Preparing to Lead in the World Tomorrow

I'm titling this, preparing to lead now. Now is the time to lead. The messages of the feast should have indelibly stamped upon our minds and hearts the urgency of the times in which we live. The world desperately needs to know who the true God is, understand the truth path to righteousness, to peace, and joy.

Remember the biblical definition of the kingdom of God from Romans 14-17 is peace and joy, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So I would imagine that all of you have mastered that. You know, they say that in the first 24 hours the average person forgets 80% of what they have heard, unless they review. So it's essential to go over and over the material that you've received here. So the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The peoples of the world desperately need to be relieved of suffering and pain, and the world desperately needs godly leadership. The world desperately needs the god-ordained family structure to be restored. The world desperately must learn to fear God and become one with Him. The world is entered a time of terrible trouble and turmoil, and the world will never be the same. Russia today announced that they are sending 150,000 troops to Syria. Now, if Russia sends 150,000 troops to Syria, they say they are going to take over the eastern part of Syria, where ISIS has made its headquarters, take over the oil fields there.

In addition to that, China has announced they will also be flying missions with the Russians off of a carrier stationed there off the coast of Syria. And Iraq has said, okay, Russia, you can use an airbase here north of Baghdad. So, I mean, this coming year will be one of the most pivotal years, dramatic years, in your lifetime and in my lifetime. There's no question that the world is at war, and the peoples of the world are filled with fear and anxiety.

The news abounds with rumors of war and every evil that can possibly be imagined. Where will the next shoe drop? It can be at your front door. It can be on the freeway. It can be in a meeting such as this. It can be in a rural area. It can be in a large cosmopolitan center. This world desperately needs the restitution of all things that you read about in Acts 3, 21.

The whole creation groans and yearns for the manifestation of the sons of God. Let's read that in Romans chapter 8 verse 19. The creation itself, a lot of the seeds are practically dead. More and more species are becoming extinct. We have tremendous upset in all stations of life, both in the physical realm, social, spiritual, economic, anywhere you want to look. And the world desperately needs what we read about here in Romans 8 and verse 19. Romans 8 verse 19, for the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God, the manifestation of the sons of God.

I read a bumper sticker one time that said, resurrection, God's great recycling program. So, the world really needs to be recycled, especially human beings and the glorious radiant spirit beings. For the creature was made subject to vanity, and vanity means temporarily, lasting for a short time, not willingly but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope. Of course, vanity can have a very wide range of meanings, including I'm the greatest. It can also mean a short time, as we have mentioned, because the whole creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

And we know that the whole creation grows and prevails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the sonship, never adoption, it is sonship. We are Thesia, H-U-I-O-S-T-H-S-I-A, why is it sonship? Because we have within us the same essence that God has in him. And in the human realm, when you are begotten by your father and the sperm unites with the egg of your mother and a new life begins, it is out of the very bowels of them, the very essence of your father and your mother.

In the spiritual realm, we are begotten by the Spirit of God and upon resurrection, we are glorious, radiant spirit beings of God, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Thus, we can be no less than sons in the kingdom of God for the sonship to know the redemption of our body. So, in view of all the challenges that lie before us, what are your goals and plans for meeting the challenges?

Can you provide an answer for the hope that lies within you? The Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this is 1 Peter 3.15, probably a verse that most could quote. The Apostle Peter writes 1 Peter 3.15, 1 Peter 3.15, but sanctify, set apart the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and with fear.

This world desperately needs to understand the great questions of life.

Now, I covered the great questions of life on the first holy day. I wonder if you could recite those seven questions. If not, hopefully you will set about to be able to.

