The Foundings

Well, good morning, everyone. Wasn't that beautiful? Special thanks to Mrs. Stiver for a very beautiful offering. And what can I say about Mr. Graham and our little ones? That passion and enthusiasm in her voices made you want to get up and dance.

Well, Hashavat, welcome to the Feast of Pentecost, or otherwise called sometimes the Feast of Weeks. This is a significant day, as already has been mentioned earlier, regarding the birth of the New Covenant Church of God. And if it occurred in 31 AD, as we believe, the Church was founded 1,985 years ago in Jerusalem.

What I'd like to do today is briefly read about this event in the Book of Acts, and I'm sure it'll be covered in more detail, perhaps, in the sermon or the sermonette this afternoon. Take a look at, quickly, the events in the Book of Acts and see what we can learn from it. I'd like to do a contrast today between the events on that day of Pentecost in 31 AD and what Israel experienced on Mount Sinai. But before we get there, it's good to begin with the beginning. So we'll go to Acts 2, beginning in verse 1, if you'll turn there with me. And we'll read about that monumental event that began the New Covenant Church of God in 31 AD. Acts 2, beginning in verse 1. It says, When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, and in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as a fire, and once sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Think how impressive that would be. One person speaking, and you're hearing that same person speak in your native tongue, no matter what area of the world that you come from. That definitely would get your impression. That is an absolute miracle. Verse 7, Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying, One another, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? These aren't college-educated people. These are from a fisherman's town. These are backwoods people who are doing these incredible things. They're not the elite of the world. They're not the smartest man in the room. They are common, everyday people, and this is what they're doing. Continuing in verse 8, And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born, Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappatucia, Pontus in Asia, Pergia in Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya, joining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and Proselytes, that means those who were of Gentile origin but converted to the Jewish faith, the Pharisees were missionary people, both Jews and Proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues, the wonderful works of God.

Have you ever considered what is going on here? Do you realize that this is the proclamation of the Gospel message? This is a message to the Church of God on what our role is, on what our job is as God's people. The languages spoken and heard here were not gibberish, they weren't like that song in the early 60s, I remember, Papa u Mao Mao, remember that song? It was kind of a silly doo-wop song, and I'm not sure it made any sense or had any intelligible words in it. The artist just did a refrain of nonsensical gibberish to people's delight, and that's not what occurred here. These were known languages of the time.

God was sending a message to his Church to preach the Gospel to the world. You're going to have to learn to speak and communicate in their native languages to preach the Gospel. You are not going to go somewhere and teach them Greek, and then preach the Gospel in Greek.

You're not going to go there and teach them Hebrew, and then preach the Gospel to them in Hebrew. That's not it. You're not going to need to go there, and you're going to need to have the commitment, the dedication to preach the Gospel in their name.

Their native language. That's the message. Verse 12. So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, Whatever could this mean? Others, mocking, said they are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to the men of Judea, and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. And Peter gives a very powerful, emotional message that pricks their hearts, and led its message, of course, the core of the message, led to the preaching of the Gospel.

We're not going to read it at this time, but we're going to go on to the event that followed the impact of this very powerful short sermon that he gave. We'll drop down to verse 36. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Mr. Resnick read this in the sermonette. What he's saying is, this individual is your Savior, and he's that King that all of our prophecies pointed to.

He is that King of the soon-coming kingdom, as well as the one who can provide salvation, the forgiveness of our sins. Verse 37, now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and Peter said to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Christ Jesus for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And that message is as true today as it was then. We have individuals with us today. This is the first day of Pentecost they've ever observed. We have individuals with us today who were baptized recently around the time of the Spring Holy Days and are enjoying celebrating this feast of Pentecost because they repented and they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior for the remission of their sins.

Verse 39, for the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, be saved from this perverse generation, than those who gladly received his word were baptized. And that day about 3,000 souls were added to them and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. So the impact and meaning of this day was so profound in itself that even later in Paul's ministry he would interrupt his schedule to observe the day of Pentecost.

