Sojourners and Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God

Well, brethren, about 200 years ago, in 1785, at the height of civil tensions in France, a baby boy was born in a small French town. He would later become a major influence in the lives of many people in America. Frankly, especially after listening to Mr. Horchek's sermon early on in the feast, I'm doubting that most of you have ever heard of this man.

But his service and sojourning in our country has made a big difference in the lives of thousands of people and several brethren in God's church today. How many of you have ever heard of Laurent Clare? Laurent Clare, a few people down in the Deaf section have heard of him, but I don't think there's probably very many others who have. And I'm sure I had not heard about him either until I began as coordinator of the Deaf program. His name is Laurent Clare, a Frenchman, and his gift to the world was the establishment of a culture and a language, the American Deaf culture and American Sign Language. What you've been seeing down here, at least at times, there's different variations of sign language, but certainly American Sign Language has been provided many, many times throughout the feast. Born Deaf, Laurent Clare grew up in a silent world in rural France. His problem was not being able to hear. Instead, it was not being able to communicate effectively. He had no real language, just some very basic communication, mainly gesturing to family members who understood him. Without the gift of language, many doors were closed to young Laurent Clare. His parents heard of a school in Paris for Deaf children when he was 12 years old, so at that age, he started on a journey that would later lead him across a vast ocean to America. Having no way of understanding what was happening to him at the new school, at first, young Laurent was terrified. He was really scared. He was away from his family for the first time. Thankfully, the terror soon ended. At this school in Paris, Laurent Clare was given the incredible gift of language and also a new family to teach him that language.

After learning French Sign Language and how to read and write French, his insatiable appetite to learn made him more highly educated than, frankly, most of us in this room. He really dedicated himself and became very skilled. Upon graduation, Clare became a teacher at the National Institution of the Deaf in Paris, and he also traveled with his deaf teacher, John Matthew and the director of the school, a priest, Abhay Sakhar. Their mission was to demonstrate the learning potential of deaf people. Unfortunately, Aristotle's idea that deaf people were substandard humans, that they were unable to think since they were unable to hear, was the common view of most educators of the day. While traveling in England, Clare met a young minister, Thomas Gallaudet. I'm sure some of you have heard of Thomas Gallaudet, but he's not necessarily known by a lot of people. But Thomas Gallaudet was supported by the father of a young deaf girl in America, and Gallaudet was traveling through Europe, searching for teaching methods to bring home to America. His goal was to establish America's first school for deaf people. Thomas Gallaudet was invited to Paris to study at the school there where Laurent Clare was teaching. He was impressed with the method of teaching signs as well as written language. So after three months of intensive studying, Gallaudet requested that Laurent Clare return to America with him. His hope was that together they would establish the first school for deaf people in America. From the start, Clare had great opposition. First of all, the director of the school thought it was folly, saying that America practically belonged to the Indians. His mother, who brought Laurent up to be a devout Catholic, said he would be going to a heretical country with a false religion. America belonged to heathens and to Protestants. And she and Saccard were obviously against him going. But before long, Clare and Gallaudet were on a 52-day journey to America. It was indeed a slow boat to America. Much of that time was spent teaching and learning from each other. Gallaudet taught Clare to read and write English, and Clare taught Gallaudet French Sign Language. Together, they established the first residential school for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. In his lifetime, Clare saw his efforts magnified as graduates of the school in Hartford went all over the country setting up schools in many states. In fact, 16 different schools were established in the 40-year period between 1817 and 1857. He also lived to see the establishment of the first college for deaf people. And to this day, it is the only liberal arts college for deaf people in the world, Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Even today, approximately 50 to 60 percent, possibly as high as 70 percent, of American sign language signs are from French sign language, most of them arriving on the hands of Laurent Clare.

Through the efforts and sojourning of one man, American Sign Language and American Deaf culture were born and they have flourished. Largely because of the efforts, the foresight, and the perseverance of Laurent Clare and also Thomas Gallaudet, there is even a school for the deaf in rural Salford, Oklahoma. My wife has been there a number of times for different training and seminars.

