We Are Signs

Well, brethren, Jesus Christ said that the generation in which He lived was a corrupt and a perverse generation that sought after a sign. They had to actually see with their eyes before they would believe with their hearts and minds, even though the Son of God was right there with them. The interesting thing is that they saw many miracles. They saw signs. They saw wonders. Signs, wonders, and miracles that should have clearly proven to them that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God with the very power of the Almighty God.

Christ performed many powerful miracles, signs, and wonders for many months. He turned water to the very best of wines. He fed thousands of people with just a few loaves and a few fishes. He cast out demons and He healed the sick. We've heard the stories. We've read them.

We believe them. The blind saw, the deaf heard, and the lame walked. And yet, that wasn't enough. More signs were sought. And when they were given, they too were also rejected. Those signs, those miracles and wonders were not enough for those who saw with their eyes but did not believe with their minds and their hearts. Now a few weeks ago, actually, I guess I haven't given this sermon here, but a few weeks ago in Tulsa and in Oklahoma City, I gave a sermon entitled, Trusting in the God of Gideon.

I guess it's probably been over a month now since I gave that sermon. It's entitled, Trusting in the God of Gideon. And in the sermon, I pointed out many different signs that God had sent to Gideon, and yet Gideon was looking for more signs. He was looking for more proof that God would indeed deliver him and the Israelites, as God had promised. What about you? Are you still looking for signs? In fact, were you looking for signs on the day of Pentecost?

You may have been. I think I probably have at times, hoping there would be some signs on the day of Pentecost that God would pour out his Spirit. Maybe someone would start speaking in tongues, and someone would start interpreting what was spoken. Or perhaps we would start hearing in our own ears what someone was saying, a foreign language, and we could understand it.

That would have been awesome, obviously. Perhaps we would like to see some cloven tongues being poured out here today, even. You remember people were also hearing a rushing, mighty wind on the day of Pentecost. Now, I mentioned that in Oklahoma City on the day of Pentecost, and I also mentioned that maybe since we're in Oklahoma, we might not really want to hear a rushing, mighty wind. In fact, on the last day of Unleavened Bread, there was a tornado not far away.

The water was just pounding on the meeting hall where we were, and we found out later that indeed there were tornadoes in the area. There were rushing, mighty winds, but it's not always a good thing to have that. Seriously, should you be looking for signs today, or should you more importantly be more concerned, a lot more concerned about becoming a sign yourself? Think about that for a moment. Wouldn't it be much better that you became a sign, a real witness to the world of God's truth and God's way of life?

How are you to be a sign, a witness to the sick and perverse generation in which we live? What kind of sign are you to be right now at this particular time in history? Just how does the Holy Spirit set apart true believers and make them signs and witnesses to the world? I'd like to show you today how God's Spirit enables you to be a sign to this generation that is also seeking signs. Because God's Spirit dwells in you, you are to be a sign. You are to be a witness, a powerful witness to this world.

So the title of this sermon is simply, We Are Signs. We're all signs here. We all have a certain responsibility because of our calling, because of what God is doing in our lives. So we are signs, you are a sign. The Holy Spirit is a very powerful force. It is the very power of God the Father and of Jesus Christ the Son, the Savior of this world. And as the Apostle Peter said on the day of Pentecost when the New Testament Church began, he said, Repent and let every one of you be baptized for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is indeed a wonderful gift that God gives us to empower us, to strengthen us, to help us do many, many wonderful things in our lives. Now we know that those who have repented of their sins and have accepted Christ as their Savior, those who have been baptized and have had hands laid upon them, as the Scripture says, they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. There's a promise there that if you truly have repented and accepted Christ as your Savior and if you've submitted yourself to baptism, to being immersed in water, and then have the hands laid upon you of a true minister of God, then you can know that you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit sanctifies and sets apart God's children. It sets apart true believers of the true faith. Now Mr. Sani was talking about how so many people are deceived. They don't know and understand the truth, but we have been given the truth to understand regarding Jesus Christ, who He is, and also God the Father. So God's people and His children can and should be signs. They should be signs or witnesses to the world. A sign really does witness to the world, doesn't it? When my wife and I drove here, I noticed a number of signs along the way.

They were witnessing to me a number of things. They were telling me certain things. They were identifying certain information about companies that collect metal, for example. I remember seeing a salvage yard that wanted your metal. Bring your metal to them. Signs tell us all kinds of things. For example, you may have seen the sign by the Sonic Corporation. Some of you like Sonic, probably. You go there, you enjoy their hamburgers. Well, they have this one sign that has a big picture of a succulent hamburger.

