Wearing Down the Saints

You notice things in the world get a little bit worse. We all get a little bit concerned. And then they seem to get a little bit better.

There's an ebb and flow to bad conditions. But if you look at the overall trend, conditions get worse over time, don't they? We see that in our age, this time that is drawing up to the end of the age, when Jesus Christ ultimately will return, that conditions everywhere are going downhill.

We see this week hatred for the nations that have a stabilizing effect historically, and now a new desire and a push for change. Something different, something unique. Let's give nuclear power to all the nations. Throw off controls. It's a very troubled world we live in, and there are serious problems among the humans that reside here on every continent and in every country. You know, the United States historically has interceded at some landmark events, World War I, World War II, to name a couple.

Then there have been other events that we've gotten involved in, things like Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq. Some of these conflicts seem like noble pursuits to help some afflicted people at one time. However, they all became tar babies, in a sense. We can use that term. They all became something that became sticky and that clear end wasn't so clear in the end, and they drug on.

Things were extended. They seemed endless. The result was that Americans wore down. Americans wore down. And finally, they wanted to quit these endeavors, these difficult things that took lives and continued to take lives. Today I want to ask, what is prophesied for the Church between now and the time that this day pictures? What happens to the Church of God between now and the day that we celebrate as the Feast of Trumpets, the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the first fruits? What is this interim, plus the end time that is coming?

I'd like to examine today what Jesus Christ said that you and I are up against. This is serious stuff. It's one thing to have a nice celebration and wish everyone well, but Jesus Christ said these are serious times. And if a person intends to build something great, something big, like being the kingdom of God, you've got to sit down. You've got to count the cost. You've got to be there for the whole endeavor not to get involved in something and somewhere down the line lose interest or lose heart.

So today let's take a look at some of our challenges and see how you and I can be successful when the event that this day pictures. It's common today for church members to be busy. Not just church members, but everybody. It's just a busy time. It's a time when we're expected to take on more and more in our personal life. And supposedly, electronics provide us with the means to pile on more and more. I'll give you kind of a perspective from someone else. We had a member in Kenya who was able to do her lifelong dream of coming to America for six months.

Six months in America from Kenya. Imagine that. This place that is so unique. After she returned home, my wife asked her, so what was America like? What do you think? She said, people in America are busy, busy. She said, they don't have time for people. They don't have time for each other. That's true. The busyness that we have puts pressure on our relationships. Pressure on our family relationships, but more importantly, pressure on our relationship with God. How many of us have trouble or time fitting in meaningful prayer, meaningful Bible study, meaningful meditation, meaningful fasting? Really spending time with God, let alone a spouse, child, friends.

Busy members often do spend little time with God. Now we come to the festival season. We're all excited about Feast of Tabernacles. But what does that mean to busy members? Busy, busy members? Well, it can become our time of escape from busyness. Look forward to a vacation destination where we can go and solve the problems that we've created for ourselves the rest of the year by being overly busy. But there, the habit tends to continue. Pack it all in. You've only got a week, week and a half.

Let's run around. Let's see everything. Let's do everything. We have this big hole in our life. Let's throw everything we possibly can into it. You know? Before we have to return back home to the crazy busyness. There at the feast hall after services, we typically see an exodus of all of those with the means and the staying behind of the little people. Those who don't have friends, those who don't have family in the church, those who are older, widowed, those who don't have the finances.

They often hang around, but not in groups. I tend to see them sitting by themselves in their seat. And it's kind of a lonely thing. The Bible says, go to the feast, rejoice with your family. Rejoice with your relationships with strangers or visitors, with widows, with Levites. Go and rejoice. Spend time together.

But our strained lives tend to seek and deserve a break. We're trying to live in these perilous times and fit it all in, aren't we? We, as God's people, are living in a time where the seeds of the end time are beginning to sprout all around us. You can see them. I can see them.

They're all there. Oh, they're not fully grown yet. They're not filled out. The puzzle hasn't all put the pieces into place by any means, but the seeds are all there and some of them have germinated. Some of them have sprouted. At some point, that tree is going to be putting out the tender leaves that Jesus said, you're going to know the end is near. And here we are. What about God's church? What about God's children in this end time? Is there something that we're missing? Let's go to Daniel 7, verse 25. I don't want to be too heavy today, but I don't want to be too light either.

My goal is that all of us can be there when Jesus Christ returns. And though the Bible tells us, not all of us will be there. And that's a personal responsibility that each of us has individually. I have it and you have it. Let's take a look at what the Bible tells us. Daniel 7, verse 25, It says here, He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, and shall persecute the saints of the Most High, shall intend to change times and laws, and then the saints will be given into His hand for a time, time, and half a time, for three years.

