Are You Living the Culture of the Kingdom?

Well, good afternoon, everyone. Good to see all of you. Seems like a while since we've been here, have been between travels and not feeling well enough to come last week. But it is really good to be back with all of you and see all of you here. Let me commend Shaveed. Excellent job. I've known Shaveed since she was a little girl back in Orlando, and I had no idea until we moved up here or she moved up here that she could sing that well. So very, very nice job. So, you know, we live in a time. Here we are, the 1st of February. It's hard to believe the year is already going by so fast, and we're just a couple of months from Passover. And, you know, it's a time of year where we begin to think, be thinking about ourselves and examining ourselves. And where are we? Are we doing what God wants us to do? Are we growing each year the way that we should be?

And as we look at the world around us, we see all sorts of changes going on in the world, right? Here in America, we've had kind of a monumental change with the presidential election that took place in November. And once the inauguration took place, it's been change after change after change that's taken place for the last couple weeks. The world is in a state of flux. We see governments that have been changing around there. When I turned on my phone this morning, there was something about some major protest in London going on because protesting the government there. The whole world is in a state of change, and you never know when things are going to change, right? I mean, maybe a lot of people are very happy with what's going on in America right now. It may be a pleasant change for them to come out of a culture that they didn't enjoy. But, you know, as we look at the world around us, and we might really approve of what's going on in our own minds and think it gives us time to preach the word of God without fear of what's going on. But literally, things could change overnight. I'm not going to turn to 1 Thessalonians 5.3, but I often find myself repeating it just to remind us that things could change quickly. That verse says, when they say peace and safety, sudden destruction comes. Not setting any dates. Could be years from now. Could be decades from now. Only God knows when that is. But what he warns us is, we live in a world of change, and that change isn't always good. We may feel safe today, but years from now, we could find ourselves the very next day after something changes, being arrested, being persecuted, whatever it is that comes our way.

So with all that in mind and knowing how fickle man is and how things can change, and seem to be increasing in that around the world with every election, no matter where it happens around the world, what's the culture that we should be living by? What's the culture that we should be looking to? There's not stability in this world. There's not any guarantee that things are going to go on for any amount of time in this world. There is a guarantee that things are going to get worse. There is a guarantee of persecution. There is a guarantee that as the world gets worse and worse, as evil imposters grow worse and worse, as it says in 2 Timothy 3.13, we know that the world is going to become more and more rigid, more and more against God, more and more against anything that stands for good as they put in their ideas and ideology, whatever that might be. So as God's people, and as we look at ourselves here a couple months before Passover, what's the culture we should be living by? We live in this world, but there's a culture we should be living by, and we know what that culture is. Let's go, let's turn to Hebrews, Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13 and verse 14. Here God says, as he's talking about that time to come, and Hebrews with all of the encouragement that it has in it, he says in verse 14, for here we have no continuing city.

Here in this society, no matter where in the world we live, because it's going to change wherever, for here we have no continuing, let's just say culture, for here we have no continuing culture, but we seek the one to come. That's the one we live for. That's the one that our eyes should be on. That's why we're here. That's why God called us. That's why we repented. That's why we chose, made the decision to follow God, to no longer live the way we did or look at the world, but to be coming out of that world and living that way. A couple chapters back in Hebrews 11.

And verse 13, speaking of the people of faith that have died before us, these all died in faith, God says, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, they were assured of them, they embraced them. That means they lived them. They saw it as real, even though they weren't living in that time, it was as real to them as the reality we live in today. They embraced them, and they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, not in this world, with all of its uncertainty and confusion. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. They could have looked back. They could have said, yeah, you know what, this is a harder life than I want. I'm going to go back to Caldia. I'm going to go back to the way of life that was there before. They could have violated what Christ said in Luke 9.62. Anyone who had put his hand to the plow, looking back, is not fit for the kingdom of God. Come out of the world. Don't go back into it. Consistently, year by year, we should see that we are less and less enamored by the world, more and more committed to God, more and more committed to his way of life, more and more with that vision of the kingdom. And realizing as we see these changes, however close it is in God's eyes, it should always be that's where we are focused, looking to that country and not the current political climate that we may be living in.

