Practicing and Experiencing Holiness

Well, once again, it's a delight to be able to be with all of you here in San Diego today. Susie and I will be in Redlands next weekend. We'll be here for a while. Las Vegas is off in the distance a little bit and out there in the middle of the country. And we'll be over there in early November for some of those that are listening from Las Vegas. And wherever you might be, want to invite you into this message. And do hope in the weeks, even the months, sometimes the years, transpire until somebody listens to this message on YouTube that it will be a blessing to you, because we do need it more than ever. Today I'd like to give you the title of my message up front. So three hours from now, you'll wonder when this message is just joking, done, that you'll know what I was speaking about today. The title of the message is simply this, practicing and experiencing holiness. Practicing and experiencing holiness. A subtitle to this might be this, a scriptural roadmap to holiness. A scriptural roadmap to holiness. Both Susan and I were struck coming up to the day of atonement with what it means when of old the high priest would go through the veil and sacrifice for all of the people of Israel once a year. And then to recognize as the Israel of God, the body of Christ, members individually, that we are able to go through the veil of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, often by ourselves, with an invitation that's always there to be bold and to be ready to approach God's throne of grace and mercy. Susan and I were listening to special music, you know, how I do the YouTube special music, and I wish we could do that more here, but because of the copyright, we can't. We listened at home, I did at least, but then they really had the equipment in the Redlands on full volume, and they sang, they didn't sing, we played the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, we played a holy art vow. And just to be able to experience that music, I'm not going to break out in song, but to experience that music, you literally felt services that you were in the very, very presence of God, and you kind of began to get it, that we don't always consider that we're approaching holiness. And what that means, down here on earth, down here on terra firma, we don't do holiness as human beings. It's a completely different environment and realm. I'm not trying to put anything on it as far as time and space, it just is. And then to think of when you read through Revelation 1, you read through Revelation 4, you read through Revelation 5, and then you recognize at the end that God the Father Himself holy is going to come down. And not only that, but Jesus Christ who is holy, He's going to offer up all the realm, all the realm to God the Father. 1 Corinthians 15, 23, it says, and when He is done, always look for the He, that's Christ, He's going to give everything to the Father. Is there any wonder why God the Father says, this is my beloved Son? You see, Jesus Himself is also holy. A week ago, you and I were invited by God's grace to experience the seventh festival of the year. It's called the Eighth Day. It's called the Eighth Day, and there's a reason why it's called the Eighth Day. The Eighth Day is about holy.

We go back and remember that was circumcision. Boys were what? They were circumcised on the Eighth Day. They were consecrated. They were set apart. It was to remind their parents and all of Israel that they worship a holy God and that all that is within that realm is holy to God. It was also a day in which both the firstborn of man and animal were consecrated to God. Later on, it was also a time when, if you go to Ezekiel in the 40s, chapter 40s, it's when the millennial temple was dedicated to God on the Eighth Day. There are many other examples that come to my mind, but I'll leave it be. In other words, the Eighth Day is given to us when it's all said and done to come to understand holiness of being set apart and knowing who we are being set apart before.

And to really recognize, while it is about us, it's not all about us. It's about God that He's inviting us forever into holiness. So on the Eighth Day, we not only touched on eternity, we not only touched on eternity, but also holiness. And I want you to think about this.

The Eighth Day ultimately tells us that we are going to be translated in that sense and brought into the realm of God. God is uncreated, but as the spiritual children of God, ultimately the immortal children of God, we are invited into eternity. And the one thing I want to share with this, some people, because of what's happened in their life, they can't imagine living forever. That is not a good thought because of everything that they have experienced in this lifetime. And if eternity is like this lifetime, I don't want it. I get that. I understand that. But let's understand the difference of the eternity that God is going to invite us to experience and enter because it is. And to enter is different because of one thing and one thing alone. That is the holiness of God, the holiness of God, worthwhile eternity.

