I've Been to the Mountain Top

Sounds like a conductor's name, doesn't it? It's Malitzia! You know, I think he does a good job conducting and leading songs. Appreciate his enthusiasm and certainly appreciate all of you.

Hope that you had a great week. Seems like we're building up and building up for the feast.

So much to do, so much to accomplish beforehand. And one thing I tell my wife, if you know I could make it through the feast, you know, and accomplish that and of course do what we've done this summer so far, I guess probably could do pretty much anything, you know, after that. So anyway, we're working very hard, as I know many of you are in preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles over in Kauai, some of you, of course, working for the feast elsewhere. But one of the things about traveling that I enjoy is, you know, flying from up there, you know, and you're in a jet, or when you're in a, frankly, I prefer a smaller airplane than a large jet, you know, we had, sometimes over when we're traveling, we'll take a puddle jumper. I enjoy that better, actually.

I like the bumps and the rolls and sometimes the, you know, you have these, you know, heat that comes up and emanates from the surface of the earth and it makes a pretty bumpy ride.

I enjoy that because you feel like you're flying. But one of the things I enjoy about it, too, is I enjoy looking out the window and looking at the terrain below. You know, when we were in Africa, we flew from over in Blantyre, you know, over to Lusaka. Part of the way, we were able to fly low enough that you could see the terrain below. And it gives you a whole different perspective, you know, about a countryside when you could see it from above. You know, everything seems so small, doesn't it? You know, when you look out the window and you're not so far away that you're above the clouds and you can't see it, but you're close enough so that you can see sort of the lay of the land. You can see the rivers and the roads. You can see, if you look closely, you can even see little tiny cars going along the roads, you know, which I always find very fascinating. You know, God says, He sits upon the circle of the earth and He beholds all of us, and we're like grasshoppers down here, you know, just sort of hopping around, hitter and yawn. And from up there, when you're flying, the rivers and the roads look like little tiny lions, don't they? No matter how big they may be. And the mountains don't seem so big. You know, they seem like they're small. And, you know, I could see that if you were planning a city or if you were planning to do a construction, any type of construction, this would give you a perspective that would be invaluable in planning, you know, what you were going to do for, say, a city. And I'm sure that that is a part of what they do, you know, very often, you know, when they plan cities. It's kind of interesting that Sam Walton, who was the founder of Walmart, you know, the very giant corporation that is really now girls the globe, started in Bentonville, Arkansas. But one of the things that Sam Walton did, he was a pilot, and he would fly, you know, over the locations where there was a Walmart. And he just, one of the things he did that for is he wanted to look in the parking lot to see how full it was.

And if it wasn't full, he landed the plane, and he went into the Walmart, and he tried to find out why, why it was not full. It gave him a perspective. That's how he did business. And, of course, one of the major corporations in the world now. You know, often when people want to see where they're going, they will climb a mountain to see, because, you know, the obstacles can get in the way, trees and hills and so forth. And oftentimes, you know, it's important for us to get a big view, as well. Rarely in this life do people get a higher perspective of this one major question of life, and that is, why were they born? I saw an interview, in fact, that was done by the Beyond Today program where that question was asked in the streets of Cincinnati, why you were born.

And it's like people were dumbfounded that you asked the question. Well, you know, one fella said, well, my mother and father planned to have children. That was why I was born. You know, I guess some people get down to the nitty-gritty of what causes birth, but the question was for a much wider and a bigger question is, what is the purpose of life and where are they going?

And so, in the course of this this sermon, I want to talk to you about getting a higher perspective of what we are individually and where we're going. Where are we headed? Where are you headed?

Why are you here? And where are you going?

Good. It says in Proverbs 29 verse 18, it says, where there is no vision. This is in the King James Version. The people perish. But he who keeps the law happy is he. Now, why does it say that in the Bible? Without vision, people perish. But those who keep the law, well, they're obviously not going to perish. They're going to flourish. They're going to increase in every sense of the word. And it's interesting what Holman's Christian Standard Bible says about that very same verse.