In Ephesians 3—I'm sorry, Ephesians 2—Ephesians 2 and verse 19. God reminds us so many times in the Bible where we are and who we are. Ephesians 2 and 19, now therefore, he says, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. So many who have gone before us who lived their lives, who died, not looking back, not counting this life more valuable than what they believed and clung to and had that vision and the assurance from God that they were going to be there, just like us. Nothing in this life should compare to what God has put ahead of us and shown us. They've been built—verse 20—they've been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God and the Spirit.

God is building us. He's building the future in us. He's building the civilization to come. He's building the culture to come. He's building that in us. The question is, are we letting him build that culture in us? Are we letting him do that? As you heard in the sermon, are we making choices as we go through life? Yes, let's live the culture of the kingdom, not the culture of the way of this world. Let's not fall back into our old habits, our old ways of doing things.

Let's not think that our ideas are so much greater than everyone else's. Let's let God build the culture. Let's let God build his kingdom. Let God build his church and all of us. In Isaiah 30, we hear that time to come. You know this verse. We think about the time when we will be teaching in the kingdom and we talk about how we need to be learning God's way now.

We need to be living God's way now. We need to be seeing the benefits of God's way now so that we can teach from the heart. Yes, his way really does work. His way really does produce true peace. His way really does produce true unity. His way really does produce joy all over the world when we are conscious to live that way. That's what you and I are supposed to be learning now. That when that time comes, we can say we lived it.

We lived it in the midst of a world that was the antithesis of what we were living, but we came to see that in that culture of God, it can work. It does work. It absolutely works. So here in verse 20 of Isaiah 30, we read the verse that we read, that we know very well. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, in which he does, we go through trials. He strengthens us. He matures us. He gets us ready for what is coming.

Though he gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears will hear a word behind you saying, this is the way. Walk in it whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. You know, God's Holy Spirit will do that for us now. If we really are in tune to him, if we're really in tune to what we're to be doing in how we're to be living, we do something.

You know, there's a thought that, should I be doing this? Or maybe we need to stop and think, is this the way God would do things? Is this the way Jesus Christ would have me live my life? Should I do it that way? Because he will urge us, if we really are in tune and wanting to live his way of life, and it'll say, no, don't go that way. Turn this way. Turn back to him. Do it the way he says. Use the Holy Spirit and that fruit of self-control to make yourself do things the way he would, even though you really, really want to do something another way.

Do it his way. So, verse 22 and 23, we don't often read in context of that, but here he talks about how, you know, when we do those things and how people will learn and how we learn now, he talks about all these things that we will just do away with as we're making those choices. Verse 22, you will defile the covering of your images of silver. Those idols that you have now, those things that are more important to you, are so important to you that they might even cause you to make choices that are not good for you or others that are involved in those choices, as we heard.

You're not going to do those anymore. You'll defile those things. You will no longer want to be following those things. You will defile the coverings of your image of silver and the ornament of your molded images of gold. You'll throw them away as an unclean thing you want will want nothing to do with them.

You will see the trappings of this world. You'll see the trappings of your way, your ideas. Cast them aside. While the New King James is quite polite in their verbiage here, the original King James and the original translation of the Bible is when God says he casts it away, says you'll throw them away as an unclean thing. I'll use exactly the words that God used in the original. You'll throw them away as a menstrual rag. They will be just get rid of them. I don't want them in my life.

You will say to them, get away. Get away. Get out of my life. You disgust me. They're unclean. They're not the things that are the way that God wants us to live.

We come to those conclusions as we live that way, as we visualize God's way, as we learn and examine ourselves. Am I doing the way God would have do? Am I living the way of peace? Am I living the way of joy? Am I living the way that will be lived in His millennium? Am I living the way He called me to be? He says when we do these things, when we cast them away, when we acknowledge, wow, we have some of these things to have to be cast in the back because we're not doing the things. He says when you do this, verse 23, then He'll give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and He'll give the bread of the increase of the earth. It'll be flat, fat, and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.

God will bless. He always said, if you do things my way, if you learn to do it my way, if you do things the way I say to do them, if you follow my precepts, if you let His Spirit lead us, I'll bless. And if we're not so blessed, and if we have all these little problems in ourselves, we all individually need to be looking at ourselves, and collectively, something's not right.