What we're seeing here in this is a great religious leader that pops up in the end time, the time of the end, and the great tribulation period. 2 Thessalonians 2 says that this man sets himself up as God. But this word, persecute the saints of the Most High, is the most interesting word. It really doesn't mean persecute, per se. It's only used one time in the entire Bible. And though the Old Testament is often written in Hebrew, this word is an Aramaic word. It means to wear down. And if you look at the Aramaic of the day, where this was used in other writings of the time, begin to get a little clearer understanding of what it means.

It means this religious leader will wear out others mentally and emotionally, but not physically. That word does not refer to wearing anybody down physically, just mentally and emotionally. It puts a mental and emotional strain on the saints of the Most High. In Matthew 10, verse 16, Jesus Christ talks to His disciples, to His followers, and He tells us a little bit about what this calling is about.

In a sense, the wearing down of the saints is not limited at just to this one individual. Matthew 10, verse 16 says, Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Sheep in the midst of wolves is going to put some stress on us, brethren. It just is. Sheep in the midst of wolves mean you always have the peril around you. You always have the danger. It doesn't go away. Verse 21, we get down to the time that parallels that of Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Now, a brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. Wow! For doing all of this, you're going to be hated by everybody. That takes a certain endurance, doesn't it? That's getting involved in something that's not really going to end until Christ returns, or until your life ends. And it can wear us down. But within that context, being hated for My name's sake, the next phrase is, But He who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

He who endures being godly, being loving, having My nature, will be saved. Notice there's an endurance. You have to keep on keeping on. We find that Mark 13 in the parallel account of the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, and they asked Him, When are these things going to be? In verse 5, He began to say to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. There's another pressure that's on us all the time, and always has been, that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, I am He, and will deceive many.

You know, the flock gets thinned out, doesn't it? The flock gets thinned out. Some get weary, some don't endure, some are deceived. There's this constant pressure. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, oh, outside pressure, don't be troubled. Don't be troubled when you hear of wars and rumors of wars. Why? Because they're not going to happen. Oh, He didn't say that. Don't be afraid or worried, overtly, of these wars and rumors of wars, for such things must happen. We're going to go through wars and rumors of wars.

These things have to happen, but the end is not yet. Continuing, you see. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Earthquakes, famines, these are the beginning of sorrows. This is just the start. This is just getting going. You know, we think about the Feast of Trumpets and the return of Jesus Christ, and we're to the point so far where we're just at the prelude, and people are leaving.

How about you, and how about me? He says in verse 9, but watch out for yourselves. If you and I want to be part of what this day represents, watch out for yourselves. Watch your nature. Watch your actions. Watch your mind. For they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. It's okay. Jesus said, I'm telling you these things in advance.

It's a tough row to hold. These are challenges. Can you endure these? Can you endure them for years? How long can you endure them? Verse 12, now, brother will betray brother to death, and father as child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

But he who endures to the end, the same shall be saved. He who endures these stresses, these problems, these turmoils, those are the ones who are going to meet Christ in the air. Verse 22, for false Christ and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the very elect. Oh, that's you and me. We have that stress on us. Figure out who the true ones are and who the false ones are, judging them by their fruits.

Verse 23, but take heed, see, I have told you all things beforehand. I have told you all things beforehand. That is what he is telling us. We should not be blind to these things. We're going to have difficulties in the world. We're going to have difficulties in the church. And it's very difficult to endure. To endure with agape in your mind. To endure with love for God and action for God and your fellow man in mind. These things are going to be challenging.

You know, there are many scriptures in the Bible that we're used to. Christ also teaches us lessons. For instance, we all love Revelation 3, he talks about Philadelphia. But you know about that church, it says, it's the perseverance of the saints. They have persevered in something and therefore don't have to go any further in testing. Paul said, I fought the good fight. Paul said, a soldier, a good soldier, does not entangle himself in the affairs of this world. There's a watching, you see, a watching to your state. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the armor of God. And if you look at all that armor, what is it talking about? It's talking about prayer, Bible study, using God's Holy Spirit, these things in action, the will of God.

Continuing in any situation to have the character, the divine character that God is trying to grow within each one of us and not let any outside or inside influence divert us from displaying that character. If we endure with that character to the end, we'll be saved.

