Truth of the Good News – Pt. 2

Ron Weinland

August 6, 2011

Today we’re continuing with Part 2 of the sermon series entitled Truth of the Good News.  I was thinking about changing the sermon today due to some of the activities going on in the world around us but we’re going to continue on with this series and I’m sure at some point here some of those things will be addressed.  But it’s awesome, in one respect, where we are in time.  Somebody put it up here on the board, how much time we have remaining until the return of Jesus Christ; something the world has no comprehension of.  Even within the scattered Body out there, they do not believe, and now we see things coming a lot faster as time goes on here.  We have the ability to see things that are taking place in the world and they are surely taking shape more and more concerning the economy and what’s taking place in the economy of the world, a global economy that’s about to have a meltdown.

This is Part 2 of the sermon series entitled Truth of the Good News.  We’re using the wording good news because it describes what is used in the New Testament ‘gospel’.  It’s all the ‘gospel’ means, it just means ‘good news’; the good news of the Kingdom of God, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.  Verses, scriptures and so forth that we’re familiar with, people coming out of different backgrounds and the like familiar with the terms but not always aware of what it means.  And it’s just about good news that God was giving, and certainly as we look at the truths that God has given we had a previous sermon entitled, ‘The Restoration of Truth’ and we covered the first two foundational truths that are attributed to being revealed through Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.

4 (1) The government of God.

5 (2) The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

It’s awesome when you look at these and see how God has given these to us, the three that were still remaining when Sardis was there and Mr. Armstrong coming on the scene, and two more being added as a foundational matter and a matter of order as well; because everything boils down to government, in life.  From the very beginning it’s about government, it’s about God’s government, it’s about how things work, it’s about an order of things.  And anyone who tries to do something in a different way, a different order...it doesn’t work because God has established order, and with order there are those things in life, laws that govern life, that govern relationships. And when people step beyond those then life doesn’t produce the kind of fruit that God made possible through obedience, through doing things a right way – hence the 10 Commandments.  Incredible to understand there are laws we live by that create and make and build upon a right relationship with God, and that which helps to build in a right relationship with one another in the world, things that are so desperately needed; they’re coming to this earth quickly now.

So again, in that particular sermon, ‘The Restoration of Truth’, it was mentioned that along with the establishment of God’s government in His Church was the authority that He gave His Church to preach the gospel, to preach the good news.  Mr. Armstrong so often quoting Matthew 24:14, understanding that that was his commission, to preach the gospel into all the world.  And then it goes on to say, ‘and then the end would come’.  And that’s exactly what happened.  After he died we were in the very end of an age, Laodicea came on the scene and all the things that were prophesied to happen to the Church came to pass.  And we still have those things that are taking place fulfilling prophecy concerning the end of an age.

And so again, God gave authority to preach the good news, which means that God is in it, which means that God works through those that teach and preach, otherwise what’s the purpose?  If it isn’t from God and people give their opinion it doesn’t mean anything.  It has to come from God, it has to be inspired by God.  And so certainly the gospel, the good news, the truths that God has given are inspired by God, they come from God – everything having to do with His Kingdom, His government, good news that encompasses how life is to be, how life should be, how life is going to be for those who continue on in time.

And so as was mentioned last Sabbath in this new sermon series, these truths that we’re covering now in this series having to do with the eight that follow, constitute that very strong message of the good news.  That’s what is made up of that which follows that God gave.  Not in a specific order but they work together and you can’t really separate them, it’s a complete story, it’s a complete message.  The gospel message is a complete message!  And so very powerfully so the first eight that follow the two that God established through Mr. Armstrong –  those eight that follow are very powerful.  And as we talked about number three.  Number three in order of the 18 that God gave through Mr. Armstrong...and I’m going to read those again just as a review here.

6 (3) God’s purpose for mankind. God is reproducing Himself and no other church knows or preaches this truth.

That’s an awesome thing to understand!  Sometimes in God’s Church, even after a short time, after you’ve received the love of the truth, the excitement that when your mind is first opened that you begin to see things that are true – after a time, if you’re not careful, you can begin to lose some of that excitement, you can begin to lose some of that first love and not grasp the magnitude of what God has given!  ...of that truth that you hold, that you’re able to carry with you, that you know that the world has never known, that people don’t know.  You’re one of a very few in time in 6,000 years that God has given the ability to comprehend these things.

So God’s purpose for mankind is that He’s reproducing Himself.  From the very beginning, before the angelic realm was created, that was God’s purpose, to reproduce Himself.  That’s awesome!  And that’s why we exist!  We’re a part of that process so that we can become a part of God’s Family – not just to live and die and go to a place where we’re going to be tortured if we didn’t live right and these little things running around chasing us with hot pitchforks and flames leaping up all around us and it’s just hotter than it is down here in Florida, much hotter...or in Texas.  (What was it today?  Wichita Falls – 45 days of triple digits – incredible!  Burning up!) But people don’t understand.  Or to go up into a heaven where there are these clouds, you’re kind of floating around.  Insane things that people believe!  They don’t comprehend why they exist, why God created us!

...God is reproducing Himself and no other church knows or preaches this truth. We are to be born of God and become God—in the God Family: Elohim.

Number 4....

7 (4) Who and what is God.

Again, you can’t separate these things!  To know what God is doing, to understand God’s purpose for mankind, there are things you have to know about God.

God is a Family...

Elohim, we learn that – again, you can’t separate these, there is no specific order, it is a part of the gospel message!  It’s powerful, it truly is, especially with these eight that we’re going through now that are focal to that message of the good news.

God is a Family into which we may be born. God’s spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are begotten children of God.

We went through these things last Sabbath and it was mentioned that this grouping of these eight truths is not a matter of order of revelation but all inclusive of the gospel message given through Mr. Armstrong.

8 (5) What is man?

The truths overlap each other but they’re unique in themselves, very powerful truths.  What is man?  So much of what God has given is to show what is true in His word that man has misused and told lies about, untruths about – things about man having an immortal soul, a concept that Satan wants man to believe, that you won’t pay (in essence), you’re going to be able to live on forever and you can choose the way you want to live, that you have an immortal soul living within you.  Incredible!  No, man dies.  Without God there is no more life.  Without God giving a resurrection back to physical life or giving mankind a spirit life there is no more life.

Man does not have an immortal soul. Man is a temporary living, mortal being that returns to the elements of the earth at death and does not go to heaven or hell. Only God can give mankind immortality in His Family.

Again, can’t be separated from these other truths, they all fit together.  A powerful message – good news to come to understand these things, that if you’re not careful after a while you begin to take for granted.  Incredible!

I thought I’d read again here this verse in 2nd Timothy 1.  It’s hard to talk about some of these things without them... they just overlap each other and yet they’re profound in themselves, by themselves, standing alone by themselves, they truly are.

2 Timothy 1:9 – Who, and this is speaking of God, has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, again, these truths that we’re going to go into, some of this...this is another truth about God; not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, why we’re created, why man is created, what is man and so forth, which was given in Christ Jesus before the world began... Every time I read this I marvel that something that was given in Christ Jesus before the world began, before time began, before the world was ever created, before the universe was ever created.  That’s awesome to understand, that God knew His Family, how He was going to reproduce Himself, and that in the midst of that would be Jesus Christ; that there’s no other way for man to become a part of the God Family except that there would be a Passover Lamb, one who would live a perfect life and be able to die for all the sins of mankind, where we can be forgiven of our sins and then receive of God’s spirit and His life into us.  It’s an awesome thing, it truly is!

Verse 10 - But is now, or as was explained, and has now made manifest, it’s been made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality and light through the good news: it’s a beautiful verse!  Good news - truth that God has given, truth of the good news that man can have immortality.  Again, all these truths going together as they do.

9 (6) The human spirit in man.

Awesome to learn!  Awesome to learn what this is all about, that there’s a spirit essence in our mind.  I remember when Mr. Armstrong first began to understand this and began to preach about it around 1971, 1970.  He started giving sermons and began writing a book, ‘The Incredible Human Potential’ that came out right in 1972 talking about how that there is a spirit essence in the mind of human beings; not the holy spirit, not that which gives you the ability to see things spiritually, but a spirit essence that makes us different from animals. An example is of geese that know when to fly different directions, when to head north, when to head south, that go on their different routes.  That you look at different birds and you think of the instinct that God gave to different animals, things that they do just by nature.  They don’t think about it, they just do it, it’s their nature.  And yet God has given us a spirit essence that gives us a ‘god-like’ quality in one respect, to create, to think, to plan, to remember.  He gave us a portion of an ability to think that is needed so that when His spirit comes along and mixes with that spirit essence in the mind of human beings He can change us, He can change the way we think by our willing choice that we want His way of life.  He can give us of His mind, things that are awesome to understand.  A human spirit in man.

