to send anybody to college send your son. Amen. Get him an education.
You know I'm telling you
the truth. Amen. You might not want to listen to it, you might not want to
accept it, but you know I'm telling you the truth. Amen. Prepare.... Get that
girl in the kitchen, get that girl doing what she's suppose to do, keep her
there! Teach her those things! Let her know what she's for! Tell her she's
suppose to have babies for her husband! Tell her she's suppose to wait on him!
Don't you mama's ever tell your daughter, "Well don't you do like me and have a
bunch of children." You keep your hands off of it! You'll get in so much
trouble you won't know which way to get out. God knows what to give His people!
Amen. You are saved in child-bearing according to "Thus saith the Lord"! Amen.
Oh! "Brother Holmes, you didn't have to do that." Yes I did. Yes I did! Amen.
Don't you wink out on God, amen, you come right straight across the path, and
say "God you raised me up for this and this is what I'm suppose to do." Amen.
You little girls remember that. Amen. When you take your husband, you take your
husband to bear his offspring. That's exactly, and to wait upon him, amen, and
to be his helpmate. Not to run around out there somewhere else, but to wait on
him. Amen. Well, I guess you say, "You side-tracking." No I didn't, We're
talking about consecration, we're talking about consecration children. Amen.
Alright. There's not too many people want that.
Well watch now. This true
Christ, the High Priest, the true priestly order that is under Him are called
of God just like He is. See? Just like Him. Alright.
We know that all...
Listen. You say, "Oh, oh
wait a minute." Let's look at the Scripture.
...We know that all things work together for good to
them that love the Lord...
Is that right?
...To them who are the called according to His
purpose.
I just love that.
According to His purpose.
For whom He did foreknow,...
Huh? Back when He
foreknew Jesus?
(Them) whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate (Hmm) to be conformed to the image of His son...
At the same time He chose
the Son to be the incarnate God, the sacrifice, He chose the one that was to be
in that Son... (Amen, alright.) ...the elect.
...That He might (Watch now.)
... of His son that He might be the firstborn among brethren.
Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: Romans 8: 28 and 30. Alright.
Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Who? Holy brethren. Huh?
You want me to quit? No, I ain't going to quit. Nooo! We're going to come on. I
told you when I started this that I was going to tell you what I see in
Christianity, what I see is God. Amen. It's not to flip up and see if you hear
of tales this morning and you're going to do this, and you hit a hedge you're
going to do this. No sir, your whole life is ordained of God. Amen. You're not
going to do nothing out of that. "All things work together for good to them
that love the Lord." You say, "Well I put myself in a trap." Well now, you can
do that. Yeah, you can override the leadership of God and get yourself in
trouble. Amen. But if you go according to the leadership of the Holy Spirit,
you're always in the right path. Alright?
Well let's see now. Let's
just look here, alright? Sonship, what is that? Well like I said now, the
brother was talking about resurrection a while ago. I said, "Well I know he
ain't got my notes, but he's going right on the line, so we might as well go
ahead and hit it, right on down." See, sonship was declared in resurrection.
Huh? See, He has quickened. Read that and study that message "It Is The Rising
Of The Sun", and see what Brother Branham said. "Power Of Transformation."
"God's Power To Transform." Amen. "The Easter Seal." Study those messages and
see what Brother Branham said. Amen. See what we're supposed to be in this
life. Not in that one over there, in this life. In this life, what we're
supposed to be right now in this life. Amen, oh man.
Listen. You heard that
man a while ago, reading from the prophet's Message, that this flesh was
redeemed. Amen. Why? Because that flesh had to be redeemed before it could
actually take God in. I mean... That's right. Oh. You say, "Well you can't make
this flesh...". No, you can't make this flesh go into heaven, but He's going to
use what... Brother Branham said, "He might not be but a teaspoon of it," but
he said, "He's going to use what He needs of it in that other body." Whatever
He needs. If He needs the atoms of it He'll use it. If He needs the molecules
He'll use it. Whatever He needs of it He'll use it. Amen. That's not our doing,
see that's Him.
