Blessings From Godly Living

It's happening in plain sight. It's happening all around us, every day. Are you noticing it? Are you really aware of it? Are you shocked by it? Or has it simply become the new normal to you? From one world leader to another, from one nation to another, from one religious denomination to another, from one legal court to another, it is spiraling rapidly. What is it? And why should you care? Well, what it is, is lawlessness growing at every level. And why we should care is because, along with lawlessness, is a trend towards corruption, towards division, towards misery, destruction, and death. The effects of lawlessness are spiraling out of control. And the brightest minds seem to be supporting it as a good idea, as the best way forward for humanity on many different levels. Yet today is God's holy Sabbath day for you and me. We are instructed to keep it holy. It's different than just naming a day or saying you don't do something on a day. But to keep it holy means to do good things. The Bible talks about doing good. That's related to agape love, the right acts. It doesn't just mean good as far as being better than bad. Good is something Jesus said we are to do on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for good works, good deeds, for doing good. And those things that are good pertain to God, to the mindset of God, the family of God, the kingdom of God, the love, the humility, the sacrifice, the service for one another, the building up, the strengthening of relationships, for the blessings that come to everyone.

This Sabbath is about godliness. It's about the kingdom of God. It's the day that we stop our profane type of work and we switch to another kind of work. The work of doing good, doing holy work. Holy work, holy relationships, holy serving, loving God, loving our fellow man is very different than lawlessness and the deeds that fracture relationships, that tear apart structures and people that end up being destroyed. The Sabbath illuminates the blessings of God. It's a day that by participating in it we are blessed and those we participated in it with are a blessing to us. It's a strengthening, a blessing to God, a blessing to His children. And everything about this day, even the future that it portrays, is a blessing to everyone and everything. The God family is a very blessed family. The deeds, the good that the family does, just increases the blessings from the throne on down to the children.

The children of God, who are called at this time, sealed with the Holy Spirit, are blessed in their lives. They are blessed on every level. Their children are blessed. Their employers, their employees are blessed. Everyone is blessed by the fact that they are there, caring and doing good.

We are called to receive a blessing of a future inheritance. It's a wonderful inheritance. It's mind-boggling. It is so fantastic we can't even comprehend it. The mind can't even come up with and fully comprehend the wonderful blessing that the kingdom of God will be to us.

In contrast, ecstasy, you know how they say, ex-mas? I might say, ex-te-anity, because I don't want to mix it up with Christ.

It illuminates lawlessness, where God and His kingdom illuminate blessings. Ex-te-anity illuminates lawlessness, which symbolizes destruction.

Curses. It's a cursed family with a God with a small g, who is all about destroying humanity on every level.

Cursed relations. And Jude speaks of those who go that way, and I'm not singling out a religion, but anybody who follows that mind in any other form of religion or path of living will end up in darkness.

They just won't exist. They will be away from the light that the Father and His Son will bring in New Jerusalem.

A dark future, you might say. There is a vivid contrast between keeping the Sabbath holy, as we are trying to do, and seeing the news of the world.

When I was young, I used to combine the two. Well, it's the Sabbath. Better see what's going on in the world. See if the end is here yet. Check out and see if Christ has shown up or is about to show up. It seemed like a Sabbath thing to do.

There's a big contrast between keeping the Sabbath holy and the news of the world. I'd like to give you a quick summary of world news. If you'll turn with me to Galatians 5, verse 19-21, we have today's news printed in advance. Actually, tomorrow's news is also here.

No matter when you're listening to this, tomorrow's news of the world is here. Galatians 5, verse 19. Look at it.

Now, the works. Here's what's going on in the world today.

Well, we have adultery. Some people were caught committing adultery, and that's all over the news. And fornication. Somebody's cheating on somebody else, and there's cheating with extramarital affairs, or people not even getting married, or there's things involving young children with adults.

There's uncleanness. There's lewdness. There's all kinds of things and shocking outfits that people are wearing that are in the news.

And there's idolatry, the gadgets and the businesses that people sacrifice their lives to, and all kinds of jealousies from countries to corporations and lawsuits and outbursts of wrath.

There's bombings and there's suicides and prisons full of people and people going in prison and people getting out of prison and people getting out of prison that should be in prison and people that are in prison that shouldn't be in prison.

And there's selfish ambitions and dissensions and heresies and envy and murders and drunk drivers and drunk people and revelries and raves and the like.

That's the news.

That really has no business in the Holy Sabbath day. Those are things that go on outside of the family of God. Those are things that, as Paul said, should not even be named among those in the household of faith.

