Pentecost Reveals God Gifting His Children with Power

Brother-in-tomorrow is Pentecost, a day that deals a great deal with power. Do you feel empowered when you see what's happening around the world? When you see the war, the bloodshed? When you see the little babies starving to death around the world? Do you feel empowered that you can kind of step in and do something about that? When you see what's happening in this nation and how this nation is being turned inside out and becoming a nation we hardly recognize anymore because of the thinking of so many, at least so many influential people in our nation? Do you feel powerless over a situation like that that we are now experiencing? Well, tomorrow is Pentecost, a day that deals with the power of God, the great power of God. And as we take a look at the preceding festivals that came before Pentecost, we see the power of God in each and every one of the festivals with Passover. Now Passover, as you realize, is not a holy day, but Passover is a festival. Passover reveals how Jesus Christ came to give his life for us so our sins could be forgiven, so death could be overcome, so we can have the victory over death, so we can be redeemed from death. Passover pictures, Jesus Christ giving us newness of life, and that is power. We have power in that newness of life in Jesus Christ. Let's go over to Romans 6.

I was asked to speak a little more loudly today. Some have forgot hearing aids, so it's not that I'm trying to blast you out of your chairs. But Romans 6 and 3, "'Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with them through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life." Newness of life. And, brethren, I say there's power in that newness of life that you and I are walking in. The next festival is the Days of Unleavened Bread. The Days of Unleavened Bread show us and teach us how we need to get sin out of our lives and how we need to bring the righteousness of God into our lives. And as you and I do that, as we get rid of the sin and bring in God's righteousness, there's power in that. There's power in that life that God is asking us to live. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

Verses 7 and 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 7 and 8. Verse 7, Therefore purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened, for indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Notice verse 7. We are to purge out the old leaven. Get rid of the sin. And in verse 8, that we are to have this unleavened bread of sincerity and truth that we bring into our lives. And as we bring in the power of God into our lives, then we are truly blessed. That brings us to this festival, Pentecost. Pentecost builds on two very important spiritual happenings in the Church of God. The Church of God in the Old Testament, and the Church of God in the New Testament. Two of the greatest, most dramatic events recorded in Scripture happened on this day, on the day of Pentecost. In the Old Testament, God gave His law. And that law is a law of power. In the New Testament, God gave His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit is a spirit of power.

In your notes, let's take a look and let's turn to 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7.

2 Timothy 1, 7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. God has given us power.

My theme for today is very simple. As you want to take notes and write down the theme, the theme is this. Pentecost reveals God gifting His children with power. Pentecost reveals God gifting His children with power.

Brethren, we aren't powerless. Now, we can't go to places in the world where the children are starving and orphaned. We can't stop wars. You and I, right now, we can't change our nation's history right now, but we're working toward the kingdom of God coming. We're working toward the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish the kingdom of God on earth. And so, even though we may feel powerless at times, we are people who have been blessed with tremendous power. God offers you spiritual power that can transform your life. Transform your life. He offers a spiritual power as a gift to you. A gift out of His deep love for each and every one of us. He offers spiritual power as a gift to us because of His deep desire to share His life with us. Now, we're not spirit beings yet. That time is in the future. But God has wanted to give us a taste of what it's like to enjoy the power of God. So, I've got two very simple points here today.

Number one, the theme is the Pentecost reveals God gifting His children with His power. Point number one under that theme, God has gifted His children with His royal law, a law of power. I don't know if you've ever thought about the law of God as being a law of power. It is a tremendous power to God. Let's go back into us. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 19 and see the setting of the giving of the law. Exodus chapter 19, starting here in verse 9. Exodus 19, 9. And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever. So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. So there was some preparation that needed to be done. Preparation needed to be done before they would come into the contact of the great God. And let them be ready for the third day, for on a third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You should set bounds for the people, all around saying, Take heed to yourselves, that you do not go up to the mountain to touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

