The Greatest Story In the World

Once upon a time, as young children, mom and dad probably have you sitting on their laps and telling you various stories about once upon a time. And so today, I want to talk about a story, how to call it the greatest story in the world.

Once upon a time, there were two beings all alone by themselves, and they had a great sense and desire of fellowship among equals. To be social, to be kind, to share moments of joy and happiness, and to be able to give and help. And so, they decided to make people in their likeness an image, to ultimately mature to be the sons and daughters of God. So turn with me to Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, and 27.

And it says, and then God said, let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them, that's human beings that they're going to make, have dominion over the fishes of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the capital, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

And so God created man in his own image, in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them. So, the ultimate goal of God is that you and I are to be beings, like he is of the same kind, and that we not only are of that same kind of beings, today we are a kind of physical, but we are to be spirit beings. He wants us to learn to think, and to have the attitude and the desire to serve an outgoing love. As we heard in the sermon, that we don't grow wary of doing good. And he wants that desire of doing good that they have, that we as free moral agents do also choose freely to imitate them and to be like them.

And so, he gave Adam and Eve, as we can read in Genesis 2 verse 9. He gave Adam and Eve a choice of two trees. And he can read the animal of verse 9. He says, the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Two trees that were symbolic of a choice that they had to make, which are symbolic of a choice that you and I have to make every day in every action that we do. One is the tree of life, symbolizing, amongst other things, the gift, the free gift of God's Holy Spirit. And therefore, that through that, we have God's revealed spiritual knowledge of what is good and what is evil.

And therefore, it's only possible through the guiding hand and help of God's power, God's Spirit, that we can actually live up to that standard. At the same time, He gave them also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which symbolizes man's self-developed knowledge of good and evil based on human reasoning apart from God.

Human logic, which appears right to man. And by the way, there's nothing wrong with human logic and human reasoning. What is wrong with it is when it is apart from God, contrary to God. In other words, man had a choice to choose and trust what God says is good and bad. It was a tree of life, trust in God. And therefore, He gives us His Spirit to help us do that. Or not trust God and have our own human reasoning developing for ourselves what is right and what is good.

And that ultimately leads to death. And so we read a bit further in Genesis chapter 3, from verse 1 through verse 6. It's now we read there about the serpent which was Satan and was very cunning. And it says, yeah, the serpent at the end of verse 1, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, to Satan, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it lest you die.

So he knew very well the outcome result over a period of time of touching or eating of the fruit of that tree. Then the serpent, in verse 4, called God a liar, because he said, the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. You can see how his mixed-year truth would lie, because indeed God wants us to be like him. But he decides what's good and evil for us.

Why? Because his laws and his principles are for our own good, because he loves us, his law is the law of love. And so the woman, in verse 6, saw that the tree was good for food, it was a beard good, was pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise.

So she took of his fruit, not believing God, not trusting God, being deceived by Satan, and she also gave her to her husband Adam with her, and he went along with it. So, brethren, we need to remember, as it says in Proverbs 14 verse 12, in Proverbs 14 verse 12, there is something that appears good to man. Proverbs 14 verse 12. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

