Whose Flag Are You Flying?

Well, thank you, Mr. Emery, and good afternoon to all of you. It's good to be here with you. It is good to have this opportunity to be together on God's Sabbath day, to come together and be able to praise and worship Him with people of like mind.

It's such a wonderful blessing that we have that, you know, we sometimes, I think, take for granted. There's so many places around the country where people are so scattered and isolated. I was just talking with someone recently that said, you know, I can't even believe that within, like, three to five miles of your home are, like, 20 different people. You know, it's incredible to think about just how blessed we are in that sense. So, hope we don't ever take that for granted.

It's so nice to be together and have that opportunity to do so. Well, as far as announcements go today, I have just a couple. Just a couple. First off, I would draw your attention to—I'm not going to go through and read all of it—but I would draw your attention to the Home Office Weekly Update.

It's a pretty sparse Home Office Weekly Update. This goes around. The only thing that's there is an update from the president. And so, President Elliott has gone through and he has discussed a little bit about the global work that is going on. He's talked a little bit about all the different things that are taking place back at Home Office, all the different buzzing of activity, so to speak, as the work is being done.

I would encourage you to at least take a look at that. Just to, if anything, get a feel for exactly what it is that's taking place on a day-to-day basis as we look at things internationally. I wanted to mention, too—I don't know if I've mentioned this yet or not—we're going to have a couple of visitors here with us on the Sabbath of July 12th. Viv Botha from the Cape Town congregation, as well as Nigel and Charlene Schuler, also from the Cape Town congregation and their two kids, Ryan and Sarah, are going to be out visiting—I said two weeks from now, Desmond.

Desmond's making fun of me because I kept telling everyone in Eugene that it was next week. But I remembered this time—I got it this time—July 12th, so yeah, two weeks from now, they're going to be here visiting with us. So, looking forward to having them with us and having the opportunity for you to be able to meet them and to get a feel for what it is that's going on in their neck of the woods in South Africa and some of the different things that they're experiencing in the church and some of the different experiences that they have overall.

So, we have that coming up. I just wanted to make sure I remembered to tell you that because I was going to forget otherwise. As far as announcements go, we've got the last reminder here for our Every Member, Every Talent survey. That is open. It is going to close July 1st. So, July 1st—I'm going to close that down.

If you have not taken it yet, please do that here in the next little bit. But as of July 1st, what we will do is get all that data that has been put together from that survey and get it out to our individual department heads and committee heads and people that are doing the various organization in order to be able to reach out to you if there are projects and if and when there are projects and various things.

And various things that need some assistance. So, I just wanted to encourage you to go in and do that. If you have not yet done so, that will again be open until July 1st. We'll also remind you, too, of the Spiritual Gifts Inventory. As we mentioned before, it's really more of a skill set inventory. Whether it's a Spiritual Gift or not, it's going to involve prayer and fasting and service and trial and error and all those things to determine if that's it or not.

But it is kind of an interesting inventory, I think, to be able to go and look and see what exactly do the strengths that I exhibit tend to be. So, the link to that, again, is in your email as a part of the announcements that came out today. I wanted to let you know as well, August 24th, this summer, is going to be the date of our 3rd Annual Church of God Fellowship Picnic. We'll be having that picnic out at the Kester Farm out in Lebanon, Oregon.

There will be games, water activities, a giant bounce house obstacle course. I think that's only for the kids, sorry adults, but who knows? Maybe we'll have an adult version of it. We'll see. We'll shoe the kids off of it and then we can all see who can get through the obstacle course first without breaking any hips or anything else. But we'll have a giant bounce house obstacle course and there will be numerous opportunities for fellowship with brethren from the greater body of Christ.

For those that are not aware, what we do on this is we extend invitations out to all of the Church of God groups, essentially, that have representation in the area. So anybody who could drive from whatever distance, we send out information and reach out and provide at least an invitation.

Whether they follow that invitation, it's up to them. But we at least made the effort and put out the opportunity. So if you are interested in attending, there is a flyer. That flyer is in your email. And this is the big part. If you are going to be going RSVP to Sabrina, please. For food planning purposes, just for an idea of how many people are going to randomly show up at their house on August 24th, it's always a general good idea to have an idea of how many are coming. So Sabrina is your contact on that as far as RSVP, but to let her know that you'll be there would be helpful.

Alright. As you are already aware, Mr. Sexton has retired. Mr. Kinsella is now working up at the pastor of the Portland and the Dallas congregation. But Mr. Sexton is having kind of a retirement gathering sort of thing next Sabbath, July 5th. Why that necessarily is something I'm bringing up for those of you guys is we, my family and I, are planning to go up.

