Episode 348: The Family Altar Audio Devotional – Day 314

Episode Summary:

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (Hebrews 6:1)

67 Watch this. Let’s get this word “perfection.” Do you know there’s only one way you’ll stand in the Presence of God? That’s, perfect. God cannot tolerate unholy things.

68 And you legalists: how could you ever perfect yourself, when you have not one thing to perfect yourself with? You were born in sin. Your very conception was in sin. The very desire of you being here was sin. “Born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies.” Now where are you going to stand at?

69 Where you, sinner, that—that said, “I’ll quit smoking. I’ll go to Heaven”? Where are you, lukewarm, mossback, so-called Christian, that goes around here with a long face and saying, that, “Well, I belong to the church”? You sinner. That’s right. Unless you are born of the Spirit of God, you’re lost. That’s true.

70 How you going to Heaven? You say, “I never lied in my life.” “Oh, the darling. It—it was just an Angel, to begin with.” That’s a lie. I don’t care how good you are; you’re a sinner. And you don’t have one thing; there’s no priest, no bishop, no cardinal, no pope, nor nothing else can save you, ’cause he’s just the same boat that you’re in. We’re getting into it in a few minutes. Just in the same shape. He was…the pope of Rome was born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies, born by the sexual desire of a man and a woman. Where you going to get righteous out of that?

71 “Well, his papa and mama were born the same way, and they were born the same way, and his grandma and grandpa and on back.” It’s sin, to begin with!

72 So who can say that this is holy and that is holy? There is only one thing holy, that’s Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Who has been made Perfect. And our requirement is to be perfect. Now, how we going to be it? Try it, yourself. I’d hate to try to get to Heaven on the merits of, “I was born five minutes ago, and going out of the world right now.” I’d be lost. If I never had an evil thought in my life, if I never spoke a bad word in my life, if I never looked at anything evil, never thought anything evil, or nothing, I’m just as rank and black as the smutty walls of hell. I’m a sinner.

73 I could come through life and stay locked up in a room, and like some of the Carmelite sisters or something, and never see the world, stay in there and pray all my life, do good, born a multimillionaire and give to the poor everything I got, and I’m still a sinner and will go to hell. Yes, sir.

74 I might join the Lutheran church, Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, when I’m on the cradle roll, and live faithful to that church until a hundred years, and my life is took, and no man could point their finger at me and say “He ever even as had as much as a bad thought,” I’ll go to hell just as sure as I’m standing.

75 I’m a sinner. That’s correct. I have nothing. There’s no way, at all, I could find any—any price to be paid. God required death. And if I give my own life, if I give my life, then how can I repent? Cause, you…The debt has got to be paid, first. And God was the only One who could lay His life down and take It up again. So He could become sin, and lay His Life down and pick It up, and call it “justice,” and the debt is paid. There you are.

76 Now let’s turn to Matthew, about the 8th chapter, I believe it is, 7th or 8th chapter. We’ll see what Jesus says over here. All right. It’s Matthew, the 5th chapter. And the…Jesus, preach, preaching in the beatitudes, the 47th verse.

And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans…? (Watch.)

But be ye therefore perfect,…(What?)

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

That was Jesus’ commandment, “Be ye so.”

77 They say, “Nobody can be perfect, the Bible said, ‘There is none perfect.’ There’s your contradiction.” Is it? All right.

78 You cannot be perfect in yourself. If you’re trusting in what you done, you’re lost. “So be ye perfect, even just as perfect as God is perfect.” Now:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father…in heaven is perfect.

79 “Therefore…” Now the 5th chapter, 6th chapter of Hebrews.

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection;…

80 Now, you, Branham Tabernacle. Oh, I know, “We have healings.” That’s wonderful. “We have visions.” Oh, that’s—that’s fine. And you have spiritual dreams, and sometimes they’re not spiritual dreams. And—and sometimes you… “We, we try to help the poor. We do what we can.” Oh, that’s all right, but that’s not what we’re talking about now. We’re entering into another phase.