In Walnut Creek, Ohio, where Susan and I had the great honor to be able to share with the people there those eight days that were, we explored in the book of Revelation all of the what we call the—you might want to jot this down if you're taking notes—the no-mores. And oh, the no-mores mentioned in Scripture that create an amazing portfolio, in part, that defines the holiness of eternity. You might want to jot that down. Holiness of eternity are often defined in the Scripture not only of what is but what will not be there. And this is not the total purpose of my message. Susan already heard a message where I borrowed on this. It was called, When No More is Forever, and I gave that on the eighth day. But let's just think about that for a moment about the no-mores. Let's make it simple. I'm kind of a simple person. I love the way God paints the picture, and I can get into the no-mores. With the incredible news that we've experienced this week, of the barbarity of human beings to another, mind-boggling, and then to see what transpires after that because of war, and to recognize when you understand Gaza, this has only begun. And even in that sense, to recognize the depravity of man, of what the Jewish people themselves have experienced for 2,500 years since Esther, which might have been the initial genocide unless God had other plans so that a savior might come out of Judah. But to recognize that. And when man gets involved, nobody wins. The Jews have suffered, and now the population of Gaza is going to experience death and pain and sorrow and family breakup because of, unfortunately, the terrorists that use those people as human shields.

And just multiply that by all the other wars that are going on. I'm just going to go down through these real quickly. You can jot them down. I'm probably going to send out my notes in a couple weeks or so. But just think about what we're not going to have. Number one, it says that there is going to be no more war. There's going to be no more war. Some of you are veterans of service, and or our parents were in World War II, as was mine, and as were some of yours. Some of you were over in Vietnam. Others of you might have been in other conflicts since. There's going to be no more wars. Number two, I'm just going to go through this very quickly. There's going to be no more seas. When God says He's going to come down, there's going to be no more seas. What that's really talking about, there's going to be no more barriers. No more barriers between nations and peoples. Also, it can mean there's going to be nothing scary. People of old were coast huggers when they traveled by boat. They didn't like to go into the deep. Seems as if scary things happened in the deep, especially when your ship's going down. The whole crew drowns. There were the thoughts of monsters. There was the thoughts of leviathans. And that is part and parcel of that point. But the big point is that oceans have created barriers between people to where those that were on the other side of the sea were what we might call the others. They're not like us.

So we don't have things to deal with them. Let's talk about another one. There's going to be no more tears. You're familiar with this, but let's just roll it out and add it up to describe what eternity is going to be like. There's going to be no more tears. There's going to be no more death.

And each and every one of us, to one degree or another, have probably been affected by the death of loved ones, family or loved ones. There's going to be no more death. Just imagine that. And with death, which is an event, comes something that follows along. There's going to be no more sorrow. There's going to be no more sorrow. And with that, in sorrow, there comes pain, and there comes crying. There's going to be no more crying. There's going to be no more pain where your gut just wrenches because of the emotional agony that you're going through, because of the deceasedment of a loved one. There's going to be no more temple. Hmm. Well, wait a minute. That sounds good. But there's going to be no more temple. You know why? Because God, the Father, and Jesus Christ are going to be present and united with their creation, their spiritual creation. There's going to be no more temple. The temple was built to be a spot where heaven would touch earth, and that is where God would set his presence. There's going to be no more night. No more night.

No more night. There's going to be no more darkness. You know, bad things happen at night when it's dark.

There's going to be no more darkness spiritually or physically. Darkness is going to be extinct. There's going to be no more dread. There's going to be no more — here's another one — there's going to be no more sun. No more sun. Just begin to roll this up and see how this is what God wants us to have with him and with his son. There's going to be no more sun. Why? Because God will be present. There'll be no need for sun. His brightness. Jesus himself created — Jesus, who was at that time — the Word created light. He is light. God is light. There'll be no need for a sun. And as it says, the brightness of God is unapproachable. There's going to be no more sun. And with that, then, there's going to be no more need. There's going to be no more shut gates. I want you to think about that. Are you going to lock your door tonight when you go to bed?