And so we are scheduled here to speak on that Sabbath. We'll have a video in my place. And I am planning to go up so that I can be there. Rex has been a mentor to me for a long time. He was one of my first pastors up in the Spokane area that I can remember. And so we've known the family for quite some time.

It'd be nice to go up and visit in that sense and be able to wish them well going forward. As we've mentioned before, if you are planning to go and you're planning to bring food for the activity, please reach out to Berkeley Weiss. There is...he doesn't want this to just be a potluck that has random things coming in. He's hoping that it can be more of kind of a coordinated effort. And so if you're planning to bring food, reach out.

He'll say, hey, could you bring a side or this or that? And could you bring a lot of it? Because that's what Burke does. So there will definitely be a desire to bring a load of food with you. So...but that will be next Sabbath, July 5th, up in the Portland area.

You're already here, so you got the note that there was no services in Portland today. Hopefully you got the note and nobody drove up there and went, where are they? Children's Choir Practice. So we will be having a children's choir, and I think possibly a girls' choir practice today as well. I'm looking for Hannah to...thumbs up, thumbs down. Yep, thumbs up. So there's a choir practice for the girls' choir, as well as a children's choir practice that is going to be taking place immediately after services today in the small gym over here.

All children's choir members, please come to the small gym right after services. Just also in FYI, we have just found out the contact here at the school reached out to me. They're going to be doing some construction in this small gym area, beginning about the middle of July through about the middle of August. So we will actually not have access to that part of things for about a month, starting about the middle of July. So we'll have to kind of coordinate how we're going to do practices and other things, but just want to make sure that everybody is aware of that as well.

Parents especially, our kids cannot be in there during that time frame while they have construction. So there's also a Northwest Kids Camping Weekend that's going to be taking place. So families are invited to the Northwest Kids Camping Weekend, which will be held at the Pate Family Property from August 15th through August 17th.

Families with kids between 2 and 12 are the target audience, but all ages and grandparents are welcome. There's going to be an open field for play, a giant sandbox, bonfire, communal breakfasts and dinners, Sabbath-appropriate activities, local on-site Sabbath services, and a hayride, and this is being sponsored by the Tacoma congregation. There is a flyer that is attached that has the schedule and has other information. I would encourage you to check that out if you're interested in going.

If you are planning to go, please contact Christina Pate. She is the contact for this particular weekend. She's also the person you need to get a hold of if you have any questions. So your kids don't necessarily have to be between 2 and 12, but that is the target audience, kind of that younger pre-teen age group of kids. I also wanted to mention that we will be coming up on this coming Wednesday, July 2nd. We'll have our Hebrews 1025 coffee chat at the Broadway Coffee House.

It is from 830 to 1030, and we'll be on the 3rd floor in the Middle East room. Hopefully it's more peaceful than the Middle East is currently, but we will definitely be up in the Middle East room. It's been a great room for us. It's worked out quite well, actually. But that is from 830 to 1030, July 2nd, this coming Wednesday. I have just a couple of quick prayer requests, and then we will... I don't believe we have special music today, so we'll have our song leader come back up before we have the sermon.

But first off, we would ask for your prayers on behalf of Mateo Rosso. Bill and Sandra Bruce appreciate your ongoing prayers on behalf of their grandson Mateo. He is 4 years old. He actually lives in New Mexico. Mateo was hospitalized in the ICU in Texas, so the local hospital was actually not really able to deal with his particular scenario. So they sent him to an intensive care unit in Texas as a result of symptoms related to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Sometimes you end up with people that have pretty significant, like brittle diabetic type situations, where insulin pumps are going to be required and consistent monitoring.

That's his scenario. So he's dealing with a pretty severe case of it. They would appreciate ongoing prayers as they work to get everything worked out as far as insulin and blood sugar levels. As you might imagine, as a 4-year-old, it's difficult to tell somebody you don't feel well and why you don't feel well or what you're experiencing. So being able to...it's more of almost an education for the parent than it is for the kid at that age, just understanding how to best go through and care for them in that need.

So your prayers for Mateo are appreciated. Also received a prayer request yesterday by David Baker down in the Roseburg area. He's asked for prayers on behalf of a friend, Peggy Huggins. Peggy had a stroke yesterday, and she was taken into the hospital there. There in that neck of the woods to be able to have that treated. So we appreciate prayers for her protection, ultimately, and for her recovery as well. Post-stroke, there's not any major issues that are related to that.

Also got a prayer request this morning down in Eugene from Vicki Beeland. She's requesting prayers on behalf of Vicki Beeland. You may not know this. Some of you probably do. There are two Pat Harmans.

There's Pat Harmon, our Pat Harmon. There's Pat Harmon in Eugene. And there's Vicki Beeland in Eugene. And then there's Vicki's stepmother, Vicki Beeland. So Jeff's mom, Vicki, is going to be having a hip replacement. So not Vicki that we know, but Jeff's mom Vicki is going to be having a hip replacement done here, July 7th. So she's going in to have her hip taken care of on July 7th, but she would appreciate your prayers for healing in that process as well.