It looks good. Lettuce and tomato, a couple of all-beef patties. You know the story. It says, right underneath this beautiful picture of this juicy hamburger, it says, we built it, you come. Obviously, a play on the old movie about Field of Dreams, I guess it was. They built the stadium. The people came. They built these beautiful hamburgers, tasty, juicy hamburgers, and you've all come. You've gone there. You've gotten their hamburgers.

Probably a pretty effective advertising campaign, but it witnessed and identified what Sonic wanted you to know that they have good hamburgers, and you should come and get one. There are all types of signs that try to convey certain information to us as consumers. Signs tell us where to go. They tell us what to believe. They try to convince us of certain information that they want to sell us on believing. The Bible talks about a number of signs as well. Signs are sometimes tokens of things like a rainbow in the sky. What does that tell us? It tells us that God isn't going to flood the earth any longer and destroy almost all of mankind through a flood. These are signs that, again, witness to us certain things. Frankly, God has used his people as signs and as witnesses throughout history. The Bible reveals that God's chosen ones were indeed signs to the world. Abraham was a sign of God's true way of life. Abraham pointed his family to the true God. People who came in contact with him knew he was different. They knew there was something really different about him. He had a crazy religion, but he was really a great guy. People have said that about you and me. They like us for the most part, but they may not like what we believe because of our crazy religion as they would look at it. Abraham was a type of God the Father, and he was willing to actually lay down his son Isaac. Remember that? He was willing to lay down his son and sacrifice his son. What a sign and a witness to the world. It's in our Bibles. We have this record of what Abraham was willing to do as a witness to the world. Isaac was also a sign. He was a type of Jesus Christ. He was the type of the son who was willing to be sacrificed according to his Father's will. The Bible doesn't talk about a great struggle that ensued with Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was submissive to his Father. So he is an example of Jesus Christ who was submissive to his Father. Jacob was a sign of God's true way as well. Jacob, who was once a deceiver and a supplanter, which the word Jacob means, became known as Israel, which means the prince of God.

Jacob became the father of twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob changed his life a great deal. Just like Peter, I mentioned Peter earlier. Peter had denied Christ three times in quick succession when Christ was in the process of being crucified. Yet on the day of Pentecost, he preached a powerful sermon because God's Spirit was poured out upon him. God was working with him and witnessing to the world through the Apostle Peter. Now, one of Jacob's sons, Joseph, became a sign of God's true way. Through him, God saved the Egyptians for a while. Remember when there was great famine in the land and God used Joseph to save the Egyptians and also the surrounding peoples, save them from famine and sure death. Moses was also a type of Christ, and he became a sign of God's true way through his willingness to follow God and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Joshua and Caleb were signs of God's true ways as they were faithful and encouraged the children of Israel to make haste and to go up and possess the Promised Land.

We remember the names of Joshua and Caleb because they were faithful witnesses. They were faithful signs of God's way. But again, I'll bet you can't tell me the names of the other ten unfaithful witnesses. In fact, can you think of any of their names? Their names are given in the scriptures. They are listed, but you would be hard put. I can actually remember a couple because I've talked about this in other sermons. There's one called Pouty. I believe his name was Pouty.

Who remembers Pouty? Nobody. P-A-L-T-I. Nobody remembers the guy because he's not worthy of remembrance. He was an unfaithful witness. He was an unfaithful sign. But Joshua and Caleb, we remember. So if you want to be remembered, then you need to be a faithful sign. You need to be a faithful witness of God's true ways. So the ten unfaithful spies were signs of Satan's way of doubting, of disobedience, and of unbelief. And because of them, the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 long years. Remember what happened? 40 long years they wandered in the wilderness because of those unfaithful spies. And their willingness to follow those spies. We have to be careful who we follow, don't we? Not everyone is worthy of our allegiance.

Not everyone is worthy. We are to follow others as they follow Christ.

And that's going to always be the story. And we'll be tested again, probably, on that point.

Let's go to Deuteronomy 28 for a moment. Deuteronomy 28. Let's read verses 45 to 47. Do you recognize Deuteronomy 28? Why is Deuteronomy 28 significant? That's right. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. They are blessings and cursings chapters. It's in your memory scriptures that some of you received earlier today, the scripture cards. In verse 45, notice what it says here, Moreover, all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder. So curses are signs and wonders. They come upon us because of our disobedience. Have you ever thought of that?