Laurent Clare saw tremendous results in his lifetime and near his death, he was able to look back over his life and see that because of his willingness to sojourn, to step out in faith, to come to a foreign land, thousands of people had doors open to them that otherwise would have likely remained shut for the course of their lives. After he died in 1869, at the age of 84, the School for Deaf People in Hartford, Connecticut erected a statue of him with the inscription Laurent Clare, the Apostle to the Deaf of the New World. And on it it also said, who left his native land to uplift them with his teachings and to encourage them by his example.

Like Laurent Clare, who left his native land and became a sojourner in a foreign land, we, you and I, have been called by God to sojourn now, at this time in our temporary bodies, these fleshly bodies, these tabernacles. We are also called now at this time to be Christ's ambassadors. We've heard that term a few times already during the feast. We have been called for a purpose. We've been called to leave our native land of Satan's society, to leave this world and uplift others with God's teachings and encourage them by our example of Christ living in us.

When you think of a sojourner, whom do you immediately think of first? I'm sure many of you thought first of Abraham. How many of you have heard of Abraham, by the way?

Just kidding. The Bible does speak of Abraham as a sojourner.

Let's go to Hebrews 11. Part of it was read earlier, but I'd like to read a little bit more and in the context of this message today. Hebrews 11, verse 8. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. He was going for an inheritance, going to the Promised Land. And as he went out, not knowing where he was going, but by faith he went out obeying God. And he dwelled in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith, Sarah conceived herself, also receiving strength to conceive seed. And she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged him faithful, who had promised. She believed God. Therefore, from one man and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky and multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. And there's a lot of sand on the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We are strangers and pilgrims here on this earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. We're seeking a new home. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. In other words, like those who came out of Egypt, many of them wanted to go back to Egypt, because their hearts and minds were set more on Egypt. We need to come out of sin, and we know that Egypt is symbolic of sin. We must have our hearts and minds set on obeying God and doing His will and never going back to the vomit and to all of the evil that we were called out of. Verse 16, But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. The New Jerusalem prepared for you and me. We are here picturing the millennial reign of Christ. And when we'll be talking about the Great White Throne Judgment period tomorrow, then the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven, and God will dwell with us, and we will be at one with God. So we look for a new homeland.

Brethren, what lessons can we learn from the example of Laurent Clerc that will help us be sojourners with a purpose not wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for 40 years like Israel did, but being like Joshua and Caleb? Being productive sojourners for God, ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

A sojourner or pilgrim is one who is dwelling temporarily in a foreign land. We are here temporarily on this earth. An ambassador is one who represents a country or government while dwelling in a foreign land. As Mr. Callan said, we have been handpicked by God. We have been called by God. We have a job to do. We have a purpose. Brethren, ask yourself, am I a productive sojourner and ambassador for Jesus Christ? Am I an effective ambassador and sojourner for Christ?

I'd like to share seven lessons from the example of Laurent Clerc that will help us become more effective and more productive sojourners and ambassadors for Christ. First of all, we must greatly value the gift that we've been given. Now, Laurent Clerc was brought out of silence to a world that was opened up to him, that meant so much more to him because he learned a new language. At age 12, he learned a new language. He was very appreciative when he was given that gift of language. We have been given the very language of God. God has opened our minds to his truth, to his way of life. He's granted us his spirit, and we can understand and know the ways of God. He has graciously revealed his truth and his way of life to us. So how appreciative and how grateful are we? Now, I know that you're appreciative. I know you're grateful. For one thing, you're here. You're doing as God has said. You're keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. You're here to worship the King.

So I believe that for the most part, we do greatly value the gift we've been given. But it's easy to become distracted, isn't it? There are so many temptations in this world, and it's so easy to be distracted. So I would encourage you to greatly value the gift at all times. And don't lose sight of that gift. Do you value the pearl of great price? It is indeed a pearl of tremendous price. It is priceless. Sometimes those who have been in the Church for many years forget just how precious God's truth and way of life really is. Now, Mr. Gore spoke of a friend of his, and we've all had friends, probably, who are no longer attending and no longer observing God's commandments. They've forsaken some of the commandments, at least, because they did not value that pearl of great price to the extent that they needed to. On the other hand, we do have many old-timers here with us, many people here that have been around for years and years and years, a lot longer than I've been around. And that's wonderful. It's commendable. They do value that gift that they were given. They're pioneers. They're hanging in there. And that's a wonderful thing.