And you know what we have today? We have the same thing. Our society is full of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. People say today, you listen to the news, you listen to commentaries, you listen to whatever, you listen to, you watch Facebook or media or whatever it is, and it says, you're consenting adults. Nobody's gonna get hurt. You can decide, or if I did it to him, or if he did it to me, I can do it to him as well. Let me do it first, so I don't lose out. Or, competition is good. It is healthy for business. We see this full of these ideas the society is today. Full of ideas that are not according to the law of love, not according to the tree of life. And so, the tree of life gave us access, or gave us access, which symbolically giving access to God's Holy Spirit. And what is the fruit of God's Holy Spirit? We turn to Galatians 5, verse 22 and 23. Galatians 5, verse 22 and 23. It says, but the fruit of the Spirit. Let's pay attention that it is the word singular. It's not the fruits, it's the fruit. So, the fruit of the Spirit has many attributes. Just like a peach has many attributes. It's got colors, it's got tights, it's got a sense, a certain sense to touch. So is a grape. So is some of the fruit that you can see on an apple or a banana. They have certain attributes, certain appearances, certain tastes. But it's still a banana is a banana. An apple is an apple. God's Holy Spirit bears those characteristics of that fruit, which are out of concern, godly love. As we read in verse 22. Joy, particularly inner joy. A joy that even though you and I go through unbelievable trials, we still have joy and peace of mind. Yeah, you and I can go through horrible difficulties, but we can still have peace of mind. And then those, in a sense, are characteristics, but there are many others. Like dealing with people, particularly with difficult people. You have three interesting characteristics about interacting with people that give us challenges. Like we are in the sermonette, not being wary of doing good. That is, long suffering. That means patient. That means just sticking to it, patiently, by being kind. When they're not kind to us, by being good. When they're not good to us. And then we got three other characteristics, which are more like the inner core. The inner core of the fruit, the inner characteristics of us, which are faithfulness. That inside us, we are faithful. Our word is our word. And that's it. We are committed. We are faithful. Gentleness, which could be also translated as meekness, which is that humble spirit of teacherability, of malleability, like the clay in a potter's hand. Those are inner characteristics. And last but not least, self-control, self-discipline. So, the fruit of God's Holy Spirit has all these nine characteristics.

Now, granted, it bears fruits by the actions. It bears fruits in actions to other people. But internally, you and I need to be loving, need to have a sense of joy, we need to have a sense of peace, we need to be kind, long-suffering, good, we need to be faithful, we need to be teachable, and we need to be or have self-control. That's the fruit. It's one fruit. But that fruit in us produces other fruits in actions. But mankind, without God's Holy Spirit, what is it? Without what the tree of life symbolizes, what is mankind? Mankind is selfish, is twisted, is greedy. And so, and what do we see? Adam and Eve, basically representing you and I, decided to say, Cheers, God! I don't trust you. I'll do it my own way. I'll do it my own way. And God, in return, says, okay Adam, you made that decision for mankind. You've rejected God as the source of knowledge. You've rejected God's power as a free gift, which symbolizes by the tree, in other words, the Holy Spirit, that will help you to love, that will give you the power of sanctification of the Spirit to love and practice and do what's right. You, Adam and Eve, you mankind, us human beings, we do that every day. We often choose the wrong tree in our actions and our deeds. So, we, God is telling us, we, you, mankind, we have chosen the way of get, the way of fighting, the way of arguing, the way of being irate, the way of saying words that are unkind, the way of competing like Satan. Therefore, God says, I'm giving you 6,000 years to rub your nose in the mud and really get a good working of it. And at the end of that, Christ will come to Messiah to bring peace on earth. Except for the few, in the meantime, that God is calling for a special purpose to prepare for that millennium, the 7,000 years. So, God is saying, mankind, go for it! Produce your own technology, your own science. Or, as the Bible says, in many cases, falsely called science. Decide for yourself your own education, your own way of business, your own financial system, because it's corrupt. You see, brethren, we live in Babylon. This all is man's way. It's Babylon, the great. Develop your own ways of farming. Develop your own ways of having TV, of parental control, because it's full of violence and nudity and filthy language. Develop your own sports, full of the spirit of competition. Your own society, your own human rights, your own woman rights, your own children rights. Yes, God is saying, man, woman, mankind, decide for yourself what is right and wrong. In other words, explore that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You decide what is right and wrong.

Because you'll see. That will cause suffering, pain and death.

Try everything under the sun. Don't leave anything untried. So that you can't say, well, had I had enough time, I would have worked it out. Because you would have had plenty of time. And not only you, but generation after generation after generation, you would have tried everything. In fact, God will say, I'll have to slow you down occasionally. Like, I'll have to give you a flood now and again, a flood, to slow you down. Or I'll give you different languages, so that you can't communicate with one another so easily, so it slows you down.

Why? Otherwise, you would have blown planet Earth before the 6000 years would be over.

But God says, I'll be merciful.

I'll be merciful.

