Pentecost and God's Plan of Salvation

Children is such a joy for all of us, but it's not just for us. It's for God. And His plan is to have many children, I mean MANY children, in His family in the Kingdom of God. We read in Hebrews 2 verse 10, if you turn with me, to Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10, that it says there that it was fitting for Him the Father, for whom all things, and by whom all are all things, in bringing many sons to glory. His plan, His desire, is to have many sons in His glorious family. And that includes you and I and our beloved children. We know also that Christ said in John 14, then that in His Father are many mansions. If we just turn with me to John 14, verse 2 and 3, John 14 verse 2 and 3, it says, In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. And I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again. It is coming. And as we know, symbolized by the day of Trumpet's coming, at his second coming, and he says, And I'll come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may also be. So that's future. But in the meantime, he is preparing a place for us. And you and I are doing our part in making sure that we are qualified to be in that place, because it's part of this preparation we're all going through. The ultimate goal, brethren, is that you and I will be children of God in the kingdom, and the first few to be there, which hopefully will be all of you. But unfortunately, we've seen many have come, and sometimes they've left the faith. They were baptized, and then some of them left the faith. So just being called and chosen and receiving God's Holy Spirit is not a guarantee that you remain faithful till the end. But obviously, God's desire is that we all are going to be faithful till the end so that we can be part of that select group, that very select group. You could call it an elite group. That will be at the first resurrection, because they made themselves ready for that day. We read of that group in Revelation 14, verse 1. And there in Revelation 14, verse 1, And then I looked and behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with him 144,000. And so, yeah, at Christ's coming, there is a select group of resurrected beings that are no more human beings than now spirit beings. At Christ's coming, and they have the Father's name on their foreheads. And we read a little later in verse 4 and 5 that these were not defiled with women, they were virgins. In other words, they did not get mixed up with the religions of this world. Once they repented, they stayed faithful.

And they are the ones who follow the Lamb whatever goes. These are redeemed from among man, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb. So God's purpose is to have the whole of mankind in his kingdom. But he is working with a select group today. Not because you and I are any special, but he's got a very important responsibility for you and I.

Let me give you an example of working with a select group. For instance, the Marines. In the Marines, in the Marine units, there is an elite group called the Marine Raiders. That's part of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. And their training is rigorous and demanding.

They've got some basic requirements in screening that he goes through. They have a period of selection and assessment. They have individual training programs. And then they have advanced training and continuous education. And then they do have some operational experience in real-world life situations to actually qualify as this elite group. And they have a period of training that they need to meet in the Marine unit. In a sense, using that analogy, you and I are going through a similar training program today. We've not qualified yet. We're not yet the first fruits that we will become. We are today the first that we have received God's Holy Spirit. So yes, we are the first fruits of those that have received the Holy Spirit, but we're not yet those that will be resurrected. Hopefully, all of us will remain faithful till the end. Because we know when Christ comes, those that will be with theme are called and chosen and faithful till the end, till Christ's coming. And those are the ones that then will be resurrected and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. In this process, God calls many. You see, many are called, but few are chosen. Only a few respond to the calling. And when they respond, they are baptized, and they receive the Holy Spirit. They are the first, amongst the first, the first fruits of the Spirit. But they're not yet Spirit beings. They're not yet the first fruits to God. They're just first fruits of the Spirit. They're the first, amongst mankind, the first few that have received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they've been selected to the training program. And this training program is what you and I are going through now in this life. And only those even fewer that stick to the training program, till the end, till Christ's coming, will be given the top rulership positions in the Kingdom of God as the first fruits of God that have proved faithful till the end.

