The Virtue of Truth, Pt. 2

Ron Weinland

March 26, 2016

Good afternoon to everyone. I know that people listening can't see this, but I thought I'd show this up here today – carrots with hooks. The best thing about them is they're actually chocolate. Jody found those this past week and couldn't pass it up. I don't even realize I do it ¾ of the time, but anyway, it makes it a little more enjoyable at times just to throw a few of those out there.

I have one announcement here I wanted to make before I proceed with the sermon today. This past week we've been going through another restructuring and streamlining within the ministry. This has been an ongoing process, especially over the past year – even a little longer than that, but a lot over the past year in that respect. The size of many areas and the overall Church has grown smaller over the past 6-7 years, so there is simply not the need to continue to sustain a larger ministry to the level we have in the past. And so that has to do a lot with what we're doing right now and have been doing for some time.

I thought I'd also mention that this streamlining within the ministry is not a matter of any kind of correction and should not be taken that way by anyone. So just wanted to pass that along as well.

Thought I'd mention that some areas will not have any local minister in it at this point, and so if there is a need for a minister obviously you can contact a senior elder in that area or the individual who is over that particular area, if you don't have a minister locally. So I thought I'd throw that out as well.

Thought I'd mention too, these changes of downsizing within the Church, again (it's not the ministry I was speaking of there), but within the Church has been going on for several years now, 6-7 years. It's simply an overall process of how God's continued to build and refine His temple. So sometimes we go through a phase, just like I'd mentioned in last Sabbath's sermon concerning the vine and the purging, the pruning, if you will, that takes place even of a vine. That there are times there are a cut back and then new growth and greater fruit is produced. And the same thing happens within the Church. It has for many, many years now. So it is a real process that takes place and we are all benefitted and blessed by it. It's not a matter of the size, it's the matter of the quality and what God is producing. And this is very much how He does that.

I thought I'd also mention that with the book that is coming out we know that there is going to be an increase again as we experienced back in 2007 and 2008. It is going to happen again, and this time it's going to be far greater as time goes on. As we near the end, as to whether or not we're going to be able to work with people or help people, we really don't know. God hasn't revealed that. And some of those things may be in flux too. Some of the ability to do that may be a matter of something that is going to change depending on certain conditions and so forth. We live in a period, during this period that's very, very different than what we were living through or knew that we were at least looking forward to taking place back between 2008 and 2012 and what was prophesied at that time. Those same things do not apply right now. They're totally different in the sense of what God is doing with people. And that may have a change. There may be a change involved in that as well as to how we're able to work with people or for how long. We don't know. God will reveal it in His time. But, again, there are a lot of things that are totally different. And to me that's exciting and inspiring and we'll understand what we have to do when we have to do it.

But, again, we're looking forward to those things. I'm looking forward to it. I remember back (and I can't remember exactly the year), but it was in January. I don't remember if… I think it was in 2007. But we were being bombarded on the internet. We could not handle the amount of traffic that was coming in and we set up a system then, Wayne did. I asked Wayne to work up a system there of being able to train others and work with the kinds of answers and so forth that could be given out very speedily as emails came in, and we got that. The process was started, had several people helping out with that. And the way it was divided up, the way it was handled, it was excellent, because it wasn't for then but it's something we can plug in at any time.

And the same thing is true with the ministry. We have a lot of people who have been trained out here, that if and when in specific areas there is a need, we have people that can step right in and do the job, and have been well trained in what they've gone through. So, again, those things will happen in time and in many different areas, but when, how, who, don't know. Time will tell.

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Last Sabbath we began a new sermon series entitled, The Virtue of Truth, and today we'll continue with Part 2 of that series.

The question at the beginning was asked: "How much do you value truth that God has placed before you and given to you?"

And then that was followed by the following remarks: "Although we may respond to that question by saying we value it highly," that may be our response, "the reality is there is great need that we each seek to genuinely value more fully God's truth – far more than what we actually do. Human nature plays a very powerful role," and I'll add here today, "over time," because we don't generally recognize what's taking place. It goes over a period of time and then all of a sudden something is changed. And we're not able to spot that as a whole if we've gone through that. And as a whole, the Church has experienced this, and to the degree will vary in people's lives. But again, "Human nature plays a very powerful role to actually devalue, reduce, downplay, diminish, and underestimate the incredible great value of the truth that God has placed before us."

So again, important to grasp that and understand what has been said. And that's why it's being repeated and will be repeated again. Because that's your human nature. That's our human nature. That's what we tend to do. We begin to get accustomed to something and after a time it's just what is. We just accept it but we don't think about, we don't focus in on it. Now, sometimes people do when they go back and go back through some of those things and think about them and pray about them again and are reminded. And that's a good exercise from time to time, obviously. That's a very valuable exercise. But as a whole we can get to a point where it becomes our norm. And when something becomes your norm, when it has to do with the truth, sometimes we begin to lose the feeling of, the knowledge of, the excitement of that truth and what we really have. We can begin to actually take it for granted. And that's a dangerous state. That's not good.

So again, I'm going to just go back through and remind you of some of the things we went through last week very quickly just to, again, have the focus here of what we need to have as we go forward. But again, I'm just going to read these quickly. You don't need to jot these down. You already have them from last week.

John 1:1-5 we talked about "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was unto God," it belonged to God, which is His truth. It is the truth that God reveals to us. It's about Him. It's about His mind. It's about His thinking. And He gives that to us. So again, different ways it's expressed. Back in the book of Proverbs it's spoken of as "wisdom." When it's talking about wisdom back there it's about the Word, it's about the truth, it's about the light, which it brings up in a moment here in John 1. All these things are talking about the same thing. It's talking about a power there that God uses to reveal to us His mind in our mind.

So again, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was unto God," it belonged to God in other words, "and the Word was God." It identified Him. It reveals who He is. The more truth we have the more we come to understand God. The more truths that God has given us – just like the things that God has increased in the posts over the last three years, those things that we understand. Just the one on fellowship alone that I mentioned last Sabbath, that one alone gives us the ability to understand God more. It really does. The more you're able to be given, or the more we're able to receive from God of His truth, the more we're able to understand and see God. It's an awesome thing! Because it reveals His mind. The ability to judge various things – and there are some things coming in time – and I don't know if God's going to give them in the next three years or when, but they'll come in time – having to do with how God reveals truth and the process He goes through. But even the ability of judgment He gives to us as we are able to come more into one with Him, unity and oneness with Him, it's an awesome and it's a powerful thing. It truly is.

So I hope in time God gives us more of that that we can have within the body, that we can share within the body. Because we are infants. We are infants. We're actually not even infants yet, in the sense of being born. We're still in the womb spiritually. We've been begotten. Mr. Armstrong spoke of the Church as the Kingdom of God in embryo. That's how we are. We sometimes get fairly lifted up with what we are. That was the problem of Laodicea— rich and increased with goods, had all this knowledge, all the things that had been given, that Mr. Armstrong had been given to give to the Church. And then by the time we got to Laodicea that very thing that I've been talking about here in the sermon begins to creep in, that familiarity, that which is our norm, and we begin to accept it that way and don't appreciate or grasp the depth that we should have of what God has given to us. We begin to take things as just that's just the norm, that's just the way things are. And we begin to lose the excitement of what God has actually given to us. We can begin to take some of those things to our self.

I think of Laodicea. What a hideous thing that happened. And we don't want that to happen to us at any fashion. You don't want to become "familiar" with the truth. You want to know it well, yes, but in the sense of familiarity that breeds contempt, or that begins to diminish or take away from the awesomeness and the power of what God is sharing with us. He's sharing with us His mind, His very being. He wants us to have that for all time. And so we're going through a process of being able to make those choices in our life.

And it says in verse 4 then, "In Him was life." Any life, all life, if you will, has to come from God. It comes from no other source. All life comes from God. It all goes back to God. No one else! No one else! God Almighty! And then He gives it where He desires. "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." We begin to experience human life. We begin to experience something incredibly unique and then God begins to reveal Himself to us and we see great purpose. We see the purpose of why we're created. We begin to understand it and we embrace it. And the more we see the more life there is, the more it lightens our life, if you will.

"And the light shines in darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it." Verse 14—"And the Word was made flesh." Awesome! That mind. The mind of God, the being of God and what He did. And there is much more about this that we're going to learn through time as we grow. "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory as the only begotten of the Father," the only, "full of grace and truth." So again, that reveals what God made manifest, gave to us. And again, revealing the matter of it's not just a matter of light and the word, but it's a matter of grace that God desires we have in our life, a matter of favor, a matter of those things that are reflected in grace, the mercy that human beings need, that we need in our life. All the things that go with this matter of grace in order to deliver us, in order to give to us His mind, His way of life.

