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Awakening Jesus (63-0117)
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Awakening Jesus (63-0117)
E-1 Good evening. As always, a privilege to be in the house of the Lord. How surprised I was to see this boy here from--this Arkansas friend of mine. A long time, I believe the last time I seen you was up in California, wasn't it? My. You still in California? Here? Think I'll have to move out. All the east is coming west. And well, everybody happy? That's right. Well, I think this is about our sixth service now, and we got to go on through next week, and--and up until next Monday night. Now, don't forget Monday night at Tucson, the banquet, and we're expecting a great time down there this coming Monday night. E-2 I was talking to Brother Williams and Brother Rose today, and so I said, "You know, I'm going to start praying for the sick." I said, "I keep them poor people there every night till about ten or eleven o'clock." I said, "I feel real ashamed of myself of doing it like that." And I do apologize for holding you so long, but I don't get to see you too often, and... I can't make that excuse, 'cause I do worse than that at home. See? Sometimes start in of a morning early and preach till that afternoon, and some time, or just whenever we get ready to go home. And we just set around like, just as thick as we can be, so just have a good time. E-3 Nice to be here, Brother Groomer, where... Right...?... Yeah, I--I did. He was kind of hid from me. Wasn't I? I was here last year when we come on, wasn't I? I thought so. Remember the place and the church. So happy to be here tonight. God bless all of you. E-4 And now we're expecting the Lord to--to--to heal the sick tonight. We're... Kinda changed the program a little, and I'm... Get into the message of preaching the Gospel, or what I try to think, my very best of my knowledge, and then I--I get started and I just don't know when to stop. I just keep on going, and I keep you too long. And then I thought it would be a good time tonight, after so many nights of preaching, just to try now and pray for the sick. So today we've kind of prepared for it and waited on the Lord. And I begin to notice last night the way... You have to kinda go the way He leads you to go, you know. You--you feel something move you, and directly visions will break, and you know that it's something coming near then.
E-5
Then today I was going out through, in the... I was in the--my motel,
and the Holy Spirit said go a certain way. And there was a swimming
pool out there, and I thought maybe some little child might've got
drowned. I went across there, happened to look over, and I seen some
people; they're setting here in front tonight. They know how that was
the Lord Who got there, and just what He said is just exactly the
thing. So I knew then it was time to start praying for the sick.
E-6
Our heavenly Father, we are now coming into the Presence of Jesus, in
the--in His Name. And we're going to the throne of grace to ask for
pardoning of our sins, 'cause knowing day by day we do fail Thee. Every
hour of our life, seldom one passes without we have to stop, say,
"Lord, forgive me. I--I didn't mean to do it just that way. I should've
done it this--this other way." Then, we know, Lord, that You're always
so full of mercy and ready to forgive Your children. You listen to
their faintest cry. We're so glad that we have an advocate.
E-7
Now, we want you that want--wishes to tonight, to turn in the blessed
old Word in the book of St. Matthew's Gospel the 8th chapter. And we
want to start reading from--setting today from Matthew the 8th chapter,
beginning with the 23rd verse.
E-8 First let us read now in St. Matthew the 8th chapter and begin with the 23rd verse.
E-9
It must have been a--a hard day for Him. He was tired. His body was
worn out. You know, as He went along the people drew God out of Him.
They drew their desires from Him, and when they did... We won't try to
go into details to explain that, because there's no one can do it. How
can we explain things that we don't know?
E-10
Now, I think that's marvelous, and that gives illiterate people like me
a chance--everybody, to believe it, because we hear it, and faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing of the Word of God. Then we accept that,
and believe that. And upon the basis of our faith in that we are saved,
healed; and whatevermore we draw from God comes from an unseen
resource. Christians...
E-11
Now, in Jesus was God. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to
Himself, and these people believed His testimony. And them that did
truly believe it could draw God's blessings from Him. And when they did
so, He said virtue went from Him. Virtue is strength. He... In other
words, if we'd say it today, he got weak when the people drawed off of
Him. Well, if it worked that way in that human body, it'll work in
another human body. E-12 Now, I have often heard people say... Many of you, I guess, has already played the tape of that last vision up there. Why, I'm right here in Arizona now. And that was... Oh, my. If you get it, it's "What Time Is It, Sirs?" And if--if you get it--ever bought a tape from us, get that one. Now, they're not mine. They belong to another company that's with us, with the tapes. And they're not mine, so... But I know the boy has them. E-13 And I never had anything like that to happen. Some of them say, "When you're in the Presence of God, why don't you ask Him this or that?" It's--it's different than what you... See, what many people calls the power of God is only the blessings of God. The power of God's altogether different from the blessings of God. The power of God... In His Presence you just don't know what to do. You just... You're--you're so--you're so scared till you're numb all over. There's two days, even in my back and the back of my head, and up and down my body, I couldn't feel at all. And so, it just perfectly numbed with such a fear, when that constellation of angels... Standing right here, not... Just standing looking at them like I am now. And if--if you think that would be, "Oh, well..." No, if you're actually there and see it, it's different.
