Unparalleled Relationships, Part 2

In the first part of this series on unparalleled relationships, we saw that awesome relationships are because of something out of this world. Awesome is a name that really, in my mind, applies to God. It's one of those terms that gets slung around like so many other attributes of God, or even names of God, or slang euphemisms of God. But it says in the Bible, awesome is His name. And things that are full of awe and awesome really do relate to God.

Not that that term can't be related to other ways, but awesome relationships are driven by something out of this world, out of the physical realm. Let's go to 1 Peter 2, verses 4 and 5. We'll begin there. 1 Peter 2 and 4. Here's what I'm hoping to convey to you about relationships.

It's not like, oh, here's point 1, 2, 3, and 4, how you can have a better relationship. No, we're talking about a whole different level here. A relationship that's going to grow and grow and grow and magnify and become more and more awesome. We're going to step out of the flesh and into the Spirit, and that relationship is going to deepen and strengthen and unify across time and space. This is the start of something really big. If you want to be part of it, if you don't, there will be no relationship.

It will just simply terminate. 1 Peter 2 and 4, though. Here's what we're encouraged to understand. We are coming to Him. We're coming to Jesus Christ and God the Father. We're coming to Him as to a living stone. He is the rock. He is called here a living stone that we are coming. This is a relationship. We are coming to one called a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God the Father and precious.

When someone is precious to you, again, there's a relationship involved. There's appreciation involved. He is precious not only to the Father, but precious to us, the precious blood of the Lamb, the precious entry point in our relationship with the God family, but going on. You also, verse 5, as living stones. Wasn't He just called the living stone? Now He calls you and me living stones.

I like that term stone. I like to be associated as a stone because I know what that is and I know where the life can come into that stone. Oven by ourselves, we're nothing but we are living stones because of this God we have. And you are being built up into a spiritual house, a family home, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, look, I'm a stone, I'm the rock, but you are stones too. You are part of my body, the body of Christ. That is a tight relationship going on. A holy priesthood. It's not just a title. Priests work. They work hard. They work hard, especially when others of the God family are around, like on Sabbath and Holy Days. We are a priesthood of workers, all of us, of doing the work of loving, the work of serving.

And that's a godly thing. That's a holy thing that comes from the mindset of the God family. To offer up spiritual sacrifices accepted to God through Jesus Christ. Verse 9, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. Notice the relationships here, close, respected relationships. Verse 25, for you are like sheep going astray, but now have returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your lives. We have an unparalleled, unbelievable, awesome potential to be part of a relationship that is so dynamic and so everlasting, that it is unparalleled by any concept of another relationship. Okay, so we get that. But what's the purpose of the relationship? Is it just saying, oh, okay, I've got the stamp, let's say I'm the royal priesthood, I'm the holy nation, I'm the chosen generation, I'm the stone, I'm the spiritual house, I've got all these stamps, got all the badges.

Let's see, I don't work on Saturday, I don't eat pork, I tithe, therefore I'm here, and I'm just here. See, I'm a holy person, or I'm a righteous person, because of those things that I do and don't do. Well, that's the problem, you see, because people who just do right and don't do wrong as far as the requirements and have the right stamp, maybe we call ourselves Sabbath keepers, they don't necessarily have a relationship.

And so we need to understand that this relationship is coming to him. It's involved in the working of the priesthood. It's involved in loving one another as he has loved us, and offering up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God. Today, let's examine where God wants you and me to take this relationship, these awesome relationships. We're going to see the how and the where and the why. This is Unparalleled Relationships Part 2. And as proven last time, ultimate relationships are only possible within the context of the Church of God or the God family, the forgotten children, those being called now, working with and interfacing through the Holy Spirit with the family of God. And some of you young people who are not baptized yet, you also have that linked. You also have the Holy Spirit working with your minds, understanding, helping, encouraging you. And there will come a time when you will step up to a stronger, deeper relationship, whereby you enter a covenant relationship. And God and His Father make their abode in you. They live through the Holy Spirit in you, really stitching you into that body. Now remember, it's within this Church relationship with God that ultimate relationships are possible.

And you're either in it or out of it. That's just the way it is. You're in it or you're out of it. And there comes a choice right there if God has opened your mind and your eyes. And you can choose, well, do I want that kind of relationship with God and the family of God and the mindset of God and the deeds of God and the future of the God family? Or do I really want to do something else?

Let's go over to James 4 and verse 4.

James 4 and verse 4 will break in here to the second sentence.

Do you not know that friendship with this society is hostility with God?

That's the choice we have to make. We can't blur the lines. We can't compromise. We can't double-dip. It's got to be one or the other.

Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Yikes!

Do you want to be the enemy of God? Can you imagine what that would be like?

It's not a good place to be. Then we need to clean up our act a little bit. We need to come out of this world. We need to realize we've got to focus on this relationship with God, which begins with repentance and obedience and faith and trust and loving and serving and picking up that mindset and really using it. Not just knowing the truth, but living the truth, living the Word of God. The self-focus of society alienates us from God. We just saw that. We become his enemy if we pick up that mindset. It also alienates us from family and friends.