And so again, in that truth it says....

The difference between the human mind and animal brain is that there is a human spirit within the human brain that gives the ability of free thought, creativity, and memory. This human spirit must be united with the spirit of God for man to be able to come to know the true ways of God.

That’s an awesome thing to understand!  We understand the process – good news of something that God gave to mankind from the very beginning that gives us the ability to have an awesome, awesome life by free choice, and in God’s time to choose His life.

Romans 8:16 - The spirit itself, God’s spirit, bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Again, those things that have been given to us.  There’s a human spirit in man.

I think it’s good just to read it again here, have it embedded in our minds even that much more concerning this truth that God gave, that Mr. Armstrong talked about in the book called, ‘The Incredible Human Potential’, but let’s back up a couple of verses here and notice beginning in verse 16 where it states this that I just read.

Romans 8:16 – The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, it’s talking about God’s holy spirit.  So people in the world read this and they don’t know what this means. “What are you talking about?”  They don’t know what is being said by Paul.  They don’t grasp and comprehend something that you just take for granted.  Once your mind has been opened it’s easy just to take it for granted.  We don’t recognize sometimes the treasure, the truth, the power of those things that God has given to us.  It becomes a part of our life but it’s easy to begin making a separation between this and the world and forgetting what God has drawn us out of and the awesomeness of what God has given to us.

So, the spirit, speaking of God’s spirit, bears witness with our spirit, a spirit that God has placed in the mind, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, that we talked about last Sabbath again, heirs!  Something that we can inherit in time from God, to be in His Family, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ...as we grow.  Again, awesome good news to understand what God has given to us and what we can become.  And sometimes when we get down and we begin to think how tough and how difficult this human life is, and as I think about how this end-time is coming about without the kind of suffering that at one time we thought it would begin with a long time ago, and to recognize that we still have air conditioning, that we’re still able to have an abundance of food, we have an ease of life in a time that the world is being prepared for the worst times in history...and yet how blessed are we?  And I think of how much worse things could be right now.  We have it made, we truly do.  We are very, very blessed. Some of those things you set aside a long time ago – what an incredible thing!  Some of it’s probably spoiled by now, you have to restock once every once in a while because things have gone on, but that’s a blessing, an incredible blessing!

I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared...no matter how difficult it is on your job, how difficult your employer makes it for you, how difficult the world makes it for you, especially when it has to do with this way of life, because your response and your reaction to this world as you grow becomes different as you mature in how you respond to people and how you think about people.  And there’s that process that goes on inside your being and inside your mind and the ability to get past the thinking of “Woe is me! How bad, how difficult things are...” Recognize that God is working a work in you and that the things you experience, the hardships you go through, if you respond to them in a right way, in the way God shows you that you can, those are the things that help you to grow!  It’s the hardships, it’s the trials, it’s the difficulties that make you reach deep down inside.  It’s the struggle, it’s the fight!  Sometimes we don’t grasp what’s being moulded inside of us!  When you fight for something, when it’s of God, when it’s a matter of God’s spirit that’s responding in your life, that’s working in your mind and what’s being moulded and fashioned in you, sometimes we fail to see that because it happens in a slower life-long process over many years.  Some of you now it’s been one year, two years, three years or whatever it is; it’s still a day by day process, that sometimes we don’t recognise the thing that’s taking place inside the spirit essence that God has given you.

For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. So again, over and over again these truths that just fly out at you. That you can understand this, that you comprehend this, it’s an awesome thing!

1 Corinthians 2:1 – Paul is saying to the Corinthians - And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. The witness of God, those true things that are of God, from God, the things that he has seen, the things that he’s experienced, that which he shared with them, that which you’re able to share sometimes with others that are true in your life, that you have seen in the Church, that you have seen to this point in time in your life, that you’re able to share when that opportunity arises, when it presents itself.  Here Paul had an opportunity as an apostle to the gentiles to go out and teach those whom God was drawing and calling, and he had the opportunity to share these things, the things that he had learned, his stories, his life, what God was doing with him, the witness that he was at that time of these truths.

He said, “I didn’t come to you with great ability of speech.”  Because it’s not about that!  I’ve thought about that in times past.  I think of different ones that I’ve known; evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and I know my ability and I know that it was far, far behind many of those who were great speakers, who were charismatic (if you will) in some cases, had great ability to talk to others and stir up others and excite others about what they were saying.  And I’ve thought about this when I’ve read through this.  Or wisdom, man’s wisdom, great intellect as far as the world and the way of the world and so forth.

He says, For I determined not to know anything among you, save/except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. This was the message.  And in the beginning of the Church this was powerful because this is what he talked about, because there was a need.  Today in the world, though it be wrong, people have heard about Jesus Christ, they know about Jesus Christ, the world of ‘Christianity’ it’s called.  The only thing is that the truth has to come along in time, in God’s time, and help them to see where they have been taught wrong and begin to teach them what is true and right.  But the need to talk about, to tell that there was one who died and how He died and why He died and what took place and what He taught was needful at this time.  It was a message that was just beginning to go out into the world, and so Paul was determined, very powerfully so, to teach this to the Gentiles, to let them know, “This is for you!  This is no longer just about a people that God worked with in Old Testament times when He brought a people out of Egypt!” which they were aware of history of things that had happened with some peoples.

Just like today, people have knowledge of who the Jewish people are that live in Israel, the land called Israel, but they don’t know where the Israelites all went to.  They have no idea that there are a whole bunch of other people out there somewhere.  Incredible!  You know it.

So he says, And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. How can that be with a man of his stature, with a man of his background, and truly a man of his teaching, what was given to him in the Old Testament that was taught to him as a young man and as he grew up and the place he had, the place he had awaiting for him as time continued on? A man who gave approval to have Stephen killed – he was there; he was the one who nodded his head and said, “Do it. Put him to death.”

So, incredible some of the stories here about Paul and his life and the upbringing that he had and the education that he had...but here is a man who was humbled before God, humbled before a people. Awesome!  For I was with you in weakness, talking about things that he had gone through, things that he suffered through to be where he was to do what he did. ...and in fear, fear of things around him in a world around him.  Fear of presenting God’s way in a proper way, of helping people, of a right fear, a healthy fear before God, and in much trembling. It means what it says!

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  Because there’s a problem if someone has pride, if someone is relying upon themselves, if someone is seeking to be lifted up, if someone enjoys being lifted up.  Paul wasn’t like that.  Paul didn’t have that spirit and that attitude. He feared doing that before God.  He knew where the truth was coming from, that it came from God.  Those things are needful in our lives, and when you share God’s way of life with anyone else, if you have that opportunity this is the mindset that everyone needs to have before God, that you never allow yourself to be lifted up by someone else, or to be propped up by anyone else, because that’s an easy thing to fall into. It’s a trap and I’ve seen many go that way in the Church of God.  Don’t let it happen to you!  You have to have this kind of a mindset, a mind of humility, a mind of fearing to do something like this before God, and, as it says, in much trembling; to make certain - to make certain that’s it’s agreeing with God, that it’s of God, never to stray away from it.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, it wasn’t to try to convict someone in the sense of the way you present it, the truth, or to persuade someone, as sometimes some people do, “If you’ll just get out your Bible and turn here to what it says about the Sabbath you can see it!”  I’ve seen this on a telecast!  You think, “Where did he go astray?”  ...an evangelist who was taught by Mr. Armstrong – where did he go astray?  Where did he forget that they don’t have a CHANCE to understand the Sabbath and the truth of God unless God calls them and draws them?  Trembling?  Fear?  I would fear, sincerely, fear saying that to someone, that kind of a haughty spirit, because I know that they can’t, and we know that about others...you know that no one can, that’s why there’s no point in giving someone the whole truckload if they ask one question.  Answer that one question.  If that leads into another one and they have a desire to learn more, then fine, but we have the tendency sometimes as human beings, we’re eager to share, we want to share, and if you’re not careful there’s that trap you can fall into – that you are going to be the one to convict them, to teach them the truth, to give them the truth, to persuade them of the truth.  No, you can’t.  You can’t give this to anyone!

What I’m saying today I can’t give to anyone, only God can.  God has to give it.  It’s by the power of God’s spirit that we’re drawn, that we’re able to grow and to see.  God does the work, no human being does, and that’s an awesome thing to understand.  That’s what Paul is talking about here and it’s something we all need to keep in mind; especially saying this more at this period of time because of what we’re getting ready to go into.  Because you’re going to be given a lot of opportunities to share things with others in a way that has never been given to a people before...and this is the spirit, verse 3, that you need to have in your life, that you need to pray that God grant you and give to you, and that you keep in the forefront of your being, because you have no comprehension of what’s coming yet – not to the full magnitude of what’s going to be on your doorstep before long, an opportunity to share this way of life with not just a few, but with a lot in a short period of time...because you have the truth, you have the words to share.  And you know what?  When God’s spirit works with someone else’s mind they’re going to be able to know it’s true because God gives the power, the ability to know the sound, to know it’s the truth, and they’re going to want to hear more and you’re going to have the opportunity to share it more, truly.  Truly, we have no comprehension of what we have as an opportunity in front of us that no other people has ever had – no one.

