Coconut
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That Day On Calvary
I hope this helps you to get in a place... That's what the Tabernacle, that's what all people has got to do, is find out what you are and what's the purpose.
Church isn't going to church just to play music, sing songs. Church is a place where correction... Judgment begins at the house of God. We must reckon ourselves dead and alive to Christ. Then He made the way that we could sacrifice ourselves to His service to follow Him. If we follow Him, we lead the life that He led. That's wonderful. Jesus said, and spoke of it. Let me just give you a few quotations on it. Listen close. Don't miss it.
16-1 Jesus said at that day He would separate the people like the sheep and the goats, and He would say to the goats, "Stand on the left side," and to the sheep, "Stand on the right side." And He said to the goats, "Depart from Me, because I was hungry and you didn't feed Me. I was in prison, and you did not visit Me. I was naked, and you clothed Me not. I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink. I was sick, and you didn't visit Me. So depart from Me."
And on the sheep, He said, "I was hungry and you fed Me. I was naked and you give Me clothing. I was sick and you ministered to Me." And notice, don't fail to get this, church. Keep this in your heart forever. It was so unconsciously done. The people don't do it for a line of duty. A man that gives you something or other because he ought to do it, a man that feeds you because he ought to do it, he's got a selfish idea. It should be your very life, your very action.
16-2 It was so surprising to these sheep that they said, "Lord, when were You hungry and we wouldn't feed You? When were You hungry, and we fed You? When were You naked, and we give You clothes? When were You thirsty, and we give You drink? When were You sick, and we ministered to You?"
It was so automatically, out of love, it's just their life lived in them.
God, let the people see what Calvary did for us. So automatically, "When were You, Lord. We never knew that."
Look what Jesus turned and said, "Insomuch as you have done unto these, you did it unto Me." Unselfish life, not the second thought, not to think about it; but you are so dead to the things of this world, and so alive in Christ, and so walking on the highway, that these things are just an automatic thing. You just do it.
16-5 Now, I say, "When the Lord would--the Lord want me to do that." It's not that. You're just part of Him. His Spirit's in you, and you act the way He acted. Do get it. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. Not all that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter in, but they that do the will of My Father," just from their hearts, just freely.
Now, that day at Calvary paid that price so we could be that way. Not say, "You know, widow Jones one time was... She was out of coal, and I went and bought her some coal. Uh, I tell you, I seen a brother that needed a suit of clothes, and I went and got him a suit of clothes. Bless God, I'm a Christian." Oh, my, you selfish, poor, miserable person, you are hypocrites. Don't let the right hand know what the left's a-doing, nor the left know what the right's a-doing.
Just so automatically dead in Christ till you do it anyhow. It's your nature; it's your makeup. You do it anyhow. It's just the life that lives in you. You're completely yielded to that Spirit, and It just lives Itself in you.
17-2 Oh, you feel that blessed Spirit, that life, "Not me that liveth," said Paul, "but Christ liveth in me." Just so automatic...
"Well, I tell you, Brother Branham. We are Christians here. We help these people. We help them people." Oh, my, shame on you. That's not Christianity. Christianity is just automatically got a--it's to be done. And you just forget about, all about... Go do it.
Christ just completely surrendered His Life to God. He gave Hisself as a public Servant to the people. He gave His Life freely. He didn't have to do it. He didn't begrudgingly do it. He didn't say, "Now, brother, you all ought to think a whole lot of Me, because I come to die for you." He never said a word about it. He died anyhow, because it was God in Him. It's God in you. It's God in me that makes us look at others.
17-5 Sheep on one side. One of them will say, "Well, Lord, I did this, and, Lord, I did that."
He said, "Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never even knew you."
If the church can ever come to those fundamental facts, that it's not something you try to do, you work yourself up to do; it's something that's born in you.
17-8 Forgive me, my Pentecostal friends. I am Pentecostal, but my Pentecostal friends has got to a spot to where there has to be a lot of fast music, beating of some bands, or clapping hands, or tambourines to bring up a shout. That's only emotions. They play the bands before they go to battle to get people in the emotion of battle. I believe in music. I believe in clapping of hands, but I believe in these things. That's exactly true. We ought to have that, but you have left the great things undone...?... that self-sacrifice Life that God lives in you, automatically doing that which is right, because it's right: just going on, don't even think nothing about it, just living it. Then watch... You see what's going on, you just--you don't--you're on the highway. That's what Calvary meant to you: on the highway--opened up that day for you.
