God’s Character is Revealed by His Law

Do we understand God's character? God created you and I as mankind with a great plan for us to be His children in God's kingdom. Now, He hasn't just called us because His plan is to ultimately have every single person in His kingdom, provided, obviously over time, that they repent and turn to God. You see, we are to seek God and His righteousness. Now, sometimes people think, oh well, that's two goals, it's not one. Well, it is one because we ought to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness is more like how to seek God's kingdom. It's His righteousness. Now, some people may think, well, it's the righteousness that will be in God's kingdom, but it actually is, as you probably thought about it, it's God's righteousness. We have to seek God's righteousness. Now, many people, and I remember I've came across some people in the past that said, well, the importance is to be righteous. Yes, it is. But we have to understand that it is not our righteousness, it's God's righteousness. We'll touch a little bit about that a little later. Well, in fact, let's do it now. Why not? And that's in Romans chapter 10.

In Romans chapter 10, he's talking about the Israelites and that specific time was mostly the Jewish people. And starting in verse 1, he says, you know, my prayer is that the Israelites may be saved. And yes, that was his prayer, that the Israelites may be saved. And then he says, I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Now, let's put that statement in today's language. Today's language, you could say, I know there's many Christians out there. And he says, I bear witness to a lot of Christians out there that they have a zeal for God. They do. You see a lot of what we would call very good Christians.

And then it says, but not according to knowledge. And what does he mean by that? For they being ignorant of God's righteousness. You see, you and I are to seek God's kingdom and God's righteousness. And God's righteousness is the way how to get there.

And then in verse 2 says, for they being ignorant, as of God's righteousness, as I read, they seek to establish their own righteousness, in the words of self-righteousness.

And they have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Do we understand the character of God and his righteousness? And then it's got a very interesting verse in verse 4 that says, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Ah, can you see? The law is abolished. It's the end of the law. Christ has come and we don't need the law anymore.

Brethren, that's not what it's saying. It's because Christ is the ultimate perfect example, our standard, of how to fulfill the law. That's what Christ says. I came to fulfill the law. He is the end ultimate purpose of the law to everyone who believes. See, I just need to believe. I just give the heart to the Lord and I believe. Now, brethren, when you believe, you do what the person tells you to do because you believe in what he or she says. As his child, and you're going to cross the street and your mom or dad sees a car coming and says, No, stop! If you don't believe, your parents just keep going. And you would die because that car would potentially kill you. You could die. Not saying you would, but it could have a terrible accident. But if you believe, you would do what the parent tells you to do. What the parent tells you to do. And so, whenever you see the word believe in the Bible, see behind it the word obey. Please, whenever you see believe in God, it means you're going to obey. You're going to do what he says. And so, Christ is the ultimate complete fulfillment of the law. It's the end purpose of the law. For righteousness. Which righteousness? God's righteousness. Because the law tells us about God's character and God's righteousness.

And indeed, God is teaching us his character through what? Through God's holy days. Because God's holy days reveal God's ultimate plan of salvation for a whole mankind. And how God is going to fulfill that plan at a universal, total mankind level.

Not just for you and I. In other words, think about it. You and I are not called for a selfish reason for you and I to be saved. Of course, we are called to have eternal life.

But the reason why God is calling you today instead of later, maybe in the Second Resurrection, is for a specific purpose. Because those in the Second Resurrection will have an opportunity of eternal life, if and when they repent and they learn the truth. But why is God calling you and I today?

It's not for selfish reason. It's not for us to have eternal life. Of course, it is for us to have eternal life. But in addition, beyond that, the purpose is you and I are called today to serve God in the beginning and into the world tomorrow and into eternity. To serve God as is, let's call it, right hand as the bride, as kings under the King of Kings, and priests under the Lord of Lords. We are being trained today to serve. So it's not for a selfish reason. Oh, I'm better than the others. No, we're not. When we see somebody struggling in the middle of the street, maybe he's a homeless person, maybe it's the time for you and I to say, there go I. But for God's mercy.