I will allow you to write your own history and prove beyond a shadow of doubt through your own historical proof evidence that your self-developed way of self, of guilt, of pride of life, of greed, of competition, will only bring misery to you and your children. Unappiness and death.

And I think, brethren, we're witnessing that today.

We have no excuse.

We still have a few more things to try and they'll be pretty dangerous, what we've seen. I mean, just see what's happening in nations and I don't want to get into what specifics. There are many specific things in the last week you're watching the news that are just mind-boggling. But at the end of 6000 years, God says, I'll send my son, Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, to intervene on the world of earth, to bring peace on earth, to rule with a rod of iron.

But also with mercy and love in kindness. The rod of iron to those that are wicked and rebels, but mercy and love in kindness to those that are submissive and willing to turn. I will, at the same time, resurrect those few that have been called, chosen and faithful till the end. I'll establish the rule of the kingdom of God on earth and that's why we say in a Margo prayer, Let thy kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God says, I will then restore all things. You will then appreciate the free gift of the Tree of Life, which is symbolized by God's Holy Spirit. You'll appreciate the power of God's Holy Spirit. You'll appreciate the individual blessings that come from knowing the true spiritual knowledge of good and evil that I have revealed to you and that you have rejected. Then you'll appreciate the power of God's Holy Spirit, the help that you will receive to do right and wrong.

But God does everything in order. God worked first with first Adam, representing mankind, and his decision sealed the thoughts, attitudes, the drives of mankind from there onwards. But even though Adam cut himself from God, God did not cut himself from man. Man cut himself from God of his own choice, of his own sins. They rejected God. They rejected God's grace. They don't know by God.

And they did not have faith that what God said was true. It's true. So Adam and Eve did not trust in faith, in God's words, about the Tree of Life, which symbolizes God's Holy Spirit. And as true children of Adam, we today, mankind, do the same thing. We don't believe God and we do not obey God. Because we don't believe in what he says, we don't have the trust and the faith to do what he says. And you see, because God did not cut himself from mankind, he's been calling out of the smiths a few people, of which you and I are blessed to be part of, in the hope that we will respond. And yes, many have been called. Particularly in the position I am with the work in the Portuguese language, I see so many people get and start getting it, and then afterwards they don't respond. So many people. It's the majority of them. So many are called, but few are chosen. Few respond, and therefore if they don't respond, how can they be chosen? But if we choose to respond to God, having the faith to believe what God says, and if you believe, you do. Because always, behind the word believe, see the word do. If you believe in somebody, you're going to do what that person says. And so when we respond, we therefore are chosen. We are selected by God. And once we have chosen being selected by God, we have to not be wary of well-doing. We have to keep going, and be faithful to the end. Because it says those who will be with Him at the end will be called, chosen, and faithful. Now throughout the history of mankind, very few have responded. I mean, before the time of Noah. Maybe just a few. Maybe Seth, maybe Abel and Seth, maybe Methuselah, maybe one or another that we might not know. And then there was Noah, and then there was Abram. You can see we are now talking about two thousand years of man's history, and only a handful of people. You saw that Noah preached to the whole society, and nobody believed him. Nobody. He and his family of another seven or a total of eight were saved, but nobody believed in what he said. And then we get to the point of Abram. And to Abram, he was, in a sense, the first one that as a family man, he led his family to do Antwerpite. And look at Genesis chapter 12. Genesis chapter 12. And that's why he is the father of the Phipho, because he led his family. Granted, subsequent his family have been very disobedient and rebels. But those initial ones were Phipho, Abram, Asach, and Jacob. And so we read in Genesis 12, 1 through 3, he says, And now the Lord had said to Abram, Get out of your country from your own family and from your father's house to a land that I'll show you. And now, and what do you see? You see that Abram believed God. He trusted God. He said, I'm going to do what God tells me to do. And therefore, he has the promise. Verse 2. The first promise, it's a physical reward. A physical, national promise. Look at it. I'll make you a great nation. I'll bless you. I'll make your name great. And you shall be a blessing.

