Pentecost and True Freedom and Liberty

As you know, tomorrow is Pentecost. This is called Pentecost weekend, but it includes the Sabbath and Pentecost. So it's a double Sabbath, a blessing that we have to be able to focus on this third feast that's so important to God that God has revealed much of its significance. And for us, it is one of the key teachings in the Bible what these feasts are all about. They're steps toward the kingdom of God and salvation. And I want to focus on one aspect of the day of Pentecost, because you can call these feasts the freedom feasts of God, the freedom feasts of God, because they all are about true freedom within God's laws. And we understand that, and so we don't have to go outside of God's laws and try to find freedom otherwise, many times breaking God's commandments. So freedom and liberty are wonderful words that are mentioned in the Bible. Quite a number of times. And we're just a bit over a month before we celebrate America's 250th anniversary and the beginning of America's liberty from the British rule. As we will see, Pentecost has a lot to say about liberty, but even more about true freedom and true liberty. Now the term freedom and liberty are basically interchangeable, according to Webster's dictionary. This is what it says. Freedom is, number one, the quality or state of being free. It is the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. And then it goes on to say liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another. All these things are a way of living, of free, without somebody controlling us or a government oppressing us.

Liberty, if you look up in Webster's dictionary, says the quality or state of being free, which is the same thing that it mentioned about freedom. And the Bible talks about freedom with a beautiful illustration.

Let's go to Micah chapter 4. Let's go to the Old Testament, Micah chapter 4, and read verse 4. It says, but everyone shall sit under his vine and under his victory, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. It means everybody can live without fear of being conquered, of being exploited, of being captured and sold as a slave, which happened through most of man's history. But notice also when God inspired Micah to write about this situation, this happening. If we start in verse 1 of Micah 4, it says, now it shall come to pass in the latter days. It's talking about when the coming of the kingdom of God takes place.

It says that the mountains of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains. It shall be over all the world, and shall be exalted above the hills, and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways. That's not happening now. So the relative liberty and freedom that we are enjoying, and certainly this is one of the countries that enjoys more freedom and liberty, because it was founded more on the principles of God's Word—not totally, but certainly the pilgrims set the basis for honoring God in the Old and the New Testament.

And that continued through most of its history. I don't know about now how many people believe in the same foundation of the Bible, which the pilgrims set up. It says, and he shall teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

For out of Zion, the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So we see when Christ comes back, people will eventually, once Satan is removed, they will have a more open mind and heart, and they'll see who is part of the true religion, because Christ is not going to have competitors at that time. He will rule for a thousand years, and his saints—those that are faithful to the end—will reign under him.

It says, he shall judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations afar off. So Christ is going to apply discipline. It doesn't matter what they want to believe—what God, or what nationality, or what belief system—no, they are going to have to humble themselves before Jesus Christ at that time. And it says that as a result, they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his victory, and no one shall make them afraid.

So that's when it's happening. And yet for us, Pentecost begins that principle of being liberated from the false teachings of this world, being liberated from the society around us that governs so much. And so we do put God first. We put in practice what it says in Acts 5, verse 29. We must obey God before man. We have to put God first. Now this country, in particular, has a love for freedom and liberty.

It's in most of the great American documents and monuments here in the United States. In the Pledge of Allegiance, it ends with these words, with liberty and justice for all. Freedom is important. The Declaration of Independence, which we're about to celebrate its 250th anniversary, says we have inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

So liberty is a basic principle here in the United States. Also, on the Statue of Liberty, it says there, liberty enlightening the world. And the inscription below says, keep ancient lands, your storied pomp, cry she with silent lips, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, and is still a beacon of freedom. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1752, it cracked while sounding one of the great achievements. It has the inscription, proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all its inhabitants thereof. Where did they get this? It's the biblical verse in Leviticus 25.

And I'm going to read from chapter 25 verses 8 through 10.

It says here in Leviticus 25 verse 8, it says, and you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself seven times seven years. The time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you 49 years. So we not only have you know those seven-day week, and we have Pentecost, which also has seven weeks, plus one. It says, then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the day of Atonement, you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land, and you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land. That's what was on the Liberty Bell. It shall be a Jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That doesn't really explain it very well, that last part of the verse. I'd like to read it in the contemporary English version. It says, this fiftieth year is sacred. It is a time of freedom and of celebration when everyone will receive back their original property, and slaves will return home to their families. They gain their freedom.

And so the fiftieth has this symbol of liberty because of the Jubilee year, and also what Pentecost means to all of us.