E-14
And now, the Lord Jesus, being Emmanuel, must've been tired, virtue had
gone out of Him. And He had a big job ahead of Him the day before, when
He landed over on the other side, as we all know, 'cause He was going
over into Gadara. And there's where He found this maniac. He thought,
perhaps, when the ship was crossing the Galilee, which probably taken
quite a little while, He just took the advantage of the opportunity to
take a little rest. That's no more than--than natural, what anybody
would do. E-15 Now, there He was, and sleepy and tired. His disciples took up the oars and set the sail. In those days, they had... If they had any wind they could tack the ship and--and it could blow by sail. And sometimes if it was too slow, yet it helped out a little on the pulling of the oars, they'd take the oars and go along with it. And with the sail also they could really make pretty good time. One set in the back. Usually on a big ship like that, about eight or ten men to oar it, why, they had a--a rudder, one man taking care of this rudder in the back if it was sailing. Then if it was oaring, of course, they could tie down the rudder and pull with their oars.
E-16
Now, let's just think they had the sail up, 'cause there must've been a
little wind blowing, from what taken place after a bit. And anyone
knows that part of Galilee, or down in there... Oh, my. Anything can
happen at any time. And so they were on the road sailing across. And
Jesus must've went back in the back of the little boat, and curled up,
and laid down in a little pile back there so He could just take some
rest, and be recuperating from His loss of strength, for His service
that laid ahead.
E-17
When He said... They said, "Our fathers eat manna in the wilderness and
was under Moses," and Jesus said, "And they're every one dead." There's
only two made the promised land (See?): Joshua and Caleb. "They're all
dead, but I am the bread of Life that come from God out of heaven. A
man may eat this Bread and not die." Changed, it was different. How
could He be the Bread? They might've went through that. E-18 And then they might've said, "Well, now, here's one reason that we know that He was Messiah, because he--we know..." Now, He'd done went to sleep now. "And we know that He's bound to be Messiah, because we are told by the Scriptures what this Messiah will do when He comes." Now, that is good philosophy for anyone in good, sound, orthodox doctrine. That's what I was trying to get to last night, up at the other--Mesa. Always judge not after emotion; judge after the Word. It's got to be the Word. Now, watch the Word and what the Word says, then know that's right, because God said that. That makes it right. Now, and they were judging Him now after the Word.
E-19
Now to find out whether He was Messiah, you could go back to the man
who gave them the law. God gave it to them, of course, but Moses
brought it off the mountain from God. And he told them that he'd leave
them someday, but the Lord God would raise up a prophet like him, liken
unto him, a lawgiver, a--a king-prophet, and--and it would come to pass
that every one that refused to hear this Prophet would be taken from
among the people.
E-20
Like when there was a man stood up one time, Jeremiah, a major prophet.
The Lord told him that--that Judah was going to be down in Babylon for
seventy years. Said, "Don't you listen to a dreamer, to a prophet, or
anything that says contrary to that; he put a yoke on his neck." And
Hananiah... Now, Hananiah was a prophet. And not only that, but he was
the son of a prophet, his father was a prophet. And he came up under
inspiration and took that yoke off of his neck, and broke it, and said,
"THUS SAITH THE LORD, 'In two years they're coming back.'" The people
could clap their hands on that. My, that was good. They wanted to
listen to Hananiah, but it was contrary to the Word. It wasn't with the
Word. You see? E-21 I see some Indian friends setting here. I was reading on their history some time ago in early Christian days of the Indians, and they had to follow the game to live. And if there come a prophet among them, and he prophesied and told them where the game was, he become chief. But if he prophesied a lie, that was the end of his road. They got rid of him right now. He didn't live no longer.
E-22
Well, that was the same basis that God did. God told Jeremiah,
"Hananiah has lied. I never told him that." See, it's contrary to his
Word. "And he'll be off the earth within a year." In the seventh month
he died. He took him off the earth. Now, you see, although he was
inspired, but it was contrary to the Word... No matter how forceful a
preacher can preach, how well he can make it look, if it's contrary to
the Word, leave away from it. Stay away from it, clear. E-23 Now. Now we find out that these disciples might've talked of the case. Maybe Peter might've said, "You know, I was thinking myself, that I remember my father telling me that there'll come a great commotion someday. They've always had little up-spurts. That there'd be... Before the coming Messiah there'd probably be false messiahs rise. But he told me, 'Son, remember this one thing. We are Jews. We are God's chosen, and we have a commandment from our heavenly Father that--and know that that Messiah will be a prophet. And if the prophet is only known when he speaks and what he says comes to pass, so he will know then that that is Messiah.'"
E-24
And when Peter walked up into His Presence by the invitation, perhaps,
of Andrew, his brother, who had heard Him, and seen the day that when
John announced Him, and that was Him. And John, he saw the Spirit, he
heard the Voice. Nobody else heard It or saw It, just him. All the
thousands standing there, nobody saw It but John, It was sent for him.
"John bare record, seeing the Spirit of God descending, and a voice
from heaven."
