A Spiritual Huddle

Well, thank you very much to the Ensemble. What beautiful, beautiful praise towards our Heavenly Father. And also to, in a sense, Sada Amuda as we move into the Fall Festivals. Well, friends here in Los Angeles, I'm going to share with you what I've been sharing with our other congregations over the last couple of weeks. We have some very important times ahead of us regarding the Fall Festivals of God. And we also have some very, very important events that are going to be coming about in this world that we live in. And we are also going to be experiencing very, very important and dynamic activity that God the Father is going to do through Jesus Christ. And so I think it's very, very important being a pastor that, as a Christian, that we get together a couple of weeks before these Fall Festivals so that we're all moving together in the same spiritual direction. So the title of this message for those who take titles is simply this, a spiritual huddle, a spiritual huddle as we move towards the Fall Festivals of God. Having huddles are very important when you're playing in a game, football or soccer or this or that. And it's important because a lot of things can happen. You know, all of us have plans. You know, sometimes we say that you have plans and then they hit a wall, even like in war. And you have all of your plans going in and then as soon as you hit there, you can become deterred, you can become distracted, and you have to alter that. Well, that's why we need to have a huddle as Christians, as friends, as a spiritual family, as we go into these Festival days to appreciate them and to be able to understand what God wants us to get out of them. One thing that God desires for us to understand is the big picture, and a beautiful picture and a wonderful picture that we just heard about. What the wonderful world tomorrow is going to be like when Jesus Christ comes back to this earth. I'd like you to join me for about a second to go to Revelation 5. Revelation 5. And let's read out of the apocalypse here.

That which is unveiled, the revealing, and speaking of Jesus Christ and his role before the Father and before us. And we find over in Revelation 5 and verse... Let's start in verse 9. And it says, and they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals. For you were slain, and you have redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God. And we shall reign on earth. Some translations call it a kingdom of priests, which we'll be touching on later. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders. And the number of them was 10,000, 10,000, and thousands of thousands. What an incredible panorama that is laid out before us in Scripture. Saying, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor, glory and blessings. Now, as we prepare to go to the festivals, friends, this is what it is about. This is what we long for, hope for, pray for, that we in a sense go through and discuss day in and day out during the feast.

And to recognize that one day what is mentioned here in Scripture, in black and white in our Bibles, is going to be breathed and lived and experienced around this world by every living being. And they will know, and they will have that opportunity to surrender to the will of God Almighty and be able to return to Him through what we read here by the sacrifice and by the blood of Jesus Christ. That's a time in the future, and we long for it. And much of that is discussed during the Feast of Tabernacles, and we center on that. But if I can talk to you for a moment, what happens sometimes unwittingly, we move to there and we pass over some other items that are very important called the Feast of God, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement. We start making all of our plans, what we're going to do here, how we're going to leave from Los Angeles to go to Hawaii, to go from Los Angeles to go to Turkey, to go from Los Angeles over to Phoenix, to go to Los Angeles all the way down to Oceanside. And what do we wear, and what do we take, and what do we bring? Please remember to bring the children. And, you know, we get all of these lists going and all of these ideas going, and we're going to go to this restaurant, we're going to go to that brethren. That's well and that's fine. And you can make your plans because it is a time of rejoicing, absolutely, and it's a family time, and it's spiritual family time. But brethren, I want to share something with you on this Sabbath afternoon. God has plans for you, and God has plans for me, and we need to be open and willing and available how God is going to shape our lives and shape our hearts over the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day Festival. We must be prepared, and we must understand the importance of us being living clay so that we might be in the hands of our Father, that He might shape us and mold us and prepare us for the wonderful world tomorrow. So let's have that spiritual huddle right now. There are some things that are on my heart that I'd like to share with you from my perspective as your pastor and as a fellow Christian. There's two very important items, and one was spoken on during the first message by Mr. Grinnell, and very, very complete, but I pray that I can build upon it. The Fall Festivals, each and every one of them, the Fall Festivals, like all of God's festivals, have two very important elements. I'd like to share them with you right now. It's one and it's two.