Alright. Now what I'm
talking about here is this priestly order here being taken, see. Don't forget
that. That was our first thought taken. Right? And all these things go along
with that being taken, Brother John. Taken. For what? Taken for something;
taken for sonship. Taken out of the grave. Oh! Well you say, "Out of the
grave?" Oh yeah. And then, you know, after you come out you're still bound with
grave clothes. You've got to be loosed. And Jesus said, "Loose him." After He
called Lazarus from the grave; he'd been dead for how long, four days? Amen.
Well He called old Luther out, then He called Wesley out, then He called the
Pentecostal out, then He called His Bride out. Amen. He called His Bride out in
this day to talk to her and to tell her the secret things that had never been
told before! You say, "I don't believe that." Well, than you don't believe the
prophet. The first thing you've got to do is accept that William Branham had
"Thus saith the Lord", before you'll ever get anywhere with the Message. Amen.
And you've got to remember he spoke words of infalibility. Uh-huh. Not the
pope; the prophet, amen, the prophet.
Alright, watch now.
Korah... Wait a minute now. Brother Branham said that their lips are
sanctified. Who? These priests and kings. These priests and kings in that
spiritual kingdom. In that spiritual kingdom. Oh my! See? He's not ashamed, He
said, "to call them brethren." Jesus wasn't ashamed to call His subjects
brethren. See? Why? Because they're of the same life. They are the same
resurrection. Then have the same Father. Huh? Yes they have the same Father.
They're of one resurrection, and one family, and one head. Huh? Come on. Just
one head, not five. Not fifty, not nine-hundred and sixty. Got about that many,
I guess, among the Message people now. You say, "I don't believe it." Oh yes.
There might be five or six here. Could be. Somebody could sit here and say,
"Well, I'll tell you, I can believe this but I can't believe that." Well you're
of another denomination, see, if it's "Thus Saith The Lord". Amen. If it's
"Thus Saith The Lord", and you'll go so far and you'll say, "Well, I can't
accept that", then you belong to another denomination. See? This is not a
denomination, this is the Body
Word of the Son of Man. Amen. Alright.
Now. If the Lord judged
the sin of Korah when he attempted to enter in and to become this priest and do
the priestly order upon the earth, in the earthly priesthood, what do you think
will take place and the judgement will come upon this generation of people that
they go into assumptions. Brother Branham talked about presuming. He used the
word "presuming". He said, "To presume means what? Venture without athority."
See? So some people presume that they're called to preach. See? And the first
thing you know... Brother Branham said, "There's piles; heaps of them along the
road." They got their calling from a man, not from God. If you
get your calling from God you'll kick against the pricks and everything else,
but you know what?... He ain't going to let you go. See, He won't let you go,
because He is the One that called you.
Alright, now. He's not
ashamed to call us brethren. Korah got into trouble because... Now wait a
minute. A heavenly priesthood... You say, "Uh-oh. Now brother, you're fixing to
get yourself in trouble now." Well, my Bible says that heaven and earth will
pass away, but the Word won't." Is that right? So I want to be a part of the
super heaven. Amen. Brother Branham preached a message on "The Super Sign".
There is a super heaven; that's the Kingdom of God. Amen. That won't be done
away with. That is absolutely Eternal. "That is a a super race of people",
Brother Branham said. "It's a super race, that comes to the Headship in the
last day." Huh? Is that what he said? Oh my! A super race of people. So I want
to be in that super bunch, amen; I don't want to be with that bunch of
unconverted sinners that say they're elect, and say they believe the Message. I
want to believe the Message. I want to believe all of it. Amen. Alright.
So now, that's what Jesus
was speaking of when He said, "The blind lead the blind. Let the blind lead the
blind. And then they'll all fall in the ditch together." Amen. See, when a
person is called by a man, by some seminary, some, you know, organization or
something, he's blind. Amen. You've got to be called of the Spirit of God. See?
