Ewald Frank

1981-04-19-1500-Krefeld

2023-04-12

Praise the Lord for the great privilege we have and that we may believe that it will one day be over and that we will then be with the Lord for all time. Then there will be no last meeting, no more parting, then we will be with the Lord forever.

And the Holy Scripture says, "Comfort one another with these words." [1Ths 4:17-18] And with these words we may also comfort one another today.

And as we heard it in the opening Word, "How pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." [Ps 133:1] But this unity can only come about in the presence of God and only when we are silent and God alone speaks. When two or three speak, there is already disunity, but when God alone speaks, there is unity and we all hear and understand the same thing.

Let us read two scriptures from the Word of God, one from Philippians chapter 3 verse 10 and 11 and then the second from the book of Acts. Philippians chapter 3 verse 10 and 11. Here the Apostle Paul writes,

"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."

Paul was a man of God who wanted to participate in the first resurrection and he wanted to take part in the power of His resurrection before the resurrection actually takes place.

And I believe that is also true for you and for me, that we partake in the power of His resurrection before the resurrection actually takes place.

We notice here how he expresses it, "… that I may know Him, that is the Lord." Although he had revealed himself to him, there was still a deep longing in his heart to know his Lord and Master more intimately, more deeply, better.

Yes, "… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings."

You know, we all want the power of the resurrection.

But the second part, this "sharing in his sufferings", that is such a point – but we know that tribulation brings patience. I think I've said it before, it was probably the great evangelist, Moody, to whom a sister came and said, "Pray that the Lord will give me patience."

And he says, "I will gladly do that."

And they go into prayer and Moody prays, "Lord, give this sister tribulations." And she interrupts him and says, "Listen, you misunderstood me. I pray for patience. I have tribulations enough."

"Yes," he says, "sister, you don't know the Holy Scripture. It is written, "tribulation brings patience." [Rm 5:3]

Yes, we sometimes pray past things and think someone has misunderstood us. No, it's not like that at all. The man knew the Holy Scripture and was led by the Spirit of God. And this poor sister interrupts him and says, "You have misunderstood me."

It wasn't a misunderstanding. It was the Holy Scripture.

And you know, sometimes we want to achieve things in our own way and we never will unless we go the way of God. And God's way may be very different from how our ways want to be.

So when Paul expresses that here [Php 3:10-11],

"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."

We know that the word "resurrection of the dead" is used generally.

But Paul did not pray only to have a general share in the last resurrection. [Rev 20:12-13] For this no one needs to pray, then all will have to be resurrected. He prayed to have a part in the first resurrection, in the rapture, in the marriage supper, in glory. And that is also our prayer that God would give it to us.

From the book of Acts chapter 2, I would like to read the sermon of Peter from verse 22,

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.

Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.

For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance."

In what a marvelous manner did the Spirit of God speak by David, of the Son of David, of Jesus Christ, prophesying, "I will not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Some are grieved that the Lord Jesus did not remain in the grave a full three days and a full three nights. That could not have been at all, otherwise after seventy-two hours His body would have passed over into decay, and the Scripture would not be fulfilled. He had to rise from the dead before His body could be touched by decay.

But all those who read God's Word with their mind, they stop here and they stop there.

A man to whom God has revealed Himself cannot be stopped at all. He goes forward, for the ways of life have been made known to him.

In what a wonderful way it is said here. Perhaps it is better that I read without my glasses, then I can follow the matter better, otherwise I see it twice.

"Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh shall rest in hope."

What a wonderful testimony! What a grace that God spoke through His servants and later brought it to pass and let it come true.

"Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

And then comes the wonderful verse, "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy countenance."

Death was not the end, but the way of life was made known to us. Death only had to be removed and overcome, but the way of life has been made known to us.

Peter continues here from verse 29, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."

He does not say that David is there, but his tomb.

That can still stand for a long time. Whoever wants to visit it only has to go there.

From verse 30 it says,

"Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."

