God's Purpose for Humanity

Anything spurred from the Galatians 4 there? It's a pretty powerful illustration that Paul put forth regarding our fundamental belief. Those of you who came in later in life, came to the truth called by God later in life, what did you think was your purpose prior? Did you have an understanding or did they teach that you were actually joining God's family? Or did you have some other idea of what would happen after death? Yes, Dawn. So she thought it would be blasphemy to say that you would be in the God's family. Very, very interesting. And blasphemy is one of the charges made to Jesus Christ when he said, I am the Son of God. Yeah, that's good. Anything else? I wonder... You know, you've got to think at some point in the end time, I was talking about Daniel for so many months there. In the end time, we will be charged with something. And I wonder if blasphemy might be one of the charges that's laid against us when our teaching is brought forth that we teach that we're actually going to become part of the God family. You know, could that be one of the things that they attach to us to stir up those to come after us, you know, in those things? Yeah, that's something to think about. So we have to know how to explain this. We have to have some logical progression as to how to defend our understanding. And we're going to talk about a little bit today about even something that's potentially even more blasphemous in their eyes than even just saying that we're going to join God's family. And we're going to talk about one of those blasphemous things. If you look at the Bible, if I were to ask you all to write down why you think the Bible was written, what is the main aspect of the Bible that God was looking to get across to us here on earth? I think we get various answers, of course, but I think we might land on this fundamental belief where the reason this is written is that God, through Jesus Christ, wanted to reveal to us our ultimate purpose. And we are to join the God family. That's the reason this is written. Could we say that that's one of the main things as to why the Bible was written is to reveal this purpose to us? So this fundamental belief is a huge one. It's a really big one, and it's just in time for the fall holy days and the conclusion of God's plan as pictured in the holy days.

But we do see from the beginning that creation is a major topic, physical creation, and we know that there's a spiritual creation. But through Adam, we had this physical creation, and according to Scripture, Adam is our parent, in a way. Adam and Eve, we all are descendants from Adam and Eve. And did you know that the Bible actually says that God is the parent of Adam?

On a physical creation basis, I want to show you this to begin with. So let's turn to Luke 3 verse 38. I just want to look at this very briefly to help us know the Scriptures so that we might need to defend this in the future. And so you've got to know somewhere logically to start in this process. And we're going to go through several scriptures for you to put in your memory bank to help in this defense of this belief because it can be in their eyes a very blasphemous belief. So Luke 3 verse 38, I just want you to see this.

Adam, interestingly, was according to his heritage. Let's see, was the Son of God. And this can be found in Luke 3 verse 38. Look at this for a moment. Luke 3 verse 38, you'll see that this is the genealogy of Jesus Christ. So it's going through the genealogy of Jesus Christ all through the end of chapter 3.

And you'll notice at the end, I want you to show you this. So it's going all the way to Adam. So it says there in verse 38, so it goes through all the Son of, Son of, Son of, the Son of Seth. You'll see the Son of Adam. And who is Adam? He is the Son of God. See, it says there. So we are all children of God. God is our Father, even by physical creation. Interesting to think about.

So He's our Father, even by physical creation. But God's purpose is far greater than just creating sons and daughters solely on this physical plane. For God to go through all of this, create sons and daughters that are temporary and perishable. And that's it. It doesn't make much logical sense that that would be the case. And that God had a much greater plan and purpose than just creation of physical, temporary, perishable sons and daughters.

So the fundamental belief is this. Let's turn to our fundamental belief handout. We're going to read the first paragraph here. Statement number 16. Here it is. We believe God's purpose for mankind is to prepare those whom He calls, and who elect through a life of overcoming sin, developing righteous character, and growing in grace and knowledge, to possess God's kingdom and to become kings and priests reigning with Christ at His return.

We believe that the reason for mankind's existence is literally to be born as spirit beings into the family of God. That's a major statement there that we're going to try to flush out here. So God is going through a process of creating His own spiritual children who will be incorruptible, children who will receive eternal life and have His divine character.

