How Do We Get Closer to God?

Thank you, Mr. Wright. I wasn't expecting him to do special music. Don't you want that? All right, well, good afternoon, everyone. Good to see everyone. My wife does exist, and she does pass along a hello. Actually, up until about an hour before we hit the road, she was toying with coming. But it seems like our social calendar and my speaking calendar, they don't mesh very well. We have about a dozen people who are going to be spending the night at our house and then hiking up in the mountains. So it'd be kind of odd to say, welcome. Here's where the key is hidden. You just let yourself in, and we'll get there sooner or later. But she did pass along hello to everybody, and one of these trips she will actually come. I'd like to start today's message by asking you a question. How close...well, let me change it around. Are you close to God? Are you close to God? Now, being that the answer to that kind of has an impact on us being in the kingdom, I don't know. It's probably not a fair answer. Are you close to God? If you answered like most Christians, you probably would say, at times yes, at other times, not as much. It can vary, right? So, that begs the next question. How can we become closer to God?

Well, ultimately, our closeness to God is measured by what's inside us. God looks at our hearts, the Bible says that, and it comes down to attitude. The attitude that we extend, the attitude that we approach life with. Do we approach every thought and every moment in our lives in a godly way?

Ouch! That's one of those things that you can't honestly say yes to. We aspire to do that, right? But it's a tough thing to do. So, when we weigh our lives in this way, you can almost say that we can become nominal Christians, and not the devoted, consistent Christians we hope to be. And that's why the Holy Day seasons are here, as well, to give us perspective.

To become closer to God, I think one of the critical things for us to do is to get to know Him. And I mean really get to know Him. To get to know His power, His majesty, how He thinks. If you'll turn to Deuteronomy 4, verse 29. I guess if you were to separate being close to God with something, or being close to God, probably the flip side is an atheist.

And atheists actually live with a very sad reality, if you think about it. Because they are predetermined that there's no power great enough to create everything around them. They do not account for the fact that there is a knowledge out there greater than themselves. And so, as a result, they miss a very, very special part of what makes this world exist. Deuteronomy 4, verse 29. But from there, you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all of your heart and with all of your soul.

So, if we want to be closer, this is a starting point. Now, intellectual recognition that we need to see God with all of our heart and soul, it doesn't stop there. That's obviously a foundational starting point. But this is a critical characteristic to seeking God. If you will turn to 2 Chronicles 15, verse 2. 2 Chronicles 15, verse 2. We're around the time of the Feast of the Seven-Loving Bread. We're in the middle of it right now. It pictures Israel leaving Egypt. So, we know that when Israel left Egypt, God told our forefathers to seek Him with all of their hearts, with all of their soul, and with all of their might.

And they physically left Egypt. Unfortunately, they took Egypt with them in their hearts. They never really let that part go, did they? Well, we too often have a lot in common with the Israelites, don't we? It's something that we struggle with a great deal as well. Because Egypt took with them the paganism, they took with them the disobedience. They didn't leave that stuff behind. How about us? Because we can never be close to God if we make those same mistakes.

But we too often fall prey to that, don't we? All throughout the history of Israel, God stressed to His people to seek Him. And in return, phenomenal blessings, phenomenal miracles, phenomenal protection. But there was also this area that said, if you do not obey, there will be consequences. And we see that in 2 Chronicles 15, verse 2. And He went out to meet Asa and said to Him, Hear me, Asa, and you can put your name in there, because this applies to all of us.

And all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. And sadly, for a lot of the history of Israel, they were separated from the true God. And they tried to create their own safety.

They tried to find happiness on their own terms. They learned what chaos is all about, whether it is chaos in relationships, chaos between their family, chaos with their neighbors around them. Then they would call and cry out to God with all their hearts and souls and their might. And the story of Israel, isn't it? Well, if you'll turn to Isaiah 59, verse 1. God wants us to give up everything that separates us from Him.

He wants us literally to give up everything that separates us from Him. And that's wonderful in theory, isn't it? It's hard to put in reality. Let me rephrase the question that I started this sermon with. In what ways are you and I not close to God? In what ways are you and I not close to God? Because when our motives become dominated by human nature, like the Egyptians were, or our common desires, that's what's pulling us away.

And we'll see that with the prophet Isaiah here. Isaiah 59, verse 1. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ears heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear you. Now, we in God's Church, we don't usually sin willfully. I think that's a very fair statement. But we sometimes stumble by giving in to our human desires.

That's what happens. And when that happens, it causes us to drift away from God, from His power, from His love, from His protection. Well, today what I want us to do is to go through a deep, personal checkup. You probably know people who, around the turn of the year, have something in common.

They love to make New Year's resolutions. Some people celebrate the New Year with parties and drinking. Other people approach it by looking at all the things in their past and say, here's what I'm going to do different. And I don't know if you ever looked at the Bible, but God intends us to do the same.

Now, hold on, Dan. God doesn't tell us to observe the New Year. Well, if you're talking about December-January, you're right. But that's not the New Year I'm talking about, because April 4th is the beginning of the sacred calendar. Think about what we're asked to do around the Passover and 11 breads. We are asked to evaluate ourselves to do a deep analysis and, in a sense, make New Year's resolutions.

But here is how I'm going to do better on this next journey through the Holy Days. On this next journey through the sacred calendar. So, this is the time of year where we are examining ourselves, where we're looking deep within.