So today, brethren, I want to show to you the importance of this day, the Day of Pentecost, as the anniversary of the pouring of God's help, God's helper, God's power, God's Holy Spirit, which helps us in this training program and which we must use. We must use today God's helper, God's help, God's Holy Spirit, to be overcoming till the end. You and I are in a training program now, and this day is the anniversary, as we heard in the sermon, when that Holy Spirit was first poured to a small group of mankind, initially 120, and later, on the same day, 3000. And so it is critically important that you and I strive to use God's help till the end, regardless, regardless of the pressure, of the challenges, of the stresses, or whatever fiery trial you and I have to go through, persevering till the end, with God's help. And then, because God has got many mansions, you will then allocate you a specific responsibility that He's preparing for you now. How? By working with you and I, by training us, that's why He's preparing for us that place, that mansion.

And it is a blessing to know that God is working with you and I, and just like those special elite marine units, they have to go through a very, very strenuous, very difficult and challenging training program. God is putting you and I also through a very strenuous, difficult, challenging program, because the glory and the power that will be given to the top echelon of human beings that have become spirit beings is beyond comprehension. Remember that you will be amongst a few, okay, a few hundred thousand, but it's still a few that will be ruling the whole of the universe for eternity. And God doesn't want to want to give you power if you don't know how to use it and if you're not being tested to the utmost condition, because He wants to know for sure that you are faithful and you'll be loyal till the end. You see, so, as I said, it is critically important for us to use God's Holy Spirit now. And brethren, it's not because you and I are the most wise and capable, because as we read in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put the shame to the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world, which you and I are, to put the shame to the things that are mighty. And God has chosen the base things of the world and the things that are despised and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no flesh should glory in His presence. So it's not because you are such great and wise and people, no, but it is because you have persevered under extreme trials, fiery trials, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, till the end.

You and I will be purified like gold, but then you and I will be gold, precious gold, spiritual gold, as the first fruits. But today we are only the first fruits of the Spirit, the first few that have received God's Holy Spirit, and we are going through that training program. Because ultimately, God needs to prove your full commitment and loyalty so that you may be entrusted with the highest, highest, obviously under him in Christ, the highest eternal responsibility, so that you will always go wherever the Lamb goes. Whatever directs you to go, you will go. You are faithful. In Romans 8 verse 17, Romans 8 verse 17, we say, And if children will be heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs of Christ. You see, this training program is part of this plan that you and I will then, as it says there, if, if we suffer with him, if we remain faithful through the fiery trials that you and I are going to have to go through, or some of you have gone through, and some of us have gone through, and we remain faithful till the end. If we do that, we will be glorified together. That's what it says in Romans 8, 17. You see, so we need to be called, and many are called. How many people get to beyond today and watch the programs, and yeah, I'm going to do it, but just don't do it. You can't be selected. You can't be chosen. You have to respond. And then, as you respond, you are baptized, and you are amongst the first few of mankind, which ultimately, at Christ's coming, the whole of mankind will have that opportunity to receive God's Holy Spirit. But you will be the first few of mankind that will receive God's Holy Spirit. You'll be the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. And that's what we see in God's plan. God's plan, God's master plan, is basically delineated by God's holy days. By God's seven festivals, which are commemorated annually, and they are clearly highlighted in Leviticus 23. And so, if you turn to Leviticus 23, Leviticus 23, yeah, we can see in Leviticus 23 at the beginning, but we can see these seven festivals highlighted. First, we have the Passover, which is described in verse 4, which you and I know that points to our Passover Lamb. And you know from 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7, that is Christ. Christ is our true Passover Lamb. And then we read in verse 6, we have the days of 11 bread.

And we know that we are supposed to eat unleavened bread for all those seven days, symbolic, symbolic of eating and having in us the bread of life, which is Christ.

John 6, 35, I am the bread of life. And we must completely, for seven days, eat that spiritual unleavened bread. In other words, symbolizing every day of our lives, we have to have Christ in us. And then after that, we've got Pentecost. And as we heard it clearly in the sermonette, we have to count fully 50 days. And as we heard in the sermonette, where is the count from? The count is from the way sheaf taken after the weekly Sabbath, which is the first day of the week during unleavened bread. The first day of the week during unleavened bread. Now some people say, oh well, that represents Christ's resurrection. No. Christ resurrected at the end of the Sabbath. But what we do have is that Christ was accepted in our behalf, symbolized by the wave-shift as our high priest. As you read in Lev. 23, verse 11, and it says, you shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted on our behalf, symbolizing Christ being accepted on our behalf as our high priest. And now as our high priest is interceding and working for you and I, is preparing a place for us as our high priest. And then it says, we have to count seven full weeks to the very next day after those seven full weeks. So it brings us back to another first day of the week, first day of work, because it's the day in which you receive God's Holy Spirit, and we gotta start this spiritual work with the help of God's Holy Spirit.