And Hebrews 6 says, He Himself has said that, I will never leave you or forsake you, so we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me? When we have this mind of God, and we have the faith and the confidence and the Holy Spirit, we will not be given any trial or test that is greater than we can bear. We will make it. We can make it. But we do have to continue. We do have to endure. We have to be a doer, don't we? In all things. That's the message that the Bible gives us, and those who endure and persevere are the ones who will be with Jesus Christ. You know, you and I can expect more challenges and difficulties in our life. I mean, after all, we're Americans. We haven't had that many. I'm sure you can make a long list of how awful life is. I could take it over to Africa and get some chuckles over there. But we all feel like we're having difficulties. You know, we all feel like we have problems. And that's true. We do have problems. Let me tell you, any challenge that comes from Satan to thwart our entrance into God's kingdom is a problem. It is a test. It's a trial. Plus, we have our own human nature to repent of. But what effect will these trials and problems that come to you and me in our lifetime, whatever they may be, what effect will they have on us? Will they wear us down and wear us out? Or will they temper us, pardon us, strengthen us in a resolve? I hate what I see. I am not going to be that way. I am going to be godly. I'm going to love God. I'm going to love my neighbor. I don't represent the country I was born in. I represent the country that I've spiritually begotten into. I have a new country. I declare a new country, a new city. I'm looking for a new father. How much do we get caught up into the mentality of the kingdom of God? Jesus said that there will be people who try to get into the kingdom. He used the example over in Matthew 22, where an individual came into the wedding, but he didn't have a wedding garment on. A wedding garment was the righteousness of the saints type of white linen described in Revelation. And that was not on this individual. He had something else or nothing, I don't know. But we know he didn't have a wedding garment on in the illustration. And he said, friend, how did you get in here? Take this man, bind him hand and foot. That's the end of it. And within that context, he said, in Matthew 22, verse 14, for many are called, but few are chosen. Many are called and few are chosen. Why should you be in the kingdom of God? Somebody could ask me. God could ask me. I remember Herbert Armstrong would be up preaching. Why are you here? Well, he didn't quite say it like that.

Same words.

Why are you here? He would say. But I'm saying, why are you here, Elliot? Why didn't you go off with the masses that you used to be around? Why are you still here? And how long will you be here? That's the question for me. And I want to share that question with you today.

The problem is that the times just before Jesus Christ returns are going to be the most challenging ever. Now, many of us hope that we will escape that, and protection is promised to the church, a large part of the church, but not to most of the church, just to a portion of the church. If you want to count numbers of those who actually come through the Great Tribulation or die in the Great Tribulation, including the 144,000, the great Enumerable Multitude, all those described in Revelation, if you take out the small church referred to as the era of Philadelphia, that's a small group in comparison.

Can I guarantee that I will be in that small group? Besides, the church at Philadelphia back then had undergone quite a lot of challenges. That church was synonymous with challenges. Just as the end-time church, referred to as Philadelphia in that era, will be facing many, many challenges, and it's just because they endured and because they persevered and had their testing before the Tribulation that they were spared any more testing. So let's not get in the idea that we all just sort of float, get the stamp of approval, and miss all the bad stuff. It just doesn't happen. Nobody gets into the Kingdom without testing. It's not a group salvation, as we'll see here in a little bit.

In Matthew 24, we again see this Olivet prophecy, and he says in verse 8, with all these famines and pestilences, earthquakes in various places, these are the beginning of sorrows. He continues on down in verse 9 that they're going to deliver you up to Tribulation and kill you. You'll be hated, as we've read before. Many will betray one another. But then verse 12, we're presented with something here within the church, not external but internal. And because lawlessness will abound... What is lawlessness? Well, you could say it's breaking the commands of God, and that's true. But the commands of God, really, Christ defined as being loved towards God the Father, Himself, and towards our fellow man. Somebody's not loving. That's why lawlessness is abound. Notice here, because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Love is the character that we're supposed to be developing. That's the godly character. That's why we're here on earth. That's what the commandments and the intent of the whole Bible are. Is the development of godly character internalizing it so that it springs out of us like it does out of God. Something's happening here. Because of all these events and tribulations, the love of many will grow cold. Can that happen to you? To me? Can we get so busy? So worn down? So whatever? That we just start turning inward? We stop doing what God put us on this earth to do. Verse 13, but he who endures in loving others, to the end, all the way, shall be saved. That's what God is looking for. God wants to take that holy righteous character and translate it into spirit beings.

Here's some things that God wrote for us to consider. Matthew 7, 22. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, on that day, what day? Feast of trumpets? Well, not the feast of trumpets. Seventh trumpet. Here comes Jesus Christ, Lord, Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Your name cast out demons? Your name performed many miracles? And I'll declare to you, I never knew you! What? I never knew you. Why do you say that? You who practice lawlessness, you who practice, not the mentality of the family. So you can't be part of the family. You don't think like the family. You've got a different nature. You've got a different father. You have a different mentality. Somewhere along the line, you abandoned love.