That's not the culture God is building in His church, in our lives, in our families. So as we look at Passover this year and begin thinking about it, I hope we will really spend some time truly examining ourselves, and not just saying, yes, I go to Sabbath services every week. Yeah, I go to every holy day. Yeah, I pay my tithes. Those are all good things. We should do them.

But even look at our motives and look at the things that we do. How are we doing things? Are we doing things? Are we doing things the way Jesus Christ did? He set the example.

He lived a much tougher life than you and I live. He sacrificed so much. He sacrificed literally everything. And the face of all the opposition, of all the religious leaders of His day, He stood. He stood. He stood in the gap. This is the truth. This is the way. And He never faltered from it. He kept it exactly the way that God said. So let's look at Luke 6, verse 40. If we look at ourselves and say, am I really becoming like Jesus Christ? Am I really looking at Him?

And am I doing the things that He said, am I becoming like Him? Today, would I say, you know what? Yes, I used to do this, or I used to think this, or I used to handle this this way, and I have overcome that. But we also have to remember that, you know, if we have pride and think, oh, we've overcome it, that's not me anymore. It can come back to us. Just immediately, always realize that that change comes from God as the power of His Holy Spirit. That's any of the good that's in us. In Luke 6, verse 40, you know, Christ tells us exactly how we should be. He says, as a disciple, that's you and me, right? Everyone in this room, everyone listening on the web, or whoever, hear the sermon. A disciple, no matter how long we've been in the church, a disciple isn't above his teacher. But everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. That's our lives now.

This is our training time. To become like him. To become like him. How was he? How was he? How did he handle those situations? How did he respond in all sorts of situations? How did he handle his life? Because they become like him. We have our individual personalities. We have the skills and gifts that God gives us. But do we have the attitude of Christ? If we go back a few chapters in Luke to 14, Luke 14, he gives us kind of the job description of a disciple. That's everyone here, I hope, and everyone whoever listens to this and more that don't even listen to it, right? That God has called us in verse 26 of Luke 14. He says, if anyone comes to me and doesn't hate his father and mother, that's love, love, spiking for Harrison. He's talking about putting God first. If anyone comes to me and doesn't hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Those are some tough words to contemplate.

Those, that's a job description. We all have a job description. God first.

Love your wife. Please her. But if she differs with what God's will is, or God's way of life is, choose God. Jesus Christ chose his, chose God's way over his brothers who did not follow the faith.

Jesus Christ chose to give his life. Didn't value his physical life. Gave it up.

That God's will could be done. He says we should be willing to do the same things. And if we truly seek a homeland that's beyond this world, we would say, yes, I'm not going. That's not, that is more important, the future, than saving my life now. What this physical life, to be trained and be like God, and when those choices come, to choose between God and saving our own skin, or having persecution stop, we stand for God. We stand for God and take the suffering because our eyes are on the future, the future, and that homeland that God has called us to.

In verse 27, He says, whoever doesn't bear his cross and come after me can't be my disciple.

There are choices we make, just as you heard in the sermonette.

And if we make the wrong choices, others in the family, others in the church, can be affected negatively. Our job is make the choices so that we are all affected positively, as we see each other making the right choices to foster the culture, the way of life that God has called us to that will be, that will be in His kingdom. And in verse 33, as Christ continues in His own words, He kind of sums it up in this section by saying, so likewise, whoever of you doesn't forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. What is it where you would say, I'm not giving that up. I have way too many investments in stock. Not going to give that up if it's required. Not going to give up that relationship. Not going to give what is it? What is it? The answer should be, as we even examine ourselves and think, what am I really? Are there little gods that I still have that I haven't said I would be willing to give that up? I'm grateful to God that He's let me have this and that or the life I have right now. Right now, but I'd be willing to give it all up. It doesn't mean that much.

It doesn't mean nearly as much as living His way. Are there those things in our lives that we wouldn't be willing to give up? And that's a good self-examination question. Do I love God enough to give everything up? Everything. Everything. And maybe the answer, when you're truthful yourself, is, well, today, no. But I aspire to be that way that I would say it all, none of it, whatever you ask God, any part of my life, you can have, as long as I'm following you.