This is how the Holman Bible translates to Proverbs 29 verse 18. Without revelation, people run wild.

Isn't that the truth? Look at the world out here. I mean, if I cry out loud, how could it get worse?

And yet, we have leaders that stand up and somehow think they have the answers for solving all the problems that are going on in the world today.

You know, people sometimes in this life, though, can have a vision in a limited way.

They really can't. Sometimes people have a special vision, and they can do some mighty good things.

I mean, I could talk to you about people who have done good things, and in my opinion, in this world, maybe others might not agree with what I would assess as being a good thing.

People like Mother Teresa, I think, certainly did a good thing, didn't she? When she was taking care of those people that were poor and the people that were sick in India, you know, you have to hand it to somebody to have the vision to do something like that in the world today. You know, I think Mahatma Gandhi also did some good things for many people upon this planet. Now, again, a lot of people might not agree with that assessment, but I do believe he did some good things, you know, for the people of India and elsewhere around the world. I think another individual that did good things, Martin Luther King. You know, we could mention others that did similar things as Gandhi and King then. You know, Martin Luther King gave a speech in Memphis in 1968, not long before he was assassinated, very young man when he was cut down, which is called this, I've been to the mountaintop. Maybe some of you remember that speech that Martin Luther King gave. I want to quote a little bit about what Martin Luther King said. He said, Like everybody, I would like to live a long life, longevity has its place.

But he said, I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I looked over, and I'd seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.

So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory, he said, of the coming of the Lord. Of course, Martin Luther King was a ministry, thought of things from the perspective of a minister, an elder in his church.

You know, King wanted equality among all peoples, and this is what he looked to be realized in the United States of America. And indeed, you know, you go back to the 50s and the 40s and other periods of time in the history. You know, in the United States, they were very violent times, and certainly there was a great deal of inequality.

But the speech was given, when it was given in 1968, because of problems concerning inequality among sanitation workers in Memphis. That was the catalyst that caused him to give this speech that he gave in 1968. And I think you have to give credit to Martin Luther King that he did not advocate violence. Of course, sometimes it did take place, but he did not advocate violence in much the same way that Gandhi did not advocate violence in India.

But he looked ahead, he climbed to the mountaintop, he said, I've been to the mountaintop. That's the title of this sermon I'm giving to you today. I've been to the mountaintop, and he saw a time of equality between all races of people, and I believe he did contribute to a change in attitudes and a climate of racism in America. Obviously, you know, we have not arrived, and probably will not arrive, you know, this side of the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

But perspectives change, brethren, when we see things from a higher level. Somehow, he saw things from this higher level. I think sometimes God gives that to people. I think He allows people, even in the world, you know, even though they may not have God's Spirit, you know, He gives them a certain vision. It's like Stephen Jobs had a vision of, you know, having devices that we could use, and we didn't think we needed, but everybody, of course, today thinks they need it. I find it amusing, quite frankly, every time there's an iPhone that comes out, every time there's a gadget that comes out of Apple or somewhere like that, you've got a line of people. And, you know, my thought, every time I see that huge line, I think they had one that was over a block long over in Stockton, from what I heard. I think to myself, would they line up for Jesus Christ that way? And I think, sadly, no. But, you know, there again, I think God gave a certain vision to Stephen Jobs so that he saw, you know, these devices and what to do. It takes a special person to be able to do them.

And I don't think what he designed and developed was a bad thing. Of course, it could be used for bad. Everything can be used for bad. But there are many things like that. I could give you many examples of people who had a certain vision. Their own little part of their own special vision.

I believe that God allowed them to see in some way that would contribute to the doing of the work today that we do. Now, think about the fact. Where would we be today, brethren, in preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God to the seven billion people upon this earth if we did not have the technology that we have today? I believe God opened the doors. I think he put visions in the heads of Alexander Graham Bale. I think he did it with scientific advancements for the purpose that, in this time, brethren, the work of God could girdle the globe. And it could be done, in fact, and people can sit down and look at the gospel from the comfort of their own home.