I won't ask you to turn there, but in Acts chapter 20, and this occurs about 55, 56 A.D., this is what Luke recorded, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. So important to Paul that he stopped his job.

His job is to be a missionary, isn't it? His job is to preach the Gospel. He stopped. He interrupted his work because he saw so much value in continuing to observe the day of Pentecost. The same Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 7, I do not want to see you now in just passing. He was saying, I just don't want to come for a short visit.

If I come, I want to spend some time with you. He says, I hope to stay longer with you if the Lord allows it, but I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost. Pentecost, again, about 55 AD, 25 years after the day of Pentecost, we're reading about here in Acts 2. So important to Paul that he continues to change his schedule to stop what he's doing to celebrate God's holy day.

And the beauty about Paul, of course, is that he was not, as so many people I know today, religious people, he was not a smorgasbord Christian. He didn't look at the holy days and say, oh, I like Pentecost. That fits my theology. And atonement, I like to eat too much. That's not going to work. The trumpets thing, that's pretty good. I can talk about the return of Christ. Those days, not eating bread, again, that's not convenient. So Paul didn't pick and choose which of God's holy days he was going to continue to observe.

We know, of course, the St. Paul in 1 Corinthians, I just mentioned where he was desiring to keep Pentecost. It's the St. Paul who said in chapter 5 to that Gentile congregation regarding the days of Unleavened Bread, let us keep the feast. So you see, Paul, again, didn't pick and choose which of God's holy days he was going to observe. A good way to appreciate the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is to focus on what occurred on that day of Pentecost. Because the difference between the two covenants is all about relationships. God had one type of relationship with the nation of Israel, yet because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, he has a totally different type of relationship with his New Testament church.

It's a superior relationship because it goes from being merely familiar with God to being family with God. And it's that difference that I want to explore today. You see, in the Old Covenant, very few people had access to God's Holy Spirit. Very, very few. Most people in the nation of Israel were simply familiar with God.

Yahweh, his laws, his commandments, and that was a relationship. But it's a different type of relationship compared to what you and I have access to today because of the power of God's Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Let's now go to Leviticus 23 and review the original instruction on how this day is to be observed and counted. Leviticus 23, let's go back to verse 1. Leviticus 23, verse 1, read here something that Paul certainly knew and modeled by his example. The Lord said to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, The feast of the Lord.

Paul knew that. That's why he didn't pick and choose. The feast of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are my feasts. Paul knew that. That's why he observed all of them. They're God's feasts. They're not Greg Thomas's feast. They're not Mr. Stiver's feast. They're not the feast of the United Church of God. We didn't invent them or make them up. They have always been and always will be the feast of God. And he begins with the very first one that we celebrate weekly. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of a holy or a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation.

That means a holy convention. We're having a convention here today. We are in a convocation to celebrate, to worship the Father, to worship God on this day of Pentecost. You shall do no work on it, going back to the Sabbath instruction. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the Lord.

That's the third time we are told whose feasts these are. Holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month, the twilight is Passover. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the Lord. Seven days you must eat unleavened bread. Of course, we celebrated that just a while back. The first day, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation. And God's people did that.

You shall do no customary work on it. And the Lord God spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give to you in Reba's harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf for the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.

So God gives an additional instruction. And what is the context of this instruction? The context is He was just explaining what occurs during the days of unleavened bread. That is the context. And He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now, the reason I want to mention this in the sermon today, briefly, but I think it's important for us to understand, is over history people have come to choose how to do this differently. Even by the time of Jesus Christ, the Sadducees and the Pharisees and other groups counted differently beginning at different times.

For example, the Pharisees did this on the first day of unleavened bread. Now, here's the conclusion you come to. If you do it on the first day of unleavened bread and you're always counting fifty, you're always going to come to the exact day. Right? You're going to come back to the sixth day of the month of Savan.

