Keeping the Vision Alive

Well, that was very inspiring music. I tell you at the seniors' luncheon the other day, that was awesome music. Oh, it was just so inspiring. Those of you who were there, though, we thank all of you in special music. It's a lot of work to do that. You have the talent God gives you, and then you have to polish and work, and put in the time, and it really pays off. We sure appreciate that. Well, brother, are you having a good feast?

Yes! It's been a wonderful feast here, out here on the coast, and it's been a beautiful weather. And even today, you know, you gotta have a backing off from that beautiful 80-degree weather. Come on, you get sick after a while, right? You know, variety is a spice of life, but we really have enjoyed this. And Mr. Weber is Mrs. Weber's hospitality. They're delightful folks, and all of you have been such nice hosts here in Southern California.

You know, we talk about the Turkey Feast site, 77. I'll tell you the inside story. There were actually 76 members attending, and Charles Malera said, I like 77, so he invited the bus driver into church one day. No, that's just a story, but we actually have a couple from Boise there, and I'm sure they're really enjoying that.

Well, this is a paid political announcement, but I appreciated the little plug yesterday, and a very inspiring video, and the sermon yesterday. But this is compass check. We've only had two issues so far. This, of course, is for our teens, and this is from ages 12 through 19. And so our second issue is out just prior to the feast. Let me just cover a couple of articles with you. Well, the first one is four things to love about winter camp. Winter camp is coming up this December, but a lot of these articles, most of them are written by young adults.

We're really working with our young adults across the country, as well as around the world. So if you're a young adult, 20s and 30s, and you like to write, please let me know. We'd love to have your article and get that submitted. This is the lead article by Mr. Roy Holliday. Do you want to live forever? This is the main theme, of course, for the article or the issue and about the feast. Here's one. How do I receive God's Holy Spirit? So we have very good doctrinal articles, a nice variety. What do you do when you have overprotective parents?

So we have realistic articles. I don't want fluff. I want articles that will help our teens. Teens that we know are in God's way of life. They have questions. What do you do when you have overprotective teens?

Sub-articles, learning to fly. You've got to give some room to teens as they grow up learning to fly. And the next paragraph talks about respect. Everybody deserves it. And then solutions. And our articles are usually short. Now this one, hypocrisy in the church? Someone just thought, well, I'm not sure we should put that in there. Well, I'm the managing editor, so it's in there. Okay. Now this we stole from Beyond Today TV. Three Ways Hollywood Gets the Bible Wrong.

And we took the logo. I mean, why not? That's a very nice logo, but Three Ways Hollywood Gets it Wrong. The points are a bias against biblical accuracy. Boy, isn't that the truth? A bias against God. And number three, the Bible is interpreted through the lens of modern secular culture. So again, very realistic, very practical, helpful. And this was written by a young man from the Philippines. Five things I wish I knew before graduating from high school. And again, write to where teens live. So anyway, that's the new issue.

We're very delighted with that. Certainly appreciate your prayers. And again, you young adults in particular who thought you might want to write, have a practical article for us, let me know, and we'll be happy to look at that anyway. I can't guarantee it'll be published, but we'll have things online from time to time as well.

Well, as you might have seen, I brought a small suitcase with me here.

So my prop today is this. And I don't know if anyone can guess what's in this small suitcase.