Now, boundaries are set around the mountain so the people would be restricted from touching it, not because God wanted to teach them a sense of unhealthy fear, but God was wanting to teach them a sense of real awe and respect for the power that he had, for the holiness that he has and wants us to have along with him. We go to Exodus 19, verse 14. So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. They did what they were told. And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day. Do not come near your wives. And so there was, again, more prep than needed to be done. Washing clothes and abstaining from marital relations were an outward act of simply showing themselves to be sanctified before the great God. Verse 16. When it came to pass on the third day in the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings. And a thick cloud on the mountain and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Now, I'm sure all these people have been through lightning storms before. But this was a different kind of situation. I don't know how many of you have been in earthquakes? Anybody been in an earthquake? My wife, there's three or four of us, maybe. I tell you, when the earth starts to shake, and you can't keep your footing. I remember, I think it was February 9, 1971. I was a student at Ambassador College. I was a freshman student. I was laying in bed. My alarm was set to go up at 6 o'clock. But the earthquake came at 5.59. The earthquake beat me on alarm clock. I thought that somebody was playing a prank on a freshman, on me. Because it felt like four big strong men, each one having an end of my bed, was just shaking that thing. I fell out of bed. Right next to me was the restroom. And you know the top of your toilets that you can take off that lid? That came flying off the top of the toilet. Cracks about two inches across were coming down the walls. You don't forget something like that. Thankfully, most of the students were in their dormitories. There was a huge chimney on the building we called Mayfair, a lady's residence. That chimney came flying down. And what it hit, the little pieces of concrete and stone were flying like bullets.

Sixty people died in that earthquake. Now, when you go on through something like that, an earth trembles and shakes, and you can't stand still. When there's lightnings and thunderings and dark clouds, as it says here, the people were trembling because of the power of God. God's a great teacher. He wanted the people to realize he was a God of tremendous power. He was about to gift them with two tables, two tablets of stone that had great power in them. Not that the stone had power, but the words on the stone had tremendous power.

Tremendous power. Verse 17, Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now, Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. In my mind, as I'm looking at this, I'm thinking about almost the look of... it wasn't quite the look of an atomic explosion, but you've got all this smoke going up. I'm sure you've all seen pictures of buildings burning with a great plume of smoke going up into the air. It's quite a sight to see. And again, with the lightnings and the shaking of the earth and this cloud, the mountain quaking greatly, the Bible doesn't exaggerate. That's what was taking place. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long, it became louder and louder, and Moses spoke. And God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. So, a tremendous sign of power. Then we've got chapter 20 of Exodus, verse 1. And God spoke. God spoke.

God himself spoke with them with his own voice from that thundercloud. In the midst of all the shaking and the thunders and the and the smoke, God spoke with them. Now, in your notes—I'm not going to turn there, but you might jot down John 5 and verse 37, where it says that no one has ever heard the Father's voice. So we know that this God that's speaking is not the Father. Because of John 5, 37, we know that the God that is speaking is the one we would call Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is giving the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ didn't come later to do away with those commandments. He himself gave them to Israel with full power.

Put a marker here. Let's go over to Exodus chapter 31.

Exodus chapter 31.

And verse 18.

Exodus 31 verse 18.

And when he had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone written with the finger of God. So God spoke them, and God wrote them with his own finger. Exodus chapter 34.

And verse 1.

Exodus 34 and verse 1. And the Lord said to Moses, Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. So not only did God speak, God wrote with his own finger, and then he rewrote them. He rewrote them.

You've probably heard the phrase, knowledge is power. Knowledge is power.

It is thought that the first person to use that phrase was a man by the name of Francis Bacon. Now people can't really find a citation to quote Francis Bacon on that. At least I was not able to find one. But another individual who said that on several occasions, and we do have copies of his writings, four of them, that said, knowledge is power is a man by the name of Thomas Jefferson. Knowledge is power. With that in mind, let's see what Peter wrote. 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1.