Here's one of the problems with that. God is not mocked. The same God who was smart enough to tell you that on the fourteenth day of the first month was the Passover, and on the fifteenth day of the first month is the first day of unleavened bread is smart enough to tell you that Pentecost is on the sixth day of the third month, if that's what he intended. But he doesn't say that. He gives a way to calculate when Pentecost is because most of the time it will not be on the sixth of the month called Savan. That's why he gives a way to calculate it.

So that's the way the Pharisees did it. Others observed it on the Sabbath after the feast has ended, on the following Sabbath.

Now here's the key here to understand what God originally intended and why we do it the way that was modeled by the Sadducees.

Verse 11, it says, He shall wave the sheath before the Lord to be accepted on your behalf on the day after the Sabbath.

Now every other place in here, when it's a holy day, the word, the Hebrew word is moed, which means feasts.

And if God intended it to be observed on the first day of unleavened bread, he would have said on the day after the moed.

But he doesn't do that, does he? He uses the same Hebrew word as he does when he describes the first weekly feast called the weekly seventh-day Sabbath.

So my point here is that the Sadducees who controlled the temple services at the time of Christ began counting on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread, as do we.

If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the wave sheath offering, if you honestly believe that, and you look at the New Testament events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus and what he said to Mary that Sunday morning in the Garden, and if you really, truly believe that he is the fulfillment of the wave sheath offering, you can come to no other conclusion except for the fact that that year the wave sheath was definitely performed on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread.

And that's why we have determined Pentecost the way that we do. Verse 15, let's go back to the Scriptures.

So there were these two loaves of bread that were leavened that were brought as an offering. I've heard it said that the two loaves represented the old and the new covenants. Well, I'm not sure covenants contain leavening, but I can assure you that the people whom God has always worked with have sinned, and they certainly contain leavening.

I believe they represent God's relationship with his congregation of Israel was one, and they represent his relationship with his congregation of the Church of God, his new covenant Church is the other loaf. Both were firstfruits of God's plan and his desire to call a special treasure. So they were both representing firstfruits to the Lord.

And I guess we could say that the day of Pentecost asks the question, are we still green and growing, or are we overripe and rotting? Maybe that's a question we can ask ourselves sometime during this Holy Day. According to the Jewish tradition, the law, particularly the Ten Commandments, were given on Mount Sinai at the first Pentecost that they observed after they departed from Egypt. Now, the Bible doesn't explicitly say that, but it is true that if you look at all of the places they stopped and you calculate the fact that they stopped at certain places to observe the Sabbath, you can see in your study of Scripture that it's very possible that indeed they were at Mount Sinai during that very first Pentecost after they had left Egypt.

I believe it would be helpful for us to compare and contrast what happened with Sinai and what happened at Mount Sinai with what occurred on the day of Pentecost. There are some valuable things we can learn about a relationship with the Father if we do this little compare and contrast between the two. I believe that would be helpful for us as we celebrate God's plan. You know, the Apostle Paul did a very similar type of comparison.

Turn with me to Galatians 4, and we'll take a look at a similar type of comparison that Paul did. Galatians 4, verse 19. The context of Galatians, of course, is not the Sabbath. It is not the Ten Commandments. The context is Paul responding rather passionately, I might add, to the idea that you needed to be circumcised to be saved. That you needed to experience a little piece of flesh being cut off at a very sensitive part in order for you to be saved, to receive the salvation of God.

And Paul bristled under that kind of theology, thinking that it's something that I do that provides salvation. So let's pick it up here in chapter 4, verse 19. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to present you. Now I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I have doubts about you.

He was a little upset with them, as I said. Verse 21. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? He says, those of you who think that circumcision is required to be saved, and that was part of the covenant, the law of Moses, he says, I want you to consider this, verse 22, for it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bond woman, one woman who was a servant, and the other by a free woman.

