25-0328_THE STATURE OF A PERFECT MAN PT-2 (PARTAKERS OF CHRIST'S DIVINE NATURE)

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 

2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 

2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2Pe 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

THE.APPROACH.TO.GOD_  CHICAGO.IL  SUNDAY_  55-0123A

  E-38    He wants us to. If the earthly parents wants us to do well, what about our heavenly Parent the Lord Jesus? He has to correct us. And the Scripture says, "If we cannot stand chastisement, or a whipping, child-correction, then we become illegitimate children and not the children of God." See?

If you're really born again, get it now, if you're really born again, there's nothing can separate you from God. That's right. "Neither starvation, perils, trials, suffering, death, nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus."

You say, "Well, I started to be a Christian one time. Everything begin going this way, and that way, and I thought, 'My, I was better off the other way.'" You never did come to God, brother. If you ever really come to God, and got a taste of the heavenly gifts of God, partakers of His Divine nature, why, you could no more become a sinner again, unbeliever, than a stalk of corn could become a cocklebur. That's right.

THE.APPROACH.TO.GOD_  CHICAGO.IL  SUNDAY_  55-0123A

  E-39    It's your nature. You're made up. You've come the right approach. You come your own approach. You come God's provided approach one time, and see what happens. Yes. 

*THEN YOU BECOME A PARTAKER, AFTER COMING INTO HIS BODY, A PARTAKER OF HIS DIVINE NATURE: CHRIST'S NATURE IN YOU.

THE.POSITION.OF.A.BELIEVER.IN.CHRIST_  PHOENIX.AZ  SUNDAY_  55-0227A

  E-33    Look at it, bruised, wounded, tore, opened up His side with a Roman spear in order that by the Holy Spirit we could be baptized into His body, partakers of His Divine nature. You get it? Then you become a partaker, after coming into His body, a partaker of His Divine nature: Christ's nature in you. How can you cheat, steal, lie, backslide, proselyte, everything else with the Divine nature of Christ in you? It's impossible. Let that soak just a few minutes, 'cause it's right...?... If you be a partaker in Christ, then you become a new creature; old things have passed away, and all things have become new. All of our warrings, and fussings, and stewings, and arguings, and tempers, and all these things pass away. You see it?

What is the fruit of the Spirit? We've planted it on church membership, upon shouting, upon demonstrations of our works. But the fruit of the Spirit is first love, love Who? Then is when you love those who are unlovable. That's the Spirit of Christ. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness, patience, there's the fruit of the Spirit. So no matter what church you belong to, what you have done...

*GOD HAS ALWAYS, AT ALL TIMES, REFLECTED HIMSELF IN MAN. THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  14-5    Notice, that God has always, at all times, reflected Himself in man. That was God in Moses; look at him: born a leader, Christ. In the time he was born, there was a persecution of children trying to find him; same it was with Christ. And he was--he was delivered in that time; so was Christ. He was a law giver; so was Christ.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  15-1    Oh, how we see Him in David. How David, a rejected king, throwed off his own throne by his brethren, his own son, set upon the Mount of Olives….. Oh, how perfect of the Son of God eight hundred years later, a rejected King among His own people set on the mount and wept over Jerusalem as a rejected King. What was it? God reflecting Himself in those prophets reflecting Christ.

Then there came One which was the perfection of God. It was God among us. And since that time He has reflected Himself in His church this side of Calvary. So you see, we're all trying to get to this dwelling place, Tabernacle of the Living God.

*…THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE A PORTION OF THIS VIRTUE, KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, PATIENCE, AND SO FORTH, THAT DON'T EVEN PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  16-2    Now, I want to say this: that there are some people who have a portion of this virtue, knowledge, wisdom, patience, and so forth, that don't even profess to be Christians. Now, we just... We're teaching Sunday school, and that's true. There's some people have a portion of this that don't even pretend to be Christians. But that doesn't--that won't do it. It's like a blackbird trying to put peacock feathers in his wings to make him a peacock. He only disgraces himself. Be better to stay a blackbird. See? When he tries to exercise these things without being a Christian, he's just simply all out of place. It's like a Sycamore tree trying to manufacture apples. It couldn't do it (See?), although it's a tree; but it can't manufacture apples.

