25-0829A_THE STATURE OF A PERFECT MAN PT-17 (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. 

2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

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

  43-4    …..Oh, my. Godliness to be added... What does godliness mean? I looked in four or five dictionaries and couldn't even find what it meant. Finally, I was down at Brother Jefferies there; we found it in the--in a dictionary. "Godliness" means "to be like God."

…..You know the Bible says, "Ye are gods." Jesus said so. Why? All the virtue... All the things that's in God's in you. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye..." (Jesus speaking in the beatitudes) "Be ye therefore (p-e-r-f-e-c-t, what's that?) perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." You got way up here now 'fore you have to do that. All these things has to be added first. Then when you get up here, He's asked you now to be perfect, godliness, sons and daughters of God. That's right. How many things I could say along that line.

*…GODLY, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ONE THING. "I ALWAYS DO THAT WHICH PLEASES THE FATHER."

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

  44-2    Perfect, takes godliness. You have to add to your faith, godliness. See you start off down here with virtue, then you go to knowledge; then you go to temperance; then you go to patience; now you're on godliness--godliness.

Oh, my, our time's getting away, I see. But you know what godliness meant. You sing this song: To be like Jesus,To be like Jesus; On earth I long to be like Him.

All through life's journey, from earth to Glory, I only ask to be like Him.

That's godliness. When He was smite on one side of the face, He turned the other one. When He was spoken rough to, He didn't speak; He didn't rile back (See?), godly, always looking for one thing. "I always do that which pleases the Father." Amen. Yes, sir. Always: that's godliness.

*BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN HERE TO GENUINE BORNED AGAIN DOVE, THEN YOU DON'T ADD NOTHING. IT ADDS TO YOU…

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

  45-1    See, after you done come from here, to here, to here, to here, to here, to here; now you're coming into the full statue now of a son of God. But you've got to have this, plus all this. And you can't even start until you get this.

Now, you remember the blackbird with peacock feathers. Don't forget him. See? Don't try to add it till you're actually borned again, 'cause you--it won't work. It just... You can't make it work. It'll come to this, or this here; it'll crumble somewhere. But when you get down here to genuine borned again dove, then you don't add nothing. It adds to you  (See?), comes on up.

*…A LIVING PATIENCE, A LIVING GODLINESS, A LIVING POWER, COMING BY THE LIVING GOD MAKES A LIVING MAN A LIVING IMAGE, THE STATUE OF GOD..…

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

48-5    But when we, not in a imaginary way, but prostrate ourselves before a living God, a living virtue, a living knowledge, a living patience, a living godliness, a living power, coming by the living God makes a living man a living image, the statue of God, what's He doing? The same things that Jesus did, walking the same way He walked, doing the same things He did; because it's not an imaginary thing. There's a reality that proves it.

See what I mean? See how these virtues, these building materials typed in with the church messengers, with the church ages?

*…THIS NATURE HAS TO DIE, AND THE NATURE OF GOD COMES AND LIVES IN YOU.

SOULS.THAT.ARE.IN.PRISON.NOW_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-22  SUNDAY_  63-1110M

   44   But, that soul that's in there, see, that soul is what God is working on, see. If He can only get that nature, that spirit, to agree with Him, then that nature dies, the nature and the love of the world dies, and the things of the world is dead. See? Because, "If you love the world, or the things of the world, the love of God is not in you." See? And a man must be born again. So, this nature has to die, and the nature of God comes and lives in you. And God is the only thing there is that never did begin or never can end.

*…THROUGH THAT PERFECT MAN, EACH ONE OF US IMPERFECT THAT BELIEVE IN GOD AND HAS ACCEPTED THAT, BECOMES THE PERFECTION OF HIM.

