Breaking the Family Curse Part 5 "Ruling by Fear"
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Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.
And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
Introduction.
Introduction.
Saul’s failure to break the cycle of violence and disobedience in his family is foreshadowed by a story told in 1 Samuel that took place just prior to him officially becoming king.
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.
And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.
Jabesh-Gilead is where the men of Benjamin had to go get wives after the civil war. Saul would have had family there.
That’s what Satan tries to do today to every Christian, pluck out his spiritual sight, that he can only follow the intellectual sense of things, and not the sense of the Holy Spirit leading him. 60-0515M - The Rejected King
In the Laodicean age they were blind and didn’t know it. The spirit warned them to anoint their eyes with salve.
215 But, I tell you, there has come a cold spell across the church, and coon grease will never work. But Jesus said, “I counsel of you to buy Eyesalve,” the Holy Spirit. You are becoming so blind, the church is, until it can’t see God.
It only sees its organization. It only sees that what it can see in front of us. It never looks out yonder to the soon Coming of the Lord. Coon grease will never do that any good.
216 But the salve of the Holy Spirit will open your eyes, and you can realize that, the Presence of Jesus Christ. And He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is God, and He can salve your eyes with His Holy Spirit.
You’ll forget whether you were Methodist, or a Baptist, or a Oneness, or a Twoness, or a Threeness, or Church of God, or a Nazarene, or a Pilgrim Holiness. You’ll be a Christian, born again, of the Kingdom of God. 63-0223 - A Door In A Door
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
Methods matter. (David led the sheep, Saul drove the oxen)
92 So then when they did that, when the great defeat come, then Saul cut up two great ox and sent them to all the people. And I wish you would notice here, when Saul sent the pieces of the ox to all Israel, and said, “Let every man that will not follow Samuel and Saul, let him, this ox, be as this.”
Do you see how deceitful he tried to represent himself with the man of God? How unchristian it was! The fear of the people was because of Samuel. But Saul got them all to follow him because that the people feared Samuel. “Let them come after Samuel and Saul.”
93 And how many times, today, have we heard it! “We are the great Church. We are the Church of Christ. We are the Church of God. We are the so-and-so.” It makes the people get a fear, and think that that really is where God is a working.
And they don’t want the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They’d rather follow men like that, because they like to live their own individual life. They like to believe what they want to believe. 60-0515M - The Rejected King
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Saul used three things to manipulate the people by fear into his cause.
Temper.
Influence.
Finances.
It was for a good cause. A case could be made that it needed to be done. That is how every denomination on earth was formed.
“The Assemblies of God has its roots in the Pentecostal Azusa Street Revival of the early 20th century. Established churches generally did not welcome the Pentecostal aspects of the revival, and participants in the new movement soon found themselves forced outside existing religious bodies.
These people sought out their own places of worship and founded hundreds of distinctly Pentecostal congregations. By 1914 many ministers and laymen alike began to realize just how far-reaching the spread of the revival and of Pentecostalism had become. Concerned leaders felt the desire to protect and preserve the results of the revival by uniting through cooperative fellowship.
In April 1914... about 300 preachers and laymen from 20 states and several foreign countries met for a general council in Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States. A remaining fellowship emerged from the meeting and was incorporated under the name General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America.- Wikipedia
They left that meeting thinking they had won a great victory.
When Peter saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah he immediately wanted to build a denomination. When the supernatural’s done, he was all excited; he wanted to make a denomination.
173 That’s where you Latter Rain brethren made your mistake. That’s where you Assemblies of God made your mistake. That’s where you Oneness made your mistake. That’s where you Church of God, Prophesies, and all you, made your mistake.
You saw the supernatural done; you wanted to draw a little ring around it and say, “This is us.” Why don’t you leave it alone? If it’s not of God, it’ll come to naught. And if it is God, how can you uproot it; it’ll stand forever. 61-0416 - Abraham And His Seed After Him
It is the Spirit of Nimrod in Babel. Protect what we have and build it up because we don’t trust the sovereignty of God to keep us. Every totalitarian political system began there.
That’s right. All those said, “Glory to God; we are the Assemblies.” “Well, glory to God, we are the so-and-so.” “God, we are the Oneness, hallelujah, the rest of them’s wrong.” “Bless God, we’re the Church of God of Prophecy.” “Hallelujah, we’re so-and-so.”
All right, go ahead. What’d they do? They kept arguing their doctrine till they stayed there till they died. And that’s what’s happened right now. They’re dead. Dead with their organization. 61-0316 - The Church Choosing Law For Grace
1. Temper
1. Temper
And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
It was a move of God, Like David, but using denominational methods. He saw what the people were doing, so he attempted to cure it using denominational means.
There are three things you should never do in anger: Correct your spouse, spank your kids or preach a sermon.
I know of churches where entire congregations have submitted to unscriptural doctrines simply because they are afraid of the Pastor’s temper if they bring it up.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Moses
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
Look, God told Moses, “You go down there,” this anointed prophet. Said, “Go down there and speak to that rock.” It’s already been smitten.
162 Moses went down there in his anger, picked up the rod, and said, “You rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?” and smote the rock. The water didn’t come. He smote it again; it come. It was against God’s will.
It broke every plan in the Bible; Christ had to be smitten second time. See? Christ was smitten once. It broke the whole plan. But He give him His permissive will. Then, after, he said, “See, we got the water for you. Yeah, I brought it for you, you bunch of rebels!”
163 God said, “Come here, Moses. Come here. Come up here on top…You’ve been a faithful servant.” (Like the woman with the high heels, “You climbed,” see.) “Look over yonder. See the promised land?” “O Lord!”
