A Way of Life

Wayne Matthews

April 13, 2013

Today's sermon is entitled A Way of Life.

The Eternal God, Yahweh Elohim, lives a way of life that is perfect in thought, word and action. God's way of life is outgoing and is defined in His word as love. His ways produce eternal peace. We understand, brethren, that God is peace, but to fully comprehend that on a spiritual level, the carnal mind can't. His life is happy, fulfilled, rewarding and He is genuinely excited about life.

The world does not know God's way of life. Mankind, was created with a mind that believes it is right in its own ways. So man believes he is right, and we have been called out of that, of course, so we understand that this mind that man has cannot believe God; it cannot know God and it cannot see God in God's beautiful way of life.

God describes the mind of man as being carnal - it's a carnal mind and God describes it as being hostile or against - it's against His way of life, His way of living, His way of thinking...because that's the way God created it. Man cannot, of and by himself, think Godly, cannot think righteously.

We have many examples in the Bible where mankind has set out to obey God's law on a physical level. So man, without God's spirit, can try to keep God's law on a physical level, and there are religions that strive to do that. But the outcome of that is, and we can see examples of that, is self-righteousness because as man strives to keep it he sees that he is keeping it himself and therefore he gives himself the credit and therefore elevates himself in his pride, and the end result of his diligence in trying to keep God's law on a physical level, keeping the Sabbath, not killing, not lying, not stealing (in his own thinking), it leads to self-righteousness, "I am better than you." That's what it lead so.

So without God's spirit man can strive to keep God's law, the 10 Commandments, the Sabbath, the Holy Days, but what it leads to is a disaster because this mind that God gave man is not capable to think spiritually without God.

Let's look at a couple of scriptures that define the way that man thinks and we'll start in Proverbs 16:25 - There is a way, this is a way of thinking, that seems right to a man, now, that 'seems' has been added there. It is There is a way right to a man, so there is a way that in man's thinking that he thinks he's right, and that way, of course, is a way of sin, it's a way of self-justification. ...but it's end, the outcome, the result, is the way of death. The carnal mind and it's way of thinking does lead to sin and we know the penalty for sin is death. This way of the natural man does lead to death, and it's talking about a spiritual death in the end, that if this carnal mind, this natural mind is not changed (the way that it thinks), it will result in death.

Proverbs 16:2, just dropping back; All the ways, so it's all the ways -  all the thinking of a man are pure in his own eyes; so the way that man thinks it, about things and the way that man's mind thinks, he thinks he's right. If we thought we were wrong in a natural way we wouldn’t do it, we know we're right, it's the way we are. We think we're right in our own eyes. So it says, All the ways, all the thinking of a man are pure in his own eyes. In other words, he believes his motive is good and he believes that everything he's doing is justified because of the way that he is. He's not wrong, he's right... but the Eternal weighs the spirits. What God looks at is the attitude or the motive behind the words and the actions. That is what God is looking at, God is looking at intent. Because people can be generous; in this world, using a natural carnal mind, people can be very, very generous, but deep down there is motive behind it, there is an attitude behind it, and man's natural mind can only be the way of get, it's getting something back. So what it normally gets back is something to do with vanity. It's about the stroking of the ego because, well, we're going to be seen to be like we're generous and people will speak well of us and therefore we'll take it to ourselves and say, "Yep, I'm generous," because that's what our attitudes or our motives are, or we're trying to get something out of the other person by even giving. We're trying to get something back, whether it's credibility or maybe it's something on a physical level, we're trying to get something back from them.

What God looks at is the actual... He weighs the spirit, He looks at the attitude or the motive behind why we do what we do.

Continuing on about man's ways in Proverbs 21:2 - Every way, previously it was 'all the ways', now it's Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: driven by pride. Everything we do on a physical level is driven by an aspect of pride, and we will defend ourselves because we believe we are right in our own eyes, otherwise we wouldn't do it. ...but the Eternal weighs the hearts. God looks at the inner thinking, the inner man, why it is deep down. Now man within himself can't even see his own motives, he can't identify them because they're spiritual in nature.

Now, sometimes we can see our motives and we can see why we're doing things, but deep down in the inner man mankind cannot see his inner man, because it's a spiritual matter and it's God that weighs that and looks at that inner man and what he is really thinking, his real motive, his real intent, which of course, is one that is against God; but of course, mankind can't see of and by himself.

Turning back to Proverbs 15:10 - Harsh discipline, or correction in some versions of the Bible, harsh correction/discipline is for him who forsakes the way: now it's talking about 'the way'. There is a way of life. God says here that there is a discipline or a correction for anyone that forsakes the way which is God's way, God's way of thinking or God's way of living which is based on God's word. ...and he who hates correction, so anybody that hates a type of correction - which the natural carnal mind doesn't like it because it's right in its own eyes and for someone to come along and say, "Well, you're wrong in this, or your behaviors are wrong in this," mankind's mind recoils at that, because he's right in his own eyes, he's justified in his own eyes, and he will defend himself and his attitudes because he doesn't want to admit that he's wrong.

Says ...and he who hates correction, and this is more talking about spiritual reproof, will die. Because the reality is that if we cannot take correction the end result is we cannot change, because we'll remain self-justified, we'll remain in our own thinking, which is 'we are right'. But God says clearly through scripture that the natural carnal mind is wrong, it's actually against Him, and the only way for it to change is that you've got to have correction. So, in sermons and other things what it really is all about is repentance. Correction enables repentance. If we are spiritually minded we will see that correction, or reproof, it enables repentance, because if we're not corrected we will continue the way we are, we'll continue with our own thinking, we will continue with our own way of defending ourselves and our own self-righteousness. But once correction comes, then of course it does really require God's spirit, but there are people in the world that do take correction on a physical level and they do change on a physical level, but deep down in the inner man often will not admit that he was wrong, he'll just comply, go along with it, but deep down he is thinking, "Well, you know, this person has corrected me. He's wrong." And they build up a resentment, but they'll do it either just to keep the peace or they'll do it just to make sure that they're not seen as being wrong in someone else's eyes, they'll make that adjustment.

Any correction that comes from God enables repentance, and that is our life. That is the life of a true Christian, repentance. It's an ongoing way of life. The title of the sermon is 'A Way of Life'. Once called, a person's way of life is that of continual correction which enables repentance, continual repentance.

If we don't see sin or spiritual faults, how can we choose to change? So how can we choose to repent if we don't see it? If we think we're right and God doesn't reveal sin to us, we'll just continue on with that sin for the rest of our lives. God must correct man's thinking to bring him into Elohim, and that is a wonderful and marvelous gift of understanding, that we can understand that. This is the only way mankind can begin to see that his ways are selfishly motivated, because it requires a calling from God. Man will continue in his way of life, in his way of thinking until he is called, and then God asks us to walk in a different way of life, His way of life.

Let's turn to Jeremiah 10:23 - O LORD/O Eternal, I know the way of man is not in himself: here Jeremiah is saying that he knows that the way of man, the way of man's thinking, is not in himself, to think godly, to think righteousness; it's just not in man, that's the way man was made. God made man with a natural carnal mind for a purpose, for a purpose of that one day he will be called and that he could think differently. He's going to change the way man thinks.

...it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. Because the truth is, to walk, to direct our steps in a godly way requires God's spirit.