E-25
Now... And Simon might've said this, "You know," while he was
roaring--oaring across the--this lake and Him asleep in the back of the
boat. He said, "When I walked up in His Presence and He said to me,
'Your name is Simon, and you're the son of Jonas,' that settled it for
me. I knowed then that that was truly the Messiah, because He told me
exactly the truth, never seeing me." E-26 Now, then they might've discussed the attitude of the people towards Him (Now, we're... They're crossing the lake all the time.)--towards Him. Some said... Some believed, some didn't believe. That's the same as it is today. Some people believe it. No, you could... No matter how plain it would be vindicated, some won't believe it. And there's some of them so spiritual that the first little nod, they get it, and others can be pounded day and night and they never get it. E-27 Let me stop a minute on this and explain something. Seeds that fall in the earth, if they're germitized, they grow when the sun strikes it, moisture, conditions. But if they're not germitized, the sun could shine on them, they'd just rot away the same. There's nothing happens. We are germitized. Our names were called, put on the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. No matter how religious we are, that has not one thing to do with it. Sometimes it's against us.
E-28
And I feel at home with such a fine brother as Brother Groomer here,
and these other brothers here. I--I feel just to say this. Notice
Jesus. We know now He was Messiah. And when He come and showed Himself
Messiah upon religious people: Pharisees, Sadducees, all from, priests
from the lineage of Aaron. For hundreds times hundreds of years their
great-great-great-great-great-great-great (way back) grandfathers were
priests, studying the Word, studying the prophets. And the prophets
plainly spoke of this. But when Jesus come and performed that, they was
as blind as a bat.
E-29
But now look. One day over at Sychar, a little city of Samaria, and
Jesus passed through and set on the side of the wall. And a little
woman, ill-famed, bad name, she had a lot of husbands she oughtn't to
had. And here she come up to get some water, and Jesus said to her,
"Give Me a drink. And bring a drink." And she told Him that they--they
couldn't do that. It wasn't right. See, it was an insult for her
to--for Him to ask a Samaritan woman such a thing. And He quickly told
her, "If you knew Who you were talking to..." Now, she didn't know it.
Said, "If you knew Who that it was talking to you, you'd ask Me for a
drink."
E-30
Now, there could've been many things that people could've talked about.
Some of them said like this, "Never a man spake like this Man." Some of
them believed. Said, "This Man seems to have an authority. He seems to
be so positive in what He talks about. We never seen a man that could
stand up and just speak things like that. We've heard priests talk.
We've heard rabbis, priests, and all, everything, and lectures, and so
forth. But this man talks with authority. He knows what He's talking
about. Never a man spake like that."
E-31
It must've been John, a young fellow, you know, thinking fast. Must've
been him that said, "Just think of it. The One that could take five
biscuits and two fish and feed five thousand (Amen.), the One that
knows the secret of the heart. He's with us in the ship. We've got Him
right here. Brethren, you're testifying," he might've said, "But the
One that we're thinking about, He's right here with us." E-32 And then (You see?), also they were on a dangerous lake. And what a--a feeling of security, while sailing the--the tornadoed lake, to know that One laid with them on the ship. How secure you can be. When the seas are troubled, when they're not troubled, just don't make a bit of difference. As long as you know He's laying right there, what difference does it make? Let come, let go what may, doesn't make a bit of difference. It's there, I know it. You say, "I... Bless the Lord." Doctors say you're going to die with a cancer, just say, "Glory to God. Quick trip home, maybe." See, and they don't mind.
E-33 Talking to a group of doctors the other day. He said, "I read your book on Divine healing."
E-34
That's true. See, the mental attitude you take towards it will bring...
Now, the mind won't do it, but if you give that attitude towards
something's got life in it, then that life comes down and does it. Not
your mental attitude that only brings you in the Presence of Him.
That's what you do. Your mind... The five senses is all right as long
as they don't deny God. But when they go to denying God, then you leave
them alone. God controls them. That's the Creator. E-35 Now, Brother Groomer and Brother here, and many others, about fifteen years ago we come through this country and there was a revival. My. And you know what we're doing today? Just talking about it. The revival's over. It's been over a long time. We're just living on the results of it, waiting.
E-36
And those disciples were doing the same thing, rejoicing, living on
what they had seen done, probably the day before, and the week before,
and a year before. They were testifying about it, giving, oh, great
testimony of it. E-37 That's kinda like the man--mind of a man. A mind of a man is always talking about and rejoicing what God has done, and they're saying what He will do, and ignoring what He's doing. He wasn't asleep exactly; we'll get to that in a few minutes. See? They'll believe what He has done, and shout about it. They'll talk about what He's going to do and glorify God. But what He's doing right now, they ignore it. That's just the nature of a man. That's just the way he does it.
E-38
Then while they were enjoying the blessings of their fellowship one
with another, and, oh, counting it all up, what they'd seen done, all
of a sudden there rose trouble. And that's just about like Satan to do
that (See?) right when you're having a testimony meeting or something.
Many times I...