That's the goal. Christ was willing to give up everything. Literally everything. Well, Christ, if we look at Him, and believe me, it's worth a study, right? In Luke 6.40, we read that, you know, it's not enough for the disciple to hear his teacher, but he has to become like his teacher. A study of how Christ was and all the ways of life he was. What did he come here for? Look how he lived his life. He was a human like us, had the same pains and sufferings that we have, and yet he perfectly fulfilled everything that God wanted him to do. He set the way. That's why in Hebrews 6, he's called our forerunner. He did it. We know we can do it not because of our power or might or our will, but only because of God's Holy Spirit in us. Only because of God's Holy Spirit in us. So literally we owe God everything. Literally everything, because we are worth nothing, nothing we have, no future we have. Everything, everything is owed to God.

And it is our reasonable service, as Paul says in Romans 12, sacrifice our life for him. He did it for us because other than that, our lives are completely meaningless. Well, let's look at one aspect of Christ in Matthew 20 that we can look at today. And it's kind of an all-encompassing concept, but one worth thinking about. In Matthew 20, in verse 25, you notice Christ was working with the disciples that were following him, and the ones who became the 12 apostles, they had to learn God's way along the way.

You know, God chose them. God gave Christ those disciples. They worked with him. They became close, God with the Holy Spirit with them that wasn't in them until the day of Pentecost. They knew who God was, and they listened to him. And they were committed to him, and they knew this was the way, the truth, the life. In verse 25, Christ is talking to a couple of them who have come to him and asked a very human question. Well, you know, we would like to be like you. We would like to sit on your right hand and left. In verse 24, it says, 10 heard it. They were greatly displeased with the two brothers. And you know who they are, but Jesus called them to himself, and he corrects them, and he says, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Well, that's how Christ was. No one on earth who could have come to earth and said, I have all the answers. I have all the answers. Follow me. And blah, blah, but he came to serve. And indeed, that's what his life is about, to come that we might have the opportunity of eternal life. He came to serve. And so when we look at how was Christ, we are here to serve. Not to lord it over other people, not to promote ourselves and all these things about ourselves, but to serve in the way that God served. You know, an interesting thing here, and you know, but there's a lot you can learn when you just contemplate some verses, and you see, you know, the two apostles here that Christ is talking about are talking to, but they could have been offended by those words that Christ said. You're calling us out?

Sometimes in the world, if you tell someone, you know, maybe you're not doing things the right way, you could look at it this way. They get all mad. They get all huffy. They want to go some place else. They don't want to talk about it. They react badly, but when Christ corrected, as we all need correction or just to talk about things, they all stuck with Him. Peter could have been offended when Christ said to him, get behind me, Satan, but he didn't. He listened, and he learned, and James and John, they listened. They learned. They didn't leave. On the other hand, the Pharisees, when Christ was showing them the difference between the way of life God prescribes versus the way they were living, what did they do? We hate you. We want you dead. We're not listening. Our ears are closed. They just got mad and angry. How was Christ? How would He have us be? Listen.

Listen to His words. Listen to who He wants us to be. We are here to serve in whatever capacity God decides we are in. And it doesn't make any difference how many talents we think we have.

You know, when you read the parable of the talents, God gave some five. That's great. That was His choice. And He used those five and multiplied. Others He gave only two. That's okay. That's what God gave them. But use it. He didn't say, you're greater because you're so smart. I'm giving you five and I'm only giving you two. No. He gives it the way He says to do it. And we follow what He says and we use what God gives us the skills that He gives us the talents, the gifts to just do what He wants us to do, become who He wants us to become, which is like Him, and just yield. Serve. Do it His way, just like Jesus Christ did. So, I've got four points. Four points that actually quite overlap each other in service. And as we look at ourselves, and as I look at myself, what do we do? Are we becoming like Christ? Are we living individually in our families, in our church, the culture of the kingdom? Do we strive for that? Are we mindful of it? Do we catch ourselves and say, maybe we need a course adjustment here because that's not the culture of the kingdom. So, the first one I have here is yield to God. That should be number one, and number two you're going to see is pretty much like that. They go hand in hand. But let's look at John 6. John 6 and verse 38. Again, Christ's words, we're here to become like Him. In verse 38, He says, For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.

It's part of the model prayer that Christ gave us. We probably pray it every day. Thy will be done. Your will, not mine, should be more than words, something that we think about.