Number one, that there is an element of soberness that Mr. Grinnell spoke to, and I want to build upon. The Fall Festivals are sober... all the festivals, but now as we move to the Fall Festivals, indeed, they are sobering. And I'll be defining what being sober is. Also, conversely, but actually building upon that soberness, because when you move towards God with a certain amount of spiritual and emotional gravity, something else comes about. The second element is joy. So we're going to weigh this afternoon two elements that will allow us to be complete in Christ and allow us to respond to the invitation of our Heavenly Father as He bids us come on this pilgrimage journey, this journey of faith towards the Kingdom of God and ultimately eternity. So let's talk about it. Before we talk about the wonderful world tomorrow, I'd like to talk about today's world. I'd like to offer you, as the congregation, a state of the world address, and it's going to be very short and it's going to be very brief. It's not good. It's not good. It's very, very, very bad, and it's troubling, and we need to understand that. And therefore, then, when we understand that, then we'll understand the Fall Festivals as we come up to that time. We need to understand that for every cause there is an effect. It's one of those phrases that have come down to us through the decades and through the scores of years. For every cause there is an effect, and we need to understand that. And to recognize that the world around us with its 7.6 billion people on six inhabitable continents, it is spinning out of control. And seemingly all of the King's horses and all the King's men in one way cannot put Humpty Dumpty back together again. I'm not trying to be utterly negative. I'm just a realist.

We see incredible challenges that are happening right now in the world from Asia to Europe that will ultimately affect every continent on Earth because of man's greed, because of human nature, and because of their exiting the Garden of Eden 6,000 years ago based upon their choices. And we'll build upon that as we go along. Like I said, for every cause there is an effect. And we, as we go to the Feast of Trumpets, and or if we think about the wonderful world tomorrow, we can think about the wonderful time. We can think about the tapestry that will have an ocean side that has the lion and the lamb dwelling together. And we look at that picture and we say, oh, isn't that beautiful? That's a wonderful, wonderful postcard. And the lion and the lamb will dwell together one day, as it says in the book of Isaiah and also in the book of Micah.

But today, but today, human beings don't know how to lie together. They don't know how to come together. As the prophets of old said, the way of peace they know not. And there are others that will cry, peace, peace. I think we've been hearing that recently, based upon negotiations, based upon treaties. We have peace. We won't have to go into another war in the Middle East, at least not right now. Because look what we have done. Yes, they will cry, peace, peace. But there is no peace. And now we find continents being overrun by refugees. Where do refugees come from? They come from conflict. They come from war. When their homes are desolated, when their family is destroyed, when people are beheaded, when people are hungry, they will go to any length, any way, for safety and for peace. While you and I in America are here, in a sense, resting comfortably on a Sabbath afternoon. That's why, brethren, that's why, brethren, Jesus Christ has got to come back. Because for every cause, there is an effect. And there is something happening down here below. Humanity needs to be rescued from itself. We do not have the answers to save ourselves just as much as a drowning person does not have the ability to save themselves. There has to be a strong arm from another vantage point to be able to pull that person up to safe shore. And that's exactly what our Bible says. Join me if you would in Matthew 24. In Matthew 24 and verse 21. And we are what is called the Olivet prophecy. And Jesus is describing what is going to occur from the time in which he leaves until the time in which he returns. I first had the honor and the privilege and the incredible breakthrough to begin reading this verse and understanding what it meant for my life and the life of my family now nearly 54 years ago when I was an 11 year old boy. And I would be listening to the radio with my mother to a man that would point to this verse and teach and preach from it. And we notice in Matthew 24 verse 21 it says, there shall be great tribulation such as not been... excuse me... for then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time and no nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. When I read this, and as we read this this afternoon, brethren, this is great hope. It's sobering. It is sobering, that first element. There is a gravity to this. You're recognizing that humanity is going to come up to a point in which it cannot save itself.

But there's going to be an answer from above. And God is going to send Jesus Christ to rescue humanity from itself. What does that mean to you? What does it mean to me?

When I read that as a young boy, I was already, since a little young history major. I'd studied a lot by age 11 dealing with history, dealing with western civilization. I was like a little Mozart with history at that time. So I knew about world history. I also knew that I was a child of the Cold War, as many of us baby boomers are.

And some of you that are younger may not be aware. You know, sometimes you hear about the 60s and you hear about hippies or you hear about the Beatles or this or that. But we had another situation going on in the 60s. It was M-A-D. How many of you remember what M-A-D is? Mutual Assured Destruction. The first vegetable that I learned about was the mushroom cloud.

I'm not talking about that, which is on the plate. We that grew up during the Cold War, which was that great conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. What had happened, man and his design to keep peace made weapons so horrible and so many that if one side started the fight, the other side was assured to be destroyed. Period. Now, I remember that because I grew up in San Diego, California, till I was 12 years of age.