Symbolizing, in a sense, our being liberated from the carnal mind with the help of God's Holy Spirit. We gotta use God's Holy Spirit, we gotta be guided by God's Holy Spirit, to help us to put to death the carnal thoughts that we have. And that, then, at the end of those fifty days, on the day of Pentecost, as we read in verse 16, you have to count fifty. And then on verse 17, it says, you'll bring two wave loaves. We'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment. But why two? Two. There's much speculation about that, because the Bible doesn't specifically say why two. Some people say, well, it's Old Testament and New Testament. Some might say it's kings, and the other one is priests. But Mr. Rick Shabey gave a sermon a couple of months ago, explaining clearly that it most probably is Jews and Gentiles. To the Jew first, and to Gentiles. And so, God is working with both Jews and Gentiles, and now access to God's throne. You and I have access to God's throne, both Jews and Gentiles.

And as we heard in the sermon, which explains Acts 2, verse 1, the Church of God then was founded.

On that day. Which is today as an anniversary. And that special training program starts.

And for us, is when we receive God's Holy Spirit, we become part of this group of people that are being specially trained.

And indeed, we are a few. Many are called, but few are chosen. And you look around, yeah, in Dallas and Fort Worth, we have a group, yeah, of about just short of 200 people. And considering the population of Dallas and Fort Worth.

That's very few. But if you look at in a bigger scope around the world, percentage-wise, we even very few.

So, our responsibility now, brethren, your responsibility, my responsibility, is to stick to the program.

You and I have received God's Holy Spirit. What's your job? Stick to the program.

Don't give up. In John 14, Christ said, John 14, and we're going to read verse 15. John 14, verse 15, He says, If you love Me, keep the commandments. You and I have to obey and keep God's commandments and do what's pleasing in His sight. That's your job and my job.

And then He says, And I'll pray to the Father, and He'll give you another help. And yes, He did. Christ went up. Because of what He's done for us, He's opened a way that the gift of the Father could be given to us on the 50th day after He was ordained or appointed as our high priest. And therefore, He's now acting and serving as our high priest. And He says, I'll give you another help, that He may abide you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because they don't obey God, because it's not a see-seem or a know-seem. They don't obey God. But you know Him. You know Christ. You know the way. You have responded to the calling. And now, because for those people at that moment, they had the Holy Spirit with them, but He says, after Pentecost, you will have the Spirit in you. And Christ says, I'm going, but I'm not leaving you orphans. In other words, Christ is not leaving us without help.

Because I'll come to you. And now does Christ come to you and I? Look at verse 23 of the same chapter, John 14. Jesus also said to Him, if anyone loves me, and He will keep my word, and the Father will love Him, and we, that's the Father and Christ, will come to Him and make our home in Him. We become the temple of God where God dwells. You and I now are the temple of God where God dwells. You and I now have access to the very throne of God.

Are you and I without sin? No. If we say we have no sin, we liars. But we have access to God and He is with us. Why? Because we're striving, we are really working hard in our hearts, in our minds, to please God. And because of that, He's working with us because He's got many mansions, many places or positions of authority for us in that kingdom to rule the universe. And He's preparing you for a specific position. And your husband or your wife to a different specific position. Maybe working together as a team, but nonetheless, God has a specific position for each one of you. That's why it says, let no man take your crown. Because God's got it ready for you.

And the only one that can take your crown is you not sticking to it. You giving it up. Because maybe the trial is too difficult.