At baptism, you and I made a commitment. And hopefully, the minister at the time said something to you like, have you counted the cost of this? You really thought it through. And we scratch our head and think, yeah, let me think. Somebody pulled out my thumbnail, would I? No, I don't know. But you thought about it. I tried to think of every imaginable situation that could make me back out on that commitment. And when I figured I could stand up to all of them, I said, yeah, I have. But you ever think about just time, just length of time? This would be my 56th feast of tabernacles. They just keep coming around, coming around, coming around. Feasts after feasts after feast. I don't know how many Sabbaths I've kept in my life. A lot of Sabbaths. They keep coming around and coming around. You know what? Every feast and every Sabbath, the Bible says the same thing. Don't do your own thoughts. Don't do your own work. Don't do your own will. There's a certain amount of responsibility, a certain amount of personal pressure that you put on your old nature to push that away. Every time you come up during the day to many thoughts and activities, you screen them. You say, oh, that which I want to do, I'm not going to do that. If you have the strength with God's help to say that, and it's always a pressure, it's always a test. You know, if you add that up through the years, one can weary of well-doing. The Bible tells us not to do that. Don't do that.

After about the fourth generation of the church back in the New Testament times, Jesus Christ returned. He said, I'm the one who was dead. I'm alive again. And he spoke to the church. He spoke to the church in a creative way that tells us what we're up against and tells us what we need to do. The whole church is found in Revelation 2 and 3. I'd like to just revisit this a little bit. We often don't know these things about Revelation 2 and 3 because we don't need to know them. After all, I'm not in Ephesus era, right? Are you? I'm not in Smyrna or Pergamos. I'm not in Thyatira. I'm not in Sardis. And I'm certainly not in Laodicea. I don't need to read those things. And being in Philadelphia, it says, hey, you're good to go. So that's about all we know as a church about what Jesus Christ said to the churches. It's interesting because He talks to the seven angels, the seven angels, not just seven, the seven angels, the seven lampstands, the seven churches. Why doesn't He use these obscure... You've never heard of Smyrna and Pergamos. These things aren't written to in the Bible. Ephesus was. Why doesn't He mention Corinth? Why doesn't He mention the church at Rome or Athens or the churches up in Galatia? Why does He pick on seven little obscure churches? He uses these as a teaching tool. Whether or not those churches ever got the word, we don't know. But He uses them as a teaching tool.

I'd like to take a look and see if what He said is helpful to the church now and to the church in the future. Revelation 2 and verse 4 says to the first church, nevertheless I have this against you that you have left your first love. Have you ever done that? Ever done that? How long have you been in the church? Do you have a zeal and excitement and a first love for doing the works of God? I have. I'm human. After a while we can all sort of get into slumps. We can get into other things. You can lose that first love. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen and repent and do the first works. What are the first works? Love, the first love. Else I will come and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. But this you have that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Didn't we do that back in 1995? Sure enough, we have a lot in common with the first church mentioned.

He says here, unless you repent, many won't be part of the day of trumpets. Revelation 2, verse 9, I know your works, your tribulation, your poverty, but you are rich spiritually. I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Persecution from within has happened since the earliest of times and from without.

Persecution has taken place down through the centuries. We live in a time where physical persecution hasn't been happening. But that's sort of a little bright spot, as it were, in history, because ever since Abraham, ever since Abel, all the prophets, all the apostles, Jesus Christ Himself, the martyrs of Hebrews 11, there's been an onslaught against the church down through time. What he says here to Smyrna is very applicable to what's happening in the future that Jesus Christ said. There's going to be all of this tribulation. Shall we listen and see what he says?

This is good advice, especially since he prophesies it to resume. Verse 13 to another church, he says, I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Satan is here on earth.

And you hold fast to my name and did not deny my faith. That's you, that's me. But I have a few things against you because you have there who hold the doctrine of Balaam. You know, it's about profits, sometimes some edgy business deals, not quite according to the rules or according to the tax laws or whatever, bending the rules for money, for materialism. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of Nicolaiatans, doctrines that are superior to those of the church, doctrines of enlightened members, better members. Which thing I hate, he says. I'm the head of the church. I put the doctrines into the church.

