Raise the Bar and Widen the Gap

Brethren, we live in a world in decline. And that might be kind of a depressing way to start out a sermon on the Sabbath, I realize. But it happens to be true. We are living in a world of rapid change. We've seen incredible change in a number of fronts, on a number of fronts, just the last couple of years in this country. We're living in a world of decline because many of the changes we've seen have not necessarily been that positive.

The challenge that this world and, frankly, the Church of God will be facing in the upcoming years will be the fallout of the choices that mankind is making regarding matters of social and moral standing. And I appreciate very much Mr. Will's sermonette talking about choices, because that is what this boils down to.

And as he read in God's Word, will we choose life as mankind? Or will we choose an alternative? It comes down to, are we seeking God's blessing and to do what he has given us to do by terms of creation? Or are we seeking our own?

But again, the upcoming years, the Church of God as well as this world, are going to be impacted by the fallouts of the choices of mankind, both in matters of social and moral standing. There are undeniable truths in God's Word, truths that form the underpinning of this nation, truths that come down to institutions like marriage and family, and the strength that comes from that God-ordained institution.

Truths related to gender, and men being men, and women being women. Truths related to honesty and integrity, and being true to your Word. Truths that have been the moral fabric of our society for decades. But as we look around, brethren, the end string, if you think of somebody makes a blanket and they crochet and you come to that end string and you tie a knot off at the end, that end string now has been pulled loose, unknoted.

And the moral fabric of our society is unraveling at an unprecedented rate. The choices that have been made are ones historically, if we consider what the alternatives were. We have made choices in this country, and I would say by God's blessing, that has made America the shining light in the world. And decisions were made, choices were made, institutions were upheld. But what we find today is that those very same choices are being thrown out the window, only to be replaced by choices that God's Word plainly declares will lead to the destruction of a people.

So very quickly, the moral fabric in the world around us, and specifically our nation, is being unraveled. Brethren, we are living in a nation in decline, in the middle of a world in decline. And the only answer for what ails the sickness of mankind is the kingdom of God. It's the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the truth in the way of God. And it's what we look for, it's what we yearn for each and every day as we cry out and pray, thy kingdom come.

So the question for us as the people of God in the modern age today is what must our response be to all of this? To everything that we see happening in the world around us, the decline, the unraveling of the moral fabric of our society, what must our response as God's people be to all of this?

The title of today's message is Raise the Bar and Widen the Gap. Raise the bar and widen the gap. That, indeed, must be a huge part of our response. As the people of God, we're called to be continually raising the bar in how we live our lives each and every day because what's the goal that's been set before us? Well, it's the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ, and that is a very high bar. And no matter how high we have set the bar for ourselves or achieved, there is still a higher level yet that can even be achieved as we seek to live up to the standard of Jesus Christ every day.

And that is a very high calling. We're called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, representatives and citizens of the kingdom yet to come. And so we're not called to let our standards slide alongside the world, sort of as maybe the world is in decline. It can be easy to think, well, we're not like the world. And so you have this distance between the church and the world, but if we're not careful, we can be in decline as well right along with the world, just kind of keeping a little bit of a distance. But the standard can be allowed to slide in our personal lives even as well.

God's standards for His people are solid and consistent. And you and I must be found as people who are constantly raising the bar on ourselves to reach the full potential for which God has set before us. And as we raise the bar, what we're going to find is we will widen the gap, honestly, the gap that stands between us and this world. There will be a difference. It will be noticeable. And frankly, it will widen and be more dramatic to those who have eyes to see. For today's message, I want to touch base on four areas where we must be continually raising the bar of standard in our lives.

And these are areas of decline, frankly, in the world around us. We need to raise the bar as the world lowers it. And as we do, we indeed will widen the gap between us and this world.

