The Spirit in Man and Our Destiny

As we can see, brethren, the problems in the wall are getting bigger and bigger every day. And, you know, a lot of people say, well, just give us a little bit more time and we'll fix it up. We'll fix it up. You know, let somebody else come in and be the next ruler or president and we'll fix up all the problems.

And the point is, we've had like 6,000 years and the problems are not getting any easier. Sure, knowledge is increasing. And we just read in Daniel 12-7, but if you read, for instance, in Daniel 12-4, it says, and it'll come to a point where knowledge will be increased. People run to and fro and knowledge will be increased. Indeed, knowledge has increased like never before. But so has the evil that is around us increased. Why? Why? Is there something wrong with the human mind? Or put another way, what is missing in the human mind that we are not able to solve our own problem?

So today, brethren, we're going to focus on the difference between the human mind and the animal mind. And we see why there's what makes that difference and how that is a bridge towards God's plan, whatever makes that difference. That's what we're going to cover today.

Brethren, we as human beings, we've been created by God. And when you buy something, let's say for instance, you buy a new cell phone or you buy a new computer or you buy some sort of a table that you have to assemble or something like that, comes with a little instruction manual that tells you how to set it up and how to get it going. Likewise, God gave us an instruction manual, God's Word.

But man, with the help of Satan, yes, Satan is out there helping at him and deceiving mankind, man does not understand it. And these instructions in the Bible, which many do not read, many do not read, or if they read, they read it incorrectly.

And others are guided by false teachers, teachers that claim to help you understand the Bible. But they themselves don't even know or understand, or if they often see it, they probably will tell you, well, I know, but I can't really tell you because I've heard some say that.

So people are being deceived. And what happens is mankind in general does not understand the incredible outcome, the incredible potential that you and I have from God. As we are in the Seminar, it's the Father's good's pleasure to give us the kingdom. But do we really understand what that is? Do we really grasp it? What that is? Because basically, people don't understand what we are. People don't understand where we're going. People don't understand how we're going to go there. And people don't understand how to live to achieve that end purpose.

Even those people that are studious, those people that are intelligent, those people that are knowledgeable, they don't get it. They don't understand it. Why? Because they've rejected the instruction manual. Or they've rejected God, who gave us the instruction manual.

And also, even if some do say, well, I believe in God and I believe in the instruction manual, they don't have the code word, quote-unquote. It's like the password. The code that opens up the understanding to this book. Because it has a password. It has a security code. And so, there's something extremely important missing in these people, whether great or small, intelligent or not intelligent, or simple or very studious. There's something missing. Turn with me, please, to Matthew 11, verse 25 and 26. Matthew 11, verse 25 and 26.

Yeah, it's Christ talking. This is a... of the last few weeks, I've emphasized the scripture a few times. But it's... it's quite an amazing scripture. It says, At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have heathened these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes. God has heathened... has heathened the understanding of a lot of spiritual things that give us... that would help us resolve for Jesus' problems or reduce that anxiety that we could have as we heard in the sermon there. God has eaten that from people. But the spiritual baby understands that. The spiritual baby understands.

So then, therefore, it says, Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight.

Because God, the Father, realized that this is the best for us all. Now, how can it be better for us all, as we heard in the sermon there? It's the Father's good's pleasure to give us the kingdom. But how can it be better for us if people don't understand it?

Well, to put the answer very simply is, is that God has deemed that the best teacher for us is the school of hard knocks. And so, He's allowing us to go through some hard knocks first. And then, He will show it to us. Which means these people that don't understand it, one day will understand it. And in His mercy, when they will understand it, they will get back to God and say, Now I get it and thank you, God, for your mercy.

But unfortunately, some of us have to go through some hard knocks. And sometimes the more stubborn and the harder you are, the bigger the knocks it is. You know, I've seen so many times, some people are so stubborn that nothing changes them. And unfortunately, that is the case. And so, where does it all start? Well, it starts that people don't understand who is God. Really, that's where it starts. And how God started this whole plan. People don't understand that. They don't understand that God exists from eternity. Obviously, it's very difficult for anybody to understand eternity. None of us understands eternity. But we believe in faith that God exists from eternity. Then also, we don't understand that it is two God beings. People get really conflicted with that. Because when the word spoke and it said to the Israelites, I am the one, I am the only one, no other besides me, I created everything.

