Sermon: Who Are We and What Are We to Do?

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set during this actual time of the early  spring harvest at the ingathering in the   village of Bethlehem and Israel during the time  of the Judges. It's a story that we all know.   I'm not going to be going through the  entire story here today, but I think   there's something that helps us to launch  into a message and the meaning of the Day   of Pentecost from that story, actually many  themes but one that I want to get to today. The story of Ruth is obviously set in the  springtime of the Feast of the Firstfruits, a   family that because of famine from Bethlehem went  into the area of Moab, the family of Elimelech,   and Naomi. And their two sons, Mahlon and  Chilion, as we know, married two daughters,   two Moabite daughters, Orpah, not Oprah,  but Orpah, and Ruth. All the men died,   and three widows now were there. And two of them,  Ruth and Naomi, make their way back to the village   of Bethlehem. And there that beautiful story  of the meeting with Boaz, the threshing floor.   What will they do? How will they make their  way into this new world that they have comes   to a beautiful conclusion in the 4th chapter  of the book of Ruth, which we will turn to.   And to note, as we look at that story there and  the gathering of a people in a very small village   just a few miles south of the  city of Jerusalem today, and   a gathering to finish something and to make  sure that the Word of God, the way of God is   observed and kept in a village, in Bethlehem at  a time of the Judges, which as we know, it was   a time of great deal of national breakdown  and lawlessness in the time of the Judges. And here is a beautiful little  vignette, a beautiful story   of a family and other people who continue to do  God's way. In fact, they are a people who know   who they are and what they are to do. As they  gathered in the gate of the city to make this   decision to allow Boaz and Ruth to marry,  you know the story, there's a near kinsmen,   who has to be consulted. And given the opportunity  to redeem Ruth, he passes. And in the ceremony, he   gives off his sandal to Boaz and said, "You  may have the right. You may marry her." And so,   Boaz and Ruth marry. And it comes down to what  we see in verse 11, where I wanted to focus here   this morning on our message, as the people, the  elders, Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, these families, this   family gathered to preserve the name of  a man who is dead, and to preserve a way   and to hold high, really the way of God  and the law of God. They come together. And in verse 11, it says, "All the people who were  at the gate," which was kind of like a courthouse.   This was the courtroom. This was where the  social affairs of the city, the village of   Bethlehem were all settled. So they were gathered  in this area, “the people who were at the gate,   and the elders, said, 'We are witnesses. We  are witnesses.’" They saw what had been done.   They all gave their assent. And they ensured that,  not only the name of the family would endure,   but that the way of God was to be held intact  for the entire community, the entire village.   And again, remarkable in that it was during  a time of the Judges. When there were a lot   of other villages in the area and in Israel, that  were not paying any attention to the way of God.   They were witnesses. They were evidence of  what not only had happened but what would   happen and they go on and give this beautiful  blessing. “May you be like Rachel or like Leah.” In other words, here's a Gentile, a  Moabite woman, Ruth, being grafted into   a family, an Israelite family in Bethlehem. And  she is having a blessing put upon her that is to   extend the house of Israel, “be like Rachel and  be like Leah.” And of course, you know the story.   Ruth becomes the ancestor of King David. And of  course, then she becomes the ancestor of Jesus   Christ. It's a beautiful story. It's a remarkable  story. It is a vital story in many different ways   of the law of God, the way of God, the freedom  that allowed a Gentile Moabite woman to   be included into, not only a family, but  also a tribe, and a nation, and a people,   and God, the family of God, ultimately. God's law  is a law of spiritual freedom that offers that for   all peoples at all times, and it always has.  And these people in Israel knew who they were.   They were the covenant people. They were  Israelites. They had a special law and they   knew what they had to do. And they obeyed that  law and showed a remarkable insight at that time. As I say, the story of Ruth is kind of an outlier  in the story of the time of the Judges. It shows   that even in a time of national breakdown, which  the period of Judges was, God has the people.   God has a work, a people who know who  they are and know what they should do.   Always, even at this time, did they have that.   Now, we gather here on the Feast of Pentecost  in 2020, the Feast of Firstfruits. We've   already begun to talk about that message  as Mr. Myers's offertory and Mr. Metzel's   sermonette here. We're here on the Day of  Pentecost, to bear witness, just like they did,   at the time here in Bethlehem at the episode  with Ruth. We're here to bear witness or evidence   of God's enduring purpose to bring many sons to  glory. We are witnesses of that. We are proof of   that as firstfruits, evidence of what God has been  doing all through these ages and continues to do,   evidence of the spirit of liberty  that joins us to God as sons of God.   We are firstfruits and we are witnesses to  this truth. And we in the United Church of God,   know who we are and we know what we should do. In Acts 1 and in Acts 2, we've already turned  there and we read that but it's, again, a story   that is central to this day because it shows the  beginning of the Church on the Day of Pentecost.   