Now, what do you think might be in here? Well, we could have some California sunshine, maybe. We could have some sand. We could have some clothes. We could have some souvenirs, maybe, that you bought during the feast. Well, actually, brethren, it has none of those things in it, at least right now. But unfortunately, brethren, the feast is coming to an end. We don't want to leave the feast. We want to stay here and stay here and stay here. But our bodies would collapse, our money would run out, and God says it's an eight-day feast. And you've learned and grown and submitted to God, and then it's time, finally, begrudgingly, to return home. Not yet. That'll be tomorrow evening. But you think about, brethren, what do you want to take home with you from the feast? Well, souvenirs are great. You've got to bring your clothes. You've got to bring whatever you brought. But I hope all of you will take what I want to talk about today with you home, because it's actually the most important thing. Now, you can always replace your clothes. You can always replace souvenirs. But this thing, brethren, is irreplaceable, and it's going to fit in there. If you open it up, you're not going to see anything, because that, what I want to talk about today with you in the sermon is something you're going to have to work on, and have been working on this feast, but you're going to have to make sure you take it home. You're going to have to pack that up tomorrow, all right? And what is that one thing? The vision of God's kingdom. The vision of God's kingdom. That's the one thing, brethren, that God has taught us the last six and a half to seven days is the vision, the wonderful kingdom of God coming to this earth. That vision, brethren, is something that you are a part of now. It's not in you, but it's a part of your living lifestyle, your mind, your way of life. But Jesus Christ is teaching us that vision, and that vision is something so precious, and that's why you've done what you've done. You had to work, pray, you had to drive, you had to fly, you had to do a lot of things, including put things into those suitcases. And please, brethren, don't forget to pack vision when you go home. Unfortunately, we've got to go home. Not yet, but we want to take that home with us. That is keeping the vision alive. That's what I'd like to speak about in the next little while. You know, a man told his pastor some years ago, he says, you know, I've been in God's church 19 years now. That's a fairly long time. And he told his pastor, he actually, though, in spite of being in the church 19 years, he says, I've lived the same spiritual year 19 times. I heard that story in a sermon, and it downfounded me. You mean you've been in the church 19 years, and you've lived the same story, the same life, 19 times over. And the man was not pleased. He says, you know, I never lay that spiritual foundation. And so, I'm just like living the same life year after year, and I'm not going anywhere. Well, that's because, brethren, in part, we don't have the vision, and we're not applying that vision of God's kingdom. We sure don't want to do that. If we've been in the church 19 years, we want to have 19 different years of living God's way of life. Not the same thing 19 times. Everything, brethren, gets old after a while. The same meal 19 times in a row. The same suit of clothes 19 times. Brethren, we can't afford to live the same Christian life 19 years, because that's not the vision. So, the man was on track in a sense of saying, you know, I need to change. I need to recapture why I am here and where I'm going.

You've probably heard of this statement, today is the oldest you've ever been, but the youngest you'll ever be again. Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again. That's so true, isn't it? Today is the oldest you've been so far, but it's also the youngest we'll ever be again. Two sides and same coin. What does that mean? Well, it means, brethren, to capture the vision now, because you'll never be this young again. You'll never be this young again. In other words, time is running out. The feasts come and go. Our lives come and go, as we've heard even during this feast. And so, capture the moment. Where have all the years gone by?

Wow, Mr. Weber's talking about when we were young men.

That seems like just a few months ago to me, in some ways. It also seems like a lifetime ago, because I'm now on Medicare. So, but where does life go, brethren? I mean, let's be honest.

Where has our lives gone? It's just like our vapor, right? Here today, gone tomorrow. So, capturing that vision is extremely important, and taking it home with you is vital. So, when you pack tomorrow, brethren, keep that vision alive. Put it in there. Take it home. And I've got a number of things to discuss in that regard. Turn with me back to Philippians chapter 1, please.

Philippians 1 and verse 6. Paul writing here to the church, the saints, as he says, about grace.

Thanks be to God in prayer. And then in verse 6, he says, being confident. And that's a wonderful thing about this way of life of God. Brethren, to have confidence of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Just as is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart inasmuch as in both in my chains, in my defense, and confirmation of the gospel, that you are partakers with me of grace. What a moving letter by Paul. Of course, he was in prison, house arrest, during this time. It's one of the most encouraging books of all the Bible, and yet he's in house arrest. That wouldn't be my letter. Brethren, oh, what was me? This is terrible. I left the vision behind. I don't have any vision. I don't have any concept of why I'm here. Paul did. Brethren, notice in verse 6 again, being confident of this very thing that he or God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Are we truly confident of that? Are you reassured that God won't forsake you? We have to be, don't we? God says, I'll never forsake you. I'll never leave you behind. That's really, brethren, the first work right here. The first work of God working with you. We need to remember that when things go sad and sour sometimes. You know who else, brethren, is going to try to discourage us and be a part of our life after the feast? You know who it is, the adversary. The three D's. Discouragement, depression, and distraction. That's what we're going to have to fight, brethren, when we get back home. Discouragement, depression, and distraction.

Those are going to be a part of what we could take home. We don't want to, but they're going to probably be at home. And we're going to have to fight those things because those are parts that we don't want. They are vision destroyers. We have to make sure God is a part of our lives when we get back and we overcome and stay strong in the faith. So the first work, brethren, is right here, that God who has begun a good work in you will never stop short until, in fact, you arrive safe and sound in His coming Kingdom. Be confident of that. A key scripture of the sermon today is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. So please turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18. We'll just take the one verse here if we may. 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 18. This is an amazing verse when it talks about, brethren, the first work and how that first work that Paul introduced us to in Philippians 1, how it starts, how it begins, and then how it continues in all our lives spiritually. 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror. Now here's a little analogy by Paul, like a mirror. It's reflecting what? In that mirror, brethren, it's reflecting the glory of the Lord.