I regret, I've worked with some people in Brazil, and they were working nicely towards baptism. And then Satan started honing on them. And they started having really difficult trials. And they said to me, George, I know this is the truth, but I've got to go back to this because the trials are too difficult. I'm not going to continue.

And it makes you and I very sad when we see that, because we've got to stick to the program. We've got to remain faithful till the end.

In Galatians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7, Galatians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7, We read, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. You know, we are begotten children of God. We are not yet born again as spirit beings, but we are the children of God. And so we are his sons because we've received his spirit.

And therefore you and I can say daddy. Abba is basically like saying daddy or papa. If you have a very, maybe you have another Spanish or other Portuguese or other language, a very intimate word for your dad. Daddy, Father.

Therefore you are no longer, verse 7, a slave because you've been deliberated, freed, like liberty in the land after 50 days, which points to even a greater liberty in the land, which is symbolized by the Day of Atonement when there will be a blow of a trumpet for liberty on the land. But in a smaller place, it says you're no longer a slave but a son. And if a son, an heir of God, you are going to inherit, inherit divinity. You're going to inherit being a member of the God family through Christ. And this is what we read in Romans chapter 8 again. So if we go back to Romans chapter 8, in verse 14 says, for as many as are led by God's Spirit, they are the sons of God. Brethren, you and I need to be led by God's Spirit. Understand God's Spirit never forces you. It leads you, and it's up to you and I to voluntarily follow that lead. God's Spirit tells you, speaks to you. How? By your conscience. I have this conscience, this thought. For instance, put my name, put your name, and say, George, you must do this.

And then I need to do it. How many times have I looked back and I said, you know, I should have followed my guts, because I did not follow that preaching of God's Holy Spirit. And you and I feel bad. We have to follow that lead of God's Holy Spirit. That's why it says, don't hurt your conscience. Don't hurt your conscience, because that's how God, through His Spirit, talks to you. Pricks your conscience.

And so we read here in Romans 16 and 17, which basically says the same thing that we saw in Galatians 4, verse 6 and 7. And then in verse 20, it adds, and it says, You and I, the creation, are subject to the pulls of the flesh. Tell me which one of you does not have pulls of the flesh? We all have.

Sometimes we get angry when we shouldn't get, or whatever. Maybe something makes us angry, but we don't have self-control enough, as we are the kids' children saying, one of my favorite fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. Yeah, that's basically what it starts.

You see, and then we continue reading. Verse 21, And you see, it's like peeling an onion. You know, there's various layers. The first layer is we liberated because we got God's Holy Spirit, and we are starting to think and have this hope, and we work on it. But the ultimate layer is when Christ comes back and the whole creation, the whole United States and Brazil and the whole world, will be at peace, liberated from the wickedness of this world. What a wonderful millennium world tomorrow it will be.

Where the whole world will be liberated from corruption, the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Ultimately, even more than that, is in the new heaven and new earth, when everything of corruption of this world will be gone, zapped, gone.

Where righteousness dwells, and the whole creation will be liberated because of the glorious liberty of the children of God. Verse 22, for we know, for we know, and we know that we know, that the whole creation grounds and labors with birth pangs together until now. I mean, somebody just before church just drew my attention to the fact that the house passed, that when you turn 18, it will automatically be selected to be in the draft.

Did you know that? It just passed. I didn't know. Can you think of the implications of that? You see, we live in a serious world. A serious world. Verse 23, but not only that, but we also, we have the first fruits of the Spirit. We have, we are the first few that have received God's Holy Spirit today, symbolized by the Day of Pentecost.

And you, when you baptize, you are amongst the very few in the world that are the first fruits of God's Holy Spirit. We are that today. We're not yet resurrected at Christ's coming. We're not yet the first fruits to God, but we are the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. We still flesh, and as it says here, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. Do you groan within yourself when you say, I'm going to put my name, put your name? George, why did you say that?