And annointed and clothed, washed! Oh my. You've got to have all of it. You've
got to be taken from among the people! Amen. Alright. So now, you've also got
to be brought. Amen. After you're taken, then you've got to be brought, see.
Watch.
Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation.
So Moses brought Aaron
and his sons. Moses brought Aaron and his sons. See? God brought Jesus Christ
and His Bride. Amen. Exodus 29:4, if you want to read that, and in Chapter 40,
Verse 12, Leviticus 8, Verse 6. Alright.
Now, having been selected
from the rest of Israel, called out, taken out from them, from the tribe of
Levi, very specific race of people that He chose them from. Alright, then Aaron
and his sons were brought (brought) before the Lord. See? After they were taken
out from the people, (after they were called out), then they were brought
before the Lord. Amen. They were brought before the Lord to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
Now the congregation was
already assembled. Alright. They'd already gathered together. And the whole
ceremony; the whole ceremony of this consecration was actually conducted in the
presence of the people and of God. The congregation, all of the congregation
was brought together. Amen. And then God was there. Yes sir, God was right
there in the tabernacle. Alright. And then He brought them to the door of the
tabernacle for this great consecration. See? The Lord being there present and
the people being present. Alright. See, this had a two-fold reason to it, see,
because first of all they had to be consecrated before God. And then this
consecration before God was not just for themselves.
Somebody said, "Well, I'm
alright, I don't have to do this and I don't have to do that." You know some
people stay home and listen to tapes. After a while they don't listen to tapes.
After a while they don't do nothing because it's not God's way. You say, "Well
I thought that was the Message." That... Brother Branham said, "You find
yourself a church." Amen. So, if you don't do it ,you're going to get cold,
you're going to get iced over, you're going to backslide. Amen. See? So
apparently, you weren't called to go all the way. See? So we have to be careful
in these things to make sure that we don't reason the Word and reason away the
meaning of it. We want to understand what He's saying, See? You say, "Well,
Brother Branham said, 'You can't understand it.' " I heard a little preacher
say that one time. He said, "Well I can hardly understand the Bible, let alone
the Message." I wanted to take him and turn him over my knee and spank him like
a little two-year old baby or something, and put a diaper on him, and a
pacifier in his mouth. Are you listening?! He pastored a big church over here
and said it's a Message church, and he said, "I can hardly understand the
Bible, let alone the Message." It made me want to vomit to think... Who called
him?! Brother Branham said, "See means to understand." And he said, "You can't
see the Kingdom of God until you are borned again!" So apparently he hadn't
been borned again, cause the Kingdom of God is the righteousness of God. The
Kingdom of God is the Word of God! Amen.
Now you say, "Well you're
getting to hard on preachers." They need to be got hard on. Amen. They need to
be put in... They won't never be there though. No sir, they won't never be put
in their place, they don't intend to. The things that the prophet said ought to
be done to bring the families back together, they call that ungodly and filthy.
The things that God calls ungodly and filthy, they wallow in it every day! They
want system ideas and, you know, organizational thoughts and all of that.
Spiritual adultery! That God will never forgive. He said He wouldn't. Amen.
Spiritual adultery is what's going to put them in hell. Amen. Alright. They
don't understand!
Brother Branham said on a
message, "Proving His Word", he said, "God will force the issue. God will force
the issue." He said, "You must understand these things. You must understand
these things, you must see these things!" Amen. The reason they don't see it is
because they don't want to see it, that's the reason.Them old boys, they come
back with, they took... Now listen, I'm not going to look at my watch; don't
you worry. Don't you look at yours either. Alright, now look. He said it took
two men to bring a bunch of grapes over and them old boys ate those grapes.
They saw that honey. They saw all of that stuff there, they saw every bit of
it. All twelve of them saw it, all twelve of them, amen. And here come ten of
them back lugging those grapes, saying, "Yes it's there, but we can't get it."