It's not the Vicki in Eugene. It's the other—well, she's probably in Eugene. Anyway, moral of the story. Two Vickis. It's kind of confusing. So anyway, prayers for Vicki Beeland, Jeff's mother—or stepmother, I should say. Stepmother, Jeff Beeland's stepmother. So, okay. That is all I have in the way of announcements. So if we could have our song leader come on back up, we'll have a middle—a middle middle hymn, a second middle hymn, and then I'll be back up for the sermon after that.

All right, brethren. It's time for special music. Or, as was otherwise put as the second middle hymn. So if you'd all please take up your hymnals or look at the screen once again behind me. The Congregational Choir, thank you. Please stand. We will sing hymn number 171, One Faith, One Love. Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith from Philippians 1. That's hymn number 171. I developed a little tickle in my throat, so I'm going to try not to squeak while we do this. Anyway, hymn number 171.

Let my eyes come to get a reason through. One faith, one love, my spirit winds up smiling. As songs and altars pass within my view. On any end we raise our eyes for thee. My voice as always as my great family. Our way lies our own and living within. As tapestries, created by the hand. With every breath I hope we hear this hand. With every other one's eager strength. Up on my own, our emphasis becomes a reason to be in the sun. On any patience of the earth to behave. With many lungs we call on praise to thee. On closer scenes, from out there I be read. My songs and honors in one of our reads. And as we sing, that one another in thee. My spirit winds in my great harmony. Thank you so much, brethren. Please do be seated. And now, Mr. Light.

Well, thank you, Mr. Emery, and once again, good afternoon to all of you. Brethren, is it July yet?

I don't know what it is about the month of June. But it seems like the past few years, the month of June has come around and it's protest season. You know, the book of Samuel records that the spring of the year was the time in which the kings went out to war. Well, it seems like summer seems to be the time the protesters come out to protest, at least. Over the last, you know, five to six years, that has certainly been the case. Once Memorial Day passes and the month of June comes along, it's as though there is a level of anger and vitriol and rage that just seems to suddenly spike.

And between Pride Month parades and protests, racial equity protests revolving around Juneteenth, and a pile of other assorted societal frustrations that boil to the surface regarding governmental leadership and immigration and a number of other issues, the summer months in the United States—and this isn't new.

Some of you lived through the long hot summer of 65 to about 68. Some of you were around during that time, and remember those riots and those different things taking place. But it seems the summer months in the United States are rife with rebelliousness, with lawlessness, and a prideful spirit that mimics the very nature and character of Satan the Devil. It just mimics his very nature and his character. We live in a time in which people feel compelled to rally behind visible symbols. I think back over the interactions that you've seen over the last little bit in society, the various protests that have been taking place over the last—I mean, even this summer, but into the last several years, back into even 2020—there's a certain tendency to rally behind visible symbols.

And in some ways, it's a virtue signaling in a way, but in another sense, they serve as an outward visible expression of an internally held belief system. They're a way for a person in a quick and easy and simple visual symbol to express to anyone who sees that symbol who and what they are and who and what they believe.

Sometimes it's a slogan, sometimes it's a hashtag—a pound sign for those of you that are older than millennials—hashtags. But sometimes a slogan sometimes is a hashtag. But increasingly, and frankly, recently, we've seen these protests unfold, and it has been flags. It's been rallying behind a flag. And these flags serve to illustrate an ideology. They serve to illustrate a rallying point, so to speak, for the protesters and for their protest.

During the month of June, which we're almost through to the month of June, these protests are blanketed with rainbow-colored pride flags—a pattern of horizontal rainbow stripes that has been misappropriated and warped from its original covenantal promise from God. And it doesn't matter what protest is taking place, there will be pride flags at that protest, inevitably. It's kind of an overarching aspect of the month of June. There have been flags that have a single, upraised fist on a black background, or a black background with simple white words that say, Black Lives Matter, against this stark black background to protest race relations in the United States.

You see slogans, you see hashtags, you see meme-like phrases on pieces of cardboard that people hang up and hold up to draw attention to various issues. You see flags of various nations and peoples. Recently, in the L.A. immigration riots, we saw protests that were full of Mexican flags. But since Israel's response to the Hamas attacks on October 7th, we've seen Palestinian flags and Palestinian kind of parades taking place with regards to what Israel's response was. In this most recent situation, we've seen Iranian flags in these protests.

Sometimes you even see U.S. flags. Sometimes you do even see U.S. flags. But sometimes, recently, they've been upside down or they've been on fire. In each circumstance, these flags were representative of an underlying ideology. And they serve as a rallying point for a person who ascribes to those specific beliefs. They describe a certain identity and a certain loyalty to a cause. But what is interesting is that they often generate division.