So I would like to focus on Pentecost, although all of God's feasts proclaim freedom to this world, freedom from all the evils and oppression, all focus on the particular freedom God will bring in his kingdom to mankind. That's why they can be called God's freedom feasts. So I'm going to focus on Pentecost, which has to do with the freedom from the world's false principles and spirit guided by Satan. And once we receive God's Spirit, we are free to follow God's law of liberty. We need God's Spirit to be able to accomplish that and be accepted by God. I remember a booklet years ago that I read by Herbert Armstrong, and probably many of you have it, but he captured. He was able to put in a nutshell what this world is like today. And here is the booklet. It's called A World Held Captain. And I really like this cover because, you see, you can start here, but actually, you see it's under bars. It's in a jail cell. And that's the world that is captive today. Most people don't know it, but they are. Notice in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 15, 2 Corinthians 3, verse 15, it says, This is what Paul says. He says, Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, so the Jewish people, as devout as they can be, they have to truly turn to the Lord and accept Jesus Christ, the veil is taken away. Talking here about Christ says, Now the Lord is the Spirit. Talking about, He has the Holy Spirit, just like God the Father has the Holy Spirit. And then it says, And where the Spirit of the Lord is, the Spirit of Christ, or the Spirit of God, they both are in us. According to John 14, it says that we will make habitation with you. So, where the Spirit of the Lord is, in other words, inside the converted Christian, there is liberty. And so, man's transformation starts in the day of Pentecost. Because in Acts 2, as they met for that day to keep it holy, they received God's Spirit as a group. We know there were individuals in the Old Testament that God specifically called. Moses, David, others, of course, but they were just a handful in comparison to the rest of the Israelites.

And so, man's transformation starts here in Pentecost. From slavery to sin to freedom inside God's law in that day of Pentecost, when the church as a group is spiritually born. Notice in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 12, it says, now we have received, not the spirit of the world. That's what we had before. The spirit that we're born into this society. And we follow the way, the false way of this world without really knowing too much. Just following the current. But it says here that we didn't receive the spirit of the world, but the spirit, and it should say, which is from God, as the King James mentions, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. Only by receiving God's spirit can we understand these wonderful spiritual changes and these wonderful spiritual truths. It says, but the natural man, the typical human being outside the church, does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness. That's foolishness when you go and say, well, God's laws are still binding, that we should keep this day of Pentecost. It is a sin to violate and to work on this day, according to God. He says, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. These things are not because we're wise or scholarly. No, it's because God had mercy on us and gave us His Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptures. Just like He opened the Scriptures to His disciples once they received God's spirit at Pentecost, because Christ said many of the things that I'm telling you, you're not going to understand until the Spirit comes into you.

Goes on to say, verse 15, but He who is spiritual judges all things, talking about the things of the spirit, the spiritual things. So that's why members know more about God's truths than any of these great doctorates and scholars. They can know physical things about the Bible, but they can't understand the spiritual truths. Or guess what? They'd be keeping this day of Pentecost with us. It says, yet He Himself is rightly judged by no one. So don't get intimidated. There are a lot of people that know their Bible backwards and forwards, but that doesn't mean they have God's Spirit. Because as I brought up in 1 John 3 verse 21, it says that—I'm going to read it here, where it told us about 1 John. Let me get that Scripture. 1 John 3, 22. Whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight. We're seeking God's will and following His holy laws. We're not trying to invent our own. Then it goes on to say, for who has known the mind of the Lord that He may instruct them, but we have the mind of Christ. That's what we receive through the Holy Spirit. We can see as Christ saw things, and we are blessed with that.

In James chapter 2—let's go there—we see again how we are transformed. James chapter 2 verse 10, it says, for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, He's guilty of all. We can keep all the commandments of God except one, and we still are guilty of all. It's like the laws of traffic laws. Well, maybe we'll stop at a stop sign, and then we'll run a red light. And the police stops us and says, well, sir, you ran a red light? You can say, oh yes, but I stopped at a stop sign. No, you're gonna get a ticket, just like you would in breaking any of these things. You are still gonna get penalized.

Going on in verse 11, it says, for he who said, do not commit adultery, and also said, do not murder. Now, if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. So the Ten Commandments is being mentioned here as the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy, and mercy triumphs over judgment. So we need to have that merciful approach to things so that then God can be merciful to us.