All you've got to do is push a button, and you're right there. But God gave certain perspectives on the respective fields that they were involved in, and they thought on a higher level.

They saw things on a higher level in whatever area it was that God chose to use them.

God allowed, by the way, one patriarch who had aspired for the future for many years.

He had wandered in the wilderness with carpers, complainers, backbiters, for 30 years, and eaten the dust, and probably, you know, watched the lizards and whatever else is in the desert, withered the heat of the desert. But God allowed him only to climb to the top of a mountain, not an ebo, to view the Promised Land. And that was Moses. God allowed Moses to climb to the top.

He died before Israel ever entered the land. In fact, God told him, you're not going to go into the land. Remember when he actually did what God said not to do concerning the water?

And God said, well, you know, you're not going to go on into the Promised Land. But, brethren, lest we think, well, how cruel of God that Moses didn't get to go into the Promised Land.

Well, there were others that did not get to go into the Promised Land either, and that died before it occurred. Let's go here to Deuteronomy chapter 34, though. Deuteronomy chapter 34, verse 1, it says, "...then Moses went up in the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, as far as Dan, all left the lie in the land of Ephraim." This is before, of course, it was occupied by these tribes. "...and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, as far as the western sea, the south and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zorar.

And then the Lord said to him, This is the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I have caused you to see it in your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." And so Moses, the servant of God, died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Eternal. But God allowed him to climb to the top of the mountain to see, to see the Promised Land. He gave him a taste of the future.

You know, I've meditated a great deal, by the way. What exactly did Moses think about when he climbed up there to the top? Did he get to the top and say, all right, I've seen it. I'm ready to go.

I just had to have one look. I'm done. It took about 15 seconds for him to see it.

Have you ever done that, brethren? Sometimes you know, you climb all the way to the top of the mountain. You get up to the top of mine, you look out there, and you see it. And you're there about 10 seconds, and you come back. So usually when you climb a mountain, when you make the effort to climb up to the top of the mountain, you take a little time to think about exactly what it means, what you've done, where you are, again, to paint upon the reason for climbing the mountain to begin with. I wonder what Moses thought when he saw it. Remember, God said, I'd give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I promised that this would be the fact. And Moses, by the way, had a great deal of understanding, a perception probably more than most people do. Don't you think God gave him insight that you and I don't even have? A perspective that you and I don't even comprehend? And yet, we have understanding in this time, in this age, that we're living in. Because God's Spirit has been opened to us, and we can have a different understanding of things. But again, what did Moses think? Really, what did he think? Did he remember, again, the promises of Abraham? And did he envision Israel occupying the Promised Land in the Kingdom? Not just for Canaan right then and there, but the Kingdom! Did he look, brethren, to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ? Did he see past? Did he see past that? And what the potentials that were going to be there, and what was going to happen? That the future descendants of Israel that would be scattered all over the globe would be brought back to that same area. And that would be the seed that erupted into the Kingdom of God, and it would end, finally, with New Jerusalem coming down in the past.

Do you think he saw these things? Well, the Bible seems to indicate he did. He saw these things.

He must have had an understanding of those things.

I think it's remarkable to think about, you know, what the patriarchs understood and saw, and I think he probably envisioned many things up there as he pondered where he was and what he was looking at. You know, brethren, the Sabbath and the Holy Days and the Feast of Tabernacles are to give us a unique you and to change our perspective of life. When we keep the Sabbath, every Sabbath it should really change our perspective. Because in a figurative way, we're climbing a mountain here, and this year it has, of course, 52 weeks, 52 Sabbaths, and, of course, seven festival seasons, you know, that we have. We're climbing a mountain, as it were, to get a vision of the future as God's people. It's to change our perspective about life. Let's go to Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 over here.