So he's going to draw a metaphor here. And he was of the bond woman was born according to the flesh. In other words, they did what men and women do, and the result of doing that was that a child was born. Okay? That was the son of the bond woman according to the flesh. And he of the free woman threw promise. In other words, God said in advance before the man and woman ever did what they did, God said, a son's going to be born to you, a son of promise. I promise that you're going to have a son.

Verse 24. Which things are symbolic? For these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children. Why? Because they think salvation is something you do. They think salvation is simply keeping laws. And when you have that mindset, you're always sinning. And you're always having to produce more sacrifices to atone to God for that sin. Sin, sacrifice. More sin, more sacrifice. Even more, more sin, more, more sacrifice. It's a form of bondage. You're never really getting anywhere.

Continuing, he says, but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. When Jesus Christ has forgiven you of your sins and your transgressions, and you have a part of that same spirit that dwells in the Father and the Son dwells in you, it provides you the righteousness of Christ. It changes everything. His one perfect sacrifice paid the price for our sins in totality. And that's a game changer.

So now we'll expand upon the example that Paul gives us. And I'd like to, again, use a little compare and contrast to the events surrounding the law being given in Mount Sinai and what occurred on the day of Pentecost in 31 AD. You may want to put book markers in Exodus 20-ish, and I'll explain what I mean about that in a minute, and also in Acts 2, as we're going to be going back and forth for the rest of this sermon.

Now here's how I'm going to define their experience at Mount Sinai. I'm going to define it as the entire time they were there, beginning with their arrival in chapter 19, to receiving the Ten Commandments in chapter 20, to confirming the Old Covenant in chapter 24, and concluding with all of the diverse laws of Moses that they were given between chapters 25 and 32 until they depart in chapter 33. All of these events were part of the complete Mount Sinai experience, and I'm sure that's what Paul meant when he wrote about this metaphor that he used in Galatians chapter 4.

So what I would like to discuss today are four differences between the relationship that God had with ancient Israel, as expressed on what occurred in Mount Sinai, and the relationship that he has with his church today, and our response because of what happened on the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D. Four. So let's do number one. Number one is God personally presents himself to a group of people with different reactions.

God personally presents himself to a group of people with different reactions. Have you ever considered how rare it has been in human history since the creation of Adam and Eve that God ever revealed himself personally to a group of people? We can look at various scriptures in the Old Testament, discussions with Abraham and Moses and others, but think how rare it is that God revealed himself personally to a group of people of any type. Well, here's one time that he did it in Exodus 19.

If you'll turn there with me. Exodus chapter 19 and verse 14, again, under the discussion that God personally presents himself to a group of people with different reactions. Exodus chapter 19 and verse 14. It says, He said to the people, That there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

They trembled. We could say that's a natural reaction. In other words, they were in fear. You're standing there and suddenly lightning occurs. Things start trembling. I'll give you a recent experience. I was in San Diego last week, and last Thursday night, I thought it was a bad dream.

I was sleeping, and I woke up, and my bed was shaking. And I won't tell you as intimately what I thought, as I told the Cleveland brethren yesterday, but I fell back asleep again. Because I thought I just had a bad dream. But in reality, what happened is there was a 5.2 earthquake in the San Diego area that night. I wasn't told until the next morning that I had experienced yet another, because I've had a number in my lifetime, yet another experience of an earthquake.

But if you've ever been in a big earthquake and you're standing, and something's trembling around you, and there are loud noises and sounds, it's terrifying to the human experience. Verse 17, Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God. And they stood at the foot of the mountain, now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire.

Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole nation quaked. I'm sorry, the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain. So God revealed Himself, His presence, to a group of people. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

And the Lord said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. So what was their reaction, God? He presents Himself. What was their reaction? It was fear. It was terror. Drop down to verse 18 here in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 18, the summation, it says, Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they trembled, and they stood afar off.