SOULS.THAT.ARE.IN.PRISON.NOW_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-22  SUNDAY_  63-1110M

   45      So, therefore, He has partnershipped, you see, and taken this man, earthly, and this Eternal Spirit, and put it together. Because, God reflected Himself back in that, that He become a Man when He become Christ Jesus, and He was God, see. God was in Christ; that, see, lived in Him, reconciling the world to Himself. And, through that perfect Man, each one of us imperfect that believe in God and has accepted That, becomes the perfection of Him.

*AND IF THE LIFE THAT'S IN CHRIST BE IN YOU, YOU'LL BEAR THE LIFE THAT CHRIST BORE.

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

  49-3    Now, that is the house that God dwells in, not a building with a big bell on top of it and a high steeple (See?), but, "a body has Thou prepared Me," a body that God can dwell in, God can walk in, God can see in, God can talk in, God can work in (Amen.), living instrumentality of God. God walking on two feet in you. Glory. "The footsteps of the righteous is ordered of God," God walking in you, for ye are written epistles, read of all men. And if the Life that's in Christ be in you, you'll bear the Life that Christ bore.

* SHE HAS TO BE MOLDED AND MADE INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST, AND CHRIST IS THE WORD. THAT'S THE ONLY THING.

THE.RAPTURE_  YUMA.AZ  V-5 N-14  SATURDAY_  65-1204

204      Wonder, could it be already past? Could the Bride already be called? Is that what we're going through today?

She has to be molded and made into the image of Christ, and Christ is the Word. That's the only thing. See? It's in There, in the Word. It's ju-... See? There cannot be one thing added. It can't be a--a woman with a one hand like a man, and the other hand with a paw like a dog. It's got to be exactly the Word of the Lord, like He is the Word. The Bride is a part of the Bridegroom. The woman is a part of her husband, 'cause she's taken out of the husband. Eve was a part of Adam from his side. And so is the Bride, not taken from a denomination, but taken from the bosom of the Word of God for this day.

Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 
Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 
Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 
Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 
Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 
Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 
Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 
Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 
Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another. 

 

25-0825P_INVESTMENTS

Mar 10:17  And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 

Mar 10:19  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 

Mar 10:20  And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 

Mar 10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 

Ecc 2:1  I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. 

Ecc 2:2  I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 

Ecc 2:3  I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. 

Ecc 2:4  I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: 

Ecc 2:5  I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: 

Ecc 2:6  I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: 

Ecc 2:7  I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: 

Ecc 2:8  I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. 

Ecc 2:9  So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 

Ecc 2:10  And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 

Ecc 2:11  Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

*…ANY BUSINESSMAN IS ALWAYS, IF HE'S A GOOD BUSINESSMAN, IS INTERESTED IN GOOD INVESTMENTS…

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

And I thought this might be appropriate for a few minutes speaking to businessmen of the city on investments, because that any businessman is always, if he's a good businessman, is interested in good investments. That seems to be what they love to do, is to make a--a good investment, sound investment, because it pays off always.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-9    A fellow that's got money wants to put it to a good investment, of course. A man that has as much as, say, ten thousand dollars, he would like to put it to some investment. Don't keep it in your pocket, 'cause you know thieves will steal it. And so, you don't want to do that.

So you want, if you're a good sound businessman, you want to put it to something that'll--it'll draw dividends. You want to put it to something to usury. You know about the talents in the Bible. So you must put it to some use that'll draw dividends out of it, some good sound business.

 

* BEFORE WE MAKE OUR INVESTMENT, WE SHOULD FIND OUT ABOUT THE--ABOUT THE COMPANY, OR ABOUT THE THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUY.

  E-18    Now, this great assurance policy that I'm asking each to invest in today, let us look back. And all things should be like any other business. Before we make our investment, we should find out about the--about the company, or about the thing that we're trying to buy. And I think it would be good this morning, in these next few minutes, if we investigated some of the holders of this policy to find out just what taken place. That's the only way to do when you're going to make a business investment.

You'll usually go over and say to your fellow man, "Have... what about this Such-and-such-a company? What about this Such-and-such-a business?"