In what a wonderful way did David anticipate, yes, the prophets had a wide view of the future, their eyes were anointed, and as we have already mentioned in the past days, they foretold and wrote the plan of salvation in advance.

When I think that Peter was a fisherman, and we were just a few weeks ago at the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum, just where Peter and the other three disciples were called by the Lord, not a scholar.

What did he even know where anything was written, where he could look for it, where he could find it?

But it was after Pentecost, he was led and guided by the Holy Spirit to the right Scripture at the right time.

The same Spirit who was upon the prophets, who foretold the plan of salvation in advance, was upon the apostles in order to classify and place the plan of salvation in its fulfilment in the right way and to substantiate it according to the Scriptures.

This does not require great scholarship, only the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. [Jn 16:13]

Peter certainly never once had to go to a scribe for information. He had within him the one who inspired the Scriptures.

Whether he could read or write, we do not know.

Brother Branham sometimes makes a remark and says, "Peter, a completely unlearned man who could neither read nor write." Well, we just leave it. But we notice one thing, whether he could read or write, we do not want to judge that, but he certainly could write, he wrote letters. We assume that he wrote them himself.

Paul had some letters written for him, but brother Branham wanted to say, he was not a learned man, but a man of the people.

And all of us, we can read and write. Even we are lacking a bit, but so far we can.

God used this man, inspired him and led him by his Spirit to speak the right Word at the right time.

When I think of the Pentecost experience – but we will speak about that at Pentecost – also there Peter found the right Word at the right time and hour and says, "These men are not drunk as you think, but here is fulfilled what God spoke through the mouth of the prophet Joel." [Acts 2:15-17]

To stay with this Word, David saw the resurrection of Jesus in advance and prophesied. What might the people have thought when he said in Psalm 22:17, "They have pierced my hands and my feet…"? People could have come to him and said, "David, now you have said, 'They have pierced my hands and my feet.' Let's see if there is anything there."

David was a prophet. He did not speak himself, but God spoke through him in the first person as if it were himself.

God became known in the prophets in such a way that the prophets no longer spoke themselves, but God spoke through them.

And we see this not only here with David, we see it again and again that God spoke through them in many ways.

Now we read on [Acts 2:32-33], "Whereof we are all witnesses, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has poured out this Spirit which ye now see and hear."

At the outpouring of the Holy Spirit there was something to see and hear.

And a dear brother said to me today, "Brother Frank, we have heard God's Word. Now we want to experience it."

We want to experience the supernatural power of our God, not to bring a mood, not to lead the people into some kind of enthusiasm, but to wait until a rushing comes from heaven [Acts 2:2], to wait until God gives the answer.

When people do something, it will soon be over.

When God does something, then it is well done, then it remains forever.

It is here, so wonderfully, "… which ye now see and hear."

At the outpouring of the Holy Spirit there was not only something to hear, there was also something to see.

When there are outpourings of the Spirit today, there is much to hear, but what is to see?

Where God really reveals Himself, there is not only something to hear, there is also something to see.

Where Jesus Christ walked, there was not only something to hear, there was also something to see. God revealed His power in a visible way. Where God's Word is fulfilled in the people of God, there will be something to hear and to see. That is what we are waiting for.

To hear is a simple thing. You can make a great thing with words and when the words have died away, nothing remains of the great thing you made in words.

No, where God works, something is heard and seen. Something lasting happens there. Something deep, something intimate, after spirit, soul and body.

May God confirm his Word in you, in me, in all of us, by grace.

Today we want to pray for those who have come to receive from God under the laying on of hands and prayer what they are asking for.

You know, there are those who can take it themselves by faith and there are others who have it in their hearts to be prayed for. And we do not want to close these meetings without having given the opportunity to pray for the few individuals who have come to be prayed for.

And then we may have the grace not only to have heard God's Word, but to have experienced God's Word in its impact.

How many can believe that God stands by his Word, that He keeps His promises, that He is the same yesterday, today and forever?