Two of them stood up there and said, "It's ours!" Old Caleb was about eighty
years old. I can see him standing over there, Brother Josh, looking at that
mountain and he said, "I like that mountain. I'm coming back over here, that's
my mountain. I'll be back, that's my mountain." Amen. Why don't you claim
something for God. Why don't you try it, amen. Like old Brother George Brown.
He said, "Why don't you ask for something big." Amen. If you're going to ask
for something, ask for something big. Amen.
Am I disturbing something
brother? (Brother Holmes speaks to one of the brothers about the microphone.)
Okay. Needs to be turned down a little? Oh, it went out? Okay. Praise the Lord.
That one quit, huh? (The brother changes microphones.) I'm running around...
Ok? Now. Maybe you don't need all that amplifying anyway. It's kind of like
Brother Don said about the people in India, you know. I mean I don't think you
need nothing here, I think you can hear me. Probably hear me over at Mr.
Spivey's over here by now. But see, when I get excited, I get excited. That's
what old Brother Brown said down there, you know, in St. Augustine. He said
"When Brother Holmes first comes up you have to really put on your ears to hear
him, but just give him a little time." Amen. "Just give him a little time and
you won't have no problem hearing." See? But when I start off, you know, a
little bit weak, but when He comes on the scene it's different, amen, it's
different. Alright. So, I don't know what happened to it, but anyway it's
alright. Okay. Alright. This thing has meant a lot to me, (Still talking about
the microphone.), and I appreciate it. And I appreciate Brother Gerald for
thinking about that.
Alright So I'm going to
try to get back on this other one now... We have to be brought. See? Alright.
He was brought before the congregation, brought before the Lord, brought there
to do a consecrated service in the presence of God and the congregation. See?
The presence of God and the congregation. Amen. Alright. So now, the
congregation is suppose to know your life. You can't hide something from your
congregation and think it's going to be alright. See? As I said, this was a
two-fold thing and now we're going to go on and try to see what we can do
again. We'll get this thing situated first thing you know. Alright? Now watch.
The Lord Jesus was
brought again from the dead. Is that right? Brought again from the dead as the
great shepherd of the sheep. Now this according to Scripture, right? Alright.
And the High Priest, as the great shepherd of the sheep and the High Priest of
His people. Alright. So, He was made to sit there in this mediatorial and
intercessory place, interceding for those all during the time of the
redemption. All during the time of redemption, He had to sit there. But then,
one day, the redemption was suppose to be finished. That's right. That age was
suppose to be finished. Then at the closing out of that age, then He was to
come forth and take the book of all of the names.
Now when was your name
put on there? Before the foundation of the world. It has nothing to do with
when you came to the altar or when you recognized it, but it was when it was
put on there. When it was put on there before the foundation of the world. So
then, He comes up and He takes the book that's compiled of all of the names,
then the mediatorial work is done. Then He said, "It's time for me to go claim
what I paid for." See? Like if you put something up and you put it on
lay-a-way, you know, and you pay 10% down or whatever they require, and you
make payments on it every week. You might pay on it six months, but one day...
See, like He paid on it two thousand years See? The price was paid at Calvary,
but He had to stay there until that age was completed. Until that dispensation
was done, and then there would be another dispensation that would come in and
that would be the claiming of what He had redeemed.
So then that's where
people get mixed up a lot of times. Bless their hearts. Like old Brother Joseph
Smith, you know. He thought that he had all of it on "Daniel's Seventy Weeks",
and so forth, and then when the prophet come along he was so far off he was
pitiful, see. And so, of course, everybody else, except God. Amen. Alright. You
say, "Well are you calling him God?" No, I wasn't calling Brother Branham God.
I'm talking about, he recieved it from God, amen, and brought it to us.