Verse 24 - O Eternal, correct me, but with justice, with mercy. Here Jeremiah is saying, well, he understood that he needed correcting. His mind, his natural carnal mind needed adjusting, it needed correcting, and he asked God to do it in mercy...because we need so much correction and if it was all to come in one hit we just wouldn't cope, the natural mind just won't cope with the fact of how wrong we are in the inner man. Deep down, if we were to see it all, we would just collapse and give up on all of it because it's just too much to bear. But God in His mercy takes us through a process, and it's called conversion and it takes years. It doesn't happen in one or two or five or ten, it actually takes years to adjust from the way of thinking like a man, which is self-righteousness, justification, prejudice - and God in His mercy reveals aspects of things and we go, "Ah, now I see it, that this behaviour that I've had for thirty years or twenty years is not right, it does not comply with the way that God thinks. It's not about God's way of life, it's different, it's contrary to Him so I need to make an adjustment."

He says in verse 24 - O Eternal, correct me, but with justice/but with mercy; not in Your anger, cause if God did it in His anger, lest You bring me to nothing, we'd be destroyed.

In Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, this inner thinking, the inner man is deceitful. It will justify itself above all, it's about...really is... inner man, deep, deep down in the inner man, in the thinking we will protect ourselves, we will justify and we will not admit we are wrong. So we'll struggle for the mind, the natural mind to do it. Now, God made us this way for a purpose. ...and desperately wicked: there is a scripture in here which it interprets 'is sick'; the natural mind is actually sick, it's perverted; Who can know it? Well, God does, and then God goes on and says, I, the Eternal, search the heart, He searches the inner mind, the inner man; I test the mind, the secret parts, even to give every man according to his ways, to his choices, to what we choose, and according to the fruit of his doings. God is working with mankind. When He decides to call somebody and give them the gift of repentance they then can begin to make the decisions, and it does require God's spirit living in a person to begin to see spiritual matters.

God's way is also defined as that of peace; where God's way of thinking or God's way, is one of peace. God is at peace. God is not competing. God is not fighting against something to win a victory, because God is all powerful. God is at peace with all His way of thinking, His way of life. God is peace. Whereas man's way, deep down, is the way of hate. Man does compete. Man is prejudice. Man thinks he is right, he is better. And that applies to everything in life, only man can't see it.

We, as God's people, can learn to live peace and extend it to others by the way we think. That can only happen if God's spirit is given to us so that we begin to take on a mind of peace. And it does take a long time of practice, as we had in a sermon previously, that we have to practice this way of life, we have to live this way of life that God has called us to. But the only way that we can live it is through the power of God's spirit, but we must make a choice. So we'll be put in a certain situation and then we can see spiritually so we see how the natural mind would react to something. But we also are given the gift of repentance to see, and this mind to see, how we should handle it, how God does handle it, and therefore we have a choice and that is the power of God's spirit....but we still have that choice. We decide that, yes, we want to do it God's way...then it is God in us that does the work, the deed, the righteousness, because righteousness sits with God.

Peace is the outcome of living and administering God's way - I'll repeat that - peace is the outcome of living and administering God's way in our life. That's what God is, God is peace. God lives peace. God administers peace. For it to live in us we have to allow God's spirit to live in us so that peace can go out to the benefit of others.

The apostle Paul was well aware of this way of life that people had chosen. If you'd like to turn to Acts 22. This is Paul, of course, making a statement here based on his conversion, and this is something that he stated: Acts 22:4 - I persecuted this way to the death, now, 'this way' was those that had followed Jesus Christ and had accepted what Jesus Christ had spoken and the way that He lived, and it is a way of life. Jesus Christ reflected God's way of life, God living and dwelling in Him. Paul says, I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. So there were people that God had called that had begun to live this way of life, a way of life of peace. They had chosen to discipline themselves by the power of God's spirit, but of course it was based on a calling, and here is Paul saying he persecuted this way, those that had taken on this way of life, this battle of the inner man that takes place once called, that we have to fight our thoughts, we have to fight the natural carnal mind that we were born with, with the power of God's spirit. Here Paul is saying, well, he persecuted those people, he hunted them down, he bound them and put them in prison, those that he could identify as entering into a way of life that he was contrary to, that he was against.

Acts 24:14 - But this I confess to you, that according to the way, it's talking about the way of life, the way of God, which they call a sect, well, it's no different today, brethren, we're called a sect because God's Church, PKG, is called a sect because we live God's way of life. We have chosen, following a calling, to live a particular way of life. We do strive to keep the 10 Commandments in their spiritual intent, in the inner man. We do keep the Sabbath and Holy Days. We strive to fight the inner man, the thoughts, the natural carnal mind, we fight the prejudices that dwell in us which are natural. Everyone is prejudice in the inner man, but God's spirit tells us we are wrong. We take the correction so we live this way of life. But because we live this way of life we look odd. If we didn't look odd something would be really wrong, it really would be, because we went through all the other scriptures that were saying that the natural carnal mind is hostile to God, we saw that it was self-righteous, it was justified in all its ways, therefore it's contrary to God. Therefore, if we fit into society and we're not different and we're not seen as a sect we would have to say we were still operating on the natural carnal mind. But see, the natural carnal mind can identify something different, it sees this group of people which are God's people, but it doesn't comply with them, it doesn't think the same as them, and the natural carnal mind in its 'righteousness' thinks well, they're right therefore this other group is wrong, God's Church is wrong. This natural carnal mind will fight against God's way of life.

And here, Paul is saying, But I confess to you, that according to the way which they called a sect, which of course is the way that we live...it's the way that we live, so I worshipped the God of my fathers, believing all things which were written in the law and in the prophets: Going on in verse 15 - I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, well that's the hope that lies within us, both of the just, those that are part of 144,000, those that have entered the battle of this way of life, and of the unjust, those that are not called, the natural carnal mind; all of those, of course that are looking into a resurrection to live into the hundred year period.

Verse 16 - This being so, I myself also strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Here Paul was admitting to this battle that is in the inner man. There is a vast contrast, and it's to see it as dark and light, and it's to see it as day and night, truth and error. There is a complete contrast, it's as clear as black and white, really. Here is Paul saying, well, he's entered into this battle against the darkness within him, the sin. He's battling the sin and he wants the light, the truth, to dwell in him, and he says one of the things he's doing is that, I myself always strive, so he's battling this inner man, the darkness that's in him, he's fighting against it, this is the sin that's in him, he fights against that, and he strives against it, to have a conscience. It's a way of thinking without offense toward God, so he's striving to obey God in all things, He's trying to submit to the power of God's spirit. He's making choices in His life to do it God's way, to live a way of life that God would be pleased with...and towards men. Which is the last part of the commandments. We are to strive to live love toward others. Love towards God and love toward mankind.

We see that Paul entered the same battle that we are in in this way of life. He set out, of course, to persecute it and destroy it and then God called him, and now here is Paul saying that he now strives to live this way of life, a way that we've been called to. And at some point in time the vast majority of all mankind will be given that opportunity to live this way of life. We just happen to be ambassadors at this point in time, we happen to be pioneers of a way of life that all mankind, those that hate us with a passion now, will one day have to enter into this same battle, and if they don't, the scripture proves it, it is said the outcome is death, because it's either man's ways which lead to death or God's way that leads to life.

We're going to have a look at John 14:1 - Let not your heart, or your inner thinking, be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's House/Temple are many 'mansions', and of course this, we know, is 'places of dwelling, of abode': if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. So here Christ is saying, which they didn't understand what He was talking about, but Christ was saying that He would die for all mankind and pay the penalty of sin, and in doing so He would make a way so that God the Father and Jesus Christ could dwell in a person, in the Temple, because we are the Temple of God. In My Father's House/In My Father's Temple are many dwelling places; God is letting us know that that is part of His plan, that's how it's going to be achieved, it would be by His death, Christ's death, Passover, that sin could be passed over, covered, which would enable an individual or individuals to follow or fellowship with God and with God's people. And Leviticus 16 covers this process in detail, which is covered by Atonement.