And gates are like a lock on a city or a village, as I was speaking, then in antiquity. There's going to be no more gates. And not only that, but there's going to be no more gates because God, the Father, and Jesus Christ are going to redeem so that those that are there, there'll be no more — here's another one — there'll be no going out or coming in. No more going out or coming in because, especially when you see the reward to the first fruits of God, they are going to be in the presence of God, Revelation 3.12. And it says there's going to be no more going out or coming in because of the Holy God. There's going to be no more walls. It says that. I'll set out my notes. I just want you to get the effect right now. There's going to be no more walls. It says in Isaiah 26, verse 1, salvation will be your walls.

Salvation will be your walls. God, just as He did with ancient Israel, will be there and watch over them. Most important, here's when I'd like you to turn to Revelation 21, Revelation 21, and verse 27.

If you'd like to join me, Revelation 21, verse 7, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Relationship. What is eternity at the end of the day? Is it trying to figure out the opposite of time and space and being tricky the way that we might explain that to somebody? No, no, no, no, eternity ultimately is about relationship, never-ending relationship. Once we are invited into eternity, remember, eternity exists, but as the immortal children of God, as we are invited into eternity, we notice that all of this that we're talking about, it's about relationship. Jesus said in John 17, 1, verse 3, that this and this is eternal life, eternity, that they might know you, the Father, and me, the Son.

It's about an intimate, dynamic, personal relationship. But now let's look at this. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Now notice verse 8, but the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake, that judgment which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. So we need to understand something very importantly, and especially in chapter 20, verse 15.

If I can go down there a second. That's not necessary. I was actually looking for another one. But to recognize that. Now in Revelation 22 and verse 3, one last one. And there's Revelation 23, and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. It's talking of the New Jerusalem, and his servants shall serve him there. Interesting. It's in Revelation 22-3 when it talks about no more curse.

The Greek word there is actually a catanatima, which is where you come with the word anathema, which means no more will there be a curse upon anything. No more will there be a curse upon anything. Now I've got a question for you. I believe that all of us as Christians, especially as we're looking at the world that we're living in, we need to know, K-N-O-W, we need to know about the no mores.

The no mores. They galvanize us to encourage us to move beyond the crosses of life that will be laid on our hearts and shoulders so that one day we might bear that crown. So we take a look at this. I want to share something with you. Let's remember this. We always think of eternity being made it.

Thank you, God, made it. So oftentimes we think of eternity as being an end. Let's put this down in our notes and in our hearts. Eternity is just the beginning of the rest of our story. Eternity is not an end. It's a beginning. Just like remember when, you know, high school and college, we called it commencement. We thought, okay, I'm growing up enough. I know enough. You know, I'm 18 years of old. No, no, no. Life was just beginning, and that's how we have to think about eternity. It is simply the next chapter, the seamless chapter, and the seamless chapter that we learned through the festivals, Bob, and thank you for your message today.

How blessed are—can I talk? Can we talk? How blessed are we to have this GPS, this spiritual GPS of the Holy Days, seven times a year to move through, to move through the purpose and the plan and the love of God? Isaiah 62 and verse 1. Join me if you would over there for a second. Isaiah 62. And Isaiah 62, and picking up the thought here, as I get to it, notice what it says here.

For Zion's sake—verse 1—"I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns." And notice when you think of what's happening over in Gaza right now, two people that are even genetically related, going back with the Arabs and the Jews, notice what it says here. It says, "...the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.

And you shall also be a crown of glory." God has plans for Jerusalem, but He also has big plans for the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem today to focus on Him. Here's the point that I'd like to establish in your mind, to wake us all up at two o'clock in the afternoon. You and I worship a restless God.

We worship a restless God. He is restless. You know, can I have a foot of this way? He has divine fidgetality. He's fidgeting up there. He's restless. He's got motion.