They often generate conflict. They often generate confusion, which is exactly what Satan seeks. It is a step right out of his playbook of divide and conquer. Our adversary, the devil, is the god of this age, lowercase g. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4, if you'd like to turn there, you can. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4 describes the dominion that he has over this world at this particular time. That this world is in his hands at this period of time.

That all these things that we see, all these aspects, they are a result of the various attitudes, the various characteristics and traits that he is broadcasting, so to speak, through the air.

And that the people, humanity, are attuned to. The dominion that he has at this time over this world is a dominion that was handed to him by Adam and Eve in the garden. God created Adam. He gave Adam dominion over the creation. And through the events of Genesis 3, through the deception and ultimately the disobedience that took place, Adam handed his dominion over willingly to Satan through that resulting disobedience of God.

And as a result, this world is under his sway. This world, and all that we see in it, is under his sway. It's under his influence. And the symbols of this world, the symbols of these things, reflect his spirit. Not a spirit of peace, but a spirit of conflict. Not a spirit of unity, but a spirit of unrest. Those who enjoy titles for their messages, the title of the sermon today is, Whose Flag Are You Flying? Whose Flag Are You Flying? Let's turn over to Isaiah 11 to begin today. Isaiah 11, you would turn over there.

We'll start in Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet here is bringing a message of warning to the people of God. In this case, he's bringing it to the nation of Judah. And he's warning them of an impending captivity. He's warning them of a captivity to come, a resulting loss of liberty, and a bondage to another nation that would ultimately conquer them and would keep them captive. And through this message, he speaks to this remnant of people that would come through these things. And he brings a certain hope as he speaks of a future time, as he speaks of a time in which Messiah is ruling, a time in which the things that we experience right now and the things that we see right now are going to be markedly different.

Isaiah 11, and we'll begin in verse 1, he begins to speak of this coming Messiah, and ultimately, this Messiah's rule. Verse 11, there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of its roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. And so he is full of the Spirit of God.

He is acting in accordance with God's Spirit. He has wisdom, he has understanding, he has counsel, he has might, he has knowledge, he has a fear of the Lord. Verse 3, it says, his delight is in the fear of the Lord, and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor decide by the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, decide with equity for the meek of the earth.

He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist. We have never experienced on this earth, in our nation, you know, thinking about our past, what are we, 250 years?

You know, as a nation, we have never experienced judgment with true, godly righteousness. We have a justice system that can be bought. We have a justice system that can be manipulated. We have a justice system that, you know, kind of gets in there and changes things around. It says here, Messiah is going to judge by the sight of his eyes. Or not by the sight of his eyes, sorry. Or by the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness he is going to judge the poor. He is going to make righteous judgments. He is going to decide with equity. People are going to be treated fairly.

They're going to be treated with equity. He goes on in verse 6, describing what these passages we come into when we get into the Feast of Tabernacles. It says, The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together. And it says, And a little child shall lead them. So there's no fear.

There's no concern here. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's sand. You can imagine that. A young kid reaching into the den of a viper. It's incredible, incredible protection that's there because nothing in that mountain is going to hurt.

Notice it says, verse 9, They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. People are protected through this incredible, incredible promise that God has given. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Okay, we've read these passages at the Feast of Tabernacles.

We look forward to these things. We see these promises from God, and they are a big part of our hope of what is coming. Notice what it says in verse 10, And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people. For the Gentiles shall seek him, and his resting place shall be glorious.

And shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again, the second time, to recover the remnant of his people who are left. From Assyria and Egypt, from Pathrus and Kush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. Notice verse 12, He will set up a banner for the nations, will assemble the outcasts of Israel, gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

So Isaiah describes the descendant of Jesse, here, if go far enough down the line, to Jesus Christ, born from that Davidic line, destined to rule as king of kings in the coming millennium, serving as a banner to his people. The Hebrew word there is the Hebrew word nes. It means flag. It means standard. It means banner. In fact, in the same passage in the New Living Translation, New Living Translation reads as follows. It says, In all the distant coastlands, verse 12 says, He will raise a flag among the nations, and He will assemble the exiles of Israel.

He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the very ends of the earth. So we see Christ, this likeness that's painted here by Isaiah, is that Christ is a rallying standard, a rallying banner, a rallying flag, so to speak, to not just Jews, but Gentiles alike. To all of the nations. He's like a flag that has been set up that people can see and they can flock toward.

It's described as a banner of salvation. Now, He is, of course, not a literal flag or a literal banner. Isaiah is speaking metaphorically here. He's speaking metaphorically, and he's speaking prophetically of the leadership of Christ, of His teachings, of His law. But the word picture that He's painting is what I want us to have in our minds as we think about this concept. Think of an army. Think of armies in the old days, before we fought war and the way that we fight war today.