…leaving…the doctrine…

81 “Oh, yes, we got the doctrine of Christ. We believe He was the Son of God, is virgin-born. We believe that, with all these things.” That is just wonderful.

82 But, “Leaving that, let’s go on to perfection.” Oh, my! Wish I had the voice of an archangel now, to bring this to a place where you could see it. Now he says, “Leaving all the doctrine of Christ,” all the—the theologians, and all the theology that we know, all about the Deity of Christ, how He was God made flesh, all these other things.

83 Paul goes on to explain it all here, just in a few minutes. Let’s just read it, just a little bit, before we get to it.

…laying again the foundations of repentance from dead works…

Now, we believe that.

…and faith towards God,

We believe that.

And of the doctrine of baptisms,…

Just how you must be baptized, we believe that.

…and of laying on of hands,…

We believe in laying on of hands. Don’t we? See, all that, sure.

…and of the resurrection of the dead,…

84 We believe that. Now watch. You see here, “Judgment,” is used, “Eternal.” That’s forever. When judgment is spoke of God, it’s forever. Then, there can be no more reconciliation after judgment has been past. Now you can understand why God had to take His Own—His Own, as we’d call it, His Own medicine. When He condemned man for sinning, the only way He could reconcile, was to take the man’s place Himself. That’s the only way he can be reconciled, or could reconcile us, was take our place and become a sinner. God, Jehovah, became a sinner, and He gave His life.

85 Now, you could give your life, as a sinner, to die for the cause. Paul said, “Though I give my body to be burnt as a sacrifice, I’m still nothing,” ’cause it won’t work. See, when you die, you’re gone. You die as a sinner, you’re lost.

86 “But God came down in flesh, and condemned sin in the flesh, being made sinful flesh.” Because, He was the Eternal God, and raised His Own body up, so He’s the Justifier.

87 Now, all these things, “Let’s go on to perfection,” said Paul. Now what?

…of eternal judgment.

…this we’ll do,…God permit. (3rd verse.)

88 Now, “Go on to perfection.” Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

And we’re, every one, condemned. No matter what we ever do, we’re condemned. We were born, condemned. Your mama and papa was born, condemned. Your, all your ancestors was born in sin, shaped in iniquity. So how you ever going to get it? How you going to be perfect? If you never done a thing, never stole, never lied, never done anything in your life, you’re still condemned. You was condemned before you breathed your first breath. You were condemned. That’s correct. And you were judged of God before you breathed your first breath. For you were judged, by the sexual desire of your father and mother who, through their act, brought you here on the earth. And God condemned it, in the beginning. You’re condemned, to start with. So where you…And every other person on earth was condemned with you. Now where you going to get perfection?

89 Watch. Let’s turn just a moment to Hebrews, the 10th chapter. Listen close. I want to read a little bit out of the 9th chapter, first, the 11th verse.

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, His Own tabernacle, His flesh,…

90 See, the old tabernacle…Did you notice? The old tabernacle had a veil in it, that hid the ark where God lived. How many knows that? Sure. Well, that old man-made tabernacle here, the curtains out of dyed goatskins, and so forth, were made a tabernacle to hide the Presence of God. How many knows that only one man could go in there once a year? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Certainly. That was Aaron, go in once a year. And he must be anointed. And—and, oh, the requirement! And he must have fire in his hand; and if he went without that, he died as soon as he moved that veil back. He would drop dead. He must go in there and light these candlesticks, and sprinkle the mercy seat which called out, the blood of the death, the substitutionary has, till Christ was come to fulfill it.

91 Now, but, God then became in another type of a tabernacle. And that tabernacle was Who? Jesus. And God was inside of Jesus, and He was hid, but He was reconciling the world to Himself, by His expressions. Christ revealed God. He said, “It’s not Me that doeth the works. It’s My Father that dwelleth in Me. I do nothing in Myself but what I see the Father doing. The Father in Me, showing Me these visions, and then I go do just what the Father told Me to do.” You get it? God was inside of a human body, not behind goatskins dyed, but was living, moving. God had hands; God had feet; God had tongue; God had eyes; and it was Christ. There He was.