We want to trust Him and believe Him from the heart and know that He is present to reveal Himself to you and me to confirm his Word in your life and in mine.

We can't help but believe because God has put faith in our hearts. It is not a thing we have to wrestle for. It has been given to us by grace.

And it is written in Romans 10:17, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." And God's Word is true. [Jn 17:17] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word remains forever." [Mt 24:35]

Take the promise for your prayer request in your heart when you want to come to be prayed for and say, "Lord, I stand on Your Word. I believe Your promise. And I believe that You are now fulfilling Your Word in me."

And then it will be done by grace for the confirmation of the Word of the Lord and for the glory of our God.

May He by grace have worked living faith in your heart and in mine.

"Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy countenance." [Acts 2:28]

This I wish for myself. This I wish for you. May God grant this to us all. He has shown us the way of life.

And if I may just come back to the Word of Introduction: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." [Ps 133:1]

I say this here without meaning to hurt anyone: Such unity as we had in these meetings by the grace of God, we have hardly had in all these years. Right?

It was indeed a lovely and intimate brotherly love wrought by God. And we have felt in what a way the prayers have ascended to the throne of God.

Now a strange comparison is made here in verse 2:

"It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments."

We know Aaron was the first priest to be ordained to be anointed with oil. And when we anoint people with oil, then a bit of oil on the forehead and it is enough.

But God wanted his priests to be anointed so supremely with a holy anointing that it ran down to the lowest hem of the garment, that the whole man was placed under the anointing of God.

And that, to my mind, is a tremendous reference in the plan of salvation that we see here.

Not just a little ointment over the forehead, but a divine anointing that covers the whole person, an anointing that can come over us from head to toe.

You all know: Aaron who was anointed as a priest.

And I say it just now and in the past days: The things of the Old Testament have their reference and their meaning for the New Testament.

In Revelation 1 we read, "You purchased us for God and made us kings and priests." [Rev 1:6, 5:9-10] We are a nation of priests and we are kings with our God. We are to do priestly service, but the priests were anointed with a holy anointing oil that was seen on the outside.

In the Old Testament, the whole service was outwardly visible with all its sacrifices and so forth. So it was with the anointing.

In the New Testament, we are to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which can come upon us all abundantly.

We don't have to wait until Pentecost. We can experience it today by grace.

And then in verse 3 it says, "As the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion."

We know who have been there about the distance from Upper Galilee where Mount Hermon is at the end of the Golan Heights and then the mountains of Zion, Mount Moriah on the other side of Jerusalem. But that's the only mountain [Hermon] that's covered with snow there and then it just spreads by the rising of the sun and the mist then comes down everywhere.

God has ways and means to say in examples what He wants to communicate to us. From the one mountain Hermon, it can all spread over the whole land up to Mount Zion. Still there the dew falls coming down from the impact of Hermon.

Oh, when God can bless in one place, then it doesn't just stay there, then it spreads, it becomes evident everywhere that God has done something powerful and something mighty.

"For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore." [Ps 133:3]

Hallelujah! Be to our God.

May He do something that there may arise and spread and many more people may come into this glory of God. May He bless us all from the riches of His grace. Amen.

Let us stand and pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you, oh God, for your precious and holy Word. Indeed, Lord, may your glory be revealed over all, oh Lord.

Lord, as we have heard it, as the dew spreads from Mount Hermon up to Mount Zion, oh Lord, may your glory, your Holy Spirit come upon all, oh Lord, upon great and upon small, upon young and old, we all need, oh Lord, that we may get something, not from men, but from you, oh Lord.

Hallelujah! We worship you, we praise your grace that has been granted to us. Praise and honor, glory and worship to your name. We thank you, oh Lord, for thy mighty word made abide in us, oh Lord.

May we reflect on it, Lord. May we ponder on it, Lord. And may we also remain joined, oh Lord, in the bond of divine love. This is my prayer in Jesus name. Amen.