You would have these lines of troops. You'd have these lines of troops, and they would face off against each other. You'd have pipers and drummers, and you'd have standard bearers. You'd have somebody who is holding up a standard of some variety. And people would, especially on a large battlefield like that, it's hard to know when it's time to move, when it's time to advance, when it's time to retreat. And those flags served as a communication device, in a sense. It also served for when that line broke, a place for them to rally back to.

A place for them to run toward when that standard had fallen. In fact, when the standard fell in battle, somebody would immediately drop their weapon, what they were fighting with. And pick that standard back up, and wave it so it could be seen. Sometimes themselves getting killed, and having someone else grab it and hold it up. It was that important for that standard to be able to be seen, for that flag to be seen. So that's a picture I want us to have in our head when we think about this.

In that Jesus Christ as that banner, as that standard, as that flag. This is a prophetic description that Isaiah is providing us of the truth of God, of the law of God, the government of God, under which all nations will one day unite. No matter where you look, this flag is present. The faithful, the remnant of God, they gather to this flag as an army is gathered to its standard.

They can see it, and they move toward it. Let's turn to Micah 4. Micah 4, kind of largely echoing the words of Isaiah in Isaiah 2. Micah here has some additions. He adds some additional things. And again, we come to these passages frequently during the feast, as if these days, maybe those days necessarily picture this a little more symbolically. But this coming time period that we see predicted here, this hope that we have, or prophesied rather, this hope that we have, this gathering together of the people of God and rallying under one banner, so to speak, takes place in Jerusalem.

It takes place at the mountain of the Lord's house. Micah 4 and verse 1. Again, echoing the words of Isaiah in Isaiah 2, Micah 4 and verse 1, says, He will teach us His ways. We shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion, the law shall go forth. The word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and He will rebuke strong nations afar off.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war anymore. And what we see in verse 4 is a beautiful picture. But everyone shall sit under His vine and under His fig tree. There's personal property that's owned here, right? Under His vine, under His fig tree. And there's peace and there's abundance. It says, And we see this incredible picture that is painted here by Micah.

People are going to stream to Jerusalem. Picture the rose to Jerusalem, chock full of people, moving toward the house of God. People flock to that banner, to that flag which has been put up, so to speak. That's standard. They're coming to learn. They're coming to be taught. They're coming, Jews and Gentiles alike, to seek God's way. It says, These issues that we see between nations today, these challenges that we see happening between nations, the rattling of sabers.

It says, These conflicts will be mediated. God will settle disputes, again, judging righteously, judging with equity between peoples, between nations, judging in accordance with His law. There won't be a need for protest. There won't be a need for counter-protest. There won't be a need for a protest to the counter-protest protest. None of these things will be needed anymore, because equity and righteousness will be so prolific.

Everyone will be living in peace, prosperity, and abundance. Notice what he says in verse 5. Notice what he says in verse 5. Prophecy is dual, right? So it has a momentary, in that moment, fulfillment as well as a future fulfillment. Verse 5, we see Micah writing of the current time and then ultimately the time that was to come. Verse 5 says, Again, lowercase G. But it says, So he writes both of the time that he is experiencing now, or at the time when he wrote it, rather, and down through time to us today in that sense, the time in which this will be forever and ever.

The nations around Israel, at the time of Micah, when he was writing these things, they each walked in the name of their own God. They each walked in the name of their own gods. And this concept is more than just cultural association, right? We look at the world today. You go to places like Egypt, and they have little figurines and idols and things of their gods in Egypt. You've got Ra and all these other things that are the big ones that you understand of the Egyptian pantheon.

They have these things around today. There aren't too many Egyptians bowing down to these things as their gods, lowercase G, but they're culturally associated with Egypt in that sense. So there's a cultural association in that way. This was different during the time of Micah. It wasn't a cultural association. They were worshipping these gods. They pursued these gods. They walked with these gods. They yielded themselves to their authority. They lived their lives in accordance with what they saw instructed.

These people sacrificed their children to these gods. They put their own children to death in the name of these false gods. They committed all sorts of other abominations in the name of these gods. They walked with these gods, and Israel was corrupted as a result. They went along in the process as well. And it was these abominations that cost Israel their freedom.

It was what caused their captivity. So Micah is really contrasting two great allegiances. An allegiance to God and an allegiance to the God of this world. And all that is in it in that sense. This world that is under the dominion of Satan the devil, his demons, who in some capacities took the roles of these false gods, seeking that worship from these surrounding nations.