He is desirous of bringing His kingdom to all human beings one day, all given opportunity to know God, to know Christ, to come to Him, not to be inhabitants of an ever-existing hell that toast people, burns them and scars them. What kind of a father would do that?

I say, forget it. It's not biblical. God is always on the porch. The light is always on, waiting for His children. He is restless to make this happen. My question is simply this.

Talked about God. Now, let me ask you, how restless, in turn, are you and me willing to do our part? How restless are you? How restless are you? Holiness is about restlessness. It's about keeping the mission on hand. Let's notice Revelation 22.

In Revelation 22, and notice what it says, it's talking about the it's talking about the third garden. There are three gardens. I'll just deal with one and two. There's one and three right now. There's the Garden of Eden, and we get to Revelation 22. That's just, again, the Garden of Eden. Notice what it says here. He showed me a pure river of water, of life, clear as crystal. It was transparent, inside out, outside in. No sham, no hypocrisy, totally clear. Proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. In the middle of its street and up either side of the river was the Tree of Life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And notice what it says here. The leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations. Key. The leaves of the tree, of what? The Tree of Life were for the healing of the nations. Something has to occur. Something has to occur here. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. My question is simply this. We can look at, well, this is apocalyptic literature, imagery, etc. But there's real meaning behind what this is saying, especially when you see the Tree of Life. Remember the Tree of Life was in the Garden of Eden, the original one? So this is the ultimate Garden of Eden that you and I are going to be invited in, in what we call holiness and eternity. And to see this and to understand that. And in all of this, what I'm going to share with you is simply this. Why were you and I created, ultimately? There's a physical creation and there's a spiritual creation. And God says, Behold, I do all things new. So with that, we that have been graced and offered under the New Covenant and through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and accepting that sacrifice, we have been, and with the giving of the Holy Spirit, we have been offered to be a part of that new creation. So with that, why are we created? Number one, we were created to glorify God. To glorify God. And that's not theoretical. Christianity is not theory. It is actual moment by moment, moment by moment practice. Practice. It's moment by moment interruption from above to the Holy Spirit in us to be and to model ourselves after Jesus Christ. To glorify God. Where His name where His words, His stories are louder and more in our life than ourselves. Number two, to be a blessing and not a curse to other people.

The Tree of Life is mentioned in the heavenly Jerusalem in eternity.

And to recognize then, when it talks about a time of refreshing and refreshing and healing the nations, healing the nations, not just healing Israel, not just healing the Jews who by and large have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Yes, they are the chosen people. Yes, they have a role. And yes, God has unfinished business, doesn't He, with our with our Jewish friends. And one day they are going to come to accept Jesus Christ. But it's also for the people of Gaza. It's also for the Ukrainians. It's also for the Russians. It's also for all of the nations and all peoples. God is not selfish with His purpose and plan, but deals with it in time and His way. So with that thought, here's a question, a little test. You can think about this in your mind. How about us, as the children of God, as sons and daughters of God, with having had this revealed and striving to model ourselves after the example of Jesus Christ? Are you with me? Let me ask you a question up close and personal. Do we, do I, bring life and times of refreshing where relationships have died and hope is lost? Do I, Robin Weber, do I do that? Do I just simply talk about it? Do I just simply preach it to everybody else?

Or do I bring life in some way and a time of refreshing and not being a respecter of persons? Do we, do I, Robin Weber, build walls? Or do we build bridges in regards to relationships?

Or am I stuck on who goes first? Do we use our ears more than our mouth? Do we seek, in that sense, using Covey's famous principle, do we seek first to understand, rather than be understood? Do we exercise patience rather than anger? Do we seek cures and solutions? Do you and I seek cures and solutions in Scripture and in the life of Christ for people whose lives are in pain?

