Trust in God, Pt. 5

Ron Weinland

August 18, 2018

We are now continuing with the series entitled Trust in God and this is Part 5.

And since it’d been six weeks since this series had been interrupted it took quite a bit of time last week to get caught up. But I think a review was good because it was for so long period of time that sometimes it’s good to go back over some of those things to have them more deeply embedded in us, if you will, be able to drink it in more fully, what was said, in the context, in a quick overview. It wasn’t quick because it was almost the whole sermon but we’ve caught back up pretty much. So today we’re going to continue there with one section toward the end of Part 4 that was being discussed in the book of Colossians where Paul discussed some of the things that this series has actually been addressing.

And we’re going to go back to that in a moment, but before I do I want to read something in Proverbs just as a reminder here. I’m just going to read it again. You don’t need to turn there but you can find your place in Colossians so that you will be ready in Colossians 2 when we get there. But again, going to review once more here Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says, Trust in the Eternal with all your heart. Easier said than actually practiced. Sometimes we think we’re doing the things we need to do, that we should be doing, but reality is that there are things that sometimes happen in life that come to the surface to reveal to us, “No, I’m not fully trusting in God in the manner that I really should be striving to do.” And that’s something one can grow in on a continuing basis. That’s a part of spiritual growth. That’s a part of maturing as far as the Church is concerned in our spiritual lives and being transformed.

So again, there are things that come up from time to time that try us in these areas and these things, they have always happened, but they’re going to continue to happen, these things that test us and try us. And again, it’s a matter of learning how to more fully truly trust in God, that our lives are in His hands. And we wouldn’t want them to be anywhere else. But to be at peace with that and to be thankful for that, that’s another matter. The more thankful we become of that, the more we really see that, that more meaningful that becomes on a spiritual plane, to truly place our trust in God, and as to whether or not we’re really doing that on a regular basis.

That’s why an analogy here in one part of sometimes being out in the courtyard is good, because people who are out in the courtyard don’t believe they’re always out in the courtyard. They don’t believe they’re in the courtyard. They believe they’re in the temple, as a whole. Now, in time they might begin to suspect “I’m not doing as I should be,” and begin to wonder, “Have I been tripping around out there on occasion?” And hopefully falling flat on your face so that you realize “I’m in the courtyard!” and get back in the temple! Because I think, of all times...

I’m thinking about Feast sermons as well and a particular sermon I just finished this morning that is going to be given – two that I hadn’t completed. I don’t want to get into that right now because I’ll explain that later, not today.

But this is a time to be sobered. This is a time to be sobered. That blows my mind to think that we’re not fully trusting in God, if you will, that we’re not zealously seeking to live as we need to live, desiring with all of our heart, with all of our being to be in the temple, desiring to be stirred up in God’s spirit, desiring to live right, desiring to fight against the things that pull us away. As I have mentioned, I know people get wrapped up in drama in their lives – their own personal lives – in family, in job, or whatever it might be. And so often when those...

And in the Church right now that’s happening! And when that happens you don’t know that you’re being pulled aside. You don’t realize that your eyes are being taken off the goal and the purpose that God has called us to. And of all times for that to happen! You think, “Am I going to let that pull me away? Am I going to let that begin to cause me to drift and not be zealous for this way of life?” We can’t deceive ourselves; and yet we do. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,” God says. And that’s good to understand! “The heart is deceitful above all things!” And our hearts are! We want to deceive ourselves as human beings. When we want to do something different from what God says we will work overtime up here [mind] and not even understand that, to deceive ourselves that we are okay, that we’re... Even if we’re not in the temple, “We’re okay where I’m at. It’s the way I’ve always lived.”

This is a time to be zealous and desire to become more zealous. “The heart is deceitful above all things.” Now, that’s a healthy thing spiritually if you believe that. If you trust in what God says, because God says that to us. He tells us what we’re like as human beings even with His holy spirit! Our human nature is still like that – it strives to deceive us into thinking we’re okay, “I’m okay.” We obviously think that way so often in life, when in reality, no, we need to be on guard.

Because if we think we’re okay we’re not on guard like we should be. We’re not fighting the fight like we should be. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” That’s a lot! Do we understand, do we acknowledge and trust in God and believe what He says, that that’s something to pray about in our own lives, that this is the way our human nature is? It isn’t good. It isn’t nice. It isn’t pleasant. It stinks! It’s rotten to the core! And that’s our battle.

That’s why I love the way Paul talks about some of those things. We have this battle. The world doesn’t have it. The world doesn’t understand what its nature is like. And yet we see it all around us; because of God’s spirit we can grasp and see things that the world can’t see about human nature. And people don’t know how bad it’s getting. People don’t realize what’s taking place and how much worse things are getting out here because they can’t see their own nature and they can’t see the full nature of others. Now, sometimes they don’t like what they see in others and they speak out about that, but they fail to see themselves, that your nature is exactly the same way and you do some of the exact same things that you judge others of doing except you just do it in a different way for a different purpose, your own purpose.

And I said a mouthful there if we could grasp all that on a spiritual plane. But to understand “The heart is deceitful above all things,” that’s something to be on guard about. Because if you don’t believe that you’re not going to be on guard, you’re not going to be moved and motivated to fight this fight like you should.

And so I hate to see people letting down, letting up, getting pulled away, because it’s still happening. And right now we can’t afford to do that as a Church, because we’re still going through this process of the temple being cleansed. And so how do we see ourselves? Do we think we have it made? Do we think everything is okay? Or do we realize this is a battle to the end? It is a fight always to fight ourselves, to fight this selfish human nature that we have, because it stinks. Only God’s nature that we’re able to imbibe of, that we’re able to experience to varying degrees depending on where we are at any moment in time, to where there, and to the degree in many ways that we’re actually trusting in Him, that we’re praying and asking for His spirit to dwell within us, for His mind to be in us. We want it. We need it. We don’t want our own mind, our own selfish nature and mind. We want God’s mind. We want to be right in how we think toward others. We want to be right in how we truly think about others in the Church and out of the Church.

Our minds need to be right in those things. We need to be careful how we judge. We need to be so careful in those things, and yet sometimes we’re not on guard to those things.

So, anyway, I’m never going to get through this if I don’t get going here. It’s bringing up to mind, again, a sermon that I just finished. And I guess these things are very much on my mind and sobering, and a warning that God’s giving to us right now at this time in a very strong way and has been for some time because of where we are. The Body will be cleansed. The Body will be strong. The Body will be trusting in God and looking to God in a very meaningful and very powerful way. That’s the Body. That means those who are in the temple. And I still see people fooling around out in the courtyard.

So, anyway, Trust in the Eternal with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. That’s what we do. We trust in our... That means we don’t really trust in God, we trust in ourselves! We trust in ourselves how we’re going to work things out, how things are going to go in life and how we’re going to address things. And we don’t really, if we’re not careful, if this here isn’t applied properly, we’re not really looking to God and sharing our lives fully with God in prayer and asking for help to make sound and right decisions in our life on a continuing basis, to think right towards others.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, because our human nature is to acknowledge self. We have opinions about things, and we think our opinions are right and others that don’t think the same way we do, that they’re wrong. That’s just the way we are. And those are battles because that can cause us to think wrong then toward others. It can cause us to judge others in a wrong way.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him.” “In all your ways...” What does that mean? What are your ways? Well, it’s what you do from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep at night. Because that’s the only time that you’re going to have and not be judged, while you’re sleeping, because your mind is shut off. That’s the only time that you kind of have it made. The rest of the time is a battle while you’re awake. That’s the way we are. So “In all your ways...” in how you think and what you’re doing to want to include God, to want to thank God, to look to God for how things go through our day and what we’re sharing in life.

