Are You Worthy to Take the Passover?

Now, brethren, we are approaching a very important part of the year spiritually. I know we all realize that. I don't think we can overemphasize it too much. Not that they aren't all very important. All seasons of the year are very, very important from a spiritual sense, because we know that we do worship God 24-7, 365 days a year. We worship God continually, but there's something very special about Passover observance. Something very meaningful, something very rich. Many of you have kept the Passover for many, many, many years. And I think you would certainly agree with me that it's a very, very special time of year. It's very meaningful. God has us observe the Passover once a year, because I believe it has greater meaning. If we did it continually every Sabbath, it would tend to lose some of its meaning. I think there's a reason why we observe it one time a year.

We observe the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, He died just one time, and we strive to keep it on the day that He died in a way that would be pleasing to God the Father, as He has instructed in the Bible. So, although it is early February, it is not too early to ask yourself, am I worthy to take the Passover this year?

Am I worthy to take the wine and the unleavened bread? Am I worthy to take it? You know, the Bible talks about being worthy. We in God's church put a great deal of emphasis on God's holy days, and upon His commands and His instructions. So, what does God say in His word about the Passover? How is it to be observed? How is it to be kept? It is important that we focus on God's instructions regarding our preparation for taking the Passover and for keeping the upcoming days of unleavened bread.

So, again, are you worthy to take the Passover wine and unleavened bread this year?

What does it mean to take the Passover unworthily or in an unworthy manner?

It is important that we understand what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 27, 1, Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. That's a very powerful statement. It's a vital statement that we need to understand. Now is the time, brethren, to examine ourselves and prepare ourselves spiritually to take the Passover again this year?

Again, are you worthy to take the Passover? What does this word worthy mean? What can we learn by considering this important word and the spiritual concepts behind it? I did a very interesting word study on this very word, the word worthy. I found it very helpful. I want to share that with you today. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 11. Let's read 1 Corinthians 11 in context. Let's try to get the context. That's a very important, valuable lesson that we all need to practice in our Bible study, is reading things in context, getting the context, and understanding as best we can what is being said. So we have to consider the context. What else is said around the particular verse that we're interested in considering in great depth? So we're going to begin reading in verse 17 of 1 Corinthians 11. Now obviously, Paul is addressing the church at Corinth. The church at Corinth was primarily a Gentile church. They were people who had come out of paganism. They were Gentiles who had come out of a wrong lifestyle. They were changing their lifestyle. They had much to learn. And Paul was addressing some issues with them. And I believe this is a very specific issue that Paul is addressing here beginning in verse 17. 1 Corinthians 11 verse 17. Now in giving these instructions, is that where I want to start? Hold on a second. Yeah, that's where I want to start. In giving these instructions, I do not praise you since you come together not for the better but for the worse. So they were having a meeting. They were getting together, but the result was not a good result. It was turning out badly. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. Again, God does hate division. And God wants us to come to Him in unity. He wants us to come with the same spirit and with the same mind.

And Paul says, and in part, I believe it. You know, I've heard this. I don't believe it to just be some rumor. In part, I believe it. Now, you know, maybe everything I've heard isn't totally accurate, but in part, I believe it. You know, something He could... He knew this church and He knew some of their behavior in the past. So when He got this report, then He understood that no doubt at least some of it was true. For there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you. So God says there will be factions among the Church of God. There will be divisions. So it's not a surprise that those things do happen. It's been prophesied. It's in the Bible. Paul mentions it here. And he says there's a purpose that those who are approved may be recognized among you. So we have to discern what is going on when there is division. It is something that we're told to do. You know, we shouldn't take it lightly. We should consider it. Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. Now, he's specifically talking about a particular meeting where they were getting together. He said it is not to eat the Lord's Supper or what we would call the Passover. This would be better translated the Passover. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others, and one is hungry and another is drunk. Now, they were having a meal evidently. They were having a meal, and they were eating, and some would take or one would take his own supper ahead of others. In other words, they were not considering the well-being and the welfare of other brethren. They were being selfish in the way they were approaching this meeting.