What kind of a spiritual go-along are we? Or do we just throw in our two cents, which is now three cents with inflation? Do we, these leaves that heal for the first time in forever, do we bring joy in the lives that are filled with sorrow? Do we wipe away tears from those who cry? Or do we make them cry? We that have been given so much as the children of God and as the first fruits of God, do we make people cry? Or do we wipe away tears? Are we involved with people that are in sorrow? You know, it says, and God will come down and notice this one of the great, great lines of Scripture, and He will wipe away tears. Very tangible, very colorful, very intimate.

And He is not asking you and me to do that which He and the Christ do themselves, to wipe away tears. Do we bring light where only darkness has been known? Do we, moi, as we say in the process, do we bring blessings where there has only been cursing in people's lives? Do we, this is one that will be familiar with you, do we make room in our end, in our lives, for others that have not, have only known closed doors? There will be no walls. Salvation will be the walls in the future. And it says the door will not be closed. You see, Christianity is not simply a destination. It's not just out there. Are you with me, friends? It's a way of traveling towards the kingdom, towards eternity, and towards embracing, internalizing, experiencing, and sharing what holiness is. We're not wholly of and by ourselves. Holiness is God the Father and Jesus Christ. They are uncreated. They are. They are all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and most importantly, all-loving. But they have placed their spirit in us, their presence. That's why we're called the temple of God in 1 Corinthians 3, 16. Stepping into eternity means we have to first step back into this world and age and rack up the score. I am the first to admit I'm not all there with some of you. I'm not all there with the first to admit I'm not all there with some of these. But thank God for His patience.

In Revelation 21, verse 1, let's notice, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea than I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Everybody wants to kind of figure out when the wedding feast is, there's going to be joy, there's going to be excitement, and you know what? I'll leave that to God. He's using the wedding feast as a metaphor, an example of how glorious it is going to be. He didn't necessarily ask us to assign a date to it right now. The only date I said after six years in this way of life is with my wife, and she may say no. So we've got to be careful. There is that festivity, there is that utter joy, probably the second greatest joy since Jesus Christ returned to heaven and had that exaltation and all of the heavenly court rejoiced, right? Whoo! And imagine what it's going to be like when we are there. Then notice what it says, And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and they will be their God. Notice what it says, And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. Two of the great echoes. If I can put it this way, I'm into echoes that come out of the Scriptures. Two of the great echoes. Number one is this. 1 Peter 1, 15 through 16, which comes off of Leviticus. I'll just say it comes out of Leviticus right now. It's not coming in my mind. Be holy as I am holy, and or I am holy, therefore be holy. That is the stream of God's Word that flows from Israel of old in the wilderness to our time and perhaps beyond until that time. The second great echo is simply this. I will be your God, and you will be my people.

This is what God is talking about.

And so what we notice here is two things, two words I'd like to share with you in this. In these terms, I will be your God, you will be my people, and here it is at the very end of the book. I mentioned it again, and then be holy as I am holy is simply this. There's two key words that come out of this. This is expressing God's inclusion, inclusion, inclusion and intimacy. Two big words. He wants to include you, and you put your name down. He wants to include you. He wants to include me. He wants to actually include everyone that will not only bend their knee but bend their heart and come to recognize that there is no other name under heaven than Jesus Christ toward salvation. And He's going to give everybody, you know, one thing, and some people that are here listening today, my new friends, my new best friends I just met, you know, in the lobby here, is simply this. 60 years ago, as an 11-year-old boy coming out of a fundamental background, heaven and hell, it was the greatest truth, and it remains the franchise of those that have the revelation of God to recognize that God wants and desires every human being to come to know Him. Universal opportunity. I did not say universal salvation. Words in the Bible lead us elsewhere on that one. But to recognize universal opportunity. I see a lot of parents out here and a lot of grandparents. Which one of you would turn away your daughter? Which one of you would turn away your son? I just ask you. You're all looking at me. I think we know the answer. If there's one thing I'm going to preach, especially after this feast, and I mentioned it a couple of times, is I worship, and I want to remind you, you worship a God who is always on the front porch, with a light on, waiting for us to come home. Yes, we have to admit that we have sinned both towards heaven and down here below. A lot of people oftentimes will try to make up the difference dealing at this level. We have to first of all make up the difference at the higher level. Start with God and let it roll down. Now, for we in Southern California that like Mexican food and go to a restaurant, do you ever just see the nacho cheese sauce around the corners of the plate? No, you put it on top, or Thanksgiving coming up. You put the gravy on top, and then you let the rest pour down. That's how we have to be with God. We have to go to the top and then allow His love to come down and deal with everything. I'm going to give you simply put. I know we started a little bit late, and I don't want to go later. I'm going to, I'm actually going to send this out later, but it's this part of recognizing the the scriptural guide towards holiness. And to come to look at it, I'm going to take just a verse or two here, though, it says in Psalms 25. Join me if you would there for a moment. In Psalms 25.