They wanted to hide themselves. They didn't want to have a relationship. They were fearful. And they said, That's not for me. No, thank you. You know what, Moses? You talk to God. I don't want to. I'm afraid. I'm fearful. I don't want to go there. So God personally presents Himself to a group of people on Mount Sinai in this experience, and that's one type of reaction that He received.

Because these people, their relationship was only ever meant to be familiar with God, not to be family with God. Now let's go to that day of Pentecost in 31 A.D., Acts chapter 2. Let's go back to verse 1 and take a look at it.

Acts chapter 2 and verse 1, When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing, mighty wind. If you've ever been in a tornado, as I've also had the joy to experience once in my lifetime, it's a loud sound. It's a loud noise, just like an earthquake. It feels, it sounds like a train, a loud train running right by you in the height of those winds. It says, And it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire. How did God express Himself to the nation of Israel and Mount Sinai? He came down as a fire, didn't He?

And here it says, Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each one of them. Again, God's presence was revealed by fire coming down, a loud noise produced by a rushing, mighty wind. Very similar, what one might say, frightful experiences as occurred on Mount Sinai. Well, let's drop down now to verse 37.

Verse 41, You see, brethren, on the day of Pentecost, during one of God's rare appearances to a group of people, the result was not fear. It was at first confusion, and that's natural, that's a word used, and that led to amazement, people being in awe.

Wow! And what does it say? It led to, it led to them gladly receiving His word, and they were baptized. So that's the first compare and contrast. God reveals Himself to a group of people, and how they responded, because in one, there was the presence of the Holy Spirit, and that changes everything because it made them family, and in the other, it was a totally different reaction because they were only familiar with God.

Let's go on to number two. On number two, compare and contrast, on Sinai, the law was written on tablets of stone. The law was written on tablets of stone. Exodus 32 and verse 15, if you kindly turn there with me.

Exodus 32 and verse 15.

It says, And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides, on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

So the commandments of God were written on surface of stone.

Surface of stone is external. It's like any monument that you might visit in a museum, or you might go and see something that was anciently chiseled onto a rock at a museum. It's external. It's outside of you. It's separate from the heart of the believer.

Because of their relationship and the fact that they were only familiar with God, that is the way that God revealed his law.

Here it is. It's external. It's on tablets of stone. Do this.

Now let's contrast that to what occurred on the day of Pentecost. To do that, we need to go to Hebrews 10.

Hebrews 10 and verse 12, and we'll see that on Pentecost the law was written in the hearts of the believers.

Hebrews 10 and verse 12 in context, going directly into what Jesus Christ has made possible in our lives.

What Jesus Christ is doing and has done for us.

One of the most encouraging and beautiful scriptures that you can read in the entire Bible.

Hebrews 10 and verse 12, but this man, speaking of Jesus Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. And I might interject at that.

Because of what he did, he is a high priest. He is your high priest, your personal advocate, your high priest who is there for you, who is there to encourage you, who gave his life for you. That's the kind of high priest we have.

Verse 13, from that time, waiting till his enemies are made his footstool.

For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Brethren, that's present tense. We are being sanctified because of the presence of Jesus Christ in us, that same spirit that the Father and the Son share. We are being perfected by having the ability to develop the fruit of that spirit in our lives, to develop the mind of Jesus Christ. And because of that, we are in the process of being sanctified. That's encouraging. That's positive.

That's good news of the work that God is doing in your life.

Verse 15, But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us that same spirit that was there on the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D.

For after he has said before, This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord.

I will put my laws into their hearts and into their minds. I will write them.

And he adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.

Remember that righteousness of Christ that dwells in you when you received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 18, Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Because your family, not simply familiar with God, but because his Spirit is in you and your family, you can boldly go directly to the Father and say, Father, I need help. Father, I'm struggling with this issue. Father, I have goals that haven't been fulfilled, and that's bothering me.