So it is through Passover that we can now enter into a fellowship with God the Father Himself and with Jesus Christ. And by that we then can fellowship, have a relationship, with God's people, because we are God's people when God the Father through the power of His holy spirit dwells in us, so then we can have a relationship with each other because we become of the same mind.

Verse 3 - And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, it's a process, progressive, 'am coming', and receive you to Myself; that where I am, in other words, where the Body is, the Church, there you may be also. So this can only take place IF God the Father and Jesus Christ through the power of God's spirit dwells in us. That's what enables the relationship that we can have with God the Father, and with one another as brethren.

Now, the world cannot identify the fact that it can have a relationship with us. It can't, not on a spiritual level. It's actually impossible because we're going back to this light and dark; the dark mind, the carnal mind is impossible to see light without the power of God's spirit - just can't do it. People do, they adjust, sort of accept us as being different and odd, but one day they will see that they also are going to have to enter into this very battle. And like me, when I was first called, it takes time to fully grasp or comprehend what this battle really is of the inner man, because the beginning of obedience, when you're called, there is a minor battle but a lot of it's semi-cosmetic because they're more basic things of physical Sabbath keeping, physical commandment keeping, starting to see a little bit of intent. So we adjust our lives, we don't eat unclean foods anymore - they're very physical things but it takes time to see the real spiritual intent of eating clean foods versus unclean foods. We make those physical adjustments. We don't work on the Sabbath, we do it more on a physical level, we don't fully comprehend the deep meaning of the Sabbath and what God has built into the Sabbath as far as the plan and a way of worshipping Him. We do a lot of physical things, we make a lot of physical adjustments, believing in ourselves that it's driven all by God's spirit in the sense of that we're right, but a lot of it is simply physical adjustments that we make. We decide that we're no longer going to keep Christmas and Easter. So a lot of it is sort of physical, but we don't fully comprehend the deep meaning and we don't really see where those things truly come from or why they're being organized the way they have. This is the process of conversion; it does take time.

Dropping on down to verse 4 there - And where I go you know, the way you know. Here Christ is saying, "Well, there is a way to where I am going." And of course, He is going to sit on the right hand of the Father, He is going to be given life, everlasting life, and there is a way, He's saying, that you can achieve this, and the way you know. We can only know the way if we are called to know it and then live by faith. The way is spiritual. The way is God and Christ living in us, dwelling in us by the power of God's spirit. Here is Christ talking about a spiritual way to have life, everlasting life, and of course, they did not have God's spirit dwelling in them.

God was with them here, and their natural reaction, which is the way man would think was Thomas in verse 5 - Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know the way you are going; and how can we know the way? Which is normal! Here is somebody saying these things and Thomas is saying, "Well, we don't know the way? We don't really understand what You're talking about." Then Christ gives him the answer, a spiritual answer.

Verse 6 - ...I am the way, the truth, and the life: and no one comes to the Father, except by/through Me. God was revealing that the way into His Family and the way of becoming at one with Him in unity of spirit was through His Son Jesus Christ. We would need to be called and then accept Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that God gave for us - if we accept that we then have a way into a relationship with Him and a way into life everlasting. The very process that was at work in Jesus Christ was about to begin working in others in order to accomplish a transformation of the mind, which would lead into God's Family... so we go back to the beginning where we see there was two minds. We have this carnal mind, this natural mind, and then there is God's way, God's way of thinking.

We have to accept that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins. So it opened a way, for once sin could be forgiven God the Father could dwell with us and live in us so that good works could come out through us to the benefit of others. There cannot be a relationship with the Father unless sin is forgiven. There had to be a way that sin would be forgiven so that God's spirit could dwell in us.

Verse 7 - If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also: and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Again, you can understand seeing that; it's no different than now if you were to say these things to a natural carnal mind, that "If you had known Me you would have known My Father." People would go, "Beg your pardon? What are you talking about?" Jesus was the Logos, the Word made flesh. Jesus Christ was the mind and the thinking of God Himself. If you had seen or known Jesus Christ, the way He acted, the way He lived His life, you would have seen the Father, you would know the Father, because they are one and the same in the way that they think - one mind in complete unity.

Verse 8 - Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us. In other words, "This is just too complicated. Just show us the Father and therefore it'll all be solved, we don't have to worry about how complicated this is." But it really wasn't complicated at all if you have a spiritual mind, because it is about a way of thinking, it is about a way of life that Jesus Christ lived, which is the way the Father lives.

Verse 9 - Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me, Philip? Because if he's known Jesus Christ and seen how Jesus Christ acted, responded, spoke, lived; it's the same as the Father! He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so everything that Jesus Christ did was the Father living and dwelling in Him. It's one and the same thing as far as thought, word and action. So how can you say, Show us the Father? Christ was the way of God, the way of love, the way of peace. That's what Christ was. Christ was the way of life, was God's way of life, God's way of thinking. Christ was the revelatory thought of God; He could only think as God thought. Jesus Christ was the complete image of God. When it comes to a spiritual reflection of a way of life Jesus Christ reflected the Father, He was the thinking of God.

Verse 10 - Do you not believe that I am in the Father, in other words, in complete unity of thought and purpose, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own: but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Here is Jesus Christ giving the credit of all spiritual works in thought, word and action, to the Father, because the only way that a person can have righteousness dwell in them is because God the Father lives and dwells in them. The only way that a person can do spiritual good, spiritual works, is it's God the Father living in the person that does the works. And here is Christ giving the credit to the Father; but the Father who dwell in Me does the works. All spiritual good that comes out of a person, out of any human, has to come from God the Father, and we can take no credit to ourselves for spiritual good. It is God that does the works in and through us.

Verse 11 - Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Christ is saying, "Only God is good." Only God is good. He'd say that in a statement, "Only God is good. Why do you call Me good? Only God is good. Only God can do good." And of course, only God Himself can achieve righteousness in a person. Of and by ourselves we cannot do good on a spiritual level. We must have God and Christ dwelling in us so that good works can be achieved. It is God that does the works.

Verse 12 - Most assuredly I say to you, He who believes in Me, believes that Christ was the very Word, the thinking of God, the works, the spiritual good that I do he will do also; it'll be God that does it because God would dwell in them and it is Him that does the works; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to My Father.

Verse 13 - And whatever you ask, spiritually; talking about spiritual works, righteousness, in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. God the Father must be given the credit for all spiritual fruit developed and borne by a member of the Body of Christ. We can take nothing to ourselves. It is not us that does good works, it is God the Father living and dwelling in us that does the works.

Verse 14 - If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. And He's talking about anything spiritual that supports the development of Elohim and that is in accordance with God's will. We can't go asking for all these wonderful (what we think is wonderful) physical things if it's not in accordance with God's will. God is interested in developing a Family, a spiritual Family to dwell in Elohim, He in them for eternity. God's main focus and purpose is to develop a Family, therefore His focus is spiritual - how can He develop righteous character in us. And of course, that's what a calling is about, that we are called from a state of mind that is hostile to Him, and we were made that way for that very purpose so that we at some point can make a choice to desire God to live and dwell in us, because we give God all the credit and we take no credit to ourselves.