Do you pray that what you do, that in those things, that you’re able to share it with God and He with you? In what you do on the job and how things go that day, and so forth. Because He wants to share life with us, “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” Include Him! If we just get up and go our way and do our own things throughout the day where is God included in that? Where are we acknowledging God in all our ways? See, that’s what we need to grasp and need to see.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him,” and, as in the context of some of this sermon in what we just finished talking about before this, is sometimes to acknowledge and understand those things that God has given through the Church, our mother, the mother of us all. Because sometimes that’s where we really mess up because we think we can do things our way, because, “Well, I don’t know, I don’t agree...”

I think of Mr. Armstrong. I think of things I heard in services and after services and I think of one family I used to catch a ride with at times traveling about a hundred miles to go to services there, that after the sermon was over all the way home—some people call it “roast minister”—chewing apart what was said! And you think, “What on earth are you doing?! What you heard, what God gave you that day you’re going to dissect it and decide what’s good and what’s bad, and candidly, most of what you’re blabbing about, most of what you’re complaining about is what you think is wrong and bad because “That was his idea. That’s his opinion.” No, he was placed there by God to feed you, you moron! Spiritual moron! Listen to what God gives to us because there’s a certain way He feeds us.

I’m sorry, but I think of some of those rides and people I heard in God’s Church, and people who were ordained that would chew apart what the ministry was teaching them. I get worked up, okay? I get worked up because I feel this deeply and I see things in what’s happening. And a lot of the things I see and have tried to tell different ones in the ministry depending especially even where they are within the ministry, is that when you are ordained God gives you certain abilities and power. Not because you deserve it, not because you’re special, but because it’s the way God works. And there are times then that if we can grasp and comprehend it within the ministry that God gives us the ability to see certain things that others can’t see for the purpose of serving the Church, for a purpose of doing a job.

And so I’ve told some in the ministry “Be careful with what God gives you because you’re able to see things in human nature in others. Be careful of that ability and that power because it doesn’t come from you, it comes from God because of the function you’ve been given to serve.” It’s not anything to get a big head about; it’s what God gives in order to fulfill a job.

I say that because I want people to understand I see things in people’s lives because God gives it to me. Okay? I see the trend of things that happen within the Church. I know when people are... I about slipped there a little bit too much – messing around and not living this way of life like they should be. I know when you’re drifting, because of where it comes from. It’s not because I’m so talented and have such great abilities. Now, certain times through experience with the Church you grow in those things, but it’s by God’s spirit and He sustains it and He helps it to grow more and more and more.

That’s why I know when an individual can’t come up and talk to me; I know there are big problems in their lives. I know that when some people visit in another area (in the ministry) and individuals and people won’t go up to them and talk to them and address certain things to them and greet them they’ve got big problems spiritually. Something is wrong deeply in their lives, see. And so I understand when an individual or individuals or whatever it might be, at any time can’t come up and talk to me. I know why. I understand why. It’s a spiritual thing, see.

I see people drift. I see things and hear things that happen in people’s lives. I know where they are. I know what their battles are more than you can comprehend. And then God gives me the ability and the feeling and the emotion and the desire to cry out to His Church, “Quit messing around! We’re almost there! Why give up now? Why drift away now? Why let down now, of all time?” It just blows my mind, and yet God showed me a long time ago, and I’ve been preaching it over and over and over again it’s going to happen to the end, people falling by the wayside. Even as small as we are it’s not going to stop. Because, you see, you can’t help it. If you don’t get a hold of it as fast as you can right now it’s too late. That’s why you’re going to fall away at a particular point in time even after nuclear war begins. Because you become so weak for drifting for so long and drifting away from the truth you can’t help it. You can’t turn it around.

And so God is crying out and saying right now you can turn it around. You can cry out with all of your being and strive to apply these things and truly trust in God in your life. So, sorry I’m getting maybe as worked up, but I’m not sorry either because it’s what we need. Some need to be shaken to the core of their being right now and I hope that they’re shaken so that they don’t drift away. I don’t want to see anybody... I am so sick and tired—since 1969 and since being ordained in 1981—I have seen so many people go by the wayside it just hurts. Since the Apostasy especially, close friends, close associates, people I’ve worked closely with within the ministry and in congregations that go off on tangents, that...

And that’s why that one song means so much. “We walked to God’s house side by side and counsel blended sweet.” It’s a very moving song and yet a very painful song, if you know it. Can’t think of the title of it. Does anyone know what it is? As For Me I’ll Call On God. “Twas not a foe who did deride, for that I could endure.” See, it would be easier in some cases if it’s somebody that was just against you. And of course, that’s what happens in time too, some just turn against you and you don’t realize that either. It’s still not easy to deal with because once we walked side by side and counsel blended sweet, shared things in God’s Church.

See the world doesn’t get attacked like that. We do. Because this is God’s Church. And there aren’t many left at this point in time that are still a part of the Body of Christ. Started small and it’s ending up very small, see. But for a purpose. It’s going to be very clear “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit...” God’s doing it. God will accomplish everything that must be accomplished in the end of an age. But we get to share in it as small as we are. But it’s going to be abundantly clear we didn’t do much. I mean, how can we?

We don’t have eight million plus Plain Truths going out around the world in tons of languages like there used to be at one time. We don’t have television and radio, the largest religious network going round the world of any that has ever existed, and yet people don’t know... a lot of people didn’t know the name of Mr. Armstrong, didn’t know the name of the Worldwide Church of God and yet it was the largest one out there. We don’t have that. We have a little thing on YouTube and how many do you think turn into that? Not that many. Not that many. So we don’t have much of an effect. It’s pretty obvious to us. It’s very obvious to me God has to do it. It’s God’s work. God is going to complete this and finish it. But He’s letting us share in it because there is going to be a Church that’s cleansed and ready, small...small as it will be, when Christ returns. Awesome!

I’m not going... Well, at least I know I’m going to have Part 6 as well.

Trust in the Eternal with all your heart, and do not lean to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Isn’t it what you want? God to share in your daily life, whatever that is, whatever you do, that He’s there, that you’re sharing it with Him? That’s a beautiful thing if you see it, if you believe it, if you live it, that you’re sharing with God day by day, Him and His Son. It’s a spiritual thing. He’s there. He’s here all the time. Do we acknowledge Him? Do we recognize that? Because the more we can recognize that, you know what? The more we’ll guard this [mind and mouth], what we say, what comes out of our mouths, what comes out of our mind.

I did want to go back through and say this because I realize that some in different countries didn’t hear the announcement I’ve made. So I didn’t follow through like I was going to last Sabbath. But I did want to make a comment here about, at the point where I introduced a new policy within the Church about proper Sabbath wear for men, that you don’t have to wear a tie, you can feel comfortable like this, wearing something like this, to wear something nice, whatever that is. A tie isn’t the only thing that’s nice. Now, I’ll probably still wear ties just because I want to make sure people have balance in this. You can wear whatever you want to wear that’s nice as far as the clothing is concerned for Sabbath services.