Sometimes those who grow up in the Church, I think, are a little bit clueless as to the incredible gift that they've been given. They either don't treasure it or, even worse, for a time they throw it away. Hopefully not for long. Hopefully they come to their senses. Hopefully they see just how tremendous this calling is and the understanding that God gives us.

Wherever you are, as you sit here today, I hope that you will value the gift that you've been given.

If you're not valuing it as much as you should, I hope that you'll rekindle the love that you had at the beginning. That first love that's talked about in Revelation 2 and 3, it says we are to repent and do the first works. Go back to that first love. Don't be lukewarm, but be zealous. Be hot and value the gift that God has given you. Never lose sight of it. Never minimize the wonderful gift that God's given you. Let's go to 1 Peter 2 and let's consider our example. Lawrence Clare had to set an example to those that he came in contact with in America.

He had to remain faithful to his purpose. 1 Peter 2, verse 11, Peter says, Beloved, I beg you, the word beg is a strong word, I implore you, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Now, isn't that true that our wrong desires are lusts? They really war against God's Spirit.

He says abstain from those things. Just say no. Don't go there and you'll be much happier and you'll be much better off. But Satan is powerful and he does want to tempt us. He is a great tempter. But don't give into that temptation, as sojourners resist Satan and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Verse 12 says, Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation. We are setting an example for our families and for those who know us, the people we work with. Christ is coming back and no doubt people will remember you. They will remember the example that you set. So it's important, the example that we do set. Beloved, I beg you, abstain from fleshly lusts. Be careful to observe and to keep God's laws. We've been admonished to do that throughout the feast. Be careful to observe and to keep God's laws. In Psalm 119 verse 54, and this is an amazing Psalm, Psalm 119, it's all about God's law. And David says, Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. In fact, let's go ahead and turn there and read a few more verses. I think we have time today. I know the golfers want to leave early, but I'll make sure they get out of here before 1230. Let's see Psalm 119. Just kidding. Psalm 119 verse 54. Psalm 119 verse 54. Let's go back and read a few more verses. Notice verse 49. Remember the word to your servant upon which you have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for your word has given me life. The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from your law. I remembered your judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself. Indignation has taken a hold of me because of the wicked who forsake your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Are God's laws your songs? We sing about these hymns, or these psalms, as we come here at church every Sabbath and here during the holy days. But what about during the week? Has God's statutes and His laws become our songs? Are they close to our hearts in the house of our pilgrimage?

David says, I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep your law. This has become mine because I kept your precepts. David was a faithful man. He was a man after God's own heart. He really did strive to keep those two great commandments of loving God with all of our heart, soul, and strength, and also loving His neighbor as himself. David wasn't perfect, as we know, but he was very dedicated to God and God's truth and God's way. And he never gave up on that truth. He valued the gift that he had been given. He prayed, God, don't take your Holy Spirit away from me. When he sinned, he went before God fervently and prayed that God would be with him and would forgive him. So, brethren, the first lesson is we must greatly value the gift that we have been given. It will see us through some tough times, like David. David, when he sinned with Bathsheba, that was a very tough time for him. But he valued that gift. God did not take his Holy Spirit away from him.

A second lesson we learned through this example of Laurent Clare is that we must love those who are now in the same situation that we were once in. Now, Laurent Clare was in a world of silence. He really had a very small ability to communicate. There was so much that he was missing.

Well, isn't that true about all of us? Once we didn't know this truth. Once we were blinded. But then God opened our minds. And how much richer and fuller is your life because of God's truth? I was 18 years old, and I was shocked, frankly, by what I was learning.

At 18 years old, I could see that, as I read the Ten Commandments booklet, in one way or another, I had broken all of God's commandments. In the spirit of the law, even at age 18, I had broken those commandments. And I had to repent bitterly and turn to God. And God was gracious to me, and he's been with me ever since. I wish I could say I was perfect all these years.

We all know better than that.

But I really do value what God has given me. And before this, I was in darkness.

Even though I was only 18 years old, I was in darkness. Spiritually, I didn't understand. I didn't grasp this wonderful truth that God has given to us. We must learn to love those who are now in the same situation. Should we not want to bring this message to them? Should it not burn in our hearts to be able to share this message with people who have not yet had their hearts and minds open to God's truth? We do have a commission to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the world as a witness and also to make disciples of all whom God is calling. Lawrence Clare had an empathy and a love for others who were in darkness as he was until the light was brought to him. He understood their plight. He connected with them. And he was driven by that the rest of his life to bring that kind of gift to others, the gift that had been given to him. We must love those who are in the same situation that we were once in. And we know that the scripture says the Father so loved the whole entire world that he gave his only Son.