And one is hungry. You know, one, maybe they didn't bring enough food for everybody. And some people, because others were getting in front of them, did not have enough food. And another is drunk. We know that God condemns drunkenness in the Bible. Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, some were drinking way too much, drinking to excess. They were not drinking in moderation. They were drunk, a few. Paul says, what? Do you not have houses to eat and drink yet? You can have, you know, you have houses to eat and drink in. So, he's talking about this Passover evening. Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? Again, not looking out for the welfare of other brethren. No doubt there were some poor brethren. What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. Verse 23, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner, he also took the cup after supper. And this was the supper that they, this is what Christ did. There was the Lord's supper. Obviously, they were there together as disciples. And then he took the cup. Actually, some translations say, During supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink, drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. So whenever we get together to eat the bread and drink the cup, the bread and the wine, not to have a meal. There are other times when we have meals together, the night to be much observed. And remembered is a time when we have a meal together. But the Passover is a time when we meet together to take just of the wine and the bread. It's not a meal. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. So let him examine himself, and so let him eat. So there's a great emphasis put on examining oneself. It's important that we see ourselves the way we're supposed to, the way God sees us. If we're going to take the Passover in a worthy manner, then we have to see ourselves the way God sees us. And actually, the Sermonette fits very beautifully with the sermon today, because it has a lot to do with our attitude. It has a lot to do with whether we are meek, and whether we are humble in our approach toward God and toward this Passover service.

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. I believe that's talking about not discerning what Christ has done. That Christ was crucified. That greater love has no man than this, than the man who lays down his life for his friends. And of course, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. We are not to take this sacrifice lightly, brethren. We are not to take the sacrifice of God the Father, because that was a great sacrifice for him as well, for this to happen, to have his own Son be crucified before his very eyes.

And then to have Jesus Christ lay his life down for us. This is not to be taken lightly at all. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is the one and only Messiah. He is the only name given under heaven whereby we can be saved. If we are to have salvation, it will be through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us, through his broken body and his shed blood. So it is very, very important that we understand this. When we observe the Passover this year, we need to have examined ourselves. We are in a period of examination. We are now in a period of looking at ourselves, considering ourselves, and being truthful with ourselves. And we'll talk about that as we continue throughout the sermon today. There are just five points that I would just quickly bring out regarding what we've just read. First of all, Paul is describing a specific problem and issue with the Corinthian Church. Now, there may have been similar issues with other churches, but he was certainly clarifying that the Passover service was to be kept in a certain way. It was not the time for a meal. It was the time to take the wine and the bread.

That's why we do it in the manner that we do in the Church of God. We're striving to follow these instructions. Secondly, Paul is showing that the people of God are to conduct themselves in a worthy manner. In a worthy manner, a manner worthy of being a child of God. You have a calling, brethren, and that is a high and a holy calling, and you are to walk according to that calling. You are to walk faithfully with God. You are to walk in a worthy manner, and we'll talk a lot about that as we go through the sermon today. Number three, Paul is stressing the sanctity of the Passover service and the need to examine oneself prior to taking the Passover. We need to examine ourselves prior to taking the Passover. He does say we should take the Passover, but we should do it in a worthy manner.

Number four, we need to be prepared spiritually in heart and mind when we take the Passover. You need to be prepared spiritually. You need to be prepared mentally and spiritually to take the Passover in a way that God intends.

Number five, our lives need to reflect again that we are indeed children of God. We are the children of God. We are called out chosen of God, called out and chosen by Him. Perhaps some not yet chosen because they haven't made a commitment, but one day they will be chosen by God when they make that commitment, and God sees their heart and their mind, and they are walking with God. Then they will be chosen. The Bible says many are called, but few are chosen. And frankly, it's because they do not respond to God's calling. Those who are not chosen are the ones who are not responding in a proper way to God's calling.

Now, as I said, I did a word study, so we're going to go through a few Greek words and one Hebrew word today, and I hope you don't find it too boring. I know that sometimes we can get bogged down. I'm not going to spend a lot of time belaboring these words because, first of all, I think we'll find that it's not that important, it's not that necessary, but it is important that we at least address what these words mean so that we can understand this more perfectly.