And so in introducing that I made comment about how by being in the hospital it was really driven home even more so thinking about it because I had plenty of time to think about a lot of things there. Stuck in there for nine days is not a fun thing. But anyway, one of the things I thought about was this thing about, especially to be going through what I did with having this cut open a second time and them messing around in there. I’m glad they did, though, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Because they didn’t think they could do it. Knew for a long time that I had problems and arteries clogged. I’ve received an inheritance of something in my genes from family line that your liver produces cholesterol. No matter what you do it’s just there. So that clogs up arteries. And what did they say, that they were all included? There were four that were fully included, which, basically, I guess, is a term meaning that they’re totally clogged. Is this correct? Nothing passing through them. I learned something. One doctor kept saying that, “They were fully included.”

I thought it was kind of interesting the last sermon I gave in this series before it was interrupted I was talking about how good I felt. And I was! I was feeling good. I was doing quite well considering that I might have had one, one and a quarter open. That’s not a lot to do well on, but God was letting me live on it because of a lot of different ones that had kind of worked their way around that were helping out. But I did something dumb one day. I’ve done a lot of dumb things. But I went out when it was about 85F [29.4C] working outside more than what I should have and I got overheated and I couldn’t get cooled off. And it came back. But all it did was bring to the surface something that was already there, that they knew was going to happen in time. They just didn’t know the time. And I’m thankful it happened at home, not travelling somewhere or up in the air somewhere or whatever it was.

So I was blessed in being able to be here in the Cincinnati area where my cardiologists were, because they know the problem I have. It’s unique. And they were going to have to go in with an operation at some point and just clear one out by a six hour operation where two people work at the same time coming toward each other. It’s a different process and there are very few that can do it in the States, but there were two here in Cincinnati so I was able to find them. And basically, they didn’t want to do it until they had to because it’s very risky. And so I knew that I was in that state. But just to make a long story short, I want to share this with all the church so that people can hear what took place.

I was having another heart attack. Wheee! I knew what it was. You don’t want to have a lot of experience with this but I had the experience with it so I knew what was taking place and I talked them into, again, to take me to a specific hospital where those doctors work, and they did. And after the first day there they... Basically, the one that was going to do that particular operation didn’t want to do it, right? Basically decided they didn’t... Here they were telling me all this time when it comes time we’ll do it and now he doesn’t want to do it. Well, what does that mean? Well, it means that if somebody doesn’t do something I’m a goner anyway. But I know full well my life is in God’s hands. And one doctor basically said, “I can do this.” So he did it. And like what happened a year before when they didn’t think they could put those three stents in I don’t think they thought they were going to be able to do this well. But he went in and put four bypass arteries in, took a big chunk out of my arm here, of an artery, took one out of my leg, and basically have let me know we can’t take any more because you’ve been harvested already.

They have one spot, I guess, in this arm they can take something out of and that’s about it. And so he was even telling me this at one point and I said, “I’m not planning on that one.” In other words, for me time is short. At least I pray that it is. But had the quadruple bypass; thought I’d pass that along to everybody. Took nine days. Had trouble with my heart not beating right. They call it AFib. Anyway, the top is beating faster than it’s supposed to compared to the bottom part. Is that correct? Something like that. Anyway, so it took them a long time to get some of that stabilized. And here I am, doing much better than what I was before.

So I don’t want to say too much because the last time I said how well I was doing... But it was in the context of trusting in God. Our lives are in God’s hands. And that just drives the point home all the more. We knew if this is it, this is it. You know, God’s Church doesn’t quit. I don’t know... Well, I do know part of what would happen. But it wouldn’t be easy as small as we are and what the Church would have to go through, and I’m thankful I’m able to continue on. And a lot of that for your sakes, so you don’t have to go through something like that and experience something like that.

Anyway, I’m recovering every week, feeling better and better, and no, there is not a fourth book being planned, please. Some are wondering, well, what does this mean? Or am I being given more strength to address what’s happening? I don’t know. I don’t know. We don’t know. We just go by day by day and whatever God gives us He gives us and when things come out... We’ll talk more about some of this at the Feast. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

So, anyway, I just wanted to go through that to let everyone know what did take place and explain a little bit more in detail. And it all comes down to a matter of trusting in God. Our lives are in God’s hands. There is no purpose to stress out over it. It is what it is. Life goes on. People live and people die. That happens to all. That’s the way it’s always been. To me that’s an awesome thing to understand, to trust God, to believe, to understand, to know it comes and it goes. And for us in God’s Church our lives are in His hands and there’s not a better place anyone should want to be. Not to trust in ourselves, not to rely on ourselves or to get worried ourselves or to have great concern about it, but to be at peace and to thank God that our lives are in His hands and to want to include Him then in everything in our lives, “in all our ways” as we just read.

Let’s turn over to Colossians now, Colossians 2. We’re going to look at what we began to focus upon at the end of Part 4 here about what Paul wrote in the book of Colossians in chapter 2. Here Paul was addressing much about the spirit of what we’ve been covering in this series to this point about putting our trust in God. Colossians 2:1, I’m going to spend a little bit of time in this one here because this is amazing. This is a scripture used by the Protestant world where they’ve twisted and distorted it to say exact opposite of what is being said here. And there are reasons why they try to do that or want to do that, but if they would just be honest with themselves they’d have to admit what’s being said there doesn’t apply to them because they don’t do those things, which I’ll mention later.

Colossians 2:1—For I want you to know what great conflict... So he’s saying “what great concern.” It’s similar to what I’ve said today, what great concern I have for some of the things I see in some people’s lives, too many people’s lives. We need to be fighting this fight and striving to make change and growth in our lives as never before. This is a time to be stirred up more than we’ve ever been stirred up in all of our life.

...what great concern I have for you and for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen me personally. So Paul had ordained different ones and they were sent out to different areas to preach, to teach, and he continued to send out various writings and some of the books that we have here in the Bible as he did from Rome. When he was imprisoned there, in essence, it was kind of a house arrest type thing. But anyway, there were people who were coming along that he’d never personally met, and so that’s what he’s referring to.

...and for as many as have not seen me personally, so that their hearts might be encouraged by what he’s been given by God to give to them, and joined together in love, because that’s the bottom line in God’s Church. It’s how we’re joined together in a special relationship above and beyond phila, above and beyond philadelphia that we thought was deeply there, and yet was only in part and in varying parts as well. But it was an awesome thing to experience because so much of it was filled with God’s spirit and God’s help and God’s guidance in life.

But to be filled with this and to have this as the crux of it all, the bottom line in our lives of how we think is to have God’s love in our life and how we think towards one another. And we need to grow in that. We have ever needed to grow in that more and more. It’s something that you can’t have too much of.

...and unto all riches of full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, and of the Father and of Christ. It’s a mystery and that’s why he speaks in these terms, because others can’t see it. Those of the Roman world at that time around him, they couldn’t understand what he said, they couldn’t grasp the message of those things that he had to say when he spoke to different ones at different times. And he spoke before some very, at that time, impressive audiences. But they couldn’t hear him. They couldn’t understand what he was saying. And so it’s a mystery. But we see it because God gives us the ability. As soon as we’re called we begin to understand and see things that can only be there because of God’s spirit, which is an awesome thing and a beautiful thing. And we look forward to the time that everyone can have that ability, when God works with them, because it’s His choice as to when He pours out His spirit upon an individual.

“...and unto,” indeed, “all riches and full assurance of understanding” because this is something we have that’s a part of us that only comes because of God’s spirit.