And now that's, brethren, you looking in the mirror.

That's the saddest part of the day for me.

It seems like during the night I get a triple chin where I had a double chin before. I don't know. It's like it was a cheese I ate the night before. It's that third chin. Oh, it's sad.

It really is. The worst part of the day is, anyway, I don't like mirrors.

But you have to have a spiritual mirror. Paul is saying, okay, you look in that mirror, and what is reflecting back at you, Paul says? Well, I hope it's not my third chin.

He says, brethren, what is coming back at you is this, the glory of the Lord.

The glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. Now, he's saying, brethren, we have the physical glory today, but we have God's Holy Spirit in us. We have a glory in that sense of God with us, God in us. We are confident of that. So we have that small miniature glory, but he says from this glory to the future glory as a member, as a spirit-filled and spirit-composed member of the family of God, he says, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. Let's analyze that word being transformed. The King James says, changed, literal or figurative, it says metamorphose, metamorphose in the Greek, metaphor-most. Well, of course, that's the metamorphose of our lives, a change. We are changing from the flesh more and more in that reflection and not seeing us, but we're seeing God in us.

So less of us, more of God in that transformation. Now, image means likeness or resemblance.

Brethren, when people see us, do they see you or do they see God in you? That's what Paul is really alluding to. Do they see God or do they see us? That's the transformation from this glory to God in us, more and more and more. You know, discipleship, rather, is more than a set of rules. It is about having God rule you. Discipleship is more than about a set of rules. It is about God ruling you and me. God has rules. God has commandments. They are strong and powerful, but, brethren, by just sitting in church, it doesn't make us a Christian any more than sitting in McDonald's makes us a hamburger. And years ago, we kind of had... I did. I thought, well, I'm in church. I'm at services. I'm at the festivals. I tithe. And it's kind of like, check off the rules list. Now, I'm not diminishing God's laws at all. I'm just simply saying, brethren, a lot of people kept the laws outwardly, including the Pharisees of old.

And that does not transform us from the inside out. That's an outward thing that, unless you're convinced inwardly and converting in the inner person, then it makes really no difference. We have to be, brethren, ruled by God.

And that's the change. That's a transformation. That's the miracle of conversion, we call it. Again, Paul talks about the first work. Once God begins this work, he doesn't have a hands-off approach at all, unless we don't want God in our lives. But we do. That's why we're here. So when people see us, do they see us or do they see God?

Growth does not come by making God in our image. Growth comes, brethren, from being transformed into God's image. That's what Paul is saying here. That's the real vision, isn't it, of having God in us?

So I mentioned earlier, I said Satan would be a part of our vision if we allow that. When we go home, discouragement, depression, distraction. Distraction, brethren, is a big issue today.

It is so hard, brethren, not to be distracted in life. There's far more things to be distracted with today for our young adults.

You have far more choices, far more going on than I ever did.

But you can do that with God's help. But you have to learn today to focus down and throw those distractions out that aren't changing you and aren't causing a growth in you.

It's really odd. You know, we had a speaker at one of our pocket conferences years ago, and he's talking about cell phones. He said, okay, as we begin the meeting, he said, all cell phones off. So, you know, we're all checking cell phones, and they're all off. And I kid you not, as soon as we did that, he was about to start, and then his cell phone went off.

We just roared. But they are a distraction, as we heard earlier in the feast. I saw actually one person going through the cell phone during services. I thought, oh, please, I know it's easy to be distracted. You know, maybe there's a critical business or family thing. I get that part. But I tell you what, rather, and as we're going to go through some scriptures, you have to really focus and concentrate more than ever. Ever seen drivers who are in Lululand, La La Land, and they got the cell? In Idaho, where we are, you can actually, you don't have to be Bluetooth. Nevada, you do. Utah, I don't think you do. But I guess I'll find out, right? But, you know, people are distracted. It causes accidents. It actually can cause death. Now spiritually, if we're so distracted, it can really hurt. It can really cause some damage for ourselves. A lot of us remember John F. Kennedy way back in the day in the 60s. Well-known statement, asked not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Remember that a lot of you? If you weren't alive, it's still, I think, around. And I'm going to modify that to this. Ask not what your congregation can do for you, but what can you can do... what, excuse me, ask what you can do for your congregation.

