Noblesse Oblige

Good afternoon, brethren. Good to see all of you again for another Feast of Tabernacles. It's a privilege my wife and I have to be back here again and enjoy the feast site and the people we've already had the chance to talk to and fellowship with and look forward to many more.

I have a direct question for you regarding the feast since we're on the front end. We're two-thirds of the way through day one and seven more jam-packed days to go. But what are you going to be doing during the millennium?

Now, it's not just an academic question. I wonder how often you think about that question personally. What am I going to be doing during the millennium? I think it was about three or four years ago in a conversation in preparation for Feast of Tabernacles' messages. One of the individuals in the conversation talking about sermons made the comment that we needed to focus more on being servants and not so much on being rulers. Obviously, since it was made three or four years ago, it's stuck with me. And at the time, my mind played both sides of that issue, the side that said yes and the side that says let me think about it.

But I'd like to speak on that today.

The statement we need to focus more on being servants than on being rulers is certainly in line with current social sensitivities. And it's even an agreement with the long-standing practice of the nation in which we live. I was thinking recently there's probably not another one of the nations that sprang from ancient Israel that is more opposed to rulership or nobility than the United States of America.

In the very first article of the Constitution, there's a clause known as the Titles of Nobility Clause. They didn't park it in Section 2, 3, 4, 5. It's in the first article of the Constitution, and it forbids the nation of giving titles of nobility or honor. And to make sure that wasn't misunderstood, it wasn't that much longer, that much further down the line in the Constitution, that that same practice was forbidden the individual states.

So we are in a nation that has had a strong aversion to titles and nobility. Unlike our European brethren, we have no experience as a nation of living among kings and princes and dukes and earls and barons. You can't go around our country like you can in England and see castles here and there dotting the landscape, huge estates that have been passed from generation to generation to generation over multiple centuries.

It would bend the mind of an American to realize that there are noble families in England that have lived in the same estate for just short of a millennium, 900-plus years. And so whoever is living there now can say, well, my father and my grandfather and my great-grandfather, and I don't know how many generations you have to go back, is probably 40 or so generations back, but my families lived in this castle for 900 years, very foreign to who we are and what we are.

So why bring it up? The reason is really quite simple. Nobility and service are not opposites, they are companions. Now I'm speaking of the kingdom of God, so don't confuse the world in which we live with where we are headed. My question was, what are you going to be doing during the millennium?

And as we focus, as we look down the road to that particular direction, we need to understand that nobility and service are not opposites, they are companions. We live at an unusual time because we have just witnessed this last month, the death of the longest reigning English monarch in history with the death of Christ.

I haven't taken the time to do a measurement, but at the time of her death, English citizens lined up in a five mile long line to be able to pass by her casket in London. Sit down some time and Google from the majestic theater how far is five miles away down 76. And then imagine in your mind a line of single file people extending from here all the way back to who knows where, the Titanic Museum or something like that, each one able to pass by the casket.

I was struck by the fact that I was able to pass by the casket. I was struck by one of England's greatest sports heroes, David Beckham. England's sport is soccer, or football, as they would call it, but soccer. And their most highly paid and respected athletes are soccer players. David Beckham, who is probably the greatest English soccer player of modern times, a man who could pull down a salary of $50 million a year, got in line at 2 a.m.

in the morning to go through the one by one movement to eventually reach the place where he reached Queen Elizabeth's casket. And he said he was there to express his gratitude for Queen Elizabeth's service to her country. Service. Her subjects, of all stripes, mentioned over and again that the reason that they paid respect to her by the millions was her service. A queen respected for serving. Nobility and service. So let's explore the subject of service and nobility as we peer into the kingdom of God and where you're going, the part that we will play, and as we journey through the subject, we'll also take the time to look at a modern term that captures both the aspect of nobility and service in one phrase.

It's a French phrase used by English nobility, noblesse oblige. Now when I ask you what you'll be doing during the millennium, you know you and I don't really have a lot of choice. I remember in years past, as we were a younger and newer church and there were less white-haired people in the congregation or bald-headed or part white and bald and as we have all become, and we would say, well, you know, I'm an engineer so I'm going to help with bridges. Well, I am a teacher so I'll help in teaching and I'm this and I'm that. God isn't asking what you do now and what you think you are skilled at.