E-39
Not long ago, with this great sponsor of Oral Roberts, Dr... (up there
in Philadelphia, what is that? He's a... Forget his name now. He's a
dentist; he's a great sponsor of his television program. I can't think
of his name.) And we--(Barten)--we were having a meeting, and I was
just getting ready to make the altar call. And I noticed a woman acted
real funny, and her daughter run over there, begin to rub her face. And
I thought, "Well, she's subject to fainting." And all at once her feet
went right out straight, and her hands went back like this. E-40 Well, just as I started to speak again (Now, Dr. Barton, as you know him, you might ask him.)--started to speak again. I said, "Now, everyone, do not be excited. Keep quiet." Sometimes when you see a demon try to come out of a person, they get so irreverent, the crowd gets tore up. That's the wrong thing to do. "Set still. Don't get excited. He's here." And while I was speaking like that, I don't know how it ever happened, but turned over to her and called her name. "Mary, looky here." And when she did, she come to herself, come to. See, it's that troubled time. Suddenly there rises trouble, right in the time. E-41 Now, now, you might ask Dr. Barton about that. I met him the next day, and he said, "Brother Branham," said, "that woman had no heart. I checked her down here on her bosom, and I'd taken her heart and in her neck, everywhere." Said, "She was gone." And then, her--they was a real wealthy family, and it was the first time she was ever in a meeting like that, and she... I went... He'd taken me up to her house, and she said, "I heard you call my name," and I'd never seen the woman in my life. But it was the Holy Spirit. See?
E-42
Now, suddenly, there rose trouble. The ship begin to rock, the waves
got high, and the sail... Probably the wind just come down with a angry
gush and whipped it right off the mast pole. And the ship rocked over,
and the big waves white-capped and throwed the water in on the boat,
and the boat begin to fill up with water: trouble. All hopes of
survival seemed to be gone. Though they had seen Him do so many things.
They'd seen it, but when trouble set in all was forgotten.
E-43
Just like Israel when He had done all the plagues in Egypt, and done
the great things He did. Then when they got to the Red Sea Moses had to
scream out, "You've seen ten miracles, and still you doubt God?" When
they found no water at the old watering hole, they were murmuring,
complaining. That's just human beings. They forgot all the miracles
that He did. See? We do it too. Perhaps these disciples had got it all
'cause--time of trouble... E-44 That night in Finland, when that little boy had been killed on the street that day... The mayor of the city's got it wrote up, and I got it signed by his seal. Seen a vision of it years before when I come through Arizona here, telling you about it. There'd be a little boy raised from the dead, and what he'd look like. You all remember it, many of you. Now, it happened just that way. I told you it would appear in "The Voice of Healing." It did it, about two years later, or three. See? Now, all of them disturbed, and all that carrying on, and there was a remedy. God had the remedy, and He healed the little boy.
E-45
That night, going down the street in Kuopio. And when we was going down
the street, about six of these little Finnish boys... They'd just had
that war. And the little fellows hadn't never shaved. It was--it was...
There's little boys they had to take in the army. Them Russians killed
them off. And they were going down there with these big, old, long,
sabre knives, holding the crowds, while I was going down to the, what
they called Messuhalli where they let about thirty-five thousand in,
and they make them go out, and then they let me speak to another
thirty-five thousand or forty.
E-46
The church has troubles that they haven't got any remedy for. How's all
the Methodists going to get all the Baptists to be Methodist? I just
wonder. How's all the Assemblies going to make all the Oneness be
Assemblies, or the--then go vice versa? How's all the Pentecostals
going to win all the Presbyterian, Lutherans? And how's the Catholic
going to take the whole thing? See? They just can't figure it out,
which one of them's going to rule. See? They don't know. They haven't
got the remedy. All right. E-47 "If they're going to have a healing service down at Groomer's, well, you know there's something about them people I don't like. They're holy-rollers. I ain't going down there." Well, there you are. See? That's it. That's just the way it is. See? Yes. But Christ is that Remedy. He's the thing that can make it. His disciples today get in a lot of trouble and don't know the remedy. That's right. And let me say this. Many times His precious saints get in trouble too, physical trouble. But here we got the remedy. Amen. We got the cure.
E-48
Thinking of this woman setting here with lung trouble, this oxygen,
hear her breathing in it. I think of how that poor thing sleeps at
night. Think of the expense that is. Sister, there, I know the remedy.
It's here. You don't have to do that. But you have to use it. Now, the
disciples get in physical trouble, trouble that the doctors hasn't got
the remedy.
E-49
He may be resting right now from a revival. He sent one. May be
resting. He had another one ahead of Him the next day, a maniac had to
be healed, but at that time He was resting. And trouble set in, and He
was asleep, resting. But they forgot Who It was (See?) in the turmoil.
"Well, oh, pull on that oar, Simon."
E-50
And another thing. After they knowed Him the way they did, they should
have known that a Man that could tell the thoughts that a man was
thinking, and knowed the end from the beginning, knowed it was going to
happen anyhow. Amen. Now, don't--don't miss this. He knew it was going
to happen. I doubt very much He was asleep. But He knowed it was going
to happen. He was God and God is infinite, so He knowed it was going to
happen. And He knowed when it was going to happen, and it only happened
to test their faith. Didn't He say so later?
