Relationship Series, #1
Fellowship Through Relationship
This morning I would like to begin a series that I
believe will help us to understand our relationships better. In fact I have
entitled this new series, simply “relationships”.
As you know, we have several young adults in here who
will become eligible for marriage over the next few years, should the Lord
tarry, and marriage is not something
that should to be entered into lightly. In fact, marriage is the most important
decision in our life outside of accepting our salvation through Jesus Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
Brother Branham said, from Thirsting
for Life 60-0304, Greatest thing God
give man outside of salvation was a wife. Seal of God 61-0216, I think that a wife is the best thing a man
can have outside of salvation.
Now, I have searched for a quote that would say the same
thing to a woman about a man, but I guess there is no second best thing to
salvation for you girls. Course he did
go on to say, 114 065 But remember, woman was
made for man, not man for woman. The last created being that God ever created
was a man. A woman is a byproduct from a man. And she was made for a man, not
man made for the woman and visa versa to them. And man falls at the shrine of
women. That was the very thing that started it at the beginning. That's what
happened in the beginning. When God's son Adam could not be tempted to doing
what was wrong, Satan come into the person called the serpent, which was like a
man; and there's where it started. And Eve got from behind the Word of God, and
that caused every heartache, every graveyard. Every sin that was ever committed
started right there. Here it is again.
What... Women was the cause of the first fall, and women ends up the
time. She started it; she ends it. (like the old expression, “if mama’s happy,
every-bodies happy, but if mama ain’t happy, then no-bodies happy.) No wonder the Bible said, those that escape
out of
And since marriage is the most important event in our
life outside of our salvation, then it should never be entered into lightly. In
fact in the wedding ceremony which Brother Branham used, he said, It is therefore not by any to be entered
into unadvisedly or lightly, but advisably, soberly, and in the fear of God. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful how
we proceed, and to be fully prepared for such a life together. He said, It is therefore not by any to be entered
into unadvisedly or lightly, but advisably, soberly and in the fear of God. Therefore
we see three things which he states here.
Marriage is to be entered into #1) advisably which means
that you are to seek advice. Can anyone tell me what advisably means? It is the
adjective of the root word advice, which means to seek the counsel, or opinion
of someone who has knowledge. It means also to notify or inform, to consult or
to pass on knowledge. It implies the making of recommendation as to the course
of action by someone with actual or supposed knowledge. Therefore if marriage is to be entered into
advisably, then it can not be entered into without preparing for it. Therefore, if we are to take such a major one
time step in our life, we had better know what we are getting into, because you
can’t do it twice in God’s judgment.
#2) He said, it
must be entered into , soberly.
Now, what does he mean by saying, it must be entered into
soberly? I’ll give you a clue, this has nothing to do with alcohol. So what
does the word soberly mean? The word soberly means, temperate in any way, not
extreme or extravagant. But serious, solemn, grave and sedate. Not bright, garish or flashy, but with
quietness, plainness, sane and in self control. In other words, well thought
out, having your mind, your emotions, and your flesh under control. That’s your
body, soul and spirit under control, knowing fully what you are entering into.
#3) Last but not least, he said, it must be entered into in the
fear of God. And the fear of God is what? In Psalms
111:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]:
his praise endureth for ever. And again in Proverbs 1:7 we read, ¶ The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of
knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 9:9 Give [instruction] to a wise [man], and he
will be yet wiser: teach a just [man], and he will increase in learning. 10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of
wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding. 11
For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be
increased. 12 If
thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but [if] thou scornest, thou
alone shalt bear [it].
Psalms 19:8 The
statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the
LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring
for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
Proverbs 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not
answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the
LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they
despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of
their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity
of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely,
and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Proverbs 2:1 ¶ My
son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,
[and] apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after
knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and
searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; 5
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge
of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the
righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and
preserveth the way of his saints. 9
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;
[yea], every good path. 10 ¶ When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and
knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11
Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
If we want to have a marriage that lasts, one that is
focused, and that is entered into with understanding and prudence, then we need
to enter it in the fear of the Lord, for the fear of the Lord is the Beginning
of Wisdom.