This has been a constant issue down through time. You can read the writings of the Apostle Paul. It fractures the church. That's why the church was created. Ephesians 4, 16, that these things were given, or 15, so these things were given so that these winds of doctrine don't just blow through and rip the church apart. He says, repent or else I will come to you quickly, and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. That's what he does. In Revelation 19, he returns and he slays them with the sword of his mouth. You and I could be in that group if we don't repent of these things. We all have these brainchilds and ideas. We all have feelings at times. Jesus Christ said this is common. Verse 19, I know your works. Your love, your service, your faith, your patience, as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet, to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality. Jezebel is everywhere. She's on our TVs. She's in our movies. She's in all the books. It's this worldly way, this way of lust. It's the idols. It's the idolization of sin that permeates our society and therefore permeates the airwaves, which affect us so much. It's the world's way. It's the books. It's the Internet. It's a big problem for God's children. The very thoughts we think can cause us to sin. Jesus warned Matthew 5 and 6. Society pressures us. It lures us. It tempts us. It's normalizing. Think, brethren, think what we accept in the year 2006 compared to what we accepted in 1966. You know, it's scary what movies we used to walk out of in the 50s and 60s compared to what are endured, as it were, today. Just to give an example. Revelation 3, verse 1, I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you're dead. You can say, oh, I've been in the church a long time, and therefore, I was once. I did this once. I did that. We were part of a worldwide church, and we spread the Gospel once upon a time. Urban Armstrong was in our church once upon a time. Are we the church that once was? Are we the people that once did? Are we calling ourselves alive, but maybe have slipped? That's a possibility. In every era, in every group, every congregation, in every individual, all of these things can apply at any given time. And Jesus Christ gave them to us so that we could be successful. He's telling us, look, be careful of these things. Be watchful, verse 2, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. That's what we need to do, brethren. Strengthen those things. Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. You came through the church. Hold fast. Repent.

Therefore, if you will not watch, if you will not be aware of your spiritual condition, is what the Greek word means there. I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know the hour I come upon you. It's the timing here that's the issue because, like his parable say, if you knew what hour the thief was coming, you would have prepared. But you'll be one of the five versions without oil, if you're not prepared, or one of the five versions with oil, if you are prepared. But you always have to be prepared. You can't just be playing timing matters. Again, many are called, few are chosen. It's not group salvation. Not any entire era ever was guilty of these things. Even he says right there, some among you, this way, that way.

We come to verse 7 of chapter 3. These things says, He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David. You know what the key of David is? It's not the identity of Israel. The key of David is the one, Jesus Christ being spoken of, He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David controls, who enters New Jerusalem.

He locks, and He opens, and He shuts. It's up to Him as to who gets in the Kingdom. He's saying, I'm the one you have to deal with here. You've got to come through Me.

I am the door. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. And this is what I'm saying to you. I know your works, for you have a little strength. You've kept My word and have not denied My name. Like all the faithful, in all times, because you have kept My command to persevere, in agape, continuing throughout your trials, your testing, I will keep you from the hour of trial, which will come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on earth.

So the Philadelphia Era will be eventually protected from the Great Tribulation itself and from the Day of the Lord, the heavenly signs, the seven last plagues. That's what they will be protected from. But they will not be protected from persecution, from trials and things that are in advance of that. Remember, it's not a group mentality. I know I grew up and we were always trying to find the Philadelphia Church of God, or make sure you were in it, because if you were with the group, you were good to go.

Jesus says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. It's not everyone who says to Me, it's the one who does. There are so many things there, including, He said, you pray that you are counted worthy to escape. What's that about? The whole group. You pray that you are counted worthy to escape. Then we come to Revelation 3, verse 15.

To the last church, He says, I know your works, you're neither cold nor hot. Here's an illustration that Jesus Christ is using of those who are not close to Him. These are those who practice righteousness at a distance. They're disconnected from Jesus Christ. Well, you'll see I had an aqueduct that was about six miles long, and no matter what the source of the temperature of the water was, it was always lukewarm by the time I got there.

It could be fiery hot, boiling, or it could be icy cold, but it always came the same temperature, room temperature, when I got there, because it was so far away. He's using the analogy here that I wish you were cold or hot. I wish you were tapped to Me. I wish you were getting it directly from Me and not independent from the body, not independent, not self-taught, self-studied, self-devised or absent.

I wish you were tapped to Me. So then, because you are lukewarm, you're not close to Me. You're not close to My body, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I'm rich spiritually, become wealthy, I've got treasure in heaven, we figure, you know, have need of nothing from Christ, from God, we're good to go, don't need to overcome or repent anymore. Then He says, and you do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, how many times have you and I thought like this? Well, I'm doing well. I'm keeping the commandments, the Holy Days. I'm tithing. I'm doing good.

Ever feel like that? Yeah, I'm doing... what would I repent of? You know, you think about it. Well, let me think. No? No? No? Yeah. I think it's okay. We don't realize, you see, that we're miserable, poor, blind and naked. We're not seeing the growth that needs to take place because we're not close to God. We're not close to God. We're far from God. And therefore, we're not hot or cold.

We're just lukewarm. So He says, verse 18, I counsel you to buy from Me. That's the whole point. I want you to get it from Me. Gold tried in the fire. I want your character to be developed. This is not how I'm going to assign you to, you know, some fiery situation. No, I want you to get real gold, the good stuff, from Me.