So point number one, we must be continually raising the bar in our marriage and family relationships. Must be continually raising the bar in our marriage and family relationships. It's no secret, brethren, that marriage and the family has been under assault for a long time. And the momentum of that assault has increased dramatically, especially in recent years. God is building a spiritual family. That's His plan. That's His purpose for our creation. It's why we even exist. God is building a family for Himself unto eternity. And today He's called us to be His children, growing in relationship of that family. And He's doing it through you and me. He's building His family through our marriages and through our families today. And so in light of that reality, Satan the Devil has been actively seeking to do what? Well, undermine the plan and purpose of God. To tear down the family structure, to destroy the fabric of family in our society today. And He's actively seeking to tear apart what it is that is God's plan and purpose. And it's the underlying reason we see so much turmoil in the world today. We see so much of assault on the traditional family structure, and so much that is promoted on the other end of the spectrum. On biblical lifestyle choices such as gay marriage. In the beginning, God brought one man and one woman together, and He joined them as husband and wife, instructing them to fulfill a specific and important purpose. So I know I've taken us here a number of times in recent months, but this is foundational. This is anchor scripture. Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26. Genesis 1 and verse 26. This is what God is doing. It's what He has been doing from the beginning. It is His end plan, ultimately, unto salvation and His family. It's what He's doing in our lives today. Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26. Verse 28.

Genesis chapter 1 and verse 28.

Genesis chapter 1 and verse 29.

This is a holy union ordained by God from creation and held up as holy and honorable within the church of God, even down to our time today. Today's society, what we find is that what constitutes a marriage is being distorted from the standard which God created from the beginning. God ordained the original marriage, one man and one woman brought together. That is being distorted in how society today defines marriage. How society would set the parameters for the sexual union, which the Bible gives us to be between one man and one woman in marriage, as well as being distorted and at least redefined in the eyes of man. In the country in which we live, brethren, it has become publicly acceptable for men to be with men, for women to be with women, either inside or outside of a same-sex marriage. And what was once shocking to the eyes of Americans a decade or two ago has now become commonplace and it's become mainstream. Just turn on the television and you'll see it so. Coming to your favorite television show, neither you. Thank you very much, Star Trek. Change the channel.

But what used to be shocking is now common and mainstream. Beyond that, two men kissing on television, two women kissing on television used to be reserved for late-night cable television, but it's now during prime family television. And again, it's mainstream. It's in the commercials. It's in the commercial for your homeowners insurance. Protect what's most valuable to you. Your auto insurance. It's in your prescription commercials. It's in your food commercials. It's virtually everywhere you turn. The shock value has worn off and the normalizing of it is here. And in our house, our TV remote broke like five years ago. You can just push the button, turn the TV on and off, and we've been doing that for years because once it's on, then we take the Roku remote and you can go to streaming wherever you want to go. But we occasionally watch over the bunny ears channel, one or two channels, and you just flip the TV on and you're there. And when you want to, flip it off. But we never really had much of a reason in the middle of programming, at least what we were watching, to do anything. So suddenly, now we're jumping up from the couch. Here's that commercial. You turn the TV off and that actually was enough fire lit under me just to order a remote. And we can now hit the button. But again, even if you're not looking for it, it is there in its front and center. So the shock value has worn off. The normalization of it is here. But you know what hasn't worn off, brethren? It is the sin value according to God's Word, according to the pure principles of the Word of God. The shock value may be gone, but the sin value remains. When God was giving the nation of Israel instructions on how to live and how they would function as a model nation, and as His covenant people, He outlined for them very clearly what their attitude was to be towards this. And He made it clear that such activities were an abomination in His sights. We need to understand and not be confused ever about how God views these things. Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 13.

Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 13. It's one verse, but it is clear, even pulling it from context. Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 13 says, If a man lies with a male, as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them. And so that was the penalty for homosexuality in the nation of Israel under the civil laws that God gave them to live by as a people.

The death penalty was actually the result of the lifestyle of homosexuality. So if you don't think that God doesn't take it seriously, consider what the instructions was He gave to His covenant people who were supposed to be a model nation. Now, today, in today's culture, frankly, the manner in which God condemns this action, the manner in which He judges it, frankly, is more shocking than the activity itself.