Verse 17—"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by/through Jesus Christ." That's why I, when I read this, I, just those two words, grace and truth, I can't help but think about the book and what God is giving and showing to the world right now in a greater way, in a magnified way, more than any other time because of what's going to take place, what's going to happen and their ability to grasp that, that God is an exceedingly merciful God. Mercy has so much to do with grace. Patience, mercy, favor, help, all the things that is reflected by it. But it has to be based in the truth, because otherwise, it can't be seen for what it is. Verse 17, again, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by/through Jesus Christ."

And then we went to John 3. Again, when Christ was talking to Nicodemus and this was going back and forth and Nicodemus who couldn't understand spiritual things, and Christ telling him that. And finally down in verse 21 it says, "But he who does truth comes to the light." If we want to do this way of life, live this way of life that God gives to us we approach the light. We want the light in our life. We want the darkness out of our life! We want the hidden things out of our life. We want them to be made manifest. And we want to go through a process of being able to repent of those things that human nature would like to keep in the darkness and not have anybody else see. And in time God reveals those things more and more and we have to address them. Or if we fail to do so we fail to grow and we get cut off from the power of the holy spirit, because we won't repent any longer. We won't continue to fight that fight. "But he who does the truth comes to the light," in other words, seeks to search out and live by that truth. You have to seek it out, see, and you don't ever want it to become the norm, as something you're kind of familiar with and begin to take for granted. That's, again, exceedingly dangerous.

So again, "comes to the light; that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God." So again, the doing and the deeds we really want in our life, that we want to be in agreement with God and in unity with God and also to learn from that that the only way we can achieve that and have that is that God has to help us in it. He has to make the way. He makes it all possible. We can't do it by ourselves in any fashion or form. No human being can…. I remember sermons in the past that I've heard. I think some have been in this area here. But it was like if you can do certain things, how long can you go? How long can you go without sinning? That's the one that kind of…. Anyway. It's like, well… you know. And it was like if you put yourself more into it you can go a lot longer. You can! And it's without God in the picture! It's like, how much can you on your own ability do to obey God? Well, you can't do diddly-squat spiritually unless God's in you. You really can't! Can you obey certain things of the law? Sure, just like Jewish people do in going to the Sabbath, or whatever it might be, on the seventh day. Other things, the Seventh Day Adventists, they have a seventh day. It doesn't mean anything! God's not in the picture. It's just a routine of something they go through and something they're able to do on their own ability. People can tithe on their own ability. People do. What does it mean? Anyway…

So how much can you do on your own? When it comes to the truth, when it comes to God's spirit - diddly! Nothing! Zilch! For it to have meaning, and spirit in it, to be spirit and truth, God has to be in it. But we tend, as human beings, to take these things to our self. So anyway.

Then we went on to John 8 and focused on the importance of abiding in the truth and the truth abiding in us. And how many places does it talk about that? Abiding in the truth. Living in, dwelling in the truth. That should be our great desire with all of our being. But we have to know what it is and to be reminded of it on a regular basis. And God does that through sermons and through the Holy Days. And we're reminded of various areas and we focus on.… How awesome is that? That every seventh day? He knows. He made us this way to have that great need, in that respect, every seven days, human nature the way it is, to focus on God, to go on the other six better. And if we didn't have that we wouldn't last very long spiritually. You would not last very long spiritually if you didn't have every seven days. Because of your human nature. That's just the way we are.

And then the Holy Days every year we go through the meaning of. And we're commanded as ministers to talk about those things that apply to it. That's why I marvel of what happened in the Church years ago, after the Apostasy even, of individuals who would get up and talk about things, like on that one sermon that comes to mind, the Last Great Day, and had nothing to do with the Last Great Day. Had everything to do with this…. Anyway, I don't even want to get into it. It's sickening! Some of you know what I'm talking about. And so many of the sermons were like that. And ministers should know this, that whenever you talk about something on a Holy Day it had better be about that Holy Day. And if you don't do it, shame on you! You're not yielding to God and God's spirit is not at work there. And so what do we talk about during the days of Unleavened Bread? What do we talk about during the Feast of Tabernacles? What do we talk about during Trumpets, Atonement, and Pentecost, and so forth? We talk about those days because God commands it. And what an awesome thing, we're refreshed in the foundation of God's truth. We're refreshed in the foundation and the purpose of God's plan, and it helps us to keep focused. And every year God helps us to build upon those things more and more and more as we grow. An awesome thing. An awesome process, to be able to grow in the mind, the being, the Word of God, the truth.

And so God continues to give us truth. But it's up to us to abide in it, isn't it? We have that choice. See, God already has offered it to us. Jesus Christ died so that He could abide in us. That's the reason he died. He didn't just die so we could have our sins forgiven. That's where the world basically stops, of Traditional Christianity. They don't understand, no, it goes way beyond that one. The reason he did that is so that there is no sin in our life. In other words, it's paid for, it's gone, it's taken care of through our Passover. It's gone. We're forgiven because of our Passover. And then, and ONLY then will God dwell in us – when the sin's gone. He will not dwell in sin. Now, He does dwell in us and we have sin, but He brings us to the point of repentance. We repent day in and day out and He gives us grace to continue the process. But if we start, if we come to a point where we begin to refuse to repent, and we begin to grow weaker and weaker, and that spirit begins to become, again, weaker and weaker in our life, His presence in our life begins to be diminished. And everybody has experienced that in their life, whether they know it or not, whether they understand it or not. It doesn't matter whether they know it or not or understand it or not, it happens. It happens to every human being because we're all human and we all have sin. But as we grow hopefully that becomes diminished more and more, that length of time where we're separated from the presence of God dwelling in us, living in us.

We've had this concept of times past, once you're baptized He's always there. No, He is not! That used to exist a long time ago in the Church. It's like if you're baptised, He's there. He's always there. No, He isn't! He will not always be there in your life until you're a spirit being! And that's the promise. That's the promise. That's the bond that we're going to be able to have with God Almighty – is that once we're spirit He will always be there and we will always be in Him spiritually. Something we don't fully grasp, as to how all that works, but we're experiencing it and living it in part now.

Anyway, going on. We might get caught up in last week's sermon here if I keep it up.

So again, this matter of abiding in the truth. It's something we choose to do. Are we going to continue to dwell in, live in the truth? And a part of that process is you have to seek it out. You have to pray about it. You have to ask God to help you to always be excited about it. I cannot help when we start talking about a Holy Day, focusing in on Holy Days, to get excited about that phase of God's plan. Just like right now, starting to go through and think about those things coming up in Passover season here and the sermons that have to be given and that are timely and so forth and beginning to focus on some of those things and think about whatever it is that's being focused upon – which I can't tell you yet. Anyway… I'm just kidding. You'll know what it's about. It's about Unleavened Bread. Anyway, it's exciting! It just stirs you up! It motivates you. It's something that's alive! How can you explain those things any other way?

Anyway, John 14. Then we went on to John 14. So again here, John 8 about abiding in the truth was followed by this. And we started talking about this very process here in John 14 as a part of examining ourselves, and especially as we're approaching Passover. We went through John 14 and some of these scriptures. And John 15 we began to talk more about some of that. And it finally began to come as a part of this (it wasn't planned) but we're approaching Passover and so much of what it talks about…

Well, I'll read it here; John 14:23— Jesus answered and said unto him, If – IF! IF! IF! – a man love me, and we tend to think as a whole within the Church, well, sure, we do. We can say things but what's in our life? And what's reflected in us? What do we really live day in and day out? Are we constantly living that or seeking to constantly live that? If a man love me he will keep my words. And my Father will love him. And so we have a battle there because we're human. We have human nature. And that battle is always there, always there. That's a part about being watchful and being alert and being on guard. Because the reality is that's why you have to be, because your human nature. Not just the world around you and not just the things that come your way, but the things that are in us.

If a man love me he will keep my words. My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode/our dwelling, our abode, our dwelling, with him. Our abiding. He who does not love me does not keep my word, doesn't keep the truth. So as human beings we, again, if we're not careful, some of those things can become diminished in our life, they can become less exciting in our life, less fulfilling in our life, and become more the norm, something that's kind of, we're familiar with, that's familiarity, and maybe doesn't stir us to the level it really should. And those are the things we have to examine. And these things are reflected then by things we do. And candidly, the biggest one, the greatest one that you can examine? It's always in your relationships. It's how you think about people and talk about people. It's what comes out of the mouth. Because what comes out of the mouth reflects immediately what's inside this noggin. Immediately it's there. If there's any mystery it's all gone at that point. It all comes out. And if it comes out then we should trace it back and say, "Okay, what is it in the brain, in the mind? What's wrong with the thinking that this would even come out of the mouth?" And it can come out in many other ways, but again, that's a big way.

So He who does not love me does not keep my word, in other words, the truth. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. So Jesus Christ always showing where it came from. It's not his. It never was his until it was given to him, until it became him, until he was made that. But it's from the Father who dwells in eternity.

So we're going to go on now and pick it up from where we left off last week and we'll begin doing so by going through some of the verses that we ended with last Sabbath. Let's begin here again in John 15. We already talked about the vine, the first part of that, and the purging, the pruning and so forth that takes place in life. But let's go on here now to John 14 then continue on. Or John 15. I'm sorry, verse 9 through verse 14. I'll get you there. It might take a while.