"Well, it did this for So-and-so. It did this for So-and-so. And it paid off with this. And this bonds, these coupons, government bank coupons, and they paid off at twenty-five percent," and so forth.

That... It's good to invest it--investigate it, and find out before you make your investments.

 

*NOT BOTHERED ABOUT GETTING IN THERE, IT'S GETTING OUT.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-8    Some time ago, a friend that I went to school with, he's an insurance agent, and he's a nice man. I got a brother that's an insurance agent, but it just happens to be that I never carried insurance. And so I... Nothing against it, but I... The boy come up one time. His name was Snyder. His brother is a Baptist minister. Wilmer said to me; he said, "Billy, I'd like to talk over some insurance with you."

And I said, "Wilmer, thank you." I said, "I--I'll talk about anything else," but I said, "I already have insurance."

And he said, "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, "You have what?"

I said, "I have assurance."

And he... And my wife looked at me as if I was a liar. She stopped, and she looked across at me, 'cause I don't have any insurance.

And he said, "Billy, what insurance do you carry?"

I said, "I said assurance: 'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory Divine. I'm an heir of salvation, purchased of God, borned of His Spirit, washed in His Blood.' "

He said, "That's very good, Billy. But it won't put you up here in the graveyard."

I said, "It'll take me out. I'm am not worried about getting in; I want out. So... Not bothered about getting in there, it's getting out. So that's what I want to talk about."

*AND GAMBLING IS NOT A GOOD SOUND BUSINESS. IT'S A... IT'S GOT A CHANCE TO IT.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-10    And then, in doing this, you don't want to put it in something that isn't sound. No man would want to do that. A good smart businessman wouldn't think of such a thing. You men wouldn't do that, put it in something that--one of these here "get rich overnights and don't know where it come from." Better be careful about that. You'll lose all you got, 'cause it's a gamble. And gambling is not a good sound business. It's a... It's got a chance to it. And you don't want to take them kind of chances.

But you want to put it in something, in some good sound firm that pays great dividends, something that's stable, reliable, something that you know that has paid off, and been proven that it will pay off.

When you have something like that to make your investment, why then you feel assured that you're--you got something coming. You can rest assure when you put your money in that. But if the business is not too good, well, you wouldn't want to try it. Some good reliable plan, something that would pay you off well...

 

*AND THIS RICH YOUNG RULER, AS WE'D CALL IT IN THE BIBLE, HE PASSED UP A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-11    And this rich young ruler, as we'd call it in the Bible, he passed up a great opportunity. He had the opportunity to put his richness of this world into a guaranteed plan, but failed it. He didn't do it. He was given the opportunity that he could draw interest on it, and make a great investment. But he--he failed to accept that opportunity--so much... as many of us do today. And we find out that it's too bad, but we do it. Now, although this plan that he was offered was perfectly vindicated that it was sound...

When Jesus came to the earth, He proved that He was what He said He was: that He was God, manifested in flesh, for He brought it to a--a showdown and said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then believe Me not."

*NOW, GOD IS IN HIS CHURCH, HIS LIFE DIVIDED AMONG HIS PEOPLE, GOD LIVING AMONG THEM, TRYING TO UNITE THEM TOGETHER IN A MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST,…

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-16    With His Divine Presence, as it was when He was on earth, God was in one Person. Now, God is in His church, His life divided among His people, God living among them, trying to unite them together in a mystical body of Christ, which is called His Bride. And when He's trying to do that... And He will do it, for as the prophet said... It come forth, His forerunner for His first advent, said, "God is able of these stones to rise children."

And today, when the blessings fell upon the Pentecostals years ago, and they separated themselves, seemingly not having the faith, God is able of the Methodists, and orthodox, and so forth, of these stones to rise children unto Abraham.

And did you ever think, my brethren, did it ever come to you in the Scripture, that the very day that the sleeping virgin come to buy oil, that was the day that He come? When you see Greek Orthodox, Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, coming in, hungering for this, "Where can we get this oil?" Remember it was that hour that the Bridegroom came. Let's watch our investments, where they pay off at.