That's a physical, national promise. Secondly, there's a spiritual promise that comes, well, still under the physical, says, I'll bless those who bless you and I'll curse him who curses you. But and, and then Yah is the spiritual promise that says, In you, in his descendant, which is Christ, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. That is a spiritual promise that through is the sent Christ, the Son of God. All the families of the earth shall be blessed. So indeed, these are lights at a promise. They signed a covenant and they said, we will do. You read that in Deuteronomy 5. Yeah, we will do. Everything you said will do. Did they do? No.

They disobeyed and they were rebels. But when he gave them that covenant and he gave them a symbol of an heavenly tabernacle, which they built physically, but that was only a metaphor or an example of the heavenly. Read with me in Hebrews chapter 8. Hebrews chapter 8.

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 5. It says, yeah, these heavenly things who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things. These things that he made them do, the tabernacle, all these things, are only a copy, a metaphor, a symbolism. Because it says, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. God gave them a pattern, a model, like something for them to do like a play model, but it wasn't a play, to play. But it's just like a model, a symbolism, an image of the heavenly, of the spiritual, of the eternal. For us to understand a number of things. And he also where to do certain offerings. Look at Hebrews chapter 9 verse 9 and 10. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 9 and 10. It was symbolic. It was a metaphor, it was a symbol pointed to, for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who perform the service perfect in regard to conscience. Those things were only symbolic of something much bigger. Verse 10, concerned only with foods and drinks and various washings, and fleshly ordinance imposed until the time of Reformation, which is when Christ came, as we read in verse 11. Christ came and that a change to a new covenant, to a new agreement. And so, all those things pointed to Jesus Christ. And indeed a number of them pointed to the power of God's Holy Spirit. So, those examples, these metaphor, symbolism, pointed to Christ, what he did for us, as our Savior, as our Redeemer, and to the power of God's Holy Spirit through which we are sanctified.

And he also gave them things like God's holidays, that pointed to God's plan.

But as we've seen, and we just have to look at history, the Israelites at the national level failed horribly. They failed horribly. They are an example in history of a nation that had everything going for them. They had God going for them, and they messed it up. They failed.

Did they believe to obedience? No. So, why Israel? What is the purpose of Israel?

Herbert W. Armstrong in the book, Mystery of the Ages, purpose of Israel, on page 160, quotes, and I quote here, says, it is true that the nation of Israel was God's chosen people. They were not chosen as teachers' pet, nor for special fibers. They were chosen for a special purpose, preparatory to the ultimate establishment of the kingdom of God.

But you know, brethren, they failed.

But in the world tomorrow, they will still have that job to do. They'll still have to do that job to do. Why have they failed? Why did they fail? Why does mankind fail?

Why mankind says, well, given enough knowledge, I'll solve all the problems, and we don't. And he has to listen. He has to listen. The lesson of Israel. You see, they had the best education. They had the best laws, God's laws. They had a healthy genetic life. They were healthy. They had a perfect environment to succeed.

And mankind as a whole cannot say, if we had God's laws, we would have succeeded. Because Israel had God's laws and they failed.

Ah, if we had God's laws, mankind can say to God, or could say to God, you never gave us your laws. That's why we didn't succeed. Well, he gave a nation which was healthy.

He gave them his laws. Genetically, they were over good genes.

So they have no excuse. So what has God proved through Israel?

He has proved that the best of humanity, the best of the genetic code, that man's self-righteous eyes, and all the knowledge in God's ways, and all the laws without God's Holy Spirit. In other words, symbolize the symbolism of the Tree of Life. Without God's Holy Spirit, all of the best of man and human beings cannot solve human problems.

That's the lesson of Israel.

But God, as it says, He'll make out of the weak, out of the frail.

To embarrass those that are wise, as we read in 1 Corinthians, He will make them bright. Because God will use the weak and the frail with the power of God's Holy Spirit to succeed. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit. That is the key. That is the ingredient. That is the key to ultimate success, God's Holy Spirit.

Any ruler, any government, any nation, any political party, whatever political party you are, Democrat, Republican, or whatever it is, cannot solve our national and worldwide problems.

None.

None.