John 15:9—It says, As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you: continue you, that word, "abide in, dwell in," continue you in my love. So why tell us that? Because that's something we have to desire. That's something we have to pray about. That's something we have to want with all of our being, to continue, to dwell in, to live in His love, because it's going to be reflected in our lives by what? Why everything having to do with the 10 Commandments. Everything to do with the 10 Commandments because it has to do with our relationship toward God and what we're doing there. It has to do with our relationship toward one another and what we're doing there. So we have to examine those things and pray for help. And pray for help. And pray for help to repent. And pray for help for things to be able to be fought and battled and conquered and worked on in our lives, constantly in your life.

If you keep my commandments, again, in the truth, you shall abide in my love. So it has to do, again, with how we live. And that's how we're going to know, be able to look at those things. Just as we're approaching Passover, we're to examine ourselves. We're commanded to examine ourselves as we approach Passover and how we think toward one another, how we think especially within the body, especially with the Body of Christ, because that's what Paul hits so strong beginning chapter 10 of 1st Corinthians, and 11, going in through there and talking about some of those things. Because it has to do with the Church. It has to do with our relationship within the Church, within the Body. Because this is our primary arena of life, if you will, as far as fellowship and growth and whom God has called and whom we accept or whom we judge. And we have no right to ever judge anyone in God's Church!

Every person, everyone that's called by God belongs to God. God does the calling! And so whatever God does within the body, whatever God does in the calling He's given, then how do we look upon each person? Well, we should look upon them as God's. They belong to God. And that's why Christ and other places speak of so strongly, in such a powerful way, about this matter of judging and about judging others. Who are we to judge God? Because that's really what it comes down to. Who are we to judge God? We disagree with certain things that happen? Maybe even in administration sometimes in the Church? Because it happens! You know, decisions that are made, things we're asked to do or not to do, and people fight and resist. Human nature that's there sometimes. Some things I've dealt with in the last year. Not personally all the time because I wasn't able to. But they got dealt with. My wife would share with me things that are happening and situations that were occurring, and so forth, and things that have to be addressed from time to time because we're made up of human beings within the Church, within the body. And we're ever learning.

And sometimes we start straying a little off course. Sometimes we stay off course for quite a while and think we're getting things addressed in our lives and the reality is…. It can be tough. It can be tough sometimes if you get a root of bitterness inside of you. It can be tough if you get a root of bitterness and jealousy, envy, resentment buried in your mind. It's a killer. It's a killer. It's a killer spiritually because it's toward God. And so often anytime anybody gets in that frame of mind they can't see that. "No, I don't think that about God! I don't think that about Christ! I feel like I'm doing pretty good in the Church. It's just this person and that person and what they've said and what they've done and how I've been treated here and what was said there and that's what's wrong! That's what's wrong! I'm not going to have them to my house. I'm not going to invite them over. I'm not going to go to their place. I'm not going to go up and talk to them on the Sabbath." Anyone that harbors anything like that, they're destroying themselves spiritually. And I feel for them, but I tell you what, it's not going to be tolerated either. It's not something I have to do, it's something God does and something God will do, and has been doing, and will continue to do because He's going to cleanse the Body, continually cleanse the Body in preparing us to do a greater work as we go forward. And we can grab a hold of that and be excited about that and share in that or not.

That's why we're to examine ourselves as we approach Passover and not lie to God. We can't lie to God! We don't get by with that! Our spirit, the spirit that God has given to us in the mind, and whatever degree we've grown by and wherever we are spiritually, it can never get by with lying to God. God knows! He knows what's in our mind! He knows what we're thinking and why we're thinking it. You don't even have to say it! God knows what is in the mind! He knows how you… You think that spirit essence He gave to you, you think He's not in control of that in the sense of giving you liberty and freedom to live as you choose, but knowing exactly what's ticking inside there? That's the Great God we serve. Sometimes it's just not a reality in our life that that's how powerful God is! Now, as to what decisions all the time we will always make, God chooses not to know, obviously, many of those things. But because He is God He knows.

Just like within the ministry. After a time there are things I know because of experience and time how so many people generally are going to react to different things. And it's always such a refreshing thing when they really, truly yield to God. But that isn't always the case. So the danger, the potential that's there is always known because that's what God does. There's a reason for that.

Anyway, going on. He went on to say, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

Verse 11 (John 15)—These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you. God wants that in the body. Why would we want anything else within a body? Why would we want anything else within a fellowship except joy and happiness, to be excited and enjoy the opportunities we have when we're able to be together and spend time together? Those are the richest times of life, frankly, as far as I'm concerned – in true fellowship within the body, of the same kind of mind that has God dwelling in it. Nothing can be better, that kind of fellowship. Well, I'll take that back. The thing that can be better than that is once we're all in Elohim. Then we won't be dealing with any human nature anymore, so that will be better. But as far as human life is concerned, how rich is that? How great is that? It's awesome!

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. God wants us to be happy. He wants us to be full in life, fulfilled in life. Not having a bunch of hang-ups and problems. Look at this world. You don't have to look very far. I don't care where it is – movies, news, whatever it is – and these conflicts that people are having. And even our leaders and how they're battling each other and saying nasty things about each other and just try to tear down and rip up so that they can be raised up higher and be looked upon in a better way. And you think what a sick, sick, sick world we live in! That even that which is supposed to be at the height of human life, in the sense of government and the example of how people should be living and be looked up to to represent a people, that that's what represents us? That kind of carnal human nature and how people treat each other in such a wretched way? Things that are said that can never be taken back? Things that are said that once someone on the other side without God's spirit, they're never going to overcome, they're going to carry certain things with them, of things that are said, slanderous, evil, nasty things. Sometimes truthful things, but nasty and hurtful that don't need to be stated over and over and over and over and over and over again.

But if we're not careful, we do the same things. We can do the same things. Maybe not to the same height of nastiness and evil, but we can engage ourselves in some of the same kinds of things sometimes in how we think about others and how we think about what somebody's said or how they treated us or how we think they may have treated us or whatever, and then our response to them. And we have to be so careful that we truly learn and seek to love one another, that we value the relationships that God gives to us.

That your joy might be full. God wants us to be filled with joy, happiness, fullness of life, in that respect. This is my commandment, That you love one another. It's a commandment. God commands this of us. Nothing less is acceptable as to how we think toward one another – to love one another. And then He goes on to reveal the extent of that kind of love, which is an awesome thing. Greater love has no man than this, that a man – that a person, man or woman – lay down their life for their friends. It's not about self. It's about others. It's about those who belong to God. Our greatest fullness in life comes from the willingness to sacrifice in order to love others. See, it's not about our getting our toes stepped on or somebody didn't say something right to us. It's about our ability to love them above and beyond those things and a desire to see everyone be able to continue in the Body of Christ, to be able to continue in, to be able to come to the point of change or some kind of repentance necessary in their life and to have patience with them. Just as much as God does with every one of us. That's the best way to really grow, is with great understanding of how patient and merciful God has been to "ME." Whoever "me" is. Whoever all the "me's" are listening today – and me, too, speaking. Which is not, probably, proper English, but you understand what I'm saying.

Anyway, so that we're willing to lay down – which is a matter of sacrifice. What are you willing to do to help others? What are you willing to do to make somebody else's life better? What are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to sacrifice your own selfish feelings of having been taken advantage of, perhaps, or something said about you by them at some point and you just can't get it out of your mind, just can't forgive them? Or some preconceived idea or conceived idea in the mind that, "I haven't been treated properly here," or "My family hasn't been treated properly here," or "Someone said something about my family here or there," or whatever it might be and you just can't put that out of your mind? Are you willing to sacrifice those selfish feelings that you want to hold on to against someone else? Because that's what it is. It's extreme selfishness that wants to hold something against someone else and will not give it up! Why? Why as human beings can we do that? And how do we do that? Because we do that! That's just sick! It's perverted! It's not God's mind. It's not God's spirit at work. It's our own selfish desires. And sometimes we don't realize how selfish we are when we do such things.

Because that's what it boils down to. It boils down to something we want to keep that we're not willing to give up. We're not willing to give up how we feel we're justified. How often does this happen? When people feel like they're right and someone else is wrong, "I am justified in holding this grudge! I am justified in not having you over to my home! I am justified in not showing you the time of day or being with you!" Who…? How can that exist in the Church? The reality is, it can't. You just put yourself out and don't even know it. When you do those things you don't have God and Jesus Christ dwelling in you. You do not have God and Jesus Christ dwelling in you when you harbor such thoughts! You just don't! You might think you do, but don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. He will not dwell in that. So it has to be repented of. And these things must be repented of in the Body of Christ this year before Passover if you want to be around the following year. That would cause me to tremble right now, hearing those words, knowing what I know. Okay? If I were in such shoes, of not willing to forgive someone else, not willing to put away all my selfish feelings and my selfish justification where I think I am so justified by my righteousness in how I'm treating someone else. Because there is nothing righteous about it. God tells us what is righteous and what is true.