And all these other ones that have been formed are nothing, because it's talking about idolatry. All the other ones have formed are nothing.

That's true. But the one that is doing all these things and talking is doing under the authority of the highest of his Father. But he's the only one that has done it, and he's done it.

As it says here in verse 27 of Matthew 11, he says, All things have been delivered to me by my Father. God the Father delegated all the executive, creative action to the word which is Christ. And he's done it all. There's nobody around him. He delegated it. Elsewhere, as we're going to see, for instance, he references in John chapter 1. John chapter 1 verse 1.

John chapter 1 verse 1.

And we all know this very well, but it's important to emphasize it again.

John chapter 1 verse 1. In the beginning was the Word. In the Word, the one that became Christ, as we see in verse 14. And the Word, the one who became Christ, was with the God. It was with the highest, with the Father. And the Word was God. So they both were God, with two God beings, two coexisting. And one submitted himself to the other. He was, that's the Word that became Christ, was in the beginning with the God which was the Father. So the Word was the Father. Like now you have the Father and Christ of these right-hand sides, two beings. And all things were made through him, the Word which is now Christ. And without him the Word which is now Christ, nothing was made that was made. That's why Christ, the Word said, I have made all these things and nobody around me or nobody has been formed has done it. You, all these other gods you people have are idols. I'm the God. Of course he is. But he emptied himself for you and I when he came as a human being. And he did not consider the robbery to be equal with God, as we're reading for the chapter 2, verse 6. So he created everything. God created everything. Obviously the Father created everything. But he delegated and instructed the Son to execute. They're both co-eternals. And also in Genesis 1, verse 1, it says, in the beginning God created. Well, that's LOE, which is a uni-prudal word, which shows that it's those two beings. It's like today we'd call a divine family. A kingdom. The kingdom of God. Look at 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3. It says, but I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of a woman is a man, is man. And the head of Christ is God, God the Father, of course. So the head of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the head, the one above Him, is God the Father. He's the highest. So what we have is the Father gave the instruction, has this plan, the two worked out the plan, and the Father created everything through Christ. Everything was created through Christ, which is the word. And in the creation process, the first thing they created was the angels. Then they created the physical. How do we know? Because it says in Job 38 verse 3 that when the physical creation was done, the angels shouted for joy, the sons of men, which represents in there the angels. A big part of the sons of God, a big part of the apologies for that. The sons of God shouted in joy for the physical creation. They were very happy with it. By reading other scriptures, we know that a great chunk of angels rebelled over a period of time. The way you understand it is very probably a third of the angels. Those who had been putting responsibility over the earth, and they had a responsibility over the earth to implement the government of God on the earth under the kingdom of God, the government of God, that is the father and the son now.

That responsibility to rule on the earth was given to what it's called the Morning Star or Lucifer, as it says in the Latin translation. And then under there, before they rebelled, there was peace and joy and happiness on earth. After a certain time, Lucifer, who is now Satan, he started getting some attitudes, and he started building up little cliques and building up and building up, and that obviously takes time, because as you know, this political thing takes time to prove. And over time, he led a rebellion, and the government of God on earth was rejected. It was stopped administering the government of God on earth, and the result was the earth that was completely destroyed and utterly destroyed. And that's when then we see that God, in the period of six days, we see in Genesis 1, verse 2, and thereafter, God in six days renewed the surface of the earth and atmosphere and cleaned it up. And during that week of creation, the father threw the son, which is the word now, which was the word, now the son. It was through the executive member of that kingdom of God. He first created the flora and the fauna, and there was those forms of life that were produced themselves, but they did not have the creative mind of God. But finally, on the sixth day, he created mankind, which has that creative mind, that mind to be able to think and design and build and create a mind, which is in the image of God. That's why it says in Genesis 1, 26 and 27, it says, in the image and the similarity of God, he created men with a body in shape similar to God's. And in the similarity with capabilities, with mental capabilities, similar to that of God's, obviously much inferior. In other words, that we, as human beings, enjoy making things, creating things, building things. We get satisfaction from that, from designing things. That's a creative attitude that God has given to mankind.

But why, therefore, God created this physical world for man to do this?

Because it's a training ground. It's a training ground over a period of time, so that ultimately they can be in the kingdom of God.