And so this morning, we will begin our study of this area
we call relationships, and especially how fellowship comes through
relationship. After all, each of us are placed here in life, with only
limited amount of time, and we are given through birth, a specified
amount of relationships, and it is how we work with and live within these
relationships that will determine whether our life is a success or not. When a
man dies, no one remembers him for how many hours he spent at the office, or
for how many dollars he was able to stash away. But when it comes down to
whether our life is a success or not, will be determined by what kind of an
influence we had on others. How did we relate, what kind of effect did our life
have on the lives of others.
Therefore, I would like to look into this area which we
could all use a little help from the Word of God, so that we might be able to
shore up our own relationships, Husband with Wife, Wife with Husband, parents
with children, and children with parents. Sibling with sibling etc. And child
of God with child of God.
Now to begin with, we need to know what the word
relationship means, because if we do not know what this word means, then we
will never be able to conceptualize our relationships, and therefore we would
not be able to judge whether we are bettering them or not. After all, I don’t
know of any one who thinks they have the best relationship with their spouse of
children and would not like to improve those relationships.
Now, the word relationship comes from the root word
relation, or relations. Webster tells us that the word relation has to do with
a connection or the manner of being connected. Then he tells us it is the
connection of persons by blood or marriage, and uses the word kinship to
express this relationship. A relation is a member of the same family.
Is Your Life
Worthy 63-0630E 138 069 Christians, oh, you must have a personal relationship to God. In order to be a son of
God, you must become relation to God.
He must be your Father in order for you to be a son. And only His sons and
daughters are saved, not the members of a church, but sons and daughters.
There's only thing--one thing that will produce that; that's the new birth. The new birth is the only thing that will
produce relationship to God. Is that right? Sons and daughters...
Romans 5:1-2 ¶ Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ: By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. prosagoge
{pros-ag-ogue-ay'} AV -- access
(3) 1) the act of bringing to, a moving to 2) access, approach: to God, i.e. that
relationship with God whereby we are
acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favorably disposed towards him
Now, relationship is not fellowship. These are two
different words. We hear so often the
person say, I would like to have a relationship with that person. But according
to Webster and Brother Branham, relationship has to do with family access, or
family connectivity, where as fellowship
is something altogether different. Two
fellows in the same ship. Which means you are sharing the same experiences and
the same journey. But what we will find today is that it takes relationship to
give you true fellowship. And that should be the focus of every family in here
this morning, is to have true fellowship with your spouse, with your children,
with your siblings. There is nothing better in this life than for a man to be able
to share his life with another, and when you get two or more in your ship of
life it brings you into fellow ship.
In the Message
God’s Provided Way, brother Branham said, “We enter into fellowship through
relationship, by being borned of
the Holy Spirit,…” “God's right in him, just burning up thing as
he goes. He can't stand still. Why? He's
entered into the fellowship by relationship.
Relationship: He's borned again; he's a new creature in Christ. He
come through the waters of separation; he walked through the Blood of
sanctification; he went into the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. Yes, sir, he was born, into the fellowship; God's
only provided approach. There's no other approach no
where, no time, or any way, only through that.”
Ephesians
2:18 For through
him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of
God; 20 And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner [stone];
Ephesians
3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of
him.
Therefore
we are looking at relationship here as having to do with the connectivity
between kin or family.
In Matthew 19:5 we read where Jesus said, “For this cause shall a man leave father and
mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh. Now
this word flesh is the Greek word (sarx)
which means = flesh - but is used of natural or physical
origin, generation or relationship;
As we read on in Matthew
19:6, Jesus continues by saying
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God
hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. And the Word Twain is the Greek word suzugos
{sood'-zoo-gos} which means AV
--a yokefellow (1) people who are
yoked together: united by the bond of marriage, relationship, hence, a yoke fellow, or
partner.
