Who Are Your Heroes?

Thank you very much for that wonderful special music from the Church Choir, the combined group here from Garden Grove and Eagle Rock. Very inspiring. I'd like to preface the message that I have this afternoon with just a brief update. Some during lunch hour asked me about Latin America. I thought I would give you an update about that. They're part of our brethren around the world.

First, I'd like to read to you a note from 18 of the Santiago, Chile church youth who benefited from the bake sale here in Eagle Rock. Raised a little over $1,700 for the church youth in that area. They say, we want to thank you for helping us finish the music studio and other places in the church building in Santiago, Chile.

Thus, giving us the opportunity to develop our artistic abilities. Also, it helps us to integrate children and teenagers into this world of music that is so beautiful and an integral part of the church. It's great that people who don't even know us put so much effort to do this for all of us. We'll use it to the fullest and really appreciate it. Of course, they're very musically inclined. With that, they are able to prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles, Youth Choir, also have a musical group.

This is a wonderful way to get the kids integrated in the church. I remember back when we started serving the Santiago, Chile church, my wife and I, in 1980. One of the first things that I saw to really integrate was to get a little youth band together. We cobbled some funds and we actually had three generations of youths that came through learning how to play different music musical instruments. Really, it was just an integral part. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that hard work. It's being put to good use there to help the youth in that area of the world.

I also wanted to mention that we have close to 500 brethren that are in 10 congregations in Latin America. They also are part of 10 Bible study groups, apart from the 10 congregations. It's about 20 different groups that we have throughout Latin America. We have 20,000 good news subscribers in the Spanish edition, the Buenos Nuevas. We just had a Kingdom of God seminar in La Paz, Bolivia. They had 38 new people attend. That was bigger than the congregation itself. They were very enthusiastic about that. Of course, this is a long-term project.

It's like throwing that drought net into the ocean. God knows His time. The thing is that we are, in this way, going out to the world and to the subscribers. We're very excited about that. I have a Kingdom of God lecture in Mexico City this coming month of June. I appreciate your prayers.

This is the first time we're going to have the Kingdom of God seminars in Mexico City, which is over 20 million people. There's a lot of people that need to hear God's Word. Also about Puerto Vallarta, we've been overwhelmed. We thought we'd have about 300 this year, and we have 550. Basically, the hotel is now closed just for the congregation. We're going to be able to control the food that we are serving. No shellfish, no lard, no pork at all. Also, we're able to control a little more of the atmosphere. Instead of karaoke at night, we're going to have nice piano music, much more easygoing. The three restaurants are going to be open during the whole time with buffet.

As you know, it's an all-inclusive. You don't have to rent a vehicle. We'll pick you up at the airport. We've got buses that are contracted, and it's about 20-minute ride to the hotel. Then it's all-inclusive. It's like being in an ocean liner, but on land.

You don't have to get dizzy. You don't have to worry about any of these other things that happen out there in the ocean. We're looking forward to it. It's going to be a challenge, of course, with 550 people in just one hotel area. It's big enough, and since it's closed, if you don't like one hotel room, you can just switch over to another one, because it's all included. I'm just kidding a bit, but basically we're going to have a lot more freedom and be able to do as much to accommodate. Of course, not only the spiritual, but also the physical atmosphere has a lot to do with it. With a pirate ship, we're going to have to have two pirate ships, because the group is so big.

Maybe we'll have water balloon fights as we're going around the bay there or something like that. So, we have a lot of fun, as God planned it, because he wants his people to enjoy life to the fullest and in the proper way.

We also have the Columbia Youth Camp coming up here in June, the latter part of June, that my wife and I will be taking care of there. This is the second time in a row the Colombian youth's never had a youth camp until these past year and now for the second time, so they're so enthusiastic about it. We also have a young couple going to the Ambassador Bible Center. They're ministerial trainees, so we have young people coming in from Latin America to help serve in that way. We have the scholarship program with 20 of the kids in higher education, which is a big help.