Anyway… Things that should not exist in the Body of Christ. And we should all be willing to lay down our life…. How much are you willing to suffer for someone else? How far are you willing to go in life in suffering if someone else can be helped, if someone else can be blessed, if someone else can have it made a little bit easier for them to deal with a matter and realize, "Man, you're treating me well, knowing what I've said." That's pleasing. And maybe help them to repent and overcome if they need to, if there's a need to. So often so many things are just in the mind and preconceived in the human beings mind or we can see things in our mind that aren't real anyway. We just imagine them and we feel certain things towards others because we blow things up because we see things on TV and we've experienced things in our past in life and how people treated one another and we think that's the way it has to be in the body. It doesn't have to be that way in the body. We can't eliminate or omit the fact that God is working in people's lives.

Anyway, You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. And we should all want to be friends with Jesus Christ, and with God the Father ever more so. Both, obviously. But Jesus Christ is our elder brother, and so that concept of mind of a friendship. But shouldn't it be toward God the Father as well? Friends. Friend of God. What an awesome thing for God to say to anyone.

John 16. So again, all of this a matter of God's word, His life, His light, His truth that can live or shine in us, if you will. Sometimes we keep it from doing so, though.

John 16:12—I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when the spirit of truth has come, it will guide you into all truth. What an awesome thing, that God's spirit, if we will yield to it, just continues to lead and guide and direct us into more and more truth, gives us more and more to build upon, making life more exciting, more meaningful spiritually. For it shall not speak of itself; but whatsoever it shall hear, it shall speak: and shall show you things to come. So, anyway, God sends out His spirit and it can convey things to us if we just will receive it.

John 17:14, going on… I have given them Your word. So Christ speaking to God the Father, praying to God the Father. He says (and this is the night of Passover, that Passover night), I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. So sometimes we go through things and we're hurt by things that happen because it's a part of our calling. It's a part of our calling to experience this by loved ones around us, by family oftentimes, of people who are not drawn, who are not called, and things that are said and things that happen and the importance then of our understanding that, that they can't help it. But nevertheless, we stand firm and we stand tall in the truth that God has given to us. They must know who we are and what we stand firm in, that God does always, always, always, always comes first always.

I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil. Some say, "evil one," how it's translated, but it doesn't matter. It's all, anything that's evil. And that's our desire, that God be with us, bless us, help us, protect us, and that we not be overcome by evil.

Verse 16—They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Something he accepted, preached, taught, taught the disciples. He's not of this world. It's not his. Totally, totally foreign as a way of life. Totally opposite as a way of life. And we have to see ourselves the same way. We are not of this world. We seek not to be of this world. That should be what we strive for in every way. We represent a different world, a different age, a different time to come. That's just like, spoke of as being ambassadors for Christ. We represent something totally different. Sanctify them, set them apart for holy use and purpose, in essence, is what it's saying. Sanctify them through Your truth. The truth is awesomely powerful, awesomely important in our lives. Your word is truth. Yes, it is. It's the light. It's the truth. It's wisdom. It's everything that reveals God and that we can have in our life, in the mind.

As You have sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Powerful. Sanctified through the truth. And I think of how much truth God has given to us in this end-time. We don't really grasp. We may think we do, but we really do not grasp how awesome and the magnitude of that. We truly don't. We can seek to and we should seek to and cry out to God to help us to do so, and as we do then we'll grow in greater appreciation and thankfulness and tend to hold on to those things that have been given to us and be inspired by them whenever we think about them, whatever they are.

So again, be cautious of this mind, the mind that tends to…. And we may not believe that. We may think, "Oh, I don't think…. I don't tend to… I don't…" You're being told, yes, you do. Yes, your human nature does, tends to devalue, over time. Over time it tends to reduce, downplay, diminish, underestimate the true value, the true value of the truth, if you will, that God has placed before us.

Let's turn over to Revelation 3 to really come to see more clearly, what we're talking about here, is to grasp more deeply our history over and over again. How often we go back and think about, focus upon some of the things having to do with our history. There is so much to be learned in that and to be reminded of that over and over again in our life so we can learn and build upon the great lessons there that God has given to us.

[Well, that clock is way off base. My clock says 2:18, and I know that can't be right. 3:18. Oh, time change, yeah. You have to catch me because I might take off here. We might be here until 5:15, 5:30.]

Revelation 3:1. Let's go back to Sardis. It's good to be reminded of Sardis. It's good to be reminded of what God did. It's good to remind ourselves what happened after several hundred years to God's Church through time. It is awesome! And to think upon those things from time to time, to realize what human nature tends to do over time. And this is a, if you will, an extreme of that example, or to the extreme in one respect, but it happens individually in people's lives, not just over several hundred years as it did within the Church.

Revelation 3:1—And unto the angel, or "the messenger," as it is, can be an angel, but of the Church in Sardis write; These are the things said by he who has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know your works. Again, prophetically here of things that were given from God, by God to Jesus Christ to give to the Church, to give to John to be written about what would happen during the different eras of the Church. I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead. The name says one thing, and there is life, but as a whole overall Sardis was known by being dead spiritually. Very few came through Sardis. Very few came out of Sardis who will be a part of the 144,000.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, so that was the admonition. Now, anybody, again, and each era didn't necessarily know by any measure that they were that particular era. But we have always understood that you can go back and read about all the eras of the Church, starting with Ephesus all the way in to the end of Laodicea and learn from that spiritually, to understand that Jesus Christ here is guiding and directing and admonishing the Church, and to realize there are things we need to be on guard about in our life. Because these things apply to God's Church always, at all times, but certain ones applied specifically overall to reflect a particular period of time. "And unto the angel of the Sardis Church write, these are the things said by…" Okay, I read that. Let's see here. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain. What remains? That was much of the key here for Sardis. There wasn't much to remain, but you better hold on to it and strengthen what's there because this isn't a time that God's going to restore truth. That's His choice. That's His by what He is doing. And much of what He was doing was to teach us, those who would follow later on. Much of what Sardis went through and why Sardis experienced what it did was to teach us, to teach Philadelphia, and to teach those through the Millennium and the Great White Throne. So they went through a lot that they don't understand fully, didn't understand fully, but it's for our learning. It's for our admonition so that we can be benefitted mightily from it. Because it wasn't God's intent to call many or bring many through the period of Sardis. It's there to teach. It's there to learn great lessons from. It's there to learn what happens after several hundred years of Thyatira went by, and by the time you came to Sardis and what began to happen then when churches began to break away from the big mama church and when all these different ideas came out and the printing  press came out and different Bibles began to come out and different interpretations about God and so forth and people trying to give their idea of what was from God, that human beings tend to do even when they're called – sometimes have to fight those battles.

So, anyway, went on to say, be, again, watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. So again here, strong admonition here. I think of…. I'm just going to read part of this coming out of the 57 Truths of God, the heading. And I'm just going to read part of this to you: "Truths Remaining at the End of Sardis." This is under that particular section. "Only three basic truths still remained in God’s Church at the end of the Sardis Era…" And we should know what those are. Those are easy to know and remember, but it's good from time to time to reflect on that reality, to think about them, to think about what was there. A Church that was ascribed as being dead, but there were still some who had life. Very few. It wasn't a time for people being called. It wasn't a time for God to restore truth to the Church. That would come later.

So again, "Only three basic truths remained in God's Church at the end of the Sardis Era when Herbert W. Armstrong was called of God to become His apostle for the next era, Philadelphia.”

1 (1) The seventh day Sabbath. The weekly Sabbath has remained one of the most basic signs of God’s true Church. God’s people have always obeyed the seventh day Sabbath.

So again, foundational, the seventh day and the importance of having it one day a week. It has to do with our great relationship with God, being identified as who it is with whom God is working and so forth.

2 (2)    The name of God’s Church – the "Church of God."

So important that people come to understand whose it is. It belongs to God. That means every baptized member in there belongs to God. They're purchased with a great price – Jesus Christ who died for every one of them so that they could be there. That's what it means, those things that are discussed about being purchased, being redeemed (if you will) from this world and the things that have to take place, and it was through the blood of Christ. So again:

2 (2)    The name of God’s Church – the "Church of God." God’s Church bears His name, as it belongs to Him.