Your will. How do you want this done? Where do you want it? How do you want me to be? How should this situation be handled? Christ knew the plan. He was there when the plan was formulated. He was there and He said, I will be willing to come to earth, be born as of inflation blood, suffer the way it will be suffer, they'll suffer. Give my life.

He said, I'll do it. He knew what the will of God was. When we came to earth, He did it.

It was the will of God that He was doing as He followed God implicitly. What is your will?

How do you want this done? What is your plan for me, for the church, or whatever it is in our lives? He is the way. He is the truth. And there is the life, not with what we do or what we think, but what He thinks. So John 6, 38, He tells us that. Not my will, God, your will. And that's what He told His disciples. I'm following God in John 5, one chapter back. John 5 and verse 19.

Most assuredly, He tells His disciples, that's you and me. When He talks to them, these words are recorded and preserved for us as well. Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son, Christ says, can do nothing of Himself. I'm flesh and blood, He would say. I can do nothing of Myself, but what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Well, God shows us the way. Christ shows us the way. He showed us the way. We have His words preserved for us. We just need to follow. We just need to pay attention. We just need to get our human nature and carnal nature out of the way sometimes and just seek God. His way. Not my way. Not the way of any compromise or not the way of any, it's okay if this or that, I do this, and God would be okay with that. Or He understands. Well, He understands. We have to understand if we don't do it God's way, we are making a choice against Him. Do it His way. Not anything that we can do on day one, but we can train ourselves. We can ask God, give the Holy Spirit, lead us, guide us, prick our conscience when we're doing something that is apart from you, that I think, oh, oh, I need to stop. I can't do it that way. I can't respond in that way. I can't use the carnal human nature that I used to use in that way. I have to not have it happen that way anymore.

1 Corinthians 10, it's a memory of verse. Everyone knows what it is. As soon as I read it, 1 Corinthians 10, 31 tells us what our lives are about. Therefore, Paul says, whether you eat or drink, as the topic of this chapter is, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Do all to the glory of God. How do we give God glory?

By living our lives the way that he wants us to, that we are those shining lights to the world.

This is the way, this is the way they live. Look how they did that. Why do they have peace in times of trouble? Why is it that they don't reply or react in the same way that everyone else I thought would react in? What's different about them? People should see that in us. People should recognize something's different, and it's God in its God's way, God's Spirit living in us.

So the first commandment is the first commandment for our reason. No other gods, no other little gods, whether it be money, power, prestige, whatever it is that may be in our way and in our minds, no other gods, only God, only God and his will. So that'll be number number one. Number two is like it because we can't do number one without this, and that is a spirit of humility, a spirit of humility. We can't do it without that spirit. God resists the proud. He hates pride. We know that Satan is pride. We know that all those things that lead to sin can have their beginning in pride, and so many of the human problems we have because we let that well in us. And one thing about pride, when you read even some of the secular things about pride, people never see it in themselves.

And sometimes we have to be told. You know you're acting a little full of yourself. You're acting, there's something about you that's not right. And when we have that in us, it will cause a little bit of discord. Let's, Mr. Werner was in Philippians. Let's go back to Philippians again. I had that in my notes as well. Philippians 2.

And he read verse 3, but I'm going to read verses 1 through 5.

Therefore, Philippians 2 verse 1, therefore, if there's any consolation in Christ, if there's any comfort of love, if there's any fellowship of the Spirit, if there's any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy, Paul says, by being like-minded, having the same love being of one accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, natural human traits that we all have to kind of look at. Did I do this because it was God's will? Or did I do that because it so benefited me in some way? Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. That's a tall order for a lot of humans, right? For all of us. Let, you know, I remember Mr. Permar gave a sermon on the biggest little word in the Bible, if, right? If we do these things. If we do these things. Another very powerful, small word in the Bible is let. Do we let God lead us? Do we let these things? And when we see that word, let's like, really? Do I let God? Or do I resist what he says? Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. And verse five, let, let each of you let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Let it be. He gives us his spirit. We said we were going to let it be. Don't fight it. Don't think we know better than God. Let his spirit lead us and guide us. It will lead us to exactly what Paul says here. The same love, one accord, one mind. When I'm not letting God, there's going to be some discord. There's going to be just some discord. And our history in the churches, even when we don't let God lead, when we aren't all of the same mind, or we're not letting his spirit lead us in humility, and having that problems develop. It's the way of the world. It's just the way it happens. In 1 Peter 5, 1 Peter 5 and verse 3.