18-1 Now, now remember, you cannot be half goat and half sheep. They won't mix. Now, there's a lot of people who say, "Yes, you know what? We got a organization in our group. We--we help the poor. We do this." That's all right, but you're tooting your own horn about it. You don't do that. You do your alms in secret; Jesus said. Just automatically something to you; it's no more than going and getting a drink of water. You're thirsty. If the next man's thirsty, you think about him too. The next man's need, you think about him the same as your own need, and don't pay no attention to it, just live on.
18-3 Now, you can't be half sheep and half goat. So if you say, "Well, our church has got an organization. We give to the poor. We do this, and do that, and do the other." If you had that without that other, the life of Christ in you, you're just absolutely doing it in vain. Jesus...
Paul said, I Corinthians 13, "Though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and have my body burned as a sacrifice, it profit me nothing." Now, this is hard but it's truth. You got to come to that fact. Recognize what Calvary did for you.
18-5 We look at it and say, "Oh, yes that's fine." That ain't it. If that Son of God had to go to Calvary for crucifixion, every son that comes must go to a Calvary. He must also have a Calvary. You must have that day of Calvary. I've got to have that day of Calvary. That settles the sin question. Not shake hands with the preacher, not be shook into the church, not come in by letter, not come in by profession, but come in by a birth. He never gave a letter. He never gave a profession. He gave a birth. That's how we come in. Then from that automatically we're living Christian lives.
18-7 Now, another remark... Half goat, half sheep, they don't have such a thing. You're not half goat and half sheep, you're either goat or sheep. Now, if you're just doing good things, and think you can get in by that, then there wouldn't have to be a day of Calvary. The law provided that.
But being it taken the day of Calvary was to bring that in, that we could not be just church members, but be sons and daughters of God.
That's what the day at Calvary was. That's what it meant to you. That you might do, and follow, and act like Jesus...
Now, the river doesn't run up and down at the same time. The river only runs one way, and the Spirit of God just runs one way. It doesn't mix things with it, runs the same way.
19-3 Watch Jesus, in closing. Jesus said, "The works that I do shall you do also, and greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father." I'm not saying this so much to the church here; you understand; but these messages are taped. Tens of thousands hear around the world. I'm going to answer that question for the critics right now.
I've often been said--told, they said, "Why, you believe the Bible?"
Jesus said, "These works that I do shall you do also, and greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father."
19-4 How bad can you get, mister? How far away from discernment can you wander with your intellectual theologies, with your mental conception of anything? My gracious and lost friends, can you not understand that this Bible is spiritually interpreted? Jesus thanked the Father He'd hid it from the educated, and shrewd, wise, and prudent, and would reveal it to babes such as would come to Calvary.
19-5 Now, watch, Jesus said... Watch how He stated it. "The works that I do (He's doing them right now.)--the works that I'm doing now, healing the sick, raising the dead, opening the eyes of the blind, these works shall you do also. You'll do these if you believe in Me. You do these works, and then a greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father. A little while and the world won't see Me no more. Yet you'll see Me. I'll be with you, even in you to the end of the world. I will not leave you comfortless. I'll pray the Father. He'll send you another Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the world cannot receive, yet you can receive Him."
19-6 Now, notice, the greater works was to have the power in the church, not only to heal the sick by prayer, cast out devils by prayer, but to impart Eternal Life to believers. The Holy Ghost was coming and given into the hands of the church to impart life. Oh, that's what Calvary meant. It took stooped, degraded men and women and lifted them into a place to be sons and daughters of God to heal the sick and to impart Eternal Life. By giving the Holy Ghost to obedient believers, men who were once unbelievers be made believers and impart spiritual Eternal Life.
20-1 How much greater is it to say to this sick woman laying here, "I can pray a prayer of faith," and she'll be healed. That's a great thing. That's what He was doing then, but said, "Greater than this shall you do. I'm going to give you power, not only to raise him up for a while, but to give him Eternal Life, which will be eternal forever."
Poor, blind, wretched people, how do you miss that? Don't you see what the greater thing is? That's the greatest thing that could ever happen was to impart Eternal Life to people.
20-3 What is Eternal Life? The Life that He lived, the Life that was in Him: impart that to others. Can a man do that? A Son of God can. Jesus said, "Whosoever sins you remit to them they are remitted. Whosoever sins you retain, to them they are retained."
