Notes used in the Message
08-0604 – Stature of a Perfect Man Pt 8 (Temple of God) - Samuel Dale
I CORINTHIANS 3:10-18
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
I CORINTHIANS 3:11
11 ¶ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
I CORINTHIANS 3:12
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
I CORINTHIANS 3:13
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
I CORINTHIANS 3:14
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
I CORINTHIANS 3:15
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
I CORINTHIANS 3:16
16 ¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
I CORINTHIANS 3:17
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.
I CORINTHIANS 3:18
18 ¶ Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
II PETER 1:1-5
1 ¶ Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
II PETER 1:2
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
II PETER 1:3
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
II PETER 1:4
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
ISAIAH 4:4-5
4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
ISAIAH 4:5
5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory [shall be] a defence.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
24-3 Now, first you must have faith. Faith alone won't do it. You've got... Peter said, "Then add virtue to your faith." You must have virtue in order to add it to your faith. Now, then... It might be the reason you don't have it, because many churches of today teach you don't have to have it, or the days of it's passed. They don't have to have it. Only thing you have to do is just join church. "Yeah, days has passed." Virtue, anyone knows what the word "virtue" means (See?), and we must have it.
If virtue went from Him to heal the woman that was sick, He's expecting the same virtue in His church, because He was our Example. And if He had virtue to give to the people, He expects us to have virtue to give to the people. And what is virtue? "Virtue" is "strength, power." Some of them don't even believe in power of God. They say, "That--that--that's passed. Only thing you have to do is just put your name on the book. Be sprinkled or poured, or baptized, or whatevermore, and that's all you have to do."
But Peter said here, "Add virtue."
GUIDE.A_ JEFF.IN V-12 N-7 SUNDAY_ 62-1014E
2 Don't forget now; always remember this, that these are the things that build the servant of Christ (See?): faith first, then virtue. And now remember, the Holy Spirit cannot cap the building of God until these things are operating by the Spirit. See? No matter what you do. See? Those are the things that builds the Body of Christ (See?), those things.
Now, don't forget that, that this here is... First is your faith; virtue, knowledge, and so forth, is to be added to it until the complete stature of Christ is made manifest, then the Holy Spirit comes upon it and seals it as one body. These things must be.
Therefore, Jesus said, "By their fruit they are known." See? Fruit, you could not bear fruit without these things to bear it in you. And then when all this takes the place of worldliness and--and ungodliness, and so forth, then all unbelief is cast out, then all the things of the world is passed away, then there's nothing but a new creature in Christ.
And then Ephesians 4:30 said, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of your redemption." Sealed into the Kingdom of God, now, don't forget that. Keep that in mind now, takes these things first. Then the sealing is the Holy Spirit, the Cap that seals us into the Body. All right.
POSITION.OF.A.BELIEVER.IN.CHRIST_ PHOENIX.AZ SUNDAY_ 55-0227A
E-33 Look at it, bruised, wounded, tore, opened up His side with a Roman spear in order that by the Holy Spirit we could be baptized into His body, partakers of His Divine nature. You get it? Then you become a partaker, after coming into His body, a partaker of His Divine nature: Christ's nature in you. How can you cheat, steal, lie, backslide, proselyte, everything else with the Divine nature of Christ in you? It's impossible. Let that soak just a few minutes, 'cause it's right...?... If you be a partaker in Christ, then you become a new creature; old things have passed away, and all things have become new. All of our warrings, and fussings, and stewings, and arguings, and pampers, and all these things pass away. You see it?
What is the fruit of the Spirit? We've planted it on church membership, upon shouting, upon demonstrations of our works. But the fruit of the Spirit is first love, love Who? Then is when you love those who are unlovable. That's the Spirit of Christ. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness, patience, there's the fruit of the Spirit. So no matter what church you belong to, what you have done...
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
16-2 Now, I want to say this: that there are some people who have a portion of this virtue, knowledge, wisdom, patience, and so forth, that don't even profess to be Christians. Now, we just... We're teaching Sunday school, and that's true. There's some people have a portion of this that don't even pretend to be Christians. But that doesn't--that won't do it. It's like a blackbird trying to put peacock feathers in his wings to make him a peacock. He only disgraces himself. Be better to stay a blackbird. See? When he tries to exercise these things without being a Christian, he's just simply all out of place. It's like a Sycamore tree trying to manufacture apples. It couldn't do it (See?), although it's a tree; but it can't manufacture apples.
It's like a mule trying to manufacture wool, trying to be a sheep when he's a wolf--oh, he's a mule. You see, he can't manufacture wool. He can't do it. Wool is a gift to a sheep, not to a mule. He might try to act like a sheep, but he's still a mule. See? So you say, "I can eat like a sheep; I can do this like a sheep," and no matter what you can do, you've got to be a sheep in order to have wool.