Verse 3— in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That’s why I love the book of Proverbs, in a unique way that when it talks about wisdom it’s a similar way that is spoken of when it talks about the Word in John, because it’s about the mind of God, it’s about the being of God, it’s about the revelatory thought of God. And He has all wisdom, so much to share above and beyond anything we can begin to grasp. Even within the God family it’s going to take us... Well, we’ll ever be learning. We’ll ever be growing, God just sharing more and more with us into time. And we can’t grasp that because we only have right now just such a small amount that we really see and grasp, because we can’t grasp the magnitude of Almighty God.

So, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say lest anyone should beguile, a word that means “to deceive, mislead, to delude or to attract you to something else” basically is how it’s used in the Greek language. ...lest anyone should beguile you with persuasive words. You know, sometimes we can listen to something and we have to be careful how we judge.

That’s why I hate the internet today. Because I don’t care what subject it is out there whatever it is you’re listening to it’s easy to begin to think that’s true. You have to be careful. There is so... I don’t care what it is. Matter of fact, I’ve done that on some things, where you go in and you look and you look for both sides. And you think, they’re saying exactly the opposite and both claim to be true, so what do people do? And that’s why you have to look to God, trust in God, do the best you can. Do the best you can with foods you eat and other things you do. Don’t go to the extreme and become a nut, you know, and off balance and unsound and all of a sudden... I don’t even want to go there. But we can go too far with things, you know, in how we take care of ourselves and how we think we’re going to protect ourselves. Trust in God! Do the best you can do! Yes, and sometimes we can’t afford to do better because it costs a lot to do well in certain things we pump into this body, see. So again, we do the best we can do with what we have and we look to God to bless us, to take care of us, to nurture us, to protect us from harm, to protect us from things out there that are harmful.

Hardly a week goes by and you don’t hear something else out there that’s polluted. Now they’re finding in, what was it you talked to me about the other day here? Oatmeal, Quaker Oats, or whatever, and it has this high levels of Round Up in it, and I don’t know if you realize it but they’re having the tar sued out of them, multiple millions of dollars in one case that was awarded, I think. I can’t remember; it was almost like a quarter billion dollars, yeah. And so, you know, you think in one case alone... Course they’re going to contest that and they have the money and the ability to do it to where the others are probably never going to see a dime because they can’t afford to keep going at this. Because they’re so large they can just go forever if time were to go on.

And so here it is, you try to do good, you try to eat well. I like oatmeal. I don’t, really... to be honest with you I don’t really like it all that much but I eat it because I know it’s good for me. And I’ve grown to... whatever. Anyway, you think you’re trying to do well and here you find out you’re eating certain poisons. You’re just filling things into your body. And you try to do well, you try to do the best you can do. And so what do you do? Well, that’s where you include God in all your ways and you try to eat well, and where you can’t and certain things come your way, whatever it might be... Because your food out here is polluted. I don’t care how hard you try there’s going to be garbage out there in the grocery store, on the food, in the food that’s come up out of the soil and what we’ve done to ourselves.

I spent too much time on that already. But isn’t it important then to trust in God? Because you can do all that you can, you can go to great extremes – and I’ve seen people in God’s Church go to great extremes and still haven’t protected themselves, still get sick, still have things happen to them as a result of some of those things. It’s a matter of trusting in God. And then if we get sick we know what we’re to do and we still trust in God, whether He intervenes or not. Because there are some things that God lets us experience in life that we learn things from or that others learn things from because that’s the way God works.

Again, this is with persuasive words, things that are said out here that sometimes have a sound of intellect in it and you find out, no, it’s not intellectual at all; it’s some of the stupidest stuff you’ve ever heard.

Verse 5—For although I am personally absent, yet am I with you in spirit. So Paul was given ability to discern, to know when he heard things from different areas of what was taking place, and worked with different areas and made certain judgments and sent it back with ministers and so forth to address. He says ...yet am I with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how orderly you are... He was excited by that in this particular case here to see how orderly they were so he’s showing something here of how they do things in a certain way and acknowledging that so they can understand where some of their strength lies.

...and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. So here they were steadfast – great and positive things. But he’s concerned for them because, “There are some other things, that even though these strengths be there and there is a steadfastness in your faith, be careful because it’s dangerous out there and there are those who are saying and do certain things that I know is troubling some of you. Be careful. Be careful because it exists out there, and especially where you are it’s coming at you.” That’s what he’s telling them.

As you have, therefore, received Christ Joshua the Lord, so walk in him. So what truth God has given us, opened up our minds to see and understand, then that’s how we live in all of our ways. We should be striving to do that. ...rooted and built up in him. What’s that mean? Well, it means in the Body of Christ, that we’re yielding to ourselves to the transformation. Not only yielding ourselves but praying about it and asking God for help, of being transformed, of being changed, of having this mind changed, getting rid of the selfishness, getting rid of the carnal human nature and yielding ourselves more and more to Him. That’s what this is about.

...rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith. How do you become established in the faith? Faith is a matter of how you live by what you believe. It reveals what you believe and the depth of your belief and conviction in what you believe. Faith is the action in your life as to how you live as a result of your response to what God has given you of truth and your belief in it. That’s what it is. That’s what faith is.

And so God has given us much to believe. He’s given us many truths. I marvel at that. I was thinking about that the other day, and candidly, thanking God for it, marveling how that we are so blessed to live at the end of an age, and because we are we’re the recipients of more truth than has ever been given. Not because of us but because of the timing of God’s plan and because of His purpose in our lives and His purpose for what He’s getting prepared to do as far as His Son returning to this earth and the level or the place that the Church must be at that time as far as knowledge and understanding that must continue on in the world, or that will continue on in the world that God is going to give and deliver. And so we’re the recipients. How blessed are we to see and to understand so much?

I think of a scattered body out there that don’t even understand that they’re the spin-off of an Apostasy. They don’t believe that! They don’t believe about the man of sin and the son of perdition. And if they did they’d be able to more clearly see where they are and what they need to do. So how blessed are you if you see and know those things exist? And yet they don’t believe that. So how blessed are you when you are able to see certain things that give you a peace and an understanding, that give you strength and focus and vision?

...rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught. Because it’s only in that manner that we’re able to believe, that we’re able to believe what is true by whatever is taught to us. Then it’s our choice to receive it or not.

The ordination of women. Well, then we’re smacked with it’s been given, it’s what is true, and then it’s up to us as to whether or not we really believe that. Because we’re going to live according to what we choose, what we believe. And there are those who didn’t choose that and they left. They’re gone. They’re not in this congregation anymore (and there were some other congregations), but they’re not here anymore because they couldn’t accept that, what God gave to them at a particular moment in time because of where we are in time. That God is revealing something that began in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve and because of their response, and God showing that He’s going to correct that and change that, that life was never meant to be that way for mankind. But because of sin and because of wrong choices everyone from that point on would choose to live the same way. It’s a spinoff of sin and the growing of sin that happens through life and has since the beginning with Adam and Eve. And God’s going to correct that in His Kingdom with truth.

And so again, established in the faith, as you have been taught. Because there is no other way to become established in the faith, because you have to be given the truth and then choose to live by it, choose to apply it in your life, ask God for help to live it, to believe it, to see it, and then, again, established in it, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

That’s why I think of that sermon, that series we’re going to return to about being thankful. This says so much, “abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Because to trust in God, for that trust to live and become more powerful is to constantly, constantly be thankful to Him for what He’s given to us. Because if we’re not thankful, if we don’t see what we have to be thankful for then we’re not growing as we should, we don’t see things as we should, we don’t grasp just exactly what we’ve covered to this point.