When you go back home, ask what you can do for your congregation, not what your congregation can do for you. Because, brethren, that is transformation. We all can't do everything. If you depended on a lot of us, brethren, for special music, lots of luck. It sure be a short, special music, because not everybody has that change, that gift. But I tell you, you are appreciated back home. Each and every one of you, they need you. They depend on you. Even if you're not the singing type or the PA sound type, your church locally needs you. You have much to offer, very much to offer. Local congregations, brethren, are lab sessions of God's way of life in action.

That's why we need congregations locally. It isn't enough just to have an annual congregation, a yearly congregation. We have to have weekly lab sessions of God's way of life in action. You need to grab hold of a congregation and them with you. That's God's way of love in action. How can you pray for the widows if you don't know the widows?

How can you get to know, brothers and sisters, if we're not there? You know, the church at Ephesus, Philippi, Rome, etc. They were congregations, and Paul and Peter write to them and send greetings. So we need our brothers and sisters very much. When you go home, ask what you can do for your local congregation. Young adults, teens, we need you very much, as well as all the way up. Turn with me over to John 17, verse 1. We're going to read the first three verses, John 17, verse 1. Now, here after the Passover and the moving service at Jesus Christ, when He substituted His New Covenant symbols of His own very body and His blood as a sacrifice for all of mankind and our sins, here this is a prayer of Jesus Christ in John 17, verse 1. He spoke these words, lifted His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may also glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that You should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. Now, verse 3. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

Brethren, do you know God? Do you know God? That's eternal life. When you get all the little sand away and then go to the bottom of the bay and figure out what's at the bottom here, and the water clears up, what do you see at the bottom? That's what Jesus is saying in this prayer. Do you know God? Does God know you? That's the real question, isn't it? I don't care how well we may know prophecy, we may know Daniel, we may know this and that. It really, brethren, doesn't mean anything, in fact, if we don't know God. There's a lot of people who understand parts of prophecy. They understand about the Sabbath. They understand here and there, brethren, but it could be us. Do you know God? That's the issue. That's it. So, that's what Jesus Christ said here, very directly. Well, notice in 1 Corinthians 12, please highlight verse 3 there, will you? That's the franchise we could say. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 31.

We want to lead in here, brethren, to the next chapter, but it really starts here.

And by the way, what does the word no mean? Well, maybe just do a little Bible study on that. That'd be well worth our time when we get back home. Look that up, read that verse, pray about that, and say, God, do I know you? Do you know me?

Go from there. Now, this verse, chapter 12, verse 31, again leads right into what we call the love chapter. Verse 31, but earnestly desire the best gifts, but I show you a more excellent way. Well, Paul has been talking about various gifts in that whole chapter. Gifts are fine, but he says this is a more excellent way. This is the best. Now, when you go back home, brethren, one thing that you want to take with that vision, and that's part and parcel, is what Paul writes about in the next several verses. Because this will be a game changer. This will change everything. Verse 1, chapter 13, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clinking cymbal. You ever heard a clinking cymbal? Ouch. Ouch. It just irritates. And, brethren, we can actually have people in God's wonderful church, and yours truly included from time to time, and we become just this bashing, clanging cymbal. And it's so irritating. Sometimes people, we talk about ourselves incessantly, and you can't get a word in edgewise. Oh, my story, it reminds me of this. You just say a little bit about yourself. Oh, it reminds me of a story. You ever had that happen? And they're off and running. And you think, can you open up a little bit and talk about it? Let others talk. Is it good to have a back and forth? You know, one mouth, two ears is how God designed that. And so Paul is down to the nitty-gritty here of Christian conduct, Christian etiquette, care. And then verse 2, "...and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned..." Which is really amazing. "...but have not love, it profits me nothing." Now, he is alluding to the fact that we can do a lot of things. That's kind of embarrassing, brethren. When I think back at some of the idiot things I've done, you think, whoa, bad. But he says, you've got to have the right motive. You can't have a self-motive. This is not God's way, not God's love. And then verse 4. All right, so verse 4, we get into the heart of it.

"...love suffers long, or it is patient. It is kind. Love does not envy.

Love does not parade itself, or boast. Is not puffed up, or is not proud.

Does not behave rudely. Does not seek its own. Or self-seeking, it says." The word seek means plot in the Greek. In other words, self-plotting, self-seeking.

And again, we talk about conversations and not just plotting about, oh, I'm going to say this, and I'm going to say that, and I'm going to come out of this conversation really looking good. No, it's not seeking its own. It's not provoked, or it says, not easily angered, not exacerbated, not easily stirred up. That is so hard, brethren. Aren't these things hard?