So again, so basic, so foundational, so important. You think, think about people when they begin to be drawn. They have to come to that one. Didn't we all? If you're called out of the world you came to realize there can only be… If the Bible…. If this book is true, if it's of God there can only be one thing that's true or there is no God, and that is there is one body, there's just one Church. There's one body that's His. There can't be two. Two, already you have problems. They're not in agreement. They're not in agreement with one another and they definitely can't be in agreement with God. And the diversity then of ideas and beliefs and so forth, that's not the way God's spirit works. It doesn't work in an area of confusion like that. And yet there are many groups out here today that who are scattered who think that God's kind of working with all of us to bring us together, to bring us through all this, and kind of through these different streets and avenues, I guess, and sometimes up the alley, I guess, back alleys, dark back alleys. I'm sorry. Anyway…. God doesn't work like that. But there are people out there who believe that that used to be a part of the Worldwide Church of God, who think that they're one group and somebody else is another group and God's working with them. Now, one thing they pretty much do agree on is that God's not working with us. But as a whole the main ones out there, they kind of believe that God's working with the different ones there. And you think, "If you really believe that…." That's a toughie. "How can you really believe that even in a carnal plane?"

Anyway, going on here. Revelation 3:3. Oh, First Tithe. I didn't give the next one here. #3, has to do with First Tithe.

3 (3)    First Tithe to God. God gave the tithing system for the purpose of doing His work on earth. This tithe is God’s and He has given it to the leaders in His Church to use in His work as He directs the Church through His Son, Jesus Christ.

That's one that people have to choose whether they live by faith in as well. That tries a lot of people.

Revelation 3:3, then continuing in what it says about Sardis, Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard, and hold fast. Now, that's an admonition that's good for all time, isn't it? That's something that would have been so valuable if after the Apostasy everybody could have remembered that. But they didn't. "Oh, he… I learned a lot of things from him. He was a good minister." A lot of them couldn't even say he was an apostle anymore. "Learned a lot of things from him. We have a lot of the basic things we know because of him. I'll give that to him." It's like pulling teeth to even get him to say his name in the beginning. And some of you didn't experience some of those things. But those of you who did, you know what I'm talking about. Sat down with people, ministers, who couldn't even say the name Herbert W. Armstrong, let alone Worldwide Church of God. "Our former affiliation." That became the way to describe it. You don't use that in the congregation, "the Worldwide Church of God," anymore. You call it, "our former affiliation." Well, why are you doing that? Hmmm. I marvel at what we experienced. But if you can remember what you experienced or you can learn from what we experienced, it'll benefit you awesomely, because these, they are powerful, powerful lessons here. And one of these that's so awesomely important, "Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard, and hold fast." Hold fast.

That's why I marvel at individuals who have shared in the remnant, things that God has given to the remnant Church. Just about what was given in the Feast of 2005 alone, that Jesus Christ had a beginning. How anyone could embrace that, be filled in their life with that, and then what do you do? Where do you go? Because some have gone to some different splinter groups. How can you defile your mind like that? How can you…? Blows my mind!

"Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard." So if everyone that was a minister, and everyone in the Church after the Apostasy had remembered where they had learned it they would know if they needed to get re-established in something they weren't established in, go back to the trunk of the tree. That's why that thing came out in Time is Running Out. I believe that's where it was, the big trunk of the tree. Holding on to what God had given to us through Mr. Armstrong, because if you don't have that you're not going to know how God called you and why God…. All the other things associated with it. "And hold fast and repent." Repent of the things that you… that you've let go, that you've let slip, that you've begun…

And see, this has happened over and over and over. Ministers who have been trained at Ambassador, ministers who have had years and years of experience, who have no excuse whatsoever, forgot. Chose to forget certain things that God had given to them, where they learned them. That's why you should never, never forget even though you maybe never heard it, but you've heard of it, that toward the end, several years in a row, that in the auditorium there in Pasadena when Mr. Armstrong was up and speaking, especially at a Biblestudy, where were all the evangelists? Where were those who were trained by him back in the late 40's, early 50's, sitting at his feet, literally, in the sense not on the floor but at desks taking notes as Mr. Armstrong was teaching them about the Bible and what was being said about the truth and so forth. They came to a point where they were rich and increased with goods and they didn't need to sit at God's apostles feet anymore. What a dumbfounding thing!

Now, what do you think happened in their life? Well, let's see here: "Human nature plays a very powerful role to actually devalue, reduce, downplay, diminish, underestimate the incredible great value of the truth God has placed before us." That's the way we are as human beings. Do any of us think we're better than any of those individuals who went through what they did in the late 40's and early 50's, and sat there and listened to God's apostle, trained by him? Went out then and served in different Church areas in the ministry, gave hundreds and hundreds of sermons, and that this could happen? Because it did in every person's life. Every one of them without exception, because of the human nature. And we are no better. We have the same human nature. But we have opportunity that they didn't have, because we don't live in Philadelphia, and God has a different purpose for working with the remnant group at the end-time that has the experience or the knowledge of those things that happened in seven previous era's of His Church, and revealing to us the things He is giving to us to help us in a job that's transitioning from the end, for the Church, to the time Christ returns.

And there is no way that any one of us can fully grasp how awesome that is. And we should be excited by it and stirred by it. But to grasp the great depth of that, it's pretty tough to do because it's far greater than we are – the purpose behind it and what God is doing. He's given us the ability to share in some of those things, to grasp some of those things, but we don't see it all yet and we don't grasp the magnitude of it all yet. Now, there's going to come a day after Christ is here that we're going to be able to look back and things are going to fit into place a whole lot better for us. "Ah, now I see! Now I understand. I understand what I was told back then." Until we experience things. And it's a building process we're going to go through.

We, above all times, of all people on earth, have been given much, much, much, much, much, more than any of them ever had. And sometimes we just can't grasp how great that really is. They didn't have 57 truths. They didn't have them. They didn't have all the things that have been built upon them through time here. They didn't have all the posts that we've had in the last three years. They didn't have what's written in the book that's coming out, that you've already finally gotten to Chapter 6 in this week. You're finally into Chapter 6. And there's not a person here that can grasp everything that's in Chapter 6. There's not a person here that really fully grasps everything that's written in 2008—God's Final Witness. You want to know why? Because there are things there that God hasn't revealed yet about what was actually written.

Sometimes we can read through something and think we understand it. "Ah, I get it." It fits into place. We like to put everything into nice, neat little categories where they fit. "Oh, this all fits in place." And then when something falls out down here a little bit lower. "How can that be?!" It's like, "My whole foundation, I'm teetering here. I'm back and forth." And it's like, "What's happening?!" It's because we didn't "see" it. It's because we didn't really grasp it all. And then when we finally are told what it means, then it's like, "Oh." Then it all gets back up there again. It's just the way we are. There are things written in both the last two books that you will never grasp fully – not even at the beginning of the Millennium. You'll have to be taught. Even if you're a part of the 144,000.

You want to know why, how I know that to the depth I do? Because I'm still learning from what was written. Okay? And I wrote it! And just like so many who wrote things in this book, they did not understand all that they were given to write. Not a single one of them. Not a single person who wrote everything that they wrote in this book, the Bible, understood everything that they wrote in the sense of the spiritual intent and purpose that God was giving to them. And God has made that abundantly clear over time. And He made it abundantly clear to some of them. "Just shut up the book, Daniel." That's a good example. Because it's true about Paul. It's true about Peter. It's true about James. It's true about John, and especially John. People think, "Well, he wrote the book of Revelation. He knows what it means." He did not understand what it was about. He simply wrote it for the end-time. He saw certain things, and how do you describe some of the things he saw, but he wrote about them, what he saw in his own mind with what he… And we still don't understand what's there fully by any measure.

And God will continue to reveal those things, even through the Millennium. Even into the Great White Throne. Because God's purpose isn't just all of a sudden once we're in the Millennium to give us all ability to understand all that's written in this book. He will continue to have progressive revelation and understanding through time, even though Christ and 144,000 are walking here on this earth. It's His way. And it's awesome. It's beautiful. It really is.

[Now, I turned some papers over and I lost my place. Okay, we were in… Yes, we were. I read, I think, let's see. I was in Revelation 3. What verse did I stop on? I stopped on verse 3? Barely got started. Okay.]

Yes, "Remember." Don't forget where you learned it and how you learned it. Because it reveals how God's worked, how God works. It reveals where God's working. And those things are so awesome to understand. Just like those individuals sitting there in Pasadena, if they were sitting there. Some were just sitting at home because they didn't need to go to the auditorium. Do you think we can become the same way? That we can do that in our minds, in our thinking? Sure can.

If, therefore, you will not watch, I will come on you as a thief. Now, who is this talking to? Sardis! "Remember, therefore, how you received and heard, and hold fast and if you not watch," it says, "I'll come on you as a thief." Had nothing to do… That's why we talked about this over and over again. This example of him coming as a thief was not about the actual time he was going to return to this earth. It's about every person ever called from the time of Ephesus on, the importance of watching. And if you don't watch, the end result, what will happen to you spiritually, on a spiritual plane it’s like one coming as a thief and just take everything away from you. I have known hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people personally – talked to, visited with, knew, and thought I knew well – that just like a thief they lost what they had. One day they were one way and another day they were somebody different that I never knew.

Verse 4—You have a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. "A few names." There aren't going to be that many that came out of Sardis, especially toward the end. Because it got weaker and weaker and weaker as they went forward.