If you're going through a trial and you brought it upon yourself because of your disobedience and your unfaithfulness, that is supposed to be a sign to you. That you're supposed to straighten yourself up and fly straight. Do it God's way and you won't have to pay the consequences of those kinds of sins that God sometimes brings upon us because of our disobedience. Now God is often merciful and he doesn't deal with us according to our many sins, but at times he does deal with us and curses are to be signs. These trials are to be signs that come upon us.

So we should recognize them as such. Not all trials are signs of curses. Sometimes they may be an actual trial of faithfulness because we are faithful through our trials. And God is testing us, testing our faithfulness and whether or not we will trust in him and look to him for deliverance.

Verse 26, again, they will be a sign and a wonder on your descendants forever because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything. Therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything and he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. Now that's what's going to happen to this country because the country has turned against God. They have turned against God's ways and eventually the curses will come upon this land. We already see that they have to some degree, but we're going to see it in much greater ways, in much greater fulfillment in the future. Now getting back to the Old Testament again and some of the signs that you can pick up in the Old Testament. Cora, Dathan, and Abiram should serve as signs to us. Again, they were witnesses of Satan's way of rebellion and of pride. I'm not going to take the time to go through Cora's rebellion, but these men were supposed to be men of renown, men of valor, well-respected men. You can't always follow well-respected men. You can't always follow men of renown, can you? Because sometimes they'll leave you astray.

You have to be very careful who you follow and make sure you only follow them as they follow Christ.

Joshua was a sign of God's true way as he was strong and of good courage.

And as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land, you remember the story of Joshua leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land. God was with Joshua, and he was strong and of good courage because God gave him that strength as he turned to God for it. We could go through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc., etc., etc. We could talk about all the prophets that God sent to Israel and to the world to explain events that would come to pass.

All these men acted as signs of God's true ways. They acted as witnesses of God's true way of life.

They were sent. Ask yourself, have you not been sent? Have you not been sent to this world as well? Has God not called you out of this world? Are you not to be different?

Are you to be a sign to the world of God's true way of life?

God should be reflected in your character and in the way you live your life. Sometimes we fall short.

We're not perfect like God is, but in the main, our examples should reflect the character of God.

When we find that our examples are not reflecting God's character, then that's the time to repent.

Seek repentance, seek forgiveness, change your example, and set a right example.

And all of us have to come to that sometimes and admit that we haven't been the best signs to the world.

All the prophets God sent were signs of God's true way. They were sent again to deliver messages to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah, specifically, and some of their message was meant for the entire world, and revealed events that would take place in the very last days just before Christ's return.

We know the two witnesses are going to come on the scene. Are they not going to be tremendous signs to the world? The two witnesses that will have great power, signs and wonders will proceed from the two witnesses. They'll be able to call fire down from heaven.

They will be tremendous signs to the world of God's truth and God's way of life.

We don't know. God may pour out some of this power upon his servants, besides the two witnesses.

We know for sure the two witnesses are going to have that kind of power, but God may use others as he did some of those in the New Testament era of God's church, and we'll talk about that some as we continue on today. Notice how the prophet Jonah is specifically called a sign. He is specifically called a sign by Christ himself. And Christ says that he too, Christ himself, is a sign to the world that points to the true God and his way. So let's go to Luke 11, where we will see Jonah, a prophet, a man of God, is called a sign.

And it's safe to say that God wants us to be signs as well. Luke 11. Notice Luke 11 will start in verse 29. And you know the story of Jonah. Now, Jonah was not a very good sign at first, was he?

Jonah was headed in the opposite direction. He was trying to run away from God. He wanted no part of the message that God wanted him to bring to the Ninevites. But let's notice Luke 11, verse 29. And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, he, that is the Christ, they were gathered around because they were seeking a sign. They were gathered together around him. They knew he could heal people. They heard about it. They'd seen it happen. They knew he had miraculous power.

So he began to say, this is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it.

At this particular time, anyway, no Christ had given plenty of other signs, of course, but he said there will no sign will be given to it. He's talking about himself as the Messiah.

No sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. Now, how was Jonah a sign to the Ninevites? Because Jonah went to them and told them the truth.

He told them the truth about what was going to happen to them if they didn't repent.