Father, I'm having challenges with my spouse or with my children, and I need to see how I can grow and change.

Father, I need to have a deeper relationship with you, and I know that's going to require more of an investment of my time by coming to your throne and studying your word. Help me, Father. Guide me. Direct me. And the Father says, I absolutely will, because I love you so much that I gave my only begotten Son and allowed him to die and shed his blood, because I love you incredibly.

Verse 23, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching them.

That's why we need to continue to attend weekly Sabbath services and observe God's holy days.

I can't stir you up in love and good works if I'm not there.

You can't encourage me if I don't show up. That's why we need each other. We're family, and family is always there for each other.

Through thick, through thin, it's about relationships, and it's about family, and we have the privilege and honor to have been called to be part of the family of God.

So because of God's Spirit within us, we have His laws, the ability to have His laws written in our hearts. It changes everything. It changes why we keep the law from something on stone, you shall, to I want to. I want to be a good child.

Father, teach me. Help me. Open my heart and mind. Instruct me. Guide me.

I want to love you. I want to obey you. You see, you don't do things because you have to.

You don't do things because you're commanded to. You do things because you want to.

It's a life changer. It changes attitude. It changes how you view other people, your attitude towards them.

It changes your life purpose, the why. That is a big part of your life.

Why am I here? What is my purpose in this world? What is my relationship with God? What is my relationship with God's people? When we fully understand that, it changes everything.

And until we get there, we're only familiar with God. And we're focusing on law as if it makes us righteous by doing it.

We focus on judging other people because they're different than we are. They do things differently than we do.

And it's an entirely different mindset. It's a fixed mindset in comparison to having the Spirit of God, which is a growth mindset.

First, fruits are ripening. They're growing. They're maturing. They don't look the same way they looked ten years ago.

Fruit either begins and continues to grow, or it begins to rot.

So, brethren, where are we in our spiritual journey?

The third metaphor that I would like to talk about, comparing and contrasting, is what was the end result of those two events?

All the time they spent in the confines of Mount Sinai, what was the end result that occurred there?

Let's go to Exodus 32 and verse 19. Exodus 32 and verse 19.

We're familiar, if we are students of the Scriptures, that this is when Moses discovered and was told that the nation of Israel were already rebelling against God and created a golden calf.

And while Moses was trying to communicate one-on-one with God, they were playing and participating in idolatry and going back to their heathen ways, much like they were in Egypt.

A beautiful Scripture regarding some of the statements made here and the complexities of human nature.

It says, so it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, he cast aside the tablets out of his hands, and he broke them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf, which they had made, burned it in the fire, grounded in powder, and scattered it in the water, and made the children of Israel drink it. And Moses said to Aaron, I just love this, one of my favorite parts, Moses said to Aaron, I've had counseling sessions like this where I ask similar questions.

What did this people do to you? Aaron, what's your responsibility in this situation? What did the people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them? So Aaron said, let not the anger of my Lord become hot. Calm down! Take a downer! Don't be so angry! Don't let the anger of my Lord become hot. You know the people. They are just set on evil. For they said to me, make us gods that go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. And I said to them, whoever has any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me, and I cast it in a fire. And the calf came out. As the original Hebrew is, out jumped to this calf. A couple of things in here, the isle of. First of all, he says, Aaron, what's your responsibility about this? And he really doesn't give an answer. Oh, the people! They are something else. Hey, they're not like me and you, Moses. They're evil. Oh, yeah, that really bad. And you know what they did. Just beautiful human nature is something to behold. So anyway, he says, and this calf jumped out. Now, when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained for Aaron, again, lack of responsibility for Aaron, had not restrained them to their shame among their enemies, then Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, Whoever is the Lord's side, come to me, and all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

You know who didn't go on Moses' side? Have you ever pondered this? Everyone else. So the sons of Levi, okay, we're with you, Moses. And everyone else is still standing as a gulf. That helps explain what in our modern sensitivities of the 21st century is going to appear to be cruel, what I'm about to read. But the point is, is that this was a massive rebellion against God and the leader he had chosen, because only the sons of Levi said, Hey, we're coming over, we're with you, Moses. Everyone else stood away. Verse 27, and he said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Let every man put his sword on his side, and go out from the entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, every man his neighbor. So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Pretty sad. So the end result was that the Old Covenant ministry killed about three thousand people.