In a sense, it sort of summarizes the whole plan of salvation, somewhat like the holy days in that the first great question of all time is, does God exist? The first article of faith is given in Hebrews 11.6. In Hebrews 11.6 says, those who would come to God must first of all believe that He is, that God exists. So, does God exist? Those who would come to God must first of all believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

So, the first article of faith is to believe that God exists. And then, who is God? God is our loving Creator. He is our Father. I'm not going to turn to each one of the Scriptures. I could give scriptural support for that. Of course, God is our Creator. All things were created through Jesus Christ, but God the Father is the Creator. He is the one who also acts through Jesus Christ to create us. What is God? God is Spirit. That's John 4.24. And those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And what is God's great purpose? To bring sons and daughters to glory in His family. Of course, there are many other purposes, but the overriding purpose with regard to why humans were created is to bring them to glory in His family. And then the corollary to that is man. Who is man? Man is made in the image of God with faculties of mind akin to God, but not of the same essence. Man is made of the dust to the ground and must have the Holy Spirit to bridge that gap between chemio-physical existence and eternal life. And so, what is man's great purpose? Man's great purpose. The reason God created human beings was to be in His family. You study all seven of those questions and give it scriptural support. You will have in a sense a summary of what it's all about. The world desperately needs to become as God is. We talked about this on the first holy day. I'm reading now 1 Corinthians 13, verses 1 through 3. Hopefully, we've really looked at this and we really understand it because this is where rubber meets the road, as they say. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels have not charity, agape, or agape, if I'm not becoming as God is, see, God is love. It says that twice in 1 John 4, 8, 1 John 4, 16. It says that God is love.

So, if I'm not becoming as God is, that's why He calls us to become as He is. Matthew writes 548, become ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

And how is one of the great ways that He is perfect? He is love. Because of God's love, He created us. Because of His grace, His divine favor, He created us an ordained great plan of salvation. And have not charity become as God is, I become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries. I know it all.

And all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, and have not charity, if I'm not becoming as God is, I am nothing.

And though I distill all my goods to feed the poor, though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity becoming God as God is, it profits me nothing. So, how can we lead if we do not know what our ultimate goal is? Of course, the priority is set clearly in the Scripture, one that we're all familiar with and could quote Matthew 6.33, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So, are you? Am I? Becoming love as God is love? Are you filled with zeal?

I was glad to hear in the opening prayer, fire and zeal. Fire and zeal, of course, are opposite of Laodiceanism. Luke, warmness, fire and zeal. Are you filled with zeal?

Or are you just treading water and going through the motions?

And we're all familiar with the parable of the ten virgins. Look at John 2 talking about zeal. We really need to be, quote, fired up.

Zealous has to do with being hot, with being on fire, being consumed with. I like this, being consumed with. Jesus Christ was consumed with doing His Father's business.

In John 2, verse 13, The Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen, sheep, doves, the changers of money.

And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, the sheep, the oxen. And He poured out the changers' money and overthrew the tables.

Jesus was a man of courage and of action. He didn't mince words. Woe unto your scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites! You pay tithe the men, and it's incumbent. You have omitted the weightier matters of the law.

And He said unto them that sold the doves, Take those things from here, and do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise. I mean, I'm sure the apostles' disciples, their jaw just dropped. I mean, what on earth is going on here? And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of your house is eating me up. The zeal of your house is eating me up. And we could ask ourselves, has the zeal of the house of God building the spiritual temple being co-workers, laborers together in building this house, or are we consumed with it?

What do you think is the most destructive state of mind or attitude that you can fall into?

Satan surely wants you in this state of mind. Satan knows his fate. Remember when Jesus was there casting out demons? And the demon said, If you come to torment us before the time, and ask to be cast into the swine. So what do you think is the most destructive state of mind?

The state of mind I'm referring to is, I don't care. I don't care. I just don't care anymore.

And so many people fall into that state of mind. If you come to the point that you don't care, then it's pretty much over. Whether you're young, whether you're old, come to the point that you don't care, then it's very difficult to help anyone that doesn't care. And surely Satan wants you in that state of mind. If you come to the point that you don't care, then it's pretty much over until you renew the spirit of deep desire for the kingdom of God. Your state of mind is perhaps the greatest key in seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, setting those priorities. If you're going to lead, and if you're going to lead now, you need to set your priorities.