Now, the word, unworthily, in the King James Version here, in 1 Corinthians 11, where we talked about, in the King James it says, unworthily. In the new King James it says, a worthy manner. So, let's go back to that verse so we know exactly what we're talking about. Verse 27, therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner. Now, in the King James it says, unworthily. So, the word that is being translated, unworthily manner, in the new King James and unworthily in the King James is the Greek word anaxios, a-n-a-x-i-o-s.

And this is Strong's Concordance number 371, g-371. G means Greek. It's in the Greek. This is a Greek word. And it means irreverently. To take the Passover irreverently would be taking it inappropriately. So, it's speaking of your attitude when you come here. It should be a time of reverence. And that's why we do encourage people you know, not to be telling jokes and cutting up and carrying on like we might at, you know, normal service.

This is special. This is to be taken reverently. It's not that we can't make a few comments prior to the service, obviously, but this is serious business. And we should be reverent. God alone is revered. We come to revere Him. So, we take this reverently. Now, in Matthew 3, verse 8, the word worthy is translated here. Matthew 3, verse 8, and I admittedly did not have time to look up every single word, to look up, you know, every variation of the word.

If you want to study into this more fully, you can do that on your own time. But certainly, I'm going to get things started here. Matthew 3, verse 8. Matthew 3, verse 8. Now, of course, Jesus Christ was going to come on the scene shortly, but before that, John the Baptist was already on the scene. Let's read what John the Baptist says here in Matthew, chapter 3, verse 8. Well, let's read verse 7 along with it, because it is important in the context.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, the baptism that he was doing for the people, he said to them, brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. And then notice what he says, therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance. Christ called the Pharisees and the Sadducees hypocrites. They were not genuine in heart and mind. They were not worthy in that sense. They were not reverent. Now, they had an outward reverence about them, but inwardly, they were as dead men's bones, the Scripture says. So, here John says, therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance.

In other words, he's telling them, if you're going to come here and pretend as though you are sincere, then you better show some fruits of repentance. You better repent of your hypocrisy. You better repent of the sins that you've been committing on a regular basis, and you better show some fruits that are worthy of repentance.

So, this word worthy is Strong's word, G 514. Greek word number 514 in the Strong's, it's the word axios. It's related, obviously, to the word that was translated unworthily in the King James, and worthy manner.

There's a correlation here. This word, according to Strong's, means deserving, comparable, or suitable. Deserving. Bear fruits that are suitable for repentance, or that are comparable or suitable. Deserving of repentance. What type of fruit is deserving of repentance? Well, obviously, the Scripture shows that the fruit of righteousness is suitable. It is deserving of repentance. In other words, repentance is reflected in a changed life. It is reflected in living righteously, keeping the commandments of God, living by God's laws and God's commandments, walking with God faithfully. That is the type of fruit that God is looking for, for one who is worthy. And, again, we are to bear fruits that are worthy of repentance. The fruit of God's Spirit, of course, shows that we have repentance. When a person is filled with the fruits of God's Spirit, this is a repentant person. This is a person that has repentance of his sins. Not that he's perfect, but that he understands he's not perfect, but that he is producing the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. And the fruit of God's Holy Spirit, again, is love.

We are to be loving people. In fact, the Bible says that that's how we will know if we are Christ's disciples, if we have love, one for another. It's how we treat each other, again, as Mr. Smith said in the sermonette, are we meek in the way that we treat one another? If not, we need to repent. And certainly, I will admit that there are times when I have to repent of not being meek enough. So love, loving people is, of course, meekness is also a fruit of God's Spirit, but it's very closely tied to love. When we have true love for one another, we're going to be meek. And when we're meek, then we're going to have love. Joy is another one of the fruits of God's Spirit. Are we joyful people? Are we happy people? Do we love life? Do we love what God has given us? Are we thankful for all that God has given us? Joy is a fruit of God's Spirit, so we should strive to be joyful people. Peace! Are we peaceful people? Are we striving to have peace with all people? That's what the Scripture tells us to do. Now, sometimes people make it very difficult to have peace with them because they won't accept the truth, and it's difficult. It's hard. And sometimes we can get into arguments and things which we shouldn't do, but admittedly we all do sometimes. But we should strive to have peace. We should strive to be long-suffering or patient. Are you willing to suffer long? Are you a patient person? That is a fruit of God's Spirit. That shows that you have repented. If you're not that way, then you need to continue to work on yourself, and you need to put the sin out of your life. The Days of Unleavened Bread show that we are to put sin out of our lives. We are to become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient. Kindness is another one of the fruits of God's Spirit. We are to become a kinder, a gentler person.