Not verse 3, verse 5. 1 Peter 5, 5.

He says, likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders.

There is, you know, there's a way of life. Jesus Christ submitted to God. Jesus Christ, being a servant, is submitting to one another, doing what's best for each other, following God implicitly, letting him lead. Likewise, you younger people submit yourself to your elders. Yes, all of you, that's everyone, regardless of our age or how long we've been in the church. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. We know that. We know that. We've heard it ever since we've been in the church. Do we think about that? Be humble. Be submissive to one another. Work together. You know, in 1 John, not 1 John, John 13, we read about being clothed with humility. And recently, when I was looking into some of the Greek words and how things would have been, you know, how they would have been translated if we were living back in 1st century Jerusalem that spoke a Greek language. You know, in John 13, we have the foot-washing ceremony that we all will be participating in, all the baptized members, sometime in the next couple months when Passover comes up. And here, Christ sets the example for us. He sets this powerful example of service, of humility, that He expects all of us to follow and have in mind when we are going through that as a reminder of who we are, what we are to be to each other. And so in verse 3, if we look where He is, it says, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, He rose from suffer and laid aside His garments, took a towel, and girded Himself. We read those verses every year at Passover time. We probably read them ahead of time as we're preparing and thinking about humility. But when Jesus Christ, that was quite an example that He set for those people, those disciples that were with Him that night. As they watched what He was doing and as they watched Him take off, you know, His outer garment and put on this other thing. And when you look at the Greek words there, He was actually putting on a servant's apron, like what the lowliest servant in a household would do if you had servants in there that they would put in. When the people came to visit, they would have their apron on and they would wash the feet, the people coming in. It was the lowliest, lowliest responsibility of anyone in the house. And He looked that way. So as they watched Him take off a garment and put on this servant's garb, you know that they had to be thinking, what are you doing? Why are you putting that on? What are you trying to teach us? Well, He was trying to teach.

Serve one another. A powerful example. And as we look at this, you know, He rose from dinner. He laid aside His garments. He took a towel, girded Himself, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. He did exactly what that servant would do. What a powerful message to them. They didn't get it at that time. They didn't understand it all at that time. They would come to understand humility, the first step in turning to God, the first step as we examine ourselves. Am I humble? Am I doing what God says? Am I yielded to Him and letting Him lead, letting Him teach, letting His Spirit guide? Am I ridding myself of my spirit, my will, my ideas, all those Galatians 5.19 traits that we still have part of us, but that little by little, year by year, should be weeded out, replaced with the Galatians 5.22, fruits of the Spirit, right? That's what we're here for. Less and less like this, more and more like Galatians 5.22, evident to everyone, and as everyone is doing that, all of a sudden, one spirit, one love, one accord, one a mind, one mind, if we just let God do it.

And Colossians 3.12.

Therefore, Paul writes, as the elect of God, who we should all recognize, that's what God has called us to be. We are the elect. There is responsibility, if you are the elect, to do things the way God said, to be ambassadors for Christ, showing his way of life, how things get done when we truly are following God. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on. Think. Make choices to put on tender mercies. Kindness. There's humility. Meekness. Meekness, which isn't weakness, but strength, doing things God's way and doing the things the way he said to do it. Meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Forgiving one another.

If anyone has a complaint against another. In our minds and hearts, we're all human. We make mistakes.

I can let my mind run away with itself. I can let these things happen. And we see it happening and ask, you know, God, help us all to do doing things his way, but always having that attitude of forgiving this just as Christ forgave you and me. The goal being, all together, all one, becoming like Christ, doing things his way, learning to do his things, and reminding ourselves, you know, as we go through these annual things, but it shouldn't just be annually, we should remember when we have any kind of issues, what does God want us to do? How does he want us to be? If it's not unity, then what is it that we need to do? If it's not one accord, what is it? God, is it me? Show me. You know, David, it's such a meaningful thing when he said in Psalm 139, verse 23, search me. Search me, O God, if there's any wicked thing in me, know my heart. You know, if we sincerely pray that prayer, if we sincerely pray that prayer and just don't say the words, God will show us. And when we when he makes it known to us, we need to go to work on it. Ah, now I know I that can't happen that way. It has to be something different. What I was doing was completely apart from the way that God would do these things, because he's not the author of confusion. He is the author of unity if we let him write the script in our lives and on our hearts. So it has to be. It has to be humility. And that takes that fruit of the Spirit, self-control, to make those choices along the way and to see ourselves, see ourselves as God sees us and catch ourselves, catch ourselves when we see us doing something that maybe is not the way God wants us to. Okay, so we have yield to God. We have humility.