What Micah says is that the remnant of Israel would walk in the name of the Lord their God. Again, duality. Not just now, but in the future too. They would do this also in the future as the knowledge of God filled the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Today, we look at the world around us, those that we see today stand in opposition to God and what God teaches. Now, I'm hesitant to paint the entire movement with a broad stroke, so I want to be very clear on that. I'm sure there are some individuals in those movements in a variety of ways that are very sincere about what it is that they believe and what they're doing.

But you can see that pretty immediately, that there is an opposition to God because the second anyone dares bring a Bible verse, or dares bring anything relating to God and Scripture, there is an immediate rage, an immediate vitriol, and an immediate anger as soon as someone comes within proximity of one of these movements with the Word of God. And it's immediate. It's instantaneous, and you can see the shift in the person change on a dime. The rallying around the pride flag that we see today during the protests and the rallies that take place during the month of June stands in direct opposition to the Word of God.

In fact, the LGBT community flaunts that opposition. It's not quiet. It's not subtle. The parade itself is designed in such a way to declare their opposition and rebellion against biblical standard. They are following their own gods, and they are walking in their own ways. This is exactly what Mike is talking about. These sorts of things. The Black Lives Matter protests. We can agree with certain aspects of their platform in principle.

Absolutely we can. God is no respecter of persons. People should be treated with equity and respect. 100%. We can agree on those things. But there are other aspects of that message that comes along with the package, so to speak, of that symbol that we should be concerned about. There's a message of anti-law.

There's a message of advocating for and committing violence against law enforcement officials who are trying to uphold the law. According to their own writings, they are committed to dismantling cisgender privilege, and they are also committed to dismantling the nuclear family model within the United States.

Their goals are not the same stated goals that they have stated. Unfortunately, the very people that they claim to serve and the very people they claim to help are merely pawns in the middle of the agenda, the larger agenda that they're trying to drive, which is a destruction of the culture. It's a destruction of what God has instituted, in a sense. Destructing what God has put in place. And they're following their own gods. They're walking in their own ways. We see the recent protests that took place over Israel's response to the Hamas attacks, and again the conflict with Iran, and again, nuanced.

Okay, we want to be clear. It is nuanced. I'm certain there are people in those movements who just desire peace and desire a lack of war, desire to see an end to the conflict. But many of these have headed down a road of anti-Semitism. Pretty significantly, some of these parades and protests have headed down a road of anti-Semitism in order to have their voice heard. Violence, chaos, lawlessness has been the result.

Peace isn't the goal. Peace isn't the goal. The eradication of Israel, as they say, from the river to the sea, is the slogan that is held up on signs. From the river to the sea is the eradication of Israel, replacing Israel's inheritance that was given to them by God within Islamic State. That's the overall goal. That's the overall movement. Again, walking in their idols, walking in their gods, following Satan's own playbook as we come into the time of the end. Now, I'll probably get in trouble for this one. But even the Make America Great movement, supporters of President Donald Trump, in some ways, are following their own gods and walking in their own ways. Again, we can agree with certain aspects of his platform. We can't agree with certain aspects of his platform. We can appreciate a renewed focus on faith in the White House. It's such an incredible breath of fresh air to see a renewed focus on faith in the White House. A renewed focus on pro-life. Renewed focus on Biblical principles that have been shelved and ignored through previous administrations. But the movement is not without its own issues. It's not without its own places where it deviates from Scripture. In fact, those followers can become just as angry, just as vitriolic, and just as rage-filled as the other protesters we've already addressed in their own support of that movement. Brethren, these earthly banners, these earthly standards, these earthly flags, they are reactionary in nature. So they have been brought about as a reaction to something that has taken place. Either a perceived oppression, or an injustice, or a result of wanting to express someone's personal social identity. But these temporary, reactionary standards are temporary. They are of this world. And they're divisive in their very nature. The very nature of having one of these things is divisive. It creates an us versus them sort of scenario and sort of circumstance. If you would turn with me please to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1. Let's pop over to Ephesians. Ephesians 1. And we'll see a contrast. We'll see the contrast here between these reactionary banners, these reactionary things, and what God has planned. Ephesians 1. And we'll pick it up in verse 3.

Ephesians 1, beginning in verse 3. It says, So this banner of salvation that Isaiah references, this set of laws and truth and all these things that are taking place that Micah described, Jesus Christ is not reactionary. He's not reactionary. The things that He did, the things that He underwent, they were not in reaction to anything that took place. These things were set from the very foundation of the earth. This plan was set from the very foundation of the earth.

And God had a plan to select individuals to bring to Him from the very beginning. That God would provide an opportunity for those individuals. That banner is righteous. That banner is preordained. It was again established before the foundation of the world. And God chose us in Him before the world was ordained to be adopted into His family.