We should never be part of that because that lawlessness tears apart, destroys relationships beginning with God and man and ending up between man and man.

It's a terrible, terrible thing.

I was on a trip some years ago with a man named Monty.

We were overseas. Actually, I believe we're in Cairo, Egypt.

I checked the news on a Sabbath. He said, you want to watch the news? He said, no.

Oh, why not? Didn't say. You want to see the news? That's kind of different.

Well, I've been thinking about that through the years.

It's hard to make a step over, and I'm not pushing here, not watching the news on the Sabbath, but some time back, I said, let me see if I can go through a Sabbath without it, see if the world ends, see if there's something that happens that I really should have been paying attention to. And guess what? Since that day, nothing has ever happened other than what I just read here, and it really doesn't apply to the Church of God. But what it's done is it's taken my mind off of all of the curses that are part of life that you see bombard you all the time, and focuses on the pure blessings that living godliness brings. Whether it's those in heaven or those on earth, there are blessings from living godliness. And today, I would like to have us focus on this title, Blessings from Godly Living, which will translate into us really coming to understand that God's way is all about blessing. Our human way, our carnal human way, is all about, well, actually putting curses into our lives. Let's focus on a huge element in understanding Sabbath, the Holy Day plan, actually every minute of your life in blessings from Godly living. Things that involve God are holy, because God is holy. Beginning with creation, our holy God came and made things, and they were all good. He pronounced them good. In fact, if you look at this Bible as anything, I hope you will see it as good, blessings, joy, happiness, prosperity. All good things come from God through His Word. Good things pertain to God and the Kingdom of God. Bad things pertain to another God, another way of life. The Tree of Life was offered in a good garden with a good God, and all good things were made available to humanity. If you look in the Bible, you'll find the term good appears enough times that every chapter and a half, on average, has the word good in it.

There are about 1,300 chapters in the Bible. There are 700 instances of the word good used. It's sprinkled throughout the Bible from creation all the way to the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation.

The foundation of goodness, of course, is God. Jesus said this in John 10, verses 10 and 11, I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. That's what He's about. If you like life, how would you like it better? More good. Or as the grandkids would say, gooder. Well, then, that's what God's about.

Verse 11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. He is a really smart, intelligent shepherd compared to the sheep, and he's there for the sheep's good. And he even gives his life for us.

To be lawful results in joy. Joy for everyone.

My wife and I had a discussion about some of these things this morning. I asked her, what are some of the things that you think are blessings, living this way of life? Immediately she said, relationships. Relationships cross all levels.

You know, it's amazing how joy comes out of good relationships. When you want to see people, you want to come to church, you want to call people, you miss them, you want to be around them. Those are great relationships. There's other relationships, and you end up in a world of call screening, like, I don't want to talk to that person. No, ha! Not that. I'm just going to disconnect my phone, change my address in case that person might call, or those people might call.

See, relationships can really break down, but this joy and gladness that comes from God brings togetherness and cooperation and peace and life more abundant.

If you take the word joy and glad and the roots or the various compounds of those words, we're over 300 times in the Bible. So now we're up to a thousand times. You have this kind of good and joy and glad, a thousand times in Scripture.

It really defines what God is about. A God whose spirit he places in us, that has a byproduct of love, agape love, joy, peace. It's good. It's all good. It's good at every level.

When we look at some of the blessings that come from God, and especially for those who have God's spirit and have a relationship with Him, the blessings are much more profound. One could be creation.

It's one thing to wander out and say, oh, look how the trees are, and look how the water comes out, and thousands of gallons go in the air, and study trees all your life. But if you believe in evolution, you don't have a link to the Creator.

When you're able to see the world's largest living thing, like our campers do every year at High Sierra, when you're able to go and experience and see creation at various levels, and link that to God, and you think, wow, this is just amazing, you end up realizing that God is actually blessing you with those events. If you care about them, He will bless you with more of them, because that's inspiring to you, and that's praising to Him, and that's validation for all the work and all the effort He went to make, things like bugs and feathers and trees and whatever might inspire you.

It's amazing how God can work in us through His festivals, feast of Tabernacles, traveling, opportunities to spend some money, to actually get out into the creation, and actually see many things that are very big blessings to you and me.

It's a God that not only wants you to live well, but also to enjoy those eyes and ears, all the senses that He gave you, to live that and experience it to the full, to see the beauty, the wonders that God has made.

The wonders that God has made in many lands, many places, many ways, so inspired humanity.