You know, to say that God in Israel required the death penalty for such an action actually makes people shocked about the nature and the character of such a God, who would declare and demand such a thing as opposed to shock over the activity itself. And that's the world we live in. But, brethren, we also have to understand that as Creator, it is God alone who sets the standard. And so it's not like I'm up here telling you today what I think I like and don't like and what should and shouldn't be.

We live by the standard God sets. And it's not like we raise ourselves up on a righteous pedestal over...we're all sinners, okay? We all need to overcome something. And I say some sins are more open and obvious than hidden sins of the heart, even. So this isn't about raising one up over another, but it is simply about how do we live according to the word that God has given us and the standard He has set. And as the Creator, He alone is the one who sets the standard on how we live.

He alone defines what is holy and what is profane. And He alone defines what is the penalty for sin, which is ultimately for all sin, the wages of sin is death. And we all live under that death penalty apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now you could look at this and say, well, this is Old Covenant, Old Testament, ancient Israel. You know, these are the modern times.

And, you know, we've got our head screwed on more straight as a people and as a culture, and we can determine for ourselves. Well, let's bring it forward to 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9 through 10.

Again, I won't turn there, but jot it in your notes. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 10, speaking to the church. The Apostle Paul states that individuals given over to such practices among others, okay, among others, other practices, but will not inherit the kingdom of God. It is such a serious matter in the eyes of God, and apart from repentance and change, they will simply not be there.

And again, apart from the grace of God, go there, go I. Okay? So we keep this in perspective. Apart from repentance and change, none of us will be in God's kingdom unless we overcome whatever it is that we struggle with personally. Unless we overcome sin. But again, repentance and change is the standard that is held, and that's the message of the church today.

Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and it's a call that goes out to all of mankind, and we hope that people in every life circumstance and every corner of the earth would hear the message. It was what Christ taught. It was what the disciples taught. Repent! The kingdom is heaven is at hand, because we don't want anyone to perish. We know we can't save the world today, and it's not our job to save the world today.

God has a plan in order to these things, but the Scripture just say that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. And that indeed is our message. It's a message of mercy and love.

And it's a message that says we want to help where we can. You know, the church needs to be a place that is a place for people to heal, and I'll just say the people that are called out of the world into the church might just look a little different today than they did 20, 30, 40 years ago. And so if somebody is sincerely overcoming and changing in repentance, we need to be people who are open to working with and accepting in our midst people who are growing, not living in sin, but coming out of sin.

I'll just say what maybe used to be looked like the model of somebody walking in the door from the world in the 1960s may just look a little different today. But God's plan and what He is doing is still the same. But I do want to quote to you from a recent E-News article by Mr. Kubik because I thought he put it out there quite well regarding the position, at least, of the United Church of God and such matters.

This is three or so weeks ago in the E-News. Mr. Kubik said, Let me speak plainly. He says, The Bible is authoritatively clear. A state of godly marriage is between a man and a woman as biologically defined. He says, Physical sexual activity is only permitted or encouraged inside of a biblically defined marriage. Sexual acts between men and men, or women and women, are not permitted and are condemned in the living Word of God. He says, In other words, these are things God has set in place and we cannot violate them. We have not the authority to bend the rules in these matters.

Continuing on, he says, With the meaningless political labels homophobic or transphobic. But the truth is we are neither and should make that clear. We recognize that all our sinners and that much of human life is a struggle. We are not to hate or condemn the sinner, but we are to hate the sin.

We are to be empathetic with each other, striving to be a light to the world by our examples, but in no way ever endorsing biblically fraudulent concepts.