I don't know about you, but I can count many times in my life that miraculously God guided me in a different direction. And as I go on in those other directions, my life would have been destroyed. It's just unbelievable. God has guided me in many ways. I remember as a young man, once going into the sea, I could have been killed with shocks and this and that. I remember other times that I was a big box near the Eiffel Tower and I went out of the hour and I went and I chased those robbers and thieves. They could have killed me. I was absolutely silly. And I remember many other times that I have had a number of, I mean, you know of one in Brazil of an accident I had, but I've had a number of other accidents that I don't know how I've escaped. I remember once I was driving in a highway at like 70 miles an hour and the truck in front fell off the truck a huge log about the sink like a foot thing and about six or seven feet long and it bounced right in front of the car.

And my daughter was driving and my first intention was to grab the wheel and because she was a little bit of not very experienced, but I just said, no, leave it and trust God. And she did not know what to do just then. I saw that log just coming towards us and at the last moment he turned, he'd hit the bonnet right parallel to the car, he'd hit over the windscreen and hit the back of the car, made a little damage in the car that the insurance company wouldn't even believe what happened. That was and I've got so many others. That log erring come through the windscreen, we both would have been dead. At 70 miles an hour, I log that size. It's just unbelievable.

I have many instances that God has intervened for. Our lives, not just mine, my family's and other instances, and you probably can reflect on that. But why we are?

We are because God wants to train us to serve in the world tomorrow. It's not for a selfish reason that you or I are better than the people in the world. We're not any better. It's just God's great mercy for us. But God has a plan for you and I. I don't know what His plan is for you. I don't know what His plan is for me in the world tomorrow. And you will be there if you don't walk away from it. You will be there if you don't turn your back on God, because He's done everything and He will do everything for you to be there.

But part of that training is that we gotta put on God's character.

And how He's doing it is through His holy day plan, which basically is in two major steps. Think about it. The first step is the spring holidays and the second step is the fall holidays. In the spring holidays, I could say, or I could put it, is the individual salvation. Through that, we've got Passover, days of 11 bread, Pentecost. Those are symbolic of different steps for our individual salvation. Not just ours, but those in the world tomorrow as well and those in the second resurrection. That is for the individual salvation. And so, in a sense, it is for salvation. And the word Jesus basically means salvation.

That's the first step. The second step is for when Christ will come and take over the sick government of this world inspired by Satan.

And that means when Christ comes as King of Kings to rule on earth and beyond the millennium in all the universe. And so, that's when symbolically is related to the anointing of a king of the Messiah. And the word for Messiah is Christ. And so, we have two steps. The first step is salvation at the individual level, Jesus. The first three spring Holy Days.

And the second step are the four Holy Days that Christ comes as a Messiah, as Christ. And it's quite interesting to see that when the world does deceive, we quite often talk about false religion, which is correct. But when you read that some of those scriptures say yes, they are also false Christ. Christ. So, if you look at from that point of view, it's talking about false political leaders that claim they're going to solve all the nation's problems.

Aren't we encountering that today? Vote for me because I'm going to solve the world's problems the country's promised. Well, could we be talking about false Christ? I'm not saying we are, but it is interesting, isn't it? Our only hope is the King of Kings to come and to bring peace to this world. That's our hope. That's who I vote for.

Well, my vote doesn't count because it's God's vote and he selects and he's anointed Christ as the King of Kings. He's just waiting for the right time when God says, now, and no man knows the day of the hour. We're just waiting for that. But you see, it's God that selects. It's not human beings that select.

And you know the scripture like John 644, right? No man can come unto me unless the father draws him. Right? You know that scripture. God is selective. He has decided who to call. Now, many are called. Regretably, few respond to that calling. Matthew 22 14 says, many are called, few are chosen, few are selected. Now, it does not mean it's a free destination. No!

Because we all have free moral agency. God looks at different people and says, all right, I'm going to pick that one. I'm going to pick that one. He's got the potential. He's got the potential. He picks it. And then they have to respond correctly. So, God is selective.