Continuing on now, verse 8, from where we ended last week. Verse 8—Take heed so that no one rob you through philosophy... Well, it’s a word that has to do with “worldly wisdom, intellect, human reasoning.” This has happened a lot in God’s Church where people have come up with human reasoning. Not with the truth, because it has disagreed with what the truth is.

I’ll just go back to those who left. Human reasoning! Human reasoning why they might think it’s not right for a woman to be ordained, or whatever it is that they didn’t like. And I think of different ones who have made different choices at different times who haven’t liked things that have happened in the stages leading up to 2012, who haven’t liked... Well, you know, I could care less what you like or don’t like in that case if you disagree with God, because God’s going to give us what we need when we need it and we know this is the truth. We have the truth. We have the 57 Truths plus another big one. I don’t know how to call that one yet, speaking of Joshua.

To me that is awesome that God has given that to us, that He’s let us do that now and get our minds cleaned up and separated us in a very powerful way from everything else around us in the world. I mean, you talk about a final separation; that is a beautiful one. That is an awesome one. And the longer we’re in it the more it’s cleaned up up here, all that. And you realize what an awesome thing that God saved that to the very end to give to us, to begin to live and to be so thankful for it. To realize, yes, that other name always conjured up all that’s wrong...all that is wrong. Because that’s how it’s used, in everything that’s wrong. And I think like, oh, that makes sense! Anyway, sorry.

“Take heed that no one rob you...” You going to let anyone steal this way of life from you, to steal any part of God’s truth from you? Because I’ll be candid again, going back to 1969 I’ve seen a lot of people robbed of a lot of things. But they’ve done it willingly so or foolishly so. They’ve allowed it to happen. Only we can make choices in our life what we listen to and what we choose to believe and don’t believe. And either we’re on guard or we’re not. And we allow ourselves to listen to such, sometimes such stupidity that can come out of a human mouth. In God’s Church it’s happened over and over and over again!

Think, why would we ever listen to anything that’s divisive from what God has given to us? Why would anyone listen to something different from what Mr. Armstrong gave during those years? Why? Why would they listen to any minister, any evangelist (because a lot of them did this), who taught something different, said something different from God’s apostle? You think, why would any...? I mean, really think about it, why would anyone ever make a choice of giving people time to spew something out of their mouth that is in conflict with what we believe in the present truth? Why did that ever happen with anyone in God’s Church toward Mr. Armstrong? Because thousands did it! Hundreds of ministers did it, hundreds!

Hundreds began believing, and every once in a while throwing it out there, about Joshua and certain things about Passover that didn’t agree with the booklet. I mean, it’s clear. Mr. Armstrong gave three scriptures and that’s all he had to give, that are so powerful, that are so sound, that are so exact in what they say in the booklet about God’s Holy Days or Holidays, Which? It was something like that, they have that huge title. But in there it’s specifically in bold, 14th or 15th, something like that, 14th or 15th, and he addresses that, three scriptures. And yet I think of all the ministers at that time and on who didn’t believe it. Not even an evangelist that sat at Mr. Armstrong’s feet, that learned what was true (Dr. Hoeh), who was considered one of the most intellectual individuals at Ambassador College. No, it’s this philosophy, this human reasoning. Because if it disagrees with God, if it disagrees with what God gives to His Church, then it’s human reasoning. It’s not coming from God’s spirit.

So you think these things aren’t dangerous that have happened in God’s Church? So he says, “Don’t let anyone...” So that’s why I’ve had a difficult time sometimes because it still has gone on through time and on into PKG, why individuals don’t take a stand when they hear something foul and disagreeable and divisive come out of someone’s mouth. See, I don’t have a problem telling, “You shut your mouth! That attitude sucks! It stinks! And you’re going to hurt people by such stupidity. You don’t belong here if you’re going to continue in that.” I don’t have any problem saying that. Now, it might sound harsh and mean and cruel, but man, if we’re not in unity and oneness of spirit with God, as it talks about in Ephesians, because God’s Church is in unity with God, with His truth. That’s why we don’t have any qualms about preaching what is truth, about telling what is true. “Like this – not like that,” [arms above the head, not out to the sides] you know, as an example. And on and on it goes. To preach the truth about Passover, and if other ministers and others in some other groups don’t like it, tough cookie! I’ll throw them a party to get out of here. Well, I won’t throw them one; I’ll just throw one for those who remain behind.

And there were smears of ministers. I think of the one organization that I finally left at the end; that it was guesstimated close to half of the ministry believed in a 14th/15th Passover. How can that be tolerated? Frankly, asked headquarters that. “How can you have them out here teaching that garbage? How can this be God’s Church if we’re doing that, if we allow that?”

Reminds me of what happened in Pennsylvania. How could anyone follow an organization that is so riddled with hundreds of people who have hurt children like they have and covered it up! It just boggles my mind how human beings can reason around that and not be hurt to the core of their being to think this can happen to children by people who claim to be of God! Think, “You’re not of God! That should prove it right there!” Anyway, I get worked up over those things because this world stinks. Human nature stinks. And people who abuse the truth, it’s sick. And there’s been so much of it.

Anyway, I may not get far. I haven’t gotten very far yet, and yet I have.

So, “Take heed that no one rob you through worldly wisdom,” so called intellect. Like that man, he was so looked... I marvel at that one. There were ministers who spoke in awe of him! They spoke of how he could sit on the front row listening to Mr. Armstrong but read a book. “But he could hear everything that was in the sermon. He could do two things at once! Oh, isn’t that amazing!” And that’s how they talked. I heard that out of minister’s mouths. They were impressed by that. Think, okay, here is an evangelist in God’s Church reading something different—while a sermon is being given—but, oh, we know...we know that he is able to hear everything that is being said in that sermon because he is such a smart, intellectual human being. He has such a high IQ.

You know, sometimes the higher the IQ the more you need to be on guard because the more the tendency is is to trust in self and human reasoning. See, if it’s not as high you might be suspicious of your own reasoning. Well, no, we really aren’t! But the more there is there it’s like, “I know I’m right. My IQ is better than theirs.” I’ve heard that of recent times somewhere too. Anyway, sorry. Think, yeah, human reasoning it’s a pretty dangerous thing.

Take heed that no one rob you through worldly wisdom, human reasoning, and empty deceit. Empty deceit. It’s because human reasoning without God is just empty and it’s deceitful. That’s the way we are. “The heart is deceitful above all things.” And yet the world can’t see the deception in their lives. They can’t see how they’re deceived and where they’re deceived.

Listening to some news thing here the other day on TV and people were talking about, in this group... Now it’s they get people together. It’s not news, but they get people together. This must be smart, intellectual people, I guess. And they want their opinions. “What do you think?” They’ll give them a scenario, “What do you think of this situation?” And they’ll give their opinion and its like, “Oh, yeah.” It’s not news. It’s what people think about what’s happening in the world or what’s happening in some party or to some person or whatever. It’s all about personalities and what human reasoning.