And I appreciate Mr. Kubik writing on it so openly and directly. As the Church of God today, brethren, we are put in a position by God the Father and Jesus Christ to stand up and be an example to this world. To live a way of life that is according to what standard that God has given us. And it's not that we are just so much better. We have been blessed by the fact that God has called us into a relationship and He's given us this word. And what He has given us to do is to live it by example. It's not enough to say, thus says the Lord, or this is the way walk in it. We need to lead the way by example ourselves. And so we need to make sure that we are raising the bar in our marriages and in our families to demonstrate how this way of life works. God has testified that it will work. And He says, I said before you life and death, we need to demonstrate God's way in action. That it does indeed lead to life. Matthew 5 and verse 14, let's see Jesus' instructions.

Matthew 5 and verse 14, Jesus Christ says, you are the light of the world. You know, it's like you have a dark place and you flip on the switch or you light that lamp and the light just shines out and you can't miss it in the darkness. He says, you are the light of the world.

Excuse me, find my place. A city that is set on the hill which cannot be hidden. He says, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

This is our calling today, brethren, to live God's way of life in a manner that shines the example of truth to the world and not that we are glorified, but that the glory goes to God. And people would see, though, by our example that God's way is true and it works. And so I would encourage us all, husbands and wives, raise the bar in your marriage relationship. Raise it as high as you possibly can, and when you've achieved that level, raise it again.

Raise it again. Continually raise the bar. Here's some homework. Spend quality time together. Go on more dates. Don't tell me I never gave you easy homework. Go on more dates. Spend quality time. Seek to build relationship with one another. Build it up and fulfill the God-ordained purpose for your marriage. And in addition, then, to that, enjoy the fruit and the blessing of what God has given within the bounds of that relationship, because it is a win-win. And it is a blessing. Raise the bar as well, brethren, in your families and in your family relationships.

If you have children, raise the bar between you and your children. Work with all your might to point them to God and to build the relationship with them that will lead to a functional family. Again, showing forth in the world, God's way works. This is the way. Walk in it. It is what we teach today. It is what we will be given to be teaching in the kingdom to come.

And as we do, the fruit of joy will be produced. Second point we need to be continually raising the bar is, continue to raise the bar in matters of our God-given gender. Continually raise the bar in matters of our God-given gender. You and I live in a world of self-inflicted confusion as it pertains to gender identity.

Children are now being brought up and taught from a very young age that they have a right to choose what gender they will be, despite maybe whatever was their, quote-unquote, birth-assigned gender. If you were born a boy, okay, that's fine, but you can choose. Do you want to be a boy? Do you want to be a girl? Do you want to be both? Or maybe do you want to be neither? And those sounds silly, maybe it's choices that are being educated and put before our children today. We need to be continually raising the bar in matters of our God-given gender.

You see right along this parameter, parents are being groomed to be supportive of their children's decisions in these matters. On the flip side of the coin, standing up against a decision to be, say, a gender different than what you were born in identity, standing against that or seeking to turn someone away from it through forms of counseling, forms of therapy, is being viewed as hostile, oppressive, and damaging to that individual.

Again, it's the world we live in. And I'm not saying these things shouldn't be handled carefully. They must. And there's legitimate and real issues that must be addressed. But again, to live in a world that says, no, this is fine, this is okay, open the door and promote it, and don't you dare stand in the way of it. I'm sorry, but that stands in opposition to the Word of God. And it must not be who we are as a people.

I saw an article Thursday as I was preparing my message. I pulled up my Yahoo news feed, and there was an article front and center announcing the Biden administration's new hire in the energy sector. This individual, Sam Brinton, is now the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent, Fuel, and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy for the Department of Energy. Let me boil it down. He oversees the handling of spent nuclear waste. That's a big part of his identity.

Brinton is touted as likely the first openly gender-fluid person in the federal government leadership. Brinton is referenced by the pronouns of they and them. And as I was reading the article, it kept saying they and them, and I'm thinking, what people are they talking about? And I realized, oh, they're talking about him. But again, that's the identifying pronouns, they and them. Well, personally, he identifies as a non-binary drag queen.