And miraculously, they listened. And they repented, and they changed. Now, it wasn't a deep spiritual repentance, but it was a repentance for a time, and God honored that. It wasn't until later that God did pour out his wrath also upon Assyria and upon the Ninevites because of their terrible sins. But for a while, they were spared because they listened to Jonah. They listened to the sign that God had sent. And it says that the Queen of the South will rise up in judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. And the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. They will condemn Christ's generation. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. And of course, we know that Christ showed that he would be in the heart of the earth.

He would be in the grave for three days and three nights, the same as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish. That was to be a sign as well. So Jonah, again, specifically was a sign.

He was a reluctant witness, to be sure, but with God's prodding, he did witness to the Ninevites, and again they repented, at least for time. Christ witnessed to his generation and to all generations that he was indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Messiah. He has been a sign to the world of the true way that leads to eternal life. Ever since, he remains a light to this world.

He is able to live inside of each and every one of us if we will truly repent of our sins.

Sin is the transgression of God's holy and righteous law. Sin is the breaking of the Ten Commandments. Sin is the breaking of all of the laws of God that are still in effect today, and most of them are still in effect. Of course, the law of sacrifices, where you have to go to a temple and offer sacrifices. Christ is the ultimate sacrifice, and we look to him as our sacrifice. But for the most part, the Ten Commandments and many other laws are still in effect today, and we should be keeping them. We should be observing them. We should be living by them. This lie that's been foisted off upon the world that the law was nailed to the cross is indeed a lie. And the Bible clearly shows it's a lie. Christ said in Matthew 5, "...not that I came to destroy the law." Christ didn't come to destroy the law. Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. Sin is the transgression of the law, because we're all sinners.

Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He was nailed to the stake. But the law of God was not nailed to the stake. The law is in effect today. And there are many other scriptures that point that out and prove it. And our booklets, obviously, are full of the truths of God, because they come right out of the Bible. And they take you to the Bible, and they explain the truth of God. So we are to be an example as Christ was an example. We are to be lights and witnesses and signs to this very dark world that we live in. In Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said, You are the light of the world. That's what He said to His disciples.

We are Christ's disciples today. We should take to heart what He says here in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, verse 14. You are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill, cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and that they may glorify your Father in heaven.

We are created for good works. That's what the book of Ephesians says. We are to do good works. We are to keep the commandments of God, and we are to serve God and His people through love and through dedicated service. Those are the kinds of good works that God wants us to produce.

We were created for good works, and we are to be lights to the world and witnesses to the world.

In Philippians 2, verse 15, it says we are to shine as lights in the world. That's Philippians chapter 2. The apostle Paul admonishes us to shine as lights in the world. Again, it's a very dark world. There's so much breaking of God's law, so many sins that are committed daily every second around the world. Philippians 2, verse 15, disciples are to be different. Let's go back to verse 12 and read this in context.

He says to the church at Philippi, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure. So we can't earn our salvation. That's not what this verse is saying at all. We know we can't earn our salvation by keeping the law, primarily because we've all broken the law and we're all under the penalty of sin already.

But we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling because we need to take seriously that Christ says that God says, repent of your sins, repent and change the way you live, and be a light to this world. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. And we should seek God's will and and we should seek to please God. Do all things without complaining and disputing. Now that's that's a big theme throughout the Bible. Frankly, human beings are big whiners and complainers. I mean, that's just the human nature that we have to fight. We typically have a tendency to whine and complain about things if things don't go our way.

That's a theme throughout the Bible. The Bible says we should do all things without complaining and without disputing. That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. Holding fast the word of life so that so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in labor or labored in vain. Okay, we are not to labor in vain. We are to be lights to the world. We are to make a difference in the world. So what was it that set apart these faithful men and made them signs of God's way from from the book of Genesis all the way through the book of Revelation? What set these faithful men apart and made them signs of God's way to the rest of the world? Was it not God's Holy Spirit that dwelt within them, then strengthened them and gave them courage and faith? God's Spirit can make all the difference in your life. Peter and John had just healed a crippled man laying from his birth. Remember what they said? They said, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Now they used this miraculous healing to preach Jesus Christ to those who saw and heard of this wonderful miracle. This was just days after the day of Pentecost. It was very quickly, very shortly afterwards. But the priests and the Sadducees were jealous. You remember that? How they were envious, how they were jealous, and they were disturbed that Peter and John preached the truth of the resurrection from the dead. Of course, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They didn't like Peter and John preaching the truth about the resurrection, that Christ was resurrected and that there will be a resurrection to come. So they took them into custody and they asked them, By what power or by what name have you done this? Remember that?