There was a selection process that would take place. There was a calling that would take place. There is no us versus them in the plan of God. There is no us versus them in the plan of God. That opportunity is available to all. It is that individual's decision as to whether they will be a part of it or not. But that opportunity is available to all. Each in their own order, yes. God is a God of order. So each will have their opportunity. At this time, it's the first fruits of God that have been given.

That opportunity have been called. And we are in the midst of this time of judgment. We're living it right now. We're in this time of judgment right now as God is looking at what it says in the book and what we're doing in our lives. This is our time right now. But these prophecies in Isaiah and in Micah, they illustrate a gathering together of all of God's people.

All of God's people. Not just of Judah, but of the nations. They all come to Jerusalem to be taught. They all come to learn the ways of God. And in that sense, there is no us versus them. There is just God's possessive. These are God's children. These are God's people. And when Christ returns, He will raise His banner.

As a banner of salvation, it's not a banner, it's not a symbol or a tribe of a tribe or a faction. It's a banner of the kingdom of God, which is coming to rule all nations in righteousness. So in that sense, as Christians, we don't march under fabric. We live under a calling. We live under a calling. So, brethren, whose flag are we flying? Whose flag are we flying? You know, as a church, we're the spiritual body of Christ. Christ is His head. Never can forget that. You know, Christ is the head of the body. And as a result of this understanding, we really need to understand and recognize what that means.

That means that as the body, we need to reflect His standard. Because that's more than just a flag. It's more than just a visible symbol, so to speak. It's an identity. It is who we are. Revelation 14, if you can turn over there if you want, Revelation 14. We see an identity that is put upon the 144,000. We see an identity that is put upon God's people. It says, described in that location in Revelation 14, notice verse 1 of Revelation 14. It says, Then I looked, and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their foreheads.

They're marked. There is a visual representation of who they belong to, who their father is. It's present. It's there. That word name in Greek can mean more than just name. It can mean reputation. It can mean character. It can mean traits. A number of those things that are represented by a name. But those individuals are marked as his children.

As such, that kingdom is now. A kingdom is in heaven now. But it's coming to this earth, so that kingdom is already in place. And we're already citizens of that kingdom. We've been baptized into the name of God, into the name of the Father and the Son. Through God's Holy Spirit, we've been baptized. And so we're citizens of that kingdom now. That kingdom, again, currently in heaven, but will be coming to this earth.

And during the time that we are here, we're ambassadors of that kingdom. We're ambassadors of that kingdom. And that's why, as a church, we teach not to get entangled in political or social justice movements. That's why we teach this. That's why we bring this up, to stay clear of these things. Because inherent in these movements is division. Just inherent in these movements is division.

The establishment of factions. There's the, well, this person's our people. That person's not our people. Right? This one's our guy. That one's not our guy. And what ends up happening is you end up in a situation where it's like, well, look how stupid that other guy is. And if he wasn't so stupid, he'd be with us. Right? We see these factions develop. We see these things come in and take hold. Whose flag are we flying?

Whose flag are we flying? Are we flying a flag of this world that is temporary, that is passing away? Or are we flying a flag that is eternal and preordained and will last forever and ever? Now turn with me to John 9. I didn't have this in my notes, but I went there in Eugene. I figured I'd better do it here, too. Turn with me to John 9 real quick.

There's an interesting account in Christ's ministry as he's going about his process in which we see an incredible miracle that took place. Incredible miracle. But an interesting conversation with his disciples. John 9, we'll go ahead and pick it up in verse 1 and we'll read from verses 1 through 12. John 9, verse 1. John 9, verse 1 says, That's an incredible miracle.

Just an incredible miracle. Imagine you're the guy who's been born blind. You've never seen a thing in your life. And here this gentleman spits in the clay, rubs it together, puts it on your eyes. You go wash yourself in the pool, and suddenly your eyes are opened.

It's incredible. It's incredible. So he goes, it says, So I went and I washed and I received sight. And then they said to him, where is he? He said, I don't know. He had moved on at that point, you know, and gone to the point where he couldn't be found again. Take a look at the people in the world around us today.

Brethren, but for the grace of God, go we. Individuals that are dealing in these places are largely blind to the way of God. They're largely blinded to the truth of God, to the understanding that we've been so graciously provided. I think sometimes we get really frustrated.

We get really angry at somebody because they were born blind. And we wonder what happened. Why can't this person just see? What is wrong with them? And you have this moment where you go, well, they're born blind. They're born blind. It's going to take God opening their eyes to be able to show his power, to show his works. Turn over to Isaiah 35 real quick. Isaiah 35. Because the cool thing is, that's coming. There's going to be a point in time in which this entire world is going to experience what this guy experienced in John 9.

The scales are going to come off, and they're going to be able to see. For the first time in their lives, they're going to be able to truly see and truly understand. Again, but for the grace of God, go any of us. It is his gift that we have been even provided the opportunity to see these things. Isaiah 35. Sorry, I'm monologuing. Let me turn to Isaiah 35. I get there now and again.