Or put your name? Why did I react that? I groan. And he says, I still need to change and become better. We groan within ourselves. We eagerly waiting today for what? For the sonship. Could be translated adoption, but I think a better translation is sonship. For the sonship, the redemption of our body. We're waiting for something future, which is the redemption of our body. We still flesh. We're still subject to the pulls of the flesh. We must persevere till the end. You see, in Leviticus 23, we read that we're two loves. But let's look at that again, because I said I'll come back to that. And it says in Leviticus 23 verse 17, there are two loves, and they shall be biked with leaven.

You and I now very well know that leaven, when we're talking about ourselves, and we've just come back, we just came out of the days of unleavened bread, it symbolizes sin. You and I have sinned. And if you say, I don't have sinned, as I mentioned before, John said, you're a liar. And we are baked. Brethren, have you ever tried to put your hand in the oven when something is baking?

You probably don't want to leave it there. Baked is a fiery trial. These two loves, symbolically, as I said, probably representing Jews and Gentiles, are still with sin. They are going through fiery trials, and they're being baked, and they're being presented to the Father. And you can say, how is that possible that human beings with sin are presented to the Father? Yes, we are! The Father, in fact, comes inside us, as we read. The Holy Spirit is with us.

But this is described. This is explained in the New Testament. Did you know that? I'm not making it up. It's explained in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 10, starting in verse 19. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 19. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. It's talking to you and I today.

And you and I today have leaven, have sinned, Jews and Gentiles. And we have to have boldness to enter God's throne by the blood of Jesus. You see, you know, no sacrifice could be done with leaven. But only these two loaves are allowed to have leaven. Because it symbolizes us entering the holiest of holiest by the blood of Jesus.

By a new and living way. What do you mean a new and living way? Because you know in the Old Testament, only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies beyond the veil. Once a year, on the day of atonement, and everybody else had to wait outside. Now this is a new and living way where you and I can go into God's throne any moment today. That is a new and living way. Which He consecrated for us through the veil that is His flesh. And having a high priest over the house of God is now our high priest, is now our defense attorney.

And you and I, when we get on our knees, and we pray to God, and we say, Dad, I've sinned again, but sprinkle crushed blood on me again, please. And crushed says to the Father, and I'm putting my name, you put your name to the Father, He says, Look, George has repented, and my blood cleanses him.

As you know, in the day of atonement, that blood was sprinkled seven times, means completely. And so that's a new and living way that is being done. So you and I can draw near, as it says in verse 22, with a true heart in full assurance of faith, of trust, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.

And our bodies washed with pure water. Sprinkle from an evil conscience, that's crushed blood, and our bodies washed with pure water, symbolizing God's Holy Spirit. The living water in us. What a blessing that is, brethren. Our high priest, our defense advocate, is batting for you and I.

In James chapter 1, verse 18. In James chapter 1, verse 18.

It reads, Yes, we are a kind of his first fruits.

What kind? A kind which is the first fruits of the Spirit. That's that kind. We're not yet, we're not yet, the first fruits which we will be in the resurrection, which is symbolized by the day of trumpets to come. You see, you and I are now in the selected program, the special early training program before Christ's returns. There'll be many others that will be given God's Holy Spirit, but you and I are the first few that are receiving God's Holy Spirit. But those others, after Christ's return, they'll also be trained to be children of God. Now, you and I have to be faithful to the program. That's our job now. Faithful to the program. Endure it to the program. Regardless of the fiery trial, we have to endure the program till the end, till our death or when Christ comes, whichever comes first.

Then, at the resurrection, we'll actually be, then, changed to spirit beings. We will then be really the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. But now, we're only a kind of first fruits, the first fruits of the Spirit.

Just three or four days ago, the Chairman and the President, and you all received a letter from the Chairman and the President, dated June 12.

And at the beginning of that letter, he says, as we approach the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, June 16, we feel it is important to emphasize the true meaning of this Holy Day.