And so he says, I was with you in weakness, a willingness to admit your weaknesses, a willingness to admit you have sin, you have struggles, you have battles.  You know, the worst thing a person can do for someone else, to someone else, which I saw in the ministry in the Church, was get to a point where it was almost as though they didn’t have weaknesses and problems and there wasn’t anything they couldn’t answer. It was almost expected that they had all answers to all things and that’s not true.  There are things we don’t know, a lot of things we don’t know and don’t have answers for and have to be willing to say, “I don’t know, but God will show us in His time.” So we have to be careful to fight against arrogance, to fight against haughtiness and pride, and yield ourselves.

I remember when I left Cincinnati the first time and was sent up into Pennsylvania.  I remember hearing a couple of sermons from the minister that was sent out from headquarters where he shared some of the things of his life.  He opened himself up as I had never...I had never heard a minister open himself up like that before, where he was just honest with people about his struggles and his battles; and I learned from that, and I admired that, and I respected that, and I learned how to begin opening myself up because I was the type of person that tried to protect an image of self.  We had that a lot in the Church, we were kind of taught that in some ways even at Ambassador College, that there’s this image we must portray of Ambassador College, we represent that, or of the ministry and so forth.

It’s one thing to strive to set a right example, which we should all do. We represent God, we truly do on this earth, but we’re to do it in this spirit, a spirit of weakness, meekness, humility, not with pride and haughtiness – truly fearing to do it in a wrong way before God, truly fearing to hurt someone else whom God is drawing.  That’s what Paul is talking about.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power: That’s what you want in your life!  You want to be yielded to God and of a right spirit and a right mind, desirous to be of a humble spirit before God so that God can work in you! To be repenting of sin so that God will work in you!  Because if there’s sin, unrepented of sin, God won’t work in you! You get cut off from the flow of God’s spirit!  And so with the opportunities we have in front of us we want to be close to God, we want to be repenting continually of sin that God reveals to us and then cry out and have God speak in us, work in us, that we say the right things, that we don’t say too much and we don’t say too little.  And the only way that you can know that is if God give it to you.  He’ll inspire you!  It’s an awesome thing, and I’d say you’ve all experienced it at various times in your life already – those exciting times when things come into your mind and you’re able to share with someone else because there is a need, because God is doing something.  And He blesses us in fellowship so often, of things we’re able to discuss.

Now, if you’re trying to push something, that becomes another matter, but if you’re able to share something because it’s exciting what you’re hearing and what you’re learning, or it’s something you’ve learned in your own life of something that’s been given already, truth that’s been given, and you’ve learned the lessons and you’re able to share that with someone, that’s exciting to people!  It’s exciting to me when I hear stories about how God has drawn you into the Church!  ...how God has called you!  ...of how you came about the truth!  We all have different experiences there.  The reason I’m excited by it is because God has to do it and I see God in it.  It’s exciting to see what God does.

...but in demonstration of the spirit and of power: that’s pretty bold of Paul.  Humble in one spirit but bold on the other, knowing where it came from.  It comes from God and that’s what you should experience.  That’s what you should experience from one another – God in you.  That’s what we have.

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. It’s far better, obviously, if we have the truth, we’re humbled by the truth, we’re able to share that and speak that to the degree that God’s spirit is inspiring us, we’re looking to God to help us in that, we’re asking God for help to... what an awesome thing if someone asks you a question and your first thought in your mind is, “Father help me to give the right answer. Help me to say the right thing.  Help me not to say too much; help me not to say too little, but what is of your spirit.”

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, you don’t want people to be impressed by you.  You don’t want people to lift you up (because sometimes that can happen), on the contrary, you know that what you’ve been given comes from God, the spirit of God, you’re looking to God to inspire you to say the right things and you recognize then where it comes from and you give the glory and the thanks to God.  And when you do that self doesn’t get in the way.

Verse 6 - Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: or growing, as it is here, in perfection.  In other words, Paul was speaking to a group of people whom God is drawing and calling.  His spirit is working in their lives, they’re being perfected, and as they respond to God they’re going to be able to respond to the message that God inspires that is given to them.  It’s a powerful thing, and that’s what he’s talking about here.  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them who are perfect, growing in perfection is what the word is talking about here, yet not the wisdom of this world/this age, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nothing: the educators, the intellectuals and so forth.  We don’t want anything to do with that because we know it’s not right, it’s not sound, it’s not balanced.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, not like the Catholic church teaches.  They teach, “Don’t bother reading any of this, it’s a mystery, we’ll tell you what you need to know.”  Sad.  That’s not what it’s talking about here.  He says, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the definition of what we’re going into here is that basically it is that which you can speak about something that no one else is able to grasp and comprehend unless God’s spirit is working with them.  That’s the mystery.  It’s the awesomeness of the power of God’s spirit to work in people’s lives; that you can learn this way of life and go and try to tell all your family, people at work, your co-workers, and then you learn that’s a big mistake (but you’re excited).  But that’s a common mistake that people make because they want people to be excited about what they’re learning; but they learn quickly – unless God is in them they can’t receive it.  Unless God is drawing them they’re not going to be able to hear, and on the contrary are, as a whole, going to become offended and think you’re just nuttier than a fruitcake, you’re way out in left field.

So, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory: What an awesome thing he’s saying here – that we can receive of something from God that others can’t.  That someone standing right beside you could hear the same thing and not hear, not understand, not grasp what’s being said, but you can?  ...‘the hidden wisdom,’ something that’s hidden from the world that God gives through the power of His spirit to you?  Your ability to see all these truths; God has given to you.  Awesome!

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it they would not have crucified/they would not have impaled on a pole the Lord of glory. They wouldn’t have killed Jesus Christ had they known these things.  But to them, they couldn’t see, they couldn’t hear.  But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them who love Him.  And who can love Him?  And even that’s a sermon in itself.  We learn in time that no one loves God.  No one in this world loves God unless God begins to draw them and work with them, because they have to come to see who God truly is.  The concepts of the world about God and about Jesus Christ are not true.  They’re all based on things that are not true; going to heaven, going to hell, a trinity, Christmas, Easter – none of its true.  And so their concept if they say they love Christ, that’s the Christ they love, not Jesus Christ, not the true Christ and what He did and what He taught and so forth.   And so God has to begin to give you these truths, the good news that you begin to see as He draws you and then you make choices as to whether or not you receive them.  What an awesome thing!

Things you can also lose...things you can lose as quickly as you receive them.  You can lose them overnight!  Talked to a lot of ministers when the apostasy took place; that they changed overnight!  Their goals, their directions, their fundamental beliefs were swayed with one phone call that might have lasted two, three or four hours with someone at headquarters in Pasadena.  What a horrible thing that the mind can be turned so quickly.

And so God has to draw us and we begin to love Him, but we don’t know, we don’t understand...it’s not entered into our heart and mind the things about Him, about God, about Jesus Christ, about His plan and all of these truths we’re going through - it’s not in the mind of man to conceive of such things.  On the contrary, when they hear them they reject them.  They think you’re nuts! It’s foolish; “To become God?  ... of the God Family?  Who are you?”  That’s what they said about Christ.  “You’re the Son of God?  Who do you think you are?”  They wanted to kill Him for saying such things, that was blasphemy to them!  Because they didn’t understand their purpose.

Verse 10 - But God has revealed them unto us by His spirit: we can see and we can hear and others can’t...and I hope you marvel at such things.  And if you know such things you’ll live by such things. And when you talk to others you will know that the truth, that the spirit comes from God and we don’t do it, we get to share in it.  It’s exciting to share in this way of life, in God’s truth.  It’s exciting to share God’s truth with others, but always knowing, this is God’s.

But God has revealed them unto us by His spirit: for the spirit, the holy spirit, His spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. It’s by the power of His spirit that works with the spirit essence in our mind so that slowly but surely we come to a point of asking questions as He draws us to those questions, of things that present answers, that give answers.  And that’s how He teaches us, He moulds and fashions us.

