24-0419A_THE IDENTIFED CHRIST IN ALL AGES PT-20 (LOOK TO THAT TARGET)

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

*LIKE GOING DOWN THE ROAD, YOU, SOMEONE, MIGHT SEE A CERTAIN SCENE, AND THEY WOULD SAY, "LOOK," AND THEN EXPRESS WHAT IT IS.

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25 L, double o, k, look. The word, really, when... It's used oft. But, "look," when you hear the word, it's usually somebody trying to get you to see what they are looking at. They say to you, "Look." Like going down the road, you, someone, might see a certain scene, and they would say, "Look," and then express what it is. It's at the mountain, at--at the--the cactus, or whatever they're looking at. But, the first thing, to get your attention, is, "Look."

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26 Now, everybody is looking, today. Everybody is looking for something, and looking for something to happen.

27 We know that the world is constantly watching the skies, the radar and the screens that we have up, around the world, every nation, for its own defense, has--has got a magic eye, like, looking to--to find something to appear into this screen, like an atomic missile or something. Then, they've got something there to go back to the one that sent it this way.

*BUT THE BRIDE IS LOOKING FOR THE COMING OF HER LORD.

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28 Everything is looking. The Ford Company is looking to make a better Ford. The Chevrolet is looking, make a better Chevrolet. Phoenix is looking to make a larger and better town. The nation is looking for more territory, so it can spread itself. The church, just church, is looking for more members.

But the Bride is looking for the Coming of her Lord.

29 We're all looking. Depends on what the voice is trying to tell you to look for. Some of us are saying, "Look for this." And if it's a church, we're saying we want so many more this year, members. That's all right.

*AND HE, BY FAITH, HE SAW THE COMING OF A FLOOD, A GREAT RAIN THAT WAS GOING TO COVER THE EARTH AND TAKE ALL THE... WASH OFF THE EARTH…

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30 But the Voice that I trying to say to you this morning, is like the writer of this epistle, we believe to be Paul, which is saying, "Looking for the Coming of Jesus Christ, the second time," looking for Him. In order to do it, you got to see something before you can tell somebody else to look at what you are seeing.

31 Noah had an experience of this. And he, by faith, he saw the coming of a flood, a great rain that was going to cover the earth and take all the... wash off the earth; the rededication again to God. The filth of the world, that the people had got in that conglomeration that they were in in that day, and it had to all be washed off, to start again.

*NOAH KNEW BY THE WORD OF GOD THAT THERE WAS COMING A FLOOD. BY FAITH HE SAW IT.

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37 Now, Noah knew by the Word of God that there was coming a flood. By faith he saw it. He knew that was going to be, because God's Word promised it. Now, Noah, himself, by faith, saw what God's Word said. But the world could not see it, because it could not be scientifically proven that there were water up in the sky. But Noah knew it was there, because God said so.

*THAT'S THE CHURCH, THE BRIDE, THE CALLED-OUT TODAY, KNOWS THAT THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND

38 That's the Church, the Bride, the called-out today, knows that the Coming of the Lord is at hand, regardless of how much we've been able to go in progress, and so forth, and succeed in splitting an atom, and--and sending a--a radar message to the moon. That means nothing to the believer, only a sign that the Coming of the Lord is at hand. We see nations breaking, and the nations coming, falling apart, and the world coming apart, and the church move coming apart. Then, we are taught, that, "We receive a Kingdom which cannot be moved." But as these things begin to happen, the Church binds Itself together, tighter and tighter, with the... by the Word of God. It's a great day that we're living in. And we are...

*AND AS A GROUP OF BELIEVERS TODAY, ASSEMBLED TOGETHER, WE WANT TO FIX OUR THOUGHTS, OUR PRINCIPLES AND THINGS, UPON THE COMING OF THE LORD…

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40 And as a group of believers today, assembled together, we want to fix our thoughts, our principles and things, upon the Coming of the Lord, "Looking for Christ, Who shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation, to those that believe and are looking for Him to come." God, here, the... by the writer, is inviting us to--to view this and to look at it. We... The writer says here, that, "We look for Christ, the second time, to see Him as He is."

41 And now we know that the Word is Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And Hebrews 13:8 said, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever." Therefore it's the Word that we look to, then, for It is the--the expression of what God is. And when God came in Christ, He was the expression of what God was. And whatever He was, He ever remains, because He's Eternal and cannot change.

*THEREFORE, WE WANT TO LOOK TO THAT TARGET; NOT WHAT TARGET THE CHURCH IS SHOOTING AT, BUT WHAT TARGET THAT CHRIST IS SHOOTING AT.