God's instruction granted, but three thousand people died through the hand of the Old Covenant ministry. Lost, dead, gone. Let's contrast that with what happened on the day of Pentecost, excuse me, Acts 2, verse 39.

Pick it up in context here. The message from God's New Covenant ministry. A little different message and a different result. Acts 2, verse 39, For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many words he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be safe from this perverse generation. And that rings just as true today as it did in 31 A.D. Then those who had gladly received his word were baptized, and on that day three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and prayers. What a contrast. In Mount Sinai, God's Old Covenant ministry killed three thousand people. On the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D., God's New Covenant ministry said through the action of baptism, Welcome to salvation! Welcome to the family of God! With gladness we welcome you! We praise our great God for you being added to his family. So the end result again is that three thousand were converted and received the Holy Spirit because of their obedience and faith in Jesus Christ. Now let's look at the fourth and final metaphor that I want to mention today, and that is that Sinai, the nation of Israel, was birthed as a physical nation. They became the nation of Israel. It was a nation that didn't have very much diversity because again these were people whose relationship was only intended to be, for the most part, familiar with God, not family with God. Exodus chapter 24 and verse 4. Exodus chapter 24 and verse 4.

It says, Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. This is your constitution. A little bit longer than the one that the nation called the United States will have in a few thousand years, but this is your constitution. I'm going to read it to you. I want you to listen to it.

And they said all that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient. They have an expression today, famous last words, right? Verse 8. Then Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words. So at that time Israel became a physical nation. God wanted them to be a model nation. God wanted them to be an example to all the other nations on earth. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. But they became a physical nation of people with a constitution that is their covenant with God. So that is the birth of ancient Israel as a nation. Now let's go to Acts 2 and verse 41 and see the first time after the ascension of Jesus Christ that the word church is used in the entire New Testament. First time after Jesus Christ ascended in heaven in Scripture. Acts 2 and verse 41. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers.

Then fear, very poor translation here in the New King James, if you look at other translations, over half of them will have it correctly translated, that awe, or great respect, came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. It wasn't a terrifying feeling they had. It was a feeling of such awe to be part of something so wonderful, so magnificent, so God-inspired. Verse 44. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, having favor with all the people. And here's the first time again the word church is used in the New Testament after the ascension of Jesus Christ, because he actually used the word ecclesia twice in his ministry. It says, And the Lord added to the church, ecclesia, daily, those who were being saved. So on Pentecost in 31 A.D., the Spirit-filled people of God became a spiritual nation.

Peter said in chapter 2 and verse 9, You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him, who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

So brethren, what we have reviewed today is that we have compared and contrasted the events of what may have been the first time they observed Pentecost after leaving Egypt, the perimeters of Mount Sinai, to that of the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D.

I think we have seen quite clearly that there is a different relationship that you have with the Father when you are only familiar with God and void of His Spirit compared to when you are family with God and have the Spirit of God dwelling within you.

That Spirit changes everything. Are we allowing that change to take place in our lives? Are we continuing to be green and growing? Are we developing that fruit of the Spirit in every area that we can, changing how we think, changing our self-talk from being so negative and put down to being positive and can do, because God's Spirit is can do, God's Spirit is powerful. It can change every cell in our body. We call that healing when our cells change. It can change the virtual thoughts that are going on in our heads. Most profoundly, it can change us completely. So let's remember the privilege and the opportunity that we have because we are Christ's and because His righteousness dwells within us through the gift of that precious Holy Spirit.

Thank you.