And they were talking about certain things being unjust and how certain things need to have regulation, like Google. And so it’s like it’s getting so out of control, and Facebook and some of these, the twitter tweeter, or whatever it is, don’t even know what it is, the tweet tweet, whatever it is, and they kick them off because they have far right beliefs, or whatever and it’s like, oh, it’s just a mistake because they have this program that basically if they heard certain words and put it together you’re a bad person. This is dangerous, we’ll kick you off. So they have all these answers. But basically it came out, well, who can do these things because with human beings you’re always going to have a problem with judgment. And I thought, “Whoo, you’re so close! You’re so close! But you’re still so far away because you still have your own conclusion at the end that’s not right.”

But that’s the problem, human beings, we can’t govern ourselves. We can’t judge ourselves righteously. Not even judges in courts and elsewhere. They’re not unbiased. Every human being has bias and prejudice! It’s the way we are as human beings. And we judge accordingly. And that’s what’s wrong with mankind. We need God’s judgment. We need righteous judgment. And the only way to have that is to have it come from something else other than human beings. Because we are deceitful above all things as human beings. We have our prejudices. This country is filled with prejudice from one end to the other. Just turn on the TV and there it is in the news, prejudice, prejudice, bias, bias, prejudice, I don’t care what side it is.

And I do want to add right here, be careful what you listen to, and especially those of you in Europe and some other places, because the only news you get, you don’t have one that gives a little bit at least on the other side so you can say, “Oh, wait a minute, something doesn’t click here.” The point being is that they’re all off base. But if you fill your mind with only one thing that you’re hearing—because I’ve seen that happen in the Church as well—then you make judgments about certain individuals, like our President, certain things that are happening in the world; and none of them are perfect. That’s not the point. None of them...

We all have problems as human beings and especially outside of God’s Church. But be careful what you judge and how you judge, because if you’re not careful you will go to the left in your thinking because of a constant diet of absolute stupidity and garbage. Because some of that is so far out. But I feel sorry for people that that’s the only diet they get and begin to make judgments then about things that they don’t really fully understand what’s going on. We can, in God’s Church, because of God’s spirit, so we have to be careful.

Because, you see, God’s in charge. And right now God is using certain people in a very powerful way to bring certain things to the surface. That doesn’t mean they’re in the Church. That doesn’t mean they’re righteous. But there is one in particular that’s being used in a very powerful way to bring everything to a head – everything! Because every nation is starting to react. Everything is starting to take place because of that, and that’s the stimulus that God has chosen to bring everything to an end. Don’t want to get into that sermon either.

Take heed so that no one rob you through worldly wisdom, human intellect, human reasoning, and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, meaning the ways of men. Because this is what it’s about. That’s how people think. It’s the ways of mankind. And human reasoning is just natural for mankind and that’s what we relate to, the way things have always been, the way things are handled, the way things that people respond depending on maybe where they are in the world, even what kind of government you’re under. Whether you’re under a communist government, it’s the traditions of what they live by and what they do that can affect you.

A good example here was what I just discussed. If you’re listening to one side of a story that’s wrong anyway—they’re all wrong, none of them are balanced, none of them are fully sound by any measure because of the bias and the prejudice, and that’s why there are such factions and so forth taking place—but be careful because if you have diet on one side and you begin to believe some of that this applies. You can be pulled into a certain direction. And there is incredible danger in that.

I understand that being conservative or being liberal is not God’s way. That’s not what righteousness is. But, having said that, I would far rather err on the side of being somewhat conservative and on guard as to how I think and how I live my life than to be fully of the liberal mind that allows things that should never be allowed. I say that because we have those in God’s Church who are prone to be liberal in thinking. We want to be in thinking that is in unity and oneness with God, sound minded, in harmony with God in His judgment. Not mans. Not right or left. I hope you understand what I’m saying.  And you only can by God’s spirit.

...according to the tradition of men (we’re going to make it through verse 8), after the elementary ways (basic ways) of the world. They are basic ways not God’s. They’re base. They’re not good. They’re not developed. There’s never been because mankind can only go so far.

In reality, the government of this nation is probably the best the world has ever seen as far as what man can develop and have; that God has blessed a nation to have something. Because God not being in the picture, this is about the best that the world could come up with, that a nation could come up with. It really is. But it’s still flawed because of the very thing that human beings have human nature, deception and so forth, and they don’t... And they have bias and they have prejudice. That’s just the way we are. That’s why we need God, we need God’s government. I’m so thankful of that, that God isn’t going to allow such stupidity in the future to exist. Things are going to be judged quickly and swiftly because there are certain ones who know exactly what has happened. They don’t have to go to court and be in court for three weeks presenting a certain side. They don’t have to go before a judge and try to decide, or a jury, and for them to decide, “Well, we think that...” Who cares what you think? What really happened? What is really the truth? Well, only God knows. Only God knows.

And you want to talk about intent? You know, sometimes they’ll convict you on what they think your intent was! Been down that road. And so they go by human reasoning and you think, only God knows what’s up here, and the God Family. Awesome.

So, according to the tradition of men after the elementary ways/basic ways of the world and not after Christ. See, that’s the answer. It must be because of what’s in unity and harmony and righteousness and judgment with Christ, with God. For in him, speaking of Christ, dwells all the fullness of the bodily Godhead, speaking of the Word of God made flesh. Unity and oneness. Absolute oneness with God Almighty. It’s the same mind. Same mind. What an awesome thing one day we have the same mind. We’re all different but the same mind. Awesome!

Verse 10—and you are complete in him. Not in him? We’re quite incomplete aren’t we? So we want to be in him more and more and more. ...who is the head of all principality and power. God has placed him so. In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands; beautiful in what’s being said here, different from what was done in the Old Testament. That didn’t make anybody right. That didn’t... God revealed something here it’s of the heart that counts.

In the New Testament, then, the apostles were showed it’s the circumcision of the heart that counts, not of the flesh. That doesn’t do anything! It’s like offering up bulls and goats; it didn’t take away sin. And the circumcision that God is concerned with is of the heart, of the mind, that something be changed up here, that certain things be cut out, cut off of our lives and that we become something different. And that’s what God does, the circumcision made without hands. It’s done by God’s spirit. It’s done by God and Joshua Christ, the Christ, see. That’s who it’s accomplished by, this transformation, this different thing, the mind that’s growing inside of us if we yield ourselves more and more to it.

So you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hand, in putting off the body the sins, putting them off, getting them cut off. That’s what it’s giving an analogy of, putting them off, getting rid of that portion of the body. In our case, what’s being talked about here is of the mind, the thinking. And we’re talking about the brain and the spirit essence that’s there that all human beings have. And only God can work with that. Only God can communicate with that in the sense of changing it, transforming it, making it something different. And that’s what he’s saying here.

...in putting off the body, the sins of the flesh, through the circumcision of Christ. And so the more we dwell in him and he in us—that’s what it’s talking about—the more, as it says, “you are complete in him.” The more fully our lives are in him and he is in us the more fully God’s spirit dwells within us the more this is accomplished.

...putting off the body, again here, the sins of the flesh through the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism... So that’s what we picture. Again, the scriptures that talk about when we go under the water – not have water sprinkled on top of our head or given to some baby and somehow that this is some kind of a special baptism. It has no meaning. And these things are all to deceive mankind about what is truly important and what God truly revealed about baptism, a word that one organization in the world, in a Protestant world, called themselves, named themselves after because they learned a single truth, that baptism means to be immersed in the water.