Turn with me to 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3, verse 9 and 10. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. The word born in Greek is ganau, which means begotten. So whoever has been begotten of God does not sin, does not live in sin, does not practice sin. As you see in verse 10, he's talking about whoever does not practice righteousness. So he's talking about does not practice sin, for his seed, you know, as God's seed, which is God's only spirit, and we'll talk more about that in a moment, remains in him. So in other words, it's like God's DNA is in him, and with God's DNA, he does not want to sin. He does not want to live and practice and live in a way of practicing sin because he has been begotten of God, because he's got the DNA of God. He's got that code, that secret code in him that now motivates him and helps him to understand God's truth. Because ultimately, what God has a plan is out of man to make sons and daughters of God. And that's why we heard in the sermon at the gang, the Father's good pleasure is to give you the kingdom. Because the Father's good pleasure is to make you really his own children, sons and daughters. And therefore, for you to inherit God as it reads in Romans 8. You know, I was talking to somebody just the other day, and somebody said, yeah, but whatever we're talking about, and said, well, the person said, yeah, well, I don't have a rich father, so whatever it is. And I said to this person, yes, you have the richest father on earth, the wealthiest father on earth, and the wisest father on earth. And he wants your best. And one day you're going to inherit more than any of these other people that, for instance, inherit a million, two million, three million, five million, ten million, hundred million dollars. That'll be nothing! It'll be pinots compared to what you and I are going to inherit as the ineritors and co-heirs of God, as it reads in Romans 8. So we're going to inherit something far greater, far greater than anything man can even consider, because that's God's plan for us. So God's got a plan for us, and part of that plan involves what we call character development. Character development. Now, character is not created by a decree. Now, from the other words I decree, bang, you've got character. Or we put it in English. It's not created by fear. You know, it's not just saying, bang, there is, you've got character. Voila! That's got all the character. No, because character is knowing what is understanding things, understanding good and bad, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Yes, but there is the tree of life, which is God gives us the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. The other one is, I decide for myself what is right and what is wrong. So man's got a capability to understand what is right and wrong. God tells us what is right and wrong, but God gives us the free moral agency to choose one of the two trees. So we have to understand the values, the good values and the bad values, the right values and the wrong values. And we have to choose the right values, deliberately make a conscious decision to choose. Because if we are going to be, and yes indeed we are, children of God, we're going to have to have freedom of choice, not robots. A robot has got no freedom of choice. It's what you program it.

But to be of the family of God, we have to have that choice. And to have that choice, we've got to have the knowledge, the capability to choose the right and reject the wrong. We've got to have the capability of making decisions, free decisions. Now that's why they're suffering, because people can make the wrong decision. You can make the wrong decision and bring bad things upon yourself. Somebody else can make the wrong decision and bring some bad thing upon me, upon you. That's it. That's why they're suffering. But then, that is not only that.

You need to know, you need to distinguish, in other words, judge, separate good and bad. That's judging. You're not condemning anybody. It's just judging what's right and what's wrong. And thirdly, you have the strength of will, as we call it, the willpower, to make the right choice.

And choose what is right and reject what is wrong. Under pressure. Under pressure. You see, when everything is kind of sweet and good, well, it's easy to choose what's right. But when things are difficult, it's not so easy to choose what's right. I mean, look at what I mentioned in the announcement there about the Brethren Angola. They could have chosen to just merge with the Sunday-keeping churches. It's only just a legal thing, a piece of paper. But is it? You see, there is the point. They've had to stand up in faith. We all, one day, will have to stand up in faith. And we'll all have to make a decision and have the will of power to make the right decision, even though the other one may appear well, it's not so bad. And there is a difference between animals and humans. This capability to develop character, to get to know certain things, to distinguish, and to make a decision to do the right and reject the wrong, and to have the will of power under pressure to overcome and win and overcome until the end, and doing what's right, that is character. And there is a great difference between a human mind and an animal brain.

Now, scientists recognize there is a difference.

But they can't pinpoint what's the cause. What's the cause? Oh, yeah, they can look at brains physically, and indeed the physical brain of the human is slightly of a better quality. But the difference between, quote-unquote, let's just call it quality of an animal brain, of the most intelligent animal to the human brain, that difference in quality is minimal. And in a scientist's mind does not justify the enormous gap between the potential of an animal brain's capabilities and the human mind capability. So what causes that difference? What is there that makes a difference to the human brain, to be so far superior to the animal brain, so that it actually is not just a brain, but a mind?