You know, many stories of when people get selfish, it just shatters relationships.

That's our carnality. It's our physical nature. That's the old man. That's the antithesis of godliness. We are to have nothing to do with that mindset. Let's make this clear by reading 2 Corinthians 6, verses 14 through 18. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14, where it says, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? I may mention something later in the sermon as an example. We've had individuals in the church who bring lawlessness into the church. And what combination can you have with righteousness and lawlessness? It doesn't fit. What communion has light with darkness? What fellowship has Christ with the devil? What accord has Christ with belial or the devil? What part has a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God, which we are being built into, with idols?

For you are the temple of the living God. And as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Notice the relationship there. He didn't say, I'm going to stamp you with the stamp and you'll be the goody two-shoes and you'll be all set and someday I'll take you to paradise. No, he says, I will dwell with them. I will walk among them. I will be their God and they will be my people. All too often we see our God is on a throne in heaven and Jesus Christ in His right hand. Let's explore that a little bit. I will dwell in them through the Spirit. I will walk among them at times. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. I will receive you and I'll be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord God Almighty. You know, the key to these incredible relationships that we are able to have, the key to it is summarized in the title of a Bible study that's online on the UCG website by an elder named Rod Foster. His title is, overcoming selfishness to build godly relationships. It just says it all. Overcoming the old man to build godly relationships. And he points out and there he says selfishness within us causes conflict between us.

Where's that in the body of Christ? Conflict. He says there's a way to fix that, but it's work.

Ah, that's what we're called to, to do that work. Again, do we want to do the work? Do we want to get rid of the self? It's not just society, that's the self mindset out there and hopefully we're repenting of that. We've got to make progress. You know, your mindset is clearly shown by what you say. Sometimes you think, well, yeah, I'm a really good person. I've got the godly mindset. Well, it is actually, by the words of Jesus Christ, it is clearly shown by what comes out of our mouth. He says in Luke 6, in verse 45, a good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. So if you want a little test, listen to yourself. That's what we all need to do. Again, the solution to words that come out and break relationships isn't a class. It's not going to, oh, here's a class on how to make godly speech come out of a carnal mind, you know, six points and some memory cards and you'll be all fixed up. You can have your carnal mind and you'll have godly speech come out. Jesus said, you know, good fruit can't come off a bad tree. James said the same thing in James 3.

The relationships that are good will become a good man or woman out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good. And what we say, what we do, and the thoughts of our mind. So we need to repent. As David said in Psalm 51, create in me a clean heart, O God. We need to pray that. We need to do that. We need to work on that.

And like the man said in the Bible study there, there is a way to fix that. But it's work. It's good work. But do we want that work? Do we want that work?

There's an example of a relationship that's enhanced within the church in Matthew 5, verse 21.

And this is what the church and Christ and the Father leading us is to perform. It's a relationship that is improving and better on all levels, both human and divine. Matthew 5, verse 21. You've heard it was said of those of old, you shall not murder. Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, raka shall be in danger of the counsel. That's something that God listens to because he knows our heart. But if you say raka, you're calling somebody worthless, stupid. That's what raka means. Worthless, stupid. What do we just read God calls us?

You know, just stones. Royal priesthood, holy generation, chosen people.

And what we would turn and say this stupid or something to someone else, that would not be part of the mindset of the family of God. If you go to chapter 7, verse 12, Jesus said, therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them for this is the law and the prophets.

We like how God treats us and respects us. And we like it when others respect and treat us, and love us, and sacrifice and serve for us. You know, we like that.

Whatever you like, do to others. This is the law and the prophets.

We like it when Jesus Christ created the universe and put us in it. We like it when He died for our sins. We like the fact He's going to share His inheritance with us. We like the fact He's going to elevate us to spirit beings, and we'll sit on His throne with Him, like He sat on His throne with His Father. He liked that, so He did it to us. Now, what are we doing? Are we sitting with the brand? Well, I've got the right church, I've got the right governance, I've got the right days, I've got the right doctrines, I'm good to go. Or are we fully engaged in developing relationships that imitate the God family and what they do for us? You know, the very best example of proper communication on any book on the face of the earth, I believe, can be found in Matthew 6. Let's turn there. Matthew 6. In verse 9, here is a lesson on how to make great relationships and the way to use our speech properly. It's the guide to communicating with God. God gave us the guide. It's called the model prayer outline.

If you look at Matthew 6, beginning in verse 9, in this manner, therefore talk to God.

Here's how you'll relate to God, the framework, the outline in which to use.

Our Father in heaven, holy, hallowed, is your name. You know, think about that a moment. That is a treasure. Your name and everything associated with it is just awesome. Now, while you're thinking that thought, I want you to think about a member of the church, somebody.

Maybe you're related to them, maybe you're not, maybe it's a brother or sister that's somewhere in the church. Think about them. Just a moment. What do you think of their name? What do you think of their name? When you go to talk to that individual, do you say, Fred or Jane? Do you say, precious? Do you say, holy is your name? Well, their name isn't holy, but wait a minute. Aren't they named after the family of God? Aren't we a holy, precious generation? Aren't we called into a royal priesthood to be His holy, special people?