BLASPHEMOUS.NAMES_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-21 SUNDAY_ 62-1104M
21-5 Our sister had her feet wet when she got to the bottom. All of us know Sister Shepherd to be a charitable... Her house is open. Her and Brother, I don't care if it's a bum, beggar, or whatever it is, they'll feed him, do anything they can to help him along. Oh, God accepted that, her foundation part. And here's...
Now, get this lesson: Here is what's wrong with the--with the... (I oughtn't to turn on for this.) Here's what's wrong with the Branham Tabernacle. You see? There is two different kinds of faith; there's two different kinds of virtue, as I had it the other day; two different kinds of knowledge; two different kinds of temperance. One thinks it's prohibition. They got... That ain't the kind of temperance that God's talking about. It's that ungodly, uncontrollable temper you got and things of that type--sass back, fuss.
BLASPHEMOUS.NAMES_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-21 SUNDAY_ 62-1104M
22-1 Patience, and so forth, there's a mockery of it, a pretending to be, a nature given faith, a nature given virtue. There's a nature given temperance. And all these things are nature given.
And the biggest part of our faith is mental faith. By hearing the Word it brings us to a mental recognition of God. But if this coming from above, oh, brother, if it ever strikes this, there is a godly, spiritual faith. Then what does that faith do? That faith recognizes only the Word. No matter what anything else says, it only recognizes the Word, because "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (And the Word's still God.) And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us." And when the word Itself is pouring into our faith, our mental faith becomes a spiritual revelation. "And upon this foundation I'll build My Church," (See?), not upon a mental conception of church joining, a mental conception of that, but upon the revelation. When them streams of grace has poured into that mental faith that you've got, then upon this, a spiritual revelation, "I'll build My Church and the gates of hell can't prevail against it." See? That shows they would be against it, but it'll never prevail. Oh, what a glorious thing.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
23-2 And now, we're supposed to do His work. He said, "He that believeth on Me..." (St. John 14:7) "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." You're beginning to reflect the works of Christ. But so many of us try to do the works of Christ before the reflection of Christ is in us. Now, there's the trouble. We find those things happening. You know it. I know it. We see these stumbles along the road. We find the scrap heaps of ministers, of Christians, piled along the road. Is because they didn't go into it right.
And that's why I'm here this morning, is to try to teach this little church, and myself, how that we can become the dwelling place of the living God. How many'd like to be that? The dwelling place of the living God...
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
23-4 Now, here's what we do. What's the first thing? Have faith and be borned again; that's laying the foundation. Then after we lay the foundation, secondly, you add to your foundation. "Add to your faith," Peter said here. Add to your... First you have faith, then you add virtue to your faith. This is the next column. First pour your foundation: faith. Then to your faith add virtue.
Now, right there knocks a lot of us down. Yes, sir. Yes, add virtue to your faith. That doesn't just mean living a virgin life, you know, like a woman or man, and so forth. That doesn't have nothing to do with that. The Bible said... We read over here in the Book of Luke where it said, "Virtue went out of Him." Is that right? If we're going to be like Him, we must have virtue then. We must have it to be like Him. If...
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
23-6 The first song that I ever loved in--in the hymns, one of the greatest, was: "To Be Like Jesus." Well, if I'm going to be like Jesus, I've got to have virtue and a pass that it can pass forward from me to the people, because virtue went out of Him to the people: virtue. And before you can let it out, you've got to have it first. If you haven't got it, it won't come out. There's nothing for it to come out of.
What if someone tried to draw virtue out of us, the--the check would return "insufficient funds." See? No, no, none there to draw from: check bounced. Somebody looking at you as a Christian and tomorrow see you out here carrying on like a sinner, not much virtue can be drawed from that. See? That's right.
Virtue must be in us, and until we get virtue... Then when we get true virtue, we can add it to our faith. That's the next foundation wall.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
24-3 Now, first you must have faith. Faith alone won't do it. You've got... Peter said, "Then add virtue to your faith." You must have virtue in order to add it to your faith. Now, then... It might be the reason you don't have it, because many churches of today teach you don't have to have it, or the days of it's passed. They don't have to have it. Only thing you have to do is just join church. "Yeah, days has passed." Virtue, anyone knows what the word "virtue" means (See?), and we must have it.
If virtue went from Him to heal the woman that was sick, He's expecting the same virtue in His church, because He was our Example. And if He had virtue to give to the people, He expects us to have virtue to give to the people. And what is virtue? "Virtue" is "strength, power." Some of them don't even believe in power of God. They say, "That--that--that's passed. Only thing you have to do is just put your name on the book. Be sprinkled or poured, or baptized, or whatevermore, and that's all you have to do."