But that does not mean he's prejudiced against one person or another.

Because what he's doing is exercising judgment or discernment, let's put it that way, through careful consideration to make or to come to right conclusions. And that's why, in our church logo, we have not only preaching the gospel, but preparing a people. You and I are being prepared for a job to serve. And so, our calling is not a selfish calling, is a calling to serve.

And so, as Mr. Lockhart mentioned, if anybody wants to help and service certain areas, that's what we've been trained to serve. But part of that training program, In the training program, God ultimately wants all mankind to have his holy, godly, righteous character. How often have we heard about that in the past? Have you considered what is God's holy, righteous character? Well, you just remember, for instance, the most commonly used scripture, which is in John 3.

You probably know it by heart, but if you talk to a lot of religions, they probably all know it by heart. John 3, verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes, quote, obeys him, should not perish but have everlasting life. God so loved the world.

It doesn't say God so loved you and I. God loves everybody. Now, obviously, he's not talking about the world, but it's God loves human beings, mankind, that he gave his beloved Son for us. His only begotten Son. So what is God's character? God summarized it in one word. God is love. God is love. And what is God's law? Love towards God and love towards fellow man. Christ summarized it into those two basic principles. God's law is love. So if you and I are to put on God's character, which is love, we need to practice God's law.

Not just the Ten Commandments, all the ramifications of God's law. It is very important that we understand that God's law reveal God's character. Now, people get confused with this whole thing about faith. So let's talk a little bit about that so that we are very clear. And we're going to pick up in Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. And we're going to start in verse 1. It says, therefore, having been justified by faith.

See, people get confused. Well, I've been saved by faith. So therefore, I don't have to do anything because I'm saved. But the word is justified. The word is not saved. Oh, is that a difference? Yes, there is. Is a big difference. You see, justified means that you made just before God. That means you made right with God. In other words, there you have God's righteousness. And so it's not my works, it's God's works. How is that possible? Because, you know, just a few chapters early in Romans chapter 2 says, No man is good.

We all have sinned. Put your hand up if you've never sinned. I don't see any hands up. I better put my hand up and down when I was showing that. But the point is none of us has been in a situation we never sinned.

We all sin. And maybe it's possible that we all sin every day. And we may say something wrong every day. Unintentionally, quite often. It's not intention, but we all do sin. But we are made right with God by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So God has intervened for us through Christ, and therefore He has forgiven our sins, and therefore we are made right with God, and therefore we are at peace with God.

That's what it means. And then we read in verse 2, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. But it is this grace, this grace of being forgiven, this grace of being right with God. That's a gift. It's a gift. And therefore we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. You and I rejoice in the hope that one day we will have God's glory. Oh, God's glory! Well, of course, much less inferior, but it will be of the same kind of being with the same kind of glory.

And that's the hope of being sons of God and daughters of God in the kingdom of God. That is, we're going to have the glory of that family. And then jump a little bit further in verse 9. Much more than having now been justified. In other words, you and I have been made right with God. You have been made at peace with God. You have been reconciled with God by Christ's blood because He's washed our sins.

And that, for instance, is the example when we baptize all our sons. We've been redeemed. Our sons have been washed away by His blood. And look, we shall, future tense, shall be saved from wrath through Christ. You see, salvation is future. See, we're justified now, but we shall be saved. And verse 10 explains it in a little bit more detail. It says, for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, in other words, we're made right.

Our sons were put away. Our past sons had been put away. We are made right with God. Graz. Graz. There's nothing that you and I can do, nothing that you and I can do to pay for our sins because the wage of sin is death. And you and I, there's nothing that you can pay to say, well, therefore, I don't have to die.

There's nothing. And so it says, we reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more wish having been reconciled. Past, we've been reconciled. Past, we have been justified. Past, we made right. We made the peace with God. We shall be saved by His life. Because when Christ died and He entered the throne of God, the Holy of all is reserved in the sermonette.