Especially on California interstates. No. It's just driving does that. Just life does that. It's tough. I have a little part of a scripture tacked into the dashboard in my car, but I'm not going to let you see it because it's up in Boise anyway. But it's a scripture. It talks about this stuff. Don't do what they've just done to you. Don't answer in kind. Don't think in kind. It's tough. I always find driving can be challenging because it really can bring out my human nature. So going on, it thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity. In other words, it keeps no record of wrongs, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things. That's fascinating in the Greek. Bears all things means to roof over roof, like over a house or a building. To roof over, figurative, to cover with silence, endure patiently. And again, that means to bear all things. To roof over, figuratively, to cover with silence or endure patiently. You just put a roof on it. Put a cap on it. You just move forward. Interesting.

Going on, it says, it believes all things or put trust in.

Hopes all things. It says, always hopes, endures all things, have fortitude or perseveres. And then verse 8, love never fails. It means to drop away, specifically to be driven out of one's course.

Now we had the privilege of going with Captain Lance the other day out on San Diego Harbor. He's a really gentleman. He's just great to go sailing with. And so he automatically turns the, whatever it is, the helm over to the newbies in the sailboat. So I get up there in this huge wheel, and you see craft coming toward you of all kinds. And so my, within five minutes, I said, Lance, Lance, hold it, hold it, don't go too far. I said, I've got this boat over here, and this boat over here, and this boat over here, and I'm here. What do I do? He said, stay your course. Keep your course. And then it dawned on me, that's what that phrase means. If you're going like this, it means all the other boats are saying, this, this captain, or this pilot, has no clue where they're going. They're over here, they're over here, and that means they can't go where they should go to avoid you. He said, stay your course. You stay on track.

And that really connected. So I said, okay, now out of my way, everybody. But you know, within reason. But then, as there's such a thing as powercraft, they can move, maneuver around you, so sailboats kind of have the right of way, until there's a really big steamer going through. But I thought that made perfect sense. Love stays on course. That connected. It doesn't say, well, I'll love you, but I won't love you, and today I'll love you, but tomorrow who knows what will happen. And, you know, I have my choice of whether I want to love, or whether I want to not love today. No, no, it doesn't mean that. It stays the course. Love stays the course. It doesn't fail. Moving on, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail. Whether there are tongues, they will cease. Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Brethren, isn't the love of God incredible? It changes us from hate and bitterness and getting even to peace and gentleness and a whole different attitude.

I tell you a story back in Michigan, way back when I was a young minister and I was coming off the interstate, and there was a slow car in front of me, and I thought, well, you know, I could zoom around this slow car and make it to the exit, but maybe not. Maybe I'll run out of room. So I stopped and I slowed down and started to tailgate this car, this slow-moving car, tailgate, as we exited. So I followed the car in that car, really slowed down, kept slowing down, said, this is amazing. We're about 20 miles an hour on this exit. I, you know, I've got things to do. And I'm violating all this attitude of love. And so, tailgating, and we're finally getting to where the off-ramp splits, and the driver in the vehicle goes right in the right lane. I'm going to go left. Oh boy, now I can speed up. And I come parallel with that driver in the other car, and I look in there and I said, that's Mrs. So-and-so, a widow in the Flint, Michigan church. And I'd just been tailgating her and thinking really bad thoughts. Oh, oh my. You know, and so I thought, oh, I bet she sees me. You know, she, that's the worst thing. God sees me, right? It's always, but that person sees me. Never mind God. And so, the dear lady is just like this on the wheel, you know, very diligent driver. And so, I get parallel and I think, okay, now what do I do? So, I look at her and she looks at me and she just smiles. And I go, you know, I felt like a... I thought, I told that story in a lady's night. And, of course, she was there. And so, I told her all my bad attitudes. But, you know, it's just amazing. I mean, I'm telling my story. You probably have a story. I hope you do. But, you know, we're all growing in this. That's the vision. That's the standard. And it's okay. God will help us to overcome and grow. But it's just a reminder, isn't it? That we want to keep going. Read these verses, brethren, on a regular basis. Pray about them.

Really will help. Really will help. Now, in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 15, please, Ephesians 5 and verse 15, I'll lean over to see my notes. I've got to do that a little bit.

Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 15. Ephesians 5, so this dear widow, one of the finest ladies, taught me some lessons. Ephesians 5 and verse 15. Now, to lead up to verse 16 here. Verse 15, to see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.