Not just for those he's calling now, but those he will continue to call throughout the rest of the ages. God is going to eventually call everyone. And we'll talk a lot about that tomorrow. So we do need to understand that we have a wonderful gift and we need to share that with us.

In Acts 2, verses 38 and 39, it talks about how we all need to repent and be baptized.

Repent and be baptized so that we might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. A wonderful gift that really gives us spiritual understanding and knowledge. It's something that we should seek. And as God is calling you, then you need to respond to that calling. As Mr. Cowan said, everyone sitting here today, even if you're not a part of God's church, you're here for a reason. God is calling you. You have an opportunity to have your mind opened, but you have to respond. You have to do something about it. Don't just listen, but act on what you're hearing. That's the important thing. Acts 2, verse 38.

Then Peter said to them, Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's a promise.

For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off. Some of you may think that God would never really call me. He would never really open my mind to all of this. I've sinned too greatly. I've been away too long. Maybe I've known about the truth for years and years through relatives, but I've never really responded. It's not too late.

To all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

We need to have a burning desire to share this truth with others. In Romans 10 verse 11, the Scripture says, For whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. Let's go to Romans chapter 10.

Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.

We need to turn to God and believe in Him. Romans 10 verse 11.

For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. The Jews once thought that God would never call the Gentiles.

They were God's chosen people, not the Gentiles. But God loves everyone. God is calling everyone in His own order and in His own time.

For the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. Again, we have to call upon God. God calls us, but we have to respond. We have to call back. Verse 13. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It's important that we understand that, that we have a part to play in this. When God calls us, we have to respond. Because many are called, but few are chosen. And that's because they're not responding to God. They're called, but they're just not putting it into action in their lives.

No parents, whose sins make you cry and sigh the most? Well, of course, your own sins, but also your children's, right? When our children go astray, that hurts.

Why is that?

Why does the pain they bring upon themselves hurt us so much? I think that's it, isn't it? That we see them hurting themselves. And we want, we want for them what we have. We want them to grasp what God is doing.

And so we grieve for them.

We need to love people before we will grieve for them.

And we need to grieve for the world. We all need to grieve for this world. It is a sick and a dying world, and we need to grieve for it.

Otherwise, we're not going to be willing to do anything about that grief.

We have to act, brethren. We have to love those who are not, who are now in the same situation that we were once in. We've all been called out of the world.

So that's the second lesson. A third lesson is we must be willing to sacrifice all we have so that others may share in our inheritance. It isn't enough just to want them. We have to be willing to sacrifice. It's not enough just to want them to be called. But we have to be willing to sacrifice in order for them to be called.

In John 3, 16, again, for God so loved the world He gave, He sacrificed His only Son. The Father set the example for us as He offered up His only Son. Jesus Christ set the example for us as He offered up Himself.

Doesn't the Scripture tell us that we are to be living sacrifices? Romans 12, just over a page.

Verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Because of this great calling, it is reasonable that we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, that we become living sacrifices. Jesus Christ died for us. We should live for Him. We should live for Him and His way of life. We should want that for the whole world.

So we need to be dedicated. We need to be living sacrifices. Verse 2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be sojourners now, coming out of the world, and be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God will show us what His will is if we are living sacrifices, if we are dedicated and surrendered to Him.

Love produces action. True agape love must be present to produce the zeal and willingness to sacrifice. The love of the apostles, their love of God and their love for those in the world, and in the Church, was what made them capable of giving their own lives and sacrificing themselves. All but John, of the original twelve, of course discounting Judas Ascariot, they gave the ultimate sacrifice. So did Paul and many other faithful men and women. We have to be willing to do the same. We don't know what is going to happen in the future, exactly. We don't know what God is going to require of us. But we all must be willing to lay our lives down if that's what's necessary.

Laurent Clerc was willing to sacrifice the comfortable lifestyle that he had achieved in France and go to a foreign country, a land with Indians and Protestants. He was a Catholic. It was going to be a challenging land. Of course, he took with him the most precious gift that he was given, the gift of language, and he shared it with others throughout the rest of his life. Many faithful disciples and ambassadors for Christ have suffered greatly at the hands of others because of their love for God and love for God's people.