*ANYTHING THAT GOD EVER DONE ON EARTH NEVER WAS POPULAR FROM THE BEGINNING. VERY MUCH UNPOPULAR, IT'S PURPOSED TO BE THAT WAY.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-17    Now. They put Him out of their denominations. They didn't want Him. The rich young ruler went away sad, although you notice that it says here in the Scripture, "Jesus holding him loved him. And He loved these people in these organizations. They're God's people. He loved them, and He's offered, and has offered for the last fifty years, the opportunity to make another investment in Him, not in a building of a church, but in the power and the resurrection of Christ, and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

It's not popular. Certainly not. It's never been popular. Anything that God ever done on earth never was popular from the beginning. Very much unpopular, it's purposed to be that way. Did not Jesus call the Pharisees the whited walls? Said, "Which of your fathers has not persecuted the prophets? You whiten their tombs now, but you was the one that put them in there."

They build it upon some great thing, the Methodist upon John Wesley, a great man; the Lutheran upon Martin Luther, and so forth. And now, the Pentecostals is trying to build a tomb to something was fifty years ago, that brought them out of this kind of a chaos. And now, they're taking it right back in again, polishing the--the tomb of the ones that we actually put in. That's right.

*HIS NAME WAS NOAH. HE WAS A RICH FARMER.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-20    Let's start back with an old holder I could think of a long years ago. His name was Noah. He was a rich farmer. And we find out that while he had good possessions upon the earth, one day God spoke to him. And usually when God speaks, it's so contrary to the earthly thoughts of the thing, it's so different from the modern trend of the day, until the person that receives the policy... The other people that don't have the policy, or know nothing about it, has never talked it over, think the man's crazy by accepting it. It's always been that way.

God told Noah by promise, "I'm going to destroy the world, and I want you to build an ark. Take the wood off your farm, and--and don't make shade trees any more, but I want you to build an ark. It's for the saving of your life."

And Noah obedient to that... It did not cope with their modern scientific thoughts. You know, we're taught that we had a greater civilization then than we have now. Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man," a modern civilization.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-21    And we're told by Genesis that they had never had rain down from the heavens. God watered by irrigation. The world stood up straight. It did not lean back. And we had no rainfall.

And here comes a man coming forth upon a policy that he'd been given of God, that judgment was coming, and the only way to escape it, that there was coming a phenomenon such us rain. Water was going to fall from the skies. Perhaps some of their modern scientific men could put their instruments up and say, "We can shoot the moon by radar, and there's no such a thing as water in the sky. The man is totally insane. Let him alone; he will bring disgrace upon himself."

If that ain't a picture of the modern day believer today, he's considered totally insane. He's emotional. He's crazy. I thank the brother at the end here for his compliment, "I was just foolish enough to believe the Word." That's all right. I--I want to stay foolish.

I seen a little sign one time. I'm told about a man out in California, had a big plate on the front of him here. It said, "I'm a fool for Christ." And on his back was a question mark, said, "Whose fool are you?"

*BUT HE HAD A POLICY THAT WAS GOING TO DRAW DIVIDENDS, GOING TO PAY OFF IN THE SAVING OF HIS LIFE.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-22    So Noah was a fool in the eyes of the world in that day, for the God's sake, and for the Word's sake. But he had a policy that was going to draw dividends, going to pay off in the saving of his life.

As I've said before, it might not cope with all the scientific movement. They might try today to say this is purely emotion. As one brother testified, I believe here, he wanted no emotion. And that's good. I think there's a lot of radical stuff goes with it that moves...

I was reading the life of Martin Luther, or the history. And it said it wasn't such a phenomena that Luther could protest the Catholic church, and get by with it. But the phenomena was, the man could hold his head above all the fanaticism that followed his revival.