Alright. So now, watch
this. He was made to sit in the presence of God for us. For us. You say, "Now
listen, you're trying to make two of them Brother Holmes." Now you know better
than that. You know better than that. Alright. The Word, the Spirit, and the
Bride say "come". You know all the way through you know that the Spirit and the
Word is the same. Amen. The Spirit quickens the Word and the Word is the letter
that will kill you without the quickening power. It's got to be quickened, it's
got to be brought to life and when it's brought to life, then, of course, you
know what it is. Alright. Now.
He ever liveth to make
intercession for us. Well, what is His whole interest and His affections all
the way through? It's not so much for Himself but it's to make at one with Him
and the Bride. Is that right? Is that what He said in the 17th Chapter of St.
John? "Father I pray, that You make them one with us, even as I, (you know), am
one with You. Let them be one with us." See? So, just a oneness. Alright So
that was His whole desire and His whole thoughts, and His heart was set upon
that. And, of course, that's the reason He was willing to give His life.
Alright, now.
So we ourselves now,
coming down and trying to find somewhere down here to quit, after awhile. But
ourselves now, being priests, that has been brought nigh to God, by the Word
which is God. See? Brought nigh to God and then becomming of the household of
Christ, (of the same household, of the same family), we become the same family
with Christ. See? Amen. You see it? Then our whole interests and our affections
and our service is all like His service. It's for the benefit of the Kingdom of
God. Amen. Not for the things of this world, see. All who is in this assembly
of God, according to the Scripture, is called kings and priests. Kings and
priests. Alright.
So, the church of God,
actually... Now you know that I can prove every bit of this right by the
Message. You know it and I can read the quotes to you. But the church of God,
which is made up of the saints of God, (Is that right?), of the elect of the
most high God, all of them, alike, are loved of the Father. See? What did Jesus
say, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And the Father will love you." See?
Alright. Well, so now and then we are washed in His blood, all the children of
God. And then, of course, that makes us kings and priests unto God and the
Father. So that gives us a special calling, which is a resurrected life. See?
It's actually a new order. It's a new creation. See? It's a new thing all
together. As Jesus was the first-born of the Father, then we come along and we
are borned of the same Father. See? Into the same family, amen, for a specific
purpose. Alright. And so that is the resurrection. It is a calling...
As I said, I got a little
ahead awhile ago and I had all of this down here and I was afraid I wasn't
going to get to it, so I wanted to slip it in. Like, "sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus." Well this is a super heaven. This is the Kingdom of
God. See? The believer, actually, he begins his existence... See? He begins his
existence as he is raised from among the dead. As he is raised from among the
dead, then he begins his existence in the eternal. Now as a thought he always
was there but he had to have a representation before he could ever be
resurrected to eternal Life. And then, of course, that representation brought
him into this life of union of oneness with the risen Christ. Brought him into
that oneness, quickened together with him. Brought nigh unto God and Christ
Jesus. By what? By the blood of Christ. Partakers of a super heavenly calling,
a super race of people, a super race, see, which has left the flesh and the
world.
Wait a minute now. Yeah,
listen. You can't carry the flesh into the kingdom. So, actually, you have to
leave the flesh to get into that kingdom, that super heaven. You see that,
Brother Gerald? To get in that super heaven you've got to leave the flesh. You
say, "Well, I live in it every day." Well that's right. It'll continue to
motivate you and carry you where you're suppose to go. But, you know what, you
kind of lose interest in it. Amen. And somehow or another you quit wanting to
pamper it and you start wanting to put more interest where the eternal things
are. That's right. Amen. These earthly things don't mean near as much to you
then as they used to. See? Am I telling you the truth? Is this right? Alright.
Is this the Message? It certainly is.
You know it is. Alright.