By what power and by what name? Let's go to Acts 4 and let's rehearse that again briefly.

Acts 4, verse 8 through 12. Verse 8. They asked, By what power, by what name have you done this? In verse 7, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, we just help we just were instrumental here. God did the healing, but God did it through us. And this crippled man who'd been crippled since birth, and I think he was 40 years old now.

This is a sign and a wonder. It is a witness to you. But this day we are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man by what means he has been made well. So let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands here before you whole. And Christ said that his disciples would do great things, didn't he? Here is an example of a great thing that took place after Christ died and was resurrected and ascended to the throne of God. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, speaking of Christ the rock, which has become the chief cornerstone, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. So clearly they were speaking boldly because the Spirit of God was enabling them and strengthening them. Verse 13, now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they were very bold and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. You know, they were fishermen for the most part. You know, they were carpenters and fishermen and simple men untrained, uneducated, and they realized that they had been with Jesus. They had been with Christ. Dropping down to verse 23, and being let go, they let them go because they were afraid of the people. They went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, you are God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, who by the mouth of your servants David had said. See, they had already told them not to speak in Christ's name. That's what ensued. We skipped over that, but they told them not to go out and preach in Christ's name. So what did they do? They went out and preached boldly in Christ's name. That's an example for you and for me. You know, whatever happens in the future, if we're told not to speak up, not to speak out, what should we do? We should follow this example and have the courage to speak up and be signs and witnesses to the world. Notice verse 25, who by the mouth of your servant David said, why did the nations rage? Why did the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand. The rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done. And of course, they crucified the Christ. And so Peter was boldly calling them out, showing them what they had done. Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word. So we should pray that God would raise up men to speak boldly. You know, we have men on our own Beyond Today program who are speaking boldly the truth of God. If you go and listen to the Beyond Today telecast, you will see that they are speaking boldly the truth of God. And they may speak even more boldly in the future. And we should pray for them that they will speak the words God wants them to speak and speak with greater power and boldness according to God's will. When the time is right, give us the words to say, God. I mean, we're already preaching pretty boldly, but it may become more important to preach even more boldly in the future.

So when they prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. Another sign, another wonder. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. And now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul.

They were unified together. And that's what happens when we speak boldly the ways of God and the truth of God and we go forth with courage. God brings unity. So we should pray for our council, pray for our president, the president of the United Church of God. And if you are a part of another organization, pray for your leaders. Pray that God would strengthen them and God would empower them. God would help them. You know, we're not the only ones that God works with. We understand that here. God can work boldly with other men and in other ways. So, you know, we understand that. This is where God has placed us. So we're going about doing our Father's business.

In Acts 5, verse 12, and I'm skipping over the account of Ananias and Sapphira.

Another signs and other great signs and wonders happening here when they drug them out, both of them dead, because they were lying to God, to the Holy Spirit.

And so they breathed their last because they were lying. They were breaking one of the commandments of God and lying to the apostles. And God made an example out of them. Thankfully, God hasn't done that to all of us because we've all sinned. Probably every one of us has lied.

And yet, God's been merciful to us. This was an example here, though, that God wants us to obey Him, to serve Him, to follow Him.

And continuing on here, verse 12, So through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people.

They were signs and witnesses of God's way. Verse 17, They were healed. They praised God. They rejoiced with Peter and John.

Now, that's not what it says, is it? I mean, that's what they should have done.

But instead, it says they were filled with indignation. They were angry.

They were jealous, envious, full of anger. And they laid their hands on the apostles, and they put them in the common prison. Wow, what a way to treat someone who's just healed people and done wonderful things. Throw them in prison. That's a real Christian thing to do.

Christ healed those who came to Him as well. They were following Christ's example. They had crucified Christ. They wanted to do the same thing to Christ's disciples.

Well, that night, the angel of the Lord came and let them out. Another sign and wonder. The angel let them out of the prison. They were shocked when they found out they weren't there the next morning.

Of course, the guards were a little bit concerned about that as well.

Verse 25, Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple, and what are they doing?

They're teaching the people. They're boldly teaching the people again, because the power of God's Spirit is empowering them to boldly speak the truth of God.