Life has been made to appear cheap by movies, by television, especially video games, wars, mass murder. Life appears to be cheap in our time. Many youth come to the church with a turned off state of mind. They know before they arrive, they've already determined that no appeal to sound reasoning or appeal to emotion or any other thing will move them. Look at Proverbs 4.23. This thing about state of mind. In psychology of learning, they talk a lot about readiness to learn.

Your mind has to be fixed. You have to have that attitude, I want to be taught. I'm eager, I'm anxious to be taught. And I guess for some reason, and it wasn't anything I did, I guess that I've always wanted to learn. And hopefully you've been that way too. If you can just squeeze out one little tidbit that you can launch a study on, and you can learn, and you can go deeper into the Word of God. I remember the Sunday afternoon when we visited my aunt and uncle and my first cousin. She had started first grade that year, and she had this little reader, C. Jane run, C. Spot run, and that kind of thing. And I saw that book. See, we had two books at the house. One we kept in the house, and one we kept out back. One was the Bible inside, and the Sears and Roebuck catalog outside. And when it came time to go home that afternoon, I insisted that I take that book. They said, no, you can't take that book. It belongs to me. I mean, that's her school book. The state owns that book. And I don't know what kind of whatever I did, but I sure wanted to take it with me. So, I'll read Proverbs 4, 23. Keep your heart, heart is a very seat in the Old Testament used for the seat of thought. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life. So, what is your mindset? The church desperately needs parents who are filled with what I call the three C's. Conviction. Are you convicted to the very depth of your being of the Word of God and what it means? John 16, 7, 8 says that when the Holy Spirit has come, it will convict you of sin and of righteousness and judgment. The next couple of verses say that, but the one I'm focusing on is convict you. When the Holy Spirit has come, it will convict you. And then, in Romans 10, verse 14, it talks about how shall they hear without a preacher, how shall they believe unless one has been sent and unless he preaches? And so, you have the Word of God and the Spirit of God that convicts.

And if you're not reading and studying the Word of God, you won't be convicted.

And God then commits this precious truth to you and is placed in sacred trust with you. He trusts you with a pearl of great price. There is no greater understanding that you can come to.

And then, to the degree that you're convicted and committed, you will act courageously. The reason we have so many cowards today, so many people going through the motions, they're not really convicted and committed to the very depth of the very being. The church desperately needs ministers that have the courage to live by their convictions, not compromise the truth in all dimensions of their life. The church desperately needs brethren, young and old, to do the same thing. And all of us need to ask ourselves, male, female, young and old, am I providing spiritual leadership for my family and the people that I come in contact with?

Now, we tend to focus on preparing to lead in the wonderful world tomorrow.

But more importantly, are you exercising godly leadership in your life on a daily basis right now?

If not, you probably won't be here next year. Now is the time to begin to develop your plan for leadership and growth for the next year. So what do leaders do? What do they do? Leaders develop and carefully explain their goals and objectives. Where do you want to be? Where do you want your family to be in the months and years ahead? Do you have a plan for reaching those goals? They develop strategies for reaching their goals. Well, after work, after supper, after whatever we are going to spend studying the Bible, or every morning I'm going to get up and I'm going to study and pray. Whatever suits or fits your schedule are the fathers, the husbands leading in the spiritual sense. You know the Scripture well, probably in Isaiah 3, 12, it says, as for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them. Why is that Scripture? Why is it prophecy there? What has happened? It is because to a large degree, the men have abdicated their God-ordained position of leadership. And that must be rekindled. It must be renewed. So leaders develop goals and objectives. They develop strategies for reaching the goals. They develop ways to access and to assess their success. Are we making any progress? How far have we come? What areas do we need to shore up? And they take steps to correct their course if the goals and objectives are not being achieved. I mean, you have to make course corrections and adjustments along the way. Now, parents are in a very difficult position today because many of them are at the mercy of their children. The children are caught up in the spirit of the times. The spirit now works in the children of disobedience. And all of the elements that God talks about, we're in Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30.

In verse 11, there's a generation that curses their father and does not bless their mother.

How many times have you read where mother or father kills the children, or in reverse, but children kill the parents in today's world?

There is a generation that curses their father, does not bless their mother.