Not obtained on your own. That you may be rich and buy from Me. From Me, white garments. White garments are the righteousness of the saints. But it's not their righteousness. It's the righteousness of God. Christ's righteousness. That you may be clothed. That the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. That applies to all of us. We all need. We all need to repent, to grow. Therefore, be zealous.

The word there means eager. Be eager to repent. There's nothing wrong with that group. They just need to eagerly repent. He offers them some of the best blessings of any of them. God is looking for the same with all, and that is repentance. But He reverts to this, or refers to this concept of oneness. Once again, in verse 20, He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. The door is closed. You've closed the door. And I'm at the door and I'm knocking. I want a relationship with you.

I want you in my kingdom. And I stand at the door and knock. But you've closed it. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, so that we can have a relationship, then I will come in to Him and dine with Him. I will give Him the bread of life. I will give Him the water of life freely. Ever gotten away from God a little bit? Probably not you, just me. You know, I don't know what it is. You get real busy, whatever, whatever, then you haven't prayed for a day.

Then you're too guilty to pray the next day. Then you're really guilty the next day. And then at some point you say, you know what? I'm really in a pickle here. And then you just declare a fast and you repent of the whole nine yards and get it all washed clean and, you know, get back together with it. It probably doesn't happen to you, I know. I'm just telling you. It's telling you, you know, what can happen in a busy life.

God is there. We've closed the door, but He wants it open. All of these things can happen to us, brethren. Every one of them. And Jesus Christ is here telling us and using these illustrations, which are applicable to those original seven churches, the seven eras in general down through time, to you and I as a congregation, probably most importantly, you and me individually, to take all of these things that can guide us through all of the events that we come up against in life.

I call these the seven laws of success for every Christian. And Jesus Christ gave them seven laws that will make us successful if we use them. It's part of our calling, our training, our testing. Some are going to succeed. Some will fail. Only you can be responsible for your own salvation, the Bible tells us.

On the recent trip to East Africa, Mr. Jim Franks was speaking to one of the congregations, and he said, you know, the biggest reason why people leave the church throughout history is that they tire of keeping God's laws in Satan's world. I hadn't really thought of that before. They tire of keeping God's laws. And he said, he's in church administration, been involved in that for many years. And he said, you know, this is the historically... this is why people leave the church. They tire of keeping God's laws. It just wears them down.

You have society, you have the stresses, the self, it wears one down over time. And it starts with little things. Little things. And then slackness towards the law. And then compromise a little with society. And then back off from involvement with the church. You just let around, eventually drift away, and invariably you end up with no religion at all because you know you had the true religion in the beginning.

But you're so tired, you're so worn out by it all. The pressures of the Sabbath on your job, and tithing, and clean and unclean meats, and there's those relatives, and all the issues that prevent you from the things that you'd like to do on the Sabbath and Friday nights. And, you know, it's fine for a while. You're all trumped up when you're ready, when you're baptized. But down through time, people get worn out, get weary of doing good. So, question, will you be a success? First resurrection. Feast of first fruits, you know, represents the first resurrection. Feast of trumpets represents the timing of the first resurrection, reigning with Christ. Will you be a success?

That's just not an empty question, because you can answer that right here today. There is a litmus test that you can use that'll give you a good idea of whether you will be there or not. You know what it is? Let's talk about this litmus test. See if you are on the track firmly, or a little wobbly on the track, or derailed. It's good for all of us to examine ourselves, the Bible says. The litmus test is how we observe the Sabbath and the Holy Days.

How do you observe the Sabbath and the Holy Days? How do I observe them? You know, when we first come into the church and we learn about it, we fear God, we appreciate this way, we keep the Sabbath very rigorously, the Holy Days very rigorously, we're careful, we're excited. What about today? What are you doing now, on this Holy Day, on the future Holy Days, the Sabbath that you're observing? Are we affected by the world we live in? Are we still diligent, or is it easier to make compromises? How do pressures from outside and interests from outside affect our observance of the Holy Days?

What's your mental view of the Sabbath and Holy Days? Is there a requirement, a burden? Can't wait till it's over, too hard, ministers, too boring? Well, I take full credit for that one. Same with the feast, the Holy Days, the last great day. What's our focus? What's our involvement? What's our intent? Traditionally, the last service on the last great day is the least attended service of the feast. Why is that?

Why is everybody already checking out, getting ready to get on the plane or get in their cars and go home? What's that all about? Let's bring it a little closer to home. Phoenix East Church, this congregation, has on our roles, 176 members, I believe. Ed Dowd keeps the records. What is it this month, Ed? 150-ish. Okay. Well, we dropped down into the 150s. With 150, let's say 155 on the roles, June attendance was 120. Okay, so there's 35 people missing for the month of June.