And yet, how many times does God really get the credit, and do we actually then see a little bit more about God?

Because the invisible attributes of our God are clearly seen, Paul says, through the creation that He's made.

We learn a little bit more when we see a little bit more. Maybe it's just the bird feeder at the house.

Maybe it's just the plants in the garden. Maybe it's just the animals that happen to show up, unexpected.

Maybe it's the people, the precious lives of the tip of God's creation.

Or maybe it's the things in the ocean, or the lakes, or the rivers, or the streams. Maybe it's some of the wonders that come in through the medium of television, that people go around the world and look at the creation and the wonders of it.

They attribute it to a false God, or false process. Nevertheless, it can be very, very inspiring.

When we look at the blessings, we find that there's an orderly process within the creation of God. It is lawful at every level.

It's noticing this morning that all the birds who came to the feeder, my wife puts out the food, birds come, many species, they don't all blend together.

They are lawful. They breed within their species. And they actually pay attention between their species.

When the quail come and eat, and the feeder is filled with all kinds of other varieties, the male quail only chases away other male quail.

They don't chase away the other species. Very interesting. There's a focus, species to species, very orderly. There's a certain pattern.

There are cycles of life. There's timing. We have a somewhat rare bird that is made a nest right by our feeder.

It's rare because I have the bird books, and this bird is not in the bird books. It is made the most unique nest.

It's a ball with a hole down on one edge. This little tiny bird, about this big, comes flying up, checks the neighborhood, makes sure there's nobody watching him.

He doesn't realize we can see him through the solar screens. Then he slips down and up in. Or she does. We don't even know if it's he or she.

Does this over and over and over? What's going on in there? I don't know. Is this bird bringing food to the mate? Don't know.

Are there two birds exactly the same? We don't know. We can't see in the nest, but we're pretty sure there's eggs or going to be some eggs in there.

And maybe some little birds. But it's very fascinating when you look at that nest and how it's constructed.

All of a certain type of very strong twigs that are wound and woven together, all following laws that have wonderful results that will end up in animals that have their right species and their right to be.

They carry out whatever function. I think it's a flycatcher. I can't tell for sure, but it's some type of a flycatcher.

Another example is family. When you look at laws and God's laws, the family, the roles, the function, the purpose, is a blessing.

It's a fulfillment of a lifetime of dreams. My wife and I had three girls, and when they were little infants, they wanted to get married, and they were always playing marriage.

And they have marriage things. You walk in, and, hey, you're somebody in the wedding. I've got to work. No, come, come, come.

So it was their dream to get married. Now, marriage following the rules is great, and all three of our girls, thankfully, are blessed in their marriages, and they have children. When we don't follow the rules, obviously, things get very difficult, very complicated. It happens to anyone.

So family is blessed in its function. In marriage, there's no greater opportunity for human happiness than in a very good, godly marriage.

I'm not saying you can't be happy without being married. I'm just saying the pinnacle of that is what our marriage ceremony has always said in the church, that no greater joy can a person have than in a godly, loving marriage.

The reverse can happen as well. If you don't have a godly, loving marriage, I would say probably the worst state a human can be in is a bad marriage.

We need to understand that there is also restoration. A person isn't locked into anything. I'm not locked into a good marriage. Mary and I don't have to have a good marriage.

We can change that up. Conversely, we all are, hopefully at times, the prodigal son. We stray. We make mistakes. In our life, we depart. We stray from the good that God wants us to do.

We pay penalties. We're misery and unhappy. We get cursed. But then we say, hey, I want to change. I want to do better. What happens?

The road back is a good road and it gets better and better. Remember, there are blessings from godly living.

Just because we have not always done godly living doesn't mean that that is not an absolute law. There are blessings from godly living.

Restoring people, prodigal sons and daughters, improving relationships between parents and estranged children, adult children, relationships between broken relationships, strained relationships.

Godly living only works in one direction. It brings us to a better place and a consistently better place.

When we look at the same with society, and I'm talking about a godly society or a society that even practices some of God's laws, there are blessings from being lawful and avoiding the cursings.

The ancient nation of Israel was intended to be an example of the blessings that God will give, plus the blessings that just come from godly living.

The respect, the admiration, the restoration, the joining together, stitching together, relationships at every level, the harmony with the environment, with each other, the smoothness that goes on with business or whatever the aspects of life are.

The kingdom of God is an ultimate society, and it's a happy place. It exists right now. It's a kingdom in heaven. It's a kingdom of heaven, and there's a lot of joy where God is. Lawlessness, on the other hand, brings confusion. Confusion. The individual who was talking to me recently, who used to be in the church, used to be a leader in the church, and he decided to spin off gradually more and more and more, and finally just out there.