Now, here's where the Catholic church and many of the others made their big mistake. They go out and say, "I forgive your sins." That wasn't it. How did they get sins forgiven in the Bible? Peter answered that question on the day of Pentecost. They said, "What can we do to be saved? How can we get this that you all got?"
He laid down the prescription. He told them what to do. He said, "Repent, every one of you towards God, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ." What for? "The remission of your sins." There's the greater works.
20-6 How many of you preachers this morning, how many of you listening to my word on magnetic tape, are willing to go to Calvary this morning and look what God did there for you, and forsake your denominational creeds, and preach the Gospel? Hallelujah. It's in your lap now. What are you going to do with it? Why? Repentance and remission of sins must be preached in His Name to all the world beginning at Jerusalem. Hallelujah, there you are.
What does Calvary mean to you? What'd that day do to you? Did it stuff you out with some theology? Did it make you a stuffed shirt, or did it make you a Christian, sold out (Hallelujah.), sins remitted? Greater works than this shall you do. You see where the ye's are, don't you? Greater works than this, remitting sins in the Name of Jesus Christ. But through creeds, and denominations, and so forth, it's bound you down to a place you're still flirting the world.
20-7 Tell me any man, tell me, any women can come to Calvary, and try to be a big somebody because somebody said something. Tell me where you can look in the face of Calvary in its right light, that day in Calvary...
How can you have your day on Calvary and come out a stuffed shirt? How can you come out a puppet for some organization or preach some manmade doctrine? Why don't it humble you to the Word of God? If you ever go there, you'll come out humble. How can you want to be some big something in your organization with a feather in your hat, when Jesus Christ the Son of God humbled Himself to a hacked-up body to a spitted face, until shame and disgrace, and they stripped His clothes off, and crucified Him before the world, despising the shame?
How can you go to Calvary and come away anything different than what He was: a disgrace, a shame? Oh, you say, "They'll kick me out." Let them kick. Have your day at Calvary. God will have His way with you.
Let me quote that again. Have your day at Calvary; God will have His way with you.
-excerpt from sermon- to read entire message go here:
That Day On Calvary -- 60-0925 -- Sermon preached by William Branham
I hope this helps you to get in a place... That's what the Tabernacle, that's what all people has got to do, is find out what you are and what's the purpose.
Church isn't going to church just to play music, sing songs. Church is a place where correction... Judgment begins at the house of God. We must reckon ourselves dead and alive to Christ. Then He made the way that we could sacrifice ourselves to His service to follow Him. If we follow Him, we lead the life that He led. That's wonderful. Jesus said, and spoke of it. Let me just give you a few quotations on it. Listen close. Don't miss it.
16-1 Jesus said at that day He would separate the people like the sheep and the goats, and He would say to the goats, "Stand on the left side," and to the sheep, "Stand on the right side." And He said to the goats, "Depart from Me, because I was hungry and you didn't feed Me. I was in prison, and you did not visit Me. I was naked, and you clothed Me not. I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink. I was sick, and you didn't visit Me. So depart from Me."
And on the sheep, He said, "I was hungry and you fed Me. I was naked and you give Me clothing. I was sick and you ministered to Me." And notice, don't fail to get this, church. Keep this in your heart forever. It was so unconsciously done. The people don't do it for a line of duty. A man that gives you something or other because he ought to do it, a man that feeds you because he ought to do it, he's got a selfish idea. It should be your very life, your very action.
16-2 It was so surprising to these sheep that they said, "Lord, when were You hungry and we wouldn't feed You? When were You hungry, and we fed You? When were You naked, and we give You clothes? When were You thirsty, and we give You drink? When were You sick, and we ministered to You?"
It was so automatically, out of love, it's just their life lived in them.
God, let the people see what Calvary did for us. So automatically, "When were You, Lord. We never knew that."
Look what Jesus turned and said, "Insomuch as you have done unto these, you did it unto Me." Unselfish life, not the second thought, not to think about it; but you are so dead to the things of this world, and so alive in Christ, and so walking on the highway, that these things are just an automatic thing. You just do it.
16-5 Now, I say, "When the Lord would--the Lord want me to do that." It's not that. You're just part of Him. His Spirit's in you, and you act the way He acted. Do get it. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. Not all that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter in, but they that do the will of My Father," just from their hearts, just freely.