He who overcomes, conquers self, yielding to God, stays in the battle, continues to pray, continues to ask for forgiveness of their sins day in and day out, continues to fight and never gives up because that's what it means to conquer and overcome, He who overcomes the same shall be clothed in white attire; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels. Now, this is speaking specifically about those who will become a part of 144,000.  Because the purpose later on is going to change in the Millennium and the Great White Throne. People will still intend, the purpose is to become part of the God Family, part of Elohim, but not part of this primary structure that we understand is coming at Christ's return. And so this is, in part, what they're being told. And says they, "will not blot out his name out of the book of life." A lot of names that had the opportunity to begin, didn't finish, are not going to be there. Many have been called over the last 2,000 years. And the reality is few. A lot more have been called than what has been chosen. And that's an awesome thing to understand. Just like with what happened during the time of the Apostasy. Look at how many thousands and thousands and thousands were called, and they're not chosen. They're not in that category yet. They have to wait. They have to wait now until the Millennium. Thankful they're going to have the opportunity now to be in the Millennium, so many of them.

…but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the Churches. The reality is, what does that mean? It only has any meaning to someone who can hear. Because those who can't, you can't give it to them. You can preach it. You can teach it. You can say it, you know, until you're blue in the face, and it doesn't mean a thing if God's spirit's not there. And if God's spirit's there, then people will receive it.

So, another part of our history that is better known by most is the era that followed. Again, so much written about it. Mr. Armstrong, when God called him, the age of Philadelphia. And God called Mr. Armstrong to be His apostle during that entire age. So this is under the heading, "Truths Revealed During Philadelphia." And I'm just going to read this, again, as it's stated there.

"God restored the following 18 truths to His Church through Herbert W. Armstrong during the Philadelphia Era. These truths that are foundational to God’s Church also served to reveal that Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled a role of the prophesied ‘Elijah to come,’ just as John the Baptist."

"John the Baptist fulfilled that role by preparing the way for the first coming of the Messiah, who in turn would fulfill his role of God’s Passover to mankind. Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled his role as a type of the ‘Elijah to come’ by restoring ‘all things’ (all truths) that the Church had lost by the closing of the age of Sardis — truths needed for salvation and preparation (of the Church) for the second coming of Jesus Christ."

"The restoration of these truths, given through Herbert W. Armstrong, paved the way for the appearance of the third ‘type’ of the ‘Elijah to come’ in the end time, the one whom God would use to prepare the way (in the Church and in the world) for the coming of His Son a second time, but this time to fulfill his role as ‘King of kings’—as the Messiah who will reign in His Kingdom."

So then, going on here, Revelation 3:7, talking about the age of Philadelphia: And to the angel of the Church of Philadelphia write: These are the things said by He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens. Awesome! I think of the things that God opened up for Mr. Armstrong to do, to accomplish that no one – if God did it, not one was going to shut it, no one was going to stop it. And that was repeated over and over and over again.

Verse 8—I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. So, awesome things! Think about when this was written and what God was going to accomplish and fulfill knowing what human beings are like, knowing what would happen by whatever truth or amount of truth or conditions that existed that God can work with to mold and fashion human minds. And the reality is that every one of these eras was a part of a building process of a temple. And yet because of those different areas, you can't all be alike. Just like each one of us, we have some place that God is preparing us for, if we just yield to the process, within the temple. Some specific area! And so our experiences and what we go through in life and how God works with us in our mind is going to be different from someone else. We're going to have different things that we experience for that very purpose, because of what He's building. And that's an awesome thing to understand.

Just like in a physical construction (and we can understand that to a degree) of certain things that are prepared to be set in place. And to comprehend that the Great God of the universe does that with us, it's beyond understanding. But we can strive to appreciate it to whatever degree we can. And most of that has to be because of physical analogies we have, and then realizing how much greater it is that God is working with our minds to do that very thing. But it's in a construction, like a building, construction. And everyone has a place, a very specific place. Unlike what it is in the world where you might have different 2 X 4's in a house, or whatever it is, and different nails. If we're a nail, we're a specific nail, you know. "Oh, which one should we use today here?" Anyway, I'm just… And wherever we go, we're there for a purpose of helping to hold something together, a structure, a function, and it all works together and it can't work apart from each other, if you understand. We're a body. It's a body and it's going to be made to function in a very powerful way for a very great purpose over millions and billions of people's lives – for the very purpose of helping to bring them into the same family.

I can't comprehend all that, and neither can you. We can strive to appreciate it and seek to grasp it and come to an understanding that if we yield to the process, that each one of us – never to be jealous of someone else. "Well, I want to be that nail." Whatever. "I don't like where you're placing me in the body here." Sometimes we think that way. "I think someone else…" "I think you're giving them too much by placing them over there." And not realizing where we're going in the body in the first place, what God is doing. We don't know what God is doing and how that government's going to work. We don't know how that body is going to work. How can you even learn all 144,000, who they are, let alone where they're going to be in that? And that's just the beginning of the temple. There's a lot more to come in time.

Anyway, Incredible. Awesome. Beyond words, the things that God is doing. And so every person through every era – Ephesus, they were worked with because of their conditions, those who are going to be in the temple from that era are different from those who were in Pergamos or whatever, some of the different eras of the Church and what God was doing in them because of what they were experiencing and how He's going to place them in the body. Because of the very thing… Because it's through our experiences in life. It's because of those things and how God works with us, to mold something special within us, that's different from others, because of where He's putting us in the body. That should dumbfound us. And it should excite us too, to realize, "My life's in God's hands." Where else would you want it to be? You going to fight against that? You going to work against that? You going to try to do something contrary to that and what God's doing? No, you want to yield to that, whatever it is. I don't care what it is. Go away for three years? Fine. Fine! I welcome it! I hope there's not more, but if there is, so be it! I don't care. If it's from God, what can you have, what can you experience, what hardship, what thing can you experience, what health issue, what is it that we might be experiencing in life that we don't want, that we don't choose to have, that we may fight against, and sometimes, if we're not careful, even begin to blame God for and say, "Why are… Why me?" Why would anyone ever do that? But instead to rejoice in what you're going through and realize that God's in control. And if you're being worked with by the Great God of this universe what more could we…? What thought could ever come into our mind to think anything different from that? To resist that in any fashion or form? Because you don't know what God is preparing for you. You don't know where He's getting ready to place you. You don't know what's ahead. You don't know the awesomeness of what is ahead. You can't know that…yet. And when you're there you're going to be dumbfounded by it. Dumbfounded!

That's why some that have opportunities right now and what they're going to have opportunity for in the beginning of the Millennium who aren't going to be a part of the 144,000 don't grasp the magnitude of what they're being prepared for and the opportunities they're going to have because of what they've lived through at the end of this age. And God doesn't forget. God doesn't forget. And He's preparing it for special purposes and reasons. Opportunities that are going to blow your mind! Incredible!

[Okay. I have this little tab and I must not have moved it. What verse? Where was I? Thank you very much. I need someone up here to help me to move the tab as I go along. It's a great idea that was given to me, I just haven't followed it all fully.]

Verse 8—I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will make these/those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and that are not, but do lie. You know, what an awesome thing to say here. Not God's Church, but of different beliefs out here that think, that think they're God's Church, that think they belong to God, that think they love Jesus, and all the things that are said out here, who hated the Worldwide Church of God, who hated Mr. Armstrong. Loathed, in many cases.

Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. So does someone jump up and down and say, "Oh, they're going to come worship before my feet someday"? No. It's not about that. It's about in giving encouragement. You are God's servants and God will uphold you, and they will be humbled in time. It's not a matter of self-glorification and pride in thinking how great one is. Because that's not what it's about. When you're in Elohim, you're in Elohim. When you're a part of the God Family, you're just a part of the God Family. And it's never, at that time there will… It's not a matter. There is no pride. What an awesome thing! No pride, no being lifted up, no feeling of self-importance or jealousies, of thinking, "Well, someone else in Elohim is over here in the temple and I would have loved to have been over there." Anyway. But that just shows carnal human nature. Isn't it going to be a wonderful thing when that's not around anymore, that kind of thinking? Amazing. Amazing the battles we have.

[Yeah, verse 8. Okay.]

Verse 9, again, Behold, I will make those the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. So it's just a matter of encouragement. You're on the right track. You're doing the right thing. God will uphold you. God will bless you. And you should have mercy upon those who can't understand those things.

Verse 10—Because you have kept the word of my patience, I will also keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. So again here, things that are stated, things about that particular era and some who lived through that particular period, of things that are unique to them and things that they didn't have to experience, will not have to experience in the world around them.