Well, I was a fool that day. Now, verse 16, it says, redeem the time, because the days are evil. Redeem here means to buy up, to buy up. Or ransom, like a ransom. You buy up. You buy as a ransom, figuratively, to rescue from loss.

You're buying up time, brethren, figuratively, from loss. In other words, once you lose the time, it's gone forever. And you'll never get it back. So it's like, I'm going to buy that ransom. It's so precious to me. I'm going to buy it. I'm going to make sure I have it. I don't lose it.

Brethren, we are in the end time. How far along? We don't know. We don't know. I think we heard Mr. Kubik say something yesterday about that, didn't we? But, you know, it's not the end time. It doesn't mean Jesus Christ will be the end of our lives. It means our death will be. I don't know when that is. Redeem the time. We don't know. You have to buy back. You have to be very careful about that.

The word evil means degeneracy, disease, vicious, evil, grievous, lewd.

I mean, there are some lewd ways to spend our time and our thoughts. So to make changes, we really have to want to make changes. Nothing else then replaces that vision, that number one goal in life. So redeem the time, brethren, is an important thing. As you go back home, make use of those precious days and weeks and years coming up.

We have, by the way, to you parents, we have a lot of good teen material for parents.

We put into the members' side a year ago. Mrs. Diane Clark was very helpful with that. In the San Diego, brethren, young adults, you all worked on that. We have a lot of good parent guides for teens having good family Bible studies. Lots of them. Dozens and dozens of Bible studies right online. Please make those available. We, of course, have a lot of children lessons online. We have the Deuteronomy 6 program, outstanding program. Very helpful, very encouraging. We have the camp program. We had about 550 campers this past summer. We'll, of course, have winter camp in December. I'll tell you, the staff that comes to camp, brethren, they're the best. They make camp work.

And we don't pay them. Most are total volunteers. I asked one staff member years ago at one of the camps, and I said, well, I know you're self-employed. How much do you figure these two weeks going to camp because of the drive time cost you? He's self-employed. And he said something like $4,000. It's not just, you know, vacation time because he's self-employed. Every day he's not there costs him money. That's our staff. Thousands and thousands of dollars, in some cases, to be there. That's incredible investment. So we have a good group. We have a wonderful group of campers and staff and certainly parents around the world. Notice in Psalm 119 verse 133. Now, this talks about the vision, keeping it alive, taking it home with you. We don't want to leave this feast. We'd love to be here for a very, very long time, but we're going to have to go back home, re-engage Psalm 119 and verse 133, please. Psalm 119 and verse 133. Now, here the psalmist is saying, direct my steps by your word. Direct my steps by your word. Let no iniquity have dominion over me.

You know, I'm not going to allow any side issue, distraction, discouragement, despair, any bad driver, whatever it might be. I'm not going to let anybody do that. I'm going to overcome that. I'll have God with me. That's a very powerful concept. Now, back to verse 37, brother, in the same chapter, verse 37. Turn away my eyes, the psalmist says, from looking at worthless things, and revive me in your way. Revive me. That's the feast. That's vision. But he says, turn my eyes from looking at worthless things. I think that was the verse of something very similar. I was at a member's home one night years ago, and I happened to see next to the television a typewritten message set up next to the TV. And I looked at it. If it wasn't this verse, it was something similar. But I thought that was interesting. The person typed that up, and just kind of a reminder, everything I watch on TV, you know, for them, I don't want my eyes looking at worthless things. That's a good way of putting it, scripturally, isn't it? You know, it might be a movie. It could be something on the Internet. It could be something on TV, a magazine, life itself. Just, God, help me not to be looking at worthless things, listening to worthless things, and losing the time. I need to redeem the time. I can't lose the time. Verse 59. And then, of course, reflection here. You kind of see the psalmist go through his view, his meditating, his thinking, his asking God to help him. I thought about my ways. Now, that takes some meditation. And turn my feet to your testimony. So he thinks, did I just do a right thing or a bad thing? Was that decent? No, it wasn't.

And I turned my feet to your testimony. So I just turned around. I made haste, and I did not delay to keep your commandments. Boy, what a zealous attitude that is. I made haste. I turned around.

Now, the prior chapter, chapter 118, brethren, let's turn back there, please, with me to Psalm 118 in verse 5. Psalm 118 in verse 5. Now, this is so encouraging because, brother, we need this when we go back home. We're going to really need to pray about this and have God protect us. Because there's going to be things when you get back home at work and school and everything. He's saying, you know, within a few weeks, boy, that feast seems so far away already. I've had that happen. Now, we've got to keep that vision. We've got to keep this thing afresh.