So now, watch close. So
then, we kind of leave the flesh and the world, see? Kind of leave that and we
go through this death, burial, and resurrection. See? And we leave all that
behind when we're resurrected. Then we're separated off. See? We're separated
off for a specific purpose. What is that? To be a priest with God. To be a
priest and a king. Calling of which Christ Himself in glory is a pattern. It's
the same thing. See? It's a profession of which He is the apostle instructing
the saints in all of the blessings and glory. He instructs them into everything
that He is Himself, (that He is). Just like a father and a son, you know, that
father wants that son to be like him if he's a real father. If he's a real
father he wants that child to come up and be like him. Now son, I learned
this... (so and so), and if you'll listen it'll be worth something to you. See,
be like dad, amen, because dad has a lot of experience. And what he does, he
passes his experience down to his children. Amen. And then they pass that
experience down to their children, from generation to generation, because
daddys want children to be like them. See, the Father wants His children to be
like Him. Amen. To be like Him. Alright. So now, that's in union with Him.
Alright. Now I'm coming
down to a close now. Then I got a little thing here I want to read, and I'm not
going to hold you too much longer. Alright. So now we're leaving all of this
behind and then we're accepting only the blessings through
His manifestations and through His glory as the High Priest. And He's
ministering His power and authority to those elect. Is that what Brother
Branham said? Yes sir. What did he say we're suppose to do? Carry on the work.
We're suppose to carry on the work. He said, "The church is no longer the
mouthpiece of God." What is? The Bride. See? The Bride is the mouthpiece of
God. That's where the orders come; that's where the authority comes. Why?
Because she's given the checkbook. See? Whatever she says is loosed in heaven;
whatever she binds it's bound in heaven. Whatever she's loosed is loosed in
heaven. See? Alright. Now.
So now, right there is
where I want to stop. And don't forget Sunday morning we're going to talk about
being washed, being washed. Amen. Being cleaned. Alright, now. In this Church
Ages Book, (you've got your books now), I want you to open them up to Page 35.
Page 35, down there where Brother Branham said, "Kings and priests." Kings and
priests.
"Revelation 1:6. And He hath made us kings and priests
unto God and His Father;..."
Sounds like two of
them, didn't it? "Unto God and His Father," see? Watch now. But you see, there's
not. There's just... When you see God for what He is really, you're going to see
one great big glow of beautiful Shekinah Glory. That's the only way I know how
to express it. One great big glow of beautiful Shekinah Glory.That's
God. Amen. There's no darkness in Him. Alright.
"He hath made us!..."
Now He's placing
emphasis.
"...There are certain truths (that) we need to emphasize. (Brother Branham said.) this is one of them. He! He hath made us! Salvation is His doing. (Amen.) Salvation is of the Lord. All of grace. He redeemed us for a purpose. He bought us for a purpose..."
Now that's what I've been
covering tonight; you heard it. You go back and listen to the tape and see if
it don't sum it up, right here, what I'm going to wind up with. You'll see that
I know what I'm talking about. Amen, I'm not just jumping out on a limb, I know
what the prophet said about this. See, I don't know everything he said, but
when I bring a message, and when you think I might be crawling out on a limb,
you'd better think again because Brother Holmes has prayed much, and he's
looked seriously into what he's talking about before he does it. Amen. Alright.
"...We are kings, spiritual kings..."
Did you get that?
Spiritual kings, not earthly kings. Spiritual kings.
"...Oh,
we are going to be kings upon the earth. with Him when He sits on His throne.But
now we are spiritual kings(Now we're
spiritual kings,)
and we reign over a spiritual kingdom..."
That's out of the flesh.
That's right. Alright.
"...It says in Romans, 5:17, 'For if by one man's
offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.' And
in Colossians, 1:13, 'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us..."
Translated. What does
that mean? Was Enoch translated? Was Elijah translated? Ok.
"...He hath translated us..."
Now see, the world don't
know you no more after that. Oh my! I could preach a message on that, Brother
Gerald. After you are translated into the Kingdom of God the world don't know
you no more! No more than it knew Jesus Christ! Don't know you! Amen. I want to
get this thing home because, you know, I'm getting old, I mean, you know, in
age, but not in spirit. Amen, I want you to understand that. I'm not getting
old in spirit. Alright. Watch now. God don't get old. I'm not God, but I'm a
part of Him by the Birth. Amen. Alright, see, I'm not going to give somebody
something, you know, where they'll say, "You hear him say that?" No, hey, I'm a
part of Him. Alright, now. Watch now. In Colossians.