I'm not making it up. This was the headline. The picture of him that was used in the article showed Brinton in a bright yellow dress, sleeveless dress, plunging neckline, bright red lipstick, shaved head, mustache, and goatee. And if they'd spanned down a little lower, probably high heels. And this is being touted as a move forward, a step forward in our country of tolerance and openness and the acceptance of what is being declared as right and good in our country.

Brinton is a strong champion standing in opposition to conversion therapy and the concepts of, again, engaging people in therapies that would try to turn them back from such lifestyle decisions. Canada has already enacted certain laws which make it a crime to engage in conversion therapy. Conservative opposition to Brinton's appointment has been labeled as homophobia and transphobia. And again, this is the state of affairs in the country in which we live. If people, even in the government on the conservative side, cry out that this is an abomination, you are homophobic and transphobic. As we read in Genesis, God created them, male and female, in the beginning with an important reason for doing so so that they can reproduce and multiply those who are made in His image.

That's the basic understanding. God is building His family. He created us and brings us together in a God-ordained relationship to reproduce and multiply those who are made in His image with the potential to be in His eternal family. Our gender at birth is who God created us to be by His design. And again, it's not to say that people don't ever have legitimate questions to ask and to answer, legitimate issues that must be worked through in matters of who am I.

But hopefully they can ask those questions in a loving environment, one that is supportive and one that is godly, and that would work with them to point them in the direction of their God-given potential. This world is running the opposite direction, brethren, from its God-given potential, and we cannot be dragged with it. Additionally, God wants male and female distinctions to remain and clear distinctions to remain.

He rebukes the blurring of the gender lines in Deuteronomy 22, verse 5, where He says, A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God. God says, stop blurring the lines. Men be men, women be women, and in that process fulfill the purpose for which I have created you and called you into my family.

That is the standard God has set. The message for us as the people of God today is that we must embrace who God created us to be from birth. And again, biological men must show themselves to be men, biological women must show themselves to be women, and we must be continually raising the bar or living our lives according to the standards that God has set for each gender. Because He does outline these things clearly in the Bible.

So, men, I'll speak to the men for a minute. Clearly, please continue to raise the bar. Continue to raise the bar on living a life of a godly man. Fulfill your calling to be the kind of compassionate man and strong leader that God created you to be. His instructions are in His Word. Look for them, find them, live them. Look to be a godly man in your appearance.

Act like a godly man in your conduct and how it is you interact in your actions. And sound like a godly man in the words you speak. Fulfill your God-given responsibilities as men. Continue to raise the bar. Set the standard. Live up to it. Raise the bar. In my mind, I think of high jumpers, right? Because you don't start with the bar up at seven feet.

Starting out, you start where you can train in and maintain and clear the bar, and then you raise it, and you clear the bar. You need to be constantly raising the bar. The stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ is something that we're always reaching for.

He is the example. To women, I want to say women continually raise the bar in living the godly life of a woman. Fulfill your calling as godly women, compassionate women, women that God has called to be leaders as well, just as God has called the men to be leaders.

He's called us to be strong leaders, and He's given you a job to do. Fulfill your calling. Look like a godly woman in your appearance. Act like a godly woman in your actions. And sound like a godly woman in the words that you speak. Fulfill your God-given potential as a woman that has submitted herself to the calling of God. Continually raise the bar. There are a number of scriptures that define, again, what it means to be a man or a woman of God, and I'll just leave those to you.

You can hunt those down if you like for your homework, but the distinctions are clear in God's Word, and we must live according to what God has given us. I do want to look at one passage, Titus 2, verse 1.