And at that moment, He became the High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek. And you read more about it in Hebrews chapter 10, which is by a new and living way. You and I have access to the Holy of Holies today at any time because it's a new and living way.

Because all the way was only once by High Priest, but now our High Priest, which is Christ by His life, is intervening for us as our defense attorney. And so when you and I slip up, Satan is right there. Revelation 12 verse 9. The accuser of our brethren is right there and says, And I'm going to put my name, but you put your name in it.

And he says, How can you forgive George? Look at it. He's just done it. But then you and I, by a new and living way, have access to that throne through Christ. And we confess and we ask for Christ's blood to sprinkle us. And you read in Deuteronomy 16. It was very nicely explained in the sermonette and probably explained further on the Day of Atonement. Our High Priest then sprinkles seven times of his blood with blood. So the blood was offered. Christ's death. But beyond that, then there's the complete sprinkling when we need it.

When we come to God's throne and we'd met our mistakes and we ask for forgiveness. We are saved by his life as our High Priest. And you see, this is by faith. By faith. So is God's Lord done away? No. Because then you read in Romans 6, verse 1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may even be greater grace?

And he says in verse 2, that's ridiculous. It was certainly not. How shall we die to sin? We died at baptism. We died to sin. We made a commitment. We came out of that water, making a commitment to be a new man and a new woman to live a new life. How shall we live any longer in sin? We know. We don't. We don't. Now, does it mean we never sin? No. Because we are human beings. We fail. We slip up. You know, we walk in the light, but we still trip occasionally.

Intentionally, no. But we strip because of our weakness of our flesh. Paul explains more about that in Romans, chapter 7. And he says, towards the end of chapter 7, he says, I see in me in my body, in my members, the slow of sin. But with my mind, I want to keep God's law. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks to Christ. You see, so what are we going to be? We're going to be instruments of righteousness, as we read in verses 12 and 13. That is in Romans chapter 5. Therefore, just as... Bigger part in chapter 6. Romans chapter 6, verse 12 and 13.

Therefore, do not let sin rain on your mortal body that you should obey it in its last. Do not present your members, that your body, your physical body, as instruments of unrighteousness, of breaking God's law. Right? But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, you know, as resurrected, changed as a new man, and your members, your body, as instruments of righteousness to God.

Because we are justified freely from sin. But does that mean, therefore, that it is our righteousness? Yes, we got to do our part. But is it our righteousness?

No. It's God's righteousness.

You see, God has imputed on us God's righteousness because we believe and trust Him.

You see, that's what happened to Abraham. You go into Romans chapter 4, and in Romans chapter 4, it's talking about Abraham in verse 1 and 2. And then in verse 3, it says, what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, he trusted God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. What did he believe, God? He believed God when God said, you'll be blessed through your children, there'll be a blessing, you're going to have a child. Oh, I'm so old, I'm going to have a child. He trusted God. Oh, yeah. Occasionally, he faltered, you know the story. But in the end, he didn't trust God. And even when he came to the point that he had to sacrifice Isaac, he trusted God. And that was counted to him or imputed as righteousness. Now, let me put it into a very simple term that an accountant will understand. But you and I, we all have bank accounts, and sometimes our balance in our bank account does not look too good. Right? And imagine that suddenly God would credit your bank account with a million dollars. Now you end up, instead of just having one cent, you have a million dollars and one cent. There was credit in your bank account gratis. That's what it's talking about, yeah. Your bank account of righteousness, which is basically in the negative, has been imputed perfect with God's righteousness. Why? Because your sins have been forgiven, your sins are wiped out, and therefore be in front of God's eyes. You are now righteous.

Gratus!

What a blessing. What a blessing. That is God's righteousness. It's not mine.

And that's why, a little later, it says, in verse 5, it says, But to him who does not work, but believes in him, and means obeys him, he trusts him, and therefore obeys him, on him who justifies the ungodly. We are ungodly. But he justifies, he makes us right gratis, because we trust him. And we're going to try our best from now onwards to keep the bank account right. Right? Right? So we're going to do our part now. But that part of getting God's righteousness is gratis. And it says, his faith, his trust, your trust in God, in what Christ has done for you, is accounted into your bank account. It's accounted for God's righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness. In other words, he credits you with righteousness, gratis, apart from works.