Isn't that individual in the body of Christ? Doesn't God live in them with the Holy Spirit?

Won't His name be written on them when He returns? You see, this is the mindset, this is the way to communicate, to think very precious about people. Your kingdom come, God. Yes, we want your kingdom to come. And, oh, by the way, my neighbor, how's your local kingdom doing here on earth? How's your family? What needs do you have? I like to see that in the short term do well, along with the work of God. Give us this day our daily bread. We are interested in everybody. Give us, not me, I'm not singling myself out, but give us all what we need today as far as the spiritual bread of life and the physical needs that we have and our brothers and sisters. And when one of us grieves, we all grieve, and when one rejoices, we all rejoice. And when someone has a need, we all pile on.

Forgive us our debts. God, forgive me, forgive us, help me to forgive them. Clean slate for everybody this morning as we're praying. Nobody has a single fault or a flaw. And that's great. What a wonderful thing to have every day for everyone. And so on and so forth. Don't lead us into temptation. Don't let us be allowed to leave, praying for one another, helping, encouraging one another, being agents of truth. Because some people can't understand the truth. Who will hear the truth unless someone is sent to teach them? And sometimes that individual is you. You're the first point person at school, at work, in the neighborhood. Kingdom of God lectures. You are the ones that the people will come and sit among and talk to afterwards. You are the light of the world. Deliver us from the evil one, and yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. God is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Oh, and by the way, you? It's about you being in the kingdom. And it's about you getting the power and you having the glory within the God family, too, because the Bible tells us that we should be striving for that glory. We want to be part of that glorious family. This model prayer outline contains the outline of the way we should communicate with all in the God family. Did you notice it's encouraging, it's uplifting, it is respectful, it's admirable, it's caring, it is apples of gold and settings of silver.

It graciously promotes all members and all aspects of the family of God, its plans, its future.

There's not one thing negative in there.

It is fabulous. You know, the purpose of the relationships is for us to be growing.

Every one of us is growing stronger with stronger bonds, stronger relationships.

If not, we get terminated. That's why we're here. Don't say, oh yeah, I keep this out of it and I don't eat shrimp. Therefore, I'm fine. I'm sure you'll recall that the parable of the manas in Luke 19 goes on through verse 24. But we'll just take a brief look. Luke 19, beginning in verse 12, where he says, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.

Who is the nobleman who went to a far country to receive a kingdom and will return at his second coming? Obviously Jesus the Christ. And he called ten of his servants, delivered them ten minas and said, Do business till I come. And some of those then became engaged and did a lot of growth. One of them, as we get down towards the end here in verse 20, one came saying, Master, here's your mina which I've kept put away in anger. But I've got the sign. No shrimp. You can do a blood test if you want. Not that we shouldn't do those things, but I'm just saying, if that's all you've got, you've got the brand, you've got the truth, you've got, you know, and that's what you've got. You're going to show up with that because, you know, he says, Take them away.

Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas. Verse 26, Where I say that to everyone who has will be given and from him who does not have, even that what he has will be taken away from him. So, we're to grow with this love. We've heard that the law and the prophets are the agape love and doing to others as you would have done to yourself, to the God family and the physical family. If we're not doing that, then we're going to be disqualified and removed. We're to grow through this relationship. This relationship isn't about the relationship, it's about the growth that comes from the relationship.

It's the same thing with the mina. It wasn't about the mina, it wasn't about the Holy Spirit. I got the Holy Spirit, I got the truth. No, it was about growing from that. It's not about just having the relationship, it's using the relationship to grow. Let's notice this clearly in Ephesians 4. We'll begin in verse 1. Ephesians 4 and verse 1. I'm not here today to tell me or you or anybody, oh, you know, we've got the right brand, we've got the right this, we've got the right rules, just do this, this, and you're all proved. You've got the seal on, we're good to go.

No, not so. Let's see what all this is supposed to be for and how it's done and why it's done and where we need to be going as we go down the trail, the difficult road following Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4.1 says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. All right, we have the calling, we have the relationship potential.

What are we going to do with it? Are we walking it? Well, we're to walk with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, in agape love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And there is one body, one Spirit, one Church, one body of Christ, just as you are called in one hope of your calling.

There's one Lord, there's one faith, there's one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. There's the relationship, potential relationship.

It's all set up, baptized and ready to go with the Holy Spirit. But what are we supposed to do with it? Let's look in verse 12. After saying that he gave some to be in the ministry, it's for the equipping of the saints, for the work of serving, for the building up of the body of Christ. The Church isn't the Church just because it's the Church. It's the Church to be built.

It's the Church to grow. It exists to grow. It exists to develop and the relationship grows and a work is done through it. For the edifying, for the building up of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a new Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What would it be? Growing, individually and collectively. Verse 15, speaking the truth in agape love may grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ. You see why the guy with the single mena wrapped in a napkin isn't going anywhere? This is about growing. This is about growing and developing and relationship builds and builds. And the end of our life is not a terminal point.

That's just one little line along the way to eternity. He grew up into him who is the head of the body, Jesus Christ. If you think about that, you can see my body here. You've got a head, shoulders, legs, right? Christ is the head of the body. But notice, he is saying that we have that close of a relationship, that we are part of a one organism with him. That's what he wants. That's how he sees us as a single entity.