Verse 11—Behold, I come quickly! Hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. So again, there are people, as myself, who were called during the time of Philadelphia. How many of you in here were called during Philadelphia? Wow! A lot in Cincinnati. I knew that anyway. But a lot here in Cincinnati called during the period of Philadelphia, who experienced that period. Not living in it now but were called toward the end of that period of Philadelphia. Maybe some called a little farther back. Anyway, started to look around the room, realize there are some others go a little farther back, and probably more than what I do. Let's just find out. 1969. Okay, who all beats 1969, being baptized? Baptized before 1969? In what year before that? Well, then! You mean I'm the oldest one here? Oh, Neva! What year? '59. Okay, you sure blew me out of the water! I thought we had somebody that was longer than that. Okay. '59. Awesome! Incredible!

And so again here, what incredible things, some of the experiences that people, things they can tell you about what they've experienced. She wasn't baptized before me. She's been coming a lot longer. Was it '56? '57? That was when you were born. When did you start coming? '62. Okay. I couldn't remember how old you were when you started coming, and that since 1962. See, Neva has you beat even in that one. She was baptized back in '59. Okay.

So, incredible things of our history, of things we can learn from. And experienced so many different things throughout that entire period. I, just in thinking about that and what happened in the '60s then and Loma dying, and then on into the '70s and things that happened to the Church and Mr. Armstrong's health, and things that happened in the '70s with Pentecost and a beginning of the battles that began to take place in different areas of the Church. Not massive, but at that time they were massive, when there were some entire churches that left, like in Washington, D.C., and Hawaii, and so forth. Almost entire churches were decimated. Nothing compared to what happened in the Apostasy when it went everywhere.

So again, going on here and what was going to happen through Philadelphia. So certain things they, that individuals would not have to experience during that time period. It wasn't meant for them, but yet they would know about it. They would know about the end-time. Their focus would be about the end-time. Because this was getting in the end-time. If you want to talk about 6,000 years, that period of 50 years, 55 years plus of Mr. Armstrong's ministry, was in the end-time very much so and his focus was very much about the end-time. And God began to give him things of understanding that began to be the focus. And all preparing for the end-time, for Christ's coming, for Christ's return.

Verse 11—Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which you have that no man take your crown. I think of how many? How many didn't hold fast? Choices. Choices that people had and being judged along the way. They had opportunity. See, we all have opportunity. We all have…. When God calls us He calls us to succeed. He calls us to succeed. He doesn't call us to fail. But yet in the midst of all that God knows our nature. He knows the mind of human beings, but doesn't always know the choices that are going to be made as we're worked with through time. That's why as you— let me get a carrot out— as you go through Chapter 6 here you're going to get into a period of learning how God did certain things and what happened in the Church. Because there were things about us that God didn't know. He didn't force. He doesn't force people to make certain choices and decisions. Didn't know exactly where we would be spiritually as a body after all that we were going to go through with an Apostasy. Nothing like that had ever happened. Nothing like that had ever happened. But He had a purpose and He was going to draw a certain number of people.

Even as I've talked about the third and the third and a third and the ten percent. And some people have had trouble with, "Where are all those people?" Well, I'll tell you what, a lot of them wouldn't even come along when God opened up their mind and gave them the opportunity to see the truth. We visited a few. I think of some that my wife and I visited in different parts of the country, that we went and visited with. And their minds were opened up to things that had happened to us and that they read in Time is Running Out our Time Has Run Out, and that was before the books ever came out. And we sat down in their rooms and talked to them and they were there, and they weren't there, because they made choices. Over and over and over again.

I think of entire groups, like in Arizona, up in Minneapolis, invited to very early on, told them what was going to come to pass, told them what was going to happen to them and their ideas of building bridges. You can't build bridges in God's Church! You don't build bridges in God's Church! You want to build a bridge over to a 14/15'er on one side and you're over here on the other side? Where is the harmony and unity with the spirit of God in that? How can you…? What are you going to do? How are you going to work with them, someone who has a different mind? Do you think that works in God's Church? And they didn't like that message. Didn't bother calling again. Not a one of them in those two areas. Did they? Not a one out of all those people came along. So, there went 150 right there down the drain, or more. I can't remember what it was total. But whatever the numbers were they didn't accept what God was offering to them. And that happened over and over again in people's lives. Some we don't even know about. Because God's word is true. He's going to give opportunity to different ones, but that doesn't mean they're going to choose it.

Just like what's going to happen now at the end. Just because God has changed the things as far as mercy is concerned and judgment is concerned, does not mean people are going to choose it and accept that mercy. That's why I made the comments, the destruction, when it's all said and done, has the potential to be just as great as what it would have been in 2012, because of the hearts of man, because of the stubbornness of human nature, because of the hard heartedness of people who just won't repent. I believe many are going to repent. But how many? To make a big difference? Maybe not. But the potential is going to be there and God is working with them to give them that potential – which is not going to be fun and games. It's going to be difficult for them. That's the only way to humble people.

Anyway, so I think of people who have made choices. And God told them during Philadelphia, "Don't let anyone take your crown." Used to be an expression that people would use during Philadelphia, "Don't let anyone take your crown. You've been called to receive it. You've been called for a purpose. God is giving you an opportunity." And how many came out of Philadelphia? Well, the ones that went on in Laodicea, not a whole lot. Not a whole lot when it's all said and done. Those who did, died in the faith, they have it made. But those who continue to live on and lived on to the time of the Apostasy, well, totally different story, isn't it?

So again, Don't let anyone take your crown. He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more, or, no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from God. What an awesome thing to understand what's going to take place as God's government, as the Kingdom of God comes to this earth. And I will write upon him my new name. He that has ears, let him hear what the spirit says to the Churches.

So again, it'd be good to review some of these things that are… I'm just going to go through a few here. Actually, we'll probably end up mentioning every one of them. I think it's worthwhile, at least, to mention every single one of the 57 Truths, to give us a focus before we approach Passover season here, just to think about some of the things that God has given to us and to fight against our human nature that might begin to diminish from the magnitude of the awesomeness of what God has given us. Because even these here that were given to Mr. Armstrong, how many have them today, that have been given them? Not very many. They've lost it. They're holding on to different things that don't mix together because they're doing it on their own ability and own power and God's spirit isn't in it anymore. So there is a certain resemblance in the sense of going to a Feast of Tabernacles. What does it mean? God isn't there. It's like Seventh Day Adventists going to church on Saturday. It's like the Jews going to church on Saturday. Where is God?

So the fourth one, or the first one given to Mr. Armstrong, or through Mr. Armstrong:

4 (1) The government of God.

And that is one of the most important in the sense of understanding God, how God works, how God governs in our life through the power of His holy spirit. Because this goes beyond just structure of what we consider normally as government. It's coming to understand how God governs even through the power of His holy spirit within the Church, within the Body. Because there is a way that God works – always works, always has worked.

So it states here, speaking of the government of God on earth, this first one:

When Christ comes, He will restore God’s government to the whole earth. God’s government was restored to His Church during Philadelphia. It is not a government of men where decisions are made by such practices as voting or one’s own will, but as God leads through the power of His spirit.

People don't like that. They don't like that. They don't like, although they accept one huge big church that can kind of govern like that, but not us. We're not allowed to. God's Church isn't allowed to do that as far as government's concerned. Sad. But it does. That's how it functions. And that'll never change. There is a way that God's spirit works.

And so God has blessed us to build upon that, to even come to understand certain things on a spiritual plane that we didn't grasp until God began to reveal in a greater way, still His government, how it's…. It's how His spirit works through our lives. And when it comes to the need… See, there are times that authority, if you will, has to be addressed – only, basically, when human nature raises it's ugly head. Otherwise there is really…. You know, when we're at-one with God, we're at-one with God. That's what's so beautiful about Elohim. It'll just function as a body automatically without jealousies, without envyings, without resistance, without all the things we have with our carnal human minds. It's beautiful! But we don't work that way. We still fight as human beings. We fight and we resist and so….

I'm in awe, personally, of how God reveals some of these things even in a greater way with just within the family unit. Because the way the world was established for so long, and of needs of specific needs, it had to be that way because of what we are as human beings, the sense of husband and wife, man and woman in a family. And there was a certain structure and a certain way society was. It was because of the way the world was. It was because of society and what they did from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, that the whole world then followed that same way and it became more a matter of, really the most basic part of it, as a matter of force, strength, physical. Men and women. God made one, as a whole, to be stronger physically. And mankind has totally abused and misused that toward women. That's just the way the world is. That's just the way human nature is.

And then God comes to a point in time and He begins to reveal to us that curse is going to be removed. People are going to do what is right because of the mind, because of the thinking, not because of the physical, not because of what exists physically but because of what exists in the mind spiritually. And He is going to govern and work with that way and going to begin to reveal it to His Church by the fact that women are going to be ordained. Now, how do you men handle that one? That's the question, see. And I'll tell you what, there's been a lot of resistance to that. There's been a lot of resistance to that. You know what? There still is spiritually, and people don't even know it. There are people who are just…. You know, you can't see it, you can't see it. "He who has an ear, let him hear." Well, if you can't hear it, you just can't hear it. And if you can't see it, you can't see it.