We don't justify ourselves, we want God to live and dwell in us, we want God's character, we want God's mind, we want to come into unity with Him, we want the truth to dwell in us and that's what repentance is about. When we identify that we're not in unity with God and God's way of thinking, God's way of life, we repent, and we can go before God. Jesus Christ made the way that sin can be forgiven. We have access to God, access to God's throne so that we can approach Him anytime we desire and we can ask God, "Forgive me. Forgive me for my natural carnal mind and what I chose, because I know that it's wrong because you've given me this gift of repentance... and I reject it, I do not want this natural carnal mind." As you go longer and longer in God's Church you begin to see more and more, and sometimes you look at it and think, "Wow! I'm not making much progress here!" Because it's just that you're seeing a deeper person, you're seeing more of yourself. Because as you go on in God's Church we only see in a limited way, who we really are. We think we see ourselves and what we are but we don't, and the moment we're put into certain environments or situations the real self comes back out because that's the way we are and we don't allow God's spirit to flow out, we don't allow love and peace to flow out to the benefit of others. In actual fact, we often choose our natural carnal mind because we think it's justified in doing that, you have the right to respond a particular way to a person. No, we don't. And that's what the conversion is about, it's about changing the way we think.

Continuing on in verse 14 - ...if you ask anything in My name I will do it. So that's about the development of Elohim, it's about a change of the way we think.

Verse 15 - If you love Me, keep My commandments. Now it's talking about if we truly love God we will keep the spiritual intent of the commandments; we won't set out to lie, we will look at our inner man, we'll examine our words, our thoughts, and we will see whether they are in unity. Are they truly accurate? Are they 100% true or are we shading it a little bit to protect that natural carnal mind? If we love God we will strive to keep all of the commandments - all of the commandments.

Verse 16 - And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that it may abide with you forever; that's talking about God's spirit, God's spirit that enables right thinking and righteousness.

Verse 17 - The spirit of truth; the spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, the world cannot receive the 57 Truths of God, it just cannot receive them, it's impossible, because that natural carnal mind is self-righteous! It is right in its own eyes! Who is anyone to tell it that it's wrong? It's only by a calling and God's spirit that we can see that we are wrong and that we can accept the spirit of truth.

Say's here in verse 17 - The spirit of truth; which the world cannot receive, because it neither sees it, nor knows it. But you know it, for it dwells with you and will be in you. So that is the way that we can identify whether we are in unity with God: Do we believe the truth? ...and at what level do we believe the truth? That's how we can tell we're at one with God.

The world is full of doctrinal confusion and manmade organizations which say they teach the Word of God, the way of God, and of course we know that's not true. Yet the Almighty God states that He is not the author of confusion (you find that in 1 Corinthians 14:33), yet this world is deeply confused concerning His word, His truth and His way of life. There cannot be two ways of life. There cannot be two ways of life, there can only be one way of life that God has established, God's way. God clearly states in scripture, '...no lie is of the truth', (1 John 2:21), yet mankind accepts and lives lies willingly. Sunday worship - that's a lie! Sunday worship, worshipping the sun on the 1st day of the week is a lie, it's contrary to what God says. So it's either right or wrong. Christmas - Christ's mass, Catholic - anybody that keeps Christmas is giving credit to the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church which persecuted God's way of life, true way of life. Easter - Ishtar, Halloween and all the religious worships that these religious organizations have established are based on lies. They are not of God! Now, that's just simple black and white, but of course the natural carnal mind will justify, "Well, we're still showing love to God..." No, God says that no lie... anything that is based on a lie is not of truth, and yet God's way is about truth! God has a plan and a purpose in letting man go as long as he can, in the sense of 6,000 years, in his own way of resisting His will and His way of life.

So this is God's purpose: God's purpose is to let man go as long as it requires, and God established 6,000 years, where man would just operate on his natural carnal mind, outside of those that God would call out of that way of thinking into His way of thinking. We are now entering a time of all of this to be corrected. This 6,000 years of man and man's self-righteousness, his natural carnal mind that's hostile to God, his self-justification, his prejudices are going to be corrected, finally. God is about to teach mankind that there is only one true way to live life. Isn't that wonderful? I'm excited by that, because when you see a person called or awakened and come back into unity with God and God's way of life it is an exciting thing. Unity brings peace. Unity brings peace. This one way of life, this one way of thinking, this unity is what Elohim is about. Elohim is about peace, one way of thinking, no competition. That is just exciting! And we get little aspects of that in our life, we live aspects of that in our life today with the power of God's spirit, but we don't have it all the time, we just don't because our natural mind dominates our life.

Although God knew there would be an angelic rebellion, the choice of how to live was theirs to make. Those angels couldn't blame anyone else for their choices. God taught the angels that there was only one true way to live life. He also taught them that choosing any other way of life would produce automatic penalties. We now know that the penalty of sin, this penalty for rejecting God's only true way of life was everlasting death. This is the same penalty for rebellion of mankind who now has chosen, at this point, because of their mind, not to live God's way. But they will be given that opportunity to choose, but if they refuse at some point in their life after a resurrection they will face a death, and of course it's called the second death in scripture because they've lived twice. But they will be given that choice; you can choose God's way or a way of life that is contrary to His.

Those angels who chose to live God's way have shared in the joy that God is working out His plan of His creation, for His creation. That plan, God's plan, is to create a Family that are composed of spirit which has the same Word, same mind and thinking of God Himself. They will live God's way of life because they have the same mind. It thinks mercy, peace and love. With God's spirit we can desire this, we can desire it. What a wonderful blessing it would be to be at peace, where there is no distress, no stress, no anxiety - peace with everybody - no competition. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have that mind? We can have aspects of it now but we can't have it fully. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a mind of mercy? ...where we don't have prejudices? ...where we don't judge things on a physical level and make judgments on a physical level? Wouldn't that be wonderful to have complete mercy to others, just to have a way of thinking that is merciful, that accepts situations and just shows genuine loving mercy? Wouldn't it be great to have a mind of love? ...outgoing concern for the welfare of others rather than just outgoing concern for family or self? ...because that's the natural carnal mind. These are things that we strive and desire to have and one day God's plan is that He will give that permanently to those that He allows to enter Elohim. It's going to be a gift given to us if we set out after a calling to strive to live God's way, to desire it with all our being, with the inner person, that we desire it and we cry out to God that that's what we want. God says that He will fulfill that promise to give it to us as long as we continue to fight our own natural carnal mind by the power of His spirit. But we can't give up the fight.

And that's what conversion is about, not giving up. There are a lot of times in life where it is almost overpowering! The pressure and the battle can be overpowering, but being in that battle is a great sign that God is still with us. The fact that we are in a battle and that we're resisting and fighting and we don't want that natural carnal mind, we don't want those prejudices, we don't want those biases in our life. That is a wonderful sign that God is still with us.

I remember it wasn't that long ago in a particular night there was two tests in my mind that I had and I went to bed and I couldn't sleep. I laid there for a long time and I knew that I was in a battle and I knew that I had to make choices in my mind, and the thoughts kept on coming back in and I battled them and battled them and battled them, and it dawned on me during that battle what a wonderful thing it was that I was actually in that battle. I was a bit distressed at the time but later on during the night I realized that, yes, this is a wonderful thing, I've just got to make a choice and I need to keep crying out to God to remove particular thinking from me and to make certain choices. Anyway, when I got through that I was very clear that I was in the battle; I realized then that God was still with me and it was about me making a choice. Anyway, during that night I made certain choices and when I woke up in the morning I realized the battle that I had been in and I was uplifted by it because I had realized that I had made a willful choice that I wanted to obey God, I wanted to follow God, and I know where God is. I was very encouraged by that battle.