E-51
The God that moved on the scene when this sister setting here... They
brought her into the line down here at that little Mexican church that
day, cancer in the heart. Her doctor has the x-ray. Her husband's
setting there. They said, "There's a dead woman in the line."
E-52
He's still here, but we get all flusterated (See?) like they did. "Oh,
my. Pull on this oar. What we going to do next?" Now, don't think about
that. Long as He's in the ship, forget about it. Certainly. Now, He
only did it to test their faith, and does not our Scripture tell us
that these trials are put upon us and more precious to us than gold? We
don't think so, but the Bible's right.
E-53
See, He's only trying to prove them. You remember, in a few minutes He
said, "Oh, ye of little faith. Couldn't you understand about breaking
the bread and feeding five thousand? Don't you know I'm the same
Jehovah that fed them for forty years out there in the wilderness out
of ovens out of heaven, when I poured it out every night? What you so
scared about? Don't you know I dried up the Red Sea one day? Don't you
know I opened up the earth and swallowed the unbeliever? One day I
measured the earth and spurted it off out into space yonder."
E-54 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, "Our God is able to deliver us from that fire; but nevertheless we're not giving up."
E-55
Where did those crows get that meat and bread to feed Elijah? The
intelligence of a crow, to cook some meat, and kill a cow and butcher
it, and cook it up and make steaks, and put it on bread and bake it,
and bring it to Elijah...
E-56
Now, He proved what He was by His Word and the signs vindicated. He
said, "If I do not the works that's written of Me, then don't believe
Me." See? Now, there's how you catch it. I trust that you get to
thinking real deep here. See? Always watch that Word.
E-57
Now, He said to them guys that didn't believe Him--thought He was a
soothsayer, or some kind of a--a Beelzebub, a devil, under spiritualism
that He knowed the thoughts of the people's hearts and things, trying
to do that--He said, "Which one of you can accuse Me of sin?" Said
again, "If you don't believe Me," said, "search the Scriptures. For in
Them you think you have Eternal Life, and they are the thing... They
are They that testify of Me. They are the thing that makes My ministry
what it is." See what I mean? "They are they that testify of Me." See,
referring what? Right back to the Scriptures again. "They are they that
testify of Me. They tell you Who I am." Amen. Glory to God.
E-58
Jesus invited them to do it. "If I didn't meet every qualification of
Messiah, then you tell Me where I missed it." Oh, my. That's good,
isn't it? "Tell Me where I missed it if I didn't meet the
qualifications, if I have done exactly what the Scriptures said that I
would do." Oh, Christian, if we could line ourselves up in there, do
what the Scripture says that Christians should do.
E-59
Let us remember also that He created our bodies. Won't our bodies obey
His command? "Spit out that cancer," He says to the body, and away it
goes. You just take that Word and plant It in here and see what
happens. Sure. Yes, sir, our bodies has to obey His command. You say
you're a Christian; I believe you are. You believe... What are you
resting in? Someday He'll raise our bodies up after they've absolutely,
completely, perished.
E-60
After the disciples found themselves at the end of their road, it
must've dawned on some of them that He was still with them. After
they'd come to the end of the road, it must've dawned on somebody,
"Well, here, after all, we was here giving this testimony. There He
lays, right there. (See?) He's just taking a rest between the revivals.
And here we are fussing and stewing, and all worried, and tore up, and
doubting, and--and scared, and everything else, and the Creator is
laying right here in the boat." Oh, my. O God, let it dawn on some of
us again. Let it come to pass, Lord, that it can be, it can dawn on us.
E-61
I wonder tonight if the sick people, being I'm going to talk to the
sick in a moment, if it can dawn on you that the very God that you
trust in, the Creator of heavens and earth Who made your body, is right
here. He's just as great tonight as He ever was. He's God. He cannot
get any less and ever remain God, as long as He's God. You say, "Is
that true, Brother Branham? Is that the Scripture?" Hebrews 13:8, Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's the same.
E-62
You know, on the day of Pentecost, Peter, inspired with the Holy Ghost,
stood up there. And the people was all laughing and making fun of that
little handful of Jews out there, stammering, and spitting, and
slobbering, and acting like a bunch of drunk people and those big
religious people standing there saying, "Why, these men are full of new
wine."
E-63 And they said, "What can we do? How can we get this?"
E-64
He was not hard to call on the scene of action. It's very easy to call
Him. Watch Him when He comes on action though. That's what I like, to
see Him when He comes in to the crowd of the people. Watch Him when
He... They said, "Master, we perish!"
E-65
A woman said to me some time ago... I might've said that here some
time. It'll bear repeating. She was a Christian Science. And she said,
"Brother Branham, I--I appreciate your remarks that you say of the
Scripture," but said, "there's just one fault you have."
E-66
I said, "I want to ask you something. When... That night on the ship,
He was a man laying there sleeping. That's true. He was sleep and tired
like a man. But when He could put His foot upon the brail of that boat
and say, 'Peace, be still,' and the winds and the waves obeyed Him...