Goodness. We are to follow God's example. Only God is truly good. The Scriptures tell us that. We are to strive for that goodness. We are to become like God. Another fruit of God's Spirit is faithfulness. How faithful are you as a person? How faithful are you as a friend? Would you go to the wall for all people? And you should love everyone. So are you willing to go to the wall for everyone? God looks on our heart. He knows how far we have to go in that area and how far we've come. Conversion is a process. We talked about that a few weeks ago. It's a process. It's not something that we're instantly converted at the time of our baptism. It's something that we continue to strive for, to be more and more converted, to become more and more like Christ and like God the Father. Gentleness is a fruit of God's Spirit. Gentleness or meekness, translated meekness in some cases, gentle and meek. Mr. Smith talked about that. And self-control. How controlled are we? We all lose control sometimes, don't we? If I'm the only one that doesn't, then I repent before you all. I mean, I sometimes lose control. Hopefully not in huge ways. But sometimes I'm out of control to some degree. I'm not totally controlled. I'm not perfect in that. I want to be. I'm not there. So in Matthew 3.8 it says we are to bear fruit that is worthy of repentance. It shows that we are worthy people when we bear fruit that reflect we have repentance.

One who exhibits these fruits abundantly is one who has shown himself worthy of repentance. He has repentance of his evil works, and he is producing good fruit in his life. This is an overall way of life that such a person lives. Now again, we all have certain faults, and you know, we have to be loving enough to allow that in people. I mean, we have weaknesses. Some of us are impatient people. That doesn't mean you're not converted. You may be impatient to a degree, but you have other strengths. You know, there's a, you know, again, we're not all perfect in all these these fruits of righteousness and and fruit that we should show the fruits of God's Spirit. But overall, this is the kind of life we should live, and we should live repentant lives admitting that we're that we fall short, admitting that we sometimes lean to our own understanding as opposed to the very truth of God. So what kind of a person are you? Are you walking worthy? Are you showing that you are a repentant person? Do people consider you to be a person who has repented? In Matthew chapter 3 verse 11, Matthew chapter 3 verse 11, John says he is not worthy to carry Christ's sandals. Okay, now this is an interesting observation here by John. John chapter 3 verse 11. He says, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who is greater... I'm sorry, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I. He's talking about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He's mightier than I who sandals I am not worthy to carry. I'm not even worthy to carry his sandals. And that's the kind of attitude and approach that John had toward Jesus Christ.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Only God, only Christ living in you will change your life to the degree that it needs to be changed. It's only Jesus Christ who can do that. John the Baptist's baptism wasn't that powerful. But Christ is. If we have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, that means we've repented of our sins. That means we've accepted Christ as our Savior. And we are walking with Christ. We're putting on the mind of Christ. We're becoming like Him. We represent Him. We are ambassadors for Christ. So, brethren, we should have the same attitude. You know, are you worthy to carry Christ's sandals? Christ was perfect. Christ never sinned.

We've all fallen short of the glory of God. We have all sinned. We've all fallen far short of God's glory. We don't deserve to carry His shoes. And in Acts 13, 13, 25, going right along with this, Acts 13, verse 25, the Apostle John in verse 25, and as John was finishing his chorus, he said, He says, Who do you think I am? I am not He. I am not the Christ. This must be talking about John the Baptist here. Yeah. John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all people of Israel. And as John was finishing his chorus, he's being quoted here, Who do you think I am? I am not He, but behold, there comes one after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to lose.

Okay, now it's a little bit different interpretation here. One was not carrying the sandals. One, he's not worthy to lose the sandals. Basically means the same thing, though. I mean, that's the kind of attitude and approach we should have. We should not feel ourselves worthy of God the Father and Jesus Christ. They're far above us.

It's humbling to speak the truth up here. It's humbling, but it is the truth.