We have been called also, brethren, to set our minds to God's way of life. Lucifer and the demons followed a way of life that was contrary to God. Their minds are now set in their way... and that's the way of man. Man's mind is subject to the influence of Satan's ways, which is selfishness. From the beginning of their disobedience, since they are spirit in composition and thought, they set themselves against God, they chose to live a different way of life than what God is, because God is a particular way of thinking. God thinks a particular way. The point is we can learn from what happened to the angelic realm. If any being is given power of independent thought with individual mental capacity then that being also has the ability of free choice. They can choose what way of life they desire to live. Not everybody will choose God's perfect way of life, which is righteous behavior expressed in outgoing love and concern for others.

We know that a third of the angelic realm chose a particular way of life, they rejected God's way of give and they chose a way of get, of selfishness. To become a member of the God Family, God determined that everyone would be of the same mind as God Himself - so this way of thinking which produces a way of life. They would need to be in full agreement with His one and only perfect way of life. For this to be possible there would have to be a perfect unity of spirit and purpose in life, all being of one mind yet individual in personality and experiences. Once called we must prove over time, over a lifetime, that we are willing to reject our natural way of life - selfishness - and by choice desire and strive to live God's way. God knew that without His spirit dwelling in mankind they could not live love. It is God in us that does the works.

God knows who we are, and that's why, brethren, we should never look down on anyone or condemn others for what they are, because they are natural. It's the natural carnal mind to hate. It's the natural carnal mind to be selfish. We shouldn't judge them for it in the sense of condemning them, because that's the way they were made. And we have to accept that that's what we were, that's what we came out of, that's what we were called from, and if we weren't called we'd be the same as them if not worse in many ways. And depending on the environment we're put in we have a great capacity to sin - great capacity to sin. We should never judge to condemn. We can judge and discern in the sense of seeing that something is right or wrong and rejecting it saying, well, we're not going to do that, but to condemn the individual is not God's way, because they have been made with a mind that is not subject to God and indeed cannot be.

Let's have a look at John 7:16 - this is just following on about how Jesus Christ viewed things and statements that He made - Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine but His who sent Me. Here is Jesus Christ saying, "Well, the way that I am, the way that I think, the doctrine that I believe and the way that I act, think, and words that I speak are not Mine, it comes from God the Father." If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine whether it is from God, or whether I speak of My own authority.

Verse 18 - He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory: here He's saying, if we go out and exaggerate, if we go out and start giving credit to ourselves for the good works, it's for our own glory, it's vanity, it's pride, it's sin, but if we give the glory for good works to God the Father, where they came from, the glory goes back to God therefore we are of God. He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the one that sent Him is true and no unrighteousness is in Him, because it is God that does the works. It was God doing the works.

John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world: so this is the way, this is the truth. Jesus Christ is saying, "This is the way, I'm the light." He who follows Me, it requires God's mind to follow, shall not walk in darkness, so we won't walk in sin, but have the light of life. We will have a spiritual life dwelling in us because the light is spiritual in nature and we will have that light which is truth living in us, living in us and out to the benefit of others. The Pharisees therefore said, You bear witness of Yourself: Well, that would be sin, to bear witness of yourselves just as individuals. What they're saying is, "You're boasting! You're just filled with pride." Your witness is not true. What they're really saying is, "You're promoting Yourself therefore it's vanity and therefore it's sin and therefore you can't be of God."

Verse 14 - Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true: the evidence, in other words, because when you give witness you're giving evidence, it's proof, you're testifying; for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.

Verse 15 - You judge according to the flesh: What Christ is saying is that, "You judge according to the flesh." Now, that is a true statement because they can't judge any other way, they're not capable, they don't have God's spirit. They were using their natural carnal mind which is based on prejudice and self-righteousness. You judge according to these things, I judge no man, to put it into context, according to the flesh. "I don't judge according to appearance. I don't judge according to prejudices. I don't judge because I think I'm better than others." What He's saying is, "Well, I judge no one that way, the way that you do it."

Verse 16 - And yet if I do judge, because He does, My judgment is true: for I am not alone, because it wasn't based on a carnal mind, it's based on the mind of God doing the judgment, righteous judgment, but I am with the Father who sent Me. Here is the purpose. Jesus Christ is saying, "I've been sent by God the Father." Because God the Father had a plan, that He would create a being called Jesus Christ, a physical man, and He would place His own thinking in it, the very mind of God would dwell in Jesus Christ. So that was the purpose, to live God's way of life, to reflect God in everything that He did in thoughts, words and actions, and to be a Passover. Here is Jesus Christ saying, "Well, I'm not giving credit to Myself, I'm giving credit to God the Father, and My judgments are true. My judgments are true because I'm not alone, because it's God the Father dwelling in Me that's making these discernments, these judgments."  ...which are all righteous, of course, because they're not based on prejudice.

Verse 17 - It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two people is true. That's what's written there and they believe that.

So Christ goes on in verse 18 and says - I am one who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me. Now, of course that's going to make them all happy because really He's saying He has the mind of God. In other words, there is two, there is Him and He is in full unity with God the Father; so it's two that are witnessing, giving evidence.

Verse 19 - Then they said to Him, Where is your Father? Jesus said, You know neither Me nor My Father; if you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, because it's the same thinking. God the Father's thinking and Jesus Christ, it's the Logos, it's the Word of God dwelling in Him. So He's saying, "Well, you neither know Me," - you can't - "nor My Father," - same mind - "because you can't!" And the reality is that's a true statement because it's impossible for the natural carnal mind to know God. It's absolutely impossible, and therefore the natural carnal mind can't know Christ. Therefore the religions of the world today cannot know God, it's impossible. And no matter what they strive to say and all the different doctrines they have, it's impossible to know God without God's spirit, without having the truth.

I've often thought about how it is...  I've been very fortunate, very fortunate in life. I consider myself so blessed that I was called, that I was called out of the world. At the age of 30 I was called and I began a process in life called conversion, and the early part of my life I strived very much on a physical level, and I didn't fully grasp the true battle of the inner man. I thought I did, but now some thirty years later I actually see a lot more and I'm sure as time goes on I will see a lot more about what this battle really is and the complete difference  between a natural mind that I came out of to a spiritual mind that I'm striving to live - I'm desiring God to dwell and live in me. It's Him that does the works.

I've often thought, "Well..." and I do feel disappointed that people make choices to leave fellowship with God the Father and with God's people, and therefore they decide to leave the Church over a variety of matters in their life, of the way that they think, because how could anyone, knowing the truth of a natural  mind, how can a natural mind discern truth? It's impossible, absolutely impossible! Because that's why there are so many religions...that's why there are so many religions, that's why there are so many splinters of the Church of God, because it's the natural mind trying to discern truth.

How do you work out what's true? If you know the way God works and the way that God created man, He made it with a natural carnal mind that cannot think spiritual. Now, that's basic doctrine, we understand that. If you don't have God's spirit how can you work out what's true? Well, you can't. The evidence of 6,000 years is that man cannot work out what is true. So what does God say in His word? How can you work out what is true? Well, God says that He works a particular way. He says that He works through an apostle and that He works through His Church. New truth comes into the Church through an apostle. The Church has truth. Now, how does anyone work out what is true? Well, God says He works out a particular way of government. He says that He established His Church; Jesus Christ is the head and He gives truth to the Church through Jesus Christ, therefore that is the only way truth can enter the Church, that is the only way that truth can be understood, is through the power of God's spirit.