In Hebrews 11, of course, this is what we call, you know, the Hall of Fame of the matriarchs and the patriarchs of God. Right here, this book is, you know, contains the jewels in all of the history of this world. Hopefully, again, we're going to be a part of those jewels that will be a part of this story, that is told here in Hebrews 11. But notice about this in verse 13. It says, "...these all died in the faith." Moses died in the faith. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, you see, Moses wasn't the only one that didn't get to go into the promised land, but all of them eventually will. But it says, "...having not received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called the mind, the country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.

Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." So, you see, they saw beyond just Israel occupying the land of Canaan.

In that time, they saw clear beyond to a city whose builder and maker was God.

And I have to think that God gave, you know, all those discussions He had with Moses, and He considered him a friend of his, like He considered, you know, Abraham a friend. How many times do you think He intimately opened up, you know, to Moses, you know, about what the future was going to be?

Maybe He saw that up there. He had that vision, you know, that was there. And I have an idea He sought a good time before He got up there. And that just sort of cemented those thoughts.

But notice what it says here, brethren, in verse 13, it says, They saw them afar off, and were assured of them. And I want you to notice here this one word, brethren. Embrace them. They embrace them.

You know what, brethren? We love the things we embrace, don't we?

You know, if you love your wife, if you love your husband, you embrace them, don't you?

We keep those things that we love close to us. Those things that are near and dear to us.

Now, the patriarchs had difficult lives, but one thing was more important to them than anything, is they wanted what was ahead, rather than, you know, worry about what they were going through in their physical lives. They experienced the times of great humbling. There were many, of course, inspiring events that occurred in their lives. But I find it always striking that, remember when Pharaoh came and here there was old, old man, Jacob, getting close to the end of his life.

You know, Jacob told Pharaoh, few and evil have been the years of my life. He said, I haven't attained even the years of my predecessors, my, you know, fathers, he said, but few and evil have been the days of my life. And life can be that way, can it, brethren? And it does all seem like it's sort of scrunched in. And life, of course, is not very long, indeed. That's why the Bible tells us we better, again, work now, as it says in Ecclesiastes 9-10. Do what you do with your might, because there is no reward in the grave where you're going. You've got to make hay while the sun shines, as the Oklahomans say. You've got to get out there and hustle while you can, and we need to do that from a spiritual perspective. Let's go to Isaiah 51. Isaiah 51 over here. Isaiah chapter 51, in verses 1 and 2. And here it says, Listen to me. That's the problem with the world today, is we don't listen to God. You who follow after righteousness. Now, it's amazing God has to tell that to us if we're following after righteousness. You who seek the Lord, look to the rock from whence you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. It says, Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah, who bore you. For I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. Interesting what it says here, that God says, Look to Abraham, and to Sarah, who bore you. Because I called him alone upon the face of the earth in that time. Now, think about this, brethren. Who in their right mind would select a 75 year old man and a 65 year old woman to begin a great nation.

Now, that's not your ideal fertile couple. That your thinking is going to have, you know, big family.

And when particularly Sarah was, her womb was shut up. She could not have children at all.

Now, if God is to continue, brethren, what He started in Abraham and Sarah, if He's intending to continue that, why did He choose you?

Exactly why did God choose you? And He chose Abraham, and we know the story of Abraham and Sarah about how Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old. And, you know, of course, by that time, you know, Sarah was 90 years of age. You know, and God intended something through Abraham and Sarah. Why did He choose you? Well, why did He choose Abraham?

Why did He choose Abraham? Well, let's quickly go over to Genesis chapter 18 and see why.

Here, of course, the Lord and two angels were going into Sodom. And, of course, the cry had gone up before God about the wickedness that was in Sodom Gomorrah. So, we'll break into a thought here. And as they're walking toward Sodom, in verse 17 over here, and the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm doing? Of course, He was going to, of course, send fire down upon Sodom Gomorrah and destroy them. Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, because he hadn't had any children yet by this time, in all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. Now, why did God choose? Why did God choose Abraham? For I've known him.

I have known him. That's interesting what it says here. I have known him. In other words, this was not a fly-by-night, you know, examining Abraham. I have known him. He'd known the pattern of person he was. In order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of God to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. See, I've known him that he will do that. That that is in the heart, in the mind, in the makeup of the man that I know. So what did God see in Abraham? This is what he saw. That he will command his household. That this would be the kind of thinking that Abraham would have.