For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Isn’t that an amazing truth?  Something Mr. Armstrong began to understand, and not until 1971.  Not in the 1930’s when God called him and he began to preach very powerfully so as the Philadelphia Church was being established at that point in time, not in the 40’s, not in the 50’s, not all the way through the 60’s when his wife was still by his side, and then she died toward the end of the 60’s there. Not until 1970 did God finally begin to show him the excitement, the awesomeness of this truth; that there’s a spirit where he could read chapter 2 and see it, growing in the truth.  Having the truth revealed to the Church was a long process that God worked through a very faithful and dedicated individual who had far more energy than I ever have had – far more!  We’re different people, moulded and fashioned for different things in life.

For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? That’s how you know the things you do, by the spirit essence in you, the things of man.  You can know things of the world. You can learn about things in the world. You can read books. You can study science, of course not like 200 or 300 years ago, it’s changed a lot.  It keeps changing very rapidly; we gain more knowledge.

I often think about David when he looked out at the stars.  He looked up in the sky and he said, “What is man that You’re mindful of him?”  And if he counted all the stars that he could see at that time, not even really knowing fully what it all was, but seeing what he saw out there – a thousand?  ...and how do you separate all those little dots in the sky as everything is moving... it’s constantly moving and you have to catch these on the horizon quickly because they’re going to start disappearing after a while. How do you know when you finally got all the way around? And here today, we know there are billions and billions and billions of not just stars, but of galaxies out there.  Incredible!  And we’re able to know it because of this, because of a spirit essence that God has given through the human mind.

Even so the things of God knows no man, save the spirit of God.  So, the only way anyone can know anything that’s truly of the truth of God and have it in their being to where it becomes a part of them...because you can know about the Sabbath, you can know about tithing, you can know about the name ‘Church of God’, and know that there are some churches out here that call themselves that and so forth. But to know what they are, to know what that means in your life, it takes the spirit of God to reveal it, to give that knowing, that understanding.

That’s why I think about where we are in time, because of all the truths you have - that is your power, that is your strength, and that is your boldness in life, truly.  The more solid those things are in you the greater confidence and boldness you have of where you’re going and what you’re doing.  May the 27th, 2012, the boldness, the confidence in that is largely dependent upon how deeply convicted you are, of how strongly you see all the truths that God has given, and they are moving and inspiring to get you through any obstacle and any hardship – they truly are.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; we already... we know we have the spirit of the world in us and we recognize that that nature is to change and we’re to become a new man, we’re to bury the old man; and then we recognize this is the life we receive, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. God’s way is one of sharing.  The most exciting part of life in relationships is the sharing, the time you spend and what you are able to share with someone else, it truly is.  It’s in the sharing of life, and as time goes along we learn how to share more, with more, as God gives us more within the Body and as a new age is coming about and that ability is going to be magnified so many times over it’s hard to grasp.

I have a little bit of a taste of it because of having been in Worldwide in a time at Feast sites and the like when there were thousands of people in one Feast site, 13, 14, 15 thousand at a Feast site during the Feast of Tabernacles and that sharing of that excitement, that sharing when you sang songs, when the whole group of people, not only there, but when we were connected around the world in some sites via satellite – you realize in your mind here as something is being connected and people are watching one site and singing along with someone who is leading songs from one part in the world, maybe from Pasadena where Mr. Armstrong was at a moment in time, and they had these huge satellite discs that they brought out there so that everyone - especially in the North American continent at that time, and some in other areas did it as well - but to realize what an awesome thing that thousands, tens of thousands of people are singing at the same moment the same songs to God Almighty.  And now with the technology we have we can do far more than that, but we don’t have the people.  We don’t have the same numbers but it’s still awesome; small numbers, large numbers, it’s still an awesome thing what God has given.  But we’re about to make that look puny. That’s what I’m talking about in that respect, that I had a little bit of a taste of it at one time seeing what the world can be like, what it will become like.

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. God just freely gives them; His truth, His Word, His way of life. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, it’s not a matter of intellect, it’s not a matter of how well you know the Bible and verses and remember them and take people to them, it’s a matter of God’s spirit putting the story together, God’s spirit delivering through you the truth to others in the measure that He’s giving it; but which the holy spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That’s how we grow!  That verse there alone is awesome when you understand what we’re covering in this sermon series, in these eight truths, comparing spiritual... because this is the gospel message we’re talking about and these eight truths that follow the two that were given as the foundation to all that would follow afterwards – government and the authority, the power, the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God – this gospel message, it all flows together, it all works together comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  There are things that as I was working on this sermon, and as I’ve been going through this sermon, I know the truths that are following or the truths we just discussed, and we go through certain verses and we’re hitting one after another because they all flow together, they all work together in an awesome message that God has given to understand.

Verse 14 - But the natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: that’s why we don’t just give this to anyone, you don’t just share this with anyone.  If someone knows you, you might say something, and if there’s no response then you stop, if there’s a response or someone comes to you and asks a question then you give whatever measure is able to be given, and with being close to God you’ll learn that process more and more; because as a whole to people out there what you believe is absolute foolishness.  The fact that we listen to sermons on the internet is pretty dorky to people.  “I mean, really, there’s something close by you can be with other people. There’s a church down the road, it has 2,000 people in it!”  That’s what they think, “Why can’t you go there and be with those people? Why do you have to sit up in your bedroom listening to something, locking yourself in, to listen to something like that? That’s kooky!”  And then they have to call it names, “It’s a sect!  It’s a cult!”  Because they want to lump you in with cults and sects, things that are weird in the world.  But they can’t understand, they don’t grasp, because to the natural mind – “May the 27th? ...you’re just a little out there! I feel like you’re sincere, but man you’re really out there!”  Because they can’t see it, they can’t understand it.  Incredible!

But the natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him:  foolishness to him because he can’t help it.  Without God’s spirit they can’t see what you see, they can’t be excited at what you’re excited about, they have no comprehension about your conviction, why you do what you do.  One day they will, and they’ll glorify God; that’s what it says.  One day they’ll see and they’ll glorify God that they saw you, that they witnessed your life and what you did and they’re going to understand.  “Now I get it!”

...neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Of God’s spirit!  But he that is spiritual judges/discerns as the word means here, all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. Discerned of no one, that’s what the word is about here, discerned.  In other words we’re able to discern things of the spirit, but others around us, they can’t discern it and they can’t discern us, they can’t discern where we’re coming from because they can’t see it!  That’s what this is talking about!

For who knows the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? For we have the mind of Christ. Awesome! We share in that mind, in that thinking, the Word, the Word of God that was made flesh, the Word that dwells in us.

So powerful here, again, Mr. Armstrong coming to understand the spirit in man, to understand this distinction – again, not understanding it, not seeing it until 1970 and 71.  He had to wait a long time, but what an awesome truth that we have today that gives us understanding of why people can’t comprehend and why they don’t see what they can’t see, to understand how God has made us.  It’s a beautiful picture, a part of the gospel, the good news of how we can change and become something different.

10 (7) The Church is only the first fruits.

The Church is only the first fruits, something that Mr. Armstrong came to understand, that even so many of these truths here that fit into truths later on about the Holy Days, to magnify the Holy Days that we came to understand in a deeper way.  Basically in the beginning Mr. Armstrong just began to obey them, not understanding what it was all about until all these truths began to come along and began to fill in the pieces making the gospel message, the good news, more powerful.

So reading this again....

10 (7) The Church is only the first fruits. The Church is only the first fruits for the beginning of God’s plan of salvation. God is not yet trying to save the whole world.

See, it was important to teach this, because the Protestant world has this upside down.  They think that God is desperately trying to save the world, that there’s this battle going on with this being out there, and if that’s the case he’s more powerful than God, if they truly believed that, and so they think they’ve got to send missionaries into different parts of the world to help them to accept Christ (whatever that means), to speak the name I guess in English, I don’t know!  So they can be saved.  They just don’t understand that it’s deeper, far, far deeper.  That just makes things look weird!  And so again here, a truth that’s needed to correct something that the world doesn’t grasp, to understand that God is working with mankind, this plan, this gospel message, this good news about His purpose for mankind, in an orderly, organized, methodical fashion.  And He likens it to crops, harvest, and there’s the earlier harvest and there is the latter harvest, and those things that we learn out of that process that God likens what He’s doing with mankind and how He’s working with mankind.

And so again here....

10 (7) The Church is only the first fruits. The Church is only the first fruits for the beginning of God’s plan of salvation. God is not yet trying to save the whole world. The first fruits are those who have been tried and trained to become part of God’s government...

And His expansion of His government, if you will, again, a growth in His government.  We receive it in the Church but we understand it goes far beyond that into His Family, God’s Family.

...to become part of God’s government, in His Kingdom, when Jesus Christ returns as King of kings in the Millennium. Those who are converted during the Millennium, along with the first fruits, will become kings, priests and teachers for the rest of the world that will be resurrected after the end of the Millennium.