That's the same it is today. It isn't so much a--of a--of a phenomena to see people come out of organizations and things. But a man that can stay with the Word, and hold his head above all the fanaticism that tries to follow such a move: sensations, and so forth, that base faith upon which is absolutely fleshly, as our precious brother quoted to us about the Greek. See, they go out the same thing: flesh, flesh, denomination, so forth.

But somebody can hold their head above that, and stay with THUS SAITH THE LORD... It's true.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-23    We find that Noah... That after you have received this policy that I am speaking of this morning, the assurance, the assurance of salvation, you're always tried. And there's always... The Kingdom of God doesn't come by observation, and we know that you're tried. Every son that cometh to God must be child-trained.

INVESTMENTS_  SHREVEPORT.LA  SATURDAY_  62-1124B

  E-24    Now. But you're tried, put to the test to be proven. And Noah, after the days of his preaching when he stood in the ark of his door, and gave--the--the door of his ark, rather, and gave the very last call... And God told him, "I'm through with them. Get into the safety that's been provided."

I think that's where we stand. Get into that spot of safety zone. The traffic of sin is getting terrific, but God give us a safety zone, as I was speaking of last night, the inoculation. Stay in there. Don't go to wandering. As the brother said, you can totter out of it. Better stay put. Now, don't go to wandering off on isms and dogmas. Stay with the Word. Stay with Christ. To know Him is Life. Not to know His creed, not to know His book, not to know nothing; but to know Him is Life.

 

Pro 15:5  A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. 

Pro 15:6  In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. 

Pro 15:16  Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. 

Pro 15:17  Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 

Pro 15:18  A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife. 

Pro 15:19  The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. 

Pro 15:20  A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother. 

Pro 21:20  There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. 

Pro 21:21  He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. 

Pro 21:22  A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof. 

Pro 21:23  Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. 

Pro 21:24  Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath. 

Pro 21:25  The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. 

Pro 21:26  He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. 

 

25-0822A_THE CHOOSING OF A BRIDE

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 

Gen 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 

Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 

Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 

Gen 2:25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 

*THE WAY OF LIFE, ITSELF, IS A CHOICE.

THE.CHOOSING.OF.A.BRIDE_  LA.CA  V-2 N-28  THURSDAY_  65-0429E

  31      In many things of life we are given a choice. The way of life, itself, is a choice. We have a right to make our own way, choose our own way that we want to live.

32    Education is a choice. We can choose whether we're going to be educated, or whether we are not going to be educated. That's a choice that we have.

33    Right and wrong is a choice. Every man, every woman, boy and girl, has to choose whether they are going to try to live right or not live right. It's a choice.

Choice is a great thing.

34    Your Eternal destination is a choice. And maybe, tonight, some of you will make that--that choice, of where you'll spend Eternity, before this service ends tonight. There'll be one time, that, if you turned God down many time, there'll be one time you'll turn Him down the last time. There is a line between mercy and judgment. And it's a dangerous thing for a man or a woman, boy or girl, to step across that line, for there's no return when you step across that deadline. So, tonight, it might be the time that many will make their--their decision, where they will spend the endless Eternity.

*THERE'S ANOTHER CHOICE THAT WE HAVE IN LIFE, THAT'S, A LIFE'S COMPANION. ALSO, YOU HAVE A CHOICE, AS A CHRISTIAN.

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  35      There's another choice that we have in life, that's, a life's companion. A young man or young woman, stepping out on life, has--has been given a right to make a choice. The young man chooses. The young woman has a right to accept or reject it. But it's still a choice, on both sides. Both man and woman, they have a right to choice.

Also, you have a choice, as a Christian.

*…WHETHER YOU WILL CHOOSE A CHURCH THAT WILL GUIDE YOU TO YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION.

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  37      You have also a choice. Whether... When you choose this church, you can choose whether you, in this church, whether you will choose a church that will guide you to your Eternal destination. You can choose a church that has a certain creed, that you might think that creed is just what you want. Or, the other church has their creed.