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64 Now if I had looked to what the Winchester Company said, which is supposed to be the one that--that made the gun, then I'd have listened to them. But I knowed different.

65 Now if I look to the church, and they say, "Oh, them days is gone, and there's no such a thing as That," and, see, see where you'd be? It'd be plumb off of target. See?

66 But if He is ever God, He is still God. He always was God, and He can't be nothing else but God. And He is God, Eternal. Therefore, we want to look to that Target; not what target the church is shooting at, but what Target that Christ is shooting at.

67 "We look for Christ to appear, the same Jesus." He said, when He was on earth, "A little while and the world seeth Me no more. Yet, ye shall see Me, for I'll be with you to the end of the world." That same One Who could direct the Word, and be the Word, and direct It right straight on to the Target, that same Lord Jesus is here this morning in the form of the Holy Spirit, to direct our thoughts and focus down, His Word, to one true and living God, to one purpose, to one achievement. And if we'll just let Him do it, He will focus the Word right into a place that'll prove that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Depends on what you want to look at.

*WE MUST FOCUS OUR LIVES… IF WE GET OUR LIVES LINED WITH THE WORD, THEN THE WORD AND OUR LIFE BECOMES THE SAME.

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68 We must focus our lives. Not what somebody else says, but focus our lives to Him. And He is the Word. See? If we get our lives lined with the Word, then the Word and our life becomes the same. He said, "If ye abide in Me, and My Word in you, then ask what you will. It'll be granted to you. Verily I say unto you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be moved,' and don't doubt in your heart, but believe that that what you have said will come to pass; you can have what you have said." Oh, my! "Not what I said; what you said, you can have," because you and He become the same. Because, the mind that was in Christ is in you. And the mind that was in Christ was to fulfill the Father's Word. Which, He was the Word. There you are. Then you and the Word are focused in, together. You become a living unit of God. How great!

*THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO, TO FOCUS OUR LIVES INTO JESUS CHRIST, THAT CHRIST AND YOU BECOME THE SAME PERSON.

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86 I could do it. We must cope our lives and focus it in to the Word of God. Just like that we would a picture camera, or try to get the right focus before we snap it, and then we got the real true picture. That's what we want to do, to focus our lives into Jesus Christ, that Christ and you become the same Person. You are a son adopted to God by the Blood of the righteous Jesus Christ.

87 Then the Church would be moving on without friction, without hurt, without harm, without--without doubts, without scruples, without friction. It would be moving in the power of the Word of God, manifesting every Divine blessing that God promised to It, if it'd just do that.

*AND THE CHRISTIAN DOESN'T LOOK TO WHAT HE SEES WITH HIS EYES. HE LOOKS TO WHAT HE SEES WITH HIS FAITH.

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92 Now remember, the whole Christian armor is supernatural, if you are a Christian.

93 You say, "Seeing is believing." You can never be a Christian if you believe that.

94 "For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." You cannot be a Christian and have to see the thing. The whole armor of God is supernatural. Love, joy, peace, faith, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness, and Holy Ghost, it's all unseen. And the Christian doesn't look to what he sees with his eyes. He looks to what he sees with his faith.

*AND HIS FAITH CAN ONLY BE BASED UPON ONE THING, THAT'S THE WORD.

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95 And his faith can only be based upon one thing, that's the Word. Amen. Now I feel like a shouting Baptist. Yes, sir. See? When you get to that Word, that's the living thing. That's the Word. When your mind and eyes can be single to that Word, and focus that in till you see exactly what God is doing, what a wonderful thing.

96 Abraham saw it. See? He did not look to any of the misunderstandings of the promise. What if he would have looked and said, "Here I'm seventy-five years old. And such-and-such a voice spoke to me and said I'm to have a baby by my wife. She is sixty-five years old, about fifteen, twenty, years past menopause"? What would he have done? But what did he do? He never paid any attention to what the natural things was. He looked at what God said. It become such a reality to him till he didn't see nothing else but what God said. He left his home. He separated himself from all unbelief, anything that would try to pull him away. He separated himself so he could walk alone.

*IF WE CAN FOCUS OURSELF TO THE PLAN OF GOD, TO WHAT GOD WANTS FOR US, AND WHAT GOD PROMISED US…

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97 That's what every genuine believer has to do. Separate yourself from these doubters and unbelievers, and walk with Christ. It, it's Life, to you.

98 And Abraham did such a thing. And twenty-five years later, we find him still believing the same promise. Why? He had focused his--his mind to the will of God, by the Word of God, and believed it.