The transformation starts with repentance and baptism. That's just how it starts. Because at Jesus Christ returns, it'll be followed by a change into literal spirit beings with eternal life, joining the God family in immortality. And there's scriptures of this all throughout the Bible. We won't turn here, but Romans 8 is one of the major chapters that really displays this. Romans 8 verse 19 says, For the earnest expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

So Romans 8 verse 19, you have this picture of creation eagerly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. So you have that imagery there. So when we will be ultimately revealed as the Son of God at Christ's return, the creation eagerly awaits that. So this understanding goes far beyond God merely being our Father by physical creation. I want to turn to one passage of Scripture. It's Hebrews 2, if you will, and see more. I love the way it's put here in Christ's words in Hebrews 2. But we know that Paul would continue to write, and the Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit, that we are children and heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

They will be glorified together, who God's created in a spiritual family. And here in Hebrews 2 verse 10 and 11, I want you to see how Christ's words in this passage are.

So Christ wants to share his sonship with us, his sonship with the Father. Hebrews 2 verse 10 through 11, he says, For it was fitting for him, Jesus, for whom in all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings, for both he, Christ, who sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified, that's us, are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren. And Christ said to his father here, verse 12, saying, I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to you. Again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Christ says, here I am in the children whom God has given me. So Paul is saying God's purpose is bringing many sons to glory. And he's in the process of verse 11 sanctifying those, those who God is talking about, Christ is talking about us, those being sanctified. He says, I will call them brethren. The one translation says that Christ says we are all of the same family. So Christ is speaking to his father here, and he says, I will declare your name, Father, to my brethren. And in the midst of the assembly, I will sing praises to you. And now again, I will put my trust in him. And Christ proclaims, and you have this picture. Christ says, here I am in the children whom God has given me. There's this wonderful picture almost like Christ, the first born, the first son, standing, and all of us sons and daughters are behind him. And he's coming to the Father. And he says, here I am in all of my brothers and sisters whom you gave me. This is the wonderful picture that we'll be evoking in the Feast of Tabernacles. Those of the first of the first born, Christ and the first fruits, and eventually God's will is that everyone will stand with Christ in this way.

So Christ was not shy in proclaiming himself as the Son of God.

And that's where this blasphemy comes in. So one of the most intense things that brought the most intense fire upon Christ was the fact that he said he was the Son of God. And like Don said, they said this is blasphemy. Let's see where the Bible talks about that. John 10 verse 24. Let's turn there. John 10 verse 24. They wanted Jesus Christ to clearly claim, clearly speak about who he was saying he was so that they could turn on him and turn and take him up to seize him here. Look at John 24. And let's read verse the following verses here. John 10 verse 24. This is where the blasphemous charge is recorded when Christ said that he's the Son of God. And see, they even charged Christ with elevating himself. So they even said, you know, it's one thing for us to say that we're going to be part of the family. They were saying, how can you Christ say this? So look what it says. John 10 verse 24. Then the Jews surrounded him. That's Jesus. And they said to him, how long do you keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them. Verse 25. I told you, you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's name. They bear witness of me. But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. This is a very comforting Scripture. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. Here it is. Here's the blasphemous charge that they would hold against in verse 30. Christ said, I and my Father are one. Verse 31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works I have shown you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy and because you, being made a man, make yourself God. So this was the claim and this was the blasphemous charge that they put against him. It's one of the charges that led to his crucifixion here. Any thoughts on that? So they picked up stones to stone him when he made this declaration.