And I remember in 1962, just as these verses were coming into my life as a young boy, and that I was reading the headlines, but I was also hearing this prophecy, which is a promise from God that humanity is not going to be doomed and be destroyed and not annihilated. What incredible hope! What fantastic encouragement that gave to an 11-year-old boy and continues to give to this 64-year-old man today. Recognizing that we have a hope and we have an understanding and we have a revelation, friends, that mankind is not headed towards doom but towards a destiny and that God is going to intervene at the right time and in the right way and the right place.

And he can't come too early because then humanity would say what? Well, you know, if he'd just given us another bit of time, we could have handled it down here below. But if he came too late, there wouldn't be any humanity. And thus, then, we have an element of faith and assurance that God will answer at the right time and the right way and he will not be late. We were talking about this this morning in Redlands that in San Diego, and I probably grew up about 10 miles from downtown San Diego.

And if you know if what was happening during that time to come back is we had the Cuban Missile Crisis. For those of you that are older and will remember what that was like, for three days, for three days, 72 hours, the world held its breath. We thought World War III was just about to happen as the United States set a naval blockade around Cuba and the Soviet Union was coming forward with its Navy.

And we just simply did not know what was going to happen. I did know that, in a sense, that if there was a conflict, that San Diego would probably be one of the first places to go off the map, knowing that all the Navy was in San Diego. We were talking about it this morning. What we used to do, what we used to do for those little baby boomers who remember when we were in school, is that we used to have nuclear alert drills.

Do you remember those? Anybody remember those? Am I the only one? Okay. And you know what you did? You got underneath your desk. That's how naive we were. I'm 10 miles outside of downtown San Diego and we had the nuclear alert drill. And so what you did, to save yourself from the effects of the mushroom cloud, you got underneath your desk and you were not supposed to look up because, you know, when the glass came at you, it would go in your... you know, etc., etc. How naive we were. How naive we were.

And yet how great our God is that He makes a promise here. We are sobered by the reality of what man has done, conversely trying to keep peace, and yet to recognize that God Almighty is going to come back to this earth through Jesus Christ and save us from ourselves. That is so incredible. That is so wonderful.

Some of you, at times, especially you young people, got some smiles on this this morning in Redlands, sometimes you'll hear things like, you know, things aren't like they used to be.

You're around your parents, you're around your grandparents. They begin telling you what it was like in the 60s or they start telling about what it was like before World War II. And, you know, pretty soon, because this is your day and this is your age and, you know, your eyes, oh boy, here goes the story again. We're going to hear about how gas was just a nickel at one time, or we're going to hear about grandma or great-grandma. And somehow, as human beings, we project that somehow there's a better time and a better place. But to be frank, friends, I've got to be admitting to you that there has never been a good time and there's never been a good place since the Garden of Eden. Humanity has been dysfunctional. Humanity has been dysfunctional since the Garden of Eden, since it rejected the rules and the laws and the commandments of the Creator.

You know, we talk about today in America where because of where families are now without fathers in the home or parents are away, then what becomes of a family? When the authority figures and the loving figures and those that began the process are not in. And then we wonder why we have the crime rates we have, the murders that we have, the young people that grow up and don't know how to work because they've never had a model before them. Well, that's exactly what happened in Eden. Since the Garden of Eden, mankind has been dysfunctional because the father has not been in place. Neither has the elder brother known as the word because it was rejected. It was dismissed.

And humanity said, we'll draw up our own Constitution. We'll be our own God with a small G. We'll make our own rules. And it's never been quite the same the sense. Join me if you would in Romans 1. In Romans 1, to understand the world that you and I live in today and the reason why the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day are God's spiritual adjustment plan to realign us with the great truths and our need to draw upon their love and that purpose and that plan and that provision more than ever. Because, brethren, in this world that is around us, we can get out of whack and out of alignment so quickly. And so that's why God gives us the Seventh Day Sabbath. That's why He gives us seven annual festivals during the year, to bring us into alignment, to get our minds off of ourselves, and understand what He is desiring for every human being that's made in His image and likeness. No, we live in a world today and we live in a nation today. And you can go to your pocket before you put it into the International Festival Fund. You can take the coins out of your pocket and you'll see on the coins minted. It'll say, in God we trust. No, it's often said that talk is cheap. Minting can also be cheaper.