99 If we can focus ourself to the plan of God, to what God wants for us, and what God promised us, and let everything else alone. No matter how long it is, just keep believing.

100 Romans 4 here, we find Romans 4:14. It said, "And he staggered not at the promise of God, through unbelief." He didn't let unbelief contaminate him, at all. He looked to one thing, that was, the Voice that spoke to him.

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101 That's what the Church ought to do today. Look to the one thing, the Voice, the Word of God that speaks to us. Churches and peoples can speak any way. But, look to the Voice. What are we looking at?

*AND I--I HAD THIS LITTLE MODEL-75 TILL I COULD JUST, EVERY TIME, HIT A SQUIRREL'S EYE AT FIFTY YARDS WITH IT… AND THAT WAS THE LORD HELPING ME, OF COURSE, TO DO THAT.

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55 I--I love to--to shoot, and--and the targets. And here not long ago, I was squirrel hunting down in Kentucky. There was... I had a little model-75 rifle. It sounds... I hope it don't sound sacrilegious to you, to say this in a sermon, but I--I will tell you. I'm trying to make a point. And this little rifle, I trained it in. And I've dealt and fooled with guns since a little kid. I--I love them. And I--I had this little model-75 till I could just, every time, hit a squirrel's eye at fifty yards with it.

56 I had a paper from the range down there, signed up, that, "Driving nine bullets through the same hole, at fifty yards, on a rainy, windy day." And I got it signed up and notarized. And that was the Lord helping me, of course, to do that. That's unusual.

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57 And I started to shoot the squirrel. I find out, I hit him somewhere else besides in the eye. I got nervous. I tried again, on paper, and it wouldn't hit the target. It would hit within, oh, quarter of an inch, or a half-inch, something, at fifty yards. But I knowed it would do better than that. I done everything to the gun that I knowed how to do, and nothing seemed to--to fix it up right.

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58 So I wrapped it up in the box and sent it back to Winchester Company for examination, for rebedding. They wrote me a nice letter I have, my file at home. And it said--said, "Rev. Branham," said, "that--that rifle will group an inch at twenty-five yards." Said, "It's just a model-75." Said, "It's not a target gun. It's just a little plinker." And said, "You'll never get any better than that." Now, that was the Winchester Company that made the gun, said, "An inch at twenty-five yards," and I drove nine straight holes at fifty yards.

59 Now, here's my thought. My wife said, "Now look, Bill," she said, "if that company who made the rifle will just say that, and it won't do no better than that, then who are you to say that."

60 I said, "Honey, here is what it is. I don't care what the company says. I've seen it do it, and I know it'll do it."

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61 And I set down there, when the other brethren were shooting at squirrels. Anywhere they wanted to hit them was all right, mid-center, back, or anywhere. I set under a tree and was crying. I said, "God, I'm so nervous. I can't hold myself together. Why did You make me a little, nervous fellow like this?" And just...

62 I realize where I am standing here, the Bible before me. And a Voice, just as plain as you would hear mine, said, "You were made thus for a purpose."

Because, until you--you know that that rifle is going to zero once, because... If it zeroed once, rather, it'll zero again. It's the same rifle.

*IF OBEYING THIS WORD, TAKING THIS RANGE FINDER AND BRING IT DOWN TO A PLACE TILL I CAN SEE THE SAME THING THOSE APOSTLES SAW, THE SAME GOSPEL THEY PREACHED.

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63 Therefore, I see it. See? If obeying this Word, taking this range Finder and bring It down to a place till I can see the same thing those apostles saw, the same Gospel they preached. It'll produce the same results, 'cause It did for them. It'll strike the target every time. No matter what the churches says, and the people who claims to be, I--I know It'll do It. Because... And there is what I want to look at, that Word, to see that It's exactly in focus, to see the same vision they saw. And It'll do the same job that It did for them. It'll heal the sick. It'll raise the dead. It'll cast out devils. It'll bring forth a glorious Church Who is willing to seal their testimony with their own blood if it comes necessary to do that. Because, it depends on what you're looking at.

*THEREFORE, WE WANT TO LOOK TO THAT TARGET; NOT WHAT TARGET THE CHURCH IS SHOOTING AT, BUT WHAT TARGET THAT CHRIST IS SHOOTING AT.

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64 Now if I had looked to what the Winchester Company said, which is supposed to be the one that--that made the gun, then I'd have listened to them. But I knowed different.

65 Now if I look to the church, and they say, "Oh, them days is gone, and there's no such a thing as That," and, see, see where you'd be? It'd be plumb off of target. See?