38    And then there is the Word of God, you have choice of. You have to make the choice.

There's an unwritten law among us, of choosing.

*AND MANY TIME, MEN AND WOMEN HEAR GOD'S TRUTH, AND SEE IT VINDICATED AND PROVEN, TRUTH, BUT YET THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT.

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  42      Remember, when the jubilee year come, and the--the priest rode with his trumpet sounding, that every slave could go free. But if they refused to accept their freedom, then he had to be taken to the temple, to a post, and an awl bore him through the ear, and then he served his master alway. It was put on his ear as a type, of hearing. "Faith cometh by hearing." He heard that trumpet, but he didn't want to listen to it.

43    And many time, men and women hear God's Truth, and see It vindicated and proven, Truth, but yet they don't want to hear It. There's some other reason. There's some other choosing that they have, than to face up to Truth and fact, therefore their ears can be closed to the Gospel. They'll never hear It again. My advice to you, when God speaks to your heart, you act right then.

44    Elijah gave them a choice which they should. "Choose you this day whom you shall serve. If God be God, serve Him. But if Baal be God, serve him."

*A MAN SHOULD THINK AND PRAY BEFORE HE CHOOSES A WIFE.

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  46      Now, if the spiritual or... The natural is a type of the spiritual. Then, the choosing of a bride, in the natural, is a type of choosing a Bride, the Bride, in the spiritual.

47    Now, it's a serious thing when we go to choose a wife, a man, for the vows here is until death do we part. That's how we should keep it. And you take that vow before God, that only death will separate you. And I think we should. A man in his right mind, that's planning a future, that he should choose that wife very careful. Be careful what you're doing. And a woman choosing a husband, or accepting the choice of a husband, should be real careful what she's doing, and especially in these days. A man should think and pray before he chooses a wife.

*AND WE FIND, THAT, IF A MAN PRAYED AND A WOMAN PRAYED OVER THE MATTER;…BUT WOULD LOOK FIRST TO GOD, AND SAY, "GOD, IS THIS YOUR PLAN?"

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  48      I think, today, what's got so many divorce cases now, that we lead the world in America, in divorce cases. We lead the rest of the world. There's more divorces here than anywhere else, this nation, and supposed to be, and thought of, a Christian nation. What a reproach, our divorce court! I think, the reason of it, is because that men has got away from God, and women has got away from God.

49    And we find, that, if a man prayed and a woman prayed over the matter; not just look at a pretty set of eyes, or big strong shoulders, or such as that, or some other worldly affection; but would look first to God, and say, "God, is this Your plan?"

*A MAN SHOULD PRAY EARNESTLY, FOR HE COULD RUIN HIS ENTIRE LIFE… SO, YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT UNTIL YOU THOROUGHLY PRAY THROUGH.

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  51      And if we would study what we're doing when we're going to get married, when we choose our wife, our husband, if we'd study it over! A man should pray earnestly, for he could ruin his entire life. Remember, the vow is "until death do we part," and he could ruin his life by making the wrong choice. But if he knows what, he making the wrong choice and is marrying a woman that isn't fit to be his wife, and he does it anyhow, then it's his fault. If the woman takes a husband and knows that he's not fit to be a husband to you, then that's your own fault, after you know what's right and wrong. So, you shouldn't do it until you thoroughly pray through.

*SO, IF I WAS CHOOSING A CHURCH, I'D CHOOSE A GENUINE, FUNDAMENTAL, FULL GOSPEL, BIBLE CHURCH, I WAS CHOOSING ONE TO PUT MY FAMILY IN. 

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52      The same applies by choosing a church. Now, you must pray over the church that you are fellowshiping in. Remember, churches carry spirit.