And he told me, he says, My mind hurts. My mind hurts so bad. The stress. I just can't stand it. That's what he told me.

But to him, this makes more sense now. That way of living, of adultery, making girls fornicate, of theft, embezzlement, lying, cheating, threatening lives of other people.

That makes his head hurt so bad, he can't stand it.

And yet, that's the direction that this world seems to go in. It brings separation. Separation from everything. Separation, first of all, from the support, the helper.

Oh, trash all your help, then your kids, then lose your house, lose all your possessions, lose a place to live, place to work. It's all going south fast. Now you've got the collection agencies after you.

How happy is this life going? Well, time for a little embezzlement and stealing. I'm going to get everything back somehow.

Welcome to jail.

That's not the direction that we want to go.

It ends up in a way of death, the Bible says. Now, this seems like an easy lesson for us to comprehend. I know I'm speaking at the choir here. I think if anybody else heard it, they'd probably say, You're right. But it's very hard to implement because our nature prefers things that help me, enhance me, favor me.

So we have choices to make. Blessings from Godly living comes down to making the right choices.

Let's go to 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 6.

2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 6.

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. If something is ahead, it gets worse. If something is being restrained. Verse 7, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

What is this? Well, if you think of Mystery Babylon the Great, you think of actually a large society that is called a mystery, has been a mystery.

Babylon really refers to society down through a lot of history. And especially what this whole world has bought into. Following a Roman model that followed, a Greek model that followed, a Persian model that followed, a Babylonian model that was intermixed with some of the influence of Egypt and Syria, Mesopotamia, Babel.

And what is Babylon? What is Bevis? Confusion! And that's what comes out of lawlessness. Babylon is about lawlessness because it makes exceptions on every level, including in its religion, for obedience to God's laws, to godliness. It excuses. It defends breaking God's laws.

The Babylonian system, or Babylon, the word Babylon, believe it or not, is used 295 times in the Bible. 295 times Babylon is mentioned.

Let's look here in verse 6. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work. It's been extant for some time. Revelation 9.

Revelation 9. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan with all power, science, and lying wonders, with all unrighteous deception.

We see that this system has nothing to do with God, and yet it can look so appealing. We want to buy into some of the fads or participate in some of the events. It's not of joy, of blessing. It's not of good.

Revelation 18, verses 2 and 3 says, So in Revelation 18, verse 2, we have this system. There are some religious concepts or notions involved that are false, but we find this system is fallen. Notice what kind of a dwelling place it is. A dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird. Things that are hated. People say, oh, I hate the way the world is. Oh, I hate this is going on. Oh, look, I hate that that's going on. I hate everything about it. This society is a hated thing because it's full of curses for lawlessness. And yet, more and more lawlessness is being okayed, it seems, every day. Verse 3, This is a global mindset. It's about wrath. It's about fornication against God with a different God, with a small g. And does that system have anything positive to offer? Is there anything in it, anything in lawlessness that is positive? Well, look at verse 4, Revelation 18. Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, unless you receive of her plagues. That's where lawlessness takes people. To plagues, to pain, to suffering, to cursing.

Just being in the church, just even being a leader in the church, doesn't mean you're immune to this, because it's a rule. Living godliness has blessings attached. But whenever we sin, there are curses.

There is a system of government, a system of living that David discovered. Let's turn to Psalm 16, verses 5 through 11. And I'd like you to notice the real complex relationship of all things that are associated with God. All godly living patterns. Psalm 16, verse 5 is a very complex interrelationship that takes place in the lives of those who are living godly.

Psalm 16, verse 5 is where we'll begin.

O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.

When you think of this, God is good. There are blessings from being a godly person. You maintain my lot. Wow. So far we have portion, inheritance, my cup, you're maintaining. A lot of problems have fallen to me.