Awesome opportunities and blessings of life, and a plan that God has to save mankind.  And it isn’t to send missionaries someplace, to have this mad race going on.  God is in total control allowing things to happen exactly the way they’re intended to happen for the maximum ability and power to change billions in their time, in the best time for them to help them to become a part of His Family.  It’s awesome, truly awesome; God’s plan of reproducing Himself.  Again, these things that overlap each other but they all fit together so powerfully so.

Let’s go over to 1 Corinthians 15 and read a couple scriptures here. This that is so often read by people and you feel for them because it’s something so clear to us.  When we have God’s spirit it becomes so clear and it becomes clearer the longer you’re in the Church, the more excited you become by it, the power that’s there, the ability to see and it’s not just seeing, it’s knowing!  That’s why all these truths, the knowing that’s there, there’s tremendous power with that with God’s spirit, truly is.

I Corinthians 15:20 - But now has Jesus Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them who slept. He’s referred to as the first of the first fruits, the first fruits of them who slept.  What do you mean?  Slept?  No, He was dead; of human beings!  Who dies?  He’s the first!  The first of mankind to ever be resurrected from the dead.  And that’s what it’s talking about here, referred to as first fruits, the first of God’s plan.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. And so God has a way of working with mankind.  Beginning with Adam and Eve and the way mankind was through time here is that God’s purpose for all of mankind as a whole, has been to live in this physical life once and die.  That’s been God’s purpose. So through man God said came death, man is going to die, the purpose of God as a whole is for the majority of mankind to die, in other words, and then it says, for by/through man came death, by/through man came also the resurrection of the dead.  So God worked through a man, Jesus Christ.  His Father was God but His mother was of mankind, totally human, not spirit in composition, not able to give Himself spirit life, didn’t possess an immortal soul, but lived a perfect life to where God gave Him immortality, resurrected Him from the dead.  Powerful story to understand the purpose of God then, the good news then of how man is going to be saved through a human being, that the resurrection, that life comes through Him.  And so that’s the story that’s being told here by Paul to the Corinthians, to Gentiles.

For as in Adam all die, in other words, all human beings, we all die. Jesus Christ died!  All human beings die! ...even so in Christ shall all be made alive. In other words as a whole; realize that they’re going to be a few at the end of this age who are going to experience a change, which is like death except it happens quickly. They’re no longer in one body they’re just in another body quickly.  But that physical body, they’re not in it anymore, it’s gone, no value, they’re not there they’re somewhere else.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every person, that’s what it’s talking about, people here, individuals, men and women.  But every person in his/her own order: So God has an order of things. Christ the firstfruits; then others.  Christ the firstfruits; then afterward they who are Christ's at His coming.

God makes it clear, shows there’s a process, that there are those that are first into the God Family beginning with Jesus Christ who is the very first of the first fruits.  And in Revelation it makes it clear that those at Christ’s coming, again, are the rest of the firstfruits.  And again, all these truths, they all flow together. It’s a beautiful picture, and entire message, gospel, good news to mankind.

Revelation 14, let’s read that again.  We know it but it’s good just to read it, for those who are new to be reminded of it; nothing should ever be boring to us at all in any fashion or form, but exciting, inspiring to see what God gives to us that we see and we grasp.

Revelation 14:1 – something that John was given to see.  He says, And I looked and lo a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads/in their being. Elohim – that are now Elohim... they’re in the God Family, they’re resurrected from the dead, have been changed from mortal to immortal, from physical to spirit. And I heard a voice from heaven, and the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders/ the four creatures and the elders: and no one could learn that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, that’s an awesome thing to understand what’s taking place there.  It’s because of God’s spirit, it’s because they’re Elohim, and because they’re part of that Family and that spirit as He dwells in them, forever is in them and they all know and are able to sing the same song.  Never been told it, never been shown it, but now they’re able to sing in unity and harmony and oneness the same song.  That’s what it’s talking about; the same mind.  Shows a magnification here of something so real, of the same mind with God Almighty.  We’re able to receive of the spirit to see the truths when we see them.  When you’re spirit it takes quantum leaps forward from that point on, truly does, things we’re able to share with God that we only taste of once in a while in this physical life.

It says...no one could learn that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, who were redeemed from the earth. That has been the whole story for over 6,000 years; we understand the timing, the rest of the good news.  These are they who were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. In other words, when God began to work with them with His spirit they were called out of the world, they were called out of false religions, no longer that whoredom that goes on in the world called ‘Christianity’ - it is not Christianity; that God refers to as adultery, as whoredom because of the perversion of those things that are there.  And now with God’s spirit they begin to grow and they no longer mingle in that which was false but are at one with God in what is true, and that’s what they grow in, and this is the process  of what they went through in their life.  They were redeemed from the earth.

...for they are virgins.  These are they who follow the Lamb wheresoever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, from among mankind, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. It’s a beautiful picture.  What an awesome thing that we understand this entire process.  What an awesome thing!  It wasn’t that long ago that the Church had no concept of what was going to take place at this moment in time.  We couldn’t because we weren’t there, because God didn’t give it to us yet, to realize that there are going to be those who are going to be called along, who that when Jesus Christ returns that it was never intended that they be changed when Jesus Christ comes!  It was like if you’re called at the last one hour, literally, that you could be changed into spirit being.  We’ve learned, no, you can’t!  We’ve learned that it takes a lifetime, it takes many years, several years minimum to grow with the mind of God to a point where God can say, “I know you” and you can be changed from mortal to immortal.  He can’t do that in an hour, a week, a month – that transition of the mind, that transformation that has to take place in the mind isn’t some hocus pocus type of garbage that the world teaches!   That’s what they teach, hocus pocus; the Catholic church.  Things don’t happen like that!  It takes time, it’s a matter of choices, it’s a matter of growth and of character and of God’s spirit in the mind that grows in us.  An awesome thing!

So again here, the things that we know, the things that we’re able to grasp and now at the end of this age things that we’re able to see that a few years ago were not grasped nor understood, that God had a people that were going to be the foundation of the Church in a new age, and that there’s going to be a lot more added to it before even Jesus Christ returns.  But those of you called in the last three or so years here, two, one, or recently, have an incredible opportunity and head start and jump to start this process, to be able to share with some others who are going to be drawn along as we go along here...but not a part of the first fruits, not a part of that government that’s going to be established when Jesus Christ returns.  On the contrary, you live your life and you die and life continues on until the end of a thousand years, and then that resurrection which some of us are going to have that opportunity to experience, you’ll experience then as you conquer, as you yield yourself to God, as He grows and dwells within you and that mind that grows within you so that when that time comes you’re resurrected from the dead and given eternal life in God’s Family as kings and priests and teachers of billions and billions that God is going to resurrect next back to physical life. What an awesome thing to understand these things, and the opportunities you have before you.

11 (8) The Church is not yet the Kingdom of God. The Church is not yet the Kingdom of God but it is the embryo that will become the Kingdom of God.

And so again, things we have to learn, of how God works with us.  What does this teach?  Powerfully so the necessity for the Church, the necessity for what is called the Body of Christ and how God works in our life, that we are not yet the Kingdom of God, because of false religions out there teach that.  So God has to give truth to show, to reveal where the error is.  That’s why when we have talked about it in times past, when we went through things about Passover or Pentecost or the things that God has given us that is true, we came to a point early on in those things where God made it clear that you should just simply learn the truth and immerse yourself in it. And you know what that does?  You don’t have to go in and prove all the others things that are wrong, what other people do that are wrong, and investigate and sort them out and dig deep into them and try to understand where they’re coming from, because it’s going to be so clear to you.  When you see the truth the errors, the lies, are glaring.  When you’re grounded in the truth you see it and everything else that is not the truth is able to be seen easily as a lie, and so it is in these things here that God has given.  The more you see what is true, this truth here, the Church is not yet the Kingdom of God, then it makes all these other things that are lies out there come to life.  Someone comes along and says the Church is the Kingdom of God, you say... anyway, you don’t say anything – you feel that inside sometimes, but you realize right away you can’t talk to them, you can’t... if that’s what they believe.

There’s a great big Pentecostal meeting up here this weekend, wasn’t it the 97th year of this big Pentecostal thing they’re having?  And people that are dressed really nicely, people that are acting nicely.  Sometimes in some church conventions that they have people don’t act well and people don’t behave themselves well, but this is a very, very friendly group and I’ve run into several, I’ve talked to different ones, talked to a gentleman in the elevator today on the way up, not a long time, a short time by the time we got up to the 15th floor.  But when I got out I thought, “I look forward to the day that he learns.”  Because he’s excited about these Pentecostal meetings, this 97th anniversary they’re having.  I look forward to the time he’s no longer in bondage to such things, such misunderstandings, and when he’s able to share what is really true.  Like Mr. Armstrong used to say about individuals, “There are people out here who are very sincere about what they’re doing, and some who strive to do what is good with what they know, but they’re sincerely wrong.”  Like he said, they just don’t understand.  And you feel for them, you look forward to the day that they’re able to receive freedom, truly.