Titus 2, verse 1, because here we bring both men and women into the same passage. Apostle Paul writing to Titus 2, verse 1, Paul says, He says, Again, the point is here, older men strive to be godly men and teach the younger men to be so as well. Older women strive to be godly women and teach the younger women to be so as well. We must all seek to continually raise the bar in this aspect of our creation and our calling, and as you do, your example to this world will be one that cannot be condemned. Because there will be nothing to be said, evil, about your example or about your conduct, the results being truth and righteousness. Point number three. Point three. Take a little bit of a shift here. Point three, we must be continually raising the bar in the words that we speak. Again, all these things are in decline in the world around us. We must be continually raising the bar in the words that we speak. Another unfortunate aspect of the world we live in is that civility and respect has gone out the window largely. The words that people speak play a large part in that process. If you've turned on the news, if you've watched television, if you've watched posted videos of just things of the mainstream, what you're going to notice is that there is a demise of civil discourse in our country. We probably all noticed poor communication, ill-mannered speaking, even toxic speech, and it's not just the occasion. It is commonplace. And it's not just from young people. It's from across the spectrum. This is young people and older people alike, adults as well. The voicing of hateful, repulsive, or profane expressions have become more and more commonplace. Rather than talking out issues of disagreement, instead of coming together and saying, let's discuss this as adults, there is mudslinging, there is defaming the person's reputation, they're seeking to destroy an individual as opposed to simply sitting down and discussing and working things out to a positive end. Robert chapter 18 verse 21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. So depending on what it is that we speak is going to depend then on what the outcome will be. Those who love it will eat its fruit. The words we speak are important, brethren, because they are power. Words have the power to lift somebody up or the power to tear somebody down. Words have the power to bless God or curse God. And once we speak them, they're out there. You've said it, and you can't just reach out and grab it out of the air and pull it back in. It's gone out. And so we have to, in our mind, in our heart, continually give ourselves to raising the bar in the words that we speak. Lift people up with them. Build up people. Build up society around us. Don't be part of the problem in the destruction. Be part of the solution.

As God's people, be true to your word. Let your yes be yes in your no-no. Matthew 5, verse 37. Let your yes be yes, your no-no. Anything beyond that is of the evil one. As God's people, let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. But what is good for necessary edification, that it might impart grace to the hearers, that you might lift people up and encourage them. That's Ephesians 4, verse 29. You know, four-letter words have no place in the vocabulary of a Christian except for maybe love.

What it is that God has called us to. Neither filthiness, nor coarse-gesting, nor foolish-talking, nor coarse-gesting, which are not fitting, but rather the giving of thanks. Ephesians 5, verse 4. If it's not productive, don't say it. If it is productive, offer it, and offer it well. Don't take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Exodus 20, verse 7. And we say, well, I don't do that. That includes euphemisms as well. The name of God, the name of Jesus Christ, Jesus, gosh, golly, jeesh, my goodness, jeepers, creepers. Many, many more. You could make out a whole list. They're euphemisms. You might say, I'm not saying the name, I'm not saying the word, but the emphasis behind them point to the same thing. So if euphemisms are part of our speech, let's let those things go. Let's weed them out of our vocabulary. Proverbs chapter 10, verse 21 says, The lips of the righteous nourish many. It's like when you speak, are you feeding people? Are you nourishing them? Are you strengthening them? Are you lifting them up? The lips of the righteous nourish many. That's a very positive position to be in, brethren, and that's how we need to use the words of our mouth as we continually raise the bar and widen the gap. Point number four, final point for today, we must be continually raising the bar in our commitment to assemble as a congregation. This is an important one as well. We must be continually raising the bar in our commitment to assemble as a congregation. Because if there's something that a congregation does well, it's congregate. It is what we've been called to be and do, brethren. In my research for the sermon, there was a factor that actually seemed to coincide very closely to the decline across the board in this country. And that's the fact that religious observance in America has dropped to historic lows. In March of 2021, the Gallup polling reported that U.S. church attendance had for the first time ever fallen below the majority population, as in more people do not attend church in this country than people who do. And just ask yourself if that, indeed, is not going to have an impact and a fallout.