But verse 6, if you look on the blessings, the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. Now you might think here for a minute that, oh, this isn't referring to me because my life has trials and others have complicated my life and brought in because of choices that they've made. My life has a lot of pressure and stress. You haven't seen anything until you've seen David's life. Trying to be killed all the time, family pulling apart, trying to take your crown, your kingdom, and on and on and on. Plus his own mistakes. David did not lead a charmed life. But he says, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Wow, I am blessed with the wisdom from God. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Now I have stability. I have confidence. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh will also rest in hope, for you will not leave my soul in the grave. Verse 11, you will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. God is about good, about happiness, about blessings. That is what David could focus on as he dealt with the issues of life. It was a wonderful thing that he discovered this system of life. Did he have trials? Oh, yes, he had trials. Did Paul have trials? Whoa! You have read the list of things that Paul was going through on a regular basis. Paul was having a great life. Do you have trials? Certainly. And yet, when we think of Sabbath observance and we think of God's way of life, do we count it as blessing and joy? Do we really relish in it and take one day of the week just to really fully participate? To be diligent on the Sabbath in doing the good that brings the blessings and shares the blessings? You and I are very, very blessed by God. And sometimes we get ourselves in certain situations, and we don't always understand before we get in those situations. Let's take Saul, for example, the New Testament Saul. Saul had a certain career that he was going down with vigor. And he found himself in a very tight spot with God and with the church. He was really upside down. Really upside down. And yet, after being blinded on the way, after going through repentance, after being shown by God the right way, after being taught, following baptism and the receiving of God's Holy Spirit, did Paul have a blessed life? Paul actually not only had a blessed life, Paul was a blessing that keeps on coming even to you and me today. So you see, you can take a life that is even killing church members and going against, kicking against the goads of Jesus Christ establishing his church, and you can come from that position and you can march and get to a very good spot where you're the most written person in Scripture in the New Testament.

In other words, God's way always brings blessings to those who live it from wherever a person starts. Let me give you a personal... not a personal... let me give you a private example, we might say. You know, wherever we are, wherever we start from, we see this miracle take place of God transforming a mind. Probably eight, ten years ago, I visited a man in prison who's listening today, and this man got himself into prison. And prison is not a great place.

And yet, God began to open his mind and give him the opportunity to understand this book. Now, where can you go from there with this book? Kind of like the Apostle Paul. Today, this man in prison not only has shown through the years that he is faithful, and will even take persecution, and will not only keep the Sabbath, but also the Holy Days, and the days of unleavened bread fighting the prison system here in the U.S., and has put enough pressure on and shown himself to be genuine enough that they allow and permit all of that.

But he's also been given the understanding and the gift of repentance and is ready for baptism. Now, not only is he blessed, but he has become a blessing to others. Every Sabbath in the prison, he has other prisoners that he is helping learn the truth as well. They don't all understand it like him by any means, but there's a small group of people. Two weeks ago, they asked me if we in the Phoenix East congregation would begin a church service or a Bible study for them every week in the prison in Florence. I told them, well, maybe we could start with once a month. Now, the interesting thing is, as his pastor, I can only do pastoral visits one-on-one.

I cannot do a Bible study for a group. In talking to the staff there, they say, well, that's where your parishioners or other leaders would need to come in. They can come in and hold the Bible study. In fact, the only place they allow a baptism to take place is not from a private pastor visit. It has to be during a church service or a Bible study, which the pastor is not allowed to attend.

So someone else is going to have to do the baptism. And then later, I can do the laying on of hands, as we see in Acts 8 that was done. So you see, there's no limit, there's no barrier to the blessings that come from Godly living wherever we start from. Blessed by God is something that you and I are whenever we live according to this. David had many trials, yet he concluded, as you know, in the 23rd Psalm, surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

That applies to all of us, including Jerome. If we follow him, goodness comes to us, coupled with mercy and salvation, dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. People's lives are incredibly blessed if and when they make the right choices. And just because they haven't made the right choices doesn't mean they can't start. Blessed and the compounds of that word are used 490 times in the Bible.

It's a lot of joy and blessing and good and happiness, isn't there, in the Bible. Lucky is used zero times. It's not a matter of luck, lady luck. It's not a matter of fortune or fortunate. The goddess Fortuna. It's about action and reaction, cause and effect. It's about God getting involved and God blessing and supporting.

It says in James 1, verse 25, But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, the law of liberty isn't liberty from the law. That would be lawlessness. The law of liberty is liberty from breaking the law. Liberty from enslavement to lawlessness. So when we're freed from slavery to lawlessness and breaking the law, and we can now keep it with God's help, he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

This one will be blessed in what he does. The Bible contains a long history of blessings and a long prophecy of blessings. It's all the way back to all the way forward. It's all blessings for those who live right or are righteous because they are right-doers, doing good. Now, it's one thing to say, if I don't kill and I don't steal, I don't commit adultery and I honor my parents and I put God first and I keep the Sabbath, now there will be blessings from godly living. But if you have buy-in to the mindset of god and become a child of god and you imitate god, there's going to be buy-in from above.