Now, I don't think for one moment that Abraham was this dictatorial, you know, kind of person that the wheel to the whip, you know, like a proverbial, you know, lion tamer with a little chair and the whip, you know, and he made people do these things. But the word command conveys more than just, hey, he'll just tell it to his family. Now, I think the word that probably better suits us is he would enjoin his family to do these things. And certainly we see that he was successful in conveying these things to Isaac, and frankly impacted his entire household. So this is what God knew about Abraham.

Does he know that about us, brethren? And because he knew this about Abraham, Abraham was given a higher vision. He was given a higher perspective. He was able to climb to the top of the mountain, as it were, and see things afar off. He was able to look ahead as the patriarchs did who died in the faith. He had a higher vision. Now, why did he have this higher vision? Why was he the kind of man that would command his children, who'd teach his children? It's because, brethren, he had a special relationship with God. That's why. He had a special relationship with God. And it's that relationship that impacted how Abraham lived. He had this special relationship. You know, God entered into a covenant relationship with Abram, Abraham, as he came to be called. The word covenant, of course, is all used throughout the entire Bible. And it goes, again, you know, from the time of Noah all the way throughout the Bible to the end of the Bible. The word covenant. You know, that word sort of sounds like a Bible term to most of us. I know that. You know, it's all covenant. What is a covenant? God has a covenant with us. You and I are under the new covenant that we talk about. The word covenant, by the way, let's define it. What it really does mean? It means a binding agreement between two people.

You can look this up in Webster's, if you like to. A binding agreement between two people.

A written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties, especially for the performance of some action. Covenant. Covenant.

My wife and I, nearly 40 years ago, made a covenant with each other.

And we entered into that binding covenant. And, you know, a part of the words is, till death do we part. And, you know, we've talked about how that, well, what happens?

What happens in the resurrection? You know, we're not going to be married anymore.

You know, what's going to happen? It's something foreign to our thinking, actually.

But marriage is a binding covenant between two people. Now, today, people make these covenants all the time, just like that, you know. And marriage is not a binding covenant.

I don't know what it is, frankly. Might as well exchange chewing gum, I guess, you know.

Might as well, you know, be doing any number of things other than making an agreement to be married for the rest of your life. Baptism, brethren, is a binding agreement between you and God in the same way. And God promises rewards now, He says, both now and in the future.

And eternal life to those who fulfill their part of the agreement.

In other words, this is the performance of some action. In other words, there are, you know, God has made a promise to us, brethren, that there are things that we must do.

So, brethren, what I am trying to say here is that Abraham, people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Moses, didn't just believe in God. You know what the Bible says? It says that demons believe in God and they fear. So, if we just believe in God, that's not enough. I'm sorry.

Abraham didn't just believe in God and sort of try to live a good life.

He entered into a binding covenant with God.

He made promises to God like a man and a woman, make commitments to each other in marriage.

You know, I find it very, very interesting. When you start reading the Bible, again, you see the word covenant all the way through the Bible. It's really an all-pervasive topic.

I don't think you can really understand the Bible without understanding the word covenant.

But time and again, brethren, what did God tell Israel? What did He tell Israel? He said, I made this covenant with you. You know, I made these promises to you, Israel.

I made this covenant with you, which covenant you broke. You broke.

I entered into this covenant with you, God said, but you broke the covenant.

You broke the covenant. Like I said, Abraham didn't just make—you know, didn't just believe in God. He made a covenant with God.

He had an agreement with God, and He made a commitment to God.

Well, brethren, if we're going to ever climb to the top of the mountain, to see over on the other side, if you want the great Almighty God to give you a vision, in this life that causes you to live your life in such a way, brethren, as the patriarchs and matriarchs of God through history who are recorded in Hebrews 11, brethren, we have to have a binding covenant with God that means something. And we don't play church on the Sabbath.