So, how do we do? If you look back over your past year, have you grown closer to God in the past 12 months? What changes did you bring about in your life? I'm sure if you look back to the last Passover and 11 bread, you had things you identified and said, I'm going to work on this one. How'd you do? Nail it? Unfortunately, life tends to step in, doesn't it? And when you look back that way, just like New Year's resolutions, you say, I improved in some areas. Hopefully you didn't slip back and come, but that happens as well. If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 6, Paul urged the Corinthians this time of year about the importance of being prepared going into the Passover in the feast of Unleavened Bread.

In the context that he's writing in here, he speaks as if they've already done their Unleavening physically. 1 Corinthians 5 and verse 6, Your glorifying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened, giving the impression that they physically pulled it out. For indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and witness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

As we start this new spiritual calendar, it's a critical time to examine ourselves. Kind of think of it like going to the doctor and having your annual checkup. Today's sermon is going to be a spiritual New Year checkup. And hopefully it's different than our physical checkups, because when we go, sad reality, as we get older, our health gets weaker and weaker, and so they find more things that hurt and more things you can't do as well as you did the year before. Hopefully our spiritual checkups are the opposite, that as we look back, we find ourselves stronger and closer with God.

And I hope that's what you find. So where do we start? Where do we begin evaluating ourselves? Well, what Israel was wondering in the wilderness, if God gave them 10 commandments, of how they needed to prioritize and where they needed to focus. I would argue that the last six were the hardest for them, because they refer to how you interact with others. They refer to relationships. And boy, isn't that a challenge that all of us face.

I would argue that the reason Kogwa split from the United States, from the United Church of God, dealt with relationships. It was over power, it was over position, it was over not being understood. It was over the last six commandments on both sides, understanding what took place. What about everything going on in the world? What about the wars or the fights that are happening?

It's about relationships. So much of what we face in life comes down to that. So I'm going to ask you today seven questions that all relate to relationships. And I ask you to look within. There's going to be a little bit of out-factor potentially at different times. But hopefully it's a good learning. As we evaluate ourselves. If you look in Matthew 7 and verse 12.

Matthew 7 and verse 12. Have you been true Christians in everything you've said, in everything you've thought? In the last 24 hours? Then that whatever direction you want, pick the most touchy concept you want to think of and ask yourself that question. How are my thoughts and actions? Well, again, this sermon is designed for us to see where we need God's help.

And I hope you take it in that light. And it starts with the golden rule. Matthew 7 and verse 12. Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophet. Now, I think that's interesting because Jesus took it even farther than me saying that relationships, the last six commandments, cover relationships.

He said the golden rule covers the entire law and prophets. It's critical. How do we interact with others? So with that, let me ask you the first question.

How much and how often do you seek God's righteousness? Question one. How much and how often do you seek God's righteousness? You don't need to turn there. You know Matthew 6, 33 says, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. What do you seek most from God? And maybe that sounds like an odd question. So let me try it again. What do you ask for in your prayers the most? It's easy for us to get into the gimme. Gimme this and gimme that and get rid of that bad thing happening to me and gimme a little more of this good thing.

Instead, Matthew 6, 33 tells us that we should seek God's righteousness first. Do we do that? And I think the irony is that God's righteousness often comes through correction. That's not what we're asking for. Usually we don't say, God, please give me another trial today. I really need one. I had two, and I need a third one. It's not our natural nature. But when we ask God for His righteousness, it means we're asking for potentially tough times.

It involves being molded, and that's not always comfortable. If you'll turn next to Romans 6 and verse 18. Romans 6 and verse 18. Seeking God's righteousness is a lot about attitude. It's a lot about being teachable. Because if you can't submit to God solely as a servant, then you can't live righteously. And we see that shown here. Romans 6 and verse 8. And having been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

If we can't submit to God solely as a servant, we can't live righteously. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regards to righteousness. What fruit do you have then in the things of which you are not ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to unholiness. And in the end, you have your fruit to holiness in the end, everlasting life. Being slaves to God is kind of a different concept, isn't it?

Slaves to God. Have you ever linked that concept with Matthew 6.33? The only way we can seek God's righteousness first is by being a slave to God. The two connect. But the ultimate question is about which priority impacts how we live our life. Because we're either going to choose sin, or we're going to choose righteousness.

As we do our spiritual check-up, that's something to look at. Which one do we lean toward? And when we die to sin, then we're able to live as slaves to righteousness. That's what the verse is referring to. So as you do your end check-up, do you find yourself longing more or less for the cares and attachments of this world? And you see the next verse is a very well-known verse, verse 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So how can we tell whether we have God's righteousness? Remember, the sermon is about relationships. So it starts with how we treat others. Do we treat everyone equally? If you will turn to James 2, verse 1. If we had the mayor walk in this door, if we had, pick your favorite celebrity, your favorite athlete, whoever you think it'd be, way cool to see walk through that door. If they walked in, would you treat them any differently than if a bum came in with flies all over in the dirty clothes?

How do we treat those around us? What criteria do we use for partiality? It's because we all have areas of partiality. I'm not being naive to that. I think it's a fair question, and that's what James is asking. It says in James 2, verse 1. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say to him, you sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, you stand there, or sit here at my footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourself and become judges with evil thoughts.

Listen, my beloved brethren, has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which you promised to those who loved him? So how are you doing with this element of godly righteousness? Do you go through life without being a respecter of persons? Because godly righteousness is nothing like our own. God doesn't look at people the way we do.