He's going to say, you're my child. You're my kid. You're one of me. In fact, I created you to be one of me. I created you in my image. I claimed you from the moment you were born. You've always been mine. Some other guy hijacked you for a little bit. I've redeemed you. I bought you back. You were never Satan's child. He just kidnapped you and I paid a ransom and got you back. You are mine and I have certain things in mind for my kids. God likes to add even more blessings to those who diligently seek Him, who are truly His children.

It says in Hebrews 11 verse 6, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So we move to a different level here. Once we have God's Holy Spirit and we really hunger and thirst for righteousness, for doing right, God is then a rewarder of those. He likes to promote it. He also just likes to bless it. I was thinking this morning, do you ever have somebody that you've ever said, hey, you put a gun to their head and you say, now, I want you to dig that ditch or I'm going to shoot you. You probably have never done that, have you?

Now, if the person dug the ditch under the threat of death from a gun, would you bake him a cake? Would you send him to Disneyland for a week? No, you wouldn't. It's a ridiculous example. If a person is in the church because God has a gun to your head and says, I'm going to keep this or I'm going to burn you, then we're really not here from the heart, are we?

We're not doing it from the heart. We're doing it out of fear. We're doing it out of, I don't want to die, so I'll do this. But what if there's no fear? Because perfect love, agape love casts out fear. There's no fear. It's, I just want to do this. You can't take this out of me. I love loving. I love your law. It's my medicine. I like this stuff. I want to live it. Help me live it more.

Now, when somebody does that, like a child or something, and you say, Daddy, I just want to be the best child, help me even be better. It's like, wow, I think this kid needs, I don't know, brownie or something. Maybe we just need to go to Disneyland. You just want to do something for a child like that. I had a boy come up to me this morning here at church and gave me a big hug, and he didn't want to let go. I went, what can I do for a child who really is wanting to do well and do right? That goes through our mind. Now, you know what Jesus said? You know how to give your kids gifts as carnal humans.

Imagine what your Father in heaven wants to do. We'll see that in a minute. Like many of you, I chose to walk this way firmly at age 12. I've asked some of our teenagers at camp, when did you first yourself declare that this was your church? That not your parents' church. This is your way of life. Some of the kids would say 14, some went down to age 9. I bought in at age 9. This has been my way of life ever since.

And I don't know what your story is. But you know what? When we become people who choose godliness and repent. I remember crying my eyes out, praying at the toilet, because that's the only private place I could find. The only thing to kneel before was the China throne. We start at some place. We don't even have God's Holy Spirit in us yet. It's working with us. But God blesses those lives. Things take place. And God opens up and offers blessings to people who are starting whatever age, whatever situation they're in. It's like, wow, look at that blessing!

Look at this! Look at that! Look at this! You can just see God getting involved. Sometimes these things start with an event. With me, it was a life-threatening trial I was going through at age 12. God really showed His hand in it. I've been repenting ever since and trying to stay focused. There's been a lot of chatter among the friends and people about a different way of life, a more fun, more spicy, exciting way of life.

But God will make a connection with the person at whatever age He decides to call us. And that connection is not one to be overlooked. A constant question I've asked myself since age... I don't know. Maybe it was 12. Why me? You ever ask that question? I assume you have. Why me? In a good way, not a bad way. Why me? Why is this happening to me? And I could, like you, share stories of all the amazing things that God has done that, just out of the blues, like, why me? Surely, at first you'd think, well, that's just kind of a random exception.

But no, it became a pattern. It's become a pattern. Trying to live a godly way involves a God, engages a God in supporting and blessing us. There's so many things we could talk about. Why me? You might have asked yourself, I only came from this place in life.

Why am I over here at the Feast of Tabernacles and saw a far-flung place, staying at this really nice thing, seeing these things, exploring this part of the world, that part of the world, the other part of the world, or the country, or whatever?

Why me? And I go back home and people who are of more notoriety than me, they don't do anything. They don't see anything. People that are nicer than me, more religious than me, more devout than me. And yet, why me? Why did I get chosen? Why am I here and still here in some cases? Your marriage, your family, people might even ask, why you? They should. Why? Why? People want to know why. They point at families out to dinner, you know, like, why do you have children that are so nice?

My kids are not. I'd never bring them to a restaurant. Yours are just great. We can't take credit for it because it's a product of living by God's law, by living His way, by having Him involved in our lives, by the Spirit guiding what we say, what we do to strengthen relationships, to pass along the unbelievable blessings to others. There are so many things that any of us could spend time just saying, why me?