“But you’re not going over. You took My permissive will, down here at the Rock. You have glorified yourself, see, and not Me. You sanctified yourself. You didn’t sanctify Me. You didn’t keep My original Word, what I told you to do.” Yet, the waters did come.
You can lay hands on the sick and they recover. You can prophesy, or speak with tongues. But, the thing is, keep His original Word! God don’t change His mind, friend. You’ve got to keep His commission, His will. “Oh, well, that was for the disciples.”
164 He doesn’t change. If He’s still got a disciple, that’s the same commission. “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. These signs shall follow them that believe.” It’s never change. He can’t change.
Now, you can say, “Well, I tell you, it ain’t for this day.” Oh, you Balaamite! You see? See, God don’t change. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. 65-0418E - Does God Ever Change His Mind About His Word?
Be careful what you attribute to God.
2. Influence
2. Influence
Saul identified himself with Samuel and used his influence over the people.
And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
The people came out of fear of Samuel.
Man men have went out preaching using William Branham’s name to get the people to follow them.
They did it in his time. (Bro. Branham tells how difficult the ministry was because others wanted to use his name to draw crowds)
And many times they fix an auditorium, advertise in the paper, that I’m to be…I don’t even know nothing about it, and then the people begin to call me and saying, “Well, Brother Branham, you’re advertised in the paper.” Oh, that hurts me. 54-0722 - Whatever He Saith Unto You, Do It
(Lady in Pennsylvania)
Today people use quotes taken out of context to associate ourselves with a prophet, then dis-fellowship people they have personal vendettas against and call them “Balaam”. Motivating the people to a spiritual battle by fear.
People think this is something new. Every backslidden pastor who loses confidence in the ability of the Word to hold the people uses the same argument. “If you fellowship with (insert name of person you hate) you are going to the feast of Baal-Peor.
We use quotes to say “I’m with Bro. Branham”. I challenge you to find one time where Bro. Branham used that in relation to fellowship with local churches and between local pastors who believe in the opening of the Word.
Moab didn’t have a Brass serpent. They had no atonement.
What was the difference in them? Fundamentally, both right. But, you see, Moab did not have the vindication of God with them; they were only a nation, a group of celebrities. But Israel had a prophet with them.
They had a smitten Rock with them. They had a Pillar of Fire. They had a brass serpent, for healing. They had the blessings of God moving right along with them, and they was the called-out children of God. 65-0418E - Does God Ever Change His Mind About His Word?
Remember it was Moab who first said “We won’t be brotherly, we won’t let you pass through.” Moab is denomination, not someone who disagrees with you. When you use it that way you are treading on dangerous ground. Bro. Branham says they “deny the advent of a prophet messenger”. That would not be the church down the road. I think we even ought to fellowship with those who call us Balaam.
We used to laugh at people who wouldn’t come to our churches because we had a fellowship hall, or Christmas trees, but now we do the same thing about music or emotional worship, or some minor doctrine.
“But it’s a good cause” so was Saul’s, but a prophet said he was deceitful and it showed he never broke the denominational curse.
We are told because of who we fellowship with we’re as guilty as they are. That was Balaam’s argument. Did you hear the music down at the camp? Their high priest even made a golden calf. What if a Moabite saw that? Surely God would curse them. You need to repent of your critical spirit.
If guilt by association were the rule Bro. Branham was as guilty as the modern charasmatic movement, because of the Full Gospel Businessmen. What about his association with Leo and Gene? It’s nonsense. Preach the Word, let the people be free.
Nikao which means to conquer, and Lao which means the laity. Nicolaitane means, “to conquer the laity.” Now why is this such a terrible thing? It is terrible because God has never placed His church in the hands of an elected leadership which moves with political mindedness.
He has placed His church in the care of God-ordained, Spirit-filled, Word-living men who lead the people through feeding them the Word. CAB 05 - Pergamean
3. Finances
Saul used the fear of these men losing their income. “This will happen to your oxen” is a direct economic threat.
Jericho shut up the city when Joshua came.
298 What happened? Now they were shut up. “No revival is going to happen here. Our denomination won’t sponsor such. We’ll not have that kind of nonsense among us. I forbid any of you to go to that meeting.” Huh! Jericho, right in the line of the damned! 63-0901M - Token
I have personal experience with money being used as a tool to control my ministry.
I’ve seen this used overseas as well. Listen! Control by money is what the antichrist uses at the end time. Those without the mark will not be allowed to buy or sell. Jesus never used it, and He will never inspire His ministers to use it. Be careful of pastors who become employers of everyone in the church. Be careful of get rich quick schemes.
I don’t care if they take my fellowship card, and I have to lay on my stomach, and drink branch water and eat soda crackers, instead of riding around in a big car with a big salary!
I don’t care what the price is. That system drove me away from You. Take me back again, Lord. I’ll believe Your Word. Revenge my eyes that’s been put out. Let me die with it. Amen. 63-1117 - Once More
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Why did Saul use this method? He learned it in the civil war. Why do preachers use these methods? They learned it in denominationalism. Come out of her my people, be not partakers of her plagues! If only Saul had repented. At this point he still could have salvaged his kingdom, but he doubled down.
Not for one moment do I bring a message to the people that they may follow me, or join my church, or start some fellowship and organization. I have never done that and will not do that now.
I have no interest in those things, but I do have an interest in the things of God and people, and if I can accomplish just one thing I will be satisfied.
That one thing is to see established a true spiritual relationship between God and men, wherein men become new creations in Christ, filled with His Spirit and live according to His Word. CAB 10 - Resume
Tell story of boy running the race without a password. The main thing is “He is Risen”.