He's already got your assignment mapped out. Let's take a look at some of the few places where your job and your job description is laid out without any ambiguity, whatever. Let's start with 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 2.

The apostle Paul, speaking to Timothy, said in verse 11 of 2 Timothy 2, This is a faithful saying, for if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall reign with him. Very straightforward, very simple statement. We will reign with him. When we arrive at the book of Revelation, especially in the early portion of the book and the message to the seven churches of Revelation, as we walk through those seven churches, let's look for a moment at Revelation chapter 3 and the message to one of those churches. Revelation chapter 3.

And interestingly enough, in Revelation chapter 3, this particular statement is made to the church of Laodicea. Revelation chapter 3, verse 21, There's a great song in Revelation chapter 5 where an angelic course of a size that you can't even wrap your head around. When it talks about, we've already had the number mentioned, 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands and thousands. Can you imagine a billion-voice choir singing a song dedicated to us? It's not a song about them. But in Revelation chapter 5, the song begins in verse 9. And the song says, Those of you that like to study more deeply are aware of the fact that that 10th verse in Revelation 5 is quibbled about and argued about by commentators. Some will say, well, that doesn't mean kings and priests. It means a kingdom of priests, or it means a kingdom and priests. But you know, when you back the trolley up a little bit and you stop and park it, you realize one simple thing. If you're going to put a label on the kingdom of God, there's only one label that men use today that fits. It's a theocracy. Now, unfortunately, we don't have a lot to look at as we look around the world that would inspire us in the right way because basically the only theocracies that come to our mind would be in places like Iran. But a theocracy is where the priests are the kings. And so when God talks to us and He said, you'll be kings and priests, well, the priests are the kings and the kings of the priests. Jesus Christ will be the king of kings and He will be our high priest. That's the nature of a theocracy. It is ruled by those who are the religious leaders. The whole reason you are here is because you are in training as a future religious leader in what will be a theocracy. We're aware of the fact, in fact, every so often in conversation, we may bring it up. We're aware of the fact that certain positions are already taken.

Who will have the position? How the position will will function? Already laid out. Revelation chapter 19 is the most obvious because this one is repeated in several places, either directly or indirectly. But at the top of the whole hierarchy, Revelation chapter 19 in verse 16 says, when Jesus Christ returns, written on His robe will be the name king of kings and Lord of lords.

In the world that we live in today, and I guess not so much today because it's hard to find a modern illustration, but in the last century and especially in the last two centuries, our term for a king of kings is an emperor.

Emperor is the name we bestow on someone who is a king of such stature that he is king over multiple other kings. And so his kingdom is made up of multiple other kingdoms of lesser stature. And Jesus Christ is going to be an emperor. He will be the king of kings and the Lord of lords. Ezekiel chapter 37, and I know many of you are familiar with the fact that there is a point in the 30s of Ezekiel where the subject transitions into a millennial picture, and in Ezekiel chapter 37, a piece of that millennial picture is as follows.

Ezekiel chapter 37 and verse 24, peering into the millennium, God revealed to Ezekiel the following. He said, David my servant shall be king over them. That's over Israel. And they shall all have one shepherd, and they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, where your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell there. They, their children, and their children's children forever, and my servant David shall be their prince forever.

Now David in one verse is called a king, in another verse he's called a prince, and there's no dichotomy or problem there. With Christ being the emperor, the king of kings, then David can be a lesser king over Israel. He can also, if you put Christ simply in the singular as the king, then David is a prince ruling under Christ. But he's over all 12 tribes of Israel. I think we're all familiar with Matthew chapter 19, but since we're putting down a solid foundation for where we're going, let's turn to Matthew 19 and look at it, even though I know that you know what it says. Matthew chapter 19.

Now consider Revelation. The description of Christ's assignment is 2,000 years old. So that's a position that's been locked in place at the very earliest 2,000 years ago. David's position, Ezekiel, was 2,500 years ago in round numbers. If we come back to 2,000 years ago, Matthew chapter 19 and verse 28, and Jesus said to them, speaking to the 12, assuredly, in other words, this is a guarantee. When I say for certain or assuredly, it's a lock. Assuredly, I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

You and I are mentioned, and again, this isn't a matter of trying to find the absolute very, very, very first time it's mentioned, but just using those rock-solid ones. You and I are mentioned 2,500 years ago. Go back to Daniel 7.