Because they're on half God's Holy Spirit. Simple. You know, we've got to be careful, brethren, when we start taking sides on certain things. Be careful. Because the only side you and I can take to success, to resolve the world's problems, it's God's side. And it's His government. It's the Kingdom of God.

The only one who's going to solve this world's problems, the only one who's going to solve this nation's problems, thank God, He's coming.

And it's not soon enough. That's our only hope, brethren. So please, let's not get political thinking about this party or that party, because they all will fight.

Because... all our righteousness, whichever party it is, it's like filthy rags before God. Read with me in Isaiah 64 verse 6. Isaiah 64 verse 6. Isaiah 64 verse 6. But we are all, whatever political party, whatever government, elected or non-elected, whatever it may be, we all like an unclean thing. And all our righteousness are like filthy rags. We fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. Yes, many human beings, many people, are good people. I'm not disputing that. Many people have very kind, loving deeds and actions.

And many of you could say, well, they're good Christians. Surely God is working with them.

Not necessarily. Not necessarily. Because the human spirit has good and evil.

Yes, in due time, they will be rewarded for their good deeds. Yes, every man will be rewarded according to their works.

But without God's Holy Spirit, man or woman, without the free gift which is symbolized, which is the symbol of the Tree of Life, the free gift of the Spirit of God, within that person. That person cannot, cannot understand God's righteousness. You see, we're talking about God's righteousness, not your own, as we read here in verse 6. Our righteousness, our self-righteousness. We're talking about God's righteousness, which, as we read in Romans, was imputed on Abraham and can be imputed on us. You see, in that, God's righteousness comes through the power of God's Holy Spirit. And God's Holy Spirit is poured in our hearts because it's a spirit of outgoing concern and love. Look at Romans 5 verse 5. Romans 5 verse 5. It reads, Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The Holy Spirit which is given to us, the power of God symbolized by that Tree of Life, pause in us. It's like the sap on a tree that makes a tree fly. It's that power, that energy that is given to us from God, which gives us genuine, godly love. We read in Deuteronomy 5 when they said, Yeah, will obey, obey. And God said, Oh, that we're such a heart in them.

You read that thing. Verse 29, 27, 28, and 29. Deuteronomy 5.

They did not have that heart because they did not have God's Holy Spirit.

And brethren, let us be careful. Let us be careful.

Because there are many that fake it.

Fake it.

Look at Christ's words in Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7.

Start reading in verse 14. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way, which leads to life. And there are many, and there are few who find it. You see, there are many that say, Well, you know, it's easy. Come, we'll give your heart to the Lord and whatever.

Look at verse 15. Beware of false prophets. Beware of false ministers. Beware of false pastors. Pastors. Man that come to you and says, I'm a man of the cloth.

Who come to you in sheep's clothing. But inwardly, they are ravenous wolves. It's not my words, it's Christ's. And you'll know them by their fruits. You see, indeed, God's Holy Spirit is a fruit that's got all these attributes and these characteristics. But we have to produce good fruits. And then that's why at the end of that section in verse 20, it says, Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Beware, there'll be many that'll come and try and deceive us.

And it says, there'll be a time they'll come. There'll be great deception in the world. Great deception!

People are saying, but he's such a nice person. He's such a lovely man, a lovely woman.

Beware, they come to you in sheep's clothing. Look at verse 21. Nor everyone that says to me, Jesus, Jesus, give your heart to the Lord, Jesus, Jesus, shall enter the kingdom of God. But he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Or they say, no, no, I don't believe in the Ten Commandments, I believe in the commandments of Jesus. What is it that says, who does the will of my Father in heaven?

Or they'll say to me, but Lord, we have prophesied, we have preached, we've declared wonderful things of you, like a teacher, like a professor, prophesied in your name. We have done cost up demons. We've done miracles in your name.

And you know what Christ will then say to them?

I never knew you. Depart from me who, you, who practice lawlessness, you that break God's Ten Commandments, God's spiritual principles. Brethren, we must practice the law, because the law is God's love. The law is nothing else than God's love.

And so, these are the lights we're given the law. As you know, as tradition goes, they received the law on Mount Sinai on the day of Pentecost.