Science has got no explanation for that. Because science, or let's call it physical science, is limited to what's physical. It's limited to what can be observed, and they cannot observe spiritually. They cannot observe in a microscope, oh, there's a little bit of spirit, there's a molecule of spirit there. Can't, because it's spiritual, not physical. So it can't be observed. Let's turn with me to Romans chapter 1.

Romans chapter 1. Therefore, are we saying that science has got a pass of excuse, because they can't observe it. They got excused? No, because in Romans 1, reading in verse 20, it says, For since the creation of the world, it was a physical world, God's invisible attributes, these invisible attributes, are clearly seen. In other words, the spiritual things are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.

In other words, you and I can understand that there is a spiritual world through the physical things. So scientists can see that, because it's clearly seen. Even so, the very power of God.

Now, I'm asking you, now you go home and try and draw nicely a little ant.

Now, I would probably say that it will probably be the obvious-looking ant, or at least if it's me, it will be the ugliest-looking ant that I'll probably be able to draw, because I would not be able to draw an ant to perfection, much less. Now, even if I'm a great artist, maybe I can draw a beautiful-looking ant. But I cannot give it life. I cannot make that ant live, and I can't pre-program, quote-unquote, the ant to do what the ant does. I can't. So any clever scientist would be able to determine that there is a power, yeah, there is a power of God that makes that difference. And therefore, the power of God is clearly seen, as it says, yeah, clearly understood by the things that are made. Even the power of God and the Godhead. And it was the divinity of the Father and of the Word. They can see, and therefore, it says, they don't have a pass. They don't have an excuse.

In other words, checkmate.

When the judgment comes, these scientists say, Oh, yeah, whatever, whatever, it's evolution. When they stand before Christ see it, Christ will say to them, checkmate. No excuse.

And in fact, a few scientists, a few evolutionist scientists admit, many don't, but admit the only reason they believe in it is because it gives them an excuse not to believe a God and it forgives them an excuse not to have to do what they know they should do. Therefore, they'll rather try and say there is evolution because now they've got an excuse to do what they want to do. Verse 21, because, I continue reading that, although they knew God, they knew God, they know God, these clever, intelligent, bright scientists know it. That's what the Bible says. They did not give God the glory, the respect, the acknowledgement as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their fully shorts were darkened, professing to be wise. Yes, you go to this university and you get these degrees and master degrees and whatever it is, professing to be wise, they have become fools and changed the glory of God, the glory of the incorruptible God into an image of corruptible things. They created idols and created false gods and things like that. They substituted the truth with fables, with lies. Simply, that's what it is. They deliberately made a choice. Some made ignorance, but some know better. Or maybe it was because they were deceived by Satan, but there is a choice out there in the end. And therefore, because of that, mankind is blinded. And they cannot see the purpose of why we exist. Our destiny, our great destiny. You and I have been predestined to a destiny.

It does not mean, just because you are predestined to a destiny, which is to be sons and daughters of God, does not mean that you will be there, because that's your choice. You and I are free choice to be there. But that's our destiny. But when our minds are open to God's knowledge and to God's purpose, we then have access to knowledge that the world does not get it. Access to understanding that God is now a family, that's why we pray our Father, our Team Heaven, we call God the Father, and we call Jesus Christ the Son of God, that's a family relationship. That God is building a family, He says, you are the sons of God. That's a family relationship. That God, therefore, is reproducing Himself. Oh, I had yesterday, I put it in the air, and He said, oh no, that's just physical, it's just whatever it is. It's physical. God is reproducing us Himself spiritually. And I'll show it to you in a moment. So what we have is God is of a spiritual essence.

I'm just going to use a different word that we understand because the word essence kind of, ah, what does that mean? So I'm going to use a word that its meaning is, in a way, I'm applying is incorrect, but it at least helps us to understand. God is made of material, which is spiritual. But of course, material means matter, which is physical, so it's our own word. But that's a word that requires the word essence for you to understand. When I say, God is made of material, which is spiritual. In other words, God is made of an essence, which is spiritual. And we think of it as like material, but it's not matter. It's a spiritual essence. That's why we use the word essence. God is made of this spiritual essence, while man is made of a physical essence. Man is made of a physical material. So how do we breach that gap? See, man is physical. God is spiritual. Man is made of matter, right? Essence, which is matter. And God is made of an essence, which is spiritual. How do we breach that gap?