So again here....

The Church is not yet the Kingdom of God but it is the embryo that will become the Kingdom of God. A false gospel in traditional Christianity teaches that the church on earth is the Kingdom of God. Mr. Armstrong clearly saw that the coming literal Kingdom of God is the message Christ brought from the Father.

The good news that Jesus Christ brought from the Father to mankind!

John 3, we’ll read this quickly going through some of this.  An awesome story here of a teacher, of one of the chief teachers among the Pharisees.  They had a small group that were chief amongst themselves and here was one of the rulers, Nicodemus, who helped at the end to take care of Christ, but didn’t start out that way.  Here he feared more, was restrained from, kept from, not able to receive some things in His life, and just shows a struggle that was going on with him, but God working with him a little bit here and there to see and to have interaction with Jesus Christ for a purpose and a reason.

John 3:1 - There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, there’s reason for that; not to be seen of some others, didn’t want to be one who was known, amongst them especially, to actually go up and talk to Christ... wouldn’t have gone down well with the rest of them ...came by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that you’re a teacher come from God: now there were certain things they knew even though they hated and wanted to kill Him before it was over with. But there are certain things they had to acknowledge; for no man can do these miracles that You do unless God is with Him.  That’s an amazing thing that he acknowledged there! And Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Now the traditional world, Christianity today so mess this up in their ideas and their concepts; but it’s an awesome thing what Jesus Christ was telling him.

...except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. You’re able to see the Kingdom of God.  It’s a matter of that which is spiritual in the mind, and that’s what Jesus Christ is getting ready to talk to Nicodemus about.  There is that which comes from the spirit, just like we read in 1 Corinthians 2, that unless God’s spirit is in it you can’t see it.  It comes from the power of God’s spirit and something has to take place in your life before you’re able to clearly see such things.

Again, this word ‘born’ is ‘gennao’ – it means ‘to beget’ or it can be ‘fully born’.  So it can be the stage or the actual born part, ‘to bring forth as to be born’, or ‘to beget’.  In other words a begettal like the sperm and an egg, a begettal state that takes place in an embryo, in a beginning of life.  And the word ‘again’ here, it’s not even the word ‘again’, it’s a word that means ‘above’ or ‘from above’ showing the source, and used in such cases, in many cases, where it’s translated correctly, better, ‘from above’.  So ‘born from above’, but this isn’t exactly how Nicodemus took it, because so much of what Jesus Christ said, and especially in the beginning of John here – you remember John 6 where Jesus Christ gave the example of His flesh and His blood and that people were to eat and drink, and to them that was cannibalism and you don’t drink human blood and you sure don’t eat human flesh; and it says ‘many of His disciples quit following Him from that time.’

And then the woman at the well, she wanted that living water so she wouldn’t have to go back and forth – because all they could see is something physical, and that’s all Nicodemus could see.  So his response here to something, ‘to be born from above’ – What does this mean?  So he had a certain response and that’s why people get confused in some of what’s being said here.  And indeed, we understand that a person must be both begotten and born from above, from God; but let’s see what Nicodemus’ response was.

Nicodemus then said to Him, because we haven’t fully used these scriptures correctly, okay?  We used to use some of this to kind of poke a little fun at someone, that if they said they were ‘born again’, we’d say, “Well, I still see you. You’re not born again because you have to be spirit to be born again.”  That’s not all that this is talking about, okay?  And not a right thing to do something of that nature anyways.  But again here, Nicodemus then said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? So this is how he took it because he’s seeing totally physical, he’s not seeing something spiritual here at all.  He’s not grasping anything spiritual, nor can he.  And so he’s looking at this totally physical, “’From above’ – What does this mean?”

How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? This is all he could grasp, was something physical; to him this was so unreal.  What did that scripture say? 1 Corinthians?  ‘It seems foolishness to the natural mind.’  Here Jesus Christ said something and constantly to the people around Him it seemed foolish, what He had to say.  And this seemed a little foolish to Nicodemus, “How can such a thing happen?!”

And  Jesus answered and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man, and in other words; a person is born of water, and the word ‘of’ literally talking about ‘from’ or ‘from out of’ water, and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And so Jesus Christ in many respects is addressing the entire process here spiritually that has to take place in life, and that which is physical and that which is spiritual.

He says, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Now, the beginning part of this process is to understand if you are born of the flesh, indeed you are physical and your thinking is that way as well.  This is the way you are, this is your being, this is your response to the world around you as Paul talked about in 1st Corinthians 2; it’s the same sort of thing that’s being described here.

And He says, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. We begin a process when we’re begotten of the spirit. Before we’re born we must receive of the spirit, and that which is in us that begins to grow is spirit.  There is that embryo that we’re a part of in our being, in our mind, that is begotten.  But we’re not yet spirit beings!  We have to go through a process!  And it begins there with begettal and ends in finally being born when it comes to fruition, if there’s not miscarriage spiritually, which can happen, just like in the physical world.  And so again here, that which is being born of water and of the spirit, that can be a process of that which is physical and how we come into life, but is even more so when you take into that which is spiritual when we come up out of the watery grave and have hands layed upon us and that which we’re given in the mind and the being...but we’re not yet spirit beings until we’re changed, until it’s completed.  And so He’s just talking about an entire process here of what the word literally means here, that which comes from God begins with a begettal stage, you’re begotten, and then you are born.  But again, Nicodemus couldn’t understand these things and it wasn’t intended that he could and Jesus Christ is speaking of something here that only those in the Church could ever understand.

He says, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the spirit is spirit. To be spiritually minded... you can’t be that way without God’s spirit.  We must be spiritually minded.

Do not marvel that I said unto you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wants, and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it’s going: so is every one who is born of the spirit.  So again here, whether it be matters of that which is spiritual that you understand; people cannot grasp unless they receive of it, but especially that which is spiritual. You don’t know that which is spiritual, where it is.  It’s a matter of faith and we believe what God has given to us and we experience it, we witness it in our lives.

It’s an entire process of that which has to take place in people’s lives about the Kingdom of God, recognizing how God’s spirit works in our life until we can finally become literally a part of it.  It is by birth, by being born into it, by being fully spirit, not just receiving the impregnation of it.

So again here, that was part of this truth as we talked about here....

The Church is not yet the Kingdom of God but it is the embryo that will become the Kingdom of God.

Begettal starts in just the exact fashion that God gives human beings, a type of something physical that literally happens spiritually when we’re impregnated in the mind, when we receive that impregnation of God’s spirit.  A begettal growth that begins to grow takes time, can’t happen in an hour, a week, a month – takes time to grow, to be born finally into God’s Family.

1st Corinthians 15, it’s hard not to cover this one. This one screams out to be covered.

I Corinthians 15:50 - Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; that process begins in flesh and blood, the embryo that begins there, the Church is only the embryo, it’s not yet the Kingdom of God, it’s the embryo waiting to be born...and neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, that’s why it talks about Jesus Christ being the first to be resurrected of those that sleep.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trumpet: for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, awesome here; this is speaking to a group of people not in this age or in the age to come in the Millennium but rather about a very, very specific moment in time - it’s when Jesus Christ returns. That’s when it takes place.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trump: we all know what that Trumpet is, the last one that’s blown, the time that Jesus Christ begins His return, the time that He’s in the atmosphere, the time that those who are resurrected rise up to meet Him at the very beginning of Pentecost, when that begins ...and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality. Again, you can’t separate these truths.  We don’t have an immortal soul, it’s something we have to put on, that God gives us to put on, that we become – again – you just go through these and it’s all part of good news.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, when that finally happens, that which we don’t have, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

12 (9) Only those whom God the Father calls and draws to Him can be converted.

That’s why I mention an evangelist that has told people that, “If you turn with me in your Bibles you can see this, you can see and understand things about the Sabbath...” or other things that he teaches and whatever.  You think, “No, they can’t.  You can’t say that! You can’t say that to an audience out here, that they can see it. That’s in God’s hands!”  And it goes back to this truth here.  This is one that so many before the apostasy and especially after the apostasy forgot, ignored, lost it.  There are many who have lost this out there today.  They don’t have this truth anymore; they don’t live by this truth anymore. If they did they would have a better understanding of what’s happening to them and what’s happening to the world around them.