So when people leave God's Church and then they go out into this mire, this cesspool of religions, how can they work out what is true now? How can they work it out now? Well, they can't, and that's the problem, because once God's spirit leaves a person they cannot see the truth, it's absolutely impossible because it's only God living and dwelling in a person that keeps that person in the truth. And the moment a person leaves the truth God's spirit no longer dwells in them. It's black and white. It's so simple when you have God's spirit to see the truth, because it's God, it's God that does the works. And the moment somebody leaves God's Church and begins to think that they now are still in the truth it's just self-deception of the natural carnal mind because it's impossible...because you know what they're really saying is that they're doing the good works themselves, they're discerning what truth is. Well, the natural carnal mind can't, it's impossible, it requires God's spirit. It's God in us that does the works. It is God in us that enables us to see the truth and to continue to stay in the truth. It is God in us that does the works.

So this is the purpose of life. God's purpose from the outset, before He ever placed man on the earth, was to give mankind 6,000 years of self-rule before He, God, would step in and bring to a close the Great lesson from that entire period...and that lesson is man with his natural mind cannot rule himself. Man by himself cannot live God's ways - even if man is given them and to see them on a physical level, which of course Israel was. They were given the 10 Commandments. So Israel were given sight of God's way on a physical level, not the spiritual intent, they couldn't see that, and of course Israel went into captivity. And then Judah strives now, they realize that Israel went into captivity because of disobedience to the Sabbath and the 10 Commandments, but basically the Sabbath and Holy Days. The Jews set out and said, "Well, we're going to make sure that we now have rules and laws to keep this law!" So then they have laws on top of laws, manmade laws on top of laws. How do you strive to keep the law on a physical level? So the result is we can see from the history of mankind that mankind cannot rule himself, that he cannot live the truth, he cannot live God's way of life. Impossible! And that's the evidence of 6,000 years. The true witness of man's history is that he cannot live God's way, he consistently rejects God and His ways and the consequence is - in other words - man cannot rule himself, because he's going to work out that he's right in his own eyes.

I am sure that if you look at the people of Pakistan, they are right. The Sunni think they are right. The Shia think they are right. The Catholics think they are right. The Protestants think they are right. The Jews know they are right. This is the way of man, because without God we can't live God's way.

This is the greatest lesson that can be learned from man's time on earth. Because mankind cannot rule himself, he cannot live God's way, he cannot build or maintain a genuine relationship with God or with others - it's just not possible - because the way of man will lead to war. The way of man will lead to hate. Even within families, competition, that's not God's way. God's way is not competing, but that's what happens in just a basic family, it starts in the family unit. God is about Family; He created family, and here in just the basic family unit starting with two, a man and a woman, there is no peace. But in man's ways there can't be because they're right in their own eyes. The wife is right in her eyes, the husband is right in his eyes, and then children come into it...well, the beginning of sorrows for a lot of people because they are right in their own eyes, they don't know God's way of peace, of love, genuine sacrifice. The natural mind is selfish.

God's way of thinking and living is the only way to have and maintain a genuine relationship, and that's what God's Family is about. God's Family, Elohim, is about a genuine relationship, believing the same thing, thinking the same thing, being at peace, loving - and it's a wonderful thing to strive for. We in the Church of God should be able to see this fact. We, of and by ourselves, cannot rule ourselves. We should be able to see that. With the power of God's spirit we should be able to see that our carnal mind does dominate a lot of our life and that given the right environment we switch back very quickly to our own selfishness, we switch back to prejudice, we switch back to justifying, defending ourselves, and we will go to great lengths to strive to maintain our image that has taken us years to build up. Well, God's way of life, a calling, is about pulling down that image and getting rid of it and to think like God, to live God's way of life. We should be able to see that we cannot build and maintain genuine relationships unless we have God's spirit living and dwelling in us.

The main point is, out of all of this, God has always been in control of His creation but He chooses to allow man to rule himself for 6,000 years. This has always been part of God's plan in order for man to learn that only God's way produces good and lasting results. The witness of man's way over the past 6,000 years has proven to be disastrous. Man does not know the way to have genuine relationships with God or with man, because he has a natural carnal mind. So that's what man has to come to learn, and we can only learn that through a calling.

All who refuse God will be broken, even if it requires death. God is merciful and filled with love toward all mankind in ways that we cannot in our nature begin to imagine. God cannot give His mercy, love to people until they acknowledge their wrong ways...and of course that requires a calling, they have to begin to see that they could be possibly wrong. Well, that takes a humbling first and then a calling where God gives a spark of His light, His truth into the mind. They begin to seek His ways from that...so then they have a choice. So, some people start a calling and then they reverse back to their ways, they choose their own ways.

For man to seek His ways, God's ways, requires God's direct intervention by the way of a calling. God has allowed man to escape His direct correction for centuries, because of His great patience and His overall plan for mankind. God is going to offer salvation to the entirety of mankind. Isn't that a wonderful plan! But God is not biased, God is going to offer the opportunity to enter Elohim to all of mankind. There are some that have already chosen, by their choices, that that will not be possible.

Salvation is not about the physical people of Israel, it is for spiritual Israel of God, those that enter the Church of God. Eventually, in God's plan, everyone will be given the opportunity to become part of the Church of God through which they can grow and mature until they are able to enter the Kingdom of God. And that's what the Church is about, it's about a continual repenting, growing, choosing God's way, maturing to that point.

God's Kingdom is spiritual and composed entirely of spirit beings who have been given life, the gift of eternal life. The structure of God's Family bears His name, Israel, which means, 'God prevails'. God's Family is one that is molded and fashioned by Him.

We can see some lessons from what Solomon saw. God is about to teach mankind that there is only one true way of life to live. If you'd like to turn to Ecclesiastes 12:12. So here is Solomon after experimenting in life, which is what he did. He tried lots of things to learn wisdom, to come to see things, which of course God is the one who is wisdom and therefore God enabled him to see certain things and then to record them in the book of Proverbs. And now in Ecclesiastes Solomon makes some statements because he's lived the life and he's experimented in life and he's seen so many thing that he didn't fully understand, but he made those statements where he says, "Well, how come 'this'...?" and "Why 'that'...?" Because he couldn't understand it. So certain things God did not allow him to see on a spiritual level.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 - And further, my son, be admonished by these: of making many books there is no end; and we see that today, the libraries are full of garbage, people's thoughts, they way they think, the way they feel, their prejudice. So there is no end to this writing of books, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. So anything on a physical focus we can study. You know people study down into minute subjects and become specialists in one particular topic called 'the foot'. Doctors, that that's all they study, is how the foot works, they work on fixing feet. That's all they do and that's all they study, and there are endless studies, it never stops, there is always something to learn. Solomon says, "Well, there is weariness in that, it's never ending." It's encyclopedias are full of everything and then you can write an encyclopedia on the encyclopedia if you wanted to.

It goes on in verse 13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: talking about, well, let's hear the conclusion of all this study and all the books and everything and all the striving of man on physical things. What's the purpose of life, what's it all about? Here is the conclusion he came to: Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is man's all. So he says, "Fear God!" So this is the conclusion, "Fear God, respect and place God in all." Respect Him, understand that God is the Great Creator of the universe. Understand that God knows all thoughts. Understand that God has a plan, minute down to various details, that God is going to work out salvation for mankind, that people will have the opportunity to enter Elohim. We should learn to fear God, respect and strive to overcome this darkness which is the carnal mind. That's what we should strive to do, and he says here, and keep His, God's, commandments. We should strive on a spiritual level to keep what God says; not just the 10 Commandments, everything that is outlined in God's word. We should strive in the inner man to keep them, to obey God. So we should fear Him in the sense of respect and we should strive to obey.