Now, let's get to that answer. And we're going to start in Genesis 2, verse 7. Genesis 2, verse 7. When God made man, it says here, in verse 7, And the Lord God formed a man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being. It's an amazing, powerful, significant scripture. God breathed this breath, his spirit. You know, he says elsewhere, he says, you can't see spirit because it's like the wind. You can't see it. This breath from God is spirit. God gave this as a spirit into man. And this corpse, yeah, was a corpse, became a living being, became now a person living. And this spirit, this breath of life into man makes the brain a mind, makes the brain a human mind. So what we have is mankind has a spirit. In our physical brains, there is a spirit, and that spirit makes our brain or elevates our brain to a level of creative thinking that animals do not have. And that makes a difference between an animal and a mankind. The spirit of man in man. Look at Job 32, verse 8. Job 32, verse 8.

Job 32, verse 8.

But there is a spirit in man. There is a spirit in man. What is that spirit in man? It's that breath of life that God breathed into Adam, and that spirit of man is living in man. And therefore, for instance, the human sperm has that life, it's a living organism already, and when that meets the ovum in a mother, it begets a baby. And there is life. Life. There is a spirit in man. And the breath of the Almighty, that's that spirit of man in man, that breath of Almighty, that breath, that spirit of man in man, gives the man understanding. It was the spirit of man in man is what gives man its understanding, its capability to think like a human being.

Quite often we call it as the spirit of man in man, but to simplify it, we could call it the human spirit. Just call it the human spirit. It's the spirit of man in man. Now let's look how Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2 1 Corinthians 2 Starting at the beginning of chapter 2, Paul says in verse 1, And I, brethren, and I, Paul, when I, Paul, came to you, to the brethren in Corinth, I did not come to you with excellent of speech and of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. I did not come to you and talk to you with high-folluted language that only somebody with a high degree in English, from a master's degree in English, could understand. No, I come to you, sitting to you in plain language. That's why many years ago we used to call it, Mr. Armstrong, inspired to call it the plain truth. It's just in plain language, in layman's language, that you and I could understand. So Paul is saying, I didn't come to you in excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. Look at verse 6. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age. In fact, if you read in verse 4, it also says, not of persuasive words of human wisdom, but I'm talking to you with God's wisdom. But what happens is, look at this, verse 7. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God obtained before the ages of our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. None of the rulers of this world, of this physical world, understands. For had they known, they would have not crucified the Lord of glory. Had they got it, they would have never killed Christ.

So, we are talking now about spiritual knowledge. But these people don't understand spiritual knowledge. So, now we have three levels of knowledge. Think about it. There is knowledge which is like an animal level, which is kind of pre-programmed, certain animals understand certain things. Then there is this human understanding, which is far greater than the animal, which makes the human a mind. But then there is another level up here, which is a level of God understanding, of understanding at a God level of spiritual knowledge, spiritual wisdom. And so, now Paul draws this comparison between the animals and man to try and explain this gap also between man and God. Look at how he says in verse 11. Let me just read the first part. For what man knows the things of man except the spirit of man which is in him? In other words, we were talking about animals and man, and there is a gap in the capability, in the creative capability between a man or a human being and the most intelligent animals. What is that difference? He says there is the spirit of man which is in man. That's what makes the difference between the physical brain and the human brain.