But Peter said here, "Add virtue."
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
24-5 Now, Peter's talking about building a House of God (See?), the Temple of God, fixing it to a place. And after you have virtue you must have--after you have faith, you must have virtue with it. That's right. Have virtue for the whole world.
I preached a sermon about twenty years ago, I guess, on Reverend Mr. Lily, Lily, the pastor. Took it from the text to where Jesus said, "Consider the lilies how they neither toil or spin, yet I say unto you, Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed like one."
Look at the lily. It comes from way down in the muck; and every minute of the day it has to be drawing from the earth. See? And what does it do with this virtue that it draws? It gives it out. It makes a beautiful sight for the admirer. It opens up itself for honey, for the bee to come and get his part. Don't complain; it just got it to give out. What if a bee came in there, "Insufficient funds," no honey. That little bee would scratch his head and say, "What kind of a lily is that?"
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
25-6 Now, first, it's faith; then virtue. And then thirdly, you add knowledge. Knowledge, now that don't mean worldly knowledge, 'cause that's foolishness to God, but knowledge to judge. Judge what? Right from wrong.
How do you judge it then if you've got Christian knowledge with your virtue and faith, you judge whether the Word is right or wrong. And if you can lay aside all your creeds and all your unbelief, everything that you claim you have done, then you have knowledge to believe that God cannot lie. "Let every man's word be a lie, but Mine be True." See, now you're getting knowledge. That's supreme knowledge. You don't have to have four degrees in some college or something like that to have it, because all these virtues are given to you by God to place upon the foundation of your faith, that you might come to the full stature of a real living man of God. Yes, sir.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
26-1 Add--add knowledge, because--knowledge of His Word. You must believe it in this way. Such as... You should believe today that the--and accept it that the days of miracles is not passed, knowledge that what God says, God's able to perform.
Abraham believed that. And when he was a hundred years old, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. Look how ridiculous that Word looked.
Here's a man a hundred years old looking for a baby to be born into his home by a woman ninety years old (See?), almost fifty years a past, barren, lived with her since she was a young girl or a teen-age. And here he is; his life stream was dead, and Sarah's womb was dead; and all hopes was gone as far as hopes. But yet against hope, he believed in hope, because he had knowledge that God was able to keep everything that He promised.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
26-4 Now, when you got it like that, then add that to your faith. When you got true virtue, add it to your faith. When you can walk out here on the street, live like a Christian, act like a Christian, be a Christian, add that to your faith. When you have knowledge, you say, "Well, I don't know now whether this Scripture is just right. Now, here's Acts 2:38; I don't know how to go...?... with that; Acts 28:19, I don't..." All right, don't do--don't add nothing, 'cause you ain't got it yet. See? What are you going to do? Because you haven't got knowledge enough to know of God yet that the Bible doesn't contradict Itself. Leave it alone. Don't say no more about it. See, leave it alone. But when you can see that the Scripture is not contradictory, that you can say that--and can see that by the revelation of God, the whole Word is wrote in mysteries, and only the knowledge of God can reveal It. Then when you get and say, punctuate every word of God with an "Amen," then add that to your faith.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
26-5 Oh, you're getting to be a pretty good man right now. See? You're coming up. See? What with? With faith, then with virtue, then knowledge. See how it's building this man? You can see there's no--no way of escaping it. This is the way to become in the full stature of Christ. Yes, sir.
To judge, judge right, judge whether it's right or wrong to believe God's Word; judge whether it's right or wrong whether I should serve a creed or serve God; judge whether it's right or wrong, "I should be born again, or join a church." Then you begin... Judge right when the preacher says, "The days of miracles is passed."
The Bible said, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Now, which are you going to believe? When you say, "I'll take God." Now, you don't say that to say, "Well, I--I take it," just from your heart, "but something in you--your faith pushes out there. There you are. Your faith says, "I know He's the same. I've witnessed Him the same." There's nothing can take it away from you. "I know He's real." Then add that to your faith. Lay it down on the foundation.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
27-5 Were not building an organization. I'm not here this morning to build an organization. Christ never sent me to build an organizations. Christ sent me to build individuals to the statue of Jesus Christ that they might be the power house...?... dwelling place of His Spirit by His Word (Uh-huh.)--by His Word. See? Build up the individual to that place, not build an organization to a greater denomination, but build the individual to sons and daughters of God. That's the idea.