Verse 5, I called on the Lord in distress. The Lord answered and sent me in a broad place.

In other words, a wide space. Psalm 31 verse 8 says, wide place. The parallel to that. Psalm 31 verse 8, we won't turn over there, but a broad place. And, brother, we need that when we get home. Just ask God to give you a good, wide space. You know, keep the world from just closing in on you.

We need that. You can pray that. God will answer. This is not a true story, but it has quite an impact. Two brothers on adjoining properties fell into conflict. This is after 30 years of farming together. Two brothers. So, the collaboration fell apart. It grew over misunderstanding and exploded with a bitter exchange of words, followed by weeks of silence. One morning, there was a knock on the older brother's door. He opened to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. And the carpenter said, look, I'm looking for a couple of days work. Do you have a job here? And the older brother said, sure, I do. He says, here's what I want you to do. Look across that creek on my farm here. That's my neighbor. In fact, it's my younger brother. Last week, there was a meadow between us. And he took, this brother of mine, took a bulldozer to the river levee, and now there's a creek between us. Well, he says, you know what I want you to build, carpenter? I want you to build me an eight-foot fence between the properties. I don't even want to see his property. So the carpenter said, I think, understand the situation. The older brother said, look, I've got to go to town. Here's all the tools. I'll be home tonight and see what you got. The older brother comes back and he sees what the carpenter built. His jaw drops. There's no fence at all. There's a bridge. It's a really nice bridge. It's got handrails, a fine piece of work. And he looks and there is his younger brother coming across the bridge with an outstretched arm or hand. And he says, brother, I'm so amazed you've done this the way I treated you. And the older brother thought, yeah, uh-huh. So they hugged, they made up. And then the older brother told the carpenter, he says, look, I've got other jobs for you. And the carpenter says, no, I've got to be on my way. I've got a lot of bridges to build.

So I know, ah. Well, not a true story, but it's got a real, a real lesson to it, doesn't it? You got any bridges to build? Not fences? Yeah. Big difference, right? Yeah, let's build some bridges.

Okay, let's go to the book of Revelation, please. Revelation 14 verse 6.

Okay, now this is one that brother talks about all generations here. We talk about generations today, and we have our baby boomers and Gen Xers and Millennials and on and on. We've had our wonderful parents or grandparents, their generations. But notice in Revelation 14 and verse 6. This is beyond generations, we might say. The Gospel, brethren, is to all generations for all time. Revelation 14 and verse 6. Now, John writes, he says, I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. Now, that isn't just to a few generations alive now, and it's not just to one group of people. It's to all nations for all generations. Hence, it's called the Everlasting Gospel. The Gospel, good tidings or good news, does not change for generations.

God doesn't rebuild the Gospel and say, oh, for you, your generation, you're different. Well, I've never seen a generation like you. Let's change my Gospel. And that way it'll make sense to you. It's the reverse, brethren. God's good tidings work for everybody. God isn't a God who has a lack of vision. He sees the future always from back in the eons of time. Now, so this is for Gen Xers, Millennials, you know who the true Millennials are? Those born in the thousand years.

I just came up with that yesterday. Anyway, it's just amazing, though, brethren, when you really think about the Everlasting Gospel, that has a real connection to it. The problem that I see with a lot of generations, and it's not those alive today, but we tried to fit the Everlasting Gospel into us.

That's the problem we need to fit into God's Gospel, because, brethren, it fits everybody.

It's okay. God's Spirit will direct our minds to it. Now, it doesn't mean, brethren, that we can't put things in a certain way. I'm not dealing with that because we put things, brethren, at camp in a certain way. Because, honestly, the way most of us ministers preach, brethren, is not geared to young adults or our teens, unfortunately. And we wish we could do a better job of that. But at camp, we don't care about the adults as much. See? So we can get those messages really geared in for them, and they do identify, and they respond. But anyway, I just think that's a marvelous thing there. Then he says in verse 7, saying with a loud voice, now there are four things here.

I'm going to define it four ways, and, brethren, to me, they're in sequence. Okay? That's to me. Now, I understand there's verses that take them out of sequence, and so we understand that. But here they are in sequence. So I'm going to do the context here in verse 7. First of all, brethren, the everlasting Gospel. And again, many ways to define the tight, good tidings, good news, etc. We've talked about that for the last seven days. But here in context, John heard the angel say with a loud voice, fear God. That's where you start. Now, brethren, worshiping God is commanded by God, but it's third on the list here. Excuse me. I'll get it. I'll get it. It's fourth. Now, I'm just saying sequentially in context. You start here, brethren, with an oneness of God.