Daniel is the book that introduces Gentile kingdoms and their progression to prophecy. And we all know that in the beginning of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar is told that you are the first of the great kingdoms. That'll be followed by another and another and yet another, and that last one will have multiple resurrections. And as he was describing it, it was very easy to know when the whole parade ends, because the parade is always described the same way. The last of those kingdoms will end when Jesus Christ returns to this earth to establish His kingdom, and in doing so, He will end all these kingdoms. So terminal points, very easy. The terminal point is when Jesus Christ returns. Daniel 7 is one of those places where that progression is described. And now Daniel has gone from explaining it to Babylonian kings. Now he's explaining it to Persian kings. But in Daniel chapter 7, verse 17, Daniel has seen four beasts picturing that progression of kingdoms. And in verse 17 he says, those great beasts which are four are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. So this is not the short term forever. This is the forever that is forever and ever and ever. The kingdom's yours.

He continues on in verse 22. Actually, verse 21, I was watching and the same horn was making war against the saints and prevailing against them until the ancient of days came. And judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

Now he didn't let it go there. There's one more round. Verse 27. Verse 26 sets the stage. The court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion. So the last of the human rulers of this earth, the court's going to sit. It's going to make a judgment. His rulership is ended. It will be consumed and destroyed. Then the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

So when I ask you, what were you doing during the millennium? I'm sorry to bait you. Your job's already set. You've got an assignment, and that assignment is very clearly mapped out. You will join others who were given that assignment at the same time you were. Some of them given the assignment a little bit later. Why does rulership cause people to squirm?

I realize on an individual basis, people can say, well, I'm not qualified. That's a different issue. None of us are qualified. So if that bothers you, get in line to get on the boat, because we're all there. But there are other reasons. And I think one of the reasons can be located to Matthew 20. If you get in a discussion with a group of people, and that group of people is large enough, and you discuss what I've been saying to you so far and what you can mentally see as where all of this would go, sooner or later somebody would bring up Matthew 20. Matthew chapter 20. It's the famous case of the mother of Zebedee's sons.

Matthew 20, 20. And the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asking something from him. And he said to her, what is it you would like? And she said, grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and one on your left in the kingdom. Christ was very kind to simply say to her, you don't know what you're asking.

Well, that was two out of twelve. The other ten were not happy about it. And so as we continue on in the story, we get down to verse 24. And it says, and when the ten heard, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. How dare you put yourself in line ahead of us?

Now, obviously, the question by Zebedee's son's mother was presumptuous. The attitude of the other ten wasn't a whole lot better because they were all grabbing. They were all grabbing. So Christ took all twelve of them, and He sat them down. And He said to them in verse 25, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. And yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Now, stop a minute and consider the fact that it was in Matthew 10 that the twelve of them were promised to sit on twelve thrones, ruling the tribes of Israel. Was this a cancellation? I'm going to take the twelve thrones away. You need to be servants.

No. To Christ, rulership and service are companions. As I said earlier, not opponents. Jesus is not divesting himself of his position as Lord of lords and King of kings to become a servant. Jesus Christ's service is not in contradiction with his position.

Now, I said at the beginning of the message, I'd introduce you to a modern term, or a term of more modern origin. And that's the term, no bless, oblige. Now, I realize if you're like me, I probably Google everything. And I've come to the place of learning when you Google things, there's always somebody with their nose bent out of joint. And so if you Google no bless, oblige, you'd find somebody who's not really happy with the whole concept. I want you to understand conceptually within the context of the kingdom of God as we rule in the millennium that this is a principle that is lived by some nobility today, but will be universally lived by you in the kingdom of God. It came into vogue at a time when, to prove you were upper class in England, you spoke French. If you've studied the history of Europe, as you walk through certain ages, certain languages were the language of the day. Just like today, if you want to be considered to be a well-traveled and versed individual, you speak English. English is the universal language of today's sophistication. At the time that term came into existence, French was a way in England of showing that you were sophisticated. And the term no bless, oblige simply meant the obligation, oblige, of the nobility.