Now, worthy in this particular in John 3 verse 11, the word worthy is the Greek word 2425 in the Strongs, hikanos, which means competent, ample in amount, fit in character, great, good, large, enough. So what he's saying, what John is saying, I am not competent enough, I am not ample enough, I am not fit enough in character, I am not great enough, I'm not good enough, I'm not large enough, I am not enough to even carry the sandals or to loose the sandals of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

Our righteousness, brethren, is as filthy rags, for we all fall short of the glory of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Now, the word in Acts 13.25 that's translated worthy, that goes back to G 514. See, they're very similar, they're very closely related. Again, G 514 was axios, which means deserving or comparable. He's saying, I'm not deserving to loose his sandals, I'm not suitable to loose his sandals. So, we see the humility that we need to have as God's people. We need to be humble people, realizing the greatness of God and the puniness of a human being. Now, in Matthew 8, verse 8, a centurion teaches us a little lesson here about worthiness and what this all means. Matthew 8, verse 8. Now, this was the centurion saying he came to Christ about his servant who was lying at home paralyzed. This man was dreadfully tormented, this servant was dreadfully tormented. And Jesus said to him, Centurion, I will come and heal him. I will come to your home, I will heal your servant. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy. You know, I'm not worthy to have you come to my home. I'm not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak a word. Just speak a word. And my servant will be healed. I know that, because I know who you are. You are the Savior of the world. You are Jesus Christ, the anointed one. I'm not worthy to have you come into my home.

Just say the word, and I know it'll happen. Verse 9, For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to this one, Go, and he goes. To another I say, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled. He marveled, and he said to those who followed, Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. This was a Gentile. This was a centurion.

He came pleading with Jesus Christ. God, no doubt, had opened his mind to realize who Jesus was.

He came to him, and he pleaded with him, You can heal my servant. He cared for his servant. He loved his servant. He hated to see him suffering, and he went to the one who could do something about it.

That man was healed. Verse 13, Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way, and as you have believed, so let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that same hour. That's the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And he's all-powerful. We need to have faith in him. He is truly the God who delivers. And he will deliver us from every affliction. It doesn't mean he'll heal us every second of the day, because we grow old, we get sick and tired, and we have maladies. But God has the power to heal at any moment, in any second. If he chooses to do it, it's done. Sometimes he doesn't, because he wants us to learn other lessons. Sometimes we learn by the things that we suffer. All right.

A worker is worthy of his food, it says in Matthew chapter 10. A worker is worthy of his food. If a person goes out and works, then he's worthy. He's done something that warrants being paid. I mean, if you go out and work for your employer, you expect the employer to pay you, right? I mean, it's a transaction that goes on every day, all around us, and in our lives. Someone who is a worker is worthy of his food. Now, this was G 514, and you can refer back to that. I've already talked about it. Basically, brethren, we reap what we sow. Matthew 10, verse 10.

Christ is giving instructions to his apostles, sending out the twelve apostles. He tells them in verse 9 to provide neither gold nor silver or copper or money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs, nor worker, for a worker is worthy of his food. Now, whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy.

Find out who's worthy, who will take you in, who will provide for you. You are out to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. You are a worker who deserves to be taken care of.

So go in and find out who's worthy. Who will take you in? Who will give you a bed to sleep in?

A worker is worthy of his hire. A worker is worthy of his labor. We reap what we sow. When we work hard, then we reap abundantly. If we're lazy and slackards, then we don't. We just don't get much. In Acts 5, verse 41, Acts 5, verse 41, Acts 5, verse 41, So they departed from the presence of the counsel, this was after Gamaliel gave his advice, so they departed from the presence of the counsel, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name, because they were persecuted for Christ's name, for the name of Jesus Christ. They were ambassadors for Christ. They paid a price for it, but they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Whenever we suffer shame, because we stand up for Jesus Christ, we have shown ourselves worthy. We are not to be ashamed of who we are. We are the called of God. We are Christ's disciples. If we get persecuted because of that, then we should rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame. In other words, we're not going to back down in some cases where someone is trying to tempt us to sin or do wrong, tell us that we're wrong about not keeping pagan holidays. We say, well, that's not how the Scriptures explain God's holy days.