He looks within. He's looking at the heart. And he tells us that we shouldn't be respecters of people with those we come in contact with. I think that's a great thing to think about during this Feast of Unleavened Bread, because that's an area of loving that we can be pulling out. If you'll turn to Matthew 19, verse 16. In this next verse, we find an example of a young man who was seeking eternal life.

And he is a person who was a devoted observer of what he understood God to say. He certainly follows the law quite well. And so, he approached Jesus saying, What do I need to do? And he had done an amazing amount based on self-discipline and good works. The problem is, he was relying on his own righteousness. Remember the lesson I'm asking about? How much and how often do you seek God's righteousness? Matthew 19, verse 16. Now behold, one came and said to him, Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?

So he said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but one that is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. And he said to them, Which ones? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.

And he referred to the last six. The young man said to him, All these things I have kept for my youth, what do I still lack? Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven, and come follow me.

But when the young man heard that saying, He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions, the young man couldn't accept the terms of Godly righteousness. He was okay with the ones that he could control within his own power. But what God asked seemed like too high of a price.

And I think that's an area that the East Spring Holiday has helped us focus on. It helps us ask ourselves, Where is the loving that we are trying to hold on to, because we kind of like that special thing.

How much and how often do you seek God's righteousness? Let's go on to question 2. How much and how often during the past year have you submitted to authority? How much and how often in the past year have you submitted to authority? If you'll turn to Ephesians 5 and verse 23. No matter what role we have in life, we're all under authority. We're under authority to someone, and probably it's someone's.

That's proper English. I guess not. Many ones. Many people. And life is easiest when things go our way, isn't it? It's so much nicer when everybody is going the direction we want to go, and we're only being asked to do what we want to do. But most times in life we aren't in charge, and we're expected to purely submit to the will of others. And that's not different as a leader. Any of you that are in leadership roles, you know you have a little bit of authority, but there's always someone above you that's telling you what you need to do.

Or, if nothing else, you own your own company and the customer's telling you what you need to do. Either way, you're under authority to someone. So how's that working for you? Ephesians 5 and 6 are wonderful places to look in relationship to authority. I guarantee you we'll touch everyone here, if not in one way.

We'll probably touch you in most of the ways that we'll talk about it. I could do a deep dive into all these. The purpose is to help you think of where do we need to have on our spiritual checkup that we grow in. We'll start in Ephesians 5 and verse 23, and it talks about the family. You all have some kind of family, if not physically and spiritually.

Ephesians 5 and verse 23, For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church, And he is the savior of the body. For you ladies who come to that part of us, submitting and say, ouch, Imagine being held accountable to interact and lead in the way Christ does the church. That's also ouch. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands and everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanser with the washing of water by the word.

Now, as we review each of these areas of instruction, each of the areas that are targeted, I'm going to ask you some questions to help you reflect and see how this might apply to you. Husbands, how well do your actions and your expectations resemble Christ? Is it easy for your spouse to submit to you? To me. I'll tell myself in here, of course. Does our love for our wives match all the characteristics of love described in 1 Corinthians 13?

Wives, are you subject to your husband in everything? What are the things you want to be subject to? Can you submit to what isn't your choice? And when you do submit, is it grudgingly or with a positive perspective? Next, we'll go to Ephesians 6.1 and we talk about children.

Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment of promise, that it might be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. The spring holy days apply to children as well as adults. It applies to all of us.

So, for the children, have you done in the past year? Have you grown closer to God? Are you submitting more to your parents? Parents, are we irritating our children? I put parents in here, even though it says husbands. I'm going to include the rest. Anyway, do we make it easy for our children or do we provoke them to wrath? Paul next speaks to anybody who is in an employee-employer relationship. Again, these things cover all the people here. Ephesians 6, 5.

Bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and sincerity of heart as to Christ, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bond service of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free, and you masters do the same thing to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

It's easy to get offended by the concept of seeing ourselves as a bond servant, isn't it? But that's what we are. What if your boss was to do an assessment of you and use these measuring sticks? Does Dan a party and approach his supervisor in fear and trembling and sincerity of heart as to Christ? Check! One to ten scales. Your peers are to review you do a 360, if any of you have been through a 360, it's fascinating.

But you have all the different levels evaluate you based on these things. How would you do? It's a tough standard, but it's what we are set up to do. Even if it's a bad boss, it's what we are asked to do. Because this isn't saying that in the conditions that your boss meets these criteria of quality, you are to act in this way.

Unfortunately, that's not what it says. Do we bring good will to those we work with? As bosses, do you make it so that it's easy to interact? Do we show partiality or threaten? Verse 8 is really interesting because it sheds light of why it matters. Verse 8 says, whatever good we do, we'll receive the same from God. Oh! That suddenly changes the parameters, doesn't it? Verse 12 carries on and now starts talking about the church.

For we in the church do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil days, and having done all the stands, stand therefore. The original question asked is, how much and how often do you submit to authority?

And it's easy to evaluate that in relationship to other people, isn't it? We can mirror that and say, that person loves to submit to authority, da da da da da da! But when it comes back to us, that's not so easy, is it? Passover and salvation is a personal journey, and we have to look within on these ones.