It shows the culmination of really 50 days of  events and time, and that had happened since the   morning after the resurrection of Jesus Christ,  and His acceptance as a wave sheaf offering.   The disciples had been told to wait in Jerusalem  in chapter 1 verse 8. Christ said to them, "You   shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has  come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to   Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria,  and to the end of the earth." And so they waited. And after the point of 40 days, Christ ascended  here in chapter 1 as we're told to heaven.   Ten days later, chapter 2 verse 1, the disciples  are all together. When the Day of Pentecost   had fully come, they were with one accord in  one place. And verse 2 of chapter 2 tells us   that “suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as  of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole   house where they were sitting. And then they were…  There appeared to them divided tongues, as a fire,   and one sat upon each of them. And they  were all filled with the Holy Spirit   and began to speak with other tongues, as  the Spirit gave them utterance.” And so began   the Church of God. On the Day of Pentecost,  the promise fulfilled that Christ had said   would happen, "I will come to you,” He had  told them on the night before His death,   "I and My Father will be with you. You will  not be left alone. You will not be orphans.   I will send the Spirit." That Spirit now  came, that power, that very life of the Father   and of Jesus Christ now was available, not only to  the disciples but ultimately as the book of Acts   unfolds and shows to all peoples, Jew and Gentile,  to all nations and the Gospel would go there. And we see it as the story unfolds here in  chapter 1 as Mr. Metzel was reading that,   after they received the Holy Spirit, we see a  changed group of people, these disciples, a man   who had been fearful and doubtful in the  time, the period after Christ's crucifixion,   and even after His resurrection, we're now changed  from men who were running for their lives to men   who had confidence, and courage, and faith, who  were willing to stand and to preach the truth,   and to take that message to the end of the earth  and during their time, and even willing to die   for their Lord and their Savior. Peter, who had  denied Christ three times, stands up and gives   us this powerful sermon and later says in another  remarkable passage, that “we must obey God,   rather than men.” And so you see the transforming  power of the Holy Spirit upon the people,   these disciples on this day, in the temple area,  and all that had happened, all that took place,   these disciples on Pentecost knew who they  were and they knew what they had to do. Just   as the people back in Bethlehem, the time of Ruth,  knew who they were and knew what they had to do. Now, here's a question for us  today in the United Church of God.   In the year 2020, a remarkable year, which for  many of you've been following some of the comments   and some of the memes that I've seen as we kind of  worked our way through these first five months of   2020, we kind of wish it had never happened.  We wish we could go back to 2019. All right?   One of my favorite memes that I've seen is the  little scene from the movie Back to the Future,   where Marty McFly is telling the professor,  "Whatever you do, don't punch in 2020."   I even haven't seen the movie and I understand  what that means. But it's been a remarkable year.   Now, what about us? The disciples knew what  they had to do and who they were. The people   in the village of Bethlehem at the time of Ruth  knew who they were and what they had to do. Do we know who we are and do we know what we  have to do? What is the United Church of God? Who   is the United Church of God? What are we to  do? Are we an eccentric, odd little group   with a strange set of beliefs, cobbled together  out of the Old Testament and the New Testament,   and a few other ideas from other religions  and faiths kind of sprinkled in there,   thrown in there and kind of, like, scraps of food  and seed that birds would pick up on the ground?   Is that who we are? That's what the Athenian  philosophers asked of the apostle Paul   on Mars Hill in Acts 17 because  that's what they thought he was or   are we the descendants of these disciples in Acts  2, who took the gospel to the ends of the earth?   Are we the spiritual descendants  of those in Bethlehem, who   knew who they were, a covenant people? They knew  what they had to do. They had to legislate even in   the smallest of matters concerning a marriage and  a family matter in a social court, according to   the law of God. They knew what they had to do. Do  we know who we are? Do we know what we have to do? We are the descendants of those peoples. We are  part of the true Church of God, the Body of Jesus   Christ. Christ is the head of that Church and it  is His Body. We in the United Church of God are a   part of the true Church of God, the Body of Jesus  Christ. We are among the firstfruits of God's plan   of salvation, those who will be part of the first  resurrection at Christ's appearance. We are to be   kings and priests, our teachers and helpers,  as Dr. Dunkle was saying yesterday here in his   sermon. We are to be co-heirs with Jesus Christ  of all things to reign with Him for 1,000 years   after His return, as Revelation 20 tells  us in advance of a greater harvest of   people that are to come as the Scriptures  and the Holy Day Plan of God tells us. And we are in the United Church of God, we are to  preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom   of God. We are to make disciples and we are to  care for those disciples that