So what will bring happiness and peace? What will bring God's way? A spiritual focus. That's what Solomon is saying, really, the only way to have true peace and to have happiness in life is a spiritual focus, not a physical one. God first in all matters at any cost. I'll repeat that: God first no matter what, is another way to put it. God first no matter what the perceived cost may be, because the cost to obey God is only a perceived cost, it's not a real one, it's on a physical level. On a spiritual level it's not, because when we start to obey God and we start to keep the Sabbath, for example, there is a perceived cost in our mind. That perceived cost is, "Well, hang on a minute, I won't be able to maybe have the career that I wanted." The perceived cost could be, "Well, I'm not going to earn money that I thought." Or the perceived cost could be, "Well, my family is going to reject me." But they're not costs at all! They are not costs at all - obedience to God and putting God first, there is no cost, because God will intervene and support us on a spiritual level.

Yes, there are physical things in this world that we will have to give up, but that's good. There is not a cost, really, if we understand it on a spiritual level. It's only spiritual growth, spiritual character, and the outcome is Elohim. And the second one, of course, is obedience to God and choose His way of life, which is being persecuted by mankind because it cannot understand it - which is normal and we shouldn't be shocked if we're persecuted. We shouldn't be shocked if we're rejected. In actual fact, if you go back in scripture, the disciples, that when they were often beaten or put in jail because of it, when they were released or after the beating they rejoiced because they suffered for Christ, they suffered for this way of life, they rejoiced in it, and it's a great badge of honor to wear in the sense of God allows an individual to suffer for Him. It's a wonderful opportunity that we have, to suffer for God, no matter what it is. So God first no matter what the perceived cost might be, because really there is no cost. And obedience to God and to choose His way of life no matter what. That's what Solomon's conclusion was.

And why did he come to that conclusion? Verse 14 - For God will bring every work into judgment, the spiritual principle that comes out is sow and reap. What we sow we will reap. If we sow right choices we will reap a spiritual outcome. If we sow a wrong choice, physical focus, we will reap an outcome, it's a spiritual outcome. Because sowing and reaping is not just physical - because that's the way man looks at it - like if you strike somebody, if that's what you sow on the physical level you will reap the consequence of the law will come along and you'll get locked up or you'll be charged with assault. But this, God is talking about here, sowing and reaping on a spiritual level. If we are to strive to obey God by the power of God's spirit and we sow righteousness we will reap a benefit called Elohim in the long run.

Finishing that off in verse 14 - For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, those things that exist in the inner man, those things that we don't believe others are aware of because we think these things, but when we do we need to fight the wrong thoughts and accept the right thoughts, God's word, God's motive, God's spirit, whether good or evil. We know that there is a way of life that we need to strive to live, and it's God's way of life, and it will not be accepted and acknowledged by man, it'll be seen as a cult, it'll be seen as a little bit insane, a bit crazy really. But it's God's way because it's spiritual in nature.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we see, really, the Church being addressed about what is important in life, and often we can get caught up in physical things believing that well, these things are important. But the reality is here Paul outlines that what is truly important in life. I Corinthians 13:1 - here this is the Church being addressed - Though I speak in tongues/languages of men, so all these multiple languages, someone might have eight languages, and of angels, a particular way of speaking that angels... we don't know how they speak, but have not love, do not have God's spirit, agape, which is God's way of living, God's way of thinking in us, I have become as sounding brass, like a big thing of 'Dooooing!' or a clanging cymbal. Just a lot of noise, a lot of show - that's all it is - it's just a lot of show, it's a vanity trip because."I can speak all these languages, look at me!" But if it's not motivated by God's spirit it's just a waste of time.

We might have a physical skill but it is worthless if we don't use it or if it isn't used with God's spirit - in other words, if it isn't motivated by love. God has added to the Body and has given many skills, many abilities. Some people are brilliant organizers, others aren't, some people are very good in relationships in certain aspects, but if it isn't motivated by love, genuine concern for the welfare of others, peace and love, it's just a big outward show, that's all it really is.

Verse 2 - And though I have prophecy/inspired speaking, and understand/see all mysteries, and all knowledge; so I've got this wonderful wealth of knowledge; we actually can read the 57 Truths and put them all off as a big list, and though I have all faith, so we can say, well, we believe all these things, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. So in other words, if it's not motivated by the power of God's spirit, and unless God's spirit lives and dwells in us, and if the credit isn't given to God who can do the works it's just nothing, it's just another outward sign of pride, it's just a vanity, it's empty, it's worthless.

The truth is we cannot have these things, inspired speaking and faith, without God's spirit. Now, we can have speaking from rhetoric, just knowledge, and we can say we have faith, we think we believe these things, but unless it's God's spirit dwelling in us, that it's God doing the works, it is nothing, I am nothing, that's what Paul is saying.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, all the physical things, we just give all our money away, and though I give my body to be burned, in other words, become a martyr, we sacrifice the self on a physical level and put ourselves out, but have not love, in other words, if it's not motivated by God's spirit, it profits me nothing. There is no credit for it because God has to do it, God has to live and do it. So feeding the poor and sacrificing must be motivated by God's spirit, it has to be God in us doing it.

Love suffers long, so now it's going to describe God's way, so the title of the sermon, 'A Way of Life'; here is the way of life that God is requiring us to do, to choose, and He will do the works. It is God in us that will do it. This is God's way. Love suffers long, in other words, it's patience. God's way is a way of patience. ...and is kind; love does not envy; love is not competitive, love does not parade itself, in other words, it doesn't lift itself up and give itself credit for things, it's not filled with pride, it's not motivated by pride. ...is not puffed up, in other words, it's not argumentative, it won't justify itself. It won't always think it's right in the way that it thinks.

Does not behave rudely, in other words, it has concern for others. Remember when Paul was saying that he strived to do the right thing before God and before man? It's the same thing. It's about a striving to have God live...What would God do in this situation? ...does not seek its own,  in other words, it's willing to sacrifice, to put itself out, motivated for the benefit of someone else, that they will benefit and not the self to benefit.

...is not provoked, to justify or seek revenge. The natural carnal mind always tries to get even or get revenge. Although it may not admit it, but it likes to think that it's right and therefore it will work towards justifying or then seeking a revenge or an outcome that suits itself. ...it thinks no evil toward others, it just doesn't think that way. God does not think evil toward others. ...does not rejoice in iniquity, in other words, it doesn't rejoice in sin, it won't find fault in others, won't use the carnal mind to justify itself, to make itself better, but rejoices in the truth; with God's spirit God's way is that we rejoice in what is true, we rejoice in what God has placed into the Church, the present truth. We will rejoice in that because it's God living in us that does it.

It bears all things, believes all things given to the Church, we'll believe what God gives to the Church, hopes all things... I know, brethren, deep down we do hope, because the more we see this world and we see the natural carnal mind of mankind, and we see it in ourselves, we hope that it's all over very soon because how much more can a mind take? Well, God's brought us to that point, and the fact that we feel that way is a wonderful blessing. If we feel that way it's proof that God is living in us, because it's only God's mind that can hate what we see. It's only God's mind that can detest the sin that's in the world, because God is repulsed by sin. So if we're repulsed by the sin of the world, the politics, and all the garbage that's out there, that's a wonderful, wonderful thing, because it's evidence that God is living and dwelling in us.

...endures all things. Love never fails; God's way of life is eternal. It won't stop, it is eternal. ...but whether there are prophecies, they will fail; what it's saying there is they will come and go. In other words, there is a prophecy that is said, when it's fulfilled it's gone, it's finished, it's done, it's completed.

Going on in that scripture... whether there are tongues they will cease, there will be no need for languages, whether there is knowledge - human knowledge - it will vanish away. Without God's spirit we are nothing.