And pick up the thought if we could in verse one. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Oh, my God, I trust in you. Let me not be ashamed. Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed, and let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Verse four. Now show me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. On you I will wait all of the day. Show me your ways. Let me show you just a simple point here. Join me if you would in Proverbs.

Sometimes God shows us what not to do. Sometimes he shows us what to do. In Proverbs 6.

Proverbs 6, almost there. In Proverbs 6, verse 16, it says, Show me your way. Sometimes God shows us clearly what are his ways. He also tells us what is not pleasing to him. These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to him. A proud look. A lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plans. Notice this. Feet that are swift in running to evil. A false witness who speaks lies. And one who sows discord among the brethren. Number 19 is interesting.

Christianity has been tripping over that for 2,000 years.

One who sows discord amongst the brethren. That's an abomination to our father and to his son. And yet there are people that pride themselves of starting some new movement with some new truth that divides the people of God. That separates brethren. Separates our ability as Christians and pastors to help the widow, to help the orphan, to have more locations even during the feast to where we could serve people like you that were in San Diego this year. To be there when people are dying. I just have no use for that.

I just have no use for that. I just have no use for that.

Christians are to be unitors, not dividers.

At all. In contrast to that, on a happy note, join me if you would in Galatians 5.13.

I'm actually going to, for sake of time, do a little bit quicker up here.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace.

Peace doesn't mean an absence of conflict, but it means having God as a partner and He'll see you along. Long suffering, kindness, goodness, fruitfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such, there is no law. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And if we live in the Spirit, that Holy Spirit, if I can insert that, let us also then walk in the Spirit and let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. What is the pathway? Join me if you would in Psalm 15.

In Psalm 15, we've discussed eternity a tad this afternoon, but let's go to Psalms. Wouldn't you like to be there with all those no's? In Psalm 15, the question comes up from the psalmist. Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle, that ultimate tabernacle existence of eternity? Who may dwell in your holy hill? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness, speaks the truth in his heart. He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend, in whose eyes are a vile person it's despised. But he honors those who respect and fear and revere God. He who swears his own hurt and does not change. And he who does not put out his money as usury, as bait, to hook somebody that can't even pay back to begin with, but now there's extra charge. Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. He who does who is going to dwell, who is going to abide? You see, what God is doing with eternity, he's not running a timeshare.

Are you with me? He's not running a timeshare.

It's not a best western where you're in and out, like the hamburger, here today and gone tomorrow. Well, eternity is about a home. It's not just about a structure. We can talk about the structure of the millennium, a thousand years. We can talk in a sense about the realm of what God is developing and is building within that space. But it's not just a structure. It's not just mortar and com-shingle roof and framing and anoleum and granite counters, if you have that in your... I don't go to a house. I go to a home. I go to my wife. I go to our God. It's a relationship. I want you, if you want to jot this down, and you put it in your heart, eternity is the home that God and Jesus Christ are preparing. Jesus Christ Himself said in John 14.3, I go to prepare a place for you.