We have been commissioned to preach the gospel to this world. In Ephesians 6, we see that Paul sacrificed himself as an ambassador for Christ. Paul went through so many trials and tribulations. The Scripture tells us about some of those trials and tribulations that he went through, certainly more than any one of us here. But I know some of you have suffered a great deal, and you've been faithful, and that's certainly commendable. Ephesians 6, verse 17. Paul says, take the helmet of salvation. He's talking about taking the whole armor of God. We're breaking into the middle of it here, but he's talking now about taking the helmet of salvation in Ephesians 6, verse 17. And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Paul is saying, pray for me, that I'll have the strength and the courage and the faith to speak the truth, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Paul was imprisoned at this time when he wrote this, literally imprisoned. He was an ambassador in chains that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. He continued to write even in prison. And we should have that same kind of willingness to sacrifice ourselves, to be imprisoned if ever necessary for God's truth. We must be willing to sacrifice all that we have so that others may share in our inheritance. If we love people, we will be willing to suffer for people. Are you willing to suffer and to sacrifice?

A fourth lesson that we can learn about being a sojourner and an ambassador for Christ is that we must be willing to go anywhere and step forward in faith, no matter where God calls us to go.

Laurent Clerc left his biological family, his family of the heart. Being a little deaf child, he was undoubtedly very close to his parents, his parents who loved him. But they loved him enough to send him to school so that he would be given this gift of language. And he left his family, and he left his deaf family in Paris that no doubt he was very close to, to cross an ocean with a man he barely knew, a man who didn't know his own language. Not yet, of course, he taught Thomas Gallaudet his French Sign Language. Laurent Clerc knew Thomas Gallaudet better than anyone else he would meet in the future. He lived comfortably in France, the nation considered the most cultured of that age, and he went to a country that was considered by the French as uncivilized, uncouth, filled with Indians and frontiersmen. So he did step out in faith. His goal and his desire was to share his gift of language with those yet unable to understand the value of the gift that they were lacking. Now, that's the case of the world. They don't know what they're missing.

They don't understand and realize what they're missing. We, too, must be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to fulfill God's calling in our lives. Are we willing to share the gift we have with others? Or, at times, are we a little bit ashamed and try to blend in with the world too much? Are we willing to be different and are we happy to be different so that when the principles of God and His kingdom, when they must be upheld, we are able to uphold them? That's being a true ambassador for Christ. That's being a real pioneer. It's showing that you are indeed a first fruit.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, it talks about how we are given a ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians chapter 5, let's go there. 2 Corinthians 5, we'll read three verses. Actually, we'll read four verses here, starting with verse 18. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 18.

Actually, we'll read four verses. Verse 18, Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. God is very forgiving, He's very merciful, and we should be the same.

Now, we shouldn't look down at the world in a condescending manner. We were called out of the world. We were there. So we shouldn't look down. We should just be grateful that God has given us this wonderful gift, and we should want to share that with everyone. We need to remember that when someone cuts us off in traffic. You know, the tendency is to not love them at that point. But, Father, forgive them. They don't really know what they're doing.

That's what Jesus said, and that's what Stephen said when they were both being martyred. So I think we can be more like that, can't we? When someone does something against us, can't we be more forgiving and understand that they really aren't grasping what God has given us? So we can give them a little more slack. It doesn't mean we condone wrong behavior or bad actions. I mean, I don't like people cutting me off in traffic either. But on the other hand, hopefully I don't have too much anger toward them.

So back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 20, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. That's another very strong word, to plead or to implore. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Of course, that's the starting point. We all have to be reconciled to God first before we can be of any help to the world. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sinned for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are to become like Jesus Christ. As Mr. Cowan said, we are to reflect His character and His nature in the way we live our lives. We are to be ambassadors for Christ. In Psalm 84 verse 5, you don't need to go there, it's just a very short verse, it says, Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose strength is in God. Is your strength in God? Do you rely on God for your strength? The only reason I'm still here and up here speaking is because God is my strength.

Nobody else, I'm certainly not, and God is my strength, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. My heart is set on pilgrimage. I long for a better world. I long for a better time. I know that all of us long for something better. That's why we're here. We're here to worship the King and to look forward to something much better than what we have right now. So we do need to have our heart set on pilgrimage.