Why am I here? I had a different career somewhere else in electronics, television production. That was me. How did I get here? It happened in the same day. You know, just out of the blue, you and I end up being placed where God wants us, doing some things that God wants us to do. So Paul's going down the road to Damascus. I'm going to get some more church members that got away.

Boom! I'm sure he asked the question, wow! Why me? And as he did a total turnaround, he just kept saying, wow! I am nothing! I'm lower than anybody else! Look at what God is doing through me. Why me? Well, as he said, it's so that God can be praised. We can look at so many things in life, your life, my life, and we can give God credit for just unbelievable. But there is so, so much more that God wants to bless us with. Let's look in Luke 11, verse 13. Sometimes God gives us physical things just because he wants to. And physical things can be encouraging and inspiring for a while, but like all things physical, they wear out, burn out, get old, whatever.

But they can still be very, very good blessings. But there's something much more that God wants us to be blessed with. Jesus said in Luke 11, verse 13, God is about blessings in the future, reigning with the divine family and being God, Elohim, ourselves. Verse 28, but he said more than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. This way is about blessings. Godliness is about blessings. Again, it's all good. It's only good. There's no negative in it.

I've pondered for hours. How could we happen to have a creator God who is all good, all perfect? No sort of 95 percent, but then you have that payback you've got to do. Or you've got that evil part, or this downside. It's pretty good, but you've got to... No. It's all good. It's all perfectly good. We are blessed just the fact that the creator and the Father are that. In Acts 10, 38, it says God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing, all who were oppressed by the devil.

For God was with him. So it's God is the source of good and getting rid of curses. The devil's way, the lawlessness and the penalties that come along with it. In Acts 6, 3, when it talks about ordaining deacons, notice what it says.

See how those two go together? God's Holy Spirit prompts people to do good and give a good reputation.

God is only about good, and we are to be following in his image, his likeness, and his mindset.

Since God is totally involved and related to good, the ministry also has to be related to and stewards of doing good.

Titus 1, 7-9 says, for an overseer, uses the term bishop, must be blameless.

That is the opposite of lawless. That is so unlawful that you're not even blamed for anything. It must be blameless as a steward of God.

God cannot be blamed, so those in the ministry should conduct themselves in a way where they, as stewards of God, reflect the good that he does and the way.

It's defined a little more in verse 8, being hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled.

Holding fast the faithful Word, promoters of godliness, living it imperfectly, but definitely trying to be a minister of Jesus Christ, a servant of Jesus Christ, and therefore not showing any bad reflection, certainly, on the God family, though we do. None of us are perfect.

I'll tell you a little secret. Don't repeat it, okay?

I think that I am the most blessed person on earth today, and I mean that sincerely. I have looked around and tried to find another person on planet earth that I would rather have him found him.

I am the most blessed person, and I hope you also feel like you're the most blessed person.

But you're not, you see, because I am, and I know it.

I am the most blessed person on earth, but I'll tell you another little secret. Please don't repeat it.

I am not smart enough to have accomplished that. I'm just not.

Not in any way, shape, or form.

The blessings come from God. The blessings begin, originate, go all the way through from God.

And it's a real treat to have lived this long and be blessed the way that God has blessed me, because I see through these eyes.

I look at the lives of others that I grew up with who have had the exact same opportunities, the exact same religion, the exact same teachers.

And most chose to do things that seem more interesting than what I've chosen to do. More fun, more exciting.

My own logic left to myself without the blessing of God, jaking me at age 12, and a lot afterward.

If I'd follow that logic, it would have led me down a highway of misery to being today a person mostly of shattered dreams.

And I really believe that, because that's where the carnal human mind takes humanity.

And people who were young my age, so many times, most of them, chose aspects of that and took a journey that I could only be thankful to God that I did not take because of His mercy, because of His calling, because of His Spirit. Me? I'm just a dumb sheep. I know I'm a dumb sheep. I'm okay with being a dumb sheep. Kind of like David. He was okay with it, too.

He said, the Lord is my shepherd. The secret is, I trust in a really, really, really smart shepherd who knows what he's doing. He knows where this is going, and I really don't have a clue.

I don't know what the news tomorrow will be, other than what we read in Galatians 5. More of that may be getting worse.

But He knows what's best for you, for me, for all of us, as a group, as His family. He knows what's best, and He's always right, even when I disagree, even when I can't see it, even when it looks like a valley of the shadow of death.