And then verse 8 says, The sin is wiped out. You are justified. You are reconciled. This is the ministry of reconciliation. The sin is gone. You are right with God. And he has imputed upon you. He's credited upon you freely.

God's righteousness. Now, it doesn't mean, oh, therefore now I can go on and kill people and murder and steal. No! You've got to now do your part. But understand that he's credited to you, righteousness. Are you perfect? No. I'm not saying you're perfect. But we are going to make our best to do what is right before God.

You see, God has called us from sin. We are called. And few are chosen. Why? Because few respond to that calling. In other words, few act. Few obey. In other words, few believe. Always see behind the word believe obedience.

But God has got that plan for all mankind. For all mankind. It's God's plan, ultimately, for all to be saved.

And you have scriptures like 1 Peter 1, verse 2. 1 Peter 1, verse 2, which is a wonderful scripture that we need to remember. So let's turn to it. 1 Peter 1, verse 2. Because we are elected. In other words, we are chosen. Many are called, but few are chosen. Few are elected. We are not elected by man because they voted for us. We are elected by God because God has, quote-unquote, voted for us. Why? Because we have responded and we are being trained according to His will and we are responding to His calling. And so we've been elected according to the full knowledge of God the Father. God knew that according to His plan there would be some that would respond. That is the full knowledge of God. He knew. He had this whole plan. He didn't predestinate you, but He knew some would. And thank to God you responded. So you fulfilled in the Scripture. But now, after you baptized, so we have God the Father has called you. Christ has paid with His life to forgive you with His blood. But Christ is also now our eye priest as our defensive turning, backing us up. But when Christ went to heaven at the right hand of the Father, He, having qualified, He opened a way for you and I to receive the power of God. Symbolized by the day of Pentecost, it was for you and I to be the first fruits of His Spirit, to be the first to receive the power of God, the help from God, that you and I, with God's help, as God's Spirit freaks your conscience and says, George don't think this, or George don't say this, or be careful how you open your mouth, or whatever, ever. God's Spirit freaks your conscience to be different than the world. In other words, to be separate from the world, because the world doesn't think that way. And that's what the Bible means by the word sanctification, to being separate from the world with the help of God's Holy Spirit. And that's what we read here in verse 2. We've been chosen by God in sanctification, in the words of the Spirit, for obedience. We receive God's Holy Spirit, that God's Holy Spirit writes into your mind and into your heart. You know that? New covenant? Whatever it is, it's His law. It's His character of love. And not only that, is that when you and I slip up, we then still have the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus to forgive us as we go down this road. I think it's a beautiful scripture, so full of meaning. So full of meaning. And then you read, and I'm not going to go through it now, but you read the rest of Peter and also 2 Peter. Beautiful scriptures about encouraging of what we can do. But what we have is God's law is written inside our hearts. You read that, for instance, in Hebrews chapter 8, verse 10, through God's Holy Spirit. God writes His law, His character. He is teaching us His character of love towards God and love towards man. So, what is the purpose of God's law? It's actually two purposes. Have you considered that? Two purposes. The first purpose is in Romans 3, verse 20. Let's look at it. Romans 3, verse 20, right at the end of Romans 3, verse 20. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. You see, God's law tells us what is right and what is wrong.

That's the purpose of God's law. Have you thought about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

And Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden had a choice. Choose the Tree of Life or choose the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Remember that?

I could put it another way. Choose the Tree of Life or choose the Tree of Death. Or I could put it another way. Choose the Tree in which God tells you what's right and wrong through His law. Or choose the other Tree or the other way that you decide for yourself what is right and wrong. And that's the way of death. See, nothing has changed. God's law tells us what is right and wrong. So that's one purpose of God's law.