And so what do you have to go through? Well, sometimes you've got to have your feet stepped on quite, maybe too often or a lot so you can maybe begin to learn this is how God is working in His Church, this is what God is revealing and He's making a change in the way the world is going to be. And we'd better hop on board and get the picture so that we can be a part of it, because if we don't get it and can't support it, we won't be able to be a part of it. I know. I hope that all makes sense to everybody. Yes? Yes? Okay.

So anyway, what God is doing to reveal such things to us. And so people are tried. It tries the spirit. And it causes us to focus upon how does God work? Because all of a sudden now a man isn't always the head of the home. "Oh, yeah?! Oh, yeah? Hmmm." That's how some people think. It may not come out in those words, but it's there. It's so deeply…. I mean, once you're there, frankly once you're past 10 you're set pretty much. But anyway… it's just the way we're made, a certain way. And the way we think has a certain way. But I'll tell you what, by the time you're fifty and by the time you're sixty, it gets a whole lot harder to make some of those kinds of changes if you've lived your whole life a certain way. But when God's Church, when He reveals truth to us, we learn to repent and we learn to embrace what God gives. And so it is with things like this. And it's beautiful. Things that happen the way God says they should, it's a beautiful thing. And we learn to be a part of it. We learn to support it. We learn to see the beauty and what God's doing and how God's doing it.

So, again, government from God the Father all the way through. How we function, how we work, how we think, how we love one another is a matter of government. It's how our lives are governed. Do we yield our self to it or do we resist God. Do we resist the power of God? Do we resist the authority of God? See? Those are things we have to come to see.

That's why I marvel at what God revealed in the Church at some time, at some point about things about healing within the Church, anointing within the Church, physically. And what was far more important than God's intervention to heal someone physically was what it taught. What it taught was far, far more important spiritually in what God was giving to the Church. It was to understand that there are those whom God works that we are to recognize and to receive into our life, and to obey God. Whether He intervenes or not is not even a question. Whether God heals or not at a moment in time that's not even the question. That's in God's hands. And it may be the best thing for us that He doesn't.

God could have kept me from two heart attacks. I'm glad He didn't. There are two books that might not have been written if – one of them I know wouldn't have been, the last one. And the one before that? Started writing after a heart attack. It was in my mind beforehand but what to go through, what it should be wasn't there. But knew that something I was supposed to think about, which I wasn't excited about. Anyway… Because I have resisted writing for a long, long time. Ever since I was in that English class. But anyway.

If you yield yourself to God, God's going to do it. If you yield yourself to a process, regardless of what it is, it doesn't matter in your mind whether you think you can or can't. It doesn't matter. If God's going to do something…. It's like, well, Moses. He didn't want to do, he didn't want to go and talk to Pharaoh. He didn't want to talk to the people. He didn't want to do certain things because of his speech, because he had some kind of problem, whatever it was, whether it was stuttering or whatever it was. And so God let him have Aaron with him. But if he'd have just yielded to that process, part of it, it would have been done that way. But we learn from that too, don't we? We learn that no matter who it is, with whom God works, and especially in the beginning, of certain things in our lives, we can't see what we can't see, or grasp what we can't grasp. He came to understand that and see that very deeply later on and he was in control far greater and in a far greater way later on. But that's how we all are and the process we go through.

So, so often in our lives. Don't restrict God and what God's doing in your life. Because we tend to do that. That's why I tend to think about the calling we received and I think of the importance that we need to respond in a way God wants us to. Not many mighty, not many great…  How is that? 1st Corinthians? I want to turn over there right quick and go through this, because this is something good for us all to see and understand.

For you see your calling (1 Corinthians 1:26)—For you see your calling, brethren. Now, that's a statement made by Paul, but the reality is it's like we need to see it, but the reality is we don't always see it. We don't always grasp it. So he's telling us what it is we need to grasp. "For you see your calling," and maybe something could have been added here, "For you need to see your calling, brethren." We need to see it. We need to grasp it. We need to latch on to it and grasp what God is doing in our lives.

…how that not many wise men of the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. It's just…. And even when individuals are called, as a whole, it's a pretty tough job for people. Those who are self-sufficient in life, highly educated, whatever it is, exceedingly wealthy, whatever it might be, exceedingly successful in life. Their ears aren't too sharp when it comes to listening to what God has because they don't want it. They're self-sufficient. The need for God isn't as real in their minds. They might go through a façade of that with the community around them for selfish gain, or whatever, but as a whole it's not really in their mind. So the mind being willing to listen to God, you know what has to happen? Even, I don't care who we are? Most of the time what has to happen to us to be called? We have to be knocked down a few pegs. Oftentimes we have to be knocked down a few pegs. We have to go through some hardships. We have to go through some difficult things in life sometimes before we're called. Not always, but a lot of times we do.

Mine took some 4 X 4's. And I would not have listened if those things that I've written about had not happened. I knew my mind. I know my mind. I knew it back then and I knew it afterwards. I would not have listened. I know that with all my being. Would not have listened because, candidly, I'd heard some things from The Plain Truth magazine. I'd heard Garner Ted Armstrong when I was working in a store working my way through college, at a junior college. And kind of interesting, what was being said, but nothing was clicking and I sure didn't delve into it or try to. And anything that was considered religious, I rejected it. I didn't want anything to do with it. So sometimes we have to go through a lot in order to have a willingness to listen.

So the great and the mighty of this world. That's why we don't see a lot of great and mighty called. Because in this age, in this time without going… unless God has a specific purpose for something in somebody's life, like He did with Paul, that's a unique example. Paul was highly educated and wealthy, came from wealth. What happened to him? He had to go through some, a tough period there so his eyes could be opened up. He had to be humbled, lose his sight. That's a scary thing. You have something like that happen to you and you're blinded and you can't see? Can you imagine being struck like that? So, ready to listen. Before that?

You see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. That has been God's purpose. Not to call the great and the mighty! Not at all! But to call out others in the world the great and the mighty look down upon. "Who are you? You do you think you are?" It's even… It makes it harder for them, then. "How can you? You think you're the only one who knows the truth?" No, I know it. "Ooo." They don't like the answers. It's not a matter of haughtiness and pride, it's a matter of just the truth. It's a reality. And people hate it. Human nature hates it.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. We're not the great and the mighty of the world. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. You know what the story is behind this? We are not to stay the same. We are to change! Especially in the power of God's spirit. And the more we yield ourselves to God's spirit we are to improve our lot in life. We are, as a matter of obedience to God, to strive to improve ourselves, even physically, in life, and to strive even more so with God's spirit to become something different and unique that God uses, that knows the truth. So anywhere we can improve ourselves in life, we should strive to do it. That's our calling. Because we're not to stay the same. We are to change. So where we can we should strive – strive hard to improve. Whatever it is we do, strive to do a little bit better, strive to do it a little bit harder. Throw yourself into it just a little bit more if you have that ability before you.

That's why I like to see some of the changes that I see. Because this age is a tough age. And I think of young people growing up, as a whole, in this age today. And in many ways it's different. Well, it's a lot different than the way I grew up. Human nature is still the same. It's not good. And the ability to sin has been magnified many times over. But because of the way families are, because of the way society is, a lot of people haven't learned some of the basic things of life. I think of the different ones I was with, in the last three years, how many didn't have family life and what it did to them. Families that are torn up. And you talk about being in bondage – not because of where they are but just being in bondage. They are deep in bondage. And they haven't been taught some of the most basic things, some of the most basic things of life, of how to take care of yourself, of how to take care of things around you. Because mama's always been doing it or something else has been going on, and so people don't learn certain things in life and there's this mentality almost of the easy way or wanting the easy way out and, "I want what they have," parents, or whatever it is, or grandparents, "but I want it now." That's the only difference. And there's this concept of things are owed and this thing of because of the way credit cards are and credit so easily obtainable and people living in a world that's not reality at all.

Anyway, I don't mean to go into a lot of that, but the point being in some of this is that I have loved, I do love the changes I've seen in so many people as they yield to God's spirit, that they make in their lives and begin to learn those things, of how to care for themselves, of how to do whatever it is in life that isn't being taught today. It's not being taught as a whole in families, how to take care of yourself. And people are shoved out in the world very early on and they're almost in a state of bondage right away. Because what do you? Anyway, that's not the purpose of the sermon.

But the point is is that every one of us have opportunity to grow and change and become better than what we are when we're called. And that's physically and spiritually. And so we should strive to yield ourselves to those things where we can. That is the point of this.

So again, And base things of the world, and the things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. God's going to show what He's done with us. It's a powerful witness. He's going to show what He's done with every one of us that's yielded to Him, the truth that we have, the things that have changed in our life, the lives we have, the families we have, where we're able to work and do and accomplish certain things in our life that the world is blind to and they aren't able to live that. Anyway, that's a sermon in itself. Didn't mean to go there.

We'll stop there today and pick it up next Sabbath here, going on with some more of these truths that have been given to us. But "the government of God,” it's a biggie. It's one that most people in the Church at the time of the Apostasy believed they understood and the one they understood the least.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1