"... 'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness
and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear son..."
That means reign.
"...Right now we reign with Christ, having dominion
over sin,...
S-I-N. Having what?
Dominion over sin.
"...the world,..."
"...Having
dominion over sin, (having) dominion over the world,
(having) dominion over the
flesh,... (Hmm.)... and
the devil.
(Am I reading a storybook, or am I reading the Word of
God? Amen!)showing
forth His praise and glory; showing forth Himself, for it is Christ in us,
willing and doing of His good pleasure..."
Who is it in you? Christ.
Amen.
"...Yes, indeed, even now we are seated in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus."
" 'And made us priests.' Yes, priests unto Him, offering the spiritual praise of sanctified lips..."
Hmm. Clean lips.
Not running around telling dirty jokes, and your ears won't even listen to them
if you're a born-again child of God. You'll tell them right quick, "Look, I'm
not interested in that junk. I love Jesus." Amen. I had to work with a boy one
time, and they called him Mo... let's see, what was it they called him. Moses, I
believe was what they called him, and he had a big old beard and all. He had the
filthiest mouth of anybody, I guess, that worked with Duke Power. And one day we
we're working down in one of those valves. How many of you know what I'm talking
about? You know, one of these big valves, you know. You get down in there and
you work. And we we're down in there and he started using all kinds of profanity
and I looked at him. I said, "Moses, listen to me." I said, "I can't make you
stop that." And I said, "I'm not asking you to respect me",... I said,... "but
would you respect Jesus, the One that died for me?" He looked at me and his eyes
turned red. He looked like he wanted to get mad and he didn't know what to say.
Brother John, I never heard that man say another curse word. I said, "Don't
respect me, I'm not asking that. I'm just asking you to respect Jesus, the One
that suffered and died for me." Amen. Sometimes you can get to them like that,
you know. They don't care nothing about you, but sometimes you can get through.
Remember He died, and He don't want... You know, our ears don't want to hear
that junk. We don't want to hear that filth. Amen. If you do there's something
wrong. If you want to get around these places and sit around and gobble up all
of that ungodly stuff for hours at a time, there's something wrong with you. You
haven't been borned again yet. And I want you to be.Amen.
Alright. Watch now.
"...Spending
our lives as a sweet... Interceding and petitioning. Priests and kings unto our
God. No wonder the world does not appeal to us. And we are a peculiar people
zealous unto good works (See? Oddballs to the
world.)We
have been recreated in Him. (Is that what I said? A
new race of people. Amen.)to
be children like unto our Father."
Now all that Isaid
tonight is summed up, right here, in these two paragraphs. Look at it and see.
Don't you love Him? Come on Sister. I'm going to look at my watch. Oh my.
That's alright. 9:00 is not even bedtime yet. Is that right? And, you know,
sometimes we think we just got to be out... I got to the place where I thought,
well we got to be out by 8:30 because they got to do this and they got
home-schooling. Well, we just need a little consecration, that's all, see, and
dedication, and... Everything's alright. There's the best people I've ever seen
in my life, right here. Amen. I've been preaching for over 40 years, over 40
years, and so, finally, the Lord brought me into a group of people that loves
God, that really love Him. Amen. Through thick and thin, Brother David, they
love Him. They love Him. We all can say that we're not exactly where we want to
be, but all of us can say that we're not where we used to be, and we're not
where we want to be. So we're moving on. The move is on. Let us stand. Amen.
Oh, I love Him.
(Congregation sings, "The
Move Is On.")