On the average, the lowest attendance was 96 on one Sabbath. Where are the other 61 people? Where were they on that day? And every other day, there were about 35 missing on average.

The month of July, the average attendance was 100. Low was 95. Out of 155 people, we had 60 people gone on one Sabbath. An average of 55 people gone every Sabbath. So the question comes back, are we keeping God's Sabbath? Are we doing what He says on the Sabbath? You know, if we're being worn out, if we're having our faith tested so many times over and over, so many years, are we relaxing our observance of the Holy Days, the Sabbath?

You know, Leviticus 23 is all about the feasts. But it begins by saying that these are feasts of the Lord. Verse 2, the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. A holy convocation is a holy assembly. It's a commanded assembly. We're to be here on the feasts. Not everybody's here today. Not everybody's here on the Sabbath. It also says, in verse 3, The Bible says, You shall keep the Sabbath because it's holy for you.

It's found in Exodus 31.14. It's holy for you. You shall keep it. I guess we could ask, is it holy for me? Do I feel the Sabbath is holy? Do I feel this assembly is holy? Or do I feel that concepts are more holy? Like faith. Grace. By grace, are you saved through faith?

That's good. That's really good. It's important to know. Why did God say it so few times in the Bible? Use the term grace. So few times in the Bible, use the word faith. Why does He have in the Bible Sabbath mention 148 times more than any other concept? Because there's something important about it. It's supposed to be holy for us. It's a very special, unique day.

We only have one opportunity a week to observe it. We don't observe it right. We have to wait a whole week to try again and do better.

The Sabbath and the festivals reveal the plan of God. We all know that. But Satan hates that plan. That's the problem. Therefore, he hates the Sabbath and he hates the Holy Days and those who keep them. Satan has a long-range plan to keep you out of what these days picture. You and me. He's got a plan and it's a long-range plan. It's like one of those countries who was in the war for the long haul and just kept coming and coming and coming. And no matter what you threw at them, no matter how much they absorbed, they just kept coming. He's not a flash in the pan, not a one-quick try. No, and he's pretty successful. Satan wins when we get worn out. Why did Israel go into captivity? They stopped keeping the Sabbath. It says that in Ezekiel 20 chapter. They stopped keeping the Sabbath.

Let's go to Isaiah chapter 56 verse 1. I want to be in God's kingdom, but I don't want it for myself. I want you in God's kingdom. I want us as family in God's kingdom. And, brethren, we've got to be serious and enduring. We've got to be very, very committed. Because this roaring lion who's trying to devour us doesn't give up.

Isaiah chapter 56 verse 1. Thus says the Lord, keep justice, do righteousness, for my salvation is about to come. Jesus Christ is coming soon. It's the message of this day. His salvation is about to come. Another message of this day.

Verse 2.

It's interesting that of all the things that God expects from us, He pops out the Sabbath. He pops out that holy time. And He says in verse 6, Also the sons of the foreigner, the Gentiles of which many of us are physical Gentiles, but we've been grafted in spiritually, who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him and to love the name of the Lord to be His servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant. Even then I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. You know, the Sabbath and the holy days are subjects that just never go away. They're timeless. You can't talk about them often enough. You can't strive to observe them better often enough.

It never gets old. The meaning is always the kingdom of God and the plan of how God is bringing people into that kingdom. We're always tested on them. I'd like to give you three principles for keeping the holy days of God. The Sabbath and the holy days. We'll conclude with these. First of all, the Sabbath and the holy days are days of rest. We're not to seek our own business. We're not to work on those days. Don't compromise on this point. If you ever start compromising just a little bit and seeking our own business and not resting on the Sabbath from our labors, like a little business for yourself employed, just take that one phone call. I just got to send that one email. I just need to get this contract out kind of a thing. Or doing emails for other purposes or on the internet for other purposes or internet shopping or shopping or sports or entertainment or reading books or whatever it is. Playing things that take our mind off the Sabbath.

Don't compromise on that point. Isaiah 58.13 says, If you turn your foot from the Sabbath from doing your pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, Ah! Now we're keeping the Sabbath. See? If we do it like that, don't compromise on that point. 2. Sabbath is a day for worshipping and assembling together. When one stops assembling on the Sabbath, eventually most stop keeping the Sabbath.

Again, the Sabbath and holy days we read are holy, commanded assemblies. And what is the purpose of them? Ephesians 4, verse 15 says, But speaking the truth and love, the congregation that assembles together, the church that assembles together, may grow up into all things, into Him who is the head, Christ. That's the purpose of the Sabbath. That's the purpose of the church, the assembling of ourselves together, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.