What is the second purpose of God's law? I read to you a little early on. Remember Romans 10, verse 4? The end of the law. Let's go back to it. Romans 10, verse 4? Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. The end of the law is for us to have that law written in our minds and our hearts, which is the character of God, the Father, which is also the character of Jesus Christ. And it is written in our minds through God's Holy Spirit. So the law reflects or reveals the character of God. So the law has basically got two purposes. One, I could call it negative. It shows what is sin. And the other is positive. And the other is positive. That shows what we need to put on God's love.

You see, God is love and the law is love. You know that from 1 John 4, verse 7 and 8? You know, God is love. And God gave us His Spirit for obedience. God's given His Spirit so we could obey. You know what? God given His Spirit that you and I can think about, can reflect. Reflect is like in a mirror. You know, you reflect the character of God. You see, so God is working in you and I to help us change our nature from carnal mind, human nature, to divine nature. And you see, there is a role, an important role that the Father has. He loves us. He called us. A role that Christ has, He's paid for our sins and is our defensive turning. And an extremely important role that the Holy Spirit has, which is the power of God, which is the nature of God. Well, put it in modern terminology. He's the DNA of God.

It's God's DNA in us, God's spiritual DNA in us that makes us become like God. That's why we are children of God today, because we got the DNA of God as a guarantee. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come.

So God's law reveal the character of God and God's Holy Days reflect or reveal God's plan. How He's going to bring that onto the whole of mankind.

And you know, we've just completed trumpets, and then we know that there will be the resurrection, and we'll be given immortality, just like Christ now has immortality.

And then we know at that time, the kingdoms of this world will be destroyed. You know that from Revelation 11, verse 15. Revelation 11, verse 15. Revelation 11, verse 15.

And it's the seventh angel. That's the last trumpet. That is Christ coming. The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord. And as I mentioned before, let me just say it again. The kingdoms here are in the singular. It's the Greek word, basileia, Greek, which is in singular, which is the kingdom, the royal kingdom. Because the God of the swole in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, which has blinded mankind from the glory of Christ. That from that moment, Christ is now going to take over the reins of the world. And therefore, it's going to be as we read here at the end of verse 15 in Revelation 11. And it says, those kingdoms have now become the kingdoms of our Lord. That means the kingdom of God and of Christ. Because God is going to rule on earth through Christ. And so we know there's going to be a world government. And that is our only hope. And we know that He's going to destroy the armies and all that. And you can read a little bit more about that in Zechariah 14. Those armies, their eyes and their tongues will just be obliterated. And then it says, from their own words, everybody will keep the Feast of Tabernacles. They don't, I, because there will be a few little challenges for them. You know that. I don't have to go there.

But God's early days reveal God's plan, how He is going to bring onto the whole of mankind the opportunity to have God's character. And you and I, at that time, you and I will be revealed as the sons of God. That's the mystery of God that will be revealed. And you and I are going to have the wonderful opportunity to serve. That's why now we are being trained to serve. Even when we don't feel like, even when it's hard, even when it's a sacrifice.

But we are being trained to serve. And so we can see that God is revealing us this great plan, how He is going to put His character, His law in everyone's mind. How He's going to do that miraculously in two stages, individually symbolized by the spring holidays. And at a worldwide level, how He's going to take over the government of these nations and implement that across the whole world.

And so God's laws reveal God's character. The law is not done away. That is one of the most subtle, deceitful lies of this Christian, Protestant, evangelical world. It's a tannic. It's an abomination before God to say that God's character is done away. Because that's what it's saying.

And so God has a wonderful plan for you and I. For us to be of Christ and for us to be considered to reign with Him.

Not only in the millennium, angering, but in the new heaven and the new earth forever. You and I have been blessed to be in the top echelon of God's government, figuratively in the cabinet of God's eternal government, not only in the millennium, but into eternity. That you and I cannot even begin to comprehend what the new heaven and new earth will be.

But you and I have a little time. Time is short. Very little time.

And you and I have to be developing God's holy, righteous character, which reflects God's laws and God's commandments. We've got to do that today.