They're going through college and the church has scholarships. And by the way, that's a Life Net scholarships. So the scholarships never ended. This idea that somehow it was stopped, it never did. We continue to have the scholarship program as it was set up. Again, we were able to have that in Chile. The scholarship program that then grew to spread to the rest of Latin America. Well, Cady and I have been gone from the Latin American area for 12 years, and yet here we are serving again.

So you never know how many times twists and turns life will give you. We're very honored to serve God's people in that way. Just mention real briefly, thank you so much for a wonderful offering. I'll just mention that the average was $89.71 per person, and that's going to help a lot. As you know, it's a tight year. We are all tightening our belts in many ways, doing our part to make sure that we're using every cent that God is receiving this way to get His gospel out to the world and feeding the flock. Now we're ready for the message today.

And as it has already been mentioned that Pentecost is the anniversary of the Church, we calculate it was in 31 AD when it started. And so here we are now, in 1981 years, that the Church has had life, the New Testament Church, as we know.

And Christ assured the Church that despite all that the world would do against it, that the gates of hell would not prevail. That the Church would never be destroyed. It would never be extinguished. And He committed Himself to that.

Let's go to Acts 2, verse 1, to see that the Church truly did start with a bang. Acts 2, verse 1, it says, when the day of Pentecost had fully come. Expression here means more than anything that after it was counted, as Mr. Garnett mentioned in the morning, that when it had fully come, when that day, the fiftieth day, had arrived, they were all with one accord in one place. They were all keeping the day of Pentecost. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Mr. Velasco already humorously explained that the word tongues here means different languages. That God gave the church in those first years the gift to be able to understand the different languages. The apostles couldn't go around with twelve sets of dictionaries wherever they went. So God gave them the gift that wherever they went, that they could be understood by those hearing them.

After a while, it got abused, and God finally just whittled it down to where it was no longer the case, because it was just too much gifts, and they were too immature to handle it as we read in 1 Corinthians. But the church started with a bang. In verse 40 of chapter 2, it says, And with many other words, talking about Peter, he testified and exhorted them, saying, Be safe from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls, which means people, were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and in prayers. And of course, they really felt at one. It didn't matter what status you had in life, it didn't matter whether you were rich or poor, whether you were from Jerusalem or not, everybody shared together. Again, the word fellowship just means sharing what you have in common. So they were just very loving, one to another, as a good example. But after the first initial decades, the church had to contend with many attacks from outside and from inside. There was a counterfeit movement, a counterfeit Christianity, that was raised in Acts chapter 8. I won't turn there, but you remember the story of Simon Magus. He was baptized. He knew the Christian faith, but he was of the wrong spirit and wrong ambition. But later, church history explains that he eventually went to Rome and established a false Christianity. But he was not the only one. The infiltration took place in Jude, verse 3 and 4. I'll just read it real quickly. Jude, you see the infiltration, especially in the leadership of the church, where not even the apostles could control what was going on in the different churches. Men like diatrophies and others were rising up, seeking position and separating the flock. It says in verse 3, Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turned the grace of our God into lewdness or license and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. So here Jude meant to write to him about salvation. And all of a sudden he found out these people had infiltrated the churches that he was serving, and he had to send an urgent message, because he was warning them of people that had become part of the congregation and were rising up and creeping, as he says, unnoticed, and then started changing things. And certainly there's always been three major areas that the church has been tested and tried that have ravaged the church throughout the centuries. The first one is heresy. That's the spiritual cancer that will ravage the flock of God. Very quickly people start changing doctrines, and we've seen what that has caused. That is one of the ravages that was taking place in the first century. And so it will, until Christ comes back. The second one has to do with governance and positions of power and men that have ambitions and slowly fight to maintain that position. That's always been the second great cancer of the church. And from the very start, we read about diatrophies here in 3 John, which mentions about verse 9. It says, I wrote to the church, but diatrophies, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.

So here John was trying to keep control of this church out there, and diatrophies, who had become a person in charge, all of a sudden wasn't obeying instructions. And what John was saying, he wasn't giving it to the congregation. He says, I had written, but diatrophies says, does not receive us.

Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds, which he does, pratting against us with malicious words. So even being an apostle, being with Christ, that does not shield you from being discredited, being attacked. He says that with malicious words and not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren and forbids those who wish to. People that wanted to listen to what John was saying. If this local church leader heard about it, he wouldn't allow the congregation to get the other side of the story, in that sense. Putting them out of the church, threatening to suspend them.

So that's the second major cancer that can ravage the body of Christ. The third one is immorality, which can ravage if immorality is allowed to persist in the membership, but particularly in the ministry, it will ravage the church.

We have gone through that period of time in just the last 50 years. Can you imagine what it has been like for God and Jesus Christ? They've almost had 2,000 years, which when Christ evaluates the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, it's not a pretty picture. All the things that they had to go through, the ups and downs. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and that's where the church headquarters was of the apostles. So all of a sudden, they lost their base, and had to go to a small town called Pella across the Jordan.

The church lost its preeminence, and basically they lost the microphone, what they call the person that gets to represent. Whoever has a microphone is able to get out the stories. The church lost its microphone, and then all of a sudden, you find out in Rome and other parts, picking up the microphone. Now it's a whole different group. By the time the second century comes around, men like Polycrates and Polycarp, basically they couldn't get the microphone back.

The church had already, in the majority, had apostatized. They had left the faith. The Gentile philosophical system conquered a great part of the church. Instead of having biblical teachings, now we were getting Greek philosophy instead, and all kinds of ideas that were foreign to the Bible.

They had lost their Hebrew roots. And, as we come in this period of time, if we look back in history, at least from the biblical point of view, there have been three of the worst periods in history of man. The first one was the period of Noah's day, before the flood. God had to intervene and cause a universal flood, because there was universal sin. The second period was Sodom and Gomorrah, where God again was forced to intervene and to rain down fire from heaven. He just had to obliterate, because there was nothing left as Abraham tried to say, well, what if there's ten just people? They never found them.

And the third period is the one that we are in, which is just continually deteriorating, the end time. In Daniel 8.23, I'll read here, it says, And in the latter time, in other words, before Christ comes back, and in the latter time of their kingdoms, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understand sinister schemes. So that's the talking about the beast and the false prophet, which God will allow to arise.

But notice here the condition. When the transgressors' sins have reached up to heaven, they have reached a threshold. We don't know when that threshold is, when that last drop in that barrel finally falls. And God knows when it is, but you can see the deterioration that we are under now. And so in these last decades, just like the novel The Two Cities by Charles Dickens, where he began, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times. And so in the church, it depends whether you look at it spiritually or materially.

The best of times, the church has now been sifted. It has matured doctrinally. It has acquired a certain amount of balance in how to apply God's laws, a balance between doctrine and prophecy and governance.

These are all cogs in the wheel that have to be balanced. Sometimes you can have governance just be so high above, and then Christian maturity and balance is way down at the bottom. But you need to balance each one of these cogs very carefully. And I think we have learned a lot about what Christ-like service and the ministry and the membership is all about.

But we can also talk about the worst of times, where the church was infiltrated with heresy, and it has had to deal with governance issues time and time again. Let's turn to Philippians 2, verse 1. And I'm just giving you an introduction, preparing, setting the table for what we're about to receive. Philippians 2, verse 1, talking about contending with the problems of governance and position in the church. We have not been the best at that. In verse 1, Paul says, Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. That's the way to lead the church. That's the spirit that God wants to see.

It's been a little less than a month since we had the honor to go to the general conference of elders in Cincinnati. And in one of those, as we arrived, we arrived with a couple in Cincinnati and were able to have dinner with them.

And I was struck by a comment that this young minister mentioned. His father had worked here in Pasadena at Ambassador College for many years, but in the early 70s, his father had left the church. And he told this young son of his, I'm leaving the church. And his son asked, why, father? And he said, because all my heroes are gone. In other words, he was either disappointed in them or they had left.

And so his faith crumbled. And I was stunned to hear that. It reminded me of another comment of a good friend who had also been here at Ambassador College and worked for the church in the Spanish department, where I also worked at that time as a young student.

And he had left the church. And when we talked, he told me that he had put his faith on the people of the organization. And so when he saw them, taught her, when he saw them, not be what he expected, his faith was shattered.