He might've been a man crying, but when He said, 'Lazarus come forth.'
and a man had been dead four days come on...?... Yeah. He was a man
when He come down off the mountain hungering for something to eat,
looked on the tree. But when He took five biscuits and two--fed five
thousand, that was a Creator. That's right." Sure, in action, God in
action...
E-67
You know, He was more than a prophet. And yet, He was a prophet. He was
a God-prophet (See?), because the prophets was the Word. The Bible said
the Word came to the prophet, and as long as the prophet was speaking
the Word, that He and God was... The man knowed not what he was doing.
He was just speaking the Word of God. See? Not knowing what he was
doing, he was prophesying under inspiration. See? Then it wasn't the
man's word; it was God speaking through lips.
E-68
Now if He could just ever find Him a man, one man, that He could get in
his hand, He'll do it. See? He's had such a hard time finding one man.
I think of Samson. He found a man with plenty of strength. And Samson
dedicated his strength to God. But he wouldn't give his heart. He gave
that to Delilah. See? God wants your heart, strength, soul, body, mind,
all you got. It's the only way He can use you, use the whole man. Yes.
E-69
Someone says now in the church tonight would say this. People today,
if--would say, "If we only could know He is here with us. Is there any
way?" You see, they could look at Him. Now, listen close now, 'fore we
call a prayer line. They could look at Him and say, "There He lays, on
the boat. Now, He's there."
E-70
You say, "How can this be, Brother Branham?" St. John the 12th--the
14th chapter, 12th verse, said that He'd prove it. See, "He that
believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." E-71 You know what He's doing? He's here tonight waiting to be proved. That's right. You know what we ought to do? We ought to do like they: wake Jesus that's in us. Wake Jesus in our own lives. The God that set our souls afire with the Holy Ghost, the God that taken these blinded eyes of mine and opened them up, the God that raised me off of a death bed, the God that I seen bring the dead back after being dead for hours: the doctor pronounced dead and write a statement to it: five different times. Waken that God. Waken Him up. We ought to call on Jesus, and wake Him, and call Him on the scene. We have need of Him. Yes, sir. Then call Him to confirm His Word.
E-72
If we wake Him up, get Him stirred up in us, till your own doubts and
flusterations have passed away, now call on Him and say, "Lord, You
promised a little while and the world would see You no more, and I'm
not of the world. You prayed that I'd not be of the world, and I'm not
of the world. I'm yours. And You said, 'The world will see Me no more,
yet you'll see Me, you'll see me.' Lord, I want to disturb You. I want
to arouse You out of my own sleeping body, my own sleeping heart of
these realities." Waken Jesus. "Come to me, then the doubts and fears
will cease."
E-73
Now, we could talk on with several more pages of notes, but let me ask
you something now, 'cause it's almost--about ten minutes to nine.
'Course that's two hours earlier than last night, you know too. But
look, let me say this, to stop right now, and I can finish this some
other time. Can God fail? Neither can His Word, because He is His Word.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Yet a little
while and the world won't see Me no more, yet you'll see Me, for I (And
'I' is a personal pronoun.)--I'll be with you, even in you, to the end
of the consummation, the end of time. At the end-time I'll be there."
The Light will be shining at the end-time.
E-74
You... We breathe so much of the unfilterated spirit, so much to cause
us to try to remind of something else, and turn to, "I'm tired. I--I'm
too weary. I've seen this do." What do you point to some wreck for?
I'll take you to... Said, "I know somebody trusted God and died." I
know millions the same time died under doctor's care. See? Sure. Sure.
If the doctor's done all he can do, you haven't got nothing else but
trust God. And if you'll believe it...
E-75
O Lord, this simple little thought, awaken Jesus, Lord, we have--we
have not used His Spirit and His faith so long till it merely goes to
sleep, as it was, in our souls. Let us shake ourselves tonight. Let us
arouse ourselves, and get our own sleepiness away from us, that we can
see that He's still in the boat.
E-76
May You walk into my heart, soul, body, mind, eyes, lips. Let this
dedication of myself be a confirmation of Your Word that You promised
in St. John 14:12, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall
you do also." Then may it go to the audience that they might believe it
this way, "A little while and the world seeth Me no more, yet ye shall
see Me." And when we're setting in this heavenly place tonight, in
Christ Jesus, manifest Yourself, Lord. It's Your promise. Your words
won't fail.
E-77
Do you believe now? Now, I believe... Well, I'll try. I can't bring but
just a few at a time, so let's start bringing them up, some people to
pray for them. And I know it's pretty crowded. You set still, minister
brothers. I'll back right up here against the... take your place here.
All right.
E-78
Now, let's... How many can we stand up here at a time? About 8? 10? All
right. Let's start from number 1 and get number 1 to about 10 or 15. A,
A-number-1 to 15. Who has prayer card A-number-1? I see there's both
Spanish and Indian here tonight. They might not be able to understand
it. All right, here comes one woman, right over here. Number 2? Right
here. Uh-huh. Right out here. Yeah, right here. All right. Number 2? 3,
number 3? All right, right over here, if you will. Number 4, 5, 6, 7,
8? Somebody take the little boy there, so he won't get stepped on. 8,
9, 10. Now, it's about ten.