And for the first time, falling below the majority of the population, it stands now at 47%. That is down from 50% in 2018. That's down from 70% in 1999. 1999, 22 years ago, that's not that long ago. Roughly a percentage point a year has been the decline of church attendance in the United States. And, frankly, it's increasing. It's increasing dramatically. While the Church of God continues on its mission of standing firm on biblical truth and teaching it, society at large continues to push away from God. And as they do so, they bring the consequences of those decisions on their own head. And Mr. Wills talked today, I thought very well about decisions. Decisions we should make, not only day to day, but from a young age, because they impact the course of our life. And the decisions this country is making is going to impact the outcome of life, not only for those around us, but even us who live in its midst. And there's a reason the Bible prophesies of the time of Jacob's trouble. There's been trouble in this world, and there is trouble. The time of Jacob's trouble comes to bear upon the people of the Israelite nation descent today. The United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, many others are of Israelite descent. People who should know better by covenant relationship with God, at least from physical nation descent. And yet we have turned our back on God, and the results are dramatic.

So people are pushing away from God, pushing away from church, and we see the consequence in the world around us. The author of Hebrews, likely the Apostle Paul, gives admonition to the people of God as to what our response needs to be. As church attendance declines, as the assembly declines, what does our response need to be, especially at the end of the age? Hebrews chapter 10, verse 23. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 23. Paul said, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Verse 24, And let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. Church attendance in the United States has declined as the day approaches.

And it must not be so among us in the church of God. As you see the day approaching, we must lift one another up. We must come together. We must assemble. We must encourage and strengthen each other through these difficult times. And understand there's specific reasons. There's legitimate reasons why everybody can't assemble on the Sabbath. There's health reasons. We live in an area of the country that gets inclement weather, and if you're living on the outer rim, it's pretty hard to get in on the icy roads.

So there's challenges to these things. But brethren, we need to understand, in light of the blessing of the webcast, the calling is for us to be here as we are able, and if we can, we must. This is the Holy Convocation, the Sabbath day. And I haven't given a sermon on the Sabbath day in quite a while. Stuart Fricki gave a sermon recently, I thought very good, on the Holy Convocation on the Sabbath day. This is the day that God Himself has called us into assembly before Him, and He said, My presence will be there, you be there as well.

Six other days where we can come before God and we can have time together with God, but on the Sabbath, it's holy time God says, I've set that apart for you and me. I'll be there, you be there as well. And again, you'll notice that the admonition in Hebrews includes the phrase, And so much the more as you see the day approaching.

And so our commitment is to increase, not decrease, as we see the day approaching. Our coming together are encouraging each other because there will be heavier and heavier challenges that befall the world, brethren, and frankly, the people of God as the day approaches. And these things will test our faith. And through it all, we must be close, not only to God, but to one another as well. And that takes interaction, it takes fellowship, it takes eating meals together, and it takes conversation. And as you see the day approaching, there is a virus on the loose. Okay, that's clear. And we've walked through the repercussions of that for a couple of years now.

There is a virus on the loose, and it has been at church, it has been at work, it has been at school, it has been at the grocery store, at the post office, at the doctor's office, at the laundromat, at the movie theater. Okay? It is real. It has been here. But of all those places, God has only commanded one assembly, and that is here. That is on the Sabbath day. And it's the exact place where he said His presence will be. And it's where he says we must be gathered together as His people. Over the past two years, we've had five individuals die on this circuit.

Okay, and of the five, two died of COVID-19. And what I noticed about the widows of the two men who died was they were right back here in the assembly, in the congregation, as soon as their quarantine period was up. And I'm sad. I've talked with them. I've visited with them. And, you know, I'm curious. And I ask, well, do you regret attending church services or any of those things?

And you know what? One of them told me that their husband would have been quite upset if she did not assemble. And he would have said, you get yourself back to church. And I know him. He's a good friend of mine. And I could hear that voice in my head. He said, you get yourself back to church. And she said, I thought about it, and I knew this is where I needed to be. This is where healing would take place. This is where strengthening would take place.