I'm not going to go into the whole deal on how to explain why we don't observe pagan holidays, but we do keep God's holy days. But if you suffer because of that, then rejoice, because you have shown yourself worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name.

This word is actually a little different word. It's Strong's 2661 here, that's translated, worthy in this verse. This word translated means to deem entirely deserving.

Again, all these words are very closely related. It has to do with whether a person is deserving or not. There are certain things that we deserve when we do that which is right and good in God's sight. And when we are repentant, then we deserve. On the other hand, we don't even deserve to loose the sandal of the Messiah. We don't deserve that. We've fallen short. In Romans 8, verse 18, here it talks about sufferings. Let's go to Romans 8, verse 18.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Again, it just shows how this word can be translated. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. If you suffer in this life, if you suffer because of persecution or hard times, and we all have some hard times in our lives, but if we suffer, just remember that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. We need to be men and women of vision. We need to have vision. We need to understand what God is doing in our lives. That this is a high and a holy calling is far more important than anything else that we do in our lives. And yet, do we give it the time that we should? Have we devoted ourselves completely? Have we surrendered fully?

That's a lifelong process. Something to consider.

But certainly there is a great reward waiting for those who are faithful, those who will show themselves worthy throughout their lives. Now, in Romans 16, verse 2, which again shows a nuance here regarding a servant of God, a woman, in this case, Phoebe. Romans 16, verse 2, verse 1, I commend to you, Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in St. Crea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints.

Okay, so God expects a certain conduct of his saints.

He expects us to be hospitable. He expects us to open up our homes. He expects us to give of ourselves. He expects us to receive people in a manner worthy of the saints.

You are called to be a saint of God. If you have God's Spirit dwelling in you, you are a saint. You are sanctified. That's what it means. Sanctified and set apart for a holy purpose, to be a holy person under the Lord, to become holy even as God is holy. God expects you to live a certain way. He expects you to have conduct worthy that you should take care of people, take care of people's needs in a manner that is worthy of a true servant of God as a saint of God. This is the Greek word in the Strongs 516. It's an adverb that's closely related to number 514 that we talked about earlier. It basically means to do so after a godly sort.

In other words, being worthy after a godly sort. As God is worthy, we are to be worthy. We are to become that way. God is to be the standard that we shoot for, that we strive for.

We don't have time to go to all these verses. I actually did look up a lot of verses, and I even have the Strongs numbers for them, but we don't have time to go through all of these.

Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 5, because again it brings out something important for us to consider. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 19. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 19. Hold on, it can't be right. There is no 1 Corinthians 5.19, is there? Okay. Could it be 2 Corinthians 5?

What I'm looking for is, Paul says he is not worthy to be called an apostle. He is not worthy to be called an apostle of Christ. Where is that at? It's not 1 Corinthians 5.19. It's not 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19.

Oh, let's see. Maybe I have it over here. Okay, there you go. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 9. Close, but not quite perfect. See, that's my problem. I'm not yet perfect. I reveal that every time I get up here. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 9.

Paul says, For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. No, what do we call Paul? The Apostle Paul, right?

He didn't find himself worthy, but God did. And that tells us something. There's a humility that God's looking for in his people. Paul says, I'm not worthy to be called an apostle. I persecuted the church of God. I consented when people were being dragged off to be killed. Of course, that was before God struck him down on the road to Damascus. That's before God brought true repentance into his life. But, you know, he still suffered because of that. He still hurt. He still felt weak because of what he had done. He felt badly. You know, it wore heavily upon him. And so it should have. And it did. He says, for I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. By God's grace. He said it wasn't because he was so smart or wonderful or, you know, anything like that. It was because of God's grace. I am what I am.

God calls him an apostle. We call him an apostle. He didn't feel worthy. It's an attitude. It's a humility. It's a meekness.

For I, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. So he admitted that, yes, he did work hard. But he gave God the credit for it. Paul was a hard worker. Paul died. He was martyred. He was killed because of his faithfulness to God. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preached and so you believed.

Okay. The words of life are being preached to us each day, or each Sabbath, when we come together. If a minister is being faithful and reading from the Scriptures, then the words of life are being preached to us each Sabbath that we come together. This is a commanded assembly. We're to be here. A person who takes Sabbath observance lightly is not walking worthy.