Isaiah 35. And I want to pick it up in verses 5 and 6. Verses 5 and 6 of Isaiah 35. Talking again about this time here, as we come into the Millennial, the future glory of Zion here, the wilderness and the wasteland. 35 verse 1, shall be glad for them. The desert will rejoice. It'll blossom as the rose. It'll blossom abundantly and rejoice. There will be joy.

There will be singing. The weak hands will be strengthened. The feeble knees will be strengthened. Then it says, verse 5, then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. Now, yes, that's speaking of physical blindness, but that's speaking of spiritual blindness as well. The eyes of the blind will be opened. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. So frequently, we see them reference Israel like they had stopped up ears.

It was like they were going, la la la la la la la la. I can't hear you, prophets. Right? Their ears will be opened. They'll have the opportunity to be able to hear and to see the truth of God. The lame man shall leap like a deer. The tongue of the dumb shall sing. We see incredible healing, and all of these healings, all of these things, are for the glory of God, just like the healing of this guy in John 9.

You imagine going in and seeing, you know, if you've run into people who are in some of these various, various protests and various things, and then you see the incredible transformation from, here's spot A, to the point where now God has opened their eyes and the truth has been revealed, and now they're living His way.

What glory that is to God. What glory that is to God. We look at the name of the Father on each of our foreheads. We look at that nature and that character that's dwelling in us. These ideas of citizenship, these ideas of ambassadorship, they're not metaphors. They're identity statements. It's who and what we are. And in that sense, it can't be a flag that we just wave in the faces of other people, so to speak.

It has to be who we are. It has to be who and what we are. It has to be who and what we are at our core. We have to live it. You've all seen people who have the fish on their bumper, little Jesus fish on their bumper, and then they cut you off in traffic. Or they give you the bird when they go by at 90 miles an hour and you go, but what about the little fish on the back of your car?

What's going on here? Or the construction guy who says, you know, he's got the little fish on his bumper sticker and then he overcharges you and cheats you out of money or whatever else. You know, that happens. It can't just be a flag. It can't just be a front that we put on. You know, it can't be a situation where we go, you know, it'd be really good maybe if you didn't say where you attended.

You know, those types of things that take place. We live in an imperfect world. We live in a world in which Isaiah's vision is not yet fulfilled, but it will be soon. It's a vision in which it will be soon. As his people, we are to walk in peace.

We are to speak the truth in love. We are to say hard things in love. We're to stand on Christ's authority, speaking the truth even when that truth is incredibly, incredibly unpopular. Zechariah 14, verse 9, we don't need to turn there, but Zechariah 14, verse 9 says, The Lord shall be king over all the earth. This is the fulfillment. This is the big finish. The Lord shall be king over all the earth, and in that day it shall be that the Lord is one, and his name is one.

The Lord is one, and his name is one. That day is coming. Brethren, that day is coming. Christ returns. He is going to set up his government, and when that is done, there will be no more false banners. There will be no more deceptive causes, where, you know, initially it sounds great, but then you start digging a little bit, and you realize what they're really up to.

There won't be any more of that. There won't be any more ideological confusion. There won't be any more walking after their own gods. Instead, the people of God will be walking in the name of the Lord their God forever and ever. The standard will be raised in Zion, and the world will rally under one flag, one king, and one holy in righteous law.

When we leave here today, we are going to go back into a world that is full of flags. We're going to go back into a world that is full of hashtags and bumper stickers and all sorts of other stuff. And so, brethren, we return to the original question that we began with. Whose flag are you flying? The world's going to offer all sorts of banners. They're going to offer all sorts of flags. Some are draped in movements of pride, nationalism.

Some are clothed in cries of justice or self-expression, some under symbols of rebellion or ideology. But each of these banners leads to one place. It leads to a people divided and destined to fall. Micah 4 and verse 5 tells us, all people will walk each in the name of his God. But that we, our expectation as the people of God, is to walk in the name of our Lord, our God, forever and ever. That is our spiritual identity. That's our declaration of allegiance, so to speak. As this world pledges itself to false gods and failing systems, as people march behind symbols of confusion and rebellion, again, according to Satan's playbook, we walk not for a cause or for a season, but for a king.

And we do that forever and ever. We are citizens of that kingdom that is coming. We are ambassadors of a government that will not be shaken. We don't stand beneath a flag. We stand under the banner himself. We stand under Jesus Christ. We rally under that banner that is not reactionary but was preordained from the foundation of the earth. That banner is not a banner of politics or pride or protest, but it is one that stands for truth, for love, for righteousness, and for peace. Brethren, let us raise no banner or flag but his, and let us be found faithful when he comes.