This world, this nation, let's be relevant, let's be local, is in a post-biblical society and is no longer based upon the values of the Scriptures and the Bible, but stands firmly and founded on the steps of the Academy of Athens of humanism, of secularism, of making your own determinations. Say, how can you say that, Mr. Weber? Join me in Romans 1. In Romans 1, in picking up the thought in verse 16. In Romans 1, in verse 16, God's comment through Paul, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, that good news that Fabian talked about in his prayer, the gospel, the good news of Christ. For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith, believing that your life is for a purpose, believing that God's grace, his initiative, his invitation, and his personal involvement in your life is for a cause and for a purpose that is so grand and so great that he gave his son for that. And then, in turn, we give up ourselves and we surrender ourselves in faith, that even though we don't see everything right now, those things that we'll be talking about at the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day, we have that confidence that it will come about. For verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and his Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. And professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. And therefore, God gave them over to uncleanliness. This morning, I got up about five o'clock. I'm an early riser. And I got up and I went out the back door. And we live up higher in the Inland Empire, so you can actually see the stars. You don't have to worry about the smog filter. And this morning, it was just so glorious. It was just so beautiful. I mean, it was just like you could, you know, reach out and touch one of those stars. And I was reminded of what the poet said, that, you know, those stars come out every night, those shining beacons of the city of God. And yet men wonder and men doubt. See, rather than when we see the stars and we see that Milky Way when we can see it, and some of you are going to see it better during the feast, you look up and you stand in awe. That's the city of God, as it were. That's the creation that reminds us that there's a whole universe that runs in order. And the only thing that does not run in order in the universe is humanity. The one thing that's out of kilter, until we surrender to God Almighty and begin to believe in Him, and begin to have the faith of these festivals and what they mean, and they give us a spiritual adjustment. Because this is the world that we live in. This is the world of the Academy of Athens. We walk here the steps with Socrates and Plato and Aristotle. We work in a world apart from God Almighty. When you think of what has happened in our nation, founded at Plymouth Rock, this nation over the last 60 years, number one, prayer out of the school. How's that been working? Number two in the 60s, Roe versus Wade, abortion, the diminution of life, babies, fetuses, embryos that are coming alive and growing and developing and are in the safest spot that they should be, the securest notion of what existence should be in their mother's womb.

Looking forward to coming out one day and having that mother hug them and hold them and rock them.

And in that same womb that was designed by God Almighty, the Creator to protect life, life is taken. All men are created equal.

That's what our Constitution says. And all have equal opportunity towards life, towards happiness, towards the pursuit of that happiness.

Have you ever noticed that those that are for abortion are already born? Do you hear me?

And then, now, in the 21st century, not only the sanctity of a relationship with God through prayer, not only the sanctity of life, which is they no longer just simply call it an embryo or fetus, now it's called fetal tissue to diminish it all the more. And now today, and now today, that man is tampered with that which is holy, which is the relationship of God between a man and a woman, and the holiest state of marriage.

That's the world that you and I rub up against every day, friends.

And that's why we need this spiritual adjustment during the festivals more than ever, because you and I cannot help but be affected by the world that is around us. Always has been, always will be. We think of long ago to think of Lot and Sodom. He was affected by the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. We think of the Israelites. They were affected by the culture of the Canaanites. We think of Revelation 2 and 3, and those first century Christians were affected by the different cities, the different cultures that they were in. It will always be so, but that's why so much more so we need these festivals to bring us into a spiritual alignment with God Almighty and Jesus Christ. Join me if you would for a moment. Let's go to Ezekiel 3, verse 16. Ezekiel 3 and verse 16.

What is our role? What do we do? Ezekiel 3 and verse 16. I don't want Ezekiel 3, verse 16. I'm going to find it here in a moment. Oops. That's not the verse I want. One second. Ezekiel 9, verse 4.

Notice what it says, And the Lord said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men. So often we think of a mark or a shiragma, as it's mentioned in the Greek, or a seal. We think of that being in Revelation with the mark of the beast, but God also puts a seal and a mark on his saints. And it says here, put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.

Now, with some of the things I've talked about, the state of the world, the state of the nation, we can just kind of go like this.

But that's only half of the story.

God also says that we are to cry. We are to cry out. We are to cry out, thy kingdom come. Susan and I, Susan has been reading a book and she's been sharing it with me recently, talking about people back in Israel, back in Goshen, that were in slavery with everything taken away from them and in Egypt. And even in that slavery, with all dignity and the culture just coming upon them, there was one thing that they could do. They could still cry out. And they had that positivity and that optimism that their voices were being heard on high.