Why, brethren? Why? Because the Council, the Doctrine Committee, unanimously fully agrees, and the President and the members and the Ministerial Services fully agree that Pentecost symbolizes the receiving of God's early Spirit and does not symbolize the resurrection. The resurrection will be at the seventh trumpet, symbolized by the Day of Trumpets, which are prophetic trumpets. And this letter clearly identifies it. And right at the end, it says, very clearly in the second page, so the Church has consistently taught that a Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the coming King of Kings whose arrival is announced by trumpet blasts and the resurrection of the saints.

The whole Council, the President, the Chairman, made it very clear, because regrettably, there is a way, Varthe, which I would just put it mildly, it's an incorrect teaching.

And one of the messages that Mr. Rick Shabe has been giving lately is that we all must speak the same thing.

And some elders that have spoken that incorrectly have been disciplined, and they will be disciplined.

So, it is important for us to understand that a Day of Pentecost, it's the Day we receive God's Holy Spirit. These three holidays, or festivals, are events past. The next four are prophetic. The fourth one, which is Christ's coming, is pivotal.

For one is the one in the middle, four amongst seven, there's three before and three after, right? It's the middle. But look at Revelation 11, verse 15. Revelation 11, verse 15.

Revelation 11, verse 15. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ, and we shall reign forevermore.

At the seventh trumpet, at Christ's coming, there will be a pivotal change in this world, because Christ is going to start to rule on this world. Satan, then a few days later, will be deposed, and then you and I will be ruling with Christ. That's a pivotal day. That is future. And then there will be a lot of things that happen after that, as we read in verse 18. And the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead to be judged. That's the first resurrection. And that you should reward the saints. People will be given their own responsibilities and tasks and descriptions of what they'll be doing and their mission. In other words, yeah, this mansion is prepared for you, that mansion is prepared for you, and those who fear your name, all of them. And then it says, And the time that you should destroy those who destroy the earth. And there's a lot of people today destroying the earth, and those who will be destroyed at Christ's coming.

You see, brethren, but in the meantime, what do we have to do today?

We have received God's Holy Spirit.

And in Romans chapter 8, going back to Romans chapter 8, verse 25, starting reading from verse 25, But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. You and I have to persevere, stick to it, and use God's Holy Spirit. We have to use God's Holy Spirit. He's given it to us. We are the first fruits of the Spirit. We're going to use it now. And then verse 26, Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. He's the helper. You and I have doubts, weaknesses, frailties. We need God's early Spirit. God's Spirit helps you and I. For we do not know what we should pray as we ought. When you see people of trials and you have trials, you don't have words. You don't know what to say. I don't have words. I don't know what to say.

But God's Spirit helps us and He says, But the Spirit itself makes intercession for us of groanings, which cannot be uttered.

Now He will search the hearts. God is testing your heart and your mind to qualify you for the highest position in the universe.

I mean, it's far higher than being the President of the United States. That's junk compared to what God is going to give us.

No disrespect to the position of the United States President, please. But what I'm saying is what God is for us is far more glorious. And He says, Now He will search the hearts, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good. Brethren, you and I have to keep this in mind. When you and I go through trials, fiery trials, and brethren, sorry that I'm coming across a bit strong. But brethren, the time is short.

What if, what if, I'm not saying times, but what if, there's going to be a civil war in this country within maybe a year? What are you going to do? I'm not saying I'm not setting times, please. But time is short, brethren. Things are going to explode. Explode. Explode suddenly. But we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. All things don't work good for everybody, but works for those who are called according to God's purpose. And you and I are amongst those. For in you, you're also predestined for us to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. Moreover, also a predestined, those He called, God's plan is for those that He calls, which is you and I. He has justified. In other words, He has made us right with God by Christ's sacrifice, and those He justified, He has also glorified. For God, it's as good as done. He's done it. You are glorified, not yet, but you will be glorified. If you don't give up, if you don't turn away from God's help, if you don't turn away from God's Holy Spirit, if you don't blaspheme God's Holy Spirit, we now are the first fruits of the Spirit, and we need to use it, because no man will be left behind of those He's called.

Jesus Christ and the Father will never leave or forsake you. Please keep up the fight till the end.