Now, that day at Calvary paid that price so we could be that way. Not say, "You know, widow Jones one time was... She was out of coal, and I went and bought her some coal. Uh, I tell you, I seen a brother that needed a suit of clothes, and I went and got him a suit of clothes. Bless God, I'm a Christian." Oh, my, you selfish, poor, miserable person, you are hypocrites. Don't let the right hand know what the left's a-doing, nor the left know what the right's a-doing.
Just so automatically dead in Christ till you do it anyhow. It's your nature; it's your makeup. You do it anyhow. It's just the life that lives in you. You're completely yielded to that Spirit, and It just lives Itself in you.
17-2 Oh, you feel that blessed Spirit, that life, "Not me that liveth," said Paul, "but Christ liveth in me." Just so automatic...
"Well, I tell you, Brother Branham. We are Christians here. We help these people. We help them people." Oh, my, shame on you. That's not Christianity. Christianity is just automatically got a--it's to be done. And you just forget about, all about... Go do it.
Christ just completely surrendered His Life to God. He gave Hisself as a public Servant to the people. He gave His Life freely. He didn't have to do it. He didn't begrudgingly do it. He didn't say, "Now, brother, you all ought to think a whole lot of Me, because I come to die for you." He never said a word about it. He died anyhow, because it was God in Him. It's God in you. It's God in me that makes us look at others.
17-5 Sheep on one side. One of them will say, "Well, Lord, I did this, and, Lord, I did that."
He said, "Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never even knew you."
If the church can ever come to those fundamental facts, that it's not something you try to do, you work yourself up to do; it's something that's born in you.
17-8 Forgive me, my Pentecostal friends. I am Pentecostal, but my Pentecostal friends has got to a spot to where there has to be a lot of fast music, beating of some bands, or clapping hands, or tambourines to bring up a shout. That's only emotions. They play the bands before they go to battle to get people in the emotion of battle. I believe in music. I believe in clapping of hands, but I believe in these things. That's exactly true. We ought to have that, but you have left the great things undone...?... that self-sacrifice Life that God lives in you, automatically doing that which is right, because it's right: just going on, don't even think nothing about it, just living it. Then watch... You see what's going on, you just--you don't--you're on the highway. That's what Calvary meant to you: on the highway--opened up that day for you.
18-1 Now, now remember, you cannot be half goat and half sheep. They won't mix. Now, there's a lot of people who say, "Yes, you know what? We got a organization in our group. We--we help the poor. We do this." That's all right, but you're tooting your own horn about it. You don't do that. You do your alms in secret; Jesus said. Just automatically something to you; it's no more than going and getting a drink of water. You're thirsty. If the next man's thirsty, you think about him too. The next man's need, you think about him the same as your own need, and don't pay no attention to it, just live on.
18-3 Now, you can't be half sheep and half goat. So if you say, "Well, our church has got an organization. We give to the poor. We do this, and do that, and do the other." If you had that without that other, the life of Christ in you, you're just absolutely doing it in vain. Jesus...
Paul said, I Corinthians 13, "Though I give all my goods to feed the poor, and have my body burned as a sacrifice, it profit me nothing." Now, this is hard but it's truth. You got to come to that fact. Recognize what Calvary did for you.
18-5 We look at it and say, "Oh, yes that's fine." That ain't it. If that Son of God had to go to Calvary for crucifixion, every son that comes must go to a Calvary. He must also have a Calvary. You must have that day of Calvary. I've got to have that day of Calvary. That settles the sin question. Not shake hands with the preacher, not be shook into the church, not come in by letter, not come in by profession, but come in by a birth. He never gave a letter. He never gave a profession. He gave a birth. That's how we come in. Then from that automatically we're living Christian lives.
18-7 Now, another remark... Half goat, half sheep, they don't have such a thing. You're not half goat and half sheep, you're either goat or sheep. Now, if you're just doing good things, and think you can get in by that, then there wouldn't have to be a day of Calvary. The law provided that.
But being it taken the day of Calvary was to bring that in, that we could not be just church members, but be sons and daughters of God.
That's what the day at Calvary was. That's what it meant to you. That you might do, and follow, and act like Jesus...
Now, the river doesn't run up and down at the same time. The river only runs one way, and the Spirit of God just runs one way. It doesn't mix things with it, runs the same way.
19-3 Watch Jesus, in closing. Jesus said, "The works that I do shall you do also, and greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father." I'm not saying this so much to the church here; you understand; but these messages are taped. Tens of thousands hear around the world. I'm going to answer that question for the critics right now.