And so my question to all here is, who are your heroes?

What can we base our faith on that will never be moved?

So I want to share with you five areas of where our heroes should be.

Where our heroes should be. Number one, our heroes should first be God the Father and Jesus Christ.

In 1 John chapter 1, 1 John chapter 1, and verse 1, talking about Jesus Christ, he says, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life, Jesus Christ, the Lord was manifested, the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us.

That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship, our sharing in common, is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. Notice that John did not say, well, that should be, you should emphasize more than anything, me?

He said, no, it's God the Father and Jesus Christ. That's where the firm foundation is.

That's where they will never disappoint. They are not humans to air, to sin.

And so that's a firm foundation for that deep relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

No one else can take their place. We should never elevate people to that level.

And those who have, usually are not going to be around very long.

Notice again what it says here, verse 7, But if we walk in the light as He is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

So, yes, our relationship with God helps us to have a right relationship with others.

But we're all down at the bottom. We're the ones of sin.

So if you put your faith in the flesh on human beings, you will be disappointed.

That is not where we should put our priorities.

Notice in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14.

Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14.

It says, So some people got it backward.

They thought they could get closer to God and Jesus Christ by looking at one person or several persons. And they thought that relationship with these people was going to establish the relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

And what they had built up was an idol.

And when the idol broke, they didn't really have a lasting and firm relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

So they had set up a wrong idol, a wrong image that they basically almost had worship toward it.

In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 8, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 8, it says simply but profoundly, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He doesn't change as God the Father doesn't change either. He's the same. I can go to Him and He doesn't change. He's the same character, the same focus, and He never changes.

I can go to Him and I know that He and God the Father are unmovable.

Nothing can remove them from their positions.

And so as long as I'm close to them, as long as I put them first, and my fellowship is first with them, I don't care what man will do. They are below that relationship.

And so we have to establish that relationship.

Jesus Christ is the same loving serving elder brother, our high priest, and chief shepherd.

And so I looked with sadness when I hear those just wrong placing of faith. And whether it was almost unconsciously done, where they looked at these great speakers and great image, and all of a sudden their faith was based on that. Never should have been.

Secondly, our hero should be the Bible, the sure word of God.

That's the second. Besides God the Father and Jesus Christ, our hero should be the Bible, the sure word of God.

Everything I've ever read in life, everything that I have ever experienced in life is defective, is error prone, is flawed, except the Bible.

That's a spiritual mirror that reflects truth.

Sometimes it doesn't look very nice when you have to look into it, but it is a spiritual mirror without distortions, without man's ideas of things.

And so that's my hero. That's what I base my life on and know what I should do.

I don't base it on what others do. That's what God is telling us to do in His Word.

In Isaiah chapter 8, verse 19, Isaiah 8, and verse 19, it says, And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums, and wizards who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their God?

Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? Is that where your guide should be? All kinds of esoteric and black magic? Of course not. That's all based on demon worship. That's not where we should seek our guidance. Verse 20 says, To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. There's no truth.

It's to God's Word, to the testimony that God has given, that we can have a firm foundation. I learned at 17. I was a Catholic at that time, and I had placed my faith on the Pope. I found out that that's not where the Bible says my faith is.

I remember I had to put God's Word first, and I learned that the Pope is infallible.

As a matter of fact, if you've kept up with the news, the Vatican is filled with all kinds of scandals, and just showing all the things that are going on.

But what I found, not the Pope is infallible, God's Word is infallible.

I'm talking about the original autographs, as it was inspired by God. Thankfully, we have so many copies, and basically you have 99% of God's Word fully accurate. Then you have scriptures like 1 John 5.7, which you know was not part of the original parts. So that 1% of God's Word can be cleared up very quickly. So I have a sure foundation. Yes, the Bible is my hero. It's the thing that is not going to change in time.

We've got these wonderful doctrines that are enshrined in the Constitution of the United Church of God. They cannot really be touched as such. We have 20 of those main doctrinal teachings, and they're there protected, so that no man or little group of men can change that. It is something that was set up in such a way that it would take over three-fourths of all the ministry to have to just make even a tweaking of any of those. In the 15 or 17 years that we've had in the history of the church, it has never been touched.