E-79
Now, everyone, I want you real reverent. Now, I've been right on a
hour, or a little better, speaking. What I say means nothing unless God
backs it up. And if He doesn't back it up (See?) still the Word is
right, no matter whether He does or not. He's done it before (See?) and
He never has failed me. And I--I know He won't, because He said He
wouldn't. See? And I--I know that He'll do it. But we must believe it.
With all of our hearts we got to believe. E-80 How's Brother Johnson? I think he's got a stroke, hasn't he? Oh, my. What say? Is that right? Bless her heart. Those people were like father and mother to me when I first started in the meeting, this little group of Arkansas people. I'll never forget Arkansas. No, sir. I've never been in a meeting anywhere unless there's plenty of "Arkies." How many's here tonight, raise up your hands, from Arkansas? Now, the rest of them's from Oklahoma. So you can just depend on that. See? That's the way it goes. But we're all heaven bound (See?), setting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. E-81 Sister Jones, and Brother Jones, years ago when I come to your church... I believe it was Moark, wasn't it? And you remember when I come there, the only way I'd knowed of finding the people's trouble was by... You'd lead them up on the platform and they'd lay their hand on mine. And then I'd wait there just a minute, and then, not try to use my own voice, and It would speak, say, "tumor, cataract..." And I told you that there would come a time, that He told me up there, if I'd be sincere, then I'd know the very secret of their heart. See? That's right. How many remembers that when I first come to Phoenix? All right. Has it happened? See? Now, remember. Watch this tape. We're stepping right up a little higher now (See?); it's going right on up a little higher. Remember, it... Just--just remember.
E-82
Now, we want to see Jesus. I want to see Him. Now, we know that His
body will not return to the earth until He comes for the church,
because it must remain there for a sacrifice. Is that right? It must be
on the altar. He sets on the throne of God tonight, and it must remain
there, for by His stripes... He is the Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice is
on the altar. See? And His body cannot come, but His life returned,
that was in Christ, come back upon the church in the form of the Holy
Spirit. And the Holy Spirit... E-83 Now I don't know that He will do this. I can't say it. But if I, by a gift... Now, no need trying to explain it. I can't. But many of you know that I've been around the world, been over it several times, before a half-a-million people at one time, five hundred thousand people, see with so many different languages I'd have to jot down what I said, to wait till it went through fifteen more interpreters, then come back to the thing I said, and see that Spirit of God go right down there and do just the same thing it does here. See? All nations, languages, they're without an excuse. E-84 Now, remember, it won't go to everybody. When Jesus was on the earth not over one-third of the Jewish race ever knowed He was on the earth. You know that. He come to the elected, and they received Him. That's right. That's where the Spirit goes tonight, to the elected. Now, if you can believe that Jesus died for your sins and have accepted Him as your Saviour, and He's took your life and remolded it again, then remember, by His stripes we were healed. See? Now, you was, you're already healed. You believe that? Now, the Bible said we were. Is that right? Not will be, we're already. We've already... E-85 The whole sin question was settled when Jesus died at Calvary. You believe that, brother? See, He's the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Now, it'll never do you no good until you accept your pardon. See, you've got to accept it. And you've got to accept your healing in the same way. If some man come by and say, "I'll heal you," now, he's wrong. That's contrary to the Scripture. He can show you here where Jesus done it for you, and it's based on your faith. God never can do nothing... God cannot work against your faith. You've got to believe it. E-86 Now Jesus, when He come to His own people, listen what the Bible said. "Many mighty works He could not do because of their unbelief," after He showed Himself to be Messiah. Now, He proved it in that day He was Messiah. May God help me to humble my spirit in such a way that I can prove that He's still Messiah, that the same God that was on the earth can take a--a mortal body surrendered to Him, and work through it exactly the way He promised to do. Would not that be convincing? Wouldn't that be showing that He's... He's not asleep; He's awake. He's ready for you to call Him in action.
E-87
Now, what about me standing here tonight? What have I got to do?
There's hundred and fifty people here, I guess, something like that.
Whether it's a hundred and fifty, or whether it's one--one person, or
whether it's five hundred thousand, don't make any difference. Just the
same. See? Now, if anybody thinks that this is bogus, and not right, I
ask you to come up and take my place and do the same thing. See?
Uh-huh, see? You know better than to try that. Uh-huh, see, see?
Notice. But now, God has to prove whether He's right or not. Now, if
the Lord God...
E-88
Anybody ever in Palestine, up there at--at Sychar? That little well's
still there where that woman was at, it's a little round place, vines
on it. And Jesus set over against or--the wall when the woman come up.
He was standing in the little panoramic when the woman come up from the
street down here, come up and got the water, the end of the street. And
she come up there, and now He carried a conversation with her until He
found where her trouble was. Then He told her what her trouble was.