*AND WHEN YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN, YOU JUST BEAR THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. YOU DON'T--YOU DON'T MANUFACTURE IT.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  16-4    …..The sheep doesn't manufacture wool. He has wool, because he is a sheep. A lot of people trying to say, "Well, I'll try to get good. I'll try to do this." Don't manufacture nothing. No, you can't do it. A sheep doesn't--isn't asked, isn't expected to manufacture wool; it bears wool. And it does it because it's a sheep. And when you're a Christian, you just bear the fruit of the Spirit. You don't--you don't manufacture it. You don't try to make it up. You just try--make yourself something that you're not. You just become what you're supposed to be, and then it takes care of itself.

*YOU SEE, HE DON'T HAVE TO ADD ANYTHING TO HIS NOW, BECAUSE IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY BE ADDED.

To see a man speaking in tongues, they say... And somebody interpret and tell just exactly to a certain member of the body what they've done, and what they should not do. See? See, they think it's some kind of a hoax. "There's something fixed up between them." They can't understand it. Until that man is born again, then when he's born again, then he's in line of fellowship because he is a new creation. That old suspicious, doubting character he was, is dead; now he's a new creation. So, you see, he don't have to add anything to his now, because it'll automatically be added.

*THE FIRST THING YOU'VE GOT TO DO IS BE BORNED AGAIN. THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  17-2    Could you imagine an old buzzard trying to have a couple of dove feathers, say, "Looky here. See, I'm a dove." See? Why we all know he's a buzzard. See, see? That's all. We can tell that he's a buzzard.

Well, now that's the way it is trying to--to manufacture Christianity. You can't do it. The first thing you've got to do is be borned again. You've got to be changed. See? And when you're changed, you become a new creation. Now, you're getting right now. See? Now, you don't have to worry about the feathers; it'll take care of itself when--when--when you're borned again. Yes, sir.

*AND WHEN YOU'RE BORN AGAIN, YOU CAN'T BE BORN AGAIN WITHOUT HAVING FAITH.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  18-2    Notice: you must be borned again. And when you're born again, you can't be born again without having faith. That's right. So, you see on my chart here, I got the very foundation. Faith is the foundation of all of it. For without faith it's impossible to please God: "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him." See? He must be. And when you are a skeptic of the Bible, when you're skeptic of the Word being right, you just might as well stay back until first you believe it.

What is sin? Unbelief. There's only two elements that controls the human being. That's either doubt or faith, one or the other. You're possessed of one that dominates your life. Just depends on how much faith you have, how high you can rise. But first it's got to be faith. Now, let me stay on that foundation for a while.

*YOU ALREADY HAVE IT WHEN YOU HAVE FAITH, BECAUSE IT'S REVEALED IN FAITH.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  18-4    Now, faith is what you must believe. Faith is what? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." It's... You already have it when you have faith, because it's revealed in faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11.), the evidence..." What kind of an evidence? A holy evidence.

Therefore, when you say, "Brother Branham, I believe that God is a Healer." Well, if you believe that, and then accept Him as your Healer, and not lying, but actually believing that by His stripes you are healed, there's nothing going to turn you from it; it's a settled thing. Now, you might have hope, just keep dodging to this and dodging to that. But when you got faith, you know it, because it is the evidence you've already got it.

*BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY: THAT--THAT FAITH DOESN'T NEED ANYTHING. SEE? FAITH BELIEVES GOD'S WORD.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  18-6    I was... How many body ever hear Oral Roberts this morning, when he was preaching this morning, Oral Roberts? And--and I heard him say something another about that there was a faith that--of deliverance, praying the prayer of faith of deliverance. He said, "Make your contact by touching radio; make your contact by touching something in order..." …..Now, I'm not condemning Brother Oral, not at all. He's doing a great work and a godly man, and I--I sure think a lot of Oral Roberts. Too bad we ain't got more of them. But what I'm trying to say: that--that faith doesn't need anything. See? Faith believes God's Word. For faith cometh by touching? No. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the Word of God." That anchors it. It's there. See? And faith, as I said, has no distance to it. Faith is right now. Faith is here.

*AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE NATURE GIVEN. *THAT FAITH RECOGNIZES ONLY THE WORD. NO MATTER WHAT ANYTHING ELSE SAYS, IT ONLY RECOGNIZES THE WORD…

BLASPHEMOUS.NAMES_  JEFF.IN  V-3 N-21  SUNDAY_  62-1104M

22-1    Patience, and so forth, there's a mockery of it, a pretending to be, a nature given faith, a nature given virtue. There's a nature given temperance. And all these things are nature given.

And the biggest part of our faith is mental faith. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] By hearing the Word it brings us to a mental recognition of God. But if this coming from above, oh, brother, if it ever strikes this, there is a godly, spiritual faith. Then what does that faith do? That faith recognizes only the Word. No matter what anything else says, it only recognizes the Word, because "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (And the Word's still God.) And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us."

*AND WHEN THE WORD ITSELF IS POURING INTO OUR FAITH, OUR MENTAL FAITH BECOMES A SPIRITUAL REVELATION

BLASPHEMOUS.NAMES_  JEFF.IN  V-3 N-21  SUNDAY_  62-1104M

And when the word Itself is pouring into our faith, our mental faith becomes a spiritual revelation. "And upon this foundation I'll build My Church," (See?), not upon a mental conception of church joining, a mental conception of that, but upon the revelation. When them streams of grace has poured into that mental faith that you've got, then upon this, a spiritual revelation, "I'll build My Church and the gates of hell can't prevail against it." See? That shows they would be against it, but it'll never prevail. Oh, what a glorious thing.

*THE LIFE OF CHRIST WILL PRODUCE THE WORKS OF CHRIST, WILL PRODUCE THE FAITH OF CHRIST, WILL MAKE YOU ACT AS CHRIST, MAKE YOU LOVE HIM.

HEAR.YE.HIM_  SOUTH.BEND.IN  SUNDAY_  58-0209A

E-37    …..When spring comes, you don't have to go pick off them old leaves to let new leaves come on. Just let new life come, and the old leaf drops off. You just need new life. And if the new life that you think you've received doesn't pattern with God's Word, you've got the wrong life in you. The life of Christ will produce the works of Christ, will produce the faith of Christ, will make you act as Christ, make you love Him. He will be first in your life. Your objectives, your motives, and everything will be altogether different. It'll be for the glory of God.

*IT ANCHORS YOU IN A SETTLED FAITH OF CHRIST.

THE.WAY.BACK_  SHREVEPORT.LA  FRIDAY_  62-1123

E-62    …..There God was dividing Himself among His church. Like a man and his wife being one, so is God and His church One. There's one. "That day you'll know that I'm in the Father, the Father in Me, I in you and you in Me." That's the inoculation. That's the inoculation He had. That's the inoculation He received. "It's not Me that doeth the works. It's My Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Not Me that sees these visions, it's My Father. I can do nothing... The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise."

That's the inoculation from unbelief. It anchors you in a settled faith of Christ. It anchors you.

There you know that you've passed from death unto Life. No man can talk you out of it. Nobody can explain it away from you. You was on those sacred sands with God alone, and you know you were borned again. Your whole life is changed and you're a new creature in Christ. There ain't enough devils in hell can take it away from you. You're a new creature, a new creation. You're inoculated with the power of God, the Toxin of God's Holy Spirit has wooed you. Amen.

Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 

Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.