God calls. That's   who we are. That's about as clear and succinct as  I can put it and refine it down scripturally based   on Scripture and based on our knowledge. That's  who we are. And we are descendants, spiritually   of these men and women in Acts 2 and back in Ruth  4. That's it. That is a clear statement. And as   we gather on Pentecost here in 2020, in the most  unusual set of circumstances in living memory,   the meaning of this day, as firstfruits, gives us  a very firm anchor, a compass check, if you will,   that we must understand, we need to understand  in our time, and to know what we should do,   and to rehearse that on this Day of  Pentecost because we too are witnesses. We are witnesses as they were in that village in  Bethlehem, in the sense that we are evidence. We   are proof of God's unfolding enduring plan of  salvation, called, and chosen, and faithful. We   understand that. We teach that. We proclaim that.  And our very existence on this Day of Pentecost,   here now on this day, keeping this Holy Day, as  well as all of the Festivals, and the Sabbath and   the sacred time of God is testimony to that, is  evidence of what God is to do. We are witnesses   of that early first harvest of the plan  of God. Let's turn back to Leviticus 23.   And let’s, again, just look at the basic, one  of, if you will, the kind of a cornerstone   Scripture of this Holy Day plan. We know it  well, but let's read it again, Leviticus 23.   And let's begin in verse  15, read a few verses here,   where it says that, "From  the day after the Sabbath,   the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave  offering: count off seven full weeks.” That is the   Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread that  follows, that this count begins, this counting of   seven full weeks, which will be 49 days and  then the instruction says “count off fifty days   one more,” which this day is, that 50th  day, from that day when the wave sheaf   would have been brought the day after the  Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. “Count to that fifty days to  the day of the seventh Sabbath;   and then present an offering of new grain to  the Lord.” And so, the instruction goes on,   "Two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah,  the finest flour baked with yeast as a wave   offering of firstfruits." This was done in  the spring of the year, the early spring,   during the time of the days of unleavened bread.  And it would mark the beginning of that early   harvest. Again, what they were doing back in the  time of Ruth that we read in the story there,   that was that period of time. It was  an early, smaller harvest of the land.   And God goes on here to add to what was to be  brought, in addition to the grain offering. And then down in verse 20, "The priest  is to wave the two lambs before the Lord   as a wave offering together with  the bread of the firstfruits.”   And so it was waved or presented in the temple  by a priest before the Lord. Now, this is the   instruction, and while there was a temple  and while there was a functioning priesthood,   this was how it was done. It's interesting  within the Jewish faith and community.   After the fall of the temple in 70 AD, Pentecost  as a Holy Day kind of faded off of their calendar,   while they continue to evolve into a tradition  that they call the cedar off of the Passover and   continue to keep a Yom Kippur or the Day  of Atonement and Rosh Hashanah, the Feast   of Trumpets. And we see all still as high markers  of Judaism today. You don't read about Pentecost.   And in one part of that is because with no temple,  with no functioning priesthood, among the Jews,   this Festival kind of fell off, just fell by the  wayside. All right? It's not that it wasn't noted   or even on their calendar, but it's not become  even a part of their strong tradition today. We understand that the New Testament symbols  and we understand the fullness of this with   Christ as that wave sheaf offering, of course,  and fulfilling all the various offerings. We   understand how we are to keep the Day of Pentecost  today in the spirit, based on what we see in Acts   2 and, of course, other verses. But going back  here to verse 20, it says that, "They are a sacred   offering to the Lord for the priest. And on that  same day, you're to proclaim a sacred assembly   and do no regular work. This has to be an  everlasting ordinance for the generations to come   wherever you live." Embedded in this instruction  is in so much of God's teaching out of Leviticus   is the idea and the truth that this is a sacred  offering. And that means it is spiritual. And in   that, it is something that has a deeper spiritual  meaning that endures. It's not removed. It's not   done away. It's not something that we ignore. The  people of God know what that term sacred means to   have a sacred offering, in a sense. We are sacred  offerings before God, Romans 12:1, tells us. We   are to keep a sacred assembly, as this says.  We understand the Sabbath day and holy time. This Festival, as well as all the Festivals, are  sacred assemblies. There's a spiritual dimension,   the very presence of God here, that no change in  any aspect of the covenant or of the relationship   between God and man does away with. It only  heightens it, magnifies it, and intensifies it   as a meaning, and experience, and truth for  the people of God. It's not something that   is optional. It's not something that, you know,  you can keep if you want because it has some,   you know, special meaning. It is sacred. It  is truth at the very bedrock of existence.   And that's why we are here. And so, it is to  be kept. And we keep it in the spiritual sense,   as we understand here. And we're witness  to that. We're evidence of that very, very   intense truth. There's an early harvest  that this Festival of Pentecost shows. Through Pentecost, we see  that there is a very small,   first harvest, ahead of a larger fall harvest.  