I am frankly more excited about just experiencing God up close and personal, having that inclusion, having that intimacy. I don't need five cities. I don't need ten cities. I don't need that whole thing. Great. But it's all right. If I can just be there, and you can just be there, and you get to see God face to face, it will be worth every stroke upstream to be there. It will be worth every cross that we bear and give it to God. See, when we bear a cross today, it's not just Simon of Cyrene that comes along. Good guy from Cyrene. It's Christ lending his shoulder. It's God the Father lending His shoulder to carry those burdens, to get us to the destination. Whereas Jesus Christ Himself said, I commit my spirit to you, and that like Him we will be able to say, it is finished.

Join me if you would in Philippians. Yeah, I'm going to go to Philippians. No, let me go to Romans. Two verses we're going to conclude. Romans 8. Romans 7.

This is a tale of two hearts. This is a tale of two cities. We have our human heart with human nature, and we have that heart that we want to give so much to God and keep Him steady with it. We might even say it's the the tale of two cities, Babylon and Jerusalem above. But I think we're all familiar enough with this. It's like Paul is just saying this. God, what am I going to do?

You know, all the things I don't want to do, especially after Weber's sermon, using your words to remind me about being holy, I wind up—there's only one good phrase for this. If you've ever been around a dairy, I keep on stepping in it.

What's with that, God? And everything I ought to be doing, I don't do. And we look at this, and we ask ourselves why. I remember Harold Jackson—some of you might remember Harold many years ago, a great man—and Harold Jackson kind of put it this way in his inimitable style. He said, there must be something about human nature that we like, or we would have gotten rid of it a long time ago. And so that's our battle. That's our challenge.

We want to follow God with all of our heart and all of our mind and all of our soul, but we trip up. Paul recognized that. And notice verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death. I thank God.

Susie and I were talking about this yesterday, I believe. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

There are many good people on this earth. There are some very, very good people on this earth. Um but to move through that door towards eternity, not on our own, but because God has opened that door in spite of ourselves. It must be through the life and the death and the resurrection and the ascension and the exaltation of Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. Or we will stay dead and buried. Dead all over, just like Rover. It is through that door of Jesus Christ and accepting him and striving to live that holy existence that he lived, that we might obtain eternal life. I'll just finish with this. There's a term that comes out of the prodigal son.

And it says he came to himself.

And a famous book was written about 20 or 30 years ago, when a man, and today, ladies and a lady come to themselves.

Many of us have been on this course for many, many years, sincerely, striven. But we have another chapter to go into to have that intimacy and that inclusion with God the Father and Jesus Christ. It's not just simply what you know, it's what you are. We worship God in spirit and in truth.

As Bob was mentioning in his very fine message, yes, we can know this, we can know that. This is not of God, this is of God. The Sabbath, seventh day, yes. The festivals, yes. Biblical food laws, yes. All wonderful, and God wants us to observe those. But God speaks to something even much deeper than that. Those can lead us, but that's not the final part. The product is the righteousness of God in us and the modeling of Jesus Christ, to have those leaves of healing that are mentioned in Revelation 22. Holiness is not just a destination, it's a way of traveling.

It's a way of traveling. Susan and I were deeply affected, I think, is deeply affected by our experience back in Walnut Creek, as I hope you were. And you don't have to be around multitudes of people to be affected and feel the touch of God and understand how restless He is to have each and every one of us in His embrace for eternity. That might have been in your home. That might have been around hundreds of people. Might have been around a couple thousand people. The bottom line is, God wants you. Remember the old line, Uncle Sam? Remember the old poster from World War I? I want you.

God is not my uncle. God is my father. Jesus is his son. And he is my brother. Brethren, the opportunity that we've just had in experiencing God through these festivals this year would be a horrible thing to waste. Let's keep on looking up, hanging on, and be holy as God is holy.