Now, I want to tell you
this, and we're going to sing it again while Brother David comes up here and
dismisses us. Now, if at anytime, during these sermons that are coming forth,
these lessons that are coming forth, if at anytime, you deacons, or any one of
you men, I won't discuss it with you women. If you think I'm wrong you talk to
your husband. If you men see anything where you think that I'm bringing
something out of the Message, I invite you to come and talk with me, and look
at it, and let's see if it's in the Message. Because, usually, I'll bring the
quotes that will cover everything, (just about), I said. Alright, now. So, the
move is on. We're not standing still. We talked about the cloud, and when the
cloud is moving, then the people move. And the cloud is moving and we're moving
now. As Brother Kenan said, "We kind of went through a little rest period
here." I think it was to give people the time to look and see what already had
been unfolded. But now... And then, of course, then He started moving again.
And then we're moving, so you watch it now. We're moving now. "The Move Is On".
What did God say you are?
Priests and kings, in the spiritual kingdom! That's what we are. Amen. I take
what He said.
(Brother David closes with
comments and prayer.)
Listed
below are the Scripture and Quotes that were taken from the Message of our
Prophet for the basis of this sermon.
EXODUS 29:1 - And this is
the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in
the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,
EXODUS 29:2 - And
unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened
anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.
EXODUS 29:3 - And thou
shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock
and the two rams.
EXODUS 29:4 - And Aaron
and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
EXODUS 29:5 - And thou
shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the
ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle
of the ephod:
EXODUS 29:6 - And thou
shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
EXODUS 28:1 - And take
thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the
children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
EXODUS 28:2 - And thou
shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
LEVITICUS 8:1 - And the
LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
LEVITICUS 8:2 - Take Aaron
and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock
for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;
LEVITICUS 8:3 - And gather
thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation.
LEVITICUS 8:4 - And Moses
did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
LEVITICUS 8:5 - And Moses
said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be
done.
LEVITICUS 8:6 - And Moses
brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
LEVITICUS 8:7 - And he put
upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the
robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of
the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
LEVITICUS 8:8 - And he put
the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the
Thummim.
LEVITICUS 8:9 - And he put
the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he
put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
HEBREWS 5:1 - For every
high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to
God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
HEBREWS 5:2 - Who can have
compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he
himself also is compassed with infirmity.
HEBREWS 5:3 - And by
reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for
sins.
HEBREWS 5:4 - And no man
taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
HEBREWS 5:5 - So also
Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto
him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
ISAIAH 43:1 - But now thus
saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel,
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art
mine.
ISAIAH 43:2 - When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be
burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
ISAIAH 43:3 - For I am the
LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
ISAIAH 43:4 - Since thou
wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee:
therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
ISAIAH 43:5 - Fear not:
for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from
the west;
ISAIAH 43:6 - I will say
to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
ISAIAH 49:1 - Listen, O
isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from
the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
CHURCH AGE BOOK - KINGS
AND PRIESTS
35-2
REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST CHURCH.AGE.BOOK
CPT.1
Revelation 1:6, "And He
hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; To Him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
"He hath made us!" Oh,
there are certain truths we need to emphasize. This is one of them. HE! HE HATH
MADE US! Salvation is His doing. Salvation is of the Lord. All of grace. He
redeemed us for a purpose. He bought us for a purpose. We are kings, spiritual
kings. Oh, we are going to be kings upon the earth with Him when He sits on His
throne. But now we are spiritual kings and we reign over a spiritual kingdom.
It says in Romans 5:17, "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much
more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." And in Colossians 1:13, "Who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom (reign) of His dear Son." Right now we reign with Christ, having
dominion over sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Showing forth His
praise and glory; showing forth HIMSELF, for it is Christ in us, willing and
doing of His good pleasure. Yes, indeed, even now we are seated in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus.
"And made us priests."
Yes, priests unto Him, offering the spiritual praise of sanctified lips.
Spending our lives as a sweet offering unto Him. Worshipping Him in Spirit and
in truth. Interceding and petitioning. Priests and kings unto our God. No
wonder the world does not appeal to us and we are a peculiar people zealous
unto good works. We have been recreated in Him to be children like unto our
Father.