Verse 16, from whom, Jesus Christ, the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share. This is not a body that's comatose or dead or a statue. This body is working and joints are supplying and effective working by which every part is doing its share. It causes growth of the body for the building up of itself in agape love. This concept of the relationship, you see, should never become sort of a badge in your mind. It shouldn't be the terminal thing of, I have the truth, I'm in the organization, I'm in the body of Christ, I have the Holy Spirit, I have the loss.

No, it is all there to be worked with. These are tools, these are opportunities. Now, you and I are invited to some special ultimate relationship events along the way.

This organism that we are, the body of Christ, has some special events. And they are also to encourage and promote more growth and more understanding, more excitement within the body, more opportunities to serve. You know, a lot of the work within the body of Christ, as I said, and a lot of the work within the ancient house of Israel, took place on the Sabbath and the Holy Days. People really prepared their animals to bring as sacrifices. They prepared themselves for six days for the weekly Sabbath and then for the annual Sabbath. Some of them required travel and preparation. And at these big events, there was lots of sacrificing and celebrating and worship going on, teaching that went on, busy. But how did that work compare to the work during the six days of the week? Some of it was preparatory for the Sabbath. Some of it was just carrying on with the needs of life. Well, it was very different work, wasn't it? Very different work.

In Leviticus chapter 23, God invites us to these festivals. Begin in verse 2, Leviticus 23.

Let's try to see these feasts through the lens of relationships, just like in Ephesians, how this body is growing and edifying itself.

Rather than, oh, I keep the feast. I keep the Passover on the right day.

Or, I keep the Sabbath because I don't go to work. See them for what they are. Verse 2 of Leviticus 23, God says, speak to the children of Israel and say to them, the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. These are my feasts. It's not just, oh, these are the proper days to worship. No, He says, these you will proclaim to be holy convocations. We're going to get together. This is a holy assembly. I'm going to be there in the temple, the tabernacle. I'm going to be there, probably literally, today in the New Covenant. I'm going to show up. I'm going to be there in person. These are my feasts. It's interesting how throughout Leviticus, the feasts are referred to as my feasts. You will come before the Lord, to the Lord, of the Lord, and sacred assembly. Feast after feast after feast, involved sacred coming to God. It's of the Lord. You're coming to the Lord. You're going to assemble before the Lord. This is a relationship activity, not just a day in which you say, oh, I don't work today. The first feast He mentions is verse 3, six days shall work be done. You look at the word work, you find that it's talking about a type of work that is set aside on the seventh day. Rest means to set aside. You're going to do something different on the seventh day. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of solemn rest. The word rest set aside. You're going to set aside that which you've been doing the rest of the week. It's a holy assembly, a holy convocation. You shall do no work, the standard work. The Hebrew word means business, busyness, all the stuff that we busy ourself with, including preparation. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Now, it's not just the Sabbath that the Lord said, okay, boop, I put my stamp on that day over there. You know, every seven days it's going to come around. No, it's my Sabbath, he says. It's a holy convocation. We're going to convoke. We're going to assemble on this day. We're going to have a special relationship on this day. And my feast days are like that. You're going to come where I am. You're going to come to me, and we're going to have these relationships. In verse 3, when we see here that you'll do no work on it, we're reminded that the same God worked six days in the first chapter of Genesis. He worked six days. What did he do for six days? He prepared for the Sabbath is what he did.

You go back and read it. Six days he prepared for the Sabbath. He prepared to keep the Sabbath with Adam and Eve. Had to do a lot in those six days, didn't he? Couldn't keep the Sabbath with Adam and Eve if there was no Adam and Eve. And you couldn't have Adam and Eve without the garden, and all the animals, and the moon, and the stars, and everything else. He was busy. Very, very busy.

But now we find that he comes to the Sabbath, and he's fully prepared. And they're able to walk in the garden, and talk in the garden. He's able to teach them about life. They're able to have a relationship, a very powerful relationship with God was possible for Adam and Eve.

I'd like to give you an example here. I hope this is working. It is. I'm going to take you back into a little family history, if you don't mind, just to make this personal.

This will be my 63rd Feast of Tabernacles.

Here's Mr. Armstrong teaching in Ambassador College back in the late 1940s, early 1950s. Mr. Armstrong tried to explain and expound to us what God wanted us to know, what he wanted us to do. He would also encourage us as to how to keep and obey the commandments and to apply them in our lives. Mr. Armstrong taught us to prepare for holy time. As a kid growing up, he was my pastor, and he would explain to us some things. He'd say, now, as you come up to the Sabbath, we're going to get ready for this relationship with God, and you've got to be prepared. He said, gentlemen, that means shining your shoes on Fridays. Let's get your outfit ready.