They were doing so, and the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people lest they should be stoned. They had a following. People were following them. They said, Leave these people alone. Don't throw them in prison. My son was just healed by one of these men. The crowd was getting worked up. Trust me, if all of us were able to heal like this, this room would be full. We wouldn't have just this tiny handful of people here.

This whole town here would have heard of us by now. They would have heard of us. They would come flocking, because there's some sick people around here in Cave Springs. They need healing.

Elm Springs, Cave Springs, Springdale, Bentonville. If this was where the healings were taking place, they would find out about it eventually. Eventually, the word would get out.

See, I personally believe that the timing is not quite right yet. We're living in the last days.

Things are going to happen. Obviously, God has not poured out the same power over the last nearly 2,000 years. For a short time, with the early church, this tremendous power was evident. It was there. It's not that the same power is in evidence today. I've been involved where God has healed people I have anointed miraculously. I've seen that happen. It doesn't happen all the time. I wish it did, but God has other plans, other ways. He's not doing it like that for the most part. But every now and then, God will do that. God will heal miraculously.

I probably told the story of the man who tried to kill himself in Pennsylvania. Carbon monoxide laid down by a car that was in a garage. He was running all night long. He was laying down by the exhaust pipe. He should have been deader than a hammer by morning, but he wasn't dead.

One miracle. They found him. They took him to the emergency room. They took him to the hospital.

The man was in a coma for like four days. This was a man I visited in church.

This is a man that I knew quite well. I counseled with him. He had some issues. He had some severe problems. But I mean, I was torn up. I prayed. I fasted.

You know, I went to God, and God healed that man. And they said that he would never, if he lived, they didn't think he would live. First of all, they couldn't believe he was alive the way it was. The carbon monoxide levels were over the roof, out of the roof. You know, he should not have lived. They said if he ever lived, he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. A few days later, I visited the man, spoke to the man. He had a sore throat.

He was healthier after that than I'd ever seen him be. So don't tell me that God doesn't still heal miraculously, because he does. And there are signs and wonders that do take place.

The frequency, the same manner, doesn't happen. It took place over a few days. The doctors probably didn't understand why. They didn't know I went in there and anointed him.

They didn't know the whole story. So God keeps things hidden like that.

You know, but they still happen. So that's a powerful witness, isn't it?

You know, God has the same power. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So when the time is right, then we'll see more of this. And surely we'll see the two witnesses heal people miraculously. So it's interesting. I think there are some interesting days ahead of us.

Getting back to this account here in Acts chapter 5, notice what happens here. They were afraid they would get stoned by the people. Verse 27, And when they had brought them, they sent them before the council, and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in his name, in Christ's name?

And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. Notice it's your doctrine. It wasn't.

It wasn't. It was God's doctrine. It was God's truth. That's all that they were telling. And you intend to bring this man's blood on us. Yeah? That's exactly what he intended to do, because they were guilty. But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. In other words, we ought to obey God rather than you. You know, you're a mere man. You know, I'm not that interested in listening to you.

But when God tells me to do something, it's a different story.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered. Notice, murdered. You know, he's not, he's not mincing too many words here. He says, You murdered him.

By hanging him on a tree, him God is exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. The law is still in effect. Sin is still the transgression of the law.

If you break the law, eventually it breaks you. God gives the Spirit to those who obey him, those who keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

And frankly, that's why we're here on the Sabbath day, because the Scripture says, Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. It doesn't say to keep Sunday holy. It says, Keep Sabbath holy because the Sabbath is holy. God made it holy at creation.

He didn't make Sunday holy at creation. He made the Sabbath holy.

I mean, he made the seventh day holy, not the first day. Come on, Sunday's the first day.

The Sabbath is Saturday. It was made holy at creation.

And so that's why we're here today, worshipping God and keeping the commandments of God.

So we ought to obey God rather than man.

In 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter 2, verse 11, 1 Peter 2, 11, 2 Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, by your example, by your witness, by your signs, which they observe, they will glorify God in the day of visitation.

Now, they may not think you're that great right now.

They may think you're a little wacko because you observe Saturday instead of Sunday, and that you don't keep Christmas and Easter because those are pagan holidays, and they're not ever nowhere can you find them in the scriptures. Nowhere does it tell you to keep them, and they're filled with all kinds of pagan practices. And then someday, though, it's by your good works that you can find them in the scriptures. It's by your good works that they will glorify God in the day of visitation when Christ returns and sets things straight and tells people that, you know, this is the way it was. You know, I gave you this word right here. You just didn't follow it.