Again we read in the book of Acts 7:14 Then sent Joseph,
and called his father Jacob to [him], and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. And that word for kindred is the Greek word, suggeneia {soong-ghen'-i-ah}
AV -- which means kindred (3)1a)and is defined as a
kinship, or relationship 1b) kindred, relations collectively, family.
Genesis 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. 1320 basar {baw-sawr'} 1d) kindred, blood-relations
Fellowship
Through Reconciliation 55-0605 E-49
049 But
when a man correctly one time comes in and lays his hands upon the head, by
faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, and confesses his sins, then the Blood of Jesus Christ... The Life that was in that was God
Himself. And that man, the life that
returns to that man after he has confessed his sins and accepted Christ, he's
brought into a relationship with Christ by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and
there's no more desire in his heart to sin. Amen. That's the reason Hebrews
10 said, "For the worshipper once purged has no more conscience of sin. "There you have fellowship. The
things of the world is dead. You don't recognize it no more. You reckon
yourself dead, and your life is hid in God through Christ, sealed by the Holy
Spirit. And then you're looking to the heavenly things. Used to be, you couldn't hardly set in church
ten minutes. But when you really got the Holy Spirit, you can set in church day
and night, for there's something in you feeding. The trouble today people has
worldly spirits.
Fellowship
Through Fellowship 56-0120 E-29
Notice...Fellowship, God wanting
to fellowship with man, always wanted to do it. The Old Testament, all of
it was full of the shed blood. "Without the shedding of blood there is no
remission of sin." And where
there's no remission of sin there's no fellowship. You've got to get away from
sin before you can ever have fellowship with God, 'cause God can't
fellowship with sin. So you're borned a sinner, shaped in iniquity, come to the
world speaking lies, and how can you ever do it? You just might as well quit
right now to begin with. You can't do it within yourself, but there is One Who died to bring you to fellowship, back not only to
fellowship, but relationship with God, to make you sons and daughters of God.
Died for that purpose, come here, proved Hisself Emanuel, omnipotent. And when
an Omnipotent speaks, the miraculous happens.
238-7
Thyatirean Church Age - Chapter 6 Here, as through all the ages there are two
groups, both proclaiming their revelation from God and their relationship to
God. "Nevertheless the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them which are His."
God’s Provided Approach
to Fellowship 60-0630 021 Here
some years ago they had the religions of the world met... I was reading it in a
book. They had this Lady Maccabee from Oklahoma, here, that's rested out here
on--might have been in Tulsa--one of these places... She was running through
the street, driving a stage coach, smoking a cigar, breaking the speed limits
with a stage coach. And when they... All the religions, different religions
raised up and told their part of their religion, how great it was. The Mohammedan
priest told how great his religion was. The Buddha told how great his religion
was.
A certain little minister (I can't call his
name now.) was representing the religion of America, Christian religion. And
when he got his time to the platform, he told the story of this great, foul
woman, how low down she was till even they didn't want to get around her to
even get close enough to her to tar and feather her. She was so immoral; she
was so degraded; there was nothing could help her. Then he said, "Gentlemen
of the religions of this world, can your religions produce anything that would
cleanse the hands of this certain vile person?" Everybody set still, right on the end of
their seats. No one said nothing.
Then he jumped
in the air and screamed and kicked his heels together. He said, "The Blood
of Jesus Christ won't only clean her hands, but it'll clean her heart and make
her as pure as a lily." The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ takes away sin,
and cleanses us from all of our iniquity, and makes us new creatures in Christ
Jesus. Nothing else will do it; creeds, forms, or nothing else will take it's
place. It's been tried, but it takes the Blood.
022 That's the only place for Divine
fellowship, is under the Blood. That's the only remedy God knows. He based
it... He's infinite. What He says first, he has to always remain with that
through His program. Now, when they'll
come to the courts, realizing that they're defiled, setting in the
congregation, knowing they're wrong, by faith they apply the Blood, believe it,
accept it, the washing of the water by the Word, cleanses them then and makes
them ready.