So shining shoes is something we did. You get out the shoeshine stuff, you probably see some black on my nails today, because I shined my shoes before the Sabbath. And he said, and gentlemen, never wear a shirt that you've worn another day on the Sabbath. Always have a fresh shirt, make sure it's ironed in advance, make sure it's set aside and ready for the Sabbath. Make sure that your suit is pressed and that you come before God properly. And ladies, he said, make sure that you prepare, that you don't do your normal customary things in your homes on the Sabbath, that you have a Sabbath preparation all ready to go. And that's the way the church went. That's what we did. And when the Sabbath came, and we all came together at church, we were taught that day. That's what we've done. That's what we continue to do.

I'd like to read a letter here from who I believe is the senior-most member of the Church of God today. Not the oldest, but the one who's been baptized the longest. This lady was baptized in, well, I'll let her tell you. My husband, Jack Elliott, and I were baptized in April 1949 after two years of listening to the World Tomorrow program, reading the literature from it, and lots of Bible study. Mr. Armstrong was deeply concerned with teaching the truth about God's plan of salvation. We learned early on about the holiness of the Sabbath day and the importance of preparing for it ahead of time so that absolutely no work would be done to besmirch the time. For God Himself was in it. He was there in person with us on that day. It's interesting to read this. And to hear how the Church back in the 1940s, at Pasadena, at Bassar College, Pasadena, how they felt and what was taught there.

We prepared whatever food we were to eat on the Sabbath on Friday, soup, beans, boiled eggs, meatloaf, whatever. And then everything was ready in place so we could concentrate on God and study His Word without being distracted by food preparation. And this is the way we were taught in those days, even before we were baptized and came to Pasadena.

A little while after our baptism, Mr. Armstrong asked Jack to come to Pasadena and teach mathematics at the fledgling Ambassador College. And so he resigned from his job as a petroleum engineer for Gulf Oil, and we left Texas for a new life. You can see at the bottom there is Mr. Armstrong, the President at the top there, and the left is my father. And this is the first envoy that was ever made in 1951, the year I was born. I'm doing this not to brag, but to give you some sense of history and to validate some of the things that I'm saying and some of the things that my mother here is writing. What we found here was a tiny college of six older students, eight new ones, struggling to make a go of it on a couple of weed-infested lots with some old houses as buildings.

Having come from the 2000 student body of the University of Texas, this was amazing and intriguing, and we all pitched in to help. On a Sabbath day, there's my dad. You can see how many students he had. He was teaching mathematics.

And this right here was the church building. That's 363 Grove Street, Pasadena.

At one point my family lived—this was our view out our front window of that. Mr. Armstrong's house was on the left. But see the three kind of behind the column, the three vertical lines there. That was the entrance into the main room where we had church. I started out as a baby on the floor, just inside the door. Didn't make so much distraction by going into the main room. Later on, I slept on the floor during the sermons. Later on, I sat in a chair.

That was where church services was.

Now, that was through the doorway here. If you notice this lattice work here, that's my father's office.

He had his office just a few steps away from that door. It was interesting to go up to the big door and pull on the door and go in and see daddy behind the big desk. That's just kind of how I grew up, was there. Now, on the Sabbath day, the small church met in the library. This is the library building of the college, but the library was actually in that room. And here you can see inside the room. This is actually one of the church services. Inside that little library room, it was no bigger than this one section of chairs. And that's where we held church.

There were about 30 baptized members, plus students and a few others.

The entire membership of the church worldwide at the time was about 70.

Some in Southern California, some in Oregon, and a few in Washington State. In those days, one of the wonderful things which the Sabbath brought us was the opportunity for fellowship after services with brethren of like mind. You know, and there's only 70 in the world that you know of. It's pretty special to be able to get together. And we did get together. We had people over to our home. We had students over to our home. We went to other people's home. We did a lot of potlucking. She says, the first years were very lean ones, and we all struggled just to make ends meet and to keep some food on the table. Many of us often invited several families home with us after services to potluck our prepared Sabbath dinner meals together. It was a wonderful time of discussion of the sermon, our own Bible studies, questions about scriptures, personal lessons learned, etc. None of us was rich or increased with goods, but we gladly shared our humble fare with one another and enjoyed both a physical and spiritual feast. Even when the ministers and special music people were sent out to outlying churches such as San Diego, Long Beach, or Bakersfield, years later, we took sack lunches that we had prepared. She says, I've eaten many sandwiches, salads, deviled eggs at roadside parks when coming or going to outlying churches with the assigned minister and his wife. That was the teaching of the church, and everyone that we knew did that. We were admonished to obey the command to boil what you will boil, seed what you will seed before the Sabbath began. She says, I've checked with other ladies from the early days, and all of them said that they have always practiced Sabbath food preparation in that way. Now, what am I pushing here? You might think I'm pushing some view of what we ought to do.

I'm pushing getting prepared for a relationship, an ultimate relationship. Getting things off the plate, getting the shoes, the shirt ready, it's special. You're looking forward to it.

You're looking forward to what you've prepared for the Sabbath, and you're about to step into an awesome, incredible opportunity to have a relationship with God, because He is wanting to have one with us. In 1979, Mr. Armstrong talked about the church being off track, and it really reeled off track. One of the statements he made was, one of the principal ways the church had gotten off track was regarding the Sabbath, kind of a laxity. I'm not just talking about one aspect. The whole thing, to call ourselves Sabbath keepers, but not to keep it holy. You know what I'm saying? To not really dwell within that time with God, and on godly things, and be thinking and interacting about godly things, but instead to have let selfishness come in. There's the Ambassador Campus, as it was when it completed.