E-89
Now, here's my hand over the Bible. Now, as far as I know I've never
seen the woman in my life, and she says we're perfect strangers to one
another. Now, the Word either has to be right or wrong. Right. It's
either right or wrong. We can't make it anything different. Now, lady,
just to speak with you a moment, like our Lord did to the woman... If
He can tell me... Now, if I'd say to you, "Oh, of course you had a
prayer card. You come up here. You're sick." See? Well, then if I'd
say, "Glory to God." Lay my hands upon you. "Glory to God, you're going
to get well," it's all right, not a thing wrong with that. That's
exactly what to do. See? That's right. The Bible said they lay hands on
the sick, they'll recover. That's true.
E-90
Now, if the woman is sick... She might be standing for somebody else.
It might be sickness; it might be financial trouble; it might be
domestic trouble. I don't know; I can't tell you. That's true. See? But
whatever it is, if He would say it, she'd know whether it was truth or
not. She'd know it. She'd know whether it was or not. And then, if it's
wrong, then that wasn't the Spirit of God, 'cause the prophet has said
so, and his prophecy was wrong. But if it is right, then that was the
Spirit of God. See? Now, wouldn't that comfort us, and make us feel
wonderful, if--if we knowed that Jesus was here with us tonight? Would
it give you faith? See? Certainly.
E-91
But now, the only thing He could do, He could prove that He was Messiah
yet, that God-prophet was to come. And He promised that His disciples
would do the same thing. So there you are. See? It brings it right back
to the Scripture, and that's Scripture, brethren. I know it's all
contrary to the modern belief, but it's God's belief; it's God's way,
'cause He said so. There's the Scripture to read for yourself. They
just try to twist it up and make something else out of it.
E-92
Now, no more than I said that... Reason I said that... How many's ever
seen the Light, that picture of that Light that Angel of the Lord,
George J. Lacy, you know. See? All right. That Light's right between
she and I now. And it's welcoming, and I know she's a believer. That's
right. What you want me to pray for you about: sores, sores on your
body. Another thing, it's just complications. You have so many things.
But wait a minute. I'm in contact with your spirit. You're ready for an
operation (That's right.), up for an operation. Now, he said that was
in the gallbladder. That's right. Now, what do you think? God bless
you. Just believe. That's it. Isn't He Christ? Now, question the lady
if you wish to.
E-93
Now, that one vision has weakened me more than that hour and a half
sermon. See? And just feel yourself trembling, getting away. See?
Frankly this is the first time I've had a service... The other night
the Holy Spirit struck over in some church, I know, and It called three
or four people. And when it did, they didn't respond just quickly, and
then He was grieved. He went right away. See? It left me right there.
You have--you have to--you have to answer Him back. Yes, sir. Just
remember, He ain't obligated to you; you are to Him.
E-94
I remember the longest prayer line I ever had in my life was down here
at Phoenix one afternoon over at... I forget the name of that church,
there was a... Used to be a little short fellow had the church. I
forget what he... Great big church here in Phoenix. Was it Fuller? No.
Brother Fuller, I know him. What say? I remember Garcia, but this is a
great big church over there where Dr. Sutton used to pastor, or
something. What was the name of that big church over there? It's one of
the biggest full gospel churches in the country. Faulkner, that's it.
That's it. Faulkner, over at his church...
E-95
Now, the lady being many years ago... I guess I've prayed for two and a
half million people or maybe since then, you know, around the world:
maybe more than that. But I would never know who... about you, or
nothing for it. But now the Bible said that one time...
E-96
By the way, that lady sitting over there having dizzy spells, they
won't happen to you no more if you just believe it. Tell me what she
touched. I--I seen that Light circle here and go right over in that
corner, and I seen the woman holding her head like this in the vision
moving back and forth like that...?... What did she do? She touched His
garment, not... The Bible said that He's a High Priest (Is that right?)
that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. That's what she
did. See how quickly she responded. There it happened. See? Just
believe.
E-97
It's so simple, till the big intelligent people today stagger right
over the top of such simplicity. See? That's the reason they miss it.
They try to figure it out. You can't figure it out. You believe it. You
just believe it.
E-98
I don't know you, but God does know you. The Lord God can reveal to me
something you're here for, you'd believe me, wouldn't you? All right.
You look on me. I--I mean by that, like Peter and James, you know,
said, "Look on us." Just to get you from... It's just coming from
everywhere. I believe there's going to be a real healing service in a
few minutes. See, see, see?
E-99
Thou canst believe, just have faith. We're strangers to one another.
You've seen me in the meetings, but I mean to know you, I--just to say
I know you, I don't. Now, just a little bit. I'm way over my time
there, but surely you know He's here. This one woman standing here
again, then we'll--we'll pray for them. I think that's at least three,
isn't it? Oh, yes. That's all out through the audience. Yes.
E-100
All of you believe now with all your heart? Now, come this way. You
believe He can tell me what's wrong? Wouldn't that be nice if that old
asthmatic trouble would clear up, and you could go home, be well? Well,
if you believe it, it will...?... Lord Jesus, I pray, God, that You'll send Your power and Spirit upon this audience, upon this little woman here, Lord, with this mask over her face. I pray that You'll heal them, Lord. May the devil, the storms be quietened, and the power of God take over this audience and cast out every evil power and unbelief. |
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