So they named their whole organization after that, which started off as the Seventh Day Baptists. There are some that believe that it actually came out of, at one point, the Church of God. That’s how things happen. Look at things that out there today, spin-off groups and what they think and still not of the truth, still not of God’s way right now. Some that have developed their own ideas and so forth about religion. And it’s what’s happened through time, even of some who have come out of God’s Church at different times and what they have started, what they have influenced.

“Buried with him in baptism.” So we go under the watery grave and we’re to come up a new person, as it says, to live a new way of life. Awesome, beautiful that we’re able to experience that.

...wherein you are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God. I mean, these are awesome verses of what we’re being told and how it’s being explained. It’s something that God is doing. It’s the “operation of God.” “The circumcision made without hands” because it’s by God Almighty. By His spirit He’s able to do it, through the faith. And so we have, we believe that. That’s what we live by. That’s why we get baptized. Because we want to go, we want the old self buried. We want to come up out of the water and to live a new way of life and to have hands layed upon up. Because we follow that example of the apostles in the Church, in the beginning there in Acts, and how they spoke of them laying hands upon people to receive of the holy spirit. We desire that. We believe that. And more than that, we’ve lived it.

And how anyone can turn their back on that, how anyone can leave that, let that slip away out of their lives is mindboggling. And yet by wrong decisions, by wrong living that will happen because to remain in it requires God’s spirit. But we start out that way, we receive the impregnation then of God’s spirit, we begin a process of life that’s awesome – through the operation of God, a transformation of the mind. That’s that operation. It’s ongoing.

...who has raised him from the dead. So, again, that which is pictured in the life of Christ that we are able to live on a spiritual plane when this baptism, when we go under this water and we come up and we have hands layed upon us and receive of the impregnation of God’s spirit; all these things that have such deep meaning for our lives and for our growth.

Verse 13—And you, being dead in your sins... How do you become dead in your sins? Well, we understand that there are a lot of things involved in this. It’s not just one simple thing. We understand that it’s a matter of believing God and striving to live by faith and to choose to live by those things that we’re shown that are true. We understand that a large part of that is to repent day by day of our sins. We understand that to remain in the faith we must repent of our sins because we know, we are to become convicted of the reality that if we sin and we don’t seek repentance quickly and seek God’s forgiveness quickly we cut ourselves off from the flow of God’s spirit and we can become weaker and weaker and weaker until in time we go by the wayside, just as it happened in the scattered Church, of all those ministers who believed in and taught a 14th/15th Passover.

See, they began to sin when they believed the man who taught them that and they went against the apostle who told them the truth. From that day forward they began to become weaker and weaker and weaker to where everything that they were doing was because of what they’d maybe learned at Ambassador, but nothing to do with God’s inspiration and His spirit living and dwelling within them. Amazing!

...and you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him. Again, beautiful that we have a unity, an ability to be in the Church of God, the called out ones of God, but to be in the Body of Christ. That’s what it’s talking about. We are unique because it’s what’s done on a spiritual plane by the impregnation of God’s spirit and the continual receiving of God’s holy spirit into our lives then that this is so powerful. “Together with him.” That’s what we’re looking forward to in the Millennium for those who are going to be changed from mortal to immortal, from physical to spirit. And they have a spirit body and forever then to be of this same mind, “together with him.” That’s what this is about. Now, we grow in that in the Church. Once we’re baptized we grow in this togetherness, this unity and this oneness. And again, a beautiful thing.

...having forgiven you all trespasses, that’s, again, in the context of exactly what I’ve said here. It’s through the forgiveness of trespasses (of sin), because we believe in repentance, we believe in the importance of it day by day so we can continue to be cleansed and be at one with God so that God will dwell in us.

...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. Now, the Protestant world loves to come along and say something a bit different about this. “’Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.’ See, the 10 Commandments are bad because they’re against us.” Duh! Even that you think, “How can you be so off base to believe something so different from what’s being said clearly here.” But that’s what happens with the mind that’s already deceived. But one can become deceived and begin to believe this too.

...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. It isn’t the law that’s against us. The law is for us. The more we live by it the more peace we have, the more oneness with God we have, the richer our lives become, the better our lives become, the more we live by God’s ways and not our ways. So there is nothing wrong about God’s laws, see.

I think of the old argument there about people say, “Well, you’re to keep the Sabbath.” “Well, no, that was done away with.” And you go through some of that and then you say, “Oh, so you’re saying the 10 Commandments...” “Yes.” “So it’s okay if I go out here and take your car, if I steal your car?” And then they, it’s like, “Well, that isn’t what that means, and the last six are different than the first four. It’s those first four that we have problems with.” So stupid. It’s as bad as evolution – worse actually.

...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. What is against us, the only thing that’s ever against us is when we sin! Then you have an ordinance, in essence, that says it’s the death penalty. And the only way to have that removed is through repentance and forgiveness of sin. Otherwise, that’s all we deserve. That’s all any human being deserves. God doesn’t owe us anything. We don’t have eternal life in us like the world teaches. Because Protestant world teaches that, no, you have an immortal soul. When you die you’re going to go down or you’re going to go up, or wherever it is, or you’re going to get caught somewhere in between until someone prays you out of that one, gives enough money to the priest, or whatever, so he’ll pray for you so they can get them out of limbo. I guess that’s what it’s called, isn’t it, whatever that middle place is. I don’t know if they still have that or not because... Anyway.

So you think, what a horrible thing, beliefs that imprison people in their lives and they don’t understand the freedom and the truth of God’s way of life and what’s beautiful in life.

So “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances against us”; only God can do that through the forgiveness of sin. That’s what blots it out. It’s so simple. That’s what blots out the handwriting of ordinances that’s against us. Because sin requires death. Either we allow Christ to pay that for us or we have to pay for it. And people who refuse to repent, they’re going to pay for it if time were to go on and they continued to refuse, to accept Joshua the Christ as their Savior, their Passover, High Priest, and King.

So again, which was contrary to us. The Greek word literally means “set against us.” Yes, it’s set against us because when you sin its set – death, the death penalty. God says sin requires death. He doesn’t fool around. He doesn’t mess around. And everyone has to come to acknowledge that in time. God doesn’t owe us a thing but we are given an opportunity to repent, to receive mercy and grace, to receive the ability to repent if we will so choose it and choose God’s way of life through His Son and what’s revealed to us in the truth, the truths of God, to accept those things or not.

...which was contrary, or “set against us,” and took it out of the way. See, all in context. ...nailing it to the pole, “stauros.” Not a Greek word for “cross,” because there isn’t one, but a word for “a pole.” But the world isn’t taught that, the world of traditional Christianity. They want to believe there’s something else there, two poles together in the shape of a cross, that have a beam across. There is no such thing. A pole is a pole.

Verse 15—And having disarmed (stripped off) principalities, the power of rulers, and powers, word that literally means “authorities,” he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. In other words, by his death and resurrection that’s how he triumphed, because he didn’t sin. And the Son of God raised from the dead, that’s what it’s talking about here. That’s what it’s talking about here. Therefore, we have a Passover. And now, after that when he was received by God, a High Priest. Awesome! And we can be forgiven of sin then once God calls us to His truth, His way of life and we can go through this process.