See, add to your faith virtue; to your virtue, add knowledge. Well, now, you're coming to a place.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
28-2 Now, when they begin to say, "Well, we don't have to accept that today." You do have to. It must be. The Scriptures cannot lie and, "There are no private interpretation," the Bible said. You just believe it the way it's written there. See, you've got to have these things. And the only way you'll ever be able to have them is to have heaven-born knowledge. And heaven-born knowledge will vindicate the Word.
See, you've got to believe, now, not make-believe it. None of these are make-beliefs. See, if you try to say, "I got it..." Don't be a blackbird putting peacock feathers in yourself (See?), 'cause they'll fall right out. They're not naturally growed in there; they're just stuck in.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
28-6 The Word is the revelation of Jesus Christ; the Bible said so, Christ being revealed in His Word. And if He's watched over you, when you transgressed these laws, He condemns you for it, how much more has He watched over His law that condemns you? Amen...?... Don't tell me that stuff. I believe in genuine Holy Ghost knowledge. Holy Ghost knowledge will always punctuate the Word with, "Amen." When you get these things that seem to contradict themselves in the Bible, you set down and study it, and prayerfully like that; and the first thing you know, the Holy Spirit begins to move in. After while you see it ties together, and there you got it. See? That's knowledge.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
33-4 Fourthly... (We'll have to hurry because I'm just...) It just feels so good to stand here and talk about it...?... Yeah. Fourthly (Thank you), add temperance. Oh, my. We come to temperance. Now, you've had faith first. You have to have that to begin with. Then you add virtue to your faith, if it's the right kind of virtue. Then you add knowledge, if it's the right kind of knowledge. Now, you're going to add temperance.
Temperance doesn't mean: stop drinking alcohol here either. No, no. Temperance doesn't mean alcoholic cure, not in this case. This is Bible temperance, Holy Spirit temperance. That's just one of the lust of the flesh. But we're talking about Holy Spirit temperance. That means how to control your tongue, not be a tattler; how to control your temper, not fly off every time anybody speaks cross to you. Oh, my. Boy, a lot of us are going to fall off 'fore we get started, aren't we? See? Then we wonder why God's not in His church doing miracles and things that He used to do.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
33-6 Yes, sir. See, add these things. Add temperance to it. Oh... Temperance, how to answer in kindness when wrath is spoke to you. Somebody say, "You bunch of holy-rollers down there." Don't jump out and roll up your sleeves now. See? Not that, but talk with godly love. Temperance, kindness, is that the way you want to be?
When you're riled upon, rile not back. Let Him be your Example. When they said, "If Thou be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread," He could've done it and show He was God; but He had temperance. When they called Him Beelzebub, He said, "I forgive you for it." Is that right? They pulled handfuls of beard out of His face, and spit in His face, and said, "Come down off the cross."
He said, "Father forgive them; they don't even know what they're doing."
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
34-2 When He had the gift... He knowed all things, for in Him was the Fullness of the Godhead bodily. They had seen Him perform miracles by telling people what was wrong with them, and so forth like that. They put a rag around His head like that, around His eyes, and hit Him on the head with a stick, and said, "Prophesy; tell us who hit you; we'll believe you." See? He had temperance.
Now, if you've got it like that; add it to your faith. If you still blow up and sass, and fuss, and stew, and carry on. Huh, uh. You ain't got no... You can't add that, 'cause it won't add.
See, it won't vulcanize. You couldn't take a piece of rubber, you know, and vulcanize it to a piece of iron. It just won't work. No, it's got to be flexible just like the rubber is. See? And when your faith and your temperance becomes the same kind of Holy Ghost temperance that He had, then it'll vulcanize with Him. You're added to it.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
34-5 When your virtue is like His virtue, then it'll add to it. When your knowledge is like His knowledge, "I come to do Thy will, oh God."... With the Father's Word He defeated every devil. Heavens and earth will pass away but the Word will not. See, when you got that kind of knowledge, it'll vulcanize with your faith. When you got the right kind of temperance, like He had; it'll vulcanize. If you haven't--just a manmade, halfway, soused-up belief, or temperance, "Oh, I ought to slap him down, but--but maybe I'd better not, 'cause they might put my name in the paper about it." That ain't the kind of temperance He's talking about. Don't try to add that; it won't work. But when you can really, with the sweetness from your heart forgive every man, hold your peace; let it be gone (See?), then it'll vulcanize. You can add that to your faith.