My father had various jobs there. He was the Dean of Students, all the student body. There's about 1,200 students at its largest. He was a superintendent of construction and maintenance. It was later called the Physical Plant, which meant he built all that, all the way around, two campuses on two sides of a freeway. When I grew up, you see, every little house, every little shack, I knew well, inside out and usually the basement, because I was a kid.

I knew every building that was remodeled, every remodel, because you see, my dad worked with Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Armstrong wanted to know all those details. We took lots of walks, visited lots of stuff. I knew when a building was going to get new windows or doors, it was going to be razed or torn down. Sometimes it's where we were. I knew all the construction companies, OK Earl and Simons and all these other ones that used to come in. My dad had a battery of not just construction people, but also engineers and draft people and drafting architects.

And those architects worked with other architects who actually did the construction of these big buildings. You remember the auditorium? David Wynn did the Eageritz sculpture and some other sculptures on campus. Mr. Armstrong had my parents go out to dinner with David Wynn and himself on a Saturday evening. They went after the sun had set and there was quite a lot of excitement about David Wynn and his sculptures. There was a lot of excitement about these buildings.

Mr. Armstrong was very involved in them. My dad was interacting all the time with them.

The reason I'm saying that is there was a relationship. When my mother was pregnant with me, Mr. Armstrong would talk to her about the new baby that was coming. Years later, I'd be at college in a Bible study with a whole student body somewhere in the audience and he'd be talking along. He'd see me and say, there's a young man I've known since before he was born.

It bears the way out of me. He performed Mary's and my wedding. We were the very first ones to use the current wedding ceremony that he devised. I'm not saying we had any special deal. I'm just telling you, we were around. This is what we did. This is what we do. That's why we do it. Now, some see the Sabbath as a day set aside for resting. I think the Bible would indicate the Sabbath is a day to rest from something. Not a day of resting, but a day to rest from something.

Let's go to Exodus chapter 20 and the Ten Commandments and see the Sabbath command and try to get the relationship aspect here from this commandment. It speaks out very strongly.

So when we come up to these celebrations of the feasts, of Holy Days, the weekly festival, we ought to see the context of the incredible ultimate relationships that we can have because of them and through them.

Exodus chapter 20 and verse 8.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Let's remember what God tells us. He didn't say, Remember to keep the Sabbath. I counted up one time how many people on the earth keep the Sabbath, and I think it's less than one percent will be in the first resurrection.

So just saying you're a Sabbath keeper doesn't really mean a whole lot. It's not what we're commanded to do. Let's notice what we're commanded to do. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Oh, we're to keep it holy. Remember? Be you holy, for I am holy, God says. We are His holy people. We have His Holy Spirit. It's His holy day. We're to take our shoes off when we come in His presence.

And He tells us in Isaiah 58, put your own thoughts, your weekday thoughts out, the words, put them out, take your shoes off, take your feet off my Sabbath day.

And delight in that relationship with Him is what He's speaking of. How's going on here? Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Why? Because God is in it. That's how it's holy. It's not something He put over there and left. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

Business. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.

Business. Nobody shall. You, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, your stranger who's within your gates. That weekday stuff, this is a special time. Verse 11. Four. You're not going to do your regular stuff because, because in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the seas, and all that is in them, and He rested the seventh day. See, you don't work. Don't do your normal stuff on the seventh day because I prepared for the seventh day. Six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, all that's in them, and you and me. And He rested from that, from that preparation, and did something unique and special on the seventh day. He rested the seventh day.

Rested in the word in Hebrew means to withdraw. He withdrew. Didn't mean He just sat down and didn't do anything. Didn't mean He went to sleep. He withdrew from creating, from preparing. Now He had Adam and Eve. Likewise, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. He made it holy.

Now, I find it interesting that God worked six days. In the booklet, Sunset to Sunset, God's Sabbath rest, it says, this is where an understanding of the purpose of the Sabbath law becomes important. We can focus on the Sabbath law and we can maybe argue about what you can and can't do and what's approved and what's not. But what is the purpose? Scripture shows that this command is a crucial key to our relationship with God. The Sabbath is about the relationship.

And you can't have a relationship if we're distracted, if we don't consider it to be anything. You just kind of muddle through it and we don't really care about God. It's not something we're going to be all excited about. The booklet goes on. It quotes Isaiah 58, 13 and 14 from the NIV translation. If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my Holy Day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's Day honorable, then you will find your joy in the Lord. We're going to find our joy within that relationship if we take the time to have a relationship. I think too many times we can just say, well, I'm in the church and I'm going to church today. Yep, now I've got six days and I'm in the church and I'm going to church today.

And we see it as kind of an obligation. Although I want to go to church, can I figure out why I don't have to go to church? Is there an exception? I don't know, maybe I should go to church.