Now, verse 16 and 17, they love this one here, speaking of the Protestant world. Let no man, therefore, judge you... Now, they use this to say “Don’t let anybody say you have to keep the Sabbath. Those were ordinances that were against us! It was a handwriting of ordinances that was against us. We are free now. We can keep any day of the week.” Just like we heard from Worldwide at the end, “You can honor God and worship God on any day of the week.” But what do they choose? Sunday. Think, well, there’s a little bit of hypocrisy in that one isn’t there? See, they chose what the world has chosen. Think, that’s a little... Anyway, think how people deceive themselves.

“Let no man, therefore, judge you.” So you don’t have to worry that someone comes along and shows you much evidence in the Bible that the apostles never kept Sunday. They always kept the Sabbath day! It’s in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 5 that makes it very clear we’re supposed to be keeping – and 1 Corinthians 10, 11, in through there – we are supposed to be keeping the days of Unleavened Bread. That’s why Paul says, “Therefore, let us keep the Feast,” referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It wasn’t a suggestion. You know that’s what we’re going to do in God’s Church. He didn’t say, “Therefore, let us keep Easter,” because it didn’t even exist at that point as far as the church or anybody supposedly calling themselves Christian at that time was doing. It came along a little bit later, 325 when they finally enforced that one, when they outlawed the keeping of Passover in the Roman Empire. Amazing what took place! And a great church began to emerge calling itself Christian. Amazing! And basically anyone who kept Passover could be put to death, see, because they outlawed it. Incredible! And they did it with the Sabbath as well as time went on.

Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat... Well, they don’t judge them in meat, they judge us by what we choose to eat and not eat. We don’t eat pork. We don’t eat shrimp. We don’t eat lobster. We don’t eat crab. We don’t eat all those bottom feeders. Because that’s why God made them. Like the vulture, he’s not a bottom feeder but he does the same thing, he goes around to help clean up that which is dead. And so do all those other little creatures.

That’s why I used to marvel sometimes in living in Houston, Texas. Every once in a while in the news would come out, “Don’t eat the,” what was it, “the shrimp?” Yeah, I think it was the shrimp. “...right now coming out of the gulf because there are certain problems and so forth.” And so they’d send out warnings. There have been warnings about oysters that come out from time to time. Because God never intended mankind to eat them. And so they finally came up with a brilliant one then when it came to pork, it’s like, “If you cook it enough you can take care... It kills the trichinosis. It’s okay. It’s okay because if you cook it enough you won’t get trichinosis.” The only problem is it’s like putting motor oil down your stomach, you know. I mean, it’s not healthy for your body. Your body wasn’t made to handle it.

I have enough problems my liver produces cholesterol, so if I were eating that junk... You know what, when I quit eating pork, something I noticed almost immediately in the first year? No colds. Now, because of things being so rampant every once in a while, you know, get some of those kinds... But I used to get them all the time through the wintertime. I mean, one after another, colds. And that’s one thing that really impressed me in a very powerful way when I was 19 and 20, was, man, look at this, I’m not having any more because I changed my style of eating, of what I was eating. And the main one, I used to eat a lot of pork, a lot of pork. I don’t think it was morning, noon, and night, but it was pretty close to it.

So, don’t let anyone judge you in meat. So who is it talking to? It’s talking to God’s Church because the world judges us for what we say we’re supposed to do to honor and obey God. There are certain things we will eat and certain things we don’t eat. We don’t eat blood. We don’t eat lard. Well, of course that comes from pork. We don’t eat fat. We’re not supposed to be like some are who like to get a steak filled with a lot of marble, and what they like the most is the fat...[cough, cough] because it gets caught in the throat. “I didn’t chew the fat enough.” I’m sorry, but anyway, there are people who like that. You think, no, you’re not supposed to just cut it off to eat it. Now, there’s a certain portion that’s good for cooking, to grind it up or whatever and have a certain portion in there that’s ground up that a lot of that just cooked out. That’s fine. But to have the big ole marbled stuff? You know, God says don’t do that.

So don’t let anyone judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a Holy Day. Well, they don’t keep Holy Days anyway. They keep holidays. Christmas, Easter, some of those things. Those aren’t... Holy Days are from God. We understand what they are. We know when they are.

And drink, here, we even within the Church we have certain guidelines of how we, what we do and what we don’t do, that we’re not like the world. We don’t overindulge because God tells us not to. He tells us not to become drunken. So we have certain things there even when it comes to alcohol. And on it goes.

...or the new moon. When’s the last time you heard someone in the world talking about a new moon? It’s not... Because it doesn’t apply to them. It does to us because that’s how we tell the beginning of Holy Days – Trumpets. That’s where time begins as far as the count is concerned for certain things to determine what follows later on when it comes to even within the next year there, Unleavened Bread, and so forth. It revolves around this new moon. And then we’ve had people in the Church get into arguments because they began using human reasoning about certain times when the new moon... I’ve known of people leave God’s Church over this counting of when they believe the Holy Days should be kept because they disagreed with what Mr. Armstrong said would be, and they left the Church because they wanted to count it differently, the thing about new moons.

... or of the Sabbath. So don’t let any man judge you of the Sabbath? Well, the only way they can get around that is saying, “Sunday is our Sabbath.” “Sunday is our Sabbath, so don’t let anybody judge you that you’re keeping it different from somebody else who keeps it on the seventh day.” No, the Sabbath means in many languages “the seventh day.” That’s what the word... That’s where it comes from. Sunday comes from something else too, and it doesn’t mean the seventh day. It has to do with the sun in the sky. Marvel at that one, huh.

Verse17—which are a shadow of things to come. So the counting of time, the Holy Days – because that’s what it’s about, it’s basically talking about Holy Days here and how we count, “which are a shadow of things to come.” They picture things. We look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles because it pictures something, a shadow of something to come. It’s almost here, the Millennium, the return of Christ to establish and set up, finally, God’s Kingdom on the earth after 6,000 years of man governing himself.

...which are a shadow of things to come, but look at this, but let the Body of Christ... What’s that in the context of? The first part of the verse 16. These go together. “Let no one judge you  but let the Body of Christ.” That’s the full context. See, that’s what’s being said in the Greek language very clearly so. Not as clear in English but it should be. It’s about God’s Church. It’s about the mother of us all. In other words, it’s saying here, not about being judged in that respect, but if judgment does come down that better be listened to as well, but it’s talking about listening to our Father and listening to our mother. Let that judge you. Let that judge you in your life. Measure yourself by that. Don’t worry about what others tell you about the Sabbath or clean and unclean meats, that it’s okay to all of a sudden have pork.

Now, they stabbed themselves of one. They said “Now we’re free of tithing.” Oh, that was a big mistake because then their funds began to get cut off. You know, if you start teaching you don’t have to tithe you know what happens? People quit sending in money. They quickly reversed that one. They readdressed it, “Little bit too hasty. You should give. It doesn’t have to be a tithe but you should give like that. We’re not going to call it that but you should give like that to the church.”

We’re going to stop there. With some of these I really have a little bit too much fun because when you see the truth and you grasp and understand what it true and what is being said it’s so clear to us.

And I know that others can’t help it, but those who were a part of the Body should be able to, and yet so many people have gone off course, have left because of what’s being stated here. Have gone off in things having to do with the Sabbath, things having to do with what they believe they can and can’t eat now, and what they can and cannot do now. Look what happened after the Apostasy. But those kind of things creep up, popped up from time to time ever since I’ve been in the Church. Amazing what we’ve gone through.

You have to fight to hold on to God’s way of life. You have to cry out to God and desire to acknowledge Him in all your ways all of the time.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1