92 Now, He went away, and the Spirit come in that, that through His death He might perfect the Church and bring the Church submissive. And then the same Spirit that was in Christ is in the Church, doing the same things Christ did. “A little while and the world won’t see Me no more; yet ye shall see Me, for I’ll be with you, even in you, to the end of the world.”

93 Now listen to this.

But Christ becoming a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

He wasn’t made of hands. How was He born? Virgin birth.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, was this body ever sacrificed or sanctified, but by his own blood…

94 You know that the blood comes from the male sex. And then somebody said, “Oh, Jesus was a Jew.” He was not a Jew. “Oh, we’re saved by Jewish blood.” No, we’re not. If we were saved by Jewish blood, we’re still lost.

Jesus was not Jew, neither was He Gentile. He was God: God the Father, the Spirit, the unseen One. “No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten of the Father has declared Him.” He manifested God, what God was.

95 Now His Church is supposed to manifest God, to show what God is. See?

What do we do? Organize ourselves, and, “I’m nothing to do with them. They’re Methodist. They’re Presbyterian. I don’t want nothing to do with them. I’m Baptist. I’m Pentecostal.” Huh! You’re lost, with them kind of a motives. Right.

96 Who can brag? Who can say anything? Look at the disgrace the Presbyterians has brought. Look at the disgrace, the Baptists. Look at the disgrace, the Catholic. Look at the disgrace, the Pentecostals, Nazarenes, Pilgrim Holiness. Look at the rest of them.

But, I challenge you to point one hand, in disgrace, at That. Yeah. Point one finger, when God Almighty said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I’m pleased to dwell in. Hear ye Him.” There He is. That’s the perfect One.

97 Now, let’s read just a little farther here now.

Neither by the blood of goats…calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption…(Do you get it?)…eternal redemption for us.

98 Not to be redeemed today, and then, next week when the revival starts, be redeemed again, and then, oh, we backslide and be redeemed again. You’re redeemed once, forever. That’s right. No more redeem, redeem, redeem. “Eternal redemption!” “He that heareth My Words and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Eternal Life, and shall never come into the judgment, but hath,” past tense, “passed from death unto Life.” Because he has shook? Because he was baptized a certain way? Because he had blood in his hand? “Because he has believed on the only begotten Son of God.” That’s how we have Eternal redemption.

99 Listen now.

For…the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of heifers sprinkled the—the…sprinkle the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purged our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

100 “Passed from death unto Life.” What do you care what the world thinks? What do you care what your neighbor thinks? Our conscience has died, and we’re regenerated and born again by the Spirit of God, to serve the true and the living God. There you are.

101 Now drop over to the 10th verse, 10th chapter, rather, right across the page.

…the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices that they offered year by year continue make the comer unto p-e-r-f-e-c-t-e-d.

P-e-r-f-e-c-t, it is there, “Perfect.”

…leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection;…

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father…in heaven is perfect.

102 “The law having a shadow of good things to come,” all the ordinances and the baptisms and the…all the other things they had, “could never make the worshipper perfect.” And, yet, God requires “perfect.”

103 You join the Nazarene church, will never make you perfect. You join the Baptist church, Pentecostal, whatever it is, it’ll never make you perfect. You being a good, loyal man, will never make you perfect. You can’t merit one thing. There’s nothing about you, to merit. You are lost. You say, “Well, I kept the law. I keep the sabbath. I keep this, all the ordinances of God. I do this.”

104 Paul said, “Let us lay aside all those things now.”

105 “That’s all right, but we’ll do this. We’ll baptize the people, and we’ll lay hands on them for their healing and so forth.”

106 We could take it, verse by verse, each one of those things. Baptism, we believe it. “There’s one hope, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.” We believe that there’s a baptism. We believe in the resurrection of the dead. Absolutely. We believe Jesus died and rose again. We believe that. “Laying on the hands, for the sick,” that’s what it said. “These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover.” We believe that.

But what is that? Paul said, “It’s all dead works.” It’s something that you do.