Let's talk about others being important. We already read Philippians 2, where it said, to steam others better than yourselves. Look out for the interest of others, not just yourself.

Mr. Werner gave us a very good example and a very good sermonette on, and beware of the decisions and choices you're making. What is the effect it has on others? Will that choice bring about unity and accord? Or will that choice bring about division? Will it bring about hurt feelings? Will it lead someone astray and think that such and such isn't right? Does it tell us? Does it tell them, well, they're not of God. They say the words, but they really don't practice the words.

You know, Christ didn't say that to his disciples. He said, as he watched them and as they walked with him, they learned for three and a half years, just as we learned through the rest of our physical lives. Follow him. Don't get mad. Don't walk away. Don't get upset because, you know, God shows us something that we shouldn't be doing it. That's the way that the Pharisees did things. They got mad. They laughed. They wanted to put him to death. Don't do that. Don't do that. Pray.

Examine. Remember who we are. Remember who what God called us to and do the things his way.

Let's look at James 2. James 2.

James 2 verse 5.

James 2 verse 5. Listen, my beloved brethren, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

He didn't call the mighty, the noble, the really geniuses of the world. He called us. He called us who are nothing. And only because of his Holy Spirit and only by his Spirit in us do we have any of the talents or lives that we have. Hasn't God called that? If we remember who we would be like apart from God, we wouldn't be all full of ourselves. And we would be more glorying God and saying thank you for making something of my life that is meaningful and worthwhile, rather the empty, miserable existence, not having any idea what the future is, whatever it would be like if you had never called me to this living in the world. But he says in verse 6, but you've dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Don't they blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? They do things apart from the way God does things, is what he's saying. If you really, really, again there's those adverts we should pay attention to, if you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and you are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Don't be partial. Don't have your little groups. Don't have your little groups and say, oh, I like this person more. They're aligned against this person or that group or whatever. I've got all these little cliques and things and whatever, and we have all these this little division that goes on. Don't do that. Come together. Come together. Esteem each other better than yourself.

Others are important. God called us to develop those relationships to get over those natural human carnal tendencies of self-first. I'm better to serve, yield, let him do what he wants, learn to work together. Galatians 5. Galatians 5 and verse 13. He says some things in here that, again, we can look at. Is this me?

Do I do this stuff? Because in the world we see it all the time. It's all around us. It can become commonplace. And if we look at the world and see how they do things the way that Galatians 5, 19, traits are, we could find ourselves almost mirroring that in a way. In Galatians 5, 13, he says, for you, brethren, you haven't you've been called to liberty, but don't use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve through love serve one another. For all the laws fulfilled in one word, even in this, you shall love that's agape your neighbor as yourself.