So we do have a sure foundation of God's Word, and we have a church that protects that. It doesn't matter that you're going to have some leader one day that says, you know what? I think Buddhism is nice. Let's teach Buddhism, and if you don't like it, we'll kick everybody out. We don't have that. We have learned the lesson. We do have protection against somebody sequestering or kidnapping the church in that way. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16, it says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. The term in Greek here means God breathed. It comes from God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Yes, that is our divine textbook. That's our instruction manual. That's what we should follow. That is one of the heroes that we have in this life that we should follow. And then, thirdly, we have other heroes as well. We have the biblical heroes, the ones that are found in God's Word, that have given us an example to follow. They can mentor us. They can guide us. Who is your favorite Christian personage? Everybody has some. It's always fascinating. Who do you identify with the most? Well, I certainly, as I was a young minister, I identified with Timothy. I felt, oh, if I can just learn from Timothy, because Paul would give him so much instruction.

And other people have women and men of the faith. Proverbs 31 woman that was brought out by Earl Romer now that his wife died. And he just mentioned how much that Proverbs 31 woman reminded him of his wife, Carol. What a great tribute.

But you see, we have biblical heroes that we see that they finished the race. They did persevere to the end. In Hebrews 11. In verse 32.

Here are the examples that are given of men and women of the faith. And it says, And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions like Daniel did, quenched the violence of fire like his companions did, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. So some died, like Stephen. They were sawn in two, like the prophet Isaiah reportedly went through. They were tempted, they were slain with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. The world didn't pay attention, but those were the ones that were worthy before God.

Those are my biblical heroes. Those are my role models. That's who I'm trying to imitate. Their lives, they made it. Men and women, we can too.

It says going on, And all these, having obtained a good testimony, through faith, did not receive the promise. God, having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. So God is saying, hey, there's still a big crowd. They made it, they crossed, and I'm still having people cross the finish line to be part of the first fruits of God. Those two loaves that we've been talking about. And it's worth it to be part of that. We are part, but we can be removed, we can remove ourselves from being part of those two loaves. We can always sell our birthright for a plate of lentil soup. Yes, there's a lot that the world can offer you for your birthright.

Verse 1 of chapter 12, Therefore, we also, as all of these cross the finish line, and we're running our race. We haven't finished, but they did. And so He says, we also, who are running the race of faith, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, heroes that made it, suffered some a lot worse than we will ever do. I hope I don't get to be sawn in half. I hope I don't have to go through something like that. But some did, and they wanted to be part of that better resurrection. So He says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us.

And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto who? Some physical man? No! Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus Christ is the last runner mentioned here in the chapter of faith. Many times we leave Him out, but it says here He was the author and finisher.

He's the one that carried it all out. But that doesn't mean He did it for us, but He did it so we could run the race through Him. He says, For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. So we still haven't been whipped, denying ourselves to obey God.

That I know of, we don't have a great persecution. People are not being thrown into jail or being whipped to obey God. And so He says, so we not be weary and discouraged, because sometimes things happen in the church that can discourage, and they can shake your tree a bit. But God allows that, because He knows we need that endurance. We need to be tested time and time again. So we have plenty of these biblical personages to choose from. As I mentioned early in my life, I just wanted to be a good Timothy.

Just learn from those above me how to do things. Well, now, later in my life, of course, it's shifted. Now it's Paul. I call Paul the gift that keeps giving, because I can never learn enough. He is a spiritual mentor of mine through his epistles that speak to me today, of what a minister should be. He's my role model.

He's my mentor, more than any human being I've ever met. And we go to the fourth, hero, which are the examples in the church. We're always going to have people that are spiritually behind you going toward God's kingdom. You are going to have people spiritually ahead of you. You're going to have people to the left of you and to the right of you. And some are going to veer off into the wilderness to the left, and then others are going to veer to their wilderness off to the right.