And in the temperate zones of the globe, that is   very well understood and a part  of what we can observe around us   every year is through the cycle of the  seasons. When we look at it spiritually,   the really small harvest tells us something  about the mercy and the magnitude of God's   holy plan. The Holy Days give to us in the church  an understanding of not only being a firstfruit,   but also a seed sown of that coming kingdom,  planted in today's world to grow and to develop   into the sons of God. That's where we are. So  we know why we are here today, on the date of   the Feast of Pentecost, and we know what we are to  do, which is why we're here assembled before God. There's another, a second matter of this being  we are witness to with the Day of Pentecost.   We are witness to the fact that Christ is the  first of the firstfruits. In 1 Corinthians 15,   Paul brings this truth out in the midst of  this resurrection exposition to show the   truth of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15. The  spiritual significance of this first harvest,   celebrated by the Feast of Firstfruits  is made very clear in a few verses here,   beginning in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 15, where  it says, "But now Christ is risen from the dead,   and has become the firstfruits of those who have  fallen asleep." So, again, the resurrection of   Christ during the Days of Unleavened Bread, after  being in the grave, three days and three nights,   is tied to, obviously, the Day of Pentecost,  as that next day begins the count and that time   but Christ was risen from the dead, He's become  the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.   Down in verse 22, "For as in Adam all die,  even so in Christ all shall be made alive."   And so, through Christ's life, His resurrection,  we have the opportunity for eternal life. Without His resurrection, we only have a dead  Savior and we have our sins forgiven. But the   hope of life, as Paul later brings out in other  Scriptures, is through His resurrection. We are   made alive in Christ through that. Then he goes  on in verse 23, "But each one in his own order."   A remarkable phrase. There is an order to the  plan of God. There is an order by which God is   bringing salvation to the world. In the holy, they  show us that. And the Feast of Pentecost is a key   Scripture or a key Holy Day to help us to  understand that, that this marks a special time,   a special harvest, a unique period, in the  history of life and of mankind as to what   God is doing. He's only dealing with a few in that  category of firstfruits. He's only calling a few   at this time. The later time of salvation will be  offered to the world in the later fall of harvest   after the return of Christ as the ensuing Holy  Days' picture. And again, we have to keep the   Holy Days to understand this. It's not something  that you can fully develop and understand as a   truth of the Scriptures, as a worked-out theology,  without this matter of the Holy Days and what they   show us. And “every man and his order,” and the  order that God is bringing to pass here. “Every   man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits,  afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.” And so, that wave sheaf begins with the early  barley harvest. Fifty days later, we come   to Pentecost, and we have understood Christ  was accepted by the Father. On that morning,   when He appeared, remember, to His disciples, Mary  wanted to worship Him. He said, "Don't touch Me, I   haven't yet ascended to My Father." And then later  that very same day, we find that they do embrace   Him. And so, in that time, Christ was accepted  by the Father, appeared again to the disciples,   and began that process that leads up here to  what transpires with Pentecost and the Feast. But through that now, with the giving  of the Holy Spirit, we have access to   the Father through Christ. And so, we're told  that all of this is done in a particular order,   in a particular way. Paul states that the  resurrection of the saints that Christ coming   as immortal spirit beings later on here in chapter  15, as he moves down into the glorious aspects of   it, beginning in verse 43, and concluding to the  end of the chapter about the mortal being changed   to immortality, shows how that will transpire  at the time of Christ appearing in an   instant at the last trumpet as verse 52  brings out here, "the dead will be raised   incorruptible, and we shall be changed." We  anticipate that event. We're not yet there. We're in that time period between the receiving  of the Spirit, in our calling and our life,   or even from the time that what began  with Christ's acceptance or began with   the Day of Pentecost, to this point in  time on this Pentecost in the year 2020,   we anticipate then the time when this change will  take place at the timing of the last trumpet.   It'll be a supernatural clarion call that will  announce the return of Christ to rule the earth.   And at that time, God will resurrect the dead,  who had been previously faithful, the dead in   Christ as 1 Thessalonians 4 describes. They will  be resurrected first, not preceding those who are   alive at Christ’s return and changed in the same  way that verse 52 brings out to spirit beings,   immortality granted. Meeting Christ in the air  as He appears and then descending with Him,   where His feet will stand on the Mount of  Olives in that day, and that will begin   that 1,000 year period that  is described in Revelation 20,   that we call the Millennium when we will be a  part of what is called the first resurrection. In Revelation 20:6,   it says, "Blessed and holy is he who  has part in the first resurrection."   