And is that not what God told Moses, that I have heard the cries of the children of Israel this many, many years? And we need to cry out, brethren, more than ever as the days approach. We need to cry out, thy kingdom come, and then we have to live it, surrendered to the laws and the ways that that kingdom is going to bring now in our life.

Because then God will know that we mean it.

It's not enough to sigh. Christians were not called to be passive. They were not called to be milk toast. They were not called just to take it. We have been called to make it. And we can make a difference by praying to God and saying, your kingdom come. When you look at what's happening with those refugees coming across the Bosporus, going across the Aegean, coming up the Adriatic, going through Hungary, coming into Austria, seeking a home, that's only temporary. All of mankind, every man, every woman needs a greater home than that which is here on this earth and what mankind can, at this time, produce. They need a home with God the Father and Jesus Christ. They need to know what true peace is that you and I can experience today as we practice the Bible in this way of life. That's what we need to be about. As we think about that, brethren, it's time to wake up. Join me if you would in Ephesians 5, verse 14. In Ephesians 5, I want to share a verse with you. And if my voice is going up, that's fine.

I am a watchman. I am a trumpet, as are all of God's ministers and all of God's servants down through the ages. Watchmen have always been provided since the time before the flood with Enoch, reminding the people then that God is going to come back with His thousands and ten thousands to rescue this earth. It is the message of Elijah. It is the message of John the Baptist. It is the message of the Christ. It is the message of the apostles. It is the message of the men and the women down through the ages by how they lived, reflecting that which is going to come. It is the message of the two witnesses that will yet arise and testify against the beast and the false prophet. And it is that witness of that angel that will yet trumpet as it goes around the world with a tremendous voice that everybody will hear. Everybody will hear. Fear God. Now is the time of judgment. Worship Him. God is going to produce a witness that will be heard by every man and every woman. Until that time, we do our part, whether it be in this congregation, whether it be you talking to a neighbor or a family member that you love a dear, and you talk to them about what is coming, and you talk to them about what can be, and you can talk to them about what God wants them to be. It's going to come in the favor of God. It's going to come in the future. It is not going to be silent. It is not going to be quiet. The times demand it. That's why I'm giving this message. In Ephesians, you're there. I'm going to join you here in a moment. Ephesians 5, verse 14. As soon as what it says, therefore he says, Awake you whose sleep. Arise from the dead.

That's not talking necessarily about dead-dead, like Rover, dead all over. That's talking about those that are spiritually asleep, are not sober, are not vigilant, have become intoxicated with the culture and the ways of this world. Awake. Arise. And Christ will give you light. See them that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

And dear friends in Los Angeles, that's why we need to redeem these festivals as they come up to us.

They are spiritual adjustments of describing and sharing with us God's plan of salvation, not only for us. Is salvation personal? Yes, it is. Salvation is personal, but God is also, through the body of Christ, brought us together, combined our voices, combined our efforts, to be able to share that now is the time. The message goes out. In a time of darkness, it's going to come upon us when there will not be an opportunity to share that message again. We need to understand that. Now is the time to wake up. Now is the time to do something. Now is the time to recognize this world. Join me if you would in 2 Peter 3 and 2 Peter 3.

In 2 Peter 3 and picking up the thought in verse 11.

Therefore, since all of these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

This world, and the term world in Scripture, especially in the Greek, is cosmos with a K.

It speaks of a culture. It speaks of a system. It speaks of a way of thinking that is an affront and confronting God.

It's going to melt away. So I have a good question for you as you begin to wind up this message a little bit. So what part are we holding on to? What is it that we're grabbing on and holding on to that we feel is so precious? That we think we're going to take from this world of time and space into eternity?

Reminds me of the story that I heard long ago about the man that he was looking for a chauffeur for his car.

The man had a Mercedes, so he wanted to make sure that the guy that was driving it really knew how to drive it.

And so three men volunteered for the opportunity to see if they might be the chauffeur. And so the first guy got in there and he turned on the keys.

And he was going to show that he was going to be able to harness his power.

And he had it right for a cliff. And he jammed on the brakes. And if you can look up here, the front bumper was right on the edge of that cliff.

So what's the second guy going to do? The second guy gets in there. And one more, okay?

Goes. Well, this guy, what he does, he jams on the brakes. And you know what? Now it's six inches over the cliff, but the wheels are still holding it.

