<TITLE>06. Par 57-67</TITLE>L-57   Now, the only true way to find out what He was, or what He is, is to find out what He was, now, 'cause He'd be the same. Now let's just go back and pull up a few things that He did. We all know His virgin birth, and we'll not start with that.

L-58 But I read out of Saint John. Let's go back to Saint John, the 1st chapter, and just find out what He was, and then we can understand what He--what He is now. Whatever He was then, He is the same thing now. All right. Now we find out here, in the beginning, He was the Word. "In the beginning was the Word." Then He is still the Word. See? See? Uh-huh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." All right.

L-59   Then, that's what He was then, He was the a vindicated promise of God for that age. That made Him the Word. Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Well, He'd be the same thing today, the Word again. See? And He--He--He--He told them to look at that. That's what He was. He was the Word. The Word was made flesh. That's what He was. Now, when He became the Word, and God came down in the form of the Holy Spirit, of in form of a dove, and went upon Him, and said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in."

L-60 Then we find out, His ministry started out, prayers for the sick, healing. Everybody liked Him. He was fine, known as a fine Fellow. And then, when in His first ministry, what identified Him...

L-61 Remember, the Jews always believed in Divine healing. They had a pool at the gate here, of Bethesda--Bethesda, at the gate, a beautiful gate. The people laid there, multitudes of--of impotent people that were lame, halt, blind, and went into the waters for healing.

L-62 God has always made a way for healing, so His healing wasn't exactly what attracted their attention to Him. There was something more that attracted his attention.

L-63   Now we find out that if... what He was supposed to be, Moses had said what He would be, and all the prophets had spoke of Him, now He has got to be identified by that.

L-64 Now here is what He is, the Word. Now, Hebrews, the 4th chapter, says that, "The Word of God is more powerful than a two-edged sword. It is, cuts to the marrow of the bone, and is a discerner of the thoughts in the heart." That's what the Word is.

L-65 Now, see, when the Word come to the prophets, they were identified by their prophecy. God said, "If there be one among you, who is spiritual or a prophet, I the Lord will speak to him in visions, and to... and show him dreams, and so forth." In other words, "interpret dreams," like Joseph and them did. And that will be his credentials. And then that was the credentials that he had, the inspired Word, by revelation, see, the Word that was to be fulfilled. His prophecy identified him as a prophet, "And the Word comes to the prophet."

L-66   So when Jesus came on the scene, the Bible said He was to be a Prophet. Moses said, "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet likened unto me." And Israel always believed their prophets, because that was God identifying Himself in human beings, always. Any Bible scholar knows that. That's the way He identified Himself, was in His prophets. They were just ordinary man. Course, they were born for that purpose.

L-67 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.


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