We have to evaluate ourselves. And that's why it talks about in the following verses about the whole armor of God, because that's what we need. There's one other area in authority that I'd like you to turn to, and that's Romans 13 and verse 1. And this talks about how we submit to authority in government. Romans 13 and verse 1, we're all underneath the government here in this country.

And so what are we told about that? It says, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority of government, resists the ordinances of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. We'll spend the entire sermon talking about different things related to the question of authority. But again, remember, this is a question to help you do a New Year's Checkup on where you need to spiritually grow.

Let's go to question 3. How well do you bridle your tone? I think one of the hardest things to control in life is our words. Isn't it? There are so many ways we can use them incorrectly. We can be self-defensive. We can justify ourselves. We can blame someone. We can boast. How much control do you have of what comes out of your mouth? How much control do I have?

Not easy, huh? You don't need to turn there. I'm going to read you the 9th commandment. It's Exodus 20.16, if you want to write it in your notes. But it says, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. So what does that mean to bear false witness? It's about monitoring what we say, isn't it? It's about monitoring what comes out of our mouth.

Bridling our tongues. It means we're allowing ourselves to speak half-truths, to speak half-truths, to speak half-truths. To speak half-truths, to speak lies, to speak things that are rude. Has everything you or I have said about the UCG-Cogwa split been appropriate? Or have we said anything that would bear a false witness against a neighbor because we assume their motives, their intentions, or their beliefs?

You don't know what's in people's minds. You don't know why they do what they do. Again, this is about a mirror on ourselves. It's always good to test ourselves. Are we following the right attitude? What about what we say inside our heads? That's even tougher. At that point, you just toss up your hands and say, okay, I agree. But we're going to be like God, and that's part of the growth area, is it not?

Turn to James 3 in verse 1. Again, this sermon is about examining our hearts. It's about examining our relationships. The struggle usually starts when we open our mouth. Because in our heads, something is bouncing around. We're thinking, I've got to say it, I've got to say it, I've got to say it, I've got to know what they ought to hear. How much do we control that?

It's easy to talk too much or say things we shouldn't. I think there's a very, I guess it's comforting. Not a good statement about humans, but it's a comforting statement that James makes here. Because he says, if anybody doesn't stumble in their words, they're a perfect man. We're all this one together. James 3 in verse 1. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in words, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

So I knew this was a safe one to pick. Indeed, we put bits in a horse's mouth that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body, look also at ships. Although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires.

Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest and little fire kindles, and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defies the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, as it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird of reptiles and creatures of the sea is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue.

It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poisons. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. It is so hard to keep quiet, isn't it? When those pearls of wisdom are on our minds, and we just think we have to share them, well, have you ever tried to go an extended period of time without saying anything? Irony, when you try to do that, is everyone else so apt to talk, they don't even notice it?

It is rather interesting. Turn to Proverbs 10 and verse 19. I thought it was important for this topic to bring a Proverb in. You could probably do a search and have 50 scriptures to deal with the tongue. There is a subject, if this is an area that you really want to focus on, do a study. But I thought this is a good one, as a foundation of Proverbs, to springboard from. Proverbs 10 verse 19 says, In the multitudes of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

There is a lot to be said for that. Are we able to do that? The key lesson in this verse is that it is good for us to think more and speak less. That is what I would take from that verse. One more area that I would like us to look to on this area, so I have to flip around, is that you will turn to 1 Timothy 5 and verse 11.

Please, I understand the context here. In this one, Paul is speaking to widows. He is giving very pointed criticism, but I hope you understand that what he is giving applies to all of us, because we all are guilty of this. I think it is an important part to finish this question.

1 Timothy 5 and verse 11. But refuse the younger widows, for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have killed them, and here is where it comes in. And besides, they learn to be idle, wondering about some house to house, and not only idle, but also gothips and busybodies saying things which they ought not. To any of us, gossip. Did any of us spread gossip before church started? Did you know such and such?

It is part of bridling our time. It is something we need to think about, because it is a form of loving, and it is something we are supposed to remove. How well do you bridle your time? Let's go to question 4. How well do you represent your religion to others? How well do you represent your religion to others?

Most of us are probably familiar with the basketball star Charles Barkley, who, one of his infamous quotes, said that he shouldn't have to be a role model. Well, if your goal is to be a member of the God family, then this life is absolutely a training ground to be a role model.

So you can't talk that one out of the way. That's what you signed up for. So how are we doing? How well do you and I represent our religion to others? And what I was thinking about, there were two common phrases that I've heard, which kind of associate well with that basic question. You've probably heard them at one time or another. One is, the best sermon you may ever give is the one reflected by how you live. You ever heard that?

And what that comes down to is the point that our actions speak louder than our words. Another one similar is, you may be the only Bible some people will ever read. A whole lot of people never see the Bible lived in their relationships with others. How are we doing? How do we do with that?

If you'll turn to Matthew 5 and verse 14. Matthew 5 and verse 14. Please understand that representing our religion isn't about us calling other people. I'm not going there. It isn't about us convincing somebody. That's God's role. But we have a very clear role, and our job is to be an example. It's to be a light. In Matthew 5 and verse 14, it says, You may remember last time I was here, I spoke about the I Am's. One of them was, I Am the light of the world. There's a little bit of connection that I'll bring in. But I hope you see I'm going to take it a different direction than we spoke last time. But it's important to contrast that if you've ever experienced utter darkness, it's a fascinating thing. For those of you who've been in caves, I always remember that if you ever scuba dive and do a night dive, that is the inkiest feeling in the world. To be down 60, 70 feet with... turn off that light and you cannot see a thing. You think, okay, that little animal, if there's a shark down there... I'm lunch. You know, you can't see a thing. Nope. Nothing happening. It's a fascinating experience. But that is what Satan is trying to create by moving our focus toward him and taking it away from God. Instead, we're called to be a light in a world that's pitch black. Now, look back at verse 14 because there's something that's very unique here, and I don't know if you read that or glanced right over it. Look at the second word. Jesus was speaking to a big audience. Believers? Non-believers.