You start with a reverence of God, standing in awe of the eternal God. That's where you start. You know, problem starts with that. Fear God. If you're going to learn about God, you have to come with Him with respect. You can't do it flippantly. Again, we are being made in God's image, not Him and ours. So you start, brethren, by having a respect, a deep respect, an oneness of God. Then he says, giving Him glory. Because of learning fear, we can glorify God. Without learning fear first, you can't glorify God. I mean, come on, let's face it. That's kind of like self-glory or what our definition of glory might be. So you start with the awesomeness of God. Then you can glorify God, which means give dignity, honor, praise, and, yes, worship.

And then next, notice in the Scripture, verse 7, for the hour of judgment has come. To me, verse 3, the third thing here is, and oh, by the way, do you realize how your life is very short and you are living under the wonderful judgment of God? That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.

But we have to redeem the time. We have to capture the vision. We have to see the big picture. Judgment is now, not for the world, but for those called and chosen in God's way of life. And then, fourthly, worship God, which, of course, means prostrate oneself in homage, do reverence to, adore, or worship.

Worship can be all those things, brethren, and they really should apply. You know, just having a wonderful, humble worship to God is really kind of like the final part of the message here.

Now, verse 6 talks about that's the everlasting gospel. But again, we understand gospel can mean so much more, and it does. So I'm not excluding that. I'm just saying in the context here. And that's what's missing so much with people today. They just seem to, oh, I'll worship God my own way, and I'll just do it. Well, okay. But can we do it God's way first?

Can we start with God and thinking about these things? That would really help, wouldn't it? Let's learn from God. 1 John 3. 1 John 3, please. Just a little bit earlier here. 1 John 3 and verse 1. So that's the everlasting gospel, brethren, of Revelation. 1 John 3 and verse 1. 1 John 3 and verse 1. Behold, what manner of the love of God is bestowed on us? And boy, that's so true, brethren. What manner of love that we should be called children of God.

Well, that's no better thing than that, to be called a child of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it does not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God and has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. So we don't know, brethren, how we're going to appear. That's yet to be revealed. But we know that we shall see Him as He really is, and everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself just as He is pure. So, brethren, how does God look upon His people with great love, with great hope, with great anticipation? Remember, it is God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Pleasure there means to think well of or approve in Luke 12, verse 32. God anticipates, brethren, you being in His Kingdom and giving you the crown of eternal life.

Let's finish up here in Revelation, back again to Revelation 22, and the very last chapter, chapter 22 and verse 1. Now, this may be read tomorrow, and I've spoken on the 8th, the last great day, a number of times in recent years, so I kind of generally end my message that way, and I'll do so today.

In Revelation 22 and verse 1, He showed me a pure river of water, of life.

Now, of course, there's many analogies here throughout Revelation. This is one of them, water of life. In other words, God's Holy Spirit, pure, refreshing, eternal, clearest crystal, proceeding from the very throne of God and of the Lamb, the Father and of the Lamb. And in the middle of the street on either side of the river was the tree of life. So we really go back, as Mr. Weber said the other night, to the three gardens, the tree of life in the original garden, and then this tree of life in the kingdom of God in the new heavens, new earth, as well as vis-a-vis through the garden of Gethsemane, as he mentioned, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. I just look upon that in one sense, brethren, as just a restoring, refreshing healing of God for his people every second. I don't know if we could equate that. It's kind of like having orange juice, grape juice. You know how it makes you kind of have a kick? I don't know. That's a very, very minor way of looking at it, I guess. But I just kind of look like refreshment, encouraging energy flowing through us from God through this wonderful healing that God gives. So, in old curse, no more curse, verse 3, the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and his servant shall serve him.

Now, brethren, what does that imply? I don't know. Stay tuned, right? Because God will fill us in the blanks. We don't know how we will serve God forever and ever. I don't. But it's exciting to know we'll always be serving God. That's kind of like the job description. That's a general job description, but that's good, because that's what we're doing now. Our job description from the time God really changes us, brethren, with God's Spirit to all eternity is serving God. And then verse 4, they shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads. We heard a message on that recently. There shall be no night there. There shall be no lamp or light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. Well, that's another part of the job description, brethren. It's exciting. It's wonderful. It's coming. And that's the vision of the kingdom. And take that home with you.