12 (9) Only those whom God the Father calls and draws to Him can be converted. Only those God chooses and calls now can come into the Church of God. Satan has deceived the whole world, and the Church is called out of that world. (John 6:44)

It is showing the power of what Satan has done, that until God comes along and chooses to call someone... every one of you – the only way that you’re here, the only way that you’re able to begin to see what is true, is because the Great God of the universe is drawing you.  How awesome is that?  Billions of people alive on this earth today – billions!  Who are we?  It should be a very humbling thing, and yet a thing of incredible deep gratitude and thankfulness to know the opportunity that God has afforded us and given to us, not to be lifted up by it but humbled by it.  That’s the kind of mind we should strive to have.  That means you’ll never look down on anyone else who doesn’t understand what you understand.  You’ll just understand it’s not their time yet and you look forward – like that man in the elevator and so many others I’ve seen the last couple of days here, of people who are trying to do something right, trying to live by a standard of life, to make life a little bit better, sincerely so but just sincerely wrong. I truly look forward to, would love to be able to go in there today and speak to them as I’m speaking to you and tell them what the truth of God is, that they be able to have the ears to hear it and want to hear it and be excited by it!  But I can’t because it’s not God’s will yet, see?  And neither can you to anyone else.  But we look forward to that, or we should.

That’s why in John 6:44 it says, Jesus Christ said - No man can come to Me, again, this is something we generally learn very early on.  But I tell you, I marvel at the people out there in the scattered Church that almost from the very get-go lost sight of this truth, who ceased living by it, who ceased believing it as a part of their life.  Because when you believe truth you will respond to it, it’ll affect your life in everything you do.  It’ll affect what you do as a Church and how you do it.  It’ll affect how you think about others and treat others and so forth.  Every truth we have should affect us that way, but this one was lost by many, truly, at the very beginning and never recaptured.

No man can come to Me, except the Father who has sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. Meaning the final or the end day or time; because everyone’s in their own order, everyone’s not in the same; and so a specific period of time for me is different than perhaps from you and so forth and on it goes in how God works in life.

And so again, talking about a process here of whereby we’re able to come into the Church and be begotten of God’s spirit and why and so forth until finally we’re able to be changed.  For all those of you who are new, you know your period of time!  There’s going to be a great resurrection and you have an opportunity to be resurrected to spirit life right then, but on that same period of time begins another resurrection – see?

Things will be given to you as much as in that... it’s like what’s going to happen to 144,000.  You realize that as soon as that takes place we’re able to have the same mind and the same song in our minds where we rejoice and glorify God in unison, in the same words.  We’re able to share in that beauty and be moved by it in ways we have never been moved before, by what we’re experiencing.  And we’re going to know what our jobs are as soon as we come back down on the same day.  We’re going to know in our mind and our being what we’re to be doing and how to do it.  It’s just in the mind that God gives it, it’s just in the mind and we know what we’re to do, where we are in the Body, how we’re to function, how the whole system of government of 144,000 works.

Some have believed in times past we’ve got to have 35 days, 30 days, 45 days to get some of this straight, it’s going to take us a while.  We get to sit up there for a while before we come back down... actually we’ve got to go all the way up to heaven and study for a while.  That’s really the idea behind these ideas that some have out there who are scattered.  We’ve got to go up there for a little while and get this stuff straight so that we can come back down here then and get on with the business of God’s Kingdom.  You think, “How limiting to God!!”  They don’t understand the truth that no, that’s not going to happen anyway – nobody goes to heaven.  No man goes to heaven except the One, Jesus Christ.

And so on that same day when it’s over with and we’re on the earth we know...and all of you being drawn and called in the last couple of years or so here, three years and whatever, that live on into the Millennium, that are the foundation of the Church at that time as far as human life – spirit life and spirit begotten life is concerned – you know that when you die you’re going to be resurrected on a particular day at the end of the thousand years.  Millions!  Not 144,000 this time... this time multiple millions, perhaps billions, we don’t know how many!  All for an organized methodical process of God saving mankind so that when the multiple billions who are resurrected back to physical life... you’re not going to have to go someplace and be gone for 30 days or 45 days to figure all this out, “How are we going to do all this, God? Teach me. I want this crash course!”  It’s going to be in your mind and you’re going to know what to do and where to do it.  That’s awesome to understand!

And yet, when you’re resurrected in the God Family you will have that mind because it’s the mind of God in you that you have, that you share in, power and might to know you yourself, individually, who you are in the Family, in the Body, to function within the Body exactly the way God has given you, moulded and fashioned you and prepared you.  It is an awesome thing to understand!  So you don’t have to worry about it, because on the same day, that great resurrection, by the time that day is over with you’re going to know everything there is to do and you’re going to be doing it.  It’s a beautiful thing, it really is, you in God’s Family and billions resurrected to physical life to be taught...to be taught - and there are going to be billions (possibly billions), millions for sure, to teach them.

So anyway, awesome what God has given to us! ...and I will raise him up at the last. The last time, whatever it is for each individual, the final time for each one.

As it is written in the prophets, And they all shall be taught of God. Every man therefore who has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes to Me. It’s the process that God has given.  God the Father draws by His holy spirit, and the word has to do with even ‘dragging’. Sometimes we’re not all excited about being drawn and we come kicking a little bit, holding onto our job, holding onto what am I going to do with family, what am I going to do with finances, what am I going to do with my boss – telling them about keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days...and so we don’t just run toward God, He kind of draws us where sometimes He’s dragging us, until we make the choices we need to make and then we are impregnated with God’s spirit and still drawing us, but again, a different process begins to work within us even more so there.  It’s exciting!

Going to read some more of this...Not that any man has seen the Father, save He who is of God, He has seen the Father. And so He’s going back to the most basic of things that come, that were given to Himself, that were given to Jesus Christ and that which is in Him and in His being and how far that goes, what all that means, not all that we can know yet until we’re in the God Family. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He who believes on Me, What does that mean?  When I was reading this I thought, “It’s so shallow in the world, “that believes on Me” – they think they believe on Christ.  Just say, you believe, or you accept Christ and that’s all you have to do.”  And they don’t understand that He’s referring to the fact that He’s the Messiah. They don’t understand what it means that He’s the Messiah.  They don’t even understand what it means that He’s the Passover.  They don’t understand, in the Old Testament, the Passover Lamb, and that He came as a lamb and that He says very clearly... it says very clearly in Revelation, He doesn’t come back as a lamb the next time, He comes as a lion.  And so very few in the world even believe that Jesus Christ is even coming!  Some do!  Some actually teach such a thing, but they don’t grasp what it means that He’s going to be the Messiah, what Messiah in the Old Testament means, that He’s going to rule the world, that He’s going to be King of kings!  He’s not up in heaven!  Amazing the things that the world just does not understand… and they can’t until God gives it to them.

So that’s why He gave this here, that No man can come to Me except that we’re given to the Father and then making it very clear what has been given to Him and that which is given to mankind through a calling.  He who believes on Me, in other words, that He is the Messiah, has everlasting life.  You cannot believe this, you cannot believe everything about the Messiah, the gospel, the good news, everything that it pictures and entails, everything we’re talking about today, because its focus is on Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the center, is everything to do with the good news.  Our ability to receive it, our ability to have it a part of our being, the ability to be forgiven so that we can have a relationship with God and Him dwell in us, and all that just continues on throughout the gospel message here, and these things that it’s talking about; when you do have that power dwelling within you, you have everlasting life.

As far as God is concerned once you have the impregnation of His holy spirit you’re there.  Now we have choices to make the rest of our life.  We have choices in responding to God.  But as far as God is concerned you have it made once you’ve received His holy spirit, the impregnation of His life within you.  And that’s what it’s talking about, having everlasting life; it doesn’t mean we’re changed yet, it doesn’t mean we’re in His Kingdom yet, it just means that life is in us. We have everlasting life that dwells in us until we literally are in it.

I am the Bread of Life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. They weren’t always excited about hearing about things like this, Pharisees, Sadducees, some of them; that’s why He told them these things.  He said, Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, they were of Moses, and they’re dead.  He says, This is the Bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die/never die. Have life, continuing life.  And when it says ‘not die’, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to die a physical death.  Those of us in the Church, those in times past who are part of the 144,000, all who have died, all those who ate of this life, drink of this life, they all died, obviously.  But it’s talking about death without life anymore.  The reality is once you have received it, once you’ve been sealed you have eternal life as far as God is concerned, just in His time.  You’ll be resurrected, that’s what you’re going to have next, you will have eternal life, not eternal death in other words.  So it’s the difference between not having life at all and having life for eternity.