We do it because we have made a commitment to God, because it's a binding covenant, agreement that we've made with God. Because we don't want God to say, well, you know, I made a covenant with you. Yeah, you were baptized. You made promises to me that you were going to obey as much as you understood, and I gave you my spirit. I made a covenant with you, which covenant you broke. You broke. Hopefully that would never be said about us, brethren.

So we should have the same kind of relationship with God that Abraham did.

And if you do, it really does change your perspective. It enables those who are faithful to see the promises of far off and keep marching toward it no matter what. Even if the pathway leads to the lion's den, like it did for Daniel, or the flames of fire, like it didn't shag back me shag it a bit ago, and like it has for the countless others who have been martyrs for the King of God's sake. Isaiah 55 verse 1, Isaiah 55 verse 1, Isaiah chapter 55 and verse 1, you know, the prophet Isaiah must have had quite a bit of understanding and grasp things in a way you can't help not help but think that when you go through you know these prophecies perhaps some of them he couldn't even get into perspective because of of the the height of the mountain he climbed but hopefully we can see things even in a broader way now but but notice in verse 55 verse 1 of Isaiah it says, this is what the world does of course doesn't it it wastes all of its energies on things of no value that don't last i remember when i was deciding about going to ambassador college back in just back in 19 uh would have been uh 69 probably when i was thinking about it and you know after i had had a long discussion with my chemistry professor and i came to the conclusion that much of what he was telling me was only theory and i made a determination then that i wasn't going to dedicate my life to something that might be untrue later on there was only a theory that somebody postulated i said i want to learn things are going to be true in a million years or a thousand years and that was really the reason i decided to go to ambassador college by the way and contrary to a lot of people i really haven't changed the way i think concerning most things certainly things that are what we would call eternal truths i haven't changed i've gotten hopefully a different perspective but you know those things that are of this world brethren do not ultimately satisfy us i'm not saying any of our young people should forgo their education but realize the really important things of life the really big questions of why you're born the purpose for life you're not going to find the test tube but you will find it within the pages of the bible but verse uh three it says incline your end come to me here and your soul shall live and notice it says i will make an everlasting covenant with you i'll make an everlasting covenant with you the sure mercies of david indeed i've given him as a witness to the people a leader and a commander of the people so god says he will make brethren with us an everlasting covenant and we know rather than that covenant it happens begins with us when we're baptized that's when when that covenant begins but but you know if you get baptized brethren don't get just dumped make a commitment make a covenant with god make a promise to god because you're the promise is he's going to make to you and me rather only as good as the promises that you make to him but it works both ways but of course god is promising a whole lot more than we can even remotely deliver to him you know we're only giving so much aren't we to god but let's go over to chapter 56 56 and verse one it says thus says the lord keep justice and do righteousness for your my salvation is about to come my righteousness to be revealed blessed is a man who does this and the son of a who lays hold on it who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and keeps his hand from doing in evil do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the lord speak saying the lord has utterly separated me from his people then let the eunuch say here i am a dry tree another time ahead brethren is going to be a time of great healing the bible talks about it's going to be a time of the healing of breaches they're going to take place and it says for thus says the lord to the eunuchs who keep my status and choose what pleases me and holds fast my covenant even to them i will give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters and i will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off and also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to me to serve me to love the name of the lord to be a servant everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant even though then i will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house a prayer and so here this is what is going to happen there's going to be again a healing of breaches in the lives of people those who are outcasts will be no longer outcasts that is if they make a commitment to God and they keep that covenant and God can fulfill the promises He has given to them as a result of the covenant He has made with us that we enter into that covenant with Him these things by the way that we've read about here in chapter 56 and 55 ultimately look to the kingdom of God upon the earth it's millennial in other words so brethren the covenant we make with God demands that we have a changed heart that we have a commitment we make a commitment a full commitment to God you know we don't heal ourselves even when we make that commitment to God in the covenant in baptism we will make that commitment brothering God still has to heal us we should talk about in the church how we are all being molded and shaped for the kingdom and brother we are being molded and shaped for the kingdom of God we are not what we're going to ultimately be but in order for God to take you to the mountaintop brethren one has to again make that commitment that of keeping that covenant that God has given to us and when we keep that covenant brethren and we go to our God over and over again as the first message was talking about how that we have to talk to God we have to to pray on a regular basis have that contact with God you know how can we say we embrace God if we don't ever talk to him you know that would be some kind of friend wouldn't it well he says he's my friend or she says she's my friend but I don't ever see them around you ever think about the fact that God's sitting on his throne they said I wonder where so and so is you know he seemed like he usually talked to me this time of day or she talks to me about this time of day where did they go because last time they said they were going to try to do this every time I'm here God says but where are they because I'm speaking in terms of of physical more than than spiritual here but I you know in this in reference to how man would do things regarding time and so forth but God is always there to listen to what we have to say so brother and remember your baptismal coven and brother honor it honor it and God will do for you far more than you can even anticipate let's go to Ephesians 3.