In verse 3. 2 Peter 1.3. As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. Notice, as his divine power, and later on through the knowledge of him. So not only did Francis Bacon and Thomas Jefferson talk about knowledge is power, so did the Apostle Peter. If you were to go to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, this section of 2 Peter, the Bible Knowledge Commentary says this, an intimate knowledge of Christ is a source of spiritual power and growth. So when I say there is power in those Ten Commandments, there is plenty of power in those Ten Commandments. Now, how so? How are the Ten Commandments so full of power? Well, let's go back over to Exodus chapter 20.

Let's read some of these Commandments. Exodus chapter 20, verse 2. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or an earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to the thousands, to those who love me, and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, who takes his name in vain. Remember this Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger, who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and the rest of the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. I want to quote to you, well first of all, why did I just read that?

There is power, brethren, in knowing who the true God is. There is power in knowing how to properly honor and worship the true God.

Think of all the misery in the world that's been caused over the lifespan of mankind, because mankind was worshiping false gods, false religion, false teachings. Think of the little babies that were burned to Molech. Think of all the heinous things that were done in the name of religion, false religion. But because you and I have been granted the knowledge of who God is, and how to worship Him properly, we have been given power to overcome all of that, and not be duped by any of the false things of the world, the things of Satan. There's tremendous power in the commandments of God. I'd like to quote to you from our booklet, The Ten Commandments, and I quote, "...the supreme guiding power over our lives, that which controls our ideals, is our focus of worship. Many things can take the place of the worship of the true God in our hearts and minds. The adoration of these things will eliminate any possibility of our establishing or maintaining a real relationship with God." Notice the supreme guiding power over our lives is understanding the worship of the true God. That's power. That's a gift that God has given to His children. But it doesn't end there. Let's look at verse 12. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God has given you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. So here we're looking at the next grouping of commandments, and we see that there is power in knowing how to properly love mankind. There's power in knowing how to properly love mankind. These laws are dynamic. They're filled with power. They teach us what to do properly. They teach us what to avoid. They teach us how to avoid the heartache and the headache. They teach us how to bring in the blessings of proper worship. Again, I want to quote from our book with the Ten Commandments, talking about this set of commandments, and I quote, our abuse and exploitation of each other is appalling. The intensity and magnitude of the violence among ourselves is inexcusable. We desperately need to reverse the horrifying results of our inability to get along with each other. We need to learn how to work together harmoniously in every area of life to build stable, loving, lasting relationships, establishing the rudimentary principle by which workable relationships can be built as the objective of the last six commandments. They define with stark clarity the areas of behavior in which human nature creates the biggest roadblocks to peace and cooperation. They provide us with the guidance we need to remove those roadblocks. And if I can be so bold to interject a word, they provide us with the power we need to remove those roadblocks. These commandments are full of power. That's why they should not ever be thought of as being done away. Why would you want to do away with a tremendous power, a tremendous gift that God has given you that would enrich your life?

By contrast, let's turn a second to Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8.

Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8, where it says, Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Notice, don't let yourself be cheated by walking away from the laws of God.

Don't allow yourself to be filled with an emptiness, a deceit that Satan would want to give to you, according to traditions of men, as opposed to the laws of God. According to the basic principles of the world, and not the principles of Scripture.

So, knowing how to love God is powerful. Knowing how to love mankind is powerful. There are other ways in which the Ten Commandments show their tremendous power. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Deuteronomy chapter 4. 5-8 Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 5-8.

Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in a land which you go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding. Notice, in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law, which I set before you this day? Part of the power of the law of God given on Pentecost is it gives us the power to be a light to the world. To be a light to the world. There is power there. When you help somebody walk out of darkness because they see you living according to God's law, and how blessed you are by living according to God's law, you are blessed, but they also are blessed because they see the power that's working in your life. You know, I don't know if it's true anymore, but for years and years it was true that the number one way people came into the church was because they knew somebody else. It could have been a family member. In many cases, it was family, but it could have been a business associate. It could have been a next-door neighbor. But they saw the power in somebody's life. They saw where something was working, and individuals were being blessed because of the way they lived, and of course, as they came to understand, because of the way they lived according to God's law. So there's power in being a light to the world. Let's look at one other way that the Ten Commandments is a powerful instrument. Let's go to Matthew 19. Matthew 19, verses 17 through 21.

Matthew 19, verse 17. So he said to them, Why do you call me good? No one is good but one. That is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. There's power there. That power allows you, after you've accepted Christ as your Savior, as you continue to repent the rest of your life, and you live according to what it says there. In the days of Unleavened Bread, you're getting sin out continually, bringing God's righteousness in continually. If you want to enter into life, eternal life, keep the commandments. And he said to him, Which ones? Jesus said, You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear a false witness. Honor your father and your mother, and you shall love the Lord as your and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to him, All these things I've kept from my youth, what do I still lack? And he said to him, If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you'll have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me.

Now, we see here in these verses that the second six commandments, the commandments dealing with loving man, are spelled out. But the first four commandments are also alluded to when Christ said, Go and sell what you have and give to the poor. This was a rich individual. His riches were his God. This would not, Christ would not necessarily say this to everybody unless they were in this situation. If they were worshiping their riches, then Christ would say it to them. But in this particular case, this was this man's God.

And so if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. So yes, brethren, on the day of Pentecost at Mount Sinai many, many years ago, God gave his powerful law as a gift to his children, the Old Testament church in the wilderness, the power to know and love God, the power to know how to love mankind, the power to be a light to the world, the power to enter into life. Now we come to the New Testament era of the church. Again, God has gifted his children. Point number two, God has gifted his children with his Holy Spirit of power. God has gifted his children with his Holy Spirit of power. Let's go to Acts chapter 2.

I should have taken a... I didn't think about this while I was driving over today. I think this was June 1731 AD, something like that. The very first Pentecost, the New Covenant era.

Acts chapter 2, verse 1. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. These were Old Covenant believers who loved God, who wanted to assemble on one side of the festival of God to worship God properly. Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. Just as there was a powerful demonstration of God at Mount Sinai, here we see another powerful demonstration, a rushing, mighty wind. God is once again showing his power, that he's a God of power. He's about to extend that power to some of his children, the New Covenant Church. Verse 3. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and once that upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. So this was a powerful situation that's taking place here. A very powerful situation that's taking place here. God giving the power of his Spirit. So, brethren, what is the will of God for his children? What is the will of God for his children? Whether I guess you can break that down into many different areas, many different facets of the will of God. But let's turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 26.

Again, we're going to compare the Old Testament Church and the New Testament Church, but we're going to see the same will of God in both. Deuteronomy chapter 26 verses 18 and 19.

Deuteronomy 26 verses 18 and 19.

Also, today the Lord has proclaimed you to be his special people, just as he promised you you shall keep all his commandments what was so special about them, them keeping all of the commandments and that he will set you high above the nations which he has made in praise and name and in honor that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God just as he has spoken.

They were God's special people to be an example to the nations around them because the great God of power had empowered them with the law of God.

Now, let's add to that 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10.