That's how we view God's Word and its application. Of course, God's Spirit, just like it was received in Pentecost and throughout the centuries, as new churches were formed, and we're part of the church now at this age, but we harken back to that day of Pentecost. These were the people who collectively, 120, received God's Spirit. And since then, people have received God's Spirit through the ages, but we understand that God's Spirit does not completely fill us. We still have our own human nature to contend with, but now we have been cleansed and purified, and have God's Spirit in us to strengthen us in that battle. So until Christ comes back and we're transformed, we're still going to have that battle. In Galatians chapter 5, in Galatians chapter 5, in verse 16, this describes the present state of the Christian, like us. Galatians 5 verse 16, it says, It says, I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. In other words, there's a battle there. Who's going to control our mind? And these are contrary to one another. So we have a carnal nature there. If we allow it to grow, it will stifle and will reduce the power of God's Spirit in us. On the contrary, if God's Spirit is growing, then our carnal nature is the one that diminishes. You see, he says these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. So a lot of people have good intentions, but do they actually carry it out or not? It says, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. And Paul is talking about here the condemnation of the law. That we don't have to worry about because of some sin falling there. That God's grace is not with us. Because the law does not condemn us as we were condemned before baptism and receiving God's Spirit. So I'd like to put one finger here in Delatians 5 because let's go to Romans 5.18 to see this definition that the law condemns us when we have not yet been forgiven by God in Christ. Romans 5.18. Romans 5.18 it says, therefore, as through one man's offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. So from Adam on, that's what sin produces, condemnation. That's the state we were in before God called us. And we received forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. It says, continuing on, even so through one man's righteous act, the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. So again, before conversion, we were condemned by our sins for breaking the law. But then after conversion, then it says here through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, we find grace. But we still have to repent. We have to change our ways.

It says verse 19, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. And so that's a good way of explaining here that we're not under the same legal condition before conversion than after conversion. That's why we are under the grace of God. He's there with us. He's helping us. He knows we have this fight and struggle, and sometimes you slip and fall, but He's there with us in Christ's sacrifice. Notice what it tells us in 1 John 1.

And this is just one principle that is repeated time and time again, which the world outside of our Church of God community just do not understand it properly. 1 John chapter 1 in verse 8, it says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. We're not being truthful. If we say, oh, we don't sin anymore, if we say, if we confess our sins, verse 9, He is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. In other words, that's a false teaching.

My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation, which means sacrifice, for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. This is a path that the whole world can take one day. So let's go back to Galatians 5 now. We understand what it means, but we're not under the law as such. We're under grace. It goes on to say in verse 19, it says, but the works of the flesh—notice, they're not fruits, because fruits are something good and healthy. No, these are bad works. These are rotten apples, we're talking about here. But the works of the flesh are evident. Which are adultery. That's breaking the seventh commandment. Fornication, also the seventh commandment. Uncleanness, lewdness, so dealing with mostly the seventh commandment. Idolatry, that's the second commandment. Sorcery, also dealing with the second commandment. Hatred, that has to do with the sixth commandment. Shall not hate another person in your heart. Goes on to say, contentions, also, all of these basically have to do with not loving your neighbor as yourself. Says the contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissension, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, reveries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's another example where Paul is basically listing the ten commandments and just saying, look, if you're just breaking all of these, just because you think you accepted Christ in your heart, you're breaking all this. You're still not converted. You're not ready for the kingdom of God. He says, verse 22, but the fruit of the Spirit—see something good and positive—is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. So that means that if you're practicing God's laws, it's the contrary to the works of the flesh. Instead of hating others, you love others, willing to serve them. You don't have envy toward others. You don't have outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, all of these things. Against such, there is no law. See, no law in the Bible condemns that, because God's laws produce these fruits. He says, and those who are Christs have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So, you've got to keep that self-control to be able to overcome them. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. In other words, not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. Show it with our actions, in other words. He says, let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. So, that's talking about brethren that have troubles with this principle. So, Pentecost that we are celebrating tomorrow is one of God's freedom feasts. And tomorrow, we will learn even more about it. So, I'd like to finalize with John 8, verse 31, and 32. John 8, verses 31 and 32. It talks about the freedom that Christ gives us. This is in the contemporary English version. It says, Jesus told the people who had faith in him, if you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Free from all these religious errors. Free from false teachings, against God's laws. It says, they answered, we are Abraham's children. You have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say we will be set free? Jesus replied, I will tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin. He was talking to unconverted people, although they thought they were converted. He says, and slaves don't stay in the family forever, though the son will always remain in the family. If the son gives you freedom, you are free.

That concludes the message for today, and looking forward, God willing, to see you tomorrow.