And as you know, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given that wrote the law, not on tablets of stone, like on the day of Pentecost originally, but writes the law in our hearts and minds. These are the lights we're given the law. But it was not written in their hearts, was written in tables of stone.

They did not obey, because they did not have God's free gift of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because they rejected it. Adam and Eve was given it, and they walked away from it in the Tree of Life. And mankind has done it all the long-sales.

The Jewish people, not criticizing them, but I'm just saying, today they do not have access to God's Holy Spirit, unless they called. John 6, 44. Nobody can come to me unless you called. Look at Romans 11. Paul says, I wish that you all would be saved, but because of the hardness of their heart, they've been blinded. They're blinded today.

So they do not have access to the power to please God. Yes, they have the law, but they do not have the power, the Tree of Life, to obey, to please God. And not only that, they also rejected the Savior, which is Jesus Christ. So, let me repeat what I said earlier on.

The Israelites teach us a lesson, and the lesson is that you and I will fail without the power of God. You and I will fail without the power of God. Look with me, please, to 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2.

This is a very important scripture. 1 Corinthians 2. And we're going to read verse 10 and 11.

For God has revealed, in other words, the things that God has prepared for us, them, to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For man, for what man knows the things of man, except the spirit of man, which is in him? In other words, you and I only know the things of man, because God has given us the spirit of man in man to understand the things of man.

You look at Nebuchadnezzar, when the spirit of God was withdrawn from him, I mean the spirit of man was withdrawn from him, he acted like an animal. But when God gave him that spirit back after a certain number of years, then he acted again like a human being. You and I only understand the things of man, because God has given us a spiritual component to the brain, called the spirit of man, to understand the things of man. Likewise, or I'll put it a little bit more on that example, you can't go and talk to an animal, whether it's a monkey or a lion or a tiger or a dog, and start explaining them algebra or maths. They will not get it. I mean, you can try, but they'll not get it, because they don't have the spirit of man.

Likewise, you can go and try and teach the things of God to some person that does not have God's only spirit, because they will not get it. That's what it says, yeah. Even so, no one knows the things of God except the spirit of God. God has to give you God's only spirit, he's got to be around you and be with you, so that you can get it, so you can grasp it, so you can comprehend it.

The Jewish people today do not have God's only spirit. Evangelicals today do not have God's only spirit. Protestants today do not have God's only spirit. Only if you have God's only spirit will you get it.

And only God can break that vicious circle. Only God can take that veil away, because John 6, 44, says, No man can come unto me unless the Father draws in. God has to call us in mercy, and then he has to justify, as makers, just by the faith of Jesus Christ. As we read in Galatians 2, verse 16, says that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. We are made right. We are made just with God, because Christ had the faith, the trust, that the Father would resurrect him. And therefore he gave his life in absolute trust and faith, and he gave his blood for us, because he absolutely trusted that the Father would do it. And that's what makes us right with God. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. But now, as a response to that, a response to be called, a response that Christ has redeemed us, our response is going to be that we gotta live in faith, in living faith. And we have to obey. And as we obey, we are given more of God's Holy Spirit. It's what I call a positive circle. Not a vicious circle, but a positive circle. Because as you obey, as God has called you, and you are given that understanding, and as you then respond, then God, you obey. And Acts 5.32 says, if you obey, God gives you the Spirit to you. And as you obey, then God gives you more of his Spirit, and now you understand the deeper. And as you respond and you obey, you understand the deeper. And you grow in spiritual, you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. But, Colonel Man can't do that. You read that in Romans. Colonel Man can't do that. Why? Because the law of God is enmity against the Colonel Man.

You see, brethren, God's Holy Spirit is the force. It's the power. You know, the children today have these movies that says, the force be with you. The force, the eternal force of life eternal is God's Holy Spirit.

And we have to respond to God and use it. And that force is represented, is given to us, represented by the meaning of the Day of Pentecost that we're celebrating tomorrow. Then, with that, we will be like God. Read with me in 1 John chapter 3. This is a beautiful scripture. 1 John chapter 3.

1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. Let's start reading in verse 1.