But if you bite and devour one another, wow, that is what happens in the world, right? All we had to do is look in our American society. What happened during the entire political campaign? What happened during the last, really, all the years of our lives when you look at it? They bite and devour each other. He says, don't do that. That's counterproductive. That's not the way of God. That's the way of the world. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. You know, the Church of God, you know, I made the comment recently, I guess it was in this thing we released yesterday. The world has a history of biting and devour one another. It has an awful history of letting these things and we can see the effect of these ways of life when we look at the world around us and the wars and the misery, the hatred, the divisions within countries, outside of the country, between, you name it. Everywhere there's division. Everywhere there's people biting and devouring one another. I'm better, you're worse, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But the Church of God doesn't have such a great history either when you look at it. In 1995, what happened? People were biting and devouring one another. Back in 2010 and 11, what was happening? People were biting and devouring one another. Is that the Spirit of God? Is that what He called us to? What was going on back then? And we have to be, all of us, totally committed that that never would happen in the Church of God again. That's not the way of the kingdom. That's the way of the world. That's letting the world in. Don't do that, God said. That isn't what Jesus Christ did. That isn't what His disciples did. That isn't what His disciples today, you and me, do. And if we ever catch ourselves doing that, we think, oh, wait a minute. I need to stop and think. I need to examine myself, what am I doing? Why am I doing that? That is not the way of God. That is not the way things are supposed to be. If we go back to John 13, you know, Jesus Christ gave us, gave His disciples a very clear command as He was about to be arrested after He set the example of service at the foot washing service, at the foot washing service as part of their Passover observance that night, and the bread, and the wine. Who we're committed to? What body are we part, are we part of? In verse 34, He says in John 13, a new commandment, a new commandment. This is from God. A new commandment I give to you that you love. That's agape one another. That you do this. You consciously think about it. It doesn't come naturally. Just because God gives us His Holy Spirit doesn't mean we automatically become people who are living agape, choices to be made along the way. How are we doing? How am I doing? Am I showing agape? Is this what God wants? Agape to God, but also agape to one another. A new commandment I give to you that you agape one another as I have agape do, that you also agape one another. Verse 35, and this is how people will know you're my disciples. Because you practice this, you are growing in it. There you are conscious of it. When it's called to my attention, I stop and think, oh, I didn't shop. That wasn't right. Do it the way God said to do it. Let's do it His way. By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have agape for one another. The words are simple, but to apply the words takes constant attention. Letting God's Spirit lead, listening to that little prick in our mind that says, really? Should you be doing that or should it be handled another way?

And number four. So we have yield to God, humility, humility without which none will stand before God.

Others are important and be dedicated, always dedicated to the higher cause.

Jesus Christ was. We are to become like Him. He was dedicated to the higher cause at an enormous price that He had to pay as He lived His life and sacrificed His life and suffered in ways you and I really can't imagine. Really can't imagine, but He did it out of love for us.

And for the love that God's plan and what God is working below, and He is working that, and we know it. We know what God's plan is. We should never forget God's plan and no matter how easy life might be or how hard life can become, we never lose that. Jesus Christ said, or it says in Hebrews 13, I think it is, for the joy, for the joy set before me, He suffered immensely. For that joy set before Him. That's what we need to have is in our mind as well. The joy set before us that God's kingdom will come and whatever it costs me in this physical life, I'm willing to give it.

Because I see it clearly. I believe it with all my heart. I know it's the way for all mankind. I know it's God's will. Whatever I have to sacrifice for God's will to be done in my life, happy to do it. Well, maybe not happy to do it, but committed to do it, and then learning to be happy and joyful when we do it. Proverbs 3. That culture, that culture that will be lived in all the world, every nation, when Christ returns, that culture that will be the same around the world, that will always last, that will always be there forever and ever. God is teaching us today.

He's leading us in that way. Proverbs 3 verse 5. It comes down to trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Trust in Him with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding.

Two huge concepts in our life. Learn to trust in God with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding. This is what I think. This is whatever it might be that might be in our hearts. Don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. He is the forerunner. He did show us the way. He will lead His people to where He wants us to be. We just need to let Him, and in all our ways, acknowledge Him. It's because of Him this happens. It's because of Him this is there. Just yield to Him, and let Him be the head of the church. Let Him do what He wants to do. Let us follow in line, and not be people who are resisting, but just watching what God does, and following Him. The fruits will be there if we all work together on that. And as we examine ourselves, we can say, are we doing that? In all your ways, acknowledge Him. And when we do that, He says in verse 6, He shall direct our paths.

And isn't that what we want Him to do? Don't we want Him to direct our paths?

I don't want to direct my path, because what's the purpose? It's going to end up as nothing. Completely wasted life if I was directing my path. Your lives would be completely wasted. You have no idea. We have no idea, I think, sometimes, that we, where our lives are and the peace that we have, let Him direct our paths. He's put us on the path that the whole world wishes they knew, and they will know one day. But you and I have the tremendous opportunity to know it now, and to live it now, and to build that culture. That we see each other, that will encourage each other, that help us all to always look toward that kingdom and that culture. That culture that will last forever and ever.