1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. We turn our attention now to the New Covenant Church, the New Testament Church. We just read in Deuteronomy 26 about the church in the wilderness, the Old Testament, the Old Covenant Church. 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. You know, in Deuteronomy 26 they were called a special people back then. Here they're also called a special people. For what reason? That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. God has given you his Holy Spirit of power so you can fully appreciate the power of the Ten Commandments and live them properly not just by the letter of the law but by the Spirit of the law. And as you're living them by the letter in the Spirit, then you proclaim his praises. You are a powerful instrument in the hand of Almighty God. 1 Peter 2.10. Who once were not a people but now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Brethren, we appreciate the fact, as it says in Matthew chapter 5, that we are the salt of the earth. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. And the reason for that is because of these twin blessings we receive on the day of Pentecost, which we're observing tomorrow, the law of God and the Holy Spirit of God. Let's examine just a couple of ways that God has gifted you and gifted me with this Spirit of power and what that does for us. Just a couple of ways. There's so many things we can talk about here, and you might pick another couple than I would pick. But one of the things that I see, having received God's Holy Spirit back on November 15, 1972, the day I was baptized, is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, I have been able to overcome. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have been able to overcome. Now, granted, you and I wish we were further down the road. I think that's typical for every one of God's children. We appreciate so very much what God has done for us. We see where we started. We see where we're at now. Oh yes, we wish we were further down that road, but we see where things have changed. Our minds have changed. Our hearts have changed. Our attitudes have changed. Our outlook on life has changed. The way we live our life has changed. Who our friends are. The kinds of things we do. The kinds of, you know, whether we watch TV or not, watch TV and all. You know, every facet of our life has been affected by the fact we have got God's Holy Spirit. Let's go to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8 and verse 26.

Romans 8 and verse 26. Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. The Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for, as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Nothing is too difficult that it's in front of us when we have God's Spirit working in our lives.

God gives us a Spirit which also helps our weaknesses. It helps our weaknesses because God's Spirit is the Spirit of power. We saw that in 2 Timothy, didn't we? Philippians. Let's go to the book of Philippians chapter 4. You probably know what I'm going to be reading here. Philippians 4 and verse 13.

Philippians 4, 13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ. Now, we can't do all things on our own. We can't do all things because we've got a great personality, or because we are really bright, or because we have this or that set of talents. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As you and I look to the power of God's Holy Spirit of power, we can do these things that are set before us.

These various tasks that God would have us do. Romans chapter 12. Go back to the book of Romans chapter 12. You know what I'm going to read here. The Christian life is one of overcoming.

God doesn't want us to remain the way we were when we first came into the church. We must challenge what we were when we came into the church. We must be different. We must overcome various things in our nature. And we do that through God's power. We do it because we understand the law of God. And the Holy Spirit helps us understand that powerful law. The Holy Spirit of power helps us to fully comprehend the deep things of God and what we need to be doing. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Scriptures. And the Scriptures helps us to see ourselves for what we really are. So many things here are interactive, but it all deals with the power of God that He is gifting us as His children.

Romans 12, verse 1. A procedure therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. We are to be holy. We are to be set apart. We are to follow those powerful laws of the Ten Commandments. We are to use God's Holy Spirit to be a separate people, not just be thinking like the world. And that is acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Brethren, you and I can't renew our minds on our own. We can only have our minds renewed by the power of God. Only God knows how to do that properly. We don't have a clue how we should properly transform our minds to be what God wants it to be. God has to instruct us. God has to teach us. Some of those basic teachings were on those two stone tablets. We're transformed by understanding the truth that we're on those two tablets. We understand that truth, but we're not going to understand that truth because we've got God's spirit of power to help us understand that truth.

So what we can be transformed, and our mind be transformed, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And what does it take for us to prove that? The human mind thinks they can prove all sorts of things. And you know that they're very good with technical things. You know, human beings are, you know, what can be restrained from human beings? As I was making mention of on the, I think, last day of Unleavened Bread in Michigan, where I grew up, you've got the Henry Ford Museum, you've got the Greenfield Village, and you go to the Greenfield Village and you can spend days in a museum, you can spend days in a village, where they've taken various homes from Noah Webster, they've got, you know, Edison's Workshop, they've got the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop, they take them from wherever they are in a nation, they disassemble them, and then they reassemble them over in that village.

And in that village, you can go, and I remember standing in the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop. I remember looking at the pictures that they had there, and thinking that from a time that they flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to the time we put a man on the moon, was only about 60 years. I mean, they thought it was a great thing to fly in the air for a few seconds, covering a few hundred yards, or a hundred yards, whatever was they covered.