He thinks nobody's going to be able to top that. I've got the job. So what's the third guy going to do? He gets in the car. Mmm. One more. That's kind of fun. I'm not going to have a throat after this. Anyway, what's he do? Does he go forward? No. He has that baby in reverse, and he moves away from the cliff. The man says, friend, you've got the job. You understand that you're dealing with something very, very precious. You didn't try to get as close to the cliff as possible. You had so much respect for me and so much respect for this precious vehicle, this instrument, that you knew exactly what to do. You wanted to get as far away from it as possible. Can I ask you a question, friends? How close do you want to get to the cliff? Do you want to be a cliff dweller? I know in the Southwest we talk about cliff dwellers. The Anastasi tribe, that's not Italian, that was an Indian tribe, is that we have not been called to be cliff dwellers. Do you see how close that we can get to this world? When we recognize that you and I have been invited to this world where, once again, the world is going to be in relationship with God Almighty through Jesus Christ, there's going to be a return. The Bible is about a return again and again and again. It's about repentance. These days are about repentance. The Feast of Trumpets is a time to take stock. The Jews have an expression. I know Mr. Garnet knows this expression. And that is simply this, may your name be found in the book of life. It's a time of soberness. It's a time of reflection.

It's a time that is, in the Jewish mind, a time of beginnings. It's thought that Adam and Eve were created in the fall. It's thought that, perhaps, in our culture that Jesus Christ was born in the fall, the first Adam, the second Adam. It's a time that, with the Feast of Trumpets, it portrays a time when Jesus Christ is going to come to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords and start a new society. It's a time of new. It's a time of dynamism. It's a time of self-reflection. It's a time of surrender. It's a time of asking God, what is it in me yet that I need to be for you because of what you've done for me? Is that how you're approaching the festivals right now?

Or are you wondering how long services are going to be that day? Are you wondering if your reservations are going to be ready at a restaurant?

If that's your case, just don't come to church. Just go to the restaurant. Have a good meal. Because that's not what the Feast of Trumpets is. That's not what the—and especially the Day of Atonement is not about restaurants. That's not what the Feast of Tabernacles is about.

Brother, it's time that the Church of God wake up and each and every one of us individually wake up. The time is short. The time is now. And the time is now for us to practice the values of the wonderful world tomorrow in our lives now and not mortgage it to the future, thinking that we'll have tomorrow or thinking that we'll do it when we're in that kingdom of priests. Now is the time. Now is the moment. Some of us need a personal revival in our lives. We need to understand that, like that vehicle, we've been hanging over the cliff. We've been trying to play both worlds against one another, thinking that we can have both. And God Almighty, during the Festival Day, say, for which one will you hold? Just as it says in the Old Testament, you halt between two opinions.

And it's time for the Church of God. It's time for each and every individually, as members of the body of Christ, to more than ever, as Mr. Grinnell was bringing out, to be sober, to be vigilant, to be not intoxicated with the culture of this world that is all around us, bubbling around us, that does not have sanctity of life, does not pray to a God above, divorces religion from society, changes, changes the design of marriage, fosters upon a world an immorality, and a culture, and a filth, and a dirtiness that in years gone by, 20 or 30 years ago, you went down an alley and a back door for.

Today it's called entertainment, on television, in the movies.

And sometimes our own people think, well, I'm so mature I can handle this. Oh, you can't? No, you can't.

God says, come out of her, my people. God says, do not be a part of that which is in darkness.

We are preparing now to be a kingdom of priests. I remember what Martin Luther, the reformer once said when asked a question. He said, they said, Dr. Luther, I have a question for you. If you knew that the kingdom of God was coming tomorrow, what would you do today?

Now, Luther had his other problems, as you know and I know, but I think he had this one right. He said, I would plant a tree. I would plant a tree. Get busy, get active, do something. Just don't be listening. Just don't be nodding your head in agreement. Get involved, get active, do something. I know it's interesting. In Matthew 13, one of the parables, Jesus talks about the seed of the kingdom being so small, it's like a mustard seed. But as it develops and as it grows, it becomes this like mighty sequoia or mighty oak tree that gives shelter and comfort and a home to all that is in its midst and underneath it. That's what the kingdom of God is like. But you know, and I know, to do that, whenever you plant something, you have to move the soil around. You have to cultivate. You have to get something ready. And that's exactly what we need to do. I want to share a verse with you. Join me if you would in the book of Psalms. Please, let's go to Psalms and let's pick up the thought if we could in chapter 25. We are moving towards conclusion, Psalm 25. But I'm not going to have an opportunity to talk to you until the Feast of Tabernacles. So, Psalm 25, the huddle's not over yet.