Okay. All right. Let's go on to Ephesians 4, verse 1. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1.

Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. That's what we've been talking about all along, isn't it?

Paul says, I am a prisoner of the Lord. I beseech you to walk worthy. Paul was imprisoned because of his faithfulness to God. He actually did prison time because of his faithfulness to God. I am a prisoner of the Lord. Beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. With all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering and patience, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. God wants us to be peaceful people. He wants us to stay united together in Him and to walk in a united fashion with Him. And we all have a part to play in that. We are to be peacemakers, and we are to strive for peace. And not a single one of us is blameless. No one here is blameless in that. I am certainly not blameless. Sometimes I add to division because of my attitude and my approach. Sometimes it's in my marriage. I cause division because I'm not as humble and not as loving as I need to be.

That's a fact. It happens in the Church of God when we don't love each other, when we're not forgiving, when we just think that we're so right that we couldn't be wrong. And we can all be wrong. And we probably have all been wrong, haven't we, in various ways.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called, in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.

Again, we look to God the Father and to Jesus Christ, and we are to walk worthy of our calling.

In Philippians 1, chapter 1, verse 27, Paul says, Let your conduct be worthy. Philippians 1, verse 27, Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the kingdom of God, the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's the kind of conduct we should have, brethren. It should be a conduct that's holy and righteous and good. I mean, that's what we're striving for, to become exactly like God. Even though we're not worthy to carry the sandal of Jesus Christ, it is our goal to become like Christ, to become like the Father.

Colossians 1, verse 10, Paul says, walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. Walk worthy of the Lord. I'm not going to read it, but I'm just going to paraphrase it. Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful. Being fruitful in your life, fruits of repentance. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, let's go there. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.

2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 5. 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. Paul is talking about the church at Thessalonica. He says, we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith. I mean, verse 4. For your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which has manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you all suffer. You suffer because you obey God. You follow Him. You keep His commandments. You do those things that are pleasing in sight, and so you'll suffer persecution at times.

But you must walk worthy of God and worthy of the kingdom of God. Now, this is a different word here. It's a Greek word, 2661, translated, worthy, here in verse 5. Be counted worthy of the kingdom of God. It's catat-it-seo. It's also closely related to the other words that we talked about. It means to deem entirely deserving. God deems us entirely deserving of the kingdom of God. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom. So even though we fall far short, God says we are fully deserving to be given the kingdom. That is His good pleasure. That's what God wants for you. He wants to give you His kingdom, and He is very pleased to give you His kingdom in spite of your faults, if you will be repentant, and if you will walk worthy, and if you will put sin out of your life. And if that's the overall goal, that is your vision in life, then you are fully deserving of the kingdom of God. That's why we keep the Passover, brethren.

You know, there should be two things that are coming through loud and clear. One is, God expects you to walk worthy. God expects you to set an example. He expects you to be a light to the world. But God also wants to see an attitude of humility, an attitude that is worthy of the kingdom of God, a repentant attitude, a humbleness, and a humility. Now, that's what you need to be looking for in the next couple of months. Do you have that? Are you humble? And are you righteous? I didn't say perfect.

I said humble and righteous. That is what will make the church of God a church without spot or wrinkle. That will make us... that will allow us to be a church without spot or wrinkle. If we will walk worthy by striving for righteousness and by putting sin out of our lives, and if we will admit that we're weak and frail and undeserving, then we will show ourselves deserving. That's what it takes, brethren. It's not that complicated. That's what it takes.

Now, there are many other verses that you could go to. I've got another dozen in here. You can look them up if you want. I do want to go to an example in the Old Testament. Let's go back to Genesis 32, because I think this is a powerful example in the Old Testament of what we've been talking about in the New Testament. Genesis 32.

All right, let's notice that you remember Jacob. Remember Jacob and Esau were in the womb together, remember? And Jacob got his name, then he was a supplanter.

You can look that up. You can look up that incident where Jacob got his name in the womb. You know, God was calling Jacob from the very womb. God was calling out Jacob to be his own. Now, Esau was after Jacob. At least, I mean, Jacob thought Esau was coming to kill him. And there was a time in Esau's life when he would have killed him.