Ephesians 3 Ephesians chapter 3 Paul mentions this in chapter 3 down here verse 16 he said that he he was hoping and praying for the people of his day that God would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through his spirit and the inner man that Christ that dwell on your hearts through faith and that you be rooted and grounded in love and that you might be able you may be able to comprehend with all the saints again the saints of God have seen a vision because they've been to the top of the mountain as it were and they've seen a far off and that's what motivated them and the reason they would they've been to that top of that mountain brethren is because they were rooted and grounded in that love but he said I want you to comprehend the width the width the length and the depth and the height and to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God this is now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly about all that you ask or think according to the power that works in us to him be glory it says in the church of Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever so God can do for you far more rather than you can even anticipate but the key is that covenant relationship with God how solidly again are you welded are you embracing your God almighty God because that to that greed brethren you've been to the mountaintop you've seen it afar off and you know along the way you may have difficulties and trials but you know what did it said Paul say in Romans 8 that those trials of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that's going to be revealed in the future that's what motivated you know some of the men and women through history through the terrible trials that they had to go through and you know they were looking for a better time ahead you know they didn't get their lives all wrapped up in this this life as many people do you know i think they had more important things to do than stand in lines for iPhones or whatever else was popular in their day we know what's popular in our time don't we but you know here as you go through in chapter 11 let's go back to chapter 11 over here talks about all the the things that people went through verse 35 of chapter 11 women received their dead raised to life again others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection you see that's what they wanted that's what they desired still others had a trial of mockings and scourgings yes and of chains and imprisonment they were stolen they were sawn in two were tempted were slain with a sword they've worried about in sheepskins and goatskins no so they didn't have the the great things of life sometimes it were very impoverished being destitute afflicted and torment and by the way not because they were narrative wells who were afraid to work but subjected to that because they probably had to flee for their lives there's no way again of dwelling even in the civilization at that time it's as of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth and all these having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise god having provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us so brethren the book has not been closed yet these people had a covenant that they believed in with god and they were not willing to compromise that covenant that god had made with them and they stuck with it no matter what the fleshly cost the personal trials that they went through and someday the world is going to know the kind of commitment these people made and they're going to be praised not only in the time of the resurrection and beyond but for all eternity is going to be in you know something that that their reputations are going to be talked about for generations and aeons of time ahead so brethren i'd like to say i've been to the mountaintop i hope that you and i both together can say we've been to the mountaintop and we may not get there at least from the physical standpoint but we've seen it up far off and we're willing to go through thick and thin no matter what it is that comes against us in the future we're willing to go through it because we embrace the future we embrace our god and we have a covenant relationship with god almighty that we intend to keep until the day that we die and so brethren hopefully again you have been to the mountaintop if you haven't brethren the view is wonderful from up here when you get a chance to see it brethren it is inspiring you see things from a mighty different perspective and i know all of us have to grow in that vision as well no one in this physical life has arrived at that but let's all take a journey to the top of the mountain and look off it is the promised land of the future