And if they're not taught to do it, they won't. And it begins by love and discipline. There's a generation that appear in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their filthiness. Oh, we know it all. I mean, we can text with both thumbs. We can do it blindfolded. We can do it driving down the freeway. You can't even turn on the phone.

There's a generation, oh, how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up.

There's a generation whose teeth are his swords and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. See, all of those, it's the perfect storm at the present time, as they say. All of these elements are currently present in our society.

Parents love their children. They want the very best for them. So much that oftentimes are outwitted by the children who are victims of the spirit that works in their children to disobedience. Even parents that understand the importance of discipline are oftentimes intimidated by their children.

Children tell their parents, if you make me do this or that, I'll run away. And some, of course, say, I'll kill myself. And they say the second leading cause of death among those under 30 is suicide.

Accidents being number one, automobile accidents, and oftentimes they think that probably some of those are suicide-oriented.

Indeed, much wisdom is required, and parents must exercise all the wisdom and strength that the Word of God provides. But are you going to compromise on the truth of God?

All that parents would heed the words that are continually taught regularly in the Church of God, it abounds in our literature concerning child rearing.

If they would, many of the ugly showdowns that are so prevalent in so many church families could be avoided. You know, stitch-in-time saves nine, prevention is a vast medicine, love, discipline, kindness, showing you're interested, aware.

So every parent in this room should have the basic principle of child rearing so indelibly stamped on their consciousness that they will never forget them.

I'll just briefly mention these three things you might want to jot down.

Time and involvement, which consist of rapport. A lot of parents don't even have a relationship with their children. I see parents come to church and the child sits beside them. They never look at the child. They never say anything to the child. It's as if he or she doesn't exist. You have to recognize, hey, I know you're a breathing person there, and I'm really interested in you. I'm aware of you. So developing that rapport, that relationship, and helping them. So rapport and relationship, they go hand in hand.

And realization is a state of understanding of becoming aware of something. The act of achieving something that was planned or hoped for. It's like setting the goals, developing the strategies, and seeing if they are working. And then there's the thing of accountability.

If you look at Hebrews 12, and one of the things that I think we really need to teach both ourselves and the youth has to do with accountability. We are accountable before God. We're standing before the judgment seat of Christ daily. That's what it says in Romans chapter 13, or maybe it's 14. We are daily standing before the judgment seat of Christ.

In Hebrews 12, verse 6, For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.

If you endure chastening, God dwells the deals with you, as with sons. For what son is he in whom the Father chastens not?

But if you be without chastisement, whereof we're all partakers, we all need it. There's no one perfect.

Then are you illegitimate, and not sons. It shows there's not really that love, care, and concern that should be there.

Furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh which have corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?

For they verily for a few days chastened us and after their own pleasure.

But he for our prophet, that we might be partakers of his holiness. So God the Father corrects us. Why does he correct us? Because he loves us, and he wants us in his kingdom. And I've made a statement, somewhat based on 1 Corinthians 11.

He's talking about keeping the Passover. If you want to examine yourself, then God steps in and he judges. And it says failure to judge yourself can result in sickness or even death.

God would rather see us dead. He'd rather see us dead in the flesh than for us to miss out on his kingdom. Now, no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. We have come to the point of time that we are more righteous than God.

I mean, what about our children? Do we really love them? Are we really aware of them? And we develop a poor relationship and a system for helping them in a world that is struggling desperately to even make sense? I hope we understand. We get the picture.

And if our children are going to have a chance, a remote chance of surviving in the weeks, months, and the years that lie ahead, what I'm talking about will have to become a reality in your life. I mean, you can make the choice. I can't make it for you.

The messages of this feast should have indelibly stamped upon our minds the urgency of the times in which we live. These are not ordinary times, even though we are blessed with somewhat ordinary times. The ministers, a lot of them have been intimidated by the spirit of the times, hesitate to blow the trumpet and Zion, lift up their voice, and show the people their sins.