107 “Now let’s go on to perfection.” Oh, my! We’re coming into the Tabernacle, not the foundation; the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle Itself. That’s the foundation: the law, and the righteousness, and—and—and—and joining church, and being baptized, and—and laying on of hands. Them is all orders of the church.

“But now let’s go into perfection.” And there’s only One that is perfected, that’s Jesus.

108 How do we get into Him? “Through the Methodists?” No. “Pentecostal?” No. “Baptist?” No. “Through any church?” No. “Roman Catholic?” No.

109 How do we get into It? Romans 8:1.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ…that walk not after the things of this world, the flesh, but after the things of the Spirit, that pay no attention to what the world has got to say.

110 Even if you’re sick, the doctor says, “You’re going to die,” you pay no attention to it, don’t bother you a bit.

111 If they tell you, “You have to become a Catholic before you’re saved, or a Presbyterian, or have to do this,” you pay no attention to it.

“Therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, the things that they see.” Everything that you see with your eyes is earthly.

112 But it’s the things you see in your spirit, through the Word! The Word is God’s looking glass that reflects what He is and what you are. Hallelujah! Oh, my! It tells you. This is the only Book in the world that tells you where you come from, who you are, and where you’re going. Show me any page of literature, anywhere, with all the science or anything else, every good book that’s been written, none of it can tell you that. This is God’s looking glass, that shows what He is and what you are. Then, in between there is the Blood-line, that shows what you can be if you want to make the choice. There you are.

113 “By one Spirit,” now, First Corinthians 12. How do we get into that Body?

“By shaking hands?” No, sir. “By joining the church?” No, sir. “By being baptized backward, forward? In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? The Name of Jesus Christ? The name of Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley, Morning Star? Anything that you want?”

That has nothing to do with it. “Just an answer of a good conscience towards God.” And yet we fuss, and stew, and argue, and split, and make differences. That’s right. “But all those are dead works.” We’re going to perfection.

114 That’s things that I done. A minister baptized you. Whether he baptized you face forward, backward, or three times, four times, or one time, or how he did it, that has nothing to do with It. You’re just baptized into the fellowship of that church, anyhow, proving to that church: you believe the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Laying on of hands, to heal the sick, that’s wonderful, but, it’s all natural, and that body will die again just as certain as you’re living. It’ll die again. “Now let’s lay aside all those things, and go on to perfection.”

115 How do we get to perfection? That’s what we want to know.

…Christ has perfected…

“God laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace upon Him, with His stripes we were healed.” That’s the Body we want to get to. That’s the Body. Why? If you’re in that Body, you’ll never see judgment, you’ll never taste of death. You’re free from all of death, judgment, sin, and everything else, when you’re in that Body.

116 “How do you get into It, preacher? By joining this tabernacle?” You’re lost, yet. Couldn’t join, anyhow; we don’t have any book. “How do we get into It? By joining some church?” No, sir. “How do you get into It?” You’re born in It.

117 First Corinthians 12.

For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body,…

118 By the Holy Spirit baptism, we are baptized into that Body, and are free from sin. God don’t see you no more; He only sees Christ. And when you’re in that Body, God can’t judge that Body. He’s already judged It. He took our judgments and invited us in. And by faith, through grace, we walk and accept our pardoning. And the Holy Spirit brings us into this fellowship with Him. “And we walk no more after the things of the world, but we walk in the Spirit.”

Quickened, the Word came to us. He died in my stead. I’m made alive. Here I am, who was once dead in sin and trespasses, been made alive. All my desires is to serve Him. All my love is to Him. All my walks want to be in His Name, that wherever I go, whatever I do, I glorify Him. If I’m hunting, if I’m fishing, if I’m playing ball, if—if I’m…whatever I’m doing, I must be, “Christ in me,” in such a life, that will make men long to be that way; not tattling, backbiting, and fussing about your churches. You get it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.]

“By one Spirit we are baptized into that Body.” “And when I see the Blood, I’ll pass over you.”

57-0908m – “Hebrews, Chapter Five And Six #1”
Rev. William Marrion Branham

---

Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org

---