Wasn't just one or the other. They were probably people there who hated him. People had never heard him before. But what he says to all of them is, you are the light of the world. How does that work? How does that work?

Well, I think if we put some pieces in John together, it'll make sense to you. And it actually is a bit of a relief when you read it in that way. First, let's start in John 8 and verse 12. A key to understanding Jesus' point is revealed, and we recognize that light is a distinctive title that's appropriated by God to himself. Light is a very reserved description. And we see that here, starting in John 8 and verse 12. John 8 and verse 12 says, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world.

He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of light. Remember that? We read through that one and talked about that last time I was here. But when you're asked to be a light, do you think it's all up to you? I'd like you to go back now to John 1 and verse 4. John 1 and verse 4. And you know what we're talking about here. This is the start of the epistle of John. This is where John is talking about God and the Word, Jesus Christ, from the very beginning of creation.

So John 1 and verse 4. I'll see what it says. In him was light, and the light was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. So not only is light used, or usually used on God, it's almost reserved for him. If you look through the Old Testament, you're not going to see it used on people. And so this is a very special thing that Christ started showing. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man, John the Baptist, came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe.

He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which gives light to every man coming into the world. How does verse 9 work with the fact that Jesus said, You and I are the light of the world. We are to be a light. And not just us, but everyone, even non-believers. How does that fit together? My explanation is that we shine not as a light, but as a mirror reflecting God's light. That's a different thing. You're not emanating your own light when we're told to be a light.

That's not what's expected of us. How well do we represent our religion to others? It's another way of asking the exact same question. Because we may not all be preachers, but you are all absolutely teachers. You're absolutely teachers because every day of your life you're setting some kind of an impression.

So how is that working? Whether it's your words, whether it's your actions, whether it's your example, how well do you represent your religion to others? Do we shine? When we're told to be a light, we're called to be someone who shines quite light on the world. Not to emanate our own. And a classic example is just think of the moon. The moon doesn't put any light out. But wasn't it beautiful about a week ago? It was phenomenal out there. It projected a whole lot of light, but it didn't come from itself.

And that's the same analogy of what we are asked to do. And part of representing our religion is being able to divide the word of truth. How do we deal with that? What kind of a light do we share when somebody asks us questions about our faith?

Are we comfortable answering questions? Can we represent it in a way that makes them excited to know more? Are they like, oh, get this guy away from me? I'm sorry I ever asked. How well do we represent our religion to others? If you'll turn to Philippians 2, verse 13, Ultimately, we reflect our religion by how well we reflect the light of Christ in our lives, in our actions, in our examples.

It all comes from that. Could God want to have us reflect His light? He desires that. That's His purpose for us being on earth. But part of our self-evaluation, during this time when we look at leaven, the leaven is not supposed to be all, you know, physically it may be out of our house, but we're still supposed to be looking for leaven spiritually, is if we're allowing ourselves to be used in this way. Philippians 2, verse 13, For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure, Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as light in the world.

How well do you represent our religion to others? How well do you shine? Let's go on to question 5. How well do you respect your priorities? How well do you respect your priorities? Priorities are an interesting word, because humans have a very wide range of doing it. Our forefathers founded this country on the principle of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That was enough for them to die for. They felt strongly enough about that priority. For some of us, it's a priority to record survivor, American Idol, whatever show you fill in. That's our priority. Going and eating at certain restaurants, or for me, having bread and cheese. You pick whatever your priority in life is.

What are the things that are your priorities? Those are fine physical ones. But what should be our spiritual priorities? Turn to Luke 10, verse 38. This sermon is about relationships. The focus has been on living those last six commandments. For this one, I'll mesh it a little bit, because a key element of how we live our priorities and our relationships with others hinges on our closeness to God.

And our closeness to God is all about priority, isn't it? So, there's a little bit of lead over, which I've probably eaten all of them, but just to be upfront, I recognize that as I was putting this together. But whenever something gets in front of our relationship with God, our priorities and our relationships get aligned, don't they?

Luke 10, verse 38. Now, it happened as they went that he entered a certain village and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his words. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?

Therefore, tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Now, I can see. I get Martha. Martha was a doer. I have no doubt that physically she was more of a success. You can look at the words, and it didn't say it was Mary's house, it said it was Martha's house. I would figure that Mary lived in the presence. Martha probably was much more of a visionary.

But the thing about priorities is that there is a time for doing and a time to stop doing. And when doing gets in the way of our relationship with God, then our priorities have gotten mixed up. And that's what this is talking about here. What do you let get in the way of your relationship with God? Is there anything that causes you to neglect that relationship? And if so, that's something you need to work on. That's an area on your spiritual checkup that you say, you've got to work on that one a little bit. Because God needs to always be first in our lives.

