Rock of Offence Pt.3
JOHN 11:19-29
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. (We remember the story how that Mary and Mather and Lazarus had put all their trust in Jesus, and then when they needed him the most, it seemed like that he let them down when Lazarus died)
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. (Notice here that the message that Jesus was “coming” didn’t cause Mary to rise up – for centuries people have heard the message that Jesus is coming)
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. (Look at her attitude – she could have said “Lord, you have offended us deeply by letting us down in our most needed hour and we are very upset about it”, she had every right to say that - but look at how she didn’t respond in an offended manner)
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (That is the day that we are living in now)
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. (Look how she was anchored in the rock - she had the revelation of who he was; He had become her sure foundation, He had become her precious corner stone)
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
The message of the Master is coming didn’t stir Mary’s heart, but when she heard the secret message of The Master is Come, and calleth for thee, it was that message of “The Master IS COME” that caused Mary to rise up to go to meet him. That is the secret message of this hour to the bride of this hour also, – Not The Master is coming, but The Master is Come, and at the time of that message of His coming, there is an attitude that is required to be associated with that message in order for a resurrection to take place.
**If Mary and Martha had been offended at the Lord and had upbraided and rebuked him with their feelings of offence, then this story would have been different.
Rock of Offence Pt.3
LUKE 20:17-18 - carry on where we left last week…
17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
*This is the stone of the truth that we have fallen upon in this hour by the opening of the seven seals – but this same truth of this hour will one day judge those of this generation who have reject it.
MATTHEW 13:54-57
54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? (Notice - wisdom and mighty works)
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
*There are many ways that people can be offended by God. In this case we see that the people of his own country and town that were familiar with him and knew his background were offended in him because to them he was just one of the common village people that grew up in their town – so familiarity can cause people to become offended toward those who God sends to them. If you are a local minister, then this is something that you will often struggle with among the local people because of their familiarity with you.
JOHN 6:51-69
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 ¶ Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? (This word “hard” means offensive – in other words, His teaching was offensive to them)
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
(So we see here the reason why people who were Jesus disciples left of walking with him was because of the teaching of the word became offensive to them - they failed to grasp the true revelation of the word)
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
**Not all disciples were created equal, these disciples had gone deeper; they had their roots down into the soil of a truth that they were sure of, and that revelation in their hearts was able to sustain them against the offence.
I PETER 2:6-9
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
**This is the portion of Scripture that was connected to the seven angels appearing in this hour to open up the seven seals of the revelation of the word of this end time age.
IS.THIS.THE.SIGN.OF.THE.END.SIR_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-11 SUNDAY_ 62-1230E
26-4 I could see those Angels, those shaped-back wings traveling faster than sound could travel. They come from eternity in a split like a twinkling of an eye, not enough to bat your eye, just a twinkle. They were there. I didn't have time to count. I didn't have time, no more than just look. Mighty ones, great powerful Angels, snow white, wings set in head, and they were "whew wheeew," [Brother Branham illustrates--Ed.] and when it did, I was caught up into this pyramid of constellation. And I thought, "Now, this is it." I was numbed all over, and I said, "Oh, my. This means that there will be a blast that will kill me. I'm at the end of my road now. I mustn't tell my people when this vision leaves. I don't want them to know about it, but the heavenly Father has let me know now that my time is finished. I won't tell my family so they'll worry about me, because He's fixing to go and these Angels has come for me, and I'll be killed pretty soon now in some kind of an explosion."
Then it came to me, while I was in this constellation, "No, that isn't it. If it would've killed you it would've killed Joseph, and I could hear Joseph calling me." Well, then I turned again, and I thought, "Lord God, what does this vision mean?" And I wondered, and then it come to me, not a voice, just come to me. Oh, that is the Angels of the Lord coming to give me my new commission. And when I thought that, I raised up my hands, and I said, "O Lord Jesus, what will You have me do?" And the vision left me. For almost an hour, I couldn't feel.
27-1 Now, you people know what the blessings of the Lord is. But the power of the Lord is altogether different. The power of the Lord in them kind of a places, I felt it many, many times before in vision, but never like that. It feels like a reverent fear. I was so scared till I was paralyzed in the presence of these Beings. I tell the truth. As Paul said, "I lie not." You never caught me saying anything wrong about something like that? Something's fixing to happen.
Then after while I said, "Lord Jesus, if I'm going to be killed, let me know so I won't tell my people about this; but if it's something else, let me know." The--nothing answered.
After the Spirit left me for about a half hour I guess or more I said, "Lord, if it is then that I am going to be killed, and You're finished with me on earth, and--and I'm going to be taken home now, which if that's it, that's fine. That's all right." So I said, "If it is, let me know. Send Your power back on me again. Then I'll know not to tell my people, or anybody about it, because You're fixing to come catch me away." And I... And nothing happened. And I waited awhile. Then I said, "Lord Jesus, if it did not mean that, and it means that You've got something for me to do and it'll be revealed to me later, then send Your power. And it almost took me from the room.