But you have to keep your eyes on that kingdom. And those that are ahead, use their example, because we do have heroes of the faith who have been faithful in the church and continue to be. Notice in Hebrews 13, verse 7. It says, Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, but there's a condition, considering the outcome of their conduct. So you see, there are a lot of people that I followed, but sometimes their conduct went off. Am I going to follow them out?

No, sir. That's as far as I go following, considering their conduct, the outcome of their conduct. So you look at the fruits, and you're going to find people that have produced good fruit. They continue to do so, but some you're going to be disappointed. But don't hang your faith on them. Keep moving on. And so, we've had great mentors in the church.

I consider Mr. Armstrong one of those. I have very good memories since I was a student here at Ambassador College and was able to eat dinner before I graduated, and for 16 years, what I knew of the man and his guidance, I always appreciate. And we have the president, Dennis Luker, who has given a wonderful example of what a servant leader should be. And the men on the Council of Elders, I have learned to respect that are there, and learn from them.

But remember, it says, considering the outcome of their conduct, because somebody can start off well and end badly. But I'm not going to hang my faith on anybody except God the Father, Jesus Christ, God's Word, those biblical personages. Those men showed me how to live. Do you know anybody in the Bible that ate pork? No, I don't know anybody. So, my mentors didn't eat pork in the Old and the New Testament. I don't eat pork.

That's not an example of biblical personages. Do you see anybody that ever quit tithing in the New Testament? I never saw it. It was never a controversy. Did you ever see anybody that didn't keep the Sabbath or Holy Days in the Old or the New Testament that followed God? No. That's why they were my mentors. I've got it real clear, the example that they have given me. I've said, just show me one person of God in the Bible that ever ate pork, and then I'll consider it. But I never have. Paul never ate it. None of those men and women. It would have been a tremendous scandal, which we never see.

And finally, the fifth area, the other heroes from family, friends, and I include books as well, because you can gain a lot of inspiration and guidance. Maybe you never met them, but those books help you, inspire you, see how people overcame different trials and difficulties. In Philippians chapter 4, you can summarize this fifth point. Philippians chapter 4 verse 7. Well, let's go verse 6. Philippians 4 verse 6 says, It says, And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Focusing on the right things to think and do. And then verse 8 summarizes it. It says, And so I try to read those types of books. I try to look at the examples of people that I would like to be like, that I see the fruits that I would like to live and see the fruits that they have shown.

Those are my heroes, too. And usually, they've been the encouragers. Those that are always there, encouraging, helping, lifting up. When you slip, they help pick you up. I don't have anybody that's a discourager in my list of heroes.

I've got those that always are there helping you along. A little baby doesn't get up the first time it tries. And we've got a little granddaughter here. She's still not ready, but she's still starting walking. Can you imagine if you say, Oh, come on, you'll never get up. Look, you always fall. Just quit trying.

You're not going to get any better. If we had ideas like that, we'd all be crawling like worms. But we make it. Parents encourage. We should encourage each other, because we've got a long ways to go. And this day of Pentecost, the day of first fruits, none of us are worthy. But God has called us, and we should be thankful and grateful for that great calling.

So let's go to 2 Peter to finish. 2 Peter, chapter 1, verse 5.

It says in verse 5, well, let's go to verse 2 of 2 Peter 1. We've got time to read the paragraph before. It says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Notice Peter addressing God the Father and Jesus Christ. He knew where his faith was based on.

So there he summed up what our Christian calling is all about. Our takers of that divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And then he goes on, verse 5, but also for this very reason, for that hope that we have, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

This is Peter, the one who contradicted himself so many times, who looked like he was never going to make it. And here you have them at the end, writing the same level of epistles as the Apostle Paul and others.

How much did he have to learn and go through life to write an epistle like this and saying these words?

These words are etched in blood, sweat, and tears.

He says, for if these things are yours and abound, those type of fruits, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You'll know how to mature in the faith. For he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. People have problems with self-righteousness.

Verse 10, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.

For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So Pentecost should remind us of why we are here in the church, the first fruits.

We have a wonderful future. God has invested so much to help us grow and maintain that firmness and faith and persevere, looking to the right heroes of the faith.