And it was a way of recognizing that those of noble birth had an obligation to those who were under their dominion. It wasn't all about sitting in a high office. It wasn't a matter of looking down upon, condescendingly, all others except yourself. It was a recognition of responsibility that went along with the office. We've had the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with that on a couple of occasions. Years ago, in Ambassador College, we had service projects where young men and young women went to Jordan and they went to Thailand, those two countries primarily, and they served. Jordan I was more familiar with because I had a chance to visit more in depth there. Thailand, I visited the students there also, but a much shorter visit. And it didn't matter what the case was. In Jordan, it was a case of teaching handicapped children crafts and skills that would make them employable in a society that had more of a tendency to discard the handicapped. And this was an opportunity to take those who basically would end up discarded by society and teach them a skill or a craft that would allow them to support themselves in adulthood. Another aspect of it was that some of these were severely handicapped, and the students that went over there and served for a year were working with physical therapy, helping them rehabilitate to the degree that they had as much strength and mobility and dexterity as the disease or the infirmity they had would allow. Now, why were they over there? Because princes and princesses of that land, seeing the limited resources that they had as a country, shopped outside the country for people who would donate their time, their manpower, their services, and even their money to help their subjects be able to rise above grinding poverty.

Noblesse Oblige. The students who worked in those areas, whether it was Jordan or Thailand, could bring back stories that simply demonstrated how those who held the title looked at those that were their subjects and said, how can I, in the places where we served, how can I make their lot in life a better lot in life? No bless. Oblige. I mentioned Queen Elizabeth earlier. I don't need to go back over that again, but the respect and the awe and the reverence that she had from her subjects was because of service.

It's a society that's not ours. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, at the height of their service, had under their dominion a thousand patronages. Now, what that meant was they had a thousand different bodies of people who said, if you will lend your name to our cause, our cause will go further than if you don't. If you believe that what we're trying to accomplish is valuable to the kingdom, if you will allow us to say, we have the Queen's support, it will help our cause. We get to hear all the gossipy stuff about royalty. We rarely get to hear about those particular areas where they can lend their name or their title to a service that will better the life of people. So they sponsor a disease. They sponsor a treatment. They sponsor a rehabilitation of some sort. All of those aim the same way. By adding your title to our cause, our cause can go further than it would without it.

Noblesse, oblige. I spent two years as a student in England, and I think it affected me in terms of English humor. I enjoy English humor. I had an opportunity some years ago to watch a British sitcom called To the Manner Born. The whole theme was about a lord and a lady, and the lord died, and he left the estate in enough debt that the lady had to sell the estate. Now, her family had lived there for 200 and some years, and she had been the lady of the manor. Since this was a comedy, it was bought by a Polish grocer. And so she's looking with absolute total bewilderment. How in the world can my estate become the home of a green grocer? This is somebody who immigrated from Poland, made a success in starting grocery stores, and now he's living in my estate. It was an interesting watch. It was a short series, but it was an interesting watch, because every so often, now he was kind enough to let her and her butler, the last of her servants, live in the gatekeeper's cottage. But since he had to go by that every time he left the estate, they had constant contact. But she had to remind him periodically that you're not a Polish grocery store chain owner. You are the Lord of the manor, and you have a responsibility. You have some tenants that if you don't give them certain mercies, they will end up out on the street with no place to go and nothing to support them. You also are the meeting place for the entirety of the community that centers on your estate.

And so commemorations, memorials, and special festivals, it's your obligation to host them. Oh, by the way, you also are required to attend a church, because next to the vicar, you are the most important person in that building. And the well-being of that church building probably rests upon your generosity. And so he got reminded over and over again that it's not just about you had enough money to buy my estate when I couldn't afford to keep it up. When you bought it, you bought the obligation with it. And everyone who for the last 200 years surrounding your estate have relied upon that estate to care for them are now looking at you.

As I said, it was comedic, but it was educational at the same time. Let's go back to a place, as we talk about rulership, let's go back to a place that we probably all cue off of, the parable of the talents and the parable of the pounds. We see in both of those parables, based upon the dedication and the service that one has given to God during this human life, that a statement of well done, good and faithful servant, I want you to be responsible for this much in the kingdom. And so we see the meeting out of responsibility and the term that is used, cities. Well done, good and faithful servant, rule over 10 cities. Well done, good and faithful servant, rule over one city, rule over five cities. So we can say, okay, if Daniel says and Timothy says and Revelation says, the saints will reign in rule, maybe based on the parable of the talent and the pounds, we're looking at cities. Oh, cities come in all size and shapes and descriptions. I'm in a small city by city standards. The city I live in has 200,000 people in it. Cross the river on the other side is a city that still by city sizes is a moderate size city, 650,000. It isn't a large city. So well done, good and faithful servant, rule over a city or five cities. What are we talking about?