023 Now, here's where the thing comes, here's
where the point comes. Most people says, "When I believe, that's all I
have to do." Now there's where the rub comes. The man that's hit the
water's of separation could not yet enter into the holiest of holies. He could
not yet come into the congregation. He accepted it, believed it, and believed
it was for him, and he was sprinkled with the waters of separation, but as he
went journeying on towards the place of fellowship, the first thing he had to
meet, there at the door, was seven stripes for the seven church ages: God in
all ages. Nothing but the Blood... And he had to know, that going on before him
went a sacrifice, bleeding. He had to recognize the Blood before he could come
in the congregation. 024 Now, when he
come under this blood, then he walked into the congregation, into the Presence
of the Shekinah Glory of God and then was in full fellowship, worshipping under
the Blood. What a beautiful picture of
Christ at Pentecost, bringing His church into full fellowship. It's like the
young couple that I was speaking of. When they get married, that's not the
whole thing. They haven't done nothing but taken a ceremony. The minister has
only said, "I pronounce you husband and wife." It's not ready yet.
What does he do? He takes her to his house that he's prepared for her.
Now, many people
here might disagree with me by this, but you don't live but in a three room
house. Oh, you may have many other rooms, but you've really only got three
rooms. That is the kitchen, the living room, and the bedroom. You may have
three or four bedrooms and you may have a kitchen and a dining room and so
forth, but really a person only lives in a three room house. You live in a
three room house in your body: soul, body, and spirit. God lived in a three
room house: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Everything is in a three. And a three
is a triangle. Take a triangle and shine a light on it, well, where three meets
in one place, will produce seven different colors. Seven different colors is a
rainbow. The rainbow is a covenant. Oh, it just keeps going on and on and on
and on. On, because in that, God made a covenant through these three things:
the hyssop, scarlet, and so forth. And the Light of God shining upon this,
makes a covenant, a covenant that God made.
025
Now, when the woman is brought, the young bride (oh, how he loves her),
but yet, they're not truly in full fellowship yet. Now the first thing... What
is the kitchen to do? Is where you eat. That's like it is in the first courts
of the church. You eat here. Come, set on the back seat, listen to the Word,
and the first thing you know you begin to, "O God, that meant me."
You accept Him as your personal Saviour; by faith you grasp it. Then you begin
to eat the Word. You begin to--to feel that you have accepted Christ as your
personal Saviour. You begin to feast upon the Word; you enjoy It. Where used to
you'd get up and walk out of the building if preacher didn't say something just
suited you--not right. You'd get up and walk out. But after you once accepted
Christ, you've been separated then. The waters by the Word of separation separated
you from your evil thinking.
Then
the next thing comes is into the--the living room where you take your little
bride. She takes her veil off. You're coming a little closer. Then when you do
you put your arms around her, talk to her, embrace her... That's how it comes
into the fellowship of the Lord Jesus. Before you do, you are separated from
your sins. Then embrace the Lord's Gospel. You embrace the--the written Word.
You believe It with all your heart. "God, it doesn't matter what You want
me to do, whatever you have planned in my life, I'm ready now to receive
it." That's in the--the living room. Then, still you say, "Isn't this
far enough?" No, sir.
026
The next room is the bedroom. Then when you go to this bedroom, then
it's--you come into fellowship and relationship. You become into a
relationship, then you have complete fellowship, because you cannot have
complete fellowship until you become relationship. Anyone knows that. And listen. So is it with the church today.
We got too many people; we got too many of them that's ashamed to go into
complete relationship with God to new life and new birth. If we're the Bride of
Christ, then why can't we go into relationship, then all the shameness and
backwardness and all's gone from us? If we come into complete relationship,
been borned again, I don't care... The President of the United States could be
standing on the street; you'd shout, "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord.
Hallelujah." You don't care, because you're come into a relationship. You're
borned again. You're a new child. You're in the Shekinah Glory with God,
fellowshipping with Him. That's what the ch... What we need today, brother, is
a worship under the Blood, a worship in complete relationship, to die out.