And here's another topic that you could extend out in four zillion ways. The area that I'll bring up is the area of prayer. Because that is an important question. How is that part of our relationship with God? As a result, that will impact how our relationships are with others. How are we doing in prayer? If you'll turn to Luke 6 and verse 12, there's a lot of examples I could have gone to, but I choose this one as just one of many. Because Christ set us an example that, whenever he came up to major decisions in life, he prayed.

He made sure, even despite the fact that he was the Son of God, he was a creator, he went to God as a Father in prayer. I think that's an amazing example for us. Luke 6 and verse 12, he had the decisions that he was making regarding who the disciples would be. It says, "...Now came to pass in those days, that he went out to the mountains to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles." You can see that in a lot of different examples throughout the Scriptures of what Jesus did and what he said before us.

And when we maintain and respect the right priorities, our relationships go a whole lot better, don't they? So, something to think about. Let's move on to question 6. Question 6. How much has vanity played, or is vanity playing, a role in your life? If we were to quiz your friends about what you speak about most of the time, what would they say? Do you talk mostly about yourself? Let me tell you about my job. And then I had this accomplishment. And let me tell you about this frustration I have. And let me tell you about this other thing.

I decided to really have this, and I hope this happens. And what do we talk about the most? Well, I read a story that was interesting. It was a very interesting story. She was just an over-the-top extrovert. And she always thought that she had something that people needed to hear. And she was quite a good speaker. I've heard her give lectures. And so, I was very profound, very insightful, all of that. But she decided sometimes to try something. Just to kind of prove how needed she was.

She was going to be quiet and not think of it. And the oddest thing I've ever seen is that she was going to be quiet. And the oddest thing I've ever seen is that she was going to be quiet. And not think of it. And the oddest thing happened. Everybody got along quite well. Decisions were made that were good decisions. Life went forward. And to her chagrin, no one even noticed she was being quiet. And it just taught her an amazing life lesson. And I thought, you know, that's something that we could all do and we could all learn from.

If you'll turn to Ecclesiastes 1 and verse 2. You know we had to go there if we're going to talk about vanity. But I think in our materialistic world, Ecclesiastes has a very special meaning. Because it helps us see the vanity of earthly pursuits. It helps us get perspective. And so we have here the story of Solomon.

He was definitely one of the wealthiest people ever. He was one of the most wise, probably one of the most knowledgeable people ever. He was one of the most pampered people in history. Most descriptions you can have probably could fly to him. He probably was the most... But the book of Ecclesiastes is kind of this journey that he goes through trying to find fulfillment and peace apart from God. And you can find his summary in the first two verses. It says, The word of the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem, vanity of vanity, says the preacher, vanity of vanity is all is vanity.

I love one translation I saw that said, meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless. And that's what it's getting at. The word here is literally translated to utility, uselessness, nothingness. And what that's getting at is, life has a whole lot of short ups and short downs and throws and this and that, the other things. But they don't have sustained value apart from God. And you can see that in verse 14. There's also a very unique word combination that's used here.

I don't know if you've caught that reading Ecclesiastes. Verse 14, I have seen all the works that are done under the sun and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. The words I'm pointing to is under the sun. That is used 29 times in 27 verses in the book of Ecclesiastes. Interesting study. Under the sun. Why do you think Solomon did that? I think it only comes down to the fact that vanity is always going to be what we find when we look purely from an earthly perspective. Under the sun. And so if we leave God and the afterlights out of the equation, it's this math problem. You know, multiplying anything by zero, you're going to get zero.

It's all going to end up in vanity. That's the way life's formula is going to work. And that's what Ecclesiastes comes to. What are you most proud of in your life? Is it something that's physical? What are you most desirous of right now? Is it something physical? Maybe that's fine. It's a human part of life. But where is the balance that we have? How much is vanity played, or is vanity playing a role in our lives? And Solomon is a wonderful experiment for that.

I'm sure that in some ways, just like God knew Adam would sin, God knew what Solomon would play through by blessing him with so many different things. Because he had historic levels of riches, of pleasures, of wisdom. And he had elements of happiness, I'm sure, but they would have been brief. And so therefore, this entire book is a learning of what about this. Is that going to work? Nope. That's not it. Let's go into that. And if you struggle for areas where vanity might come in, you can also just do a topical study throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. Because Solomon speaks of vanity from pleasures, from industry, from human wisdom, from acquiring riches, from leaving an inheritance, from political popularity, from wandering desires, from attaining dreams, from foolish laughter, from injustice, and even the vanity of youth.

I mean, you know, he lists a lot of different things. They're all vanity. But it comes down to his conclusion, and you know that very well, if you'll turn to Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13. The word vanity occurs 35 times in 29 verses throughout Ecclesiastes.

So both of those are linked and referred to throughout this entire book. But where he ends, Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

There is nothing wrong with experiencing pleasures in this life. I think that's honestly one of the reasons we put a tenth of our income aside or command to rejoice at the peace. Now, that's the picture of the ultimate happiness that comes in the kingdom. But it shows us it's okay to live a little bit. It's okay to have fun. But how much do we let vanity play a role in our life? Because we can have things without being vain.

An important thing that links those together, if you want to focus in the right direction, is focus on humility. If you'll turn to Proverbs 22 and verse 4, since you're close to that area, Proverbs 22 and verse 4, Humility, you could say, is the opposite of vanity. Because vanity focuses heavily on self, and humility realizes how worthless we are and thinks most on God and helping others. Humility links toward positive relationships.