This is temporary. We're just pilgrims here. It's very temporary. Something much better is coming. In 1 Chronicles chapter 29 verse 15, it says, For we are aliens and pilgrims. 1 Corinthians 29 verse 15, For we are aliens. We are aliens. You've heard that word, alien. Not that we're from some other universe or some other planet, but we are aliens and pilgrims before you, before you, God. As we're all of our fathers, as we're Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, our days on earth are as a shadow and without hope. Now that's what it says in 1 Chronicles 29 verse 15, that our days on earth are as a shadow.

They're without hope. Now the context of this verse, and we don't have the time to read it all, but you can go back and check it later if you'd like, the context of this verse is showing that we must all look to God for sustenance and deliverance and meaning in this brief temporary life. This sojourn here on planet earth, without God we are truly without hope. Without God we are all without real hope.

With God there is tremendous hope for a glorious eternal future. And that's why we're here keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, because we understand that. God alone is the source of any real strength that any of us have. Every good gift comes from God.

Spiritually, who knows what paths God will lead any of us down in the future. We know there's some difficult times coming in the future. We've heard about some of that earlier in the Feast.

Will we have faith to walk down those paths in confidence, knowing that whatever we experience in service to God and in service to His people, being willing to suffer for Christ's sake, that that will make us capable servants today and also equip us for eternity. There was a movie that said, I think it was The Gladiator, which I don't necessarily recommend it. There's a lot of violence in it, but there was a saying that Maximus said. He said, what we do today will echo in eternity.

What you do today during this sojourn on earth will echo in eternity.

So we do need to take seriously our calling.

God alone is the source of any real strength that we have. He will equip us to serve people in a greater way, and He will allow us to be kings and priests in His kingdom, to serve with Him for eternity. Our lives centered on how we can preach the Gospel today, how we can all collectively band together, unified, and live up to our name as the United Church of God, are our lives centered on how we can preach the Gospel today, and will we be better prepared to teach God's way during the millennium? We must reject an evil heart of unbelief.

We must reject that type of a heart, that heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. But we must cling to a pure heart that God is giving us. We are new creations in Christ.

So the fourth lesson was we must be willing to go anywhere and to step forward in faith.

A fifth lesson is that we must put personal differences and preferences aside in order to be an effective team player. We all have personal differences. We all have personal preferences. I'm not talking about God's law here. I'm talking about personal differences and preferences and ways of doing things. I'm certainly not talking about God's law. We must not compromise with God's law. We must be faithful to God's law and His truth and way of life. Now, Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc were two very different people. Without their common cause of promoting and bettering the lives of the deaf, they would have had very little in common. Gallaudet was a young conservative Protestant minister who was taken aback by the city life that he saw in Paris.

Clerc, you know, they had different languages. They had different religions.

They came from different cultures. They came from different backgrounds. Thomas Gallaudet wasn't deaf. You know, it was just a lot of so many differences. The only thing that they had in common was their desire to give the gift of language and knowledge to deaf people. They put aside their differences, their preferences. They chose to sacrifice themselves for the common goal. They had a successful partnership that lasted until Thomas Gallaudet's death many, many years later. Do we with God's Spirit have that type of cooperation?

At times, it doesn't always appear that we do. We have something in common that Clerc and Gallaudet didn't have. We have a common faith. We have God's Spirit that will, if we use it, break down any barrier that man can erect. But of course, we have to cling to the Spirit. We have to stir up God's Spirit in us. In Philippians 2, it speaks about putting on the mind of Jesus Christ. Certainly, that is the key. If we would all have the mind of Christ, then any differences and preferences would not deter us from our goal. Philippians 2. Philippians 2, verse 1, 1, Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, of any affection, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That's the kind of mind that we should all be striving for. If our love for the common cause of preaching the gospel and also preparing a people is strong enough, it will overpower cultural differences, it will overpower personal agendas or any kind of barrier that could otherwise divide us. Do we have that kind of love, or has it wax cold?