Doing His way is always right. Now, how is this done? Because I'm some kind of special person, or you are? No. It's through a process of converting. It's part of what the word often translated, grace, is about. It's a transforming that God does by getting involved in our lives and marching us through a process of becoming more godly.

And that is a gift. It is through that gift that you and I get transformed. Let's look in 1 Timothy 1. We'll begin in verse 5. 1 Timothy 1 in verse 5 says, Now the purpose of the commandment is a gape from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. That's what God is trying to develop here is real kids, real family members, real people who also are blessed and are becoming blessings to others, who can turn around and with Jesus Christ reign for a thousand years and help humanity be blessed and learn this blessed way of life.

Notice verse 8.

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. The law is good. Being lawful, that's a good thing.

Knowing this, verse 9, that the law, well, it's not the law, the lake of fire, the penalty for transgressing the law in verse 9.

Knowing this, that the lake of fire is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and the insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners. Look at what this way of lawlessness does and where it takes a person.

Insubordinate, unholy, profane, for murderers of fathers, murders of mothers. Talk about fracturing relationships and families. For manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers. And if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. We could say that to them. Well, hang on. Drop down to verse 12.

I would also say, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, because he had the blessing of being called. Called and chosen by God. And one cannot just take that yourself. The Father has to call. In verse 14, And the grace of our Lord. Again, this conversion process is probably the application of the word carris, or charis that's being used here. But this conversion of our Lord was exceedingly abundance. Look where he came from. With faith and love for which you're in Christ Jesus. He was transformed. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. Not to the King eternal, immortal, invisible to God who alone is wise. Be honor and glory forever and ever. A man came from totally the wrong way transformed into one who is helping others. There are no limitations on a person's past with God and what he can do with that individual. The Apostle John was associated with love, agape love. He wrote so much in the Gospel of John, also 1, 2, and 3 John, about love. He was dearly loved by Jesus Christ. He's the disciple whom Christ loved. He's talking about deeds that bring joy. He evidently himself reflected enough of that back as he grew in it to where Christ enjoyed being around him and strengthened a personal relationship there. Let's go to 2 John 1, verses 2-13. I'd like to share with you a brief passage here that shows good relationships and blessings across cultures, across spaces, and across time. 2 John 1, verse 2.

Because of the truth which abides in us and will be in us forever, grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father, from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father in truth and in love. This word grace, translated grace, can also mean a lot of just joyful, joyful, happy, delightful. The things with God, this delight and mercy and peace will be with us from God the Father forever. Verse 4.

Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things that we work for, that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses lawlessness and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, does not have God.

He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son, relationships, strength with peace and mercy and joy and happiness. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house or greet him, for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink. John loves this group. He wants to be there himself. He says, But I hope to come to you and speak to you face to face, that our joy may be full. You see here, we've got to put lawlessness away. Even if some come, don't even let them into your house. Don't even eat with them. Don't go there.

Instead, let's get together, he says. I hope to come to you face to face, that our joy can be full.

You know, the ultimate, why me, we can find in Isaiah 65 verse 17. Isaiah 65 verse 17. It just keeps getting better. It just goes on and on and gets better and better and better. Even though for now we're in a tent and we groan and moan and we look for redemption of this physical body into a spirit body.

Isaiah 65 verse 17. It says, Yeah, this is another creation. It's going to replace this creation that's been enjoyable. But we're going to rejoice forever in that creation. For behold, I create Jerusalem. There will be a new Jerusalem. And joy in my people. Blessings.

In conclusion, it's happening every day in plain sight. Are you noticing it? Are you shocked by it? Lawlessness. Lawlessness is taking over the societies of this world. You and I have been called to follow a shepherd who's smarter than the smartest people on this earth.

And the shepherd wants to take you through a lifetime of blessings. Living God's way, it's all good. There's no downside. But then it even gets better. It's better and better and better. Let's conclude with a look forward in the book of Revelation. I don't have to turn there, but I'll read three short verses. Revelation 19, verse 9, after talking about the lamb's wife making herself ready, he says, Then he said to me, Right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the lamb. The blessings get bigger and better. And he said, Blessed are those who are called. And then he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.

Blessed. These are the true sayings of God. I'm telling you. This is true. It's from God. I'm God. And I'm telling you. You're going to be blessed. Revelation 20, verse 6. Blessed and holy. Oh, notice how those two go together. It's he who has pardoned the first resurrection. They shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him for a thousand years. Just keeps ratcheting up. Finally, Revelation 22, verse 7. Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the teaching of this book. There are unbelievable blessings awaiting all who live godly and keep the teachings of this book.