But if it's about the relationship, the booklet goes on. Is the Sabbath relevant? Is it really practical to keep the Sabbath? How should it be observed today? Well, to answer these questions, let's consider what the Bible, God's inspired word, reveals. Jesus Christ said that He was Lord of the Sabbath. When you're the Lord of something, you know, that's your assignment from the Father. That's something you're involved in. He said that Sabbath was made for man. It's something for you and me. It's not the day.

It's the opportunity to be with God and to commune with God and with the people of God.

It was made for all time. It's enshrined in the Ten Commandments.

What does the Sabbath mean to us today? Let's go to Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 through 11.

Hebrews chapter 4 beginning in verse 9.

There remains therefore a rest, a sabbatismos, a Sabbath for the people of God, it says.

For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his.

As we enter the Sabbath rest, we're to cease from our works as God ceased from his works. And when I look at creation, I see God preparing six days and we're to cease from whatever works we were doing in preparations. Verse 11.

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest.

Another way of saying that would be, let us therefore work hard to enter that sabbatismos.

Lest anyone fall, we should again consider God's part in this Sabbath and in these holy days.

Consider the Son of Man. That's an interesting term. Jesus Christ is called the Son of Man.

He's God's Son and his role is with mankind. That's been his primary role, is to develop human beings and create them and then to step in and help them become members of the family of God. That's his job. He is the Son of Man. I don't know if that's what that title refers to, but he is the Son and he is not only was human at one point, but he is all about mankind.

That's the task that the Father has put in him, creating us and bringing us into the family of God.

He is the God of the Old Testament who came to mankind and taught.

He is the Savior of mankind. He came and lived and died for us so he can save us. He came with his first coming to sanctify us and to teach us and to create this body whereby we can grow, spiritual body. He established the church. The Sabbath also not only pictures all of those things, it pictures the second coming when he will reign on earth as the King of Kings and the kingdom of God will begin its phase here on earth. The kingdom for all men.

It's also the second resurrection can be rolled into that. It's part of the Sabbath. Also, the eternal kingdom of God can be rolled into the meaning of this day. This Sabbath is all about God, about Jesus Christ, and about the purpose. Now, let me ask you a question. What might Jesus Christ be doing today? That's a question I've asked myself. What do you think he's doing today?

Well, if we look through the Scripture, we might get some clues, but I'm not a spirit being, so I'm going to tell you right up front. I don't know for sure, but maybe he's doing the work the Father gave him to do. Maybe he's busy today on the day that pictures the coming kingdom, pictures his second return, pictures the body, the church that he's created, pictures that time in which we have a Sabbath with him, and it's his holy day, and pictures the day of which he is the Lord of. Maybe he's real involved in this day. I think that. I really do. I feel that.

Historically, he prepared mankind for it by saying it was a commanded assembly with him at the tabernacle. We find in Luke chapter 4 in verse 16, every Sabbath that was his custom to assemble, to go to the synagogue and to assemble and to teach and be with people. That's what he did, every Sabbath. Remember, you start adding this up. You've got a Sabbath that's a holy assembly where he wants Israel to be with him, and then when he's here on earth, he goes to church, every Sabbath, as it were, and he assembles and teaches.

What's he doing today, I wonder? Let's go to Ezekiel chapter 1 and verse 4.

I want to show you something in Ezekiel that, if you only think of Jesus Christ as omnipresent, I think you miss something. It's a concept that God is everywhere all the time, and Jesus Christ is everywhere all the time. And yet, I don't know an omnipresent very well. I know what scripture that's sort of created from, but that term is not in the Bible, so let's use some things that are in the Bible. We know, for instance, that Jesus Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father. That's a pretty specific location. If you're omnipresent, what are you doing in one specific place at the right hand of God? If you're just only omnipresent, you know, if you're just, I assume God the Father then must be also everywhere all the time. Why are we taught by Jesus Christ? Pray, our Father, which is in heaven. Oh, why was he there? Why did Jesus say, I have not presented myself yet to my Father. I go. That scripture we read earlier, a man goes to a far country and returns. My point here isn't to knock omnipresence, it's to say that he also is specific places in time. When we come to Ezekiel the fourth chapter, I'm sorry, Ezekiel the first chapter in verse four, notice what we see.

Then I looked and behold a whirlwind was coming out of the north, specific direction, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber out of the midst of the fire. And from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. Drop down to verse 13. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright and out of the fire went lightning. There's a lot of action going on and this thing that's moving. The living creatures ran back and forth. The appearance of lightning. I looked at the living creatures and behold a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. And the appearance of the wheels and the workings was like the color of barrel and all four had the same lightness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they moved, they went toward one of the four directions. One of the four directions. They did not turn aside when they went.