Has our love wax cold? You know, Matthew 24 talks about a love that will wax cold. Let's go to Matthew 24. It says in the end times, the love of many will wax cold. Matthew chapter 24. If we love someone, we're willing to suffer for them. We're willing to put up with things. We're willing to have patience to endure. Matthew 24 verse 3. Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him. They came to Christ privately saying, tell us, when will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? 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, that Jesus is the Christ, and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that you are not troubled. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows, and we've seen some of that, no doubt, and we'll see a great deal more in the future. These are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, talking about the disciples of Christ, the ambassadors for Christ, the sojourners for Christ. They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. We know God is going to protect some as well, but some will be delivered up, and will have to give up their lives. They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many, and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Lawlessness will abound. Now, we have to stick to God's laws. We have to keep God's laws and His truth. But we've seen quite a few people turn from God's law and God's way.

And the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. We need to be busy preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God to the world. We need to be single-minded in our purpose to do that, and we must not allow ourselves to be distracted. We must put personal preferences aside in order to be effective team players.

We are part of a church family to support and encourage each other, to believe in each other, to put some faith in each other. Now, of course, we have to look at the fruits. We have to have faith, but verify. But we should be a supportive and encouraging family once toward each other. Be a family that loves and cares for one another. And we must work diligently to teach others to be teachers, too. We've heard a lot about teaching this feast, being teachers. Of course, first of all, we have to be learners, don't we? We have to learn God's way, God's truth. Are we now working hard to teach all those within our responsibility to be teachers today and also in the world tomorrow? Starting with ourselves, we should be preparing ourselves. We should put a high priority on our education.

You know, it's great to have fun, and my wife will tell you I'm one that likes to have fun. I'm a player. I'm not a workaholic. You know, I like to do things. I play softball. I like to go fishing. I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy. But I also realize that we must work diligently to educate ourselves and to make sure that our priorities are right. I haven't always done so well with that. You know, I've fallen short in that area. I haven't always applied myself. I'm ashamed at the hours that I've wasted, frankly, many times. You know, it's difficult always doing the right thing. My son said something very profound when he was about four or five years old. It was after he had done something and he had to be corrected. I spanked him, I think. And then some hours later, he had been praying and he said, Dad, it's hard to be good. I said, Son, you're right. It is hard to be good. It's hard to do the right thing. Paul struggled with that. We all struggle with that. So there are times when I've been ashamed of what I've done, the choices that I've made, the decisions that I've made. But God is faithful and He's still with me and I have a desire to do better.

I hope we all have a desire to do better, to repent, where we've fallen short and to do better.

Laurent Clerk and Thomas Gallaudet taught and learned. They taught each other and they learned from each other. That's what we should be doing as God's family, teaching and learning. It's not just the ministry aren't the only teachers here by a long shot. We learn from all of you.

We have a lot to share, all of us. I mean, there are experiences that you've had that I've never had, that I can learn from you, I can be a better person. We are called to respect one another.

We should respect each other, have respect one for another. We must work diligently to teach others and to teach others to be teachers as well. How well are we speaking the language of God, and how well are we teaching our children to speak it? Are we an example to those outside the church, and are we able to give an answer for the hope that lies within us? Are we willing to do that if someone asks us about what we're doing, why we're leaving, why we're going away somewhere?

Are we taking advantage of the opportunities to sow our seed if there's some fertile ground there? We don't always know. I mean, I'm aware of some people who have come into God's church by their connection with other people in God's church. Back in Oklahoma, I can think of at least three or four people that are part of God's church now, because in one case, they were friends as children. And it was like 20 years later that one of them came into God's church. He knew this man for 20 years. No, he knew him for 30-plus years. Now he's a part of God's church. We just really don't know what our example might mean to someone else. If God's calling someone, then we need to be willing to be there to provide whatever it is they need to know. So I hope we are very supportive of preaching the gospel and preparing God's people. We must work diligently to teach others to be taught ourselves and to help others be teachers. That's the sixth lesson. And the seventh lesson is we must work diligently against the opposition. There's a lot of opposition. We must work diligently against the opposition and never give up. Be determined to never give up. To be here next year at the Feast of Tabernacles. To keep the feast. No matter what happens in the upcoming days in 2011, we're going to be here next year at the Feast of Tabernacles. We're going to be keeping God's festivals throughout the days of Unleavened Bread and throughout the year.

We're going to faithfully be here. Many educators were against sign language and the establishment of residential schools for deaf people. They were against deaf people marrying, and they tried to pass laws forbidding marriage between deaf people. They were like Nazi Germany. Frankly, some of them were. Nazi Germany would, 100 years later, sterilize people that they thought were inferior.