Proverbs 22 and verse 4 says, By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. You can't have riches, honor, and life, but humility lets you keep the perspective. So, you've probably heard a lot of sermons on humility. You can never hear too many. Let's go to our final question. Question 7. How much do you contribute toward unity?

If you look at any piece of American currency, you know it was a priority to our founding fathers, don't you? E Pluribus Unum, out of many, one. United we stand, United States of America. Unity was a priority when this country was developed, wasn't it? If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 10, a well-known verse on unity. When our church was founded, the elders got together and thought of what best captures what we should aspire to be. I think they picked a wonderful man, the United Church of God. So they saw the same thing that our founding fathers did. And that, of course, begs the question, are we united?

1 Corinthians 1 and verse 10. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Now, this verse sounds simple, but man, it's hard to achieve, isn't it? And you go on and start talking about what was happening in verse 11. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, I am a Paul, or I am a Paulus, or I am a Cephas, or I am a Christ.

The greatest thing needed in the Church of God today is unity. The greatest thing needed five years ago in the Church of God was unity. The greatest thing that would be needed in five years in the Church of God is unity. So don't try to time-box this one. But think about what God is trying to do. God is trying to create a family. His whole purpose is for us to become united as one family, as one body.

So, if that's why this universe is created, if that's why Christ gave his life, that is a priority. How are we to be united? We are to become one as God and Christ are one. That's the example that we find in Scripture. So, the hard part, though, is Satan on the other side is trying to do everything he can to break that unity between God and his creation.

So whose side are we on? Sadly, I think sometimes we play into Satan's hand far more than we want to admit, can't we? How are we doing with that? If you think about it, God's kingdom is a whole lot more than the 70-year life we live, A.E., whatever the average is, an A.D.A. But during this life, it's about how united and how we fulfill our relationships. If we struggle getting along during these 70 years, is God really going to want us for eternity being part of his family and we can't get along with what we have around us?

If you'll turn to Proverbs 6 and verse 16, I'd like us to start by getting a perspective of what God says about divisions within his family. How does he feel about that? This is one of those scary verses in the Bible. This is one of those ones that made me think a great deal over the last six months to a year. Some of you may say, I am feeling good about myself because I didn't go with the group who chose to divide God's church family.

And you know what? You should be commended for that. Look at what we have here. This is an example of Hebrew phrase where they say, Six things are very bad and the seventh is even worse. It's a common word that was used in the Jewish writings. It says, These six things the Lord hates, yet some are an abomination to him.

A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift and running to evil, a false witness who lies, and here's the seventh, the even bigger one, and one who sows discord among brethren. Now, I don't know if that scares you, but that scares me to no end. One of the seven things God hates, probably the one that says he hates the most, is anyone who stirs up conflict in his church community.

So, choosing not to leave the United Church of God was a good thing, right? To that, I would answer you maybe. Remember, this is the sermon about us looking. This is the sermon about us growing. To God, successful unity isn't creating a vacuum. Staying in the United Church of God means you didn't participate in a division, but are you creating unity? That was the question. How much do you contribute toward unity? How are we doing with that? Because having a godly attitude in our relationships requires far more than staying in one place, avoiding division, shutting our mouths even. What do we do to contribute to unity? And the hard part is that's where it takes deliberate effort, isn't it? That's where you can't just sit idly and get there. That's what makes us a lifelong journey, because we all want unity, but I think a lot of times we aren't willing to sacrifice for it. We like being a team player if we're the captain. We like showing love when no one wrongs us. We like being patient when patience doesn't cause us to miss our own schedule. We like to be peacemakers when no one threatens our calm waters. We like to be forgiving when no one has offended us. You don't need to turn there. You know Mrs. Armstrong's favorite verse, Psalm 133, verse 1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren and sisters to dwell together in unity. And God finds a wonderful excitement in that. That's what He is desiring for us to do. And that, again, is His plan for eternity. That's why when you read that verse, it actually should jump out at you. When you see that word, brethren, how good and how pleasant it is for us, brothers and sisters, spiritually, to dwell together in unity. But don't put a corporate name on that. God is working with people throughout this world. You have no clue who He's working with. How are you doing with your spiritual body? Or are you still in division among those God is working with? Don't be the judge. Put it in God's hand. How are we doing with this? If you'll turn next to 1 John 4, verse 20.

Do we see everyone as our future brothers and sisters? Because they are. We know God wants to call everyone. Theoretically, we get that, but we love, I think, in the back of our mind to throw some people to the second resurrection. Yeah, but I don't like them, so God can't work with them now. Well, you know what? That's not for us to call. We should be focused prayerfully on our own salvation, because that's the part that's frightening enough.

God wants all of us, and He will work with us because of His love in our own time, in our own way. But are we contributing toward unity? 1 John 4, verse 20.

If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen? In this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God must love his brother also. Unity isn't keeping away from those we have differences with. That is avoidant. That is hidden contempt sometimes. That's not unity. Because that's what leads to hatred. That's what leads to bias. That's what leads to racism and wars. And you may say, well, I'm not a racist. Well, that's great. But what about all the other things that can attach to those basic emotions? Do we show bias? Do we hate? All of those things can play through. There are so many subtleties to unity. And that's why unity takes God's Spirit. It takes us having that strength from God that we don't have within ourselves and guiding us through. And therefore, with that, character and actions come together at the same time. Because we're practicing it, we're learning, we make mistakes, we apologize, and we grow together. But that doesn't work with our base instincts, does it? And that's why we need God so much. Unity expects us pulling together in the same direction. And Ben Franklin had an interesting quote. We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we will all hang separately. I think that's very profound and deals very well with what we face in life. If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 26, and if any of you can confirm, please show me afterwards. I'd be very interested.