That's what we look to. That's what we hope  for. And there is a blessing for those that   are a part of that. The first resurrection is a  unique resurrection in that it is a resurrection   to spirit life, to eternal life. All right, the  other resurrection that we call the second and   described later in chapter 20 as a physical  resurrection back to physical life for   those that have never heard. That's a greater  fall of harvest that we look forward to. But   verse 6 tells us, "That over such  the second death has no power,   but they shall be a priest of God and of Christ,  and shall reign with Him one thousand years."   And so we know we're called to be a part of this  event, along with all who have gone before us,   who are then the dead in Christ. And so we  witness to that. We are evidence of that,   as we read it in Scripture and by faith, believe  it. And then on this Day of Pentecost observe it,   remembering that we are firstfruits  waiting for this particular time. There's a third area of evidence that  we give as well or witness, again, like   the people did back in Bethlehem, where  they came to the place of assembly   and said, "We are witnesses." We are witnesses  that the firstfruits of which we are a part,   overcome the world as preparation for this  age to come. We're here to remember that,   to be evidence of that. The firstfruits  of God's plan are those who are called now   in this age, having their minds and attitudes  changed. We call it conversion. We call it a   transformation, spiritually transformed, but  the receipt of God's Spirit is to change us.   It is to give us that power to become like  Jesus Christ because His Spirit is in us.   His life is in us. The life  we are to live now is through   this Spirit of His and the Father's that is within  us, working within us, helping us to overcome sin.   In James 1, James brings this out, again,  in terms of what we are as firstfruits. James 1:18, "Of His own will He  brought us forth by the word of truth,   that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His  creation.” Firstfruits of all that He has created.   James brings that out to us. What the firstfruits  learn today, what we learn by a life of   overcoming, resisting this world, this sin is a  life that is to prepare us for the age to come. You know, all that we go through in our lives,  the experiences, the trials that come upon us,   the mistakes we make, the lessons that we learn,  the growth that we make through our years in life,   as young people, as singles, as teenagers,  as young adults, as married with children,   the mistakes, the lessons, the triumphs, all that  we learn as we grow through the years, nothing is   wasted. Nothing goes to pass. Everything that  we develop as a talent, everything we develop,   as far as discernment, understanding, maturity,  growth, nothing is lost. Everything that we   learned through all that we do, all the character  that we build, and develop with God's help,   ultimately, because that's  the only one that will endure,   the gifts that we have, none of it will  be wasted. Everything that we go through,   God will use what you and I learned, as  firstfruits in this life and in this world today,   and the glorified life that He will give us  at the resurrection. So it's the spiritual   lessons, the spiritual understanding  that we want to gain today. You know, there are some things that we will  stumble into, and some things that will happen   that may take years to finally move away from, and  in some cases, the result of it may be with us the   remainder of our life. But it is  the spiritual lessons that we learn,   even at times when certain physical matters  may linger and remain. It's the spiritual   lessons that we learned, the spiritual  maturity and growth that will not be wasted,   God will use that, and that new body  that He gives us at the resurrection. And that knowledge and understanding, that will  be glorified. That will be magnified by what we   were given from God and what we receive. It's  by the trials and the mistakes of our life,   If we remain faithful to God, that we learn the  spiritual values, the spiritual understanding that   transcends this life. This is why I think, at the  heart of what Paul was getting to in 1 Corinthians   2 [1] when he encouraged the people to understand  why they were called. In 1 Corinthians 2 [1],   he said, "Do you see your calling? Not many wise  men are called. Not many noble brethren, but   God has chosen the foolish things of the world to  confound the wise." We are called. We are chosen.   We are evidence in His hand, of His glory,  and of His purpose, and of His plan. And it's   that which we have to understand. We've got to  see our calling, which means to understand it,   to know that we are called,  that yes, we are special people   and a very special relationship  with God as firstfruits. You know, I thought over the years, as I've first  learned about the Feast of Pentecost, as a youth,   intellectually accepted it, spiritually  accepted it and, you know, as a baptized adult,   taught it for many, many years in the ministry,  I've often thought about this day and the audacity   of the day, the meaning of the firstfruit,  called now, separate from the rest of the world,   the world not being called. And sometimes you  never felt guilty about that. I've never felt   ashamed of that. I've marveled at  it. I've wondered, added, sometimes   I’ve just been a bit awestruck at it to grasp  it, as you look at the whole rest of the world.   And it's just taken me, I guess a number of years  of teaching, and thinking, and learning to see my   calling and to understand what God really has done  with His firstfruits. And it's only by the grace   of God that we are a firstfruits. It's a humbling  experience. It doesn't make us any better.   