We can't do that. We're currently in an environment in which many people have come to be their own ministers. In the world today, immigrants are streaming into various countries by the thousands, tens of thousands, fleeing Syria. There have been refugees from many other countries as well, Afghanistan, Iraq, and even other countries in addition to those, many from Libya and North Africa coming across in rickety boats across the Mediterranean. Thousands have died wanting a better life, a chance at a better life. But sadly, many of them refuse to be assimilated in the culture of the host country. They want to set up a community of their own, exercise Sharia law, be governed by the Hadees, the spiritual law of the Muslim religion.

So these immigrants are coming across and refusing to be assimilated in a light manner. Listen to this. In a light manner, we still have a large number of people who claim to be members of the body of Christ, who refuse to be assimilated in the fellowship of a particular church.

They are above it all. They have become judges in their own minister. Assimilation would require practicing the four C's and thus committing oneself to edifying the body of Christ. It would require loyalty and responsibility and coming under authority. Oh, no, I don't want to do that. I've had it with organized religion. I'm done.

That's what some say.

Might want to curl your toes. There are people here who go around trying to sell their so-called liberty to those they perceive to be one of the weak sheep. The ministry must take the lead and create an environment that allows people to discuss things that they have a question about. Most of the discussion does not take place with the ministry. It takes place in quiet corners and here and there and everywhere. Oftentimes, the ministry allows one to know about things. And so, we must be open to questions. We must be willing to discuss. We must be willing to examine all things and view the Scripture to see whether or not they stand up. Be as the Bereans who search the Scriptures daily whether these things be true. And we must not be intimidated. We're not in a popularity contest. This is not a popularity contest. Oh, I like so and so. And one of the things that's happened today is you can get almost any sermon that is given in the Church of God on the Internet because they're posted on the member's website. You'll be able to access every sermon that was given at the feast. I know in the U.S. and perhaps other countries as well. Some of our people are obsessed with warning the world instead of taking heed to what manner of people they ought to be.

So, in view of all the above and more, the question from the Scripture is this. Are you willing to lead and are you willing to be out front and take the heed as it were? So, look at Isaiah 3. Isaiah 3 is where this verse about children are their oppressors and women rule over them. But before that, we look at Isaiah 3 and verse 3, the captain of 50, the honorable man, the counselor, and the cunning artifice, or in the eloquent orator, and I would give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. Later it says in verse 12, the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor, the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, the base against the honorable.

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house, or his father, saying, you have clothing, but you are ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand. I mean, stand up, take responsibility. You have the means to do it.

In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be a healer, for in my house, as neither bread nor clothing, make me not a ruler of the people.

So you have to have a will to lead. You have to be willing to lead.

So we are all influencing people in a positive or negative way, and to a large degree, leadership is about influence. How are you influencing those about you? Every word we utter, every step we take, every action we take is an action of influence.

Are we influencing negatively or positively? This fee should be the most pivotal spiritual experience in your life up to this point. The trumpet is sounded, the handwriting is on the wall. He who hath an ear to hear, let him hear. Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

It is the wise who will understand. It is the wise who will understand. The yay butters and the game-sayers will remain just that. Look at Daniel for a few pages there to Daniel 12.

And Daniel 12, verse 10. Many shall be purified and made white. This is that period of time winding down, coming to the time of the 1335 days, the abomination, desolation having been placed.

Many shall be purified, made white, and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none other wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

And you are, are you among the wise? Am I among the wise? Look at Revelation chapter 22.

Revelation 22, interesting question here. This angel, the angelos, had given John the revelation. The revelation begins with the Father through Christ to the angel, then to John, who then is told to write it down and send it to the churches. Notice this.

Revelation 22, 11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. See, a lot of people tread water, going, how far can I go? How much time is left? I really would like to know, you know, how far I can push this. That's, that's not the attitude that we want. That's not the attitude of, of zeal.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.

And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.

And of course, we can all ask ourselves, where do we stand? If we wait till next year to get our spiritual houses in order, there's a good chance we won't be here. This next year will really be a time in which the wheat and the chaff will be sifted. God is indeed sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat. So in view of these things and much more, what is your spiritual plan? Have you set the goals? Have you developed the strategies? Do you have a way of assessing them?