I've often been said--told, they said, "Why, you believe the Bible?"
Jesus said, "These works that I do shall you do also, and greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father."
19-4 How bad can you get, mister? How far away from discernment can you wander with your intellectual theologies, with your mental conception of anything? My gracious and lost friends, can you not understand that this Bible is spiritually interpreted? Jesus thanked the Father He'd hid it from the educated, and shrewd, wise, and prudent, and would reveal it to babes such as would come to Calvary.
19-5 Now, watch, Jesus said... Watch how He stated it. "The works that I do (He's doing them right now.)--the works that I'm doing now, healing the sick, raising the dead, opening the eyes of the blind, these works shall you do also. You'll do these if you believe in Me. You do these works, and then a greater than this shall you do, for I go to My Father. A little while and the world won't see Me no more. Yet you'll see Me. I'll be with you, even in you to the end of the world. I will not leave you comfortless. I'll pray the Father. He'll send you another Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the world cannot receive, yet you can receive Him."
19-6 Now, notice, the greater works was to have the power in the church, not only to heal the sick by prayer, cast out devils by prayer, but to impart Eternal Life to believers. The Holy Ghost was coming and given into the hands of the church to impart life. Oh, that's what Calvary meant. It took stooped, degraded men and women and lifted them into a place to be sons and daughters of God to heal the sick and to impart Eternal Life. By giving the Holy Ghost to obedient believers, men who were once unbelievers be made believers and impart spiritual Eternal Life.
20-1 How much greater is it to say to this sick woman laying here, "I can pray a prayer of faith," and she'll be healed. That's a great thing. That's what He was doing then, but said, "Greater than this shall you do. I'm going to give you power, not only to raise him up for a while, but to give him Eternal Life, which will be eternal forever."
Poor, blind, wretched people, how do you miss that? Don't you see what the greater thing is? That's the greatest thing that could ever happen was to impart Eternal Life to people.
20-3 What is Eternal Life? The Life that He lived, the Life that was in Him: impart that to others. Can a man do that? A Son of God can. Jesus said, "Whosoever sins you remit to them they are remitted. Whosoever sins you retain, to them they are retained."
Now, here's where the Catholic church and many of the others made their big mistake. They go out and say, "I forgive your sins." That wasn't it. How did they get sins forgiven in the Bible? Peter answered that question on the day of Pentecost. They said, "What can we do to be saved? How can we get this that you all got?"
He laid down the prescription. He told them what to do. He said, "Repent, every one of you towards God, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ." What for? "The remission of your sins." There's the greater works.
20-6 How many of you preachers this morning, how many of you listening to my word on magnetic tape, are willing to go to Calvary this morning and look what God did there for you, and forsake your denominational creeds, and preach the Gospel? Hallelujah. It's in your lap now. What are you going to do with it? Why? Repentance and remission of sins must be preached in His Name to all the world beginning at Jerusalem. Hallelujah, there you are.
What does Calvary mean to you? What'd that day do to you? Did it stuff you out with some theology? Did it make you a stuffed shirt, or did it make you a Christian, sold out (Hallelujah.), sins remitted? Greater works than this shall you do. You see where the ye's are, don't you? Greater works than this, remitting sins in the Name of Jesus Christ. But through creeds, and denominations, and so forth, it's bound you down to a place you're still flirting the world.
20-7 Tell me any man, tell me, any women can come to Calvary, and try to be a big somebody because somebody said something. Tell me where you can look in the face of Calvary in its right light, that day in Calvary...
How can you have your day on Calvary and come out a stuffed shirt? How can you come out a puppet for some organization or preach some manmade doctrine? Why don't it humble you to the Word of God? If you ever go there, you'll come out humble. How can you want to be some big something in your organization with a feather in your hat, when Jesus Christ the Son of God humbled Himself to a hacked-up body to a spitted face, until shame and disgrace, and they stripped His clothes off, and crucified Him before the world, despising the shame?
How can you go to Calvary and come away anything different than what He was: a disgrace, a shame? Oh, you say, "They'll kick me out." Let them kick. Have your day at Calvary. God will have His way with you.
Let me quote that again. Have your day at Calvary; God will have His way with you.
-excerpt from sermon- to read entire message go here:
That Day On Calvary -- 60-0925 -- Sermon preached by William Branham