Whew. No wonder the church is so short. Isn't that right? No wonder.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
35-4 Then after that, fourthly, you want to add patience to your faith. "If you got faith, it worketh patience," the Bible said. See? So this is patience. Now, that's the next thing that's going to build this statue. You know, God's got real material in His building. See how short we are, brethren? See, see? See why, where we're at? Yes, sir. See, we have glory; you have shouts, and things, because we got faith; but when we come down to these things here, God can't build us into that statue. See? He can't--He can't make us up to that kind of a place. We got all these other things we fall and slide off with it. See? He can't build His church.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
35-5 Patience with what? What kind of patience? First thing is have patience with God. If you've got real genuine faith, you'll have real genuine patience, because faith worketh patience. When God says anything, you believe it. That's all. You got patience. Say, "Well, I asked Him last night to heal me, and I'm just as sick this morning." Oh my, what patience. God told Abraham, and twenty-five years later there wasn't even one sign; he still believed it. He was patient with God.
Put Him always before you. Let Him be the next crossing thing. You can't cross Him, so just keep Him before you. "He said so, and I'm... It's going to happen." See? Keep Him before you. That's right.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
40-2 Yes, sir. Then Israel was going to be taken out. The great contests came and took... Moses waited. Then he got into the wilderness. It's only about three or four day's journey; it's only forty miles from where he crossed there, right across where they crossed again. But Moses in the wilderness waited forty years. Patience. Amen. That's right. He waited forty years. Oh, yes, sir.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
40-3 And we should have patience with one another too. See? One time, we get--we get so much impatient with one anothers. We think we got to be like Moses. Moses had patience with the people. Look at--that's what caused them not to go over. See, if you're trying to do something... Like I've tried to get this message over to the Tabernacle, to see that each member of the Tabernacle becomes this. It's hard to do. I've tried to have patience; this is thirty-three years (See?), have patience. Women still bob their hair still just the same. But just have patience; just have patience, wait. Have to. If you ain't got it, don't try to build on to this down here. Have patience.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
43-4 But if you've got genuine faith, then put genuine virtue to it, then genuine knowledge, then genuine temperance, then genuine patience. See, you're moving right on up the line. All right.
Fifthly, add godliness. Oh, my. Godliness to be added... What does godliness mean? I looked in four or five dictionaries and couldn't even find what it meant. Finally, I was down at Brother Jefferies there; we found it in the--in a dictionary. "Godliness" means "to be like God."
Oh, my. After you've got faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, then be like God. Whew. You say, "I can't do that, Brother Branham." Oh, yes you can. Let me just read you a few Scriptures here just a minute: Matthew 5:48. We'll take this one and see what it sounds like: Matthew 5:48, and see if you're supposed to be like God. You know the Bible says, "Ye are gods." Jesus said so. Why? All the virtue... All the things that's in God's in you. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye..." (Jesus speaking in the beatitudes) "Be ye therefore (p-e-r-f-e-c-t, what's that?) perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." You got way up here now 'fore you have to do that. All these things has to be added first. Then when you get up here, He's asked you now to be perfect, godliness, sons and daughters of God. That's right. How many things I could say along that line.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
44-2 Perfect, takes godliness. You have to add to your faith, godliness. See you start off down here with virtue, then you go to knowledge; then you go to temperance; then you go to patience; now you're on godliness--godliness.
Oh, my, our time's getting away, I see. But you know what godliness meant. You sing this song:
To be like Jesus,
To be like Jesus;
On earth I long to be like Him.
All through life's journey
From earth to Glory,
I only ask to be like Him.
That's godliness. When He was smite on one side of the face, He turned the other one. When He was spoken rough to, He didn't speak; He didn't rile back (See?), godly, always looking for one thing. "I always do that which pleases the Father." Amen. Yes, sir. Always: that's godliness.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
45-1 See, after you done come from here, to here, to here, to here, to here, to here; now you're coming into the full statue now of a son of God. But you've got to have this, plus all this. And you can't even start until you get this.
Now, you remember the blackbird with peacock feathers. Don't forget him. See? Don't try to add it till you're actually borned again, 'cause you--it won't work. It just... You can't make it work. It'll come to this, or this here; it'll crumble somewhere. But when you get down here to genuine borned again dove, then you don't add nothing. It adds to you (See?), comes on up.
STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-18 SUNDAY_ 62-1014M
45-3 All right. Coming in to perfection now... All right. Then sixthly, let's add, the Bible said here, adding brotherly love--brotherly kindness. Now, that's a good one. Right here, the sixth one--seventh. All right, adding brotherly kindness. All right. When we get to that, brotherly kindness, put yourself in his place on the matter. Now, you say, "My brother sinned against me," said Peter, "Shall I forgive him?" He said, "Seven times a day?"
He said, "Seventy times seven." See, brotherly kindness. Now, you see, if a brother's all out of tune, don't be impatient with him. See? No. See? Be kind to him. Go anyhow.