Because I want this personally for each and every one of you and for myself and for my wife, our family, to be the most meaningful fall festival season that you've ever had. The times demanded. God expects it. Psalm 25, verse 3. Verse 4. Psalm 25, verse 4. Notice what it says.

Show me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths and lead me in your truth and teach me.

For you are the God of my salvation. On you I will wait all the day. That tells us all that we need to know about our vocation. See, brethren, the feast days are not about a vacation. That's a byproduct of obeying God. You and I are on a vocation. The fall festivals, especially Tabernacles, speak of a pilgrimage. Are you with me? It's a pilgrimage. But these are markers in time of eternity to come. In our pilgrimage, our journey never ends until we die. And so, these words here, it says, show me, teach me, lead me. Let's talk about that for just a second. What does that mean?

I hope that during the Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, that this will be our prayer. Simply put, show me your ways, teach me your paths, lead me in your truth. Three things.

Three things that can profoundly affect your life. Where are you in life right now? Where are you in life right now with your relationship with God, your relationship with your mate, your relationship with your children, your relationship with your fellow person here in this congregation, in your relationship with your neighbor, in your relationship on the job? How are you doing? Can we ask God to turn us over and turn over our soil and plant more than ever that kingdom experience in us today? Are you ready to have God go to work on you during these festivals?

You know, it says in Jeremiah 4 and verse 19, it likens a trumpet going off in our heart.

That's God's Spirit prompting us, leading us, guiding us, showing us the way.

You say, okay, Mr. Weber, that sounds good, but that's just a verse in the Bible. I want to give you three points real quickly. There have been mandates placed upon the church for over 40 years. Are you ready? Number one, you'll remember this. Are you ready to put this into practice? Let's remember that these festivals are not only just lecture, but they are laboratory. We go to work. We mix it together like in the lab session. Number one, come out of the world. Revelation 18.4. I will say this to you. The Church of God, individually, members of the body of Christ, because of what I've spoken about, the world, the culture that we're in, more than ever, we need a spiritual adjustment of coming out of the world. Come out of the world, my people.

Say, oh, you know, you say, oh, yeah, you know, the preacher, he always brings that one up, doesn't he? You know, that's just the kind of... No, I'm serious. I am living serious.

I am blatantly serious. God is bringing to us a world that is so incredible and so beautiful and so wonderful. You say, how do I know that? Because I know that his son died, that you and I might enter it one day. That's how beautiful it is. But we have to leave behind the world that he called us out of. Some of us have gone out of practice in coming out of the world. It's time to get back in the game. It's time to take your calling seriously. Are you with me? Number two. Number two. During these festivals, ask God that trumpet that is in your heart, the prompting of God's spirit, that second mandate. We need to simplify our lives. We need to simplify our lives. Second Corinthians 11 and verse 3 speaks of a simplicity which is in Jesus Christ. This world is far too complicated. This world has us so distracted, brethren. It worries me. I pray for you. I pray for myself because I'm a part of this world, too. This world today is just filled with hamsters. Have you ever seen a hamster go around in a hamster wheel? Have you ever seen a slothful hamster?

Have you ever seen a hamster that looks unemployed? When you see a hamster in a hamster wheel, it's like this. Here goes another one of my sounds. Hopefully it's a little bit lighter than the engine. This world is on a hamster wheel and it is Satan's society. Satan is a world that gets us so busy. There are certain things that we have to be busy about. I understand that in society. We get so busy that we're not busy relating with God Almighty. We're not focusing on His purpose, His plan, His promises, His provisions. Then, when we need Him the most, He seems the furthest because we haven't been staying in touch with the one source of the help that we need the most. I'm asking and I am imploring all of you, as we go into these festivals, ask God to help you come out of this age. Help God to simplify your life. Help Him through His Spirit that trumpet that is in you to understand which things must go and which things must stay.

That you might be His dear children that He can work with. Number three, come out, learn now to become teachers. God says that we're going to be a kingdom of priests and we cannot teach what we are not. You can't preach what you are not.

So, we have to learn that as we hear these words, as we're taught these words, to put them into practice. Sometimes it will be uneasy. Some of the things that I'm saying today, I know, have some of you shifting in your seats. That's good! I'm glad! Because effective preaching is more than words. It's meddling with hearts, and that's a good thing.