Understanding and accepting the reality of our human nature when it comes to relationships really stresses why creating unity is so important. It's pivotal. At the end of the day, we are called to spite ourselves. We are not called because of anything we have in us. We are called to spite ourselves. And that is a vital way to keep us away from judging, to keep that perspective. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 26, Therefore, we are foolish, weak, base, and despised. And the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, he who glorifies, let him glorify in the Lord.

Unity is only achieved when we have a realistic, godly appraisal of ourselves. That's the foundational point. We are called to spite ourselves. We're just as guilty as a person on death row who was strapped to that chair, about to be executed, but some guy named Jesus came and said, I'll stand and instead, I will die instead. But there's one condition. We have to live by the Bible, we have to live by love. That's why we go through these self-assessments. That's why we evaluate ourselves for where we are at and how we can grow. And in response to that amazing gift, do you and I return the favor by demanding perfection from others? How do we interact with those around us? And I think Jesus set us a wonderful example, and one of the things he said. Please turn to Matthew 5 and verse 9. This is a great test verse. This is one of those challenging verses to live life. I wanted to be out of this, if you catch the early part of Matthew 5. But one of the foremost requirements for us building unity is that we must not only live in peace, but we must make it. Catch the difference in words. Matthew 5 and verse 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. As I said, New Year's checkups are never fun and easy. But this is the time where we're looking for love in our lives. This is the time where we're evaluating where we need to grow. And we know that we have a wonderful God who's there for us. Pretending to maintain peace while you're secretly avoiding and fastening inside, is not a unity maker. Peacemakers are the ones blessed, not frustration with holders or conflict avoiders. And ultimately, we exhibit through our actions, don't we? What are our actions like? Because that's where we express whether the mind of God is coming out from within us. The sacrifice of Christ, you could say, is forfeit if we don't live and exhibit love, unity, and trust. Well, I think all of us want to be called sons of God. It's something we aspire to. From Matthew 5, 9 to apply, we must wage peace rather than wage war. We live in a world that relies on arms and all those other things. Do we wage peace? Are we aggressively pursuing unity? Are we creating that type of an environment? And that is a very challenging thing. If you'll turn to Romans 12 and verse 16, another lesson about unity is it's impossible to be a loner and to be united. You can't live on a mountaintop and say, I'm united with myself. It doesn't quite work that way. I compare it to like clapping with one hand. You're not going to get much noise that way. But that's why this sermon is about relationships. It's about how we interact with those we come in contact with.

We can't attain unity by ourselves. Romans 12 and verse 16.

There are times in life where that is so much harder than it is in our head, isn't it? And we feel like saying, I can't do it. You ever get there? Get those points where you just want to throw your hands up and say, I can't do it. It just seems so hard. But realize if you feel that, what you're saying, if God made a mistake in calling you. God didn't make a mistake when he called us. But are we relying on ourselves or not? Philippians 1.6 said, He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. We have that promise. We know what we need to do. But it's trusting God, it's relying on His Spirit. It's about these times of year where we remove loving and frankly have all these little pointy things looked at and we say, Ooh, ouch, ooh, I have a whole lot of going still to do. The final key for us to live in unity is that we must live a life of godly love. If you'll turn to 1 Corinthians 13 and verse 4, we've been going through the Agape series in Richmond and it's been a fascinating area. There's so much depth to that chapter. But you can pick any part of it. Love is an outgoing concern. It's all about relationships. It's about what environment we create. And it's exceptionally humbling because we can't live our life in unity if we focus inward. It's about focusing outward and doing us right for others in a self-sacrificing way, even though that's not what we would wish for ourselves. And so what you see here is a great example of it. Love suffers long in its kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. Is not puffed up. Does not behave rudely. Does not seek its own. Is not provoked. Thinks no evil. How would you deal with each segment of 1 Corinthians 13 with what God measured you and I on? Hello, Dan. Are you on scale 1 to 10? How well do you and I suffer long? Are you easily provoked? Do you envy? Go right down the line. But it's a great measuring point as well when you do your spiritual checkup. Great place to look. Again, big picture. God is bringing many sons to glory. And He has given us such an amazing, amazing opportunity. The number one way we know that God knows that we love Him is by how we love His brother. How we love those who are around. How we love His future family. Because if we can't love a brother in this day and age, how in the world are we going to love God? How are we going to be worthy in the resurrection when people come up to bridge people who just got stabbed by the person right next to them and say, Hold on. Think it through. It's a journey we're going through. Well, that completes the checkup that I had. I hope it gave you things to think of. Not only over the last couple days of this feast, but going into this year. I'll ask you the seven questions in conclusion. How much and how often do you seek God's righteousness? How much and how often during the year have you submitted to authority? How well do you bridle your tongue? How well do you represent your religion to others? How well do you respect your priorities? How much is vanity playing a role in your life? And finally, how much do you contribute toward unity? I hope that as you journey through 2011, when you do your spiritual checkup next sacred calendar year, you can look back and find a lot of great successes.