If you take the spirit of man in man out of a man, what do you have? You have a human being in shape, but without the capability of understanding things of a man. You have a king in a prophecy, as you remember, that was removed for a certain number of years, that spirit, and he acted like an animal. Then God gave the spirit back to him and he became a human being, acting like a human being. It really is a thing that Paul is explaining. You and I, as human beings, cannot grasp the things of humans unless we have the spirit of man. It's the spirit of man that makes that difference. And that's what science does not understand. It's that human spirit that makes the difference between a physical animal brain and the physical human brain and its mental capabilities. It's the spirit of man in man. Likewise, continue on verse 11. Likewise, even so, no one knows the things of God expect the spirit of God. In other words, you and I, as a human being, cannot grasp godly things, spiritual things, unless God's spirit is working with us. So, if you try and go to a cat, or to a dog, or to a goat, and try to explain to him certain things of man, for his mathematics, or how to buy and sell houses, we've got somebody out that is in the real estate business, or whatever it may be, you go and explain that to an animal. He's not going to get it. But you discuss that with people, people are going to understand some basic principles. Why? Because we have the spirit of man. So, if you can go to your beloved little lamb that you may have in your little corner in India, in a little farm out there, and you go and explain to him certain things of man, the lamb is actually not going to get it. You can try hard. You've got to speak to him harder. You've got to converse him, and he's not going to get it. Why? Because that lamb does not have the spirit of man in man. Using that same analogy, you don't understand God's truth. You can't go to another person and preach to that person until they turn blue in the face. God's truth, they're not going to get it. Why? Because God's spirit might not be working with them. If God's spirit is working with them, whether they have it or not, whether it's inside them or around them, but if God's spirit is working with their mind, then they'll get it.

You know, it's always... we've been around, some of us have been around in the church for a while, and we know this. And you get some new people start coming in, not being disrespectful, please. It's just part of the learning experience, you know. And we say, I'm trying to converse, my friend. I can see it so clearly, but my friend doesn't get it. Why? Because God is putting around you his spirit and giving you that understanding, which God, in his wisdom, in his own time, has decided to give to them later, at a later time. That's what it is. That is an amazing bit of truth that we need to understand, which basically means a human being, man or woman, cannot understand the spiritual things of God unless that person has access to the spirit of God, which God has given that person to. And so it's God that gives, in other words, that password. Think about it. That password, that secret code that exists, that opens that door. Now, every person, when they are born, they have the spirit of man in man.

So since we're born, we have the human spirit. That human spirit gives the human brain the capability of thinking like a man. That's what we see in verse 14 of the same chapter, 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14. But the natural man, in other words, the physical human being, whether it's a man or woman, the natural human being does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are foolish to him.

Why? Because the spiritual sin. So just like the human being needs the spirit of man to understand the things of man. A human being needs the spirit of God to understand the spiritual things. Otherwise, they don't get it because they are spiritually discerned. They don't have it. They don't get it. They don't get it. So, God is creating children of God. So he's in a creation process. But this creation process is in phases. The first phase was the physical creation. Created man and woman in six days, rested on the seventh, and now we populate, we grow, and we have time to develop certain human experiences and learn some lessons. But the spiritual creation is in process. Again, in similarity for a week of thousands of years. And we are nearly coming to the end of the sixth day in thousands of years. Six thousand years. And then we get to the millennium, which is going to be a rest. And God is now going to come to earth and going to change the world and change the whole world to understand the truth. I think about it right at the beginning. Actually Adam had the chance, had the choice to have access to the Spirit of God. Because that was represented by the Tree of Life. He chose not to take it. He made the incorrect choice.

He chose not to take that extra helper. And therefore, he chose to make his own choices rather than accept what God tells us what's right and wrong. And you see, that's what the process we've got to go through. You know, sometimes we think this is right and this is wrong. And then we have to double check it against God's word and say, is that really right or wrong? And then we've got to listen to what God says. But Adam chose to go the wrong way. Therefore, a second Adam had to come because the first Adam failed. Did that happen beyond God's back and Eden expected? No. God actually knew that Adam, sooner or later, would make the wrong choice.

That's amazing. Turn with me to 1st Peter, chapter 1. 1st Peter, chapter 1. 1st Peter, chapter 1.

Verse 18 through 20. Knowing that you were not redeemed of corruptible things, like silver of gold or from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb, without blemish and without spot, He indeed, as Christ, was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Can we get it? It was decided before the world was founded, before the creation was created. It was decided that Christ would have to die for us. It was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Which means when the father, the highest, and the word talked about it and said, we're going to make, reproduce ourselves with children, and we're going to have a family. It requires one of us to die, because that family is going to have free moral choice, and they have to have the opportunity to make mistakes, to learn from their mistakes. But because the wages of sin is death, they'll die. So one of us has to die, because to pay and redeem them back, to buy them back, so Christ said, I'll do it. So it was decreed from the foundation of the world that Christ would die. Therefore, there has to be two beings, so that one die is completely dead, and the other one's alive, resurrects him. It's not like a piece of elastics that some people say, well, God is still there, but part of God became physical, the other part came back, and then he pulled them back like elastic, or whatever it is, and the elastic band snapped, and then he went back. That's what they believe Trinity is. It's like a story, whatever it is. A lot of hogwash, because then there's not a real sacrifice, whole sacrifice of that being that created us, giving his own life for us. And therefore, we make a mark of the Passover and all that.