The choice of life or death - that is what is going to be given to all man. The purpose of human life is that God is reproducing Himself. In time the majority of all human beings will be given the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to be in God's Family.  When that time comes, for each person, it will not be an easy transition. So once a person is called, given that opportunity, it's not that simple, it's not an easy transition because we're going against that which is natural, this mind, to take on another mind.

We cannot become part of God's Family with our current selfish nature because it is opposite to God's nature. It is only through the experience of human life, that being made physical as a mortal human being with selfish nature that such a life produces - in other words, the way we are - that we can ever come to see or to learn what God is like when He begins to reveal Himself to us. So we begin to see what we're really like and therefore it isn't an easy transition because we like to think we're right.

Do you remember your calling, brethren? Do you remember the time that you were called? Or do you even remember your awakening? ...the time that God started to reveal Himself to you? I remember it. It is only by this means that mankind can and eventually will be brought to a point where he can make such a momentous decision in his life, whether he truly wants to become part of the God Family. Under man's current condition, state of life, he is incapable of making such an informed decision.

God's plan involves bringing mankind to a point when each individual can make a more genuinely informed objective decision concerning the most important choice in his/her life. When this time comes, and for those individuals that make the initial decision to choose God's way of life, their transition from human nature to God's nature begins with a long struggle over time - and it is a long struggle over time, brethren. This change does not come easy because the choice of God's way of life is not as simple as a yes and no. In other words, we can see the battle and we say, "Oh, yes, I choose God's way." But we have to be put into environments or situations or different ways of thinking to begin to make a choice yes or no. It will include a mental battle against our human nature, but God will provide the means to fight this battle successfully. However, you cannot really understand this battle until you have entered into it.

As I said, with my calling, brethren, I know that the first years I thought I'd entered into the battle, but deep down I'd only just scratched the surface and I'm still, in lots of ways, only seeing certain things that God allows me to see.

To receive what God wants for us it will be far more difficult and far more complicated than one can fully understand. The decision to become part of the God Family will not be forced upon anyone, it has to be a choice. The process of change that is to take place in mankind is through the process of repentance and turning to God's way of life. Mankind cannot accomplish this by his/her own efforts. It's not possible! Because the natural carnal mind just won't choose God's ways, it's already biased and made up it's mind that it's right so why would you choose another way; it's based on your education, or a person's education.

It requires the power of God that can work in the mind to change the way we think so that we can come into unity and agreement with God. The word which is translated 'repentance' in scripture actually means 'to think differently' in the Greek. Having access to God has been made possible because sin has been forgiven through Jesus Christ. That is the way that He is talking about. Jesus Christ is the way. God will not be in the presence of sin and therefore will not dwell in those who have not been forgiven of sin.

So the main point out of that, out of Passover, is the reason Jesus Christ died is so that we could be forgiven through Him and so that God the Father and Jesus Christ could dwell in mankind. This is the only means, the only way whereby the holy spirit of God can dwell in us so that we can be transformed (in our thinking) in order to come into unity and oneness with God's true way of life.

So we've got a choice, which way of life do we want to lead. This is only by having God's life, the holy spirit, dwelling in us that we can have our thinking (our minds) changed to come into unity and oneness with the will and the word of God.

So the main point there, brethren, is our minds must be renewed and it is by this means that we can begin to prove God's way, we can begin to put His ways into action in our lives. We can choose it - once we're called and given God's spirit we can make a choice - so that we can prove to ourselves by the way we live (that's the way we prove it) that only God's way of life is good and perfect. We prove it by living it...we prove it by living it.

And I can remember having to prove a particular scripture, which is a soft answer turns away wrath. Over my life I have come to see, to learn, to prove that God's answer, the way He lives, the way He said I should answer (a soft answer turns away wrath) and I've put that into practice over time in most situations. I can't say I always get it right, but in time I've learned that when somebody is riled up it's better to say nothing or a very soft answer, and a soft answer is to calm it all down rather than jump into self-justification. The only way I could prove that was to live it, to experience it, to do it, and over a lifetime I've learned it - don't always get it right - but I've learned that that is the only way. God's way is the only way to handle that situation.

We know that in Philippians 2:5 it says, Let this mind be in you which is also in Jesus Christ; which is God's mind, God's way of thinking. The very mind of God, the Word, the Logos was made flesh. Jesus Christ became the Word of God that was made manifest to mankind. God's thinking, His way of life was manifested in Jesus Christ. God's purpose is that this same mind, same thinking, dwell in man to transform him so that he can eventually enter His Family, God's Family, the very Family of God, the Kingdom of God, Elohim. Isn't that a wonderful plan?

Those who do not choose God's way will not be given eternal life but they will be given eternal death. It is a choice, eternal live is not owed to anyone. The only way to receive eternal life is to come into the understanding that there is only one way of life that is true and right - every other way brings sorrow, destruction, suffering, misery and every evil that degrades life. Satan's way is a way of destruction. You know, we can't necessarily see it, the natural mind can't see it of itself, it can't see that it's destroying everything around it, it's hurting others, it's hurting itself. You know, man's nature hurts itself, it thinks it's protecting it but it's not, it's destroying itself by its thinking. There is only one way of life that produces genuine happiness, peace, prosperity, rich relationships, and that is God's way of life...and there is no other.

In conclusion, brethren, the 144,000 will be the first to be resurrected, they will be in the first resurrection. They will reign with Jesus Christ. Death will no longer have power over them because they have been resurrected to an immortal life, everlasting life, life everlasting from that point as spirit beings, god beings in the God Family.

After the 1,000 reign of Jesus Christ and the 144,000 a 7,000 year plan of God will come to a close. So we've got the 6,000 years of man, then the 1,000 year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the 144,000. The allotted time for man to populate the earth will have come to a close. At this time a most awesome event will occur - all who have ever lived and died will be resurrected to physical life once again. There will be some, of course, that have committed the unpardonable sin that won't be given that opportunity. There will be a 100 year period of time for man to live and to be judged by God's way of life. Everyone that is resurrected will learn from God and be ruled by this same Government which ruled during the previous 1,000 years under Jesus Christ. There will be only one religion on earth. There will only be one Government. There will only be one way of life to live.

A second death is possible only for those who will be resurrected to physical life a second time. They will be the only human beings who can die a second death, which is the outcome of rejecting God's way of life - which has to be rejected. It has to be rejected, and that's the outcome, a second death.

All will have the opportunity to choose and live God's way of life during this 100 year period. Those who choose this  life, to live it, to conquer the carnal mind that God made us with, the selfish nature, will have the same opportunity as the 144,000. In other words, the 144,000 over their life have rejected the selfish way of life, they have seen the natural carnal mind they were made with but they have chosen God's way of life. So now those during this 100 years have that same choice; they will be resurrected, if they have chosen God's way of life, to immortal life as members of the God Family in the Kingdom of God as God beings.

The only way to receive eternal life, or life everlasting, is to come to the understanding that only God's way of life is true and right. Every other way brings destruction, sadness and ends in death. There is only one way of life that produces genuine happiness, peace, prosperity, rich relations, etc... and that is God's way of life...and there is no other.

So, that's what we have been called to, brethren, we've been called to make a choice and that's what we have chosen to do, to live God's way as a member of the Body of Christ, to strive to overcome the self. Now, that opportunity will be given to all.

A lot of people have often thought, well, when Jesus Christ returns there is the solution to all our problems. Well, we do see the removal of Satan and the demons but we still have to choose a way of life. The Millennium is simply a lifetime of people striving to fight against their natural carnal mind, to choose a way of life that can only lead to happiness, to fulfillment, so that at one point they can enter Elohim to eternally live that way of life, God's way of life.

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