That was the attitude toward deaf people at one point. Thankfully, that's changed a great deal, a tremendous amount, because obviously it's completely false. But many of the people who held these views were respected, by the way. They were well known in America. Alexander Graham Bell was among the most influential against sign language. He was married to, I believe, a deaf woman who was not deaf from the beginning, and she had some more language skills, and he didn't really understand how important sign language is to deaf people. He didn't grasp that, and so he fought against that, and he was very influential. They were against sign language, they were against deaf teachers. Their unspoken goal was to isolate deaf people from each other and not allow them their natural common language in which to freely exchange ideas. This opposition, even though they were sincere and it was very misguided, but they almost succeeded in the extinction of American sign language. Clare and Gallaudet fought endlessly against such persecution. Now, we know that we have formidable foes. I hope we understand that and realize it. We fight not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his influences. And Satan's way is the major culture of the day. Much of the world's ways are highly respected by those who contain the wisdom of this world.

Satan, too, wants to divide us so we will lose our effectiveness, so we will lose our common bond and discourage us. He wants us to feel alone. He wants us to feel isolated. He wants us to become absorbed into his culture. God says, come out of the world for a reason. He says this world should be an enemy to us. And we should look at it that way, not completely, because of course God made the world and he made so much beauty in the world. So we can enjoy the world. We can be grateful for all the wonderful and good things in the world, but we have to see that there's a lot of evil in the world.

Satan's culture saturates today's media here in America. It saturates the schools. And unfortunately, it saturates the building block of society, the American family.

So much of the television program is so contrary to a godly family. Are we fighting tirelessly against this opposition? Or have we given up? Have we stopped fighting? Have we thrown in the towel? I hope we have, and I don't think we have, but there are times when we may be close to doing that. Do we open our minds and give them over to anything and everything that Satan is trying to put there? Or do we realize and appreciate the value and the gift of a clean heart and a clean mind? Saying no goes a long way to having a clean heart and a clean mind. Every day we are going to be challenged on certain issues. What decisions will we make? Will we say no to those things that are detrimental to us? Or will we blindly follow along Satan's culture in his way? Do we fight with everything in our power to possess that gift of a clean heart and a clean mind? Do we put on the whole armor of God or do we go out day after day into the battle unprotected? Not having prayed, not having studied the Bible, how often have we fasted in the past year? Fasting is a very powerful tool spiritually.

I would encourage all of us to fast more often. Some of you may be fasting a lot, so maybe you don't need to. But probably a lot of us, including myself, would be better off if we fasted more often and drew closer to God through fasting. Are we weaponless, allowing us to fast? Are we weaponless, allowing our minds to be polluted and our hearts hardened to sin and the suffering that is the result of sin? We need to ask ourselves these questions. They're tough questions, but we need to ask ourselves these questions. Satan's goal is to wear down the saints. He's worn down a lot of saints in the past. He's been too effective in many respects, but he doesn't need to be. We need to resist Satan and he will flee from us.

So I know the golfers are getting a little antsy right now.

I've gone through seven lessons. We must work diligently against the opposition. We must never give up. That was the seventh lesson. Laurent Clerc, a deaf child who at the age of 12 was without any language, gave up everything that he knew and he sojourned into a foreign land here in America to become known as the father of the deaf in America. Could it someday be said of us, as it was stated on the statue erected in memory of Laurent Clerc, he left his native land to uplift them. He came out of this world to uplift them with his teachings, with God's teachings, and to encourage them by his example. Brethren, today is the day of our sojourning. Right now is the day of your sojourning. Today is our time to be effective, productive ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

We are to be ambassadors and sojourners now. Judgment has begun at the house of God. Now is our time of salvation. Ambassadors and sojourners now. Kings and priests tomorrow and forever.

So, brethren, when you meet someone deaf, and I hope a lot of you have taken the time to meet some of our deaf brethren. I'm sure they'd love to meet many of you. Or when you see sign language anytime in the future, I hope you'll think of the incredible gift that they were given because one man was willing to become a sojourner for them.

And ask yourself, am I a productive, a zealous sojourner for God? Am I a profitable servant? Am I an effective, powerful ambassador for Jesus Christ?