He died for us, and that was predestined before the foundation of the world. Look at Revelation 17, verse 8. Revelation 17, verse 8.

He's talking about the beast, as you saw, and then he says, And those who dwell on the earth of marvel, whose names are not written in the book of life, from the foundation of the world.

I think I got the wrong scripture. But anyway, the scripture I was wanting to have is that it was slain from the foundation of the world. I think I actually got the wrong scripture. But there's one, YHRE, and it escapes me now. I think I wrote down the wrong one, so I apologize. But it says it was slain from the foundation of the world.

And so, Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. Thirteen-eight? Thirteen-eight? Yeah, thank you. Let's have a look. Thirteen-eight?

Yeah, that's it. Thank you. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, and whose names are not written in the book of life, of the land, slain from the foundation of the world. So, he was decided before the foundation of the world right from the foundation of the world, that he would have to die. So, we have the creation here. It was decided that he would have to die. So, how, therefore, does this reproduction occur? Where is the analogy?

The analogy is based in the spirit of man. Able to close the gap between man and God is enabled through the spirit of man and the capability of the spirit of man. You see, the spirit of man has the capability of bridging the gap and making us more than animals. But the spirit of man, spiritually speaking, is like a woman's ovum, spiritually speaking. The physical egg or ovum in the mother gets seeded by the sperm from the physical father and the baby is begotten. Spiritually speaking, the spirit of man acts in that way and is seeded by a divine seed which proceeds from the father and then begets a spiritual baby in that human being. Let's look at that. In John chapter 3, verse 6, this is the section about Nicodemus. John chapter 3, verse 6. It says, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

Brethren, I am flesh and you are flesh. If you are working in the kitchen, you accidentally cut yourself. Even if it's a tiny little thing in your finger, you pretty well know that you are flesh. And you can feel it. And it may even bleed or it may hurt pretty, pretty soon. If you stab your toe and you're walking around barefoot around and you stab your toe on the corner of your bed or whatever it is, you will feel it.

Enough. Because you are flesh. You're not spirit. And then look at it in verse 8. It says, The wind blows where it wishes, and hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it goes from or where it goes, where it comes from, where it goes. So is everyone which is born of the spirit.

When you're born of the spirit, it's like the wind. You don't know, you can see it's not physical. It doesn't stop its toe on the corner of a bed. Because it's spirit. Now, granted, sure, you and I, when we see the God's Holy Spirit, we become a new man. We've got to put on the new man.

We've got to change. Yes, we understand all that. I'm not neglecting that understanding. But what I am saying is that we are going to be born children of God. And we're going to be really spiritual children of God. And even though we have been begotten with the Holy Spirit, we're not yet children of God. We are now begotten children. Just like the baby in the mother's womb is not yet a child out there, but it's still maybe a fetus growing in the mother's womb till it becomes a child. But it's not yet a child in that way.

But it's already a living human being. And so, let's get back to the analogy. For us to be a human being, we've got to be begotten by a physical human father. For us to be a spirit being, we've got to be begotten by the spiritual father. Look at Romans, chapter, right, verse 16 and 17. Romans, chapter, right, verse 16 and 17. Romans, verse 16 and 17. For the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit. What do you mean the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit?

I think it's becoming evidently clear that the Spirit itself is God's Holy Spirit, bears witness with our spirit, that's the spirit of man in man, that we are the children of God. Why? Because the two have merged in a sense, like the seed merging with the egg, and therefore it's a witness that we are now begotten children of God. Verse 17, and if children, in other words, not yet born, spiritually a spirit being, but if children, then heirs, heirs of God, heirs of the richest father in the world, and joint heirs of Christ.