You didn't read it, and you didn't believe it, and you didn't do it.

But these are my servants over here. They read it. They believed it. They followed it. They weren't perfect. They fell short at times, but they made it their life, and they lived it.

And those people are going to say, wow, I had a true servant of God right in my neighborhood.

I didn't realize it. So it is important, the example you said, if you're known as the angry neighbor, that's not a very good sign. It's not a very good witness.

If you're known as the cantankerous neighbor, the one who likes to dispute and stir up problems and strife, that's not going to be a very good witness and a very good sign at the day of visitation. The Bible says God has called the weak of the world to confound the mighty.

One day, they will look back and realize that we've seen the weak.

In many ways, perhaps to them, we weren't perfect. We may have made some mistakes, but they will be confounded because we will be spirit beings.

That will confound them.

So, God's Spirit is very powerful. It is transforming flesh into spirit.

God's Spirit is performing flesh into spirit. We will be born of the Spirit. We shall become spirit beings. We shall live forever with Christ and with the Father.

Now, there is one thing that is very, very important that we all understand today in this sermon, and that's found in John chapter 13. It's found in John chapter 13.

This is a very, very powerful verse, and we've all heard it before. We've read it before. We know it's true. We know we need to do it. Sometimes we know we fall short, and we don't do it as well as we should. But notice John chapter 13 verses 34 through 35. John 13 verse 34. John says, Little children, I shall be with you. Actually, this is Christ speaking. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me. And as I said to the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. So now I say to you, Christ says, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Now, the new commandment is that we're supposed to love others as Christ loves. I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you. Christ laid his life down for you. So you are supposed to love others in the same manner. You are supposed to be willing to lay your life down, to sacrifice yourself, to be an example and a witness of true love. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. So we should be willing to lay our lives down for one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another. So the Holy Spirit truly is a sign of the love of God. Is that not the first fruit of God's spirit? Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, self-control, faithfulness, you know, all of those fruits of God's spirit. Love is listed first. Love is greatest, isn't it? Isn't that what, you know, it says in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. Love never fails.

So love is the most important thing. It isn't Sabbath keeping. Keeping the Sabbath isn't the most important thing. I believe it is an important thing. In fact, the Bible says that the Sabbath is a sign between God and His people. The Sabbath is not a sign to the world. Sometimes we make that mistake. The Sabbath is a sign between us and God. That's what the Scripture says.

It is a sign between the Father and His children. Now that doesn't mean that people don't notice that sign to some degree, but the sign, we can look it up in Ezekiel, for example.

Ezekiel 20. Let's go there. Ezekiel 20. Ezekiel 20. Ezekiel 20 is really a powerful chapter.

If you haven't read it lately, it's really a powerful chapter. It really brings things in together. Back in 1994 and 1995, when things were falling apart in our former affiliation, the Worldwide Church of God, this was a very comforting chapter to me because it tied things together very well. It showed the law was not done away. It showed why they were in trouble because of their disobedience. It also showed that the Sabbath is a sign between the true people of God and the true God. Ezekiel 20. Verse 12. And not just the Sabbath, but the annual Holy Days. We have a booklet on God's Holy Day plan that explains that. It says in verse 12, moreover, I also gave them my Sabbath. I was talking about the weekly Sabbath and also the annual Sabbath. I gave them my Sabbath to be a sign between them and me. And it's not just between the Jews either. People make that mistake. The Sabbath was sanctified at creation long before there were any Jews. The Sabbath was made for man. Isn't that what the Bible says? Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man because we need rest. And yet people work foolishly seven days a week. It's idiotic. They need a day of rest. God tells them what day it is. I gave them my Sabbath to be a sign between them and me that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. I am the Lord. This is a sign between you and me that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You keep my Sabbath. You honor me. You do those things that are pleasing in God's sight on the Sabbath. Not speaking your own words, not doing your own thing, not working. That's what you're supposed to do on the Sabbath. And the Bible's very clear on that. There's other scriptures. We don't have time to go to all of them. But this is a sign between God and His people. And He shows that they had rebelled against Him. And they went into captivity because of Sabbath breaking and because of idolatry, putting other things before the true God. Notice verse 20, "...hollow my Sabbaths." That means make them holy in your own life by keeping them, by observing them. "...hollow my Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between me and you that you may know that I am the Lord your God." So the Sabbath is a sign between us and God. It's not so much a Sabbath between us and the world. Most of the world doesn't believe in the Sabbath, do they?

