Breaking the Family Curse Part 10 "Paul the Apostle"
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.
And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; And the Lord shall cover him all the day long, And he shall dwell between his shoulders.
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Introduction.
Introduction.
There was something in the tribe of Benjamin that God could use, but if left unchecked would become destructive.
Whether we like it or not God makes us who we are for a purpose.
We can’t make ourselves different than we are. Only God can do that, but he doesn’t destroy us, he transforms us back to His original purpose. (Future Home)
With the nine spiritual gifts the gift is the ability to do the thing that is done, but the gifts of Ephesians 4:11 are specific men called to specific places for a specific work.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
God set in the church…Now, there’s nine spiritual gifts goes in each local body, which is tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecies, and so forth.
But there is five predestinated offices of the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors and evangelists. That’s what God set in the church. The Holy Spirit…That’s a office.
The Holy Spirit might fall on one tonight and speak in tongues, and the other give the prophecy, and so forth. And then next night It might be on somebody else, and somebody else, like that. That’s local gifts in the body to keep us straight.
But in the church alone, five offices: apostles (means missionaries), apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists, God sets those in the church.
Now, let’s believe with all of our heart that through these ministering gifts that the great God of heaven will send Christ among us tonight, that we’ll see Jesus. 62-0627 - We Would See Jesus
As we know, there is local gifts, of nine gifts in the church. But there is offices of the Church, and that, God, that’s predestinated, or foreordained, “God has set in the Church: apostles, then prophets, and teachers, pastors, evangelists,” and so forth, that’s God’s gifts set into the Church.
Then there is nine spiritual gifts that operate in the local body, and of believers, and they must be checked by two or three judges before they’re to be given to the church, ’cause sometimes they could be wrong.
But notice these prophets, as they were born, like in…I believe, in Jeremiah here, God said, “Before you was even conceived in your mother’s womb, I ordained you a prophet over the nations.” You see? Moses was born a prophet.
And John the Baptist, seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, “he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” Isaiah the prophet speaking of him. See, it’s not…These gifts are born gifts, God placing them in the Church. 64-0318 - Sir, We Would See Jesus
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Paul understood after his conversion that God called him to be who he was before his conversion.
God needed a Benjamite, one who would be a protector of the Word, a lion anointing, not a ravening wolf.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
He was adamant that his Gospel was not from man, not even from himself.
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Paul was always an Apostle, he just didn’t know it. Because he was always an Apostle he couldn’t boast about being one. He was not a self made man.
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
Jeremiah experienced this.
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, Nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
God did that. God made you who you are.
“In My Father’s House is many kinds of mansions.” I don’t believe that when we get to Heaven that we will be, just everybody look just exactly alike. I don’t believe that all will be blondes, or brunettes, or little, or all big, or all giants.
(Monroe Champion)
I believe that God is a God of variety. The world proves that. He’s got big mountains and little mountains. He’s got plains. He’s got deserts. He’s got different things, because He made it the way He wanted it.
And He made the seasons; summer, winter, spring, autumn. He made the seasons. It shows He’s a God of variety. He made you in a variety.
Some men are real blusterous; and some are real dogmatic; and others are fine; others are kind. And you just find all different kinds of people, and in His Kingdom.
(Peter-Andrew-Paul)
Now notice, many, “many mansions,” many kinds of mansions. Like, many kinds of hills; like, many kinds of rivers, springs, lakes. They were here when you come here, first, because the kindness of your Heavenly Father placed them here.
(Mountains, rivers, plains)
But the Father knew that you would be here, and prepared everything for you before you got here. Amen. Your first coming, here, He had it ready for you when you got here. 65-1205 - Things That Are To Be
Not all of us fit into Ephesians 4:11 but all of us do fit into Romans 8:28.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
We are all called for a purpose.
The man who’s seen the vision or heard His voice, never altogether understood It. In many cases he didn’t know, because he’s just an instrument of God. It’s God’s thoughts expressed through man’s lips; a thought, course, is a word expressed.
God does His Own choosing by His predestinated choosing. He done it in every age, He set forth the man for each age. Like when Moses, when he was to fulfill what He told to Abraham. Moses was born a proper child, he couldn’t help being that way. He was born that way because he was born for that purpose.
And so we find out that God does that in every age. God does His Own choosing by His Own predestinated choosing, choose His prophets and things for the age; fixes his nature, the man’s nature, the man’s style of preaching to…on their gift and all that he does, is meet the challenge of that day.
God creates that man and sent him. And in His Own mind, as I preached on last night, we are a germ of the gene of God. He knowed that man would be there at that age, before there ever was a molecule, or a light, or anything else in the earth.
(Not just preachers)
Then if you are a son of God or a daughter of God, you were in God all the time. But He knew what bed and time that you’d be planted.
So now you’re made a creature, a son of God, manifested son or daughter of God to meet the challenge of this hour to vindicate the true and living God of this hour, the Message that’s coming forth in this time. 65-1206 - Modern Events Are Made Clear By Prophecy
God doesn’t do things like we do. He needed Paul to be born in Tarsus, a city with a roman arena, to be able to write about running the race and wrestling with your own body.
He needed him to be a Roman citizen, because he had to go to Rome to preach the gospel to Ceasar.
And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?
Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Noticed how he used who he was to appeal to them. And yet, he could not place confidence in who he was or what he had learned. He told them about his conversion.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
God made me who I am, but I don’t put confidence in that.
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
We are to have no confidence in the flesh. Some things God leaves with you after the new birth, because he needs you to remember that.
When Paul told of his translation into the third heaven he also let us know that something in his body wasn’t right. (Maybe his eyes) He had a thorn in the flesh. He asked God three times to take it away.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
In the message Shalom Bro. Branham calls this “The Growing Pains of Grace”.
Whatever it takes.