The better resurrection that was referred to in  the sermonette, that is the first resurrection. It's not because we are better. It's better. And  it's our responsibility to live up to that better,   that better resurrection through this life.  That's our challenge to us. So it is an   astounding thought to mull over in our hearts and  in our minds, as we think about what God is doing.   Called now rather than later.  It would seem to be easier   if we were called later. I thought that one  through too, especially when I was young,   especially when I was young. I had it all figured  out at one time, how I was going to live my life,   right up until a certain point that I thought  we understood, then I was going to repent   and obey God, you know, be safe, whatever.  Well, I learned the folly of that way of   thinking and that didn't work. That's not how  we should live. But it would seem easier later.   But God's called us now. And we have to accept  that. And when we do, God gives us the help. This present stage, this time of the  firstfruits is a special unique one time period.   And I know that's not grammatically  correct, but it gets the point across,   special unique one time. All right? It is. Think  about the period, the time of the firstfruits.   It's a unique event describing  Scripture, situation, or place.   Think about that now. Think about  that now, 2020, in this moment.   In this moment, we have a world that  is shaking as a result of what has   happened. It's shaking to its foundations for a  moment, for a time, not to a godly repentance,   but it's been shaken. And we have to consider  this truth about God's plan and purpose,   to consider who we are and what we are to do. I've thought a lot as you have. We all have  about this pandemic, this COVID-19 pandemic.   I think we have experienced a kind of a  pre-revelation event, a pre-revelation event   experience. And I think as firstfruits, we  should see this as a wake-up call to our calling.   The prophecies and the warnings from Christ  are very real. In Luke 21 and Matthew 24,   and in the book of Revelation, all of that is more  than just an intellectual biblical knowledge base.   We're living through some very real times, some  big times. God's purpose and judgments are sure.   And He's examining the nations at this moment,  and the nations have indeed been startled. Because I've thought it through and I know  that there's all kinds of ideas that are   rampant and conspiracy ideas about this virus  and everything. And there is a truth about it,   in terms of the physical hard truth. And  I think we will find that out in time.   But as I step back and look at it with a biblical  worldview, I think I see that what we have seen   is a satanic attack, meant to take down  the present world, the present world order,   and to lay the foundation for a  system that is described in the Bible,   yet to come, called Babylon, Babylon the Great.  That's what I think we have seen. A final…   at Babylon is a final global order that will  be Satan's masterpiece of deception upon the   world. And as I look at this and as I look at the  Scriptures, this is personally what I've concluded   that it's a satanic attack, God  has not allowed it to succeed.   It's not going to completely reshuffle the  world order. They will make some changes.   But as we understand Scripture, God's purpose  and plan, the prophecies tell us and keeping   the Holy Days helps us as well because we  understand the Holy Days and we observe them,   God's Church, God's people are able to understand  the plan of God and I think also have insight   into the world, where we are in the world in  relation to biblical prophecy, to be able to   discern the times in which we live. Our keeping  the Holy Days is very much a part of that.   These are big events that we are living through.  And we cannot and should not mistake this time   and what the Church should learn as a result.  We are being made ready through this crisis. The   Church, the firstfruits are is being made ready,  all the more important that we know who we are   and what we are to do. To come to certain  conclusions and have a proper biblical   understanding requires that we step back and,  again, have that biblical worldview, which, when   I was again, young, I used to hear this phrase  called "Keep the big picture," we used to say. Have a big overview of God's purpose and God's  plan, which, again, the Holy Days give to us,   Bible prophecy gives us. Keep the big picture  I was taught. And this is the time to do that,   to keep the big picture with a biblical  framework of what is happening in the world.   There's another phrase that we had at that time  that I grew up on as well. It was called the work.   We're called to do a work. We have a work  to do. And it's biblical. It comes out of   actually the book of Acts because  they went to do the work. There is   an incident in the book of Acts where they went to  do the work. They went about continuing preaching   the gospel. But that phrase, the work, the  work, the work was like an anvil, upon which   the words were beaten regularly, in my mind, as  a young person in the Church of God, the work,   the work, the work, we are called to do a work. We  must go to do a work and people understood that,   believed that, saw that vision, sacrificed for it,  some to their hurt. And we still understand that.   But that's what we were called  to do. That's what we understood. You know, the roots of the United Church  of God, our inner work that was begun   during a time of global depression,  and World War, and large international   issues that began in the 1930s, in the 1940s,  into the 1950s, the roots of who we are,   go back into that timeframe of the world where  there were huge world events taking place. Issues   of human survival, literally, with the advent of  the nuclear age that followed World War II. That's   the global backdrop against which the Church  of God that we are a part of grew and developed   in the 20th century and out of which  we have come. God began to work   literally during the sixth horn of the beast  of Revelation 17 when it rose out of Europe,   and Asia, and devastated the world. And we are  still today dealing with the after-effects of it.   