I wonder if this is going to be a charge against us in the end? Because, incredibly, that wasn't enough for Christ. Amazingly, he continues. And if you think they weren't mad at this time, just wait. Christ was saying he was the Son of God. He was one with the Father. And then look at what he said next, verse 34. This really got him going. Verse 34, Jesus answered them and says, Is it not written in your law? I said, You are God's. He says, he looks to them and says, Is it not written in your law? I said, You are God's. Continuing in verse 35. If he called them gods to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him who the Father sanctified and sent into the world, you are blasphemy, because I said, I am the Son of God. If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do, though you do not believe me, believe the works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Verse 39, Therefore they sought again to seize him, but he escaped out of their hand. So this is an amazing claim here by Jesus Christ. It was one thing to say that he was the Son of God, but then he turns to them and says, Is it not written that I said you are gods? And he's taking Old Testament Scripture, Scripture they would be very familiar with, and he's turning around on them in this way here. He quoted here from an Old Testament verse that says that you and I, we are all human beings, you are gods. That's a shocking claim. Are human beings actually gods?

What did Christ mean? So it almost feels a little bit more comfortable to say we're going to be born into the family of God. It feels a little bit more uncomfortable to say that we are to become gods. Actually, we become gods in the God family. Keep your marker here, but Christ is quoting from Psalms 82. Let's turn there for a moment. Psalms 82 and verse 6.

This is a big revelation, something we should understand.

It goes right in line with all that we've studied today, all that Scripture speaks about, our destiny, our future. But this is a scandalous, blasphemous claim to many in society. Psalm 82 and verse 6. Here's where Jesus was quoting from. And again, the accusers would be very familiar with this. Notice that clearly Scripture teaches God says to human beings. Psalm 82 verse 6. I said, you are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.

So God often speaks about future things as if they are today. You notice that when you go through the book of Daniel, he speaks of the future as if it is today. He often does that. So this is the destiny. This is the purpose. This is God's reason why he created men and women.

You are gods, and all of you, your destiny, if you fulfill the will of God, are going to be the children of the Most High. The Hebrew word here for gods is Elohim. We know that word. It literally means gods. So it's really difficult to get around this Scripture, but many have tried. Because when you don't have this belief, and you'll notice about other incorrect doctrines, when you start off with one incorrect doctrine, you've got to keep making adjustments as the Scripture confronts your false doctrine. So this doctrine that we are actually supposed to become part of God's family, become sons and daughters, become gods.

If you don't have that belief, that truth, you've got to start making adjustments to Scriptures. So if you turn back to John 10, verse 34, one of the things that they combat this with is they say, oh, that word gods, it doesn't actually mean gods, it means judges, they say. This is one of the main arguments here of this Scripture, and they try to get around it. So John 10, verse 34, they say judges, the word judges, should be in place with the word God. Here, but here in John 10, verse 34, the Greek word is theo'i, t-h-e-o-i, t-h-e-o-i, and it literally means gods. But they can take up some obscure translations and make it say judges. So let's just go on that journey for a moment. Let's say it is judges and it's a misinterpretation here of words. If we substitute judges in place of gods, it doesn't make any sense. It's out of context. So John 10, verse 34, if we were to read it, that it's supposed to be the word judges instead of gods, this is how it would sound. John 10, verse 34, Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, you are judges. If he called them judges, to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, that you're blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God? So he wasn't saying, if Scripture called them judges, why are you upset that I claim to be the Son of God? That doesn't make sense, does it? It can only be rendered gods for it to have the logical flow and for it to logically follow here. So don't get caught up in someone saying that, no, that word means judges. You're not actually supposed to become gods. That's blasphemous, you know, they will say. But whether they say that or not, this is our destiny. And again, you have to know your destiny. You have to have that clear so that you can stay on the right path. If you are incorrect in knowing where you're going, you won't get there. Our purpose is to become actual sons and daughters, be born into the God family, to become gods. Gods with God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. Are we on the same level as God, the Father, and Jesus Christ? No, they will always be superior. But we will be gods. We will be part of the God family. The way we've explained it in the past, it's like a last name, you know. You have the Smiths, the Leadbedders, and part of that family is these individual members, myself, Jennifer, Kate, and Grayson. We're all part of the Leadbedder family. It can be explained that way.