This is that Bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. In other words, in time, through what is going to be given. It doesn’t prevent you from having a physical death; that’s not what it’s talking about.  I am the living Bread which came down from heaven: if a man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: in time, see, that’s what’s going to happen.  ...and the bread that I shall give is My flesh and I will give it for the life of the world. What an awesome thing, He’s talking about Passover, that you’re able to eat a piece of bread on Passover, that you’re going to eat something that represents His life and His death and what He went through for us and understand what it means that He’s your Passover when you go through this process.  And this life that’s dwelling in you that you’re able to share in this, as it talks about, communion, as it uses the word, fellowship with God when you participate in this.

Verse 52 - The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us of His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you. We have life in us, we have eternal life in us!  This is the context of what’s being discussed, because we take of that year by year by year. We have the impregnation of God in us. We have the spirit of God in form of embryo, as far as begotten life is concerned, waiting to be born. Whoso eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, has eternal life; in other words, abiding in you, dwelling in you; and I will raise him up at the last. He says it again, final day, final time, whatever that is for each person in the time of their calling.

For My flesh is meat indeed, because all those in the Millennium, all those in the Great White Throne, they must go through this same process, partaking of the Passover year by year by year; and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, dwells in Me and I in him. He’s showing that eternal life that we have.

As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he who eats Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead; but this is a bread; in other words, he that eats this bread shall live forever.

Now, I want to go on and read the rest because He’s not through with this story in what He’s telling them. He said these things in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore, many of the disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? And when Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it... There were those following Him at this point in time, not speaking of the twelve there, but speaking of a group of people that had followed Him, a group of disciples, and He knew that they were in a wrong spirit, they were in a wrong attitude and they were murmuring, “This is too hard!”  Criticizing Christ for speaking in this fashion, in this form.  That’s what they were doing.  And He said , He knew in Himself, that His disciples murmured at it.  And He said to them, Does this offend you? Powerful!  He knew that they were offended. He knew why they were murmuring.

And He says, What if you shall see the Son of man ascend up from where He was before? It is the spirit that quickens; or in other words, that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing: but they couldn’t receive it, and so often it has to do with attitude.  Our ability as God... you know the disciples were being drawn and there were other disciples at that time being drawn by God and they had an opportunity but they made choices along the way, and they couldn’t fully receive what they did until Pentecost, until after Jesus Christ was dead and resurrected and then appeared, and then time went by and finally Pentecost and God poured out His spirit and the Church began.  It is an incredible story of something that was taking place here of an ability of human beings to reject, to begin to find fault with things of God.  I’ve seen it over and over and over again of people being drawn by God.

It is the spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. There’s power in these words that God gives to us.  That’s what makes it come alive.  The truths that we have... it’s an awesome process.  That’s why I get excited when I talk about the truths that God has given to us because there’s power in it, there’s life in it, and the bolder you become by the more you see it, the more you’re convicted of it, the more it’s a part of your life, it truly is. It’s a powerful factor of faith, in confidence I should say, in boldness that you have.  And so whenever...that’s why I’ve told people over and over again, whenever any doubt of any kind ever comes in your mind – go back to these.  This is your life, this is your power, these are the words of God that He’s given to His Church; precious, powerful truths that God has revealed, restored, given to the Church.  Awesome!

The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. That’s what makes it different with us than others around us.  That’s why someone can stand right beside you and hear words and hear what their definition of is in the world around them and not even come close to anything of what you see.

But there are some of you who do not believe. I’d say it was the bottom line, “You just don’t believe it.  You’re not willing to follow, you’re not willing to learn, you’re not willing to continue in the course, you’re more interested in finding fault here with the Messiah, Himself, the Passover Lamb.”  They had no comprehension, they began to lose that, and yet they witnessed so many things just like anyone else being drawn and called in times past have to make choices and decisions as they’re being drawn.

For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who should betray Him. Some of those that would turn against Him even.  Because of this, He told them...and so this is the reason, He goes back to in the beginning what He said, because He knew from the beginning, because it was the mind of God in ways we don’t comprehend.  Powerful!  Because of this, He told them therefore I said to you, that no man can come to Me, except it’s given unto him of My Father. That’s why He started this story in the first place.  Powerful that we learn the lesson, that it stay with us, that we grasp and comprehend why we’re able to see what we see, how we’re able to come to Jesus Christ, how He is able to live and work in our lives then, to mould and fashion us so we receive everything from Jesus Christ.  It comes from God the Father, but it comes through Jesus Christ to us, our elder brother.  From that time many of His disciples went back, and did not walk with Him anymore. Incredible!

One more....

13 (10) The resurrection to judgement.

The eight that are foundational in that respect as far as a gospel message, the good news that God gave to the Church after building upon for the entire period that Mr. Armstrong was alive; number one and number two, because they were a part of his life all the way through.  He grew in them.  He grew in power.  He grew in understanding of those, but everything else was built upon that. And these eight that we’ve gone through in this particular sermon series are foundational to that gospel message, that good news – and then we’ll talk about the others later and how it all fits in.

But again, it says....

13 (10) The resurrection to judgement. The resurrection to judgment is the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20).

What a shame that the world doesn’t grasp it.  What a shame that people don’t understand the good news.  And even in the Church of God sometimes we don’t grasp this one to the degree we should, we truly don’t!  Because we still have some of these concepts of the world in our mind which has to do with the here and now, right now, and death; and because of that sometimes we don’t grasp things about death in the way that God has given it, the truth that’s there.  I think of sometimes people talking about and even finding fault with God, because that’s really what’s being said when some have talked about things that are going to happen at the end of this age and, “What about innocent children? He’s going to allow this to happen to innocent children?”  Yes.  And people have died for 6,000 years, young and old alike.  But I’ll tell you a powerful truth...if you want to go back in time, those who were children are far blessed, they’re so awesomely blessed that they indeed had an opportunity of life, to be resurrected later on, they don’t have to unlearn and they’re able to receive of something in a powerful way they would never have opportunity to in the first 6,000 years.

We can find fault with God sometimes in our thinking, not understanding the mercy and the grace and the favour of God.  I think of some young children in certain parts of the world; I think... it’s been ongoing – Somalia that’s been written off by the world.  So many parts of the world that man just ignores and writes off, truly.  We’re too concerned about taking care of ourselves.  Just like right now!  The reason this government is not going to be able to change anything...Who’s going to give up what they have?  Who is going to make a strike against something that’s going to destroy their career and their life?  And when it comes down to it, nobody wants to give up anything.  They want someone else to give up something, that it doesn’t affect them directly, but I’ll tell you what, the ones that it affects, they scream loudly!  We’re so consumed with self and it’s so engulfed the world.

But even we ourselves sometimes have to be careful how we look at death.  There are going to be people you know who die.  Rejoice in God’s plan.  Be thankful that their next waking moment is going to be in an awesomely beautiful world – far better than in the beginning of the Millennium – far, far better than even the beginning of the Millennium.  There’s a lot to unravel, a lot to undo, a lot to change for three and four generations into the Millennium.  It’s going to take a lot of work.  It’s going to become a beautiful world, but that which follows at the end is far more beautiful than anything through the Millennium.

So, do we mourn?  Are we sorrowful when someone dies?  Absolutely!  Because we’re not going to be able to be with them again; but it’s not over with.  That’s what the hope is of something like this that’s so awesome – the resurrection to judgement, a time when we recognize that all mankind that has ever lived is going to have the ability and the opportunity to learn God’s way of life in a world that’s going to be ruled by billions, most likely billions in the God Family by that time.  An awesome world!  Because it’s hard!  It’s hard when you’ve lived a life in a cruel world to be resurrected back to life again and you have a whole lifetime to change, to conquer, and to overcome.

13 (10) The resurrection to judgement. The resurrection to judgment is the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20).   This period of judgment covers 100 years and follows the time of the Millennial reign of Christ on earth. God has not been trying to “save” the world

See, it happens again and again and again – God has a plan to save mankind, to all who will receive it.  Not everyone will, but what an awesome plan to save it.

God has not been trying to “save” the world over the past 6,000 years, and the billions who have not had the opportunity for salvation during this time will have it at this coming time of judgment. Their time for salvation is coming. Over this time of judgment, those resurrected to a second physical life will have to prove they want to live differently than they did in their first life.

It’s beautiful.   I’m not going to read the scriptures that go along with that, Revelation 20.  We’ve been through them so many times; very clear about a second life, because there is a second death.  You think when people read those things why doesn’t that jump out?  Well, we’ve already gone through it already why, because it’s God’s spirit that has to give it, God’s spirit that has to reveal it.

I hope you’re inspired, moved and motivated and excited by the truths that were given a long time ago.  For us it’s a long time ago; for some of you it’s really a long time ago because it was before you were even born!  But God worked through a long lifetime, 50 plus years through Mr. Armstrong, to teach, to restore, to give to the Church through much sacrifice, through much hard work that went through his life and the life of those in the Church during Philadelphia.

~~~end

Table of Contents

Start