We were on Corregidor back in late December,  an island bombed out of near existence. And you go on Corregidor, in the mouth of the  Manila Bay in the Philippines, and it's just   like it was at the end of World War II with the  bombed out buildings and the guns that were left   and inoperable because they too were bombed. And  you see the results of the rise of the beast.   And we're still dealing with that today. But  my point is, that was the backdrop by which God   grew and developed, the work out of  which the United Church of God came.   People were faithful. People were called, began  to keep the Sabbath, the Holy Days, the Festivals,   and helped build that work. They knew what  they had to do. They knew who they were,   just like the people during the time  of Ruth and the period of the Judges,   and the time of national breakdown  during that era and that period.   God always has a remnant. God always has  a work. The church, it doesn't die out. And so, when we consider ourselves today,   those who went before us in the United  Church of God, my mother, my wife's parents,   and her grandparents, your uncles, your  aunts, your parents, your grandparents,   they were living in a time that I just described  coming out of that. They wanted answers. They   wanted hope in their world and in their life  because the world didn't provide that for them.   Their world nearly came to a collapse  and a depression, a world war, and then   the threat of a nuclear age. They came looking  for answers and hope. Those were the people   from which we are descended, in many cases,  literally descended today. And frankly, we are   into the fifth generation, and you stop and figure  it up of those people that began in the 1930s. In   the Church of God, we're into the fifth generation  today and united are those people who are   doing the work, called to do that work. Today, our  legacy in United is built upon what went before.   We proclaim the true gospel of Jesus Christ  and the Kingdom of God, a message of salvation. We show God's purpose to many of how He's  bringing many sons to glory, and their potential,   and why they were born. The United  Church of God is a work that is built   to preach the gospel and to prepare  people to reign with Christ.   That's what it's about. And everything that we  do is to prepare a people to reign with Christ,   from a summer camp to an Ambassador Bible College,  to a Sabbath service, to a Bible study, to a   trained, dedicated ministry, to a church, to  a work of evangelizing, putting up booklets,   magazines, media content of all sorts, to teach  the gospel, to preach a message of salvation,   to preach a message of repentance, to  turn from this world, to save yourselves,   to believe, to keep and to be a part of the  Kingdom of God. That's what we are doing.   That's what we are part of. This is our  roots. This is the United Church of God. And so when we look at all that God has revealed  to us and shown us as to this firstfruits   calling, this firstfruits Festival of the Day of  Pentecost, and why we are called now, it's because   of that. We are called to preach the gospel. We  are called to be behind a work of evangelizing,   a work of preaching the gospel of salvation, a  message of repentance. And that should explain   why we do what we do and who we are. And also  Brethren, importantly, why we are called now   in advance of the time when God is going to  call all the others. And as the parable show us,   there is an early harvest. There's a later  harvest. There's a time when God is going to   harvest the world and fields are ripe for that  at this particular time. Our present calling   is connected to the preaching of the gospel of the  Kingdom of God and to prepare to rule with Christ.   It is a special calling. It is a special time.  Yes, it is a better resurrection. And yes,   we have to live up and be a better people to be  a part of that and we can as God gives us the   grace and God gives us the help. We must live  up to that resurrection, and all that it means,   and all the hope that it will provide for  all the world to come from that point. You know, Brethren, right now, in the end  of May 2020, as we are kind of inching   our way out of this COVID-19 virus, the  world's looking for the hope of a vaccine   to be developed somewhere by some nation in  some lab. Just one scientist, one team will work   together to provide a vaccine for this particular  virus to make us safe, to wipe away fear,   to let us open up, and to return to our normal.  And we have projections maybe by the end of the   year. I've read everything from by fall to the end  of the year. And some I've read, it could be near   impossible because of the way this particular  respiratory type virus mutates so quickly.   I'm not an expert in those areas. Like you, I  have hope that it will be, that it will provide   that safety for people. But that's what the  world is looking for at this point in time. You know, as we are here on Pentecost, we've  read where the Holy Spirit was poured out and   made available. The Holy Spirit of God, Brethren,  is the ultimate vaccine. The Holy Spirit of God is   the ultimate immunization that we have. It's  the inoculation, if you will, that God has   given to those who in faith, repent, and accept  Jesus Christ as their Savior, and are baptized,   and with the laying on of hands receive the  gift of the Holy Spirit. That's our immunity   against sin, against every evil work.   