Do not come to services just to hear soft things. I'm not here to entertain you. I am a minister of Jesus Christ. I have responsibility over these flocks in Southern California, Nevada.

And it is now high time that many of our people, as we move towards the fall festivals, understand the vocation and not rely on the vacation that they're planning.

It is now time to wake up to the calling that God gives us.

I am going to ask myself, as a Christian, during these festival days, not to be so busy as a coordinator, that God will not challenge me to the very depth and the very being of my heart, to work with my soul, to work with my heart, to work with my mind, to work with my being, to show me something about myself that He still doesn't like, that maybe I don't even understand. That's what the festivals are about. It's about allowing God to whittle away on you in love, molding and shaping you in the completeness of Christ. It's not just about laying out on a beach. It's not about having a rum in a coconut.

It's about preparing yourself for the kingdom of God and preparing yourself as the right of Christ.

Some of this will be uncomfortable for you, but understand you're not alone. Understand that when God calls you to His greatness, to His purpose, to understand that He's asking you to step out of your world as much as He asked Abram to step out of His world.

He will never leave us. He will never forsake you. Some of us need to make that step today.

Some of us need to pray for God's courage to make that step tomorrow, but we need to make that step towards the surety of God's kingdom. I want to share a verse with you. Let's conclude by going to Deuteronomy 31. In Deuteronomy 31, verse 8.

I want to leave you with this encouragement because, as I said in the beginning, I'm just talking to myself here this afternoon, and I hope you're listening in.

And sometimes it can seem very lonely as we come out of the world. It can seem lonely as we don't quite know how to simplify our lives into the simplicity of Christ. It can get lonely and you say, well, you know, God, I just don't have a good brain. You don't have to know the entire Bible. Just the verses that you know act upon them.

And God will be with us.

And the Lord, Deuteronomy 31, verse 8. And the Lord said, He is the one who goes before you. You see, brethren, we're on a pilgrimage. It is the season of pilgrimage.

And beyond this season, we are on a journey of faith that leads us towards eternity with God Almighty. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear nor be dismayed.

God's made a promise. Don't be afraid. Jesus repeated that in Matthew 14, verse 27, when the disciples were out on the boat. They were out on the ocean and they saw somebody coming towards them. And He said two things.

It's me. It's me. Don't be afraid.

I'd like to conclude services today by sharing something that's very, very special to me.

I shared it with San Diego last week. Shared it with Redlands this morning.

Because, again, I'm just talking to myself up here, friends. I'm just a Christian just like you. I'm a man of like passion. And sometimes life just seems out of control for myself and you can feel alone.

And at times when I wake up the morning, I say, well, I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to call some of you with challenges that are happening in your life, where I need to organize how many congregations, or I have to take care of the church at large with the other responsibilities I have worldwide, or I have to write this article, much less be a good husband to my wife, and a good father to our adult children and our seven grandchildren, be a good neighbor. And then I've got to write an article for the... You know, sometimes you go like this. You can almost become paralyzed. You don't know where to begin. And some of you don't know where maybe to begin with some of the big challenges that you have in your life right now. So I listen to this song every morning. It's how I start my day. I listen to this song. So you don't know a little bit what happens in the Weber's household. And then at nighttime before I go to bed, because I've worked through the day, and some of you will relate to this, because, you know, you've gone through all the day and you've got all the stuff still spinning in your mind, and then you're trying to go to sleep. And you say, okay, tomorrow I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to do this. I've got to do that. And you freeze because you say you can't do it. And we can't do it on our own friends. We just can't. And then we need to be reminded where God says, don't be afraid. You know, there's over 300 scriptures in the Bible that says, be of good courage. Don't be afraid. And so I listen to that. As Susan knows, I listen to this in the morning, and I listen to this in the afternoon. And it actually brings my spiritual temperature into balance when I hear these words and I hear this melody. So I'd like you to kind of know how I simplify my life. My life becomes simplified as I put my list to the side. And we all have lists of things that we have to do that we think are important. And I put my list down and I give it away. And I begin to hear the list of God's promises and where He wants to take me and where He wants to take you. So I conclude with this to allow you to know that I'm trying to practice what I preach to simplify my life, to come out of this world, to learn now to be a teacher, and to recognize with the vocation that is blessed upon us from above, that you and I are not alone.

Sit back for a moment, listen to it, and then we'll have a closing song.