27-4 I found myself somewhere over in a corner. I could hear my wife somewhere trying to shake a door. The door in the bedroom was locked. And I had a Bible open, and it was reading... I don't know, but it was in, I believe, Romans the 9th chapter, the last verse: "Behold I lay in Sion a cornerstone, a stumbling stone, a precious cornerstone, and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." And I thought, "It's strange I'd be reading that." (Spirit still packing me in the room.)
And I closed up the Bible and stood there. I went over to the window (It was about ten o'clock in the day or better.), and I raised up my hands, and I said, "Lord God, I don't understand. This is a strange day to me. And I'm beside myself almost." And I said, "Lord, what does that mean? Let me read again, if it be You." Now, this sounds juvenile. And I took up the Bible, opened it up. There it was again at the same place: Paul telling the Jews that they tried to--telling the Romans that the Jews tried to accept it by works, but it's by faith that we believe it.
***This was the same rock of truth coming back in this hour that would become an offence to the religious world of this day just as it was as offence in the time the first coming of Christ.
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*Last Wednesday night we began to study this message “God’s Only Provided place of Worship” in connection with this subject of the “Rock of Offence”, because this teaching of God’s Only Provided place of Worship was offensive to the denominations of this day just as Cain was offended at God in Genesis 4 when God told Cain that he would not receive his worship useless it was from the same place of where his brother Abel worshiped from.
***So in this message “God’s Only Provided place of Worship” Brother Branham talks about how that Martha and Mary had a right to become offended at the Lord for what it seemed like that he had let them down in their greatest hour of need. And this was also at the time when Mary had just received the secret message of “The Master IS Come”, and so this was the events that we see just before the resurrection took place. And right here we see that they could have easily been offended at the Lord for seemingly letting them down, but we want to notice here of what their attitude was, because we find that they were blessed because they were not offended, and because of that we see that a resurrection of a sleeping saint took place directly after this because this was a test for them that they had to pass this test of offence first, and so this is the same test that we all have to pass in this hour when it looks like Jesus has let us down also.
GOD'S.ONLY.PROVIDED.PLACE.OF.WORSHIP_ SHP.LA V-7 N-4 SUNDAY_ 65-1128M
109 Look at Martha and Mary. When Jesus had come back, after He had taught them this Gospel (the Light of His day, Him being Messiah), He was hated, rejected. Oh, the Pharisees and churches despised Him. But Lazaras had died, the brother which was a bosom friend to Him. He let him lay there; and they sent for Him, He didn't even come.
110 But watch Martha, her attitude. She said, "Lord, if Thou would have been here." Give Him His right title: Lord, capital L-o-r-d, Yahweh, Jehovah. Glory! "If Thou would have been here, my brother would not have died." Life and death can't associate in the same channel, or same house. "Thou would... He would have not have died."
111 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and Life," saith God. When He said first, "Thy brother shall live again."
112 She said, "Yes, Lord, I truly believe that. As a Jewess, I believe that there will be a general resurrection of the dead; and I believe my brother was just as loyal and sincere in worship. And I believe that You are that Messiah, that said in the Bible, because God vindicating His Word in You shows that You're the messenger of this hour. You are that Messiah. I believe that You are that Christ that was to come, because Your works testify that God has sent You here to be that Messiah." Oh, my! Watch the cogs begin to come in place now. See?
113 Now, she had a right to say, "Why didn't You come raise my brother? Why didn't You heal him? You healed others. Your very best friend, and now look what happened." No, no, that kind of objective don't get no where.
114 "I believe that You're exactly what You're identified in the Scripture to be. I believe this is the day that the Messiah should come; we've been looking for it. I don't care what the rest of them say. I believe with all my heart that what I have seen and heard by the Word, that the Word is vindicated in You, that You are that Messiah." See, way down in her, she--she had something to ask for, but she had to come to the right channel.
115 What if she'd run up there and say, "And then You tell me You're that Messiah! And not even the courtesy, gentlemen enough to even answer our request; when we fed You and housed You, and everything, and took up for You, and left our churches, as You commanded us to get out of them denominations." See? "And here we've left it, and now we're counted offcasts and renegades. And everything that we've done for You, and then not even the common courtesy to answer my call?" Now, actually, she had that right.
See what brother Branham is telling us in this message - She had every right to have been offended at Him, but instead of being offended at Him she fell on the rock in humility - the roots of her revelation had gone down deep and had held her fast in the storm and the test.
He had become a sure foundation to her - she may have been disappointed, but she was not offended, and because of that we see a resurrection following that attitude.
**This is where we are also walking in this hour.