I was looking through sermon notes and I had a chuckle. I talked to Mr. Laux since he and I are in the same congregation and I said, I found a set of Feast of Tabernacles sermon notes that I gave 38 years ago where I pondered the question of how many people you're going to start out with. Obviously, it would be the purest of speculation. So I'm simply going to throw it in your lap. I'm not going to give you a number, but I'm going to throw it in your lap. God says when he returns and sets up his kingdom, he will save to himself a tithe of Israel.

Based upon that statement, you can sit down and Google the 2020 population of every nation that we consider a descendant of Israel and divide it by 10 and add all of them together. And you'll have a number of returnees from captivity. So you've got a number to work with.

Now, how many people are going to be in the first resurrection?

You're going to have to simply speculate. We've got a number at the end of Revelation that's just short of 200,000. That's going to be at the end. And an innumerable multitude. You would have to simply play with how many people you think for every 40 years, i.e. generation, between Christ and today, would make the kingdom. I have a file in my file. I have a file in my, I have a folder in my file back home. Of all the funerals I have conducted in the 50 years I was a minister. I've buried well over 50 saints, well over 50 saints. And I'm just one pastor out of scores of pastors. So I can look at people that have been brothers and sisters that I have honored and respected that to this day I miss. And I can put them on the list.

Let me just say this. If you play that particular scenario, you'll probably find out, no matter what kind of number you plug in for how many will be in the first resurrection, we've got 144,000 and an innumerable multitude, and then we have to add all of those that God has called since Christ, you'll probably find out just for the fun of it that you'll start out with very, very few people. You'll probably start out with very, very few people.

It would make sense. In the resurrection, we're all going to be in training.

We say not many wise men now are called, not many noble brethren. There have been very, very, very, few people of noble birth in the Church of God. I've known two in my entire lifetime in the span of the radio worldwide United Church of God who were royal by birth.

Not very many are called. As someone practicing noblesse oblige, what are you doing initially?

You know, the front end of our responsibility is the easiest part of the millennium to see. And so when you say, well, what will I do? If God has given me an assignment and it's not optional, I don't get to choose what I do in the millennium. God has already chosen what I'm going to do in the millennium, and He's chosen how I'm going to do it.

Then you can start out by saying, well, when I start, what am I going to do? We just watched Hurricane Ian make an absolute disastrous mess of parts of Florida, and what you saw is peanuts compared to what's on our plate when the millennium starts.

The catastrophe that you look at in the last of the seven seals and the seven last plagues is of such magnitude that it will make any of the hurricanes. And since Ian is just the latest we can look at on TV, it'll make that look like absolute peanuts compared to what's on our plate. We will deal with the biggest homeless population in the history of the world. We will deal with the largest relocation program in history, and we will deal with the biggest resettlement program in history.

Turn with me to Jeremiah 23. This is how it's going to look. God told Jeremiah, I'll tell you what the conversation will be when that day comes. I can tell you that already. Jeremiah 23.

This is going to be the conversation when you start your rulership. Verse 7, verse 7, Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, as the Lord lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. But as the Lord lives, who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country, and from all the countries where I've driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. Nobody's going to remember the exodus. When you begin ruling. That doesn't mean they won't remember it. But it'll no longer be the marker. Nobody will use it as the marker.

Because it's of no significance compared to what they've just been through.

And you're right in the middle of it. You're going to be dealing with relocation, home building, bringing a population that have been in concentration camps from one corner of this earth to the other, who are all coming back from every direction, and this is where they're going to permanently settle.

You ever read carefully Ezekiel's description of the division of the tribes? Most of us know the most of us can picture it. I don't mean with any detail, but we can picture the size of Israel, modern Israel. Well, forget the size of modern Israel, because God is taking it back to the promises made to Abraham. And as a result, when they come back, they're going to resettle from the bottom of the Sinai Peninsula all the way up to halfway up or more into Syria. You look at a map and you see the modern Syrian city of Hama, H-A-M-A. The spelling hasn't changed that much from Ezekiel to the modern times. That's the northern border of Israel. A huge chunk of Syria, a chunk that's larger than Israel that is now barren desert that will blossom like a rose. It's all going to have to be surveyed, mapped out, built, settled.