And I could not sit alone. And so there are decisions that everyone has had to make. We've made the decision to keep church services open the last two years, generally, the majority of the time, apart from when there was an open outbreak and we would cancel services. But we have had to make decisions. And frankly, the reason that we haven't canceled or had in-person services canceled and just gone remote for two years is because, frankly, brethren, the spiritual fatalities would have far outnumbered the physical ones.

And that's the reality of the situation. A few weeks ago, someone sent me an email with the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Nigeria. They said, wow, you're going to Nigeria. You might want to read the travel advisory. It's level three. They rate it level one through four. It's at four being the highest. It's level three right now. And so I jumped on and clicked on what is a descriptor of a level three travel advisory.

It's reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, maritime crime, and COVID-19. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire travel advisory. And it's like that long. And you know what my response was? I haven't read the travel advisory for West Africa in ten years. You know why? Because if it's about no risk, I wouldn't even get on the plane. That's why. Because God's people were there, and I was going there before it was even my job to go there. But the fact is, it is indeed a part of my calling. That doesn't mean that you walk right into the mouth of the lion.

But it doesn't mean that you hide from all risk and weld the door shut behind you as well. God has not called us to do that. He has called us to assemble and so much the more to encourage and edify each other as we see the day approaching. Do you see the day approaching, brethren? Do you see the signs around us? What did Jesus Christ say the signs would be of the end of the age and that day, capital D?

Matthew 24 and verse 3.

Matthew 24 and verse 3, again. If we're going to read the verse that says, and so much the more as you see the day approaching, we ought to know what that looks like. Matthew 24 and verse 3. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? What are we going to look for for the events leading up to that day? Verse 4, And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. He says there would be false teachers that would preach a different Christ. Watch for that. Verse 6, and he says, And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Anybody turn on the news this week? Anybody see what Russia's doing right on the border of Ukraine? Let's just see who blinks first. Let's see who responds. There's people shooting shots over into Ukraine, Russian separatists trying to provoke a response, trying to provoke an outright conflict. Wars and rumors of wars seems likely. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. So these things are going to happen even before the end arrives. But you see they're going to be building, increasing, building one on top of the other. Verse 7, For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilences, earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Sound familiar? I Googled the word pestilence, at least in the English translation here. We've got pestilence in the English. What is pestilence? I asked Google, and Google said pestilence is a fatal epidemic disease.

These are the signs of the coming of Jesus Christ and of the end of the age. And that's what it looks like as you see the day approaching in the Church of God, yet even in the midst of it has begun its marching orders. Preach a gospel. Cry aloud, spare not, raise up your voice like a trumpet, and prepare a people for the kingdom of God. And that does not cease. No matter what is happening around us, actually, it ought to be all the more fervor as we see the day approaching. We're to be found preaching these things, and if Jesus Christ is true to His word, which I believe absolutely He is, His promise is, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28, verse 19 and 20. And so, brethren, sharpening iron happens when we rub up against each other in a positive way. There's actually positive friction back and forth that sharpens an individual, but you know what? That doesn't happen except by direct interaction. Storing up one another to love and good works takes direct interaction and encouraging each other to stay the course, to finish the faith, to finish the race. This is a face-to-face relationship that we need to be engaging in as we lift one another up in this way. And so I would just say, let's not be like the rest of the nation around us forsaking the assembly of ourselves together. The fact is, we need to be lifting one another up during these times that test men's souls, and they're going to continue to get more difficult and more challenging. And frankly, brethren, we haven't seen anything yet, but I hope we are here for the long haul. Let's be continually raising the bar and our commitment to assemble together as a congregation and so much the more as we see the day approaching. You and I live in a nation of decline, right in the middle of a world in decline. But that doesn't have to be the state of affairs in the Church of God. God has instructed us through His word to come out of her, my people, and don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. As the Church of God in the modern age, let us be found continually raising the bar and widening the gap in our faithful service to God.