How should we understand that? This. Let's make this clear. Can human beings legitimately be referred to as gods? Well, if you ask that, first we understand that at the beginning, God's family consisted of two beings, God and the Word. John 1. John 1, 1. God, the Father, and the Word. In the beginning, the Word became a physical human being as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. After his human life and death, he was resurrected to a divine existence. He sits at the right hand of God. He was the firstborn from the dead. It's Colossians 1, firstborn of the dead, the first son, the firstborn of the dead. The Bible tells us that he was the first with many more children to come. Romans 8 verse 28 again, he chose them to become like his son so that his son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. So Christ is sharing his sonship with us. That's status. That's Romans 8, 29.

So God's Word is clear. Jesus was spiritually born in a resurrection as the first of many children to follow later. That's God's plan. God's plan was to add many children to his divine, eternal family. Any thoughts on that? That's pretty awesome, isn't it? So we don't want to diminish our role. God is working out something incredible here on earth. One more scripture that you can write down is Acts 17 verse 28. It says that we are also his offspring. Acts 17 verse 28. But we are also his offspring. So think about it that way. If you're having trouble putting your mind around this and how you would defend this truth, we've been referred to as offspring in the Bible. We are his offspring. We're God's offspring. So if you've been in the church a while, you know this example. Like an animal that bears offspring, we know that offspring are the same kind of animal. Do cats produce dogs? No. Cats produce cats. Dogs produce dogs. Well, what would be the offspring of God? Gods. We're part of the God family. God's offspring will ultimately become gods. Amazingly, God intends to exalt us from this mortal existence to the same level of the spiritual existence that he has. God has designed a process of spiritual reproduction in which God fathers us as spiritual children. Again, God the Father, Jesus Christ, will always be exalted. They will always be primary. They will always be whatever word I can think of in magnificence above us. But that doesn't diminish the fact that we will be part of his family.

Again, Romans 8. If you want to go back and study a chapter on all this, Romans 8 is a good one. I'll quote you Romans 8, verse 16. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. We are partakers of the divine nature. So today, a child of God is a Spirit begotten Christian. You could say that we're an actual family or actual member of the family of God.

We're not finished yet. We know that there's still a development process that we go through in this life. In the end, at Christ's return, true sons and daughters will be resurrected, changed into divine spirit beings to be like the Father and Jesus Christ, human beings becoming a full-fledged spiritual member of God's family. This is awesome. I have to fight the idea that this is what everybody thinks. I was raised in the church. This is all I've known. It's becoming so much more impactful to me these days. But it's kind of old hat in a way because I've always heard this. But we know that there are so many men and women that don't have this purpose. That's why we preach the gospel. This is what we want to preach. If you want to lead with anything, this is what you want to lead with because you have to give them a taste of their purpose. You have to let them know what their purpose here on earth is. It has to start with that. Let's turn to 1 John 3 verse 2. I think this is a good summary scripture. When you see this, the scriptures just open up to you with all this. This is God's purpose for mankind. The final prayer of Christ before His crucifixion. God, I want to share the glory that we have. I want to share it with them. You begin to see scriptures with more clarity when this is in your scope of our true purpose. This is what we're going to be observing in the Feast of Tabernacles coming up that day when we will move into that final spiritual maturity and we'll be transformed at Christ's return and we'll usher in that millennial period. The trumpets are a great meaning, atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the time in which we are living with God the Father and Jesus Christ and have fulfilled our ultimate destiny. So 1 John 3 verse 2. Here's a good summary statement for us today. 1 John 3 verse 2, Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, when Christ returns, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. So there's so much we don't know. The psalm is just wonderful to think about as we make this conversion. Those who are at Christ's return, those who sleep, those who are awake will be converted at that time to meet Christ. So there's so much we don't know we have not been yet revealed what we shall be. There's so much there, but we know today we're the Son of God and the Daughter of God. So I hope you acknowledge that. Again, it helps me to remind myself who I am. Start there and it really can help focus yourself in fulfilling all that a son or daughter needs to fulfill in this lifetime. Any parting questions or thoughts that come up? Yes, Janine.