Are you developing the rapport, the relationship? So this next year will be quite a year. In view of all these things and much more, what is your spiritual plan for overcoming and making your calling and election cheer?

So we will see you here next year. The human condition can only be helped by the power of God through his Holy Spirit. The regeneration of the human condition can only come through the power of the Spirit of God. Let's look at Titus chapter 3. Titus chapter 3 verse 5. God is the source of the Holy Spirit, God the Father. You can read that in John 15 verse 26. When the comforter or the Holy Spirit has come, which proceeds from the Father, there was a great split and nominal Christendom around 1000 A.D., the Latin Church, the Western Church, what we call the Catholic Church today, contended that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Greek Orthodox Church contended that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only. Of course, the Bible clearly says in John 15.26 that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. And, as we'll read here, somehow Christ plays a role in it in that the Holy Spirit is shed on us through Christ. This regeneration, this restitution, can only come through God's intervention.

In Titus 3 verse 5, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

So many in the church of God have been on a knowledge trip instead of a conversion trip.

And a lot of people came into the church through prophecy, thinking prophecy maybe is the real thing. It is real, but it is not. You could understand all mysteries, have all knowledge, all faith, as we read from 1 Corinthians 13. And if you are not becoming as God is, it profits you nothing. And many committed themselves for a while to a body of doctrine, but they never developed an intimate personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ and, in a lot of cases, each member of the body of Christ. In order to be in the Kingdom of God, you have to have, I have to have a personal relationship with God and Christ and the truth. You must know the truth, live the truth. And say that the average person talks to himself 70% of his waking time.

What if you fill that 70% of your waking time talking to God? Or going over, one of the ways that I learned many scriptures was in this, what we might call, downtime was say, well, can I at least state one sentence about every chapter in 1 Corinthians? Or pick a book, Romans, Malachi, whatever. And you stretch your mind and you go back, you check yourself. There are just many things that can be done so that you are spiritually minded.

So do you have, do I have that personal and intimate relationship with God and Christ?

Are we providing, as we've already talked about, cradle to grave education for our children? Are we teaching them to have a relationship with God? In our Sabbath school program, the first priority that we focus on is having a relationship with God, not just about the church. Of course, the church is important, but to have a relationship with God, to know God, but believe that He exists. Are you truly being led? Am I truly being led by the Spirit of God? Look at Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, the first verse is perhaps the most encouraging verse in the whole Bible, or one of them. In Romans chapter 8, of course, in Romans 7, Paul talks about the warfare that is going on between the mind and the Spirit.

He is not excusing sin. In fact, he is saying that you must rule over sin with a spiritual mind. Romans 8.1, There is therefore an outer condemnation to those which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. See, the Word of God reveals the mind of the Spirit. You don't know what the mind of the Spirit is unless you read the Word of God. John 16.13 says that the Spirit does not speak of itself. How does the Spirit speak? Well, you read the Word of God, and you understand what the mind of the Spirit is. For the law of the Spirit of life and Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. How did He condemn sin in the flesh? Because He lived in the flesh and perfectly kept the law, showing that you could live in the flesh and obey the law.

As you'll note here, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in Him, in us, that it might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And you really won't know about walking after the Spirit if you're not renewing the inward man daily.

Relationship with God is impossible apart from communication.

Are you walking and talking with God? Go there to Hebrews chapter 13.

Hebrews chapter 13. One of the things that we're admonished to do in 1 Peter is to offer up spiritual sacrifices. And one of the main spiritual sacrifices that we can offer up is the fruit of our lips. And that is done basically through prayer. God talks to us through His Word. And of course, if we're not reading the Word, God's not talking to us, or we're not having committed in our minds and hearts to memory.

In Hebrews 13, verse 15, By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God.

Continually, the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, but to do good and communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. If you turn back to Romans chapter 12, you'll see that we are to become living sacrifices. At baptism, what we're doing is entering into a covenant of sacrifice. We're saying that we're putting the old man to death and that we will henceforth live according to the Spirit.

In Romans chapter 12, verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.