If indeed we suffer with Him, then we may be glorified together with Him. So, the Holy Spirit combined with the human spirit begets that human being so that human being now becomes a begotten child of God. So, you have been begotten, if you've been begotten by God's Holy Spirit, you've been begotten twice. Think about it. The human being was when the physical seed from your physical dad merged the ovulum in your mother, first begettle, and second begettle is when the spirit that proceeds from the father joins the spirit of man in man.

So, second begettle. Let's look at 1st Peter, chapter 1, verse 23. 1st Peter, chapter 1, verse 23. Having been begotten again. That's what it means. You have been begotten a second time. I know the translators put born, but we are not being born yet because the world here is aganal. That means begotten again. Not of corruptible seed. It was not of the seed from a human father which is physical, which corrupts. Which, if it's left lying around, it will corrupt full time. Not of corruptible, but of incorruptible.

What do you mean incorruptible? The Holy Spirit that we receive is an incorruptible seed. It doesn't corrupt. Look at 1st John. I think it's 1st John. That word seed, corruptible seed, is spore. But in 1st John 3, verse 9, it says, Whoever has been born of God, who was begotten of God, does not sin, for his seed. That seed, the Greek word, is sperm. That seed of the Holy Spirit is in Greek called sperm. The actual Greek word. It's an incorruptible seed. And where does that seed come from? Who is the dead? Look at John 15, verse 26. John 15, verse 26. But when the helper, that's God, so the Spirit comes, whom I shall send to you, that's Christ, will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father.

That incorruptible seed, which the Bible calls sperma in John there, that incorruptible seed that proceeds from the Father, joins the human spirit and begets that child as a son and daughter of God. And so, that Holy Spirit, that incorruptible seed, gives the human mind, which is the divine seed, gives the human mind the capability to understand spiritual things.

Just like the human spirit gives the brain the capability to understand things of man, the seed from God, Holy Spirit, gives us the capability to understand spiritual things and also gives us other spiritual gifts. It will be love, joy, peace, long suffering, etc. Other characteristics and many other gifts, capabilities that God wills to give to you.

So, if we have God's Holy Spirit, we have the potential now of being born again. And now, when we have this, look at 1 John 3. This is a beautiful scripture. Beautiful scripture. 1 John 3.

1 John 3. Starting verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us. And think about it, as we order to summon it, that the Father's good pleasure is to give us the kingdom. What manner of love is God for us? That we should be called the children of God. It's not just, well, a beautiful euphemism. It's real stuff, because look at it. Therefore, the wall does not get it. That's what it says. The wall does not know us, because it does not know Him. It does not know God. Beloved. Beloved. Now, we are the children of God. Just like when maybe if you're married, or maybe you're not, maybe you're a mother, when she was pregnant, that baby was already the son of the dead. Even though it wasn't unborn, but it was already the son, the child of that dead. That's it is. The dead has done his part. Now the mother is to the earth. But the dead has done his part. It was already the child of that dead. So now we are the children of God, yet unborn, spiritually speaking. And it has not yet been revealed, it was, we are not yet born again, what we shall be. But we know that when Christ comes, when He's revealed, when Christ comes, we shall be like Christ, like Him. And we shall see Christ and God as He is. We will be able to, as pretty beings, to see God as God is, we'll be able to look and see the third heaven and the capability to be with the Father and go up and down, because we travel at the speed of thought, and we'll be able to see the Father as He is, and see Christ as He is.

That's so encouraging. Therefore, verse 3, everyone that has this hope in Him, because this is such a great gift, He does His best to purify Himself, to deliver Himself, to be sanctified, to do His best to be clean, as Christ, as God is pure, as Christ is perfect. Brethren, the Father is the Master Potter, and He is shaping a pot. One pot is for this purpose, another pot is for that purpose. We're all little pots in that analogy. We're all jaws of bar in that analogy. God is the Master Potter, and He is shaping your personality, your own characteristics, your human spirit, the way He wants individually, you, for you to be part of His mansion, because He has many mansions, and you individually have a specific role that He's got for you.

We are created in Christ for good works. And brethren, we have an amazing, wonderful, wonderful future for all of us. And fear not, as we heard in the sermon, and be of good courage. Don't be anxious, because if God is working with you, if God is with you, who can be against you? Maybe the only one that can be against you is yourself. It's myself. And me pulling myself down. So, don't pull yourself down, and let's all strive to do what God wants us to do. Brethren, keep going. Don't give up till the end.