54    But, you go into a church, and if you'll watch the behavior of that church, you just watch the pastor awhile, and you'll usually find that the church acts like the pastor. Sometime, I wonder if we just don't get one another's spirit in the stead of the Holy Spirit. You get to a place where a pastor is real radical and carrying on, you'll find out the congregation is the same way. I'll bring you to a church where I see the pastor stand, jerk their heads back and forth. You watch the congregation, they do the same thing. You take a pastor, just gulp down anything, usually the church will do the same thing. So, if I was choosing a church, I'd choose a genuine, fundamental, Full Gospel, Bible church, I was choosing one to put my family in. Choose. I looked...

*AGAIN, THE KIND OF WOMAN THAT A MAN WOULD CHOOSE, WILL REFLECT HIS AMBITION AND HIS CHARACTER.

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  58      Again, the kind of woman that a man would choose, will reflect his ambition and his character. If a man chooses the wrong woman, it reflects his character. And what he ties himself to, shows truly what's in him. A woman reflects what's in the man when he chooses her for wife. It shows what's down in him. No matter what he says outside, watch what he married.

59    I go to a man's office, and he says he's a Christian; pin-ups all around on the walls, that old boogie-woogie music going on. I don't care what he says. I don't believe his testimony, because his spirit is feeding on them things of the world. What, say, if he would marry a chorus girl, or what if he would marry a sex queen, or just a pretty, modern ricketta? It reflects. It shows what he has in his mind, of what his future home is going to be, because he's took her to raise his children by. And whatever she is, that's the way she'll raise those children. So, it reflects what's in the man. A man that takes a woman like that, shows just what he's thinking of the future.

60    Could you imagine a Christian doing a thing like that? No, sir. I could not. A true Christian will not look for such beauty queens, and chorus girls, and sex queens. He'll look for Christian character.

*YOU BETTER LOOK AT HER CHARACTER, WHETHER SHE'S PRETTY OR NOT PRETTY.

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  61      Now, you can't have all things. There might be one girl that's real pretty. And the other girl, maybe she's a... her statue looks better than this one. And you might have to sacrifice one for the other, but, if she's not the statue of a lady, of a woman. And, she, I didn't care whether she's pretty or not. You better look at her character, whether she's pretty or not pretty.

*…IF A CHRISTIAN WOULD CHOOSE A WIFE, HE OUGHT TO CHOOSE A GENUINE, BORN-AGAIN WOMAN…

62    Now, for, it is becoming, if a Christian would choose a wife, he ought to choose a genuine, born-again woman, regardless of what she looks like. It's what she is, what makes her. And then, again, that reflects his own godly character, and reflects what's in his mind and what's going to be in the future, for his family will be raised by such a woman, for the future plans for his home.

63    If he marries one of these little modern rickettas, sex queens, what could he expect? What kind of a home could a man expect to have? If he marries a girl that ain't got enough moral about her to stay home and take care of a house, and wants to work out in somebody's office, what kind of a housekeeper will she be? You'll have baby-sitters and everything else. True.

*THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST, THE BRIDE, IS SO SOLD OUT TO HIM AND HIS PROMISED WORD, TILL THE VERY MIND THAT'S IN CHRIST IS IN YOU.

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  166      Notice, just a minute, a nun in a Catholic church. That woman, to become a nun, and takes that last veil, she is absolutely sold out to that church. She is (soul, body, and spirit) property of that church. She has no mind of her own. She can't have, when she takes that last veil, no mind of her own, no will of her own. See out here, that Satan makes them his bogus, like the true.

167    The true Church of Christ, the Bride, is so sold out to Him and His promised Word, till the very mind that's in Christ is in you. What a different!

*THE MODERN WORLD CHURCH AND ALSO THAT THE SPIRITUAL CHURCH ARE BOTH PREGNATED, TO GIVE BIRTH TO SONS.

168    And we find today, that, the modern church, a modern world church. The modern world church and also that the spiritual Church are both pregnated, to give birth to sons.