That's our vaccine against racism and  against prejudice. And unfortunately,   the United States right now is beginning to  tear itself apart, city by city in recent days.   And a scene that just makes us want to cry, as we  have come out of a period of being sheltered and   we see this in a sense of a scab ripped off  and the problems surfacing again of racism,   and of prejudice, and anger, and all that is there  from all quarters of our society. God's Spirit   is the ultimate immunity for that. It is  also the vaccine against fear and doubt   that God gives us. It is the power by which the  United Church of God will live up to its promise. The Spirit of God, it is the power by which we  will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the   Kingdom of God, and make those disciples that  God provides and to care for those disciples.   We will do it by that power and by that power  alone. There's a scripture I'd like to turn to,   that we all know when we normally turn to this  at times to kind of point out to the larger   nation as a whole. And it certainly applies  there. Please turn with me to 2 Chronicles   7. It is a time of the dedication  of the temple by Solomon.   And God has a lot to say here, that Solomon  has prayed and God appeared to Solomon,   to show that God was with Solomon and with  the people as long as they were with Him.   And in verse 13 of 2 Chronicles 7, God says, "When  I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command   the locusts to devour the land,” we read about  locusts in Africa. And those of you that may be   listening in and Africa, you know about that “or”  it says, "send pestilence among My people." Again,   Brethren, these Scriptures are very real. We've  lived through a time of pandemic, of pestilence.   And when God says these things, we  should take note as to what we are to do.   Verse 14, is what we know very well. God  says, "if My people who are called by My name   will humble themselves, and pray and seek  My face, and turn from their wicked ways,   then I will hear from heaven, and will  forgive their sin and heal their land."   We quote this a lot. And we usually  point it toward America, Canada,   Australia, Great Britain or the world is  large. And certainly, it applies there.   And we know that the context of it given to  Israel Solomon at the time of the dedication,   but it is a principle that applies today. And  lets for a moment, on this Day of Pentecost,   Brethren, let's for a moment take it and turn  this promise to us in the United Church of God.   We are the people of God. Can we humble ourselves? Can we pray to God?  Can we pray for the nations, pray for the   United States, that it gets its act together,  that it doesn't rip itself apart? It is the   engine of the world economy, at this time, still,  regardless of what's happened in recent weeks,   and much depends upon it. In terms of that,  most importantly, the fact that we can function   as a church and a work to preach the gospel.  Pray for the United Kingdom. Pray for Canada.   Pray for Australia. We lamented in  December when Australia was burning up,   and they had to cancel their youth camps  down there at that time, not knowing   that just a few weeks from that time, we would see  a problem that would impact us as well. And again,   even in the Church, we've had to curtail a lot  of our youth programs as well, it has been quite   a period of time, quite a year. But pray for the  nations, pray that the gospel may be heard, and   that it may change lives, that there are enough of  those people who are softened up at this time, who   are disillusioned, who recognize that the idols  that they have trusted, the government, science,   their pocketbooks, their job, their status, their  position, can be gone in a minute, can be gone   just like that, as it has in many cases. And you  can't just start there with a stimulus check. You   can't just depend on the government to bring  it back. It's going to take more than that. I   pray that there are people who begin to ask the  questions, to begin to search for the answers,   that God will lead to us if that's His choice,  and they will find hope. They will find solutions.   They will find answers. Pray for  that. That we can be a humble people   that can receive those individuals  and help to disciple them. Pray for that as well. If my people, called by  my name, pray that God, who has I'm sure, I know,   more firstfruits to call, that they can be  called as a result of this. Pray for your   church. Pray for the United Church of God. Pray  that the United Church of God can have a revival,   a renewal, of unity, of faith, and of power, for  all of us to be more tightly knit together in   the bonds of love and fellowship. I pray that  as we reopen, and we pray that we can reopen   quicker, I'm hoping that in my local congregation  we can reopen before Disney World reopens.   That's my prayer. And I think we'll  get there. But pray that as we reopen,   our services will have a stronger passion  for who we are and what we are to do.   "If My people, all by My name will humble  and pray,” God says He will answer. Let's   use this Day of Pentecost, Brethren, to do  just that, to renew a sense of dedication,   and purpose, and passion for the work for  the calling that God has given to us as   firstfruits. Let's be a people who know  who they are and know what they are to do.
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Channel: United Church of God Sermons
Views: 905
Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Keywords: United Church of God, sermon
Id: AytU2Dg4fh8
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Length: 59min 27sec (3567 seconds)
Published: Fri Mar 12 2021
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