Thankfully, Esau didn't have that same approach when he was coming this time, but Jacob wasn't sure of that. Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed in verse 7. So he didn't have perfect faith. He was greatly afraid, and he was distressed. And he divided the people that were with him in the flocks and herds into two companies. And then notice verse 9, Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you. Verse 10, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which you have shown your servant. I am not worthy, God, I know that. For I crossed over this Jordan with my staff. In other words, he went by himself. He went alone with nothing. And now I have become two companies. I've become a huge company of people here, servants and animals and livestock. And God, you've blessed me so greatly, and I'm so thankful for that. But God, I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy of any of it. You know, Jacob saw himself for what he was. Jacob was indeed a supplanter. There was a time when Jacob was a supplanter. There was a time when Jacob was deceitful. He deceived his father. He dressed up like he saw his brother. He lied to his father. Point blank, he said, I'm Esau. He wasn't Esau. His mother was complicit in this thing. His mother was encouraging him and telling him to obey her and do what she said. Hopefully you remember the account of Jacob and Esau.

So Jacob was far from perfect. Jacob understood that. He saw that he was not a perfect man.

He was undeserving. He was unworthy. But you know, he did look to God for deliverance. He looked to God to deliver him.

God is the God who delivers. We should have tremendous faith in God because God does deliver.

And anytime you feel distressed, look to God because He will deliver you and you have faith that God will see you out of every trial. And He will not give you more than you can bear because He's promised that. So you just have faith and you trust in Him and you look to Him. You count on Him. Jacob looked to God for deliverance. And he had faith that God would deliver Him, but he was afraid. He was afraid. So he was still human, wasn't he? We can still be afraid, but we can have faith at the same time. He was far from perfect, but he had a heart for God.

You know, he showed great love in his life in many ways. He loved Rachel so much. You know, he had to suffer deception himself. Laban deceived him. He married Leah as a result of that deception. That's not what he wanted, but that's what happened. And Jacob had vision, though. He did not esteem the birthright lightly. Remember how Esau esteemed the birthright lightly. He esteemed it lightly. Esau did not have the vision. Jacob had the vision.

We all need to have vision. We all need to seek God with vision and see Him as He is. He is the one who delivers. He is the one that keeps us out of trouble and delivers us from all evil. It is only through God and Christ living in us that we can change, that we can grow and overcome and be pleasing in His sight. We must not esteem our birthright lightly.

We must fight vigorously for the Kingdom of God, for the truth of God. We must contend earnestly for the faith that has been delivered to us because Satan wants to take your crown. He does want to destroy you, and he has many ways and many tactics that he uses to do that. We shouldn't take him lightly. You know, Israel became known as a prince of God. I mean, his name, Jacob, was changed to Israel, which means prince of God.

Jacob was no longer a supplanter. You know, God allowed that. He overlooked that deception and no doubt, Jacob paid a price for his sins because we do reap what we sow. He was deceived by laymen. It could have been done differently and it could have been done better.

But it is what it is. Jacob became known as a prince of God. You know why? Because he wrestled with God all night long. He wrestled with Him all night long. He would not let go. He would not let go of God. We must not let go of God. God is the source of our strength and it is to him that we should look. Not to any man, not to any group of men, but to God and to his Son Jesus Christ, for they are sufficient. So, brethren, again, ask yourself, are you worthy? Are you worthy to take the Passover this year? You will be worthy if you see yourself as you are. Your righteousness is as filthy ranks. You will be worthy if you are striving to obey God and keep His commandments and you pray for repentance and God continues to grant you repentance. Then you will be worthy. So there is much to do as we prepare. Let's be honest with ourselves. What do you have to change in your life? I mean, a lot of times we don't see what we have to change. I know I don't see myself the way I wish I did. I know there are hidden things that I don't admit to myself and to others. But, you know, it's worth it all. This is the best thing that God could have done for me to call me as one of His brethren, one of you, one of the people of God. It's the best thing. It's been a wonderful 37-plus years in God's Church. God has been the source of my strength. What little I have. So, brethren, I hope that this has been a sermon that has spoken to your heart because I think you know that it is in my heart.

Let us all be worthy.