Most of the world's rejected the Sabbath. Even Christians have rejected the Sabbath.

They don't believe it, they don't follow it, they don't keep it.

Scripture says, if you're a true follower of God, you'll keep the Sabbath. It is a sign between you and me. So these are powerful words and they're true, they're in the Bible, they can be found.

Exodus 31 also shows it's a covenant between God for all generations.

Let's go there briefly. Exodus 31, of course Exodus 20 says, "...the Sabbath is holy and set apart. Six days shall you labor and do all your work." It's very clear about that. But in Exodus 31, Exodus 31, all right, notice verse 12, "...and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, Because Israel was God's chosen people, they were to be an example and a sign to the world.

The people of Israel were, but they blew it because they didn't keep God's commandments.

They broke His commandments, they lost their identity, everyone except the Jews who actually kept the Sabbath. That's why they're still known today, the Jewish people. But the other lost tribes of Israel were lost because they no longer kept the identifying sign between God and His people.

The Jews are still God's people, but God also has Gentiles. He's called out of the world.

There are Gentiles here today. We've got people that have been called out of the world who have accepted Christ as their Savior, and God has shown them that the Sabbath is still a sign between the true worshipers of God.

"...that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you, you shall keep the Sabbath, therefore for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death.

For whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for the six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest. Holy to the Lord, whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.

And when he had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, the ten commandments written with the finger of God." So the Sabbath is a covenant, a sign between God and his people, but a more important sign is the love that we have for each other. That's more important, because the world should recognize that we're different because we truly love one another. We love everyone here in this room, but we love everyone outside. Everyone who's not a part of our church, we're called to love them anyway. Christ said, forgive them, they know not what they're doing, and we should have the same approach. Most people in the world, they don't know what they're doing, so we should forgive them.

God is their judge. Learn to love them, be friends with them, be a light to them, be a witness to them.

And we may need to change some attitudes in our church over the past many years. Sometimes we look at the world in ways we shouldn't, as evil and wrong, which they are. But on the other hand, there's a right perspective. You've got to be able to see the sin out there, but love the sinner. Love the people. That's what it's all about, learning to love.

God wants the whole package among His people. He wants those who keep His commandments.

He wants those who love one another because the fulfilling of the commandments is through love. No, love is the fulfilling of the law. The commandments were made to show love. First, love toward God. You know, love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Two great commandments. Love God, honor God.

Don't take His name in vain. Have no other gods before Him. But also honor your human parents, and don't kill one another, don't steal, and don't lie. Why would God do away with His law? Why would He do away with lying? Why would He do away with stealing? Why would He do away with any of that stuff? It's right and it's good. It's healthy. And the same thing is true about the Sabbath. The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments of God, so we keep them as well.

So we are to be a sign to the world in so many different ways.

Brethren, the more we are lights, the more we are signs and witnesses of God's way of life right now, the more God will be able to use us as signs and witnesses just prior to Christ's return. You know, we're very likely living in the very last days. Christ is coming back soon.

It is because of the elect's sake that God will cut short those days.

Matthew 24 tells us God will cut short those short the last days because of the elect's sake lest no man be saved alive. Otherwise, we'll kill ourselves. We'll wipe each other off the face of the earth unless God intervenes for the elect's sake. When that time comes just before Christ returns, you and I need to be signs and witnesses of God's true way. And we should not be roadblocks to God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. The book of Joel talks about the pouring out of God's Spirit. There was a type of that on the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D. when the New Testament church began. The Holy Spirit was poured out, but it also talks about another fulfillment of the Holy Spirit being poured out in the last days before Christ's return and at the return of Christ on into the Millennium when the Spirit of God will be working in great power. So that time is coming. We are to become a church also without spot or wrinkle, according to what Ephesians 5 tells us. We're to become a church without spot or wrinkle or blemish or any such thing. That means we need to love each other. We need to be unified together, love each other, spread that love to the world.

Let us unite together in the Spirit of God and let us allow God's Spirit to guide us, to empower us, and to strengthen us to do God's work and to do God's will here on earth right now.

Let us preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God boldly. Let us preach and announce that salvation is in none other than the true and only Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, our sacrifice, the Savior of the world. Let us be lights, let us be signs, let us be witnesses to this dark and dying world.