027
What if the little bride said, "Now, wait a minute. I just... I
don't know... I don't know if married life consists of such things." She
would never come into fellowship with her husband. She could never come into
relationship or fellowship until she first comes into relationship. That's what's the matter with the church
today, that say, "Oh, I don't believe in that there kind of religion that
makes you shout and call it 'heartfelt religion,' and, I don't believe in such
things as that." No wonder you've never come into it yet. You come into it
and really get under the Shekinah Glory of God, when the power of the Holy
Ghost is falling down upon you, you'll know something happened to you, that
you've passed from death unto Life and become a new creature. God is first.
028 How
was it... Charles Finney, that time that made the statement about how he used
to... He was... I believe it was Charles Finney, that... He'd been preaching,
or someone... (It might not have been him, I've just read it somewhere.) That
he was a preaching. He had sermons and two little women was praying for him
that he would get the Holy Ghost. And he told them he had the Holy Ghost. And
one day he went out behind the--his office to pray and knelt down where an old
tree had blowed down. And while he was praying, why, a stick broke and he
thought someone was coming up. And he jumped up and said, "Hmm, hmm,
hmm..." [Sound of clearing his throat--Ed.], looked around. He thought
somebody's there and see him praying... Then he set down and he said, "If
I was talking to my boss in the office, I would like for anybody to see me
speak to my boss, but here I'm ashamed of somebody to see me speak to my
Lord." There he come under
conviction, threw off his cloak of malice and hatred and strife, and fell on
his face, and cried out before God, until God filled him with the Holy Ghost.
Then something happened. Then he was different. He got the starch out of him.
Something taken place, because he come into the Shekinah Glory, into the
relationship with God and fellowship Divine.
God’s Provided
Way Fellowship 60-0709 E-57
057 (Excuse me for
this rude expression.) But that's not
complete yet. Fellowship complete can
only come through relationship. And
the only way you can completely fellowship with this wife as your wife, she's
never become a complete fellowship to you until she has abide in relationship;
that's the bedroom. There's where
new life begins. And that's the
way it is with the church today. We can never take creeds and things, and ever
bring back real genuine fellowship, until we become relationship with God, to
be borned sons and daughters of God. You say, "That's rude,
preacher." It's the truth though; it's the truth.
Angel Of The Lord 51-0502 … the Blood of Christ won't only clean
hands, but it'll clean the heart, make the vilest sinner a new person,
purified, cleansed by the Holy Spirit, give them their inheritance that they
lost long ago by the fall, put them in
relationship with God to become sons and daughters. Amen. It's enough to
stir the heart of anybody.
Believest Thou
This? 53-0906A 082
Something's got to happen. Something's got to happen. There she was recognizing, recognizing His Deity, recognizing His
authority, recognizing what relationship He was to Almighty God, recognizing
His power before God. She said, "Whatever You ask God, God will give
it to You, and I believe You're just exactly what You said You was." Oh, my. Something's got to happen now. The
strings are coming together, winding around. He said, "Where you buried
him?" She said, "Come,
see." And away they went.
Law Having a Shadow 54-1203
E-28 02 A man must be borned again by the Spirit of
God, and then the … Spirit of the
Creator Himself comes into the individual and claims relationship as sonship.
You see it? Then that person is an offspring of God, and God Who spoke the
worlds into existence, and this man's an offspring off Him. He can believe
anything. All things are possible unto him, for he believes he's a part of God.
He's a son of God or a daughter of God.
God Perfecting
His Church 54-1204 E-24 024 And
our relationship is restored to Jehovah through the offering of His Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And Christ's body was only revealed in that Blood cell
and through the offering of Blood (which is Life), that He might destroy the
life of sin and bring in the Life of righteousness through His Son, Christ
Jesus, putting a part of His Life in
ours, and we are together. Didn't
Jesus say, "In that day, you'll
know that I'm in the Father, the Father is in Me, and I in you, and you in Me?"
There you are. Then the Church of the Living God is the anointed body of the
Lord Jesus Christ, walking on earth here, giving every hope and everything to
the outside world, that the--nothing else can give, Eternal Life.