169    One of them, a denominational birth, is going to be give, one day to these days, at the World Council of Churches, which will produce to the world the antichrist, through a denomination. That's exactly the Truth. I may not live to see it. I believe I will. But, you young people, remember that you heard a minister say that. That'll finally wind up. And that is the mark of the beast, when she forms that World Council of Churches. And she'll give birth to her son, the antichrist.

*AND CHRIST IS ONE BODY, THE WORD. THE BRIDE WILL HAVE TO BE THE REST OF THAT BODY.

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  170      The other is pregnated by the Word of God and will bring forth the Body, the finished Body of Jesus Christ, which is the Bride. The Body of Christ isn't finished yet. How many knows that? A man and woman is one. And Christ is one Body, the Word. The Bride will have to be the rest of that Body. And the two, together, makes the one Body again. Like Adam was at the beginning: man, his wife, are one. Now, She, the true Bride, so sold out to Him, that She use no mind of Her own. His mind, of course, is His will, and His will is His Word.

*BUT THE WORD OF GOD ATTRACTS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.

176    Christ does vindicates His Word, which attracts the people. He don't attract the people at churches that are attracted by big denominations and big doings, and great big carry-on's and fancy things. But the Word of God attracts the Bride of Christ.

*THE TRUE BRIDE ATTRACTS THE ATTENTION OF GOD, BY KEEPING HIS WORD…..BUT HE ALWAYS COMES IN THE BEAUTY OF CHARACTER.

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178      While, the true Bride attracts the attention of God, by keeping His Word. Now notice. Now let us notice Christ.

179    You say, "Well, now, wait a minute, what about this beauty you're talking about?"

180    The Bible said, in Isaiah 53:2, that, when Jesus come, "There was no beauty of Him, that we should desire Him." That right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] There's no beauty. If He would have come in the worldly beauty, as Satan is today, the people would have run around Him and accept Him the way they do the church today. They would have believed Him, received Him, as they do Satan today. Certainly, they would. But He didn't come in that kind of a beauty, but He always comes in the beauty of character. There, Christ wasn't a beautiful, great, strong, stout Man. God doesn't choose that kind.

 

*IT'S NOT WORLDLY BEAUTY OF HIM THAT ATTRACTS HIS BRIDE. IT IS HIS CHARACTER, THE CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH, THAT JESUS LOOKS FOR

182    The prophet went to pour the oil on him. He said, "God has refused him." And He refused every one of them, till he come to a little, old stoop-shouldered, ruddy-looking fellow. And he poured the oil upon him, and he said, "God chose him." See? We choose by sight. God choose by character.

183    Character, there never was a character like Jesus Christ. It lives in you and manifests Him. We see it's true. It's not worldly beauty of Him that attracts His Bride. It is His character, the character of the Church, that Jesus looks for; not where it's big buildings, where it's great denominations, where it's big membership. He promised to meet with wherever two or three are gathered together. Truly. That's where the true believer rests his hopes, is upon that Word of God being vindicated in Truth, what is. Choose by His Word, not a worldly-loving group. They hate that.

184    No wonder she is divorced from Him, because she's missed His revelation, and she don't have it. He cares not for her, the way she acts and does, and how much of this worldly stuff she has.

*HE CHOOSES A BRIDE TO REFLECT HIS CHARACTER, THE CHARACTER OF HIM, THE WORD, FOR THIS AGE, MUST BE MOLDED.

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  185      He's looking for her character, the character of Christ. Now, just a moment now. That's it. He chooses a Bride to reflect His character, to which the modern churches of today certainly misses His--His program here, a million miles, 'cause they deny This to be the Truth. So how could it be? Now, He's looking for the day for that Bride to be formed, Hebrews 13:8, just exactly like It was, like He was. It's got to be His same flesh, same bones, same Spirit, same everything, just exactly built up, and them two then become one. Until the church becomes that, they're not one. The character of Him, the Word, for this age, must be molded. She must be molded like He is.