And yet, then we're talking about multiple hundreds of thousands of miles to get to the moon, have men walk on the moon, and come back.

Mankind has tremendous technical knowledge, but mankind has zero knowledge of the true things of God. So, one of the ways that the Holy Spirit helps us is that God's Spirit gives us the power to overcome. And another way, the last way I'll discuss here with you today, is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Godly fruit is produced. Godly fruit is produced. And Godly fruit could only be produced by God in our lives. We can't produce it. We don't have the knowledge or the know-how, but God is transforming us as we're teaching us about His powerful law, as He's giving us His Holy Spirit. Through that, we can have fruit that is born, Godly fruit that is born. Let's go to Galatians chapter 5.

Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23.

And notice the fruit that comes from the power of God's Spirit. The fruit, the tremendously beautiful fruit, the Godly fruit. Galatians 5, 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. First thing that's listed there, that's what God is. God is love. Peace. Jesus Christ came to say He gave us His peace. And He said that just hours before He was crucified. If I knew I was about to be crucified at 5 o'clock today, I don't think I'm converted enough to have the kind of peace of mind that He had. I'd be thinking about, oh, this is not a good day. This is a bad day. Of course, now Christ didn't think that way because He realized because of what He was going to do, we would have eternal life. And for the joy that was set before Him, knowing what He was going to accomplish that day, He had tremendous peace. Long suffering.

Aren't we all glad that our God is not a God like the Greek gods or the Roman gods or various pagan gods around the world that are nothing more than powerful human beings, basically, with all their faults and failings? No, our God is a long-suffering God. I think about my life and my shortcomings and how the God has given me life to this point in time. I've just got to say, Father, thank You. Thank You that You're giving me breath to breathe today, that my heart is working today, that You have given me another day to get my act together. I see a lot of heads bobbing up and down with that. Kindness. How kind is our God to us? Kindness is expressed to somebody who's not been the best to you. Well, we've not been the best in terms of always following God's ways, and yet God is kind to us. He's good. He's faithful. He's gentle. He's very selfish. He's very selfish. He's very self-controlled. Those are all fruits of God. Those are all fruits that we can have, that we can bear as a result of God's Holy Spirit. Again, carnal mankind isn't capable of developing this fruit on their own. Oh, mankind will have various shades of this. Mankind, you know, parents can love their kids, but not with the same kind of depth of love that God has. And these various things, people can have shades of these things, but not in totality like God does. It's just impossible. What man has, look at verse 19. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, rivalries, and the like. That's what comes, you know, all of our righteousness is as filthy rags, right? Isaiah 64, I think, or 64.6. Jeremiah 17.9, the heart is deceitful above all things. That's what man is. No, we want the power of God that can produce the fruit of God.

Let's take a look at John chapter 15.

John chapter 15 verses 4 and 5. John 15 verse 4, Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch, and I bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. So I've been saying that all through the sermon today, that we can't have godly fruit unless we are abiding in God. And God only gives us spirit to those who obey Him. Acts chapter 5, right? God gives a spirit to those who obey Him. So we must abide. We must live the way God would have us to live. Then He'll produce fruit in us. Verse 5, I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me, and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. Those are the words of Christ in red letters. We just, you know, despite what you or I may think, we can only have spiritual godly fruit through God the Father and Jesus Christ. We need to abide in them.

Jeremiah chapter 17, last scripture of the day. Jeremiah chapter 17.

Jeremiah chapter 17 verses 7 and 8.

Jeremiah 17 verse 7. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes. But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit, nor will cease from yielding fruit. Notice God's beautiful portrayal of his people as flourishing like a fruit tree, as they abide in him.

As you are planted by the waters, waters being representative of God's Holy Spirit, planted by the waters, which spreads its roots by the river of water, which produces fruit.