So, as I said on the front end, busy, busy, busy. What doing long term? You know, in a theocracy, the ruler is also the judge. In fact, if you saw the nuance on one of the scriptures earlier, it didn't decouple them. It didn't decouple them. You're not only administering law, you're also judging those cases where a question arises about either the law or someone's conduct as measured by the law. The Millennium Brethren is a salvation period. It's a day of salvation. Everyone is eligible to receive the Holy Spirit. Who's going to teach them?

I can tell you as a long tenured minister, the most delightful, enjoyable time in my entire ministerial career was in the early years when the majority of our work was counseling new prospective members. Their excitement, their passion, their eagerness to learn, infectious. Take millions of them at that point.

You not only administer law, you not only judge in cases of question, you also will be teaching. Teaching those who want to learn. We've already had scriptures up on the board with Mr. Shaby, and we will, I'm sure, see more as the feast goes along, of the eagerness of people to learn once it really gets rolling. The famous ten men grab a hold of the skirt of a Jew and say, let us go with you. Those who say, teach us. Those who want to learn.

How will you carry out those duties? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, how am I going to carry out those duties? Now, I don't... Well, let's just turn to Isaiah 30, so you see where I'm coming from. Because I realize the question I ask, you could take it several directions, and I only want it to go one direction. So, let me just plant the question and then give you a scripture. Revelation chapter 30.

This is a millennial scripture. Isaiah 30 verse 19.

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, and you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore. But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your eyes shall see your teachers. And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, this is the way, walk you in it whenever you turn to the right hand or to the left. I can remember again many, many years ago where this was more like the shadow. You get out of line and this voice says, don't go there. No, no. But if you look in the commentaries, this is as a shepherd who is following his sheep, who simply verbally steer them. This isn't, I'm going to get you. This isn't, I'm invisible so I can see all and I can catch you doing everything. It is simply that guidance that a shepherd gives to his sheep.

But the part that I wanted you to focus on was your teachers will be visible.

I think at times we just, we take certain things and we don't, we don't, we park at a certain place and we don't go any further. What good is a judge sitting on a throne that's invisible? What good is a baptismal counselor who is invisible? What good is, and as we go on, I keep making the same statement, that's invisible. You know, Jesus Christ came back, descended back from heaven after He'd been received following His resurrection. He walked along the road of Imos with a couple of men, sat down to eat with Him, and in an eye blink as He was eating with Him, He didn't exist anymore. He was gone. Disciples were in a room, scared stiff, doors bolted, and in the middle of the room is standing Jesus Christ. Twice. Second time, He says to Thomas, put your finger in my side so you can feel where the spear went, because you won't believe any other way.

But, visible. Visible.

You will be the nobility.

You will be the ones to steer, to guide, to care for. Doesn't it make so much more sense, like Jesus Christ on the shore of Galilee, frying up a pan of fish while they're coming back off the boat and saying, I've got breakfast ready for you. Come on in, dock the boat, let's sit down and eat. It is not the rulers of the world that Christ described to the disciples when He was shaming them, saying, that's not the way you're going to be.

It is that one that serves. There's a famous scripture in Hebrews chapter 4, 15. I'm not even going to turn there. It speaks of Jesus Christ as our High Priest, that He was touched by our infirmities because He had experienced those things. Realize the power that you have in the position that Jesus Christ has assigned it to you to be able to say, I have been there. You think you've made your mistakes. I've made the same.

And you can see where I am so you can understand forgiveness. You can understand how those things can be blotted out. You can understand that the destination is attainable. Because every single solitary one of us will join Hebrews 4, 15 at a lower level. I didn't finish it by saying, yet without sin, because none of us are at that level with Christ. But all of us will be able to help those under our charge by saying, let's talk. I've been there.

So I asked you at the beginning, what are you going to be doing? We all have an assignment. We are destined to rule. But we're destined to rule because we're willing to serve. In God's kingdom, what we referred to as noblesse oblige, or noble obligation, it will be lived at a level that mankind has never seen or experienced. Because of the universal trueness of heart of those who hopefully will follow in your footsteps as you teach them and guide them on their way to the kingdom of God.