It's only here that we can knit and join ourselves within the body of Christ, and we need that, brethren. We're going to see in a minute, we need that more and more as times get tougher and tougher, we need to be there for one another, to encourage, to help, to support one another. Jesus Christ promised that for every physical family member we lose when we pursue this way, He'll give us a hundredfold now in this lifetime.

It's here that we get that, or that we don't, that we are that to others, or that we're not. It's not about finding the true church, it's about being the true church. You've already found the true church, just hanging around it won't do it. We've got to be the true church. We've got to add that which every joint supplies according to the effective, working by which every part does its share, causing the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. It's not the Philadelphia named group somewhere that's Philadelphia, it's these who are edifying, who are being the church of God, that use the mind of God.

And the third point is that the Sabbath and the Holy Days are for doing good to others. It's not a day of laziness. Some of you are here at 8 o'clock this morning, working, serving. You'll probably be here at 6 o'clock tonight, working and serving, same people. It's a day of busyness, it's a day of serving, loving, giving, talking, encouraging, helping. A certain amount of physical service to help others and to praise God.

I know it's the hardest working day that I ever have in a week. It's always on the Sabbath. I always tell my wife that Sunday is my day of rest. So I can hardly move on a Sunday. But not arrest from doing my own pleasure, my own thoughts, my own will, my own work, you know, as it were.

No. Sabbath is a very busy time for the Levites, doing sacrifices at the temple, hauling carcasses, boiling pots. But it's a time where we take off and rest from our own labors. You know, Jesus gave this prophecy in Matthew 26 of the sheep and the goats, and the timing of it was the day of trumpets.

I don't know if you've noticed this, feasted trumpets. Verse 31 says, When the Son of Man comes in His glory. That's at the seventh trump. Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, He will sit on the throne of His glory. He's going to divide the sheep from the goats.

And He says to those, verse 34, on His right hand, Come, you blessed, because I was hungry, you gave me food, thirsty, you gave me drink, a stranger took me in, naked, and you clothed me, sick, and you visited me, prison, you came to me. Verse 37, on the right hand, to say, When we see you? Like that. And He says, well, verse 40, Surely I say, and as much as you did it to the one of these, the least of these, my brethren.

We need to be observing the Sabbath, and serving, and doing these things for our brethren. It's not limited only to the Sabbath, but that's the main time that we are together. And none of those things can you determine by sight, except naked.

You have to get to know the person, to know if they're hungry or thirsty, or if they're a stranger. Those come from within. That's the love of God, caring about people. So before Jesus Christ returns, we have two battlegrounds. With the world, with all its conflicts, all its politics, all the pressures, the faltering economies that are going to take place, make it a miserable time for everybody. And then the other battleground is in the church.

We're challenges from the inside. Aimed at wearing us out, wearing us down, stopping us from obeying God. Brethren, I want to be there. You want to be there. Others before us have fought the good fight, and they didn't give up. You can go to Hebrews 11 and find a whole list of people who went through a lot more than I've ever gone through, and they didn't give up. They just kept on. They persevered.

They endured to their end. The Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, the Eighth Day, the Last Great Day, they tell the story of the Kingdom of God. And how to get there. How God is bringing people into that Kingdom. And Satan hates that story, and he hates those involved in it. Don't let Satan wear you out. Don't get started down the road of compromising, but rather grow in the mind of God. Strengthen. Be strengthened by the might that God has, by the power of His might, the Bible says. The purpose of the Sabbath and the Feasts is encapsulated in a message that Vernon Hargrove has given through the years of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The title of it is, Gather the People, Break the Bread, and Tell the Story. And that's what we do at the festivals. That's what we do at the Sabbath. We gather the people, we break the bread, and we talk. We tell the story. We share. We talk about things of God, and God's Kingdom, God's plan. We get to know one another, encourage one another along the way. In Hebrews 9, verse 25, it points out how much the family needs this in order to be successful, in order to persevere.

It's a simple verse, as it were, but at the same time it's rich in meaning. Hebrews 9, 25 says, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner is of some. This is a tendency to be worn down, get tired of wrongdoing, well-doing, find other things, outside things, personal objectives, excuses. Don't forsake that. That's your lifeline. That's how we can avoid being Laodicean, and disconnected from God, and disconnected from each other. It's how we can receive the encouragement, the inspiration, the food, the bread of life that God is inspiring his ministers to preach to us.

In a time to come before God and worship Him in person. But He goes on. But exhorting one another. When you come together, you exhort one another, and you talk about the important things of life, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Because as the day approaches, the times will get worse. We need each other so much the more as the day that this day pictures approaches.

These are family days for the participants in the family of God. Let's observe them. Let's appreciate them. Let's cling to them. Let's let them be a litmus test of how our spiritual life is doing. And let us be warned when we see them a little out of kilter that we may be wearing out. But let's not be worn out.