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God, that we are His children. And by the way, brethren, your children are like you. Many times they say, well, He looks just like Dad, or He looks just like Mom. You know, they're like you.

Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know Him. They did not know Christ, they didn't understand Him. Verse 2, Beloved, Now we are the children of God. Why? Because we've begotten with the power of God's Holy Spirit. We have been begotten by that divine seed, which we'll talk more about tomorrow. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be.

In other words, we have been begotten, but we're not yet born again as Spirit beings. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be.

But we know that when He is revealed, in other words, we know that when Christ comes, we'll resurrect, we'll be turned from physical to Spirit beings. You read that in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, round about verse 51, 52, 53, around there. And we'll become Spirit beings with a spiritual body. And it says, we shall be like Him.

It literally means like Him, the same kind of being. For we shall see Him as He is. Brethren, you and I cannot see God as God is, because that energy, that power, that brightness will obliterate your physical flesh. But then you'll be a Spirit being, you'll be able to see God as He is. Verse 3, and everyone who has this hope, as we are in the sermon, whoever has this vision, this goal, this memory, keeps this in mind, that helps us not to grow weary. In other words, helps us to be always working on it, to be purified, so that we're going to be like Him, He's pure. Doesn't that excite you? Doesn't that motivate you? And that is only possible by the power of God, by that force that will make that change. That is the guarantee, that's the deposit of that. Look at Romans 8, verse 19 through 23. Romans 8, verse 19 through 23. Romans 8, verse 19 through 23. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Do you know what? The whole creation is a disaster today. Even the creation waits in expectation, in a metaphor, right? For the revealing of the sons of God, because the world will be beautiful, be a utopia, be a garden of Eden, will be a paradise. For the creation was subject to futility, to destruction, not willingly by God, but because of him who subjected to futility in hope, in the hope of the resurrection of mankind being turned into sputtee beans. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation grounds and labors with birth banks together until now. The whole creation. Imagine how beautiful this world will become when we will not be subject to futility. Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of God's Holy Spirit, when we ourselves ground within ourselves eagerly waiting for the sunshine, as it should be translated, the sunshine, the redemption of our body. What beauty it will be! What beauty it will be! In 2002, brethren, I was in South Africa, and I remember there was a South African man living in the UK that spent $20 million to be the first spice tourist. I don't know if you remember that. That's now 20 years ago. He paid $20 million, and he went up into spice as a tourist. And he looked at the Earth from outer spice. His name was Mark Shuffleworth.

And you know what he said when he was out there? He said, it's worth every cent. It is so beautiful. Imagine you're looking at all these planets, etc., but you look at this jewel, the Earth, and he says, it is so beautiful. So, like a lot of many astronauts, the trip gave Shuffleworth a different perspective of the world. Today, in fact, just five years ago, Mark Shuffleworth stated, it is a very small world and a very fragile one, and that is very, very visible from spice. You can really see the mess that we are making of the only spice ship that we all share. It is catastrophically visible.

But thank God Christ is coming and will save us from this mess. But imagine, imagine that as a spirit being with Christ, you'll be able to travel to even greater wonders of the universe. You know, it makes these parks like parks of entertainment and up and down and great cars that go up and down. It will make that peanuts. Imagine the beauty of spirit beings that you will be able to admire and experience in the wonderful new heavens and new earth beyond this earth. Imagine how you will be able to partake of this wonderful opportunity, this fame, dignity, honor and glory. Because it says, if you suffer of Christ, you'll be glorified with Him. Brethren, by this God, our Father, through the redeeming sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and through the power, the force that can be with you, all of us, even you young people, the force can be with you. We will be the very first fruits of this great, beautiful, new life. It will be far better. It will be far better than the Garden of Eden. It actually will be the real Kingdom of God life. Life. We understand this, brethren, because we have this power to understand it, which no one else understands it. The Jews don't understand it. The Catholics don't understand it. The Protestants don't understand it. Only God's people do. And brethren, it is the greatest story in the whole world. And it's not a very story. It's true. But you and I have to choose to eat of the fruit of the correct tree.