Here is a vehicle we're going to find Jesus Christ riding on. And where it goes, there are no demons or Satan or anybody else that make it move out of the way. It goes where it wants to go. It goes fast. It goes secure. It may have legions of angels with it. I don't know. But let's go on down here in verse 24. When they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. And a voice came from above the firmament on this, what you might call a mobile throne. It was over the heads of these beings. Verse 26, and above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne. Ha! Jesus Christ sat down at the right hand of God on His throne, but it doesn't appear that He always is there. Here's another throne, and it moves. And the likeness of the throne was like the appearance of a man high above it. And from the appearance of His waist upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it. And from the appearance of His waist downward I saw the appearance of fire with brightness all around it. Verse 28, like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around us. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one speaking. There is a dynamic individual with work to do and the transportation to do it with. I wonder in my own mind what this means. What's the mobile throne for? What would you do? If you looked at all the job titles and all the descriptions He has, where would you be? Where would you be going and when might you be going there? We know that He told Mary, don't touch me in the morning, because I haven't ascended my father. We know He came back, and in the evening had Thomas touch him, He went. He returned. Now, He didn't have His second coming. He lived here for 34 years, a little over 34 years if you count the time of His pregnancy. Then He went back permanently to receive a kingdom and to return permanently. But in between, you notice with Mary, He came back that afternoon with the disciples.

Days or weeks later, He met them at the Sea of Galilee. Remember? Peter walked on water and came out and Lord helped him up, and He was there. He comes back.

He moves around. Paul said the Lord taught him personally in the wilderness in Arabia for some time. I wonder what days of the week or day of the week Paul got his teaching. I don't know. The Bible doesn't say. Revelation 1 says, Jesus Christ said, I walk among the candlesticks. I walk among the churches. When does He walk among the churches and when does He sit at the right hand of God? When does He use this mobile throne? Matthew 18 and verse 20, Jesus said, where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Now, if that applies to administrative and ministerial functions for important decisions regarding the church, how much more would that apply on the Sabbath day for the Lord of the Sabbath who makes things holy by being there? I wonder if Jesus Christ is in this room right now and somehow in His Spirit ability with all of the brethren throughout the Sabbath, not just during church serves, one day of the week. It would seem that the whole point of the do's and don'ts for the Sabbath is to, as He said in Isaiah 58, be ready for a relationship with Him. In the booklet Sunset to Sunset, God's Sabbath rest, it says, added to this is the new covenant meaning of entering into another rest through Jesus Christ. Fulfilled in type by the rest given to Israel, the spiritual rest begins now in this life, rest. The ceasing from our weekday begins in this life on the Sabbath and reaches its consummation in the resurrection to eternal life at the return of Jesus Christ. His return also signals the beginning of the millennial rest, prophesied. The conclusion is that Sabbath-keeping is still necessary for the people of God.

And Hebrews 4.10 affirms that we must all labor to enter the spiritual rest and continue to keep the weekly Sabbath. We need to labor in doing that. Now, as we wrap this up, the whole purpose of the Sabbath is the fulfillment of ultimate relationships, maximizing their total effectiveness, the holy days, the Sabbath, our relationship with God, all of these things work together. Let's go to John 17, verses 16-23. Now, you might mistake this as a sermon about the Sabbath.

Something else. This is how ultimate relationships grow. They are worked on beginning with our calling, beginning with everything that the Sabbath and the holy days picture, and then lived out during the week in our relationship with God and with each other, and then strengthened once again on the Sabbath. And then as the holy days are completed and they're realistic, they're not realistic, but they're real fulfillment, those relationships are complete in every case. John 17, verses 16-23. They are not of the world. Within this body, this relationship, as Jesus talks to the Father, he says, you and I are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Notice how we are stitched together once again. Sanctify them by your truth. Sanctify means to set them apart by your truth, by your logos. Your logos is truth. Jesus Christ is truth. The written word is truth. We are sanctified by him. As you have sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. We have that in common. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. Not just the truth, but by the logos, which includes him. There's a relationship there. Not just simply pieces and parts here and there, but a relationship where it all works together. I do not pray for these alone, but also those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that is the reality and that is the goal. We have it in part now. We are growing that relationship.

It continues, and the glory which you gave me, I have given them, that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be me perfect in one.

That's where that relationship is going. That's the purpose. That's our calling.

And in conclusion, you and I can have unique calling at this time and unparalleled relationships that are growing into something that is out of this world, as it were. In all of history, you and I have the opportunity to have awesome relationships with God and with each other through His family. I'll conclude by reading Romans 12 and verse 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Be like me, a living sacrifice for each other. Present your bodies holy because God is in you, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. We want that relationship to grow. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In verse 9, let agape love from the family of God be without hypocrisy.

A poor what is evil cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love in honor, giving preference to one another. Remember that model prayer outline, how it is so inclusive and it prefers and it honors everyone. Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. This is about loving and serving and giving. As I said before, God making you so that you can know Him, so that He can bring you to repentance, so that you can do those things which make Him your friend, and He can love you and grow you into a child that eventually will be resurrected as a spirit being and be in the family of God. And He and His Son will sit on their thrones and serve us and it says, and we will serve them.

And this will be a hot, burning relationship like no other. It's just going to be fantastic. It's going to be feverish in its intensity. If we want that, it says here in chapter 12 verse 9, if we want that, we need to love. We need to adopt that mindset and we need to really go for it.

Verse 11, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. All of these come together into a dynamic family whose purpose is to sacrifice and serve and love and give.

They will move through eternity together. Are you growing your relationship with the family of God, with each other here in heaven? If so, you are developing relationships that are unparalleled anywhere in the universe.