You have surrendered, you have submitted, you are serving God, you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Now look at Psalm 50 quickly. You might not think of Psalm 50 in the context of living sacrifice or New Testament things, but actually Psalm 50, the first part, pictures the coming of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 50, verse 1, The mighty God, even the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the horizon of the sun into the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God, is shine. Isaiah 28, 16, I lay in Zion a surer, tried cornerstone. He that believes in Him shall not be confounded.

Our God shall come and shall not keep silence. A fire shall devour before Him. It should be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that He may judge His people, gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And that's what we do at baptism. We enter into that covenant of sacrifice, and then we offer up the fruit of our lips. We crucify the old man, and the heavens shall declare His righteousness for God, His judge Himself. Then He goes on to talk about what He is looking for, and one of the things is this thing about sacrifice and calling on God in the day of trouble. Verse 15, Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. So we must offer up spiritual sacrifices, which would be a living sacrifice.

So here we are closing today with some practical keys in addition to what we've said.

Some of you might have curled your toes on some of what is said, but it's in the book.

Here are the practical, principle keys to everyday living and preparing for the Kingdom of God.

Once again, seek you first, the Kingdom of God, Matthew 6, 33. Keep the big picture burning brightly in your mind and heart, which is really the helmet of salvation, hope.

Keep that big picture burning brightly in your mind and heart, consisting of also the answers to these great questions of life. Does God exist? Who is God? What is God? What is His purpose? Who is man? What is man? What is His purpose? We should all be able to give answers to all of that right off the top of our head.

Remembering the Sabbath days and the Holy days, picture the plan of salvation. Now go hand in glove with that of living them now. This is our opportunity to live under the government of God in the flesh. There will be millions who will be living under the government of God in the flesh in the millennium. Obedience to God's great immutable spiritual law. Romans 7.14 says the law is spiritual.

Psalm 19.7 says the law is perfect.

God hasn't done away with that which is perfect.

God is looking for men and women who are willing to lead their families in the paths of righteousness.

We've talked about some of the keys there of developing the goals, developing the strategies, means of assessing, developing rapport, developing relationship.

Virtually every sermon that is given on the Sabbath day by ministers around the world in the church of God contains some of this information. Some people are sort of sitting there wanting to hear some new thing or they for sure want to hear some smooth thing.

Look at Isaiah 30. You can ask yourself, am I in this category? Isaiah 30. Isaiah 30.

Some may say, well, that sermon was too hardcore. That sermon was whatever.

I mean, I want to hear different things.

In Isaiah 30, verse 8, hopefully none of us are here. Now go write it in a book before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come forever and ever that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord, which say to the seers, see not, to the prophets, prophesy not unto us, write things, speak unto us, smooth things, prophesy, deceit, get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Now quickly to, on the other hand, what does God say through the Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4? I'm turning there. 2 Timothy 4.

God says, verse 2, preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. You can't go wrong preaching the truth. You can't go wrong preaching the truth. You can't go wrong preaching the Word of God.

Because if you do, and if you live by it, God is for you. And no matter what man may do, he can't do anything. Because Romans 8.31 says, of God before you, who can be against you? The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own life shall they heed to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, shall be turned into fables. So, brethren, I hope that none of this happens to any of us.

We're looking for that city that Abraham looked for, with sure foundations. We have a vision. We know how to get there. Now it's up to us to see if we're going to go there. Do we have a vision?

I'm closing here this afternoon with quotes from Mount Rushmore, but I'm going to replace America in the quotes with the truth and the church of God. George Washington, the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply perhaps as finally stated on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the church of God. Now we are not in government, per se, in politics, but liberty. We're about liberty. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The only way to have that true liberty and pursuit of happiness is through the Word of God. So we here in the church hold in our hands the hope of the world. God has committed this to us. Who knows whether or not you've been called to the kingdom for such a time as this? So, brother and I hope we will take these exhortations that we have heard here during the feast and the instructions that we've received. We will be sobered, yet at the same time we will be encouraged, we will be exhorted, we will be motivated to seek first the kingdom of God.