So we love them, but ultimately they choose at some point whether or not to own our family name. So you can be honored or dishonored to it. And some families have to just own their children. And so to me that's very frustrating and other things are a lot different in our responsibilities as a child.

Also I do not like speaking up as student-at-tale Wahwah. Yeah, so it's not always a sign... once a sign, always a sign. Can't say that. You can bring dishonor to the family. I like that. And we have to honor this family name that we have now been brought into.

Yeah.

I don't know for so long if we really talked about proper motivation as to why we do what we do and make the sacrifices we do. I think for so long the motivation was making it into the place of safety or wherever that might be. Making it. But if you look at our motivation being, you know, God's done so much for me that I can be called the Son of God now. My motivation is I want to honor His name. I want to bring shame. And so if my behavior is not living up to honoring that name, it just crushes you. And so you go to the Father and say, forgive me. Help me honor your name better. You know, that's the motivation that we should have. We're responding to love, incredible love, being brought into His family. He knew us. He's known us so that we can know Him.

Any other thoughts? Yes, Howard? The closest earth would tear a love from a place. If you're a state, a child without a home, or a child with a child, and then someone from America stops you, has a whole future ahead of you. You hate on your father's name. You don't go back to it all the way because the future is so wide over you that you care about your love. Yep.

Yep. And some have said that I'm okay with the adoption analogy. Some say that interpretation is a little bit off in that human... and all analogies break down sometimes, but human adoption, the child is adopted from someone that wasn't originally their father. But we know that God was originally our father. All the mankind, even in physical creation, He's our father. So it's even more in depth. He's redeeming us. He's bringing back the lost son or daughter and bringing them back into this relationship, this intimacy, giving them unlimited resources, giving them all that they need to reach maturity so that we can don some new togas. Maybe. I don't know why that image of mine... that image has stuck with me. So if you'd bring out the togas... no. But clothing is a symbolic thing in the Bible too, where we put on white garments. So God is so awesome. All of it relates everything in our physical life, like Janan is saying. Like you said, we have this physical... if you're having trouble understanding a concept, bring it down to the physical. Think about how you feel and how you respond to your children. That can sometimes help us relate to what God is doing.

Yeah, but man, what an opportunity we've been brought into to become sons and daughters, heirs of an inheritance that's incredible. So that has to drive us and transform us. We're not coming here on Saturdays just because we've always done it. It's a habit. We kind of like each other. Yes, the true, but it's so much more than that. It's so much more than that. We are working out our salvation. We are honoring His name. We are in training. We're allowing God's law and His observances to be wonderful guardians for us and guiding us to maturity. That's why we're doing all of this. We're preparing for that goal, that future. Yes? When I was a baby, if we do what's right, we're going to be the good bride. That's a whole other conversation, too. Yeah, we've really just probably touched the surface of this whole huge discussion. Yeah, the Bride of Christ. Maybe we could talk about that more as Trumpets comes. There are so many aspects to these holy days. It's hard to capture them all, but that's a wonderful analogy and illustration to the Bride of Christ. Yeah, and preparing ourselves to be that Bride for the perfect husband.

I'll have to relate it in a way where the young guys can grab on to that. The Bride analogy.

But that is a powerful one, for sure. Yes? The Bride makes yourself ready. You don't know you're going to be a bride? You have to know you're going to be a bride, or you will make, like I said, a little things to be ready. Every bride knows it's going to be a bride. Yeah, my mind's already firing of all the things that a bride does to be ready, you know, to prepare. These wonderful analogies. All the physical is given to us, so we understand the spiritual. It's awesome.

Yeah, I'll see if I can go somewhere with that in future studies. You can also do those studies at home as well.

What other thoughts do you have?

Well, I hope this hit home. You know, sometimes I think these studies, it's just hitting the same thing. Here's another angle, here's another angle, but it's good. It's good to really get this into our system. I hope you never question, again, who you are, who you are now, and what is to come, because it's a wonderful, it's a wonderful, awesome inheritance. Alright, I guess if you all bow your heads, we'll say a prayer and we'll conclude today.