[Roy Demont] Brethren, what is behind us? We all know what's just behind us. We've had a wonderful seven-day Feast of Tabernacles and after that, we celebrated that wonderful event when our loving heavenly Father resurrects all humanity, the Eighth Day and in most cases this will give them, the rest of humanity their first opportunity for salvation, just a wonderful time, wonderful thing to think about.

What about looking ahead? That's unfortunately behind us. It was great, we had a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles, I hope you did as well. Our Feast of Tabernacles was bolstered by the fact that we had overseas visitors. We had American visitors there, we had the Myers family with us and Mr. Myers, Steve Myers was able to bolster us with excellent messages and they're a very talented, musically talented family so they were able to bolster our special music as well so we had a great Feast, I hope you had a great Feast, but what about looking ahead? What does the next year hold for us?

If you would like a title for this sermon, it is, "Will We Be There?" Will we be there? Where? I ask the question, will we be there? And the question is, where? Where will be where? Well, in the short term, the Feast of Tabernacles for 2017. Here we've heard in the announcements that already there's an announcement about a tour to Greece. So, will we be there in the short term? Will we be there for the Feast of Tabernacles 2017? In the longer term, maybe not very long term if I read the signs around me, maybe it's the medium term but let's say in the longer term, the Kingdom of God, the resurrection, the marriage supper of the Lamb. That is where we want to be. Will we be there?

I know from experience that post-Feast blues is a problem the let down after the tension and responsibility can be frightening. The return to our home and work situation can be daunting. Some end up going back to a no-job situation, and those who are entrepreneurs often feel that their business has suffered because they've been away. Trials come in many forms and we see them as negative. While God sees them and allows them for a reason, we see them very often as negative and we don't see as far as the real reason for those trials and He has a reason for it, He needs us to develop character. Why does He need us to develop character? The character that He needs if He is to assign us the responsibilities He has planned for us. He has plans and responsibilities assigned for each and every one of us and without developing the character, we will not be qualified to be there to carry out those responsibilities.

We live in a world that is in turmoil. From every perspective it just seems to be mayhem. Whether we're talking about politics but I'm not going to talk about politics. Since I've been here the last few days, I've been here, everything has been politics, I don't need to go into your politics, we have enough politics, political problems in our own country. But it seems to be mayhem, whichever area we talk about. Politics, war, crime, deception or any other and there are many others I could go into but what is my intention today? Is my intention to discourage you? Never, never, never, never would I want to discourage God's people, it's just the opposite, exactly the opposite.

It is to use God's word for encouragement, to promote endurance and to remind us that we have assistance. To accomplish what? To accomplish what? To be there. I asked the question in my title, "Will We Be There?" To be there — where? Well, the Feast of Tabernacles 2017 as I say it in the short term and in the medium term, the long term, the Kingdom of God, but we don't have to do it alone. So, let's start with encouragement, let's recognize that this is a three-part sermon and let's recognize that we're going to look at encouragement, we're going to look at the question of endurance, and we're going to look at the question of assistance.

So, let's start with encouragement and I'm going to start off by reading Psalm 23:1-6 and while you're turning there, let's recognize that this particular Psalm is probably the section of the Bible that is most memorized. I certainly remember in Sunday school, as a lad in Sunday school, memorizing this and I'm sure most of us had a similar experience, for very good reason, for very good reason and we'll read it and we'll go from verse one Psalm 23:1-6. There’s a duality here and the duality is the reason why we so often have learned the Psalm of the heart because the prose, the English prose is just beautiful, the language, the wording, it's just beautiful but the message behind it is just as beautiful. So, let's read it, a Psalm of David, a Psalm of David. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.”

Isn't it beautiful? Isn't it just beautiful English prose? Isn't it just beautiful to picture those sheep? We have some sheep on the farm and it's beautiful to see them with so much to eat that they eat and their bellies are full and they lie down. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” No wind, no turbulence, no nothing, still waters. “He restores my soul;” my physical soul, “He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake.” He directs me and leads me in the paths of righteousness, He shows me the way and He shows me and He leads me using this.

This is the tool that He uses to “lead me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” He's leading us toward this situation where He can assign us responsibilities and He can rely on us that we will do it, unlike Lucifer who became Satan. Verse 4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Two reasons why he fears no evil, David: the first reason he fears no evil is because if you are close to God and if you die, it's not a problem. You know very well that death has no fears for you, that's the first reason and the second reason is that God looks after us and He protects us and I'm going to talk about that, I'm going to give you an example of that later on.

"I will fear..." and let's go back to, on verse 4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;” Encouragement, brethren. This is… this is pure encouragement. "For You are with me,” You are with me just as sheep, we have the Shepherd and the Shepherd is with us, “You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The shepherd's rod and staff were used there to protect the sheep. "They comfort me." They comfort me because I know that You are keeping me safe. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." My enemies don't matter, You're there for me, encouragement, encouraging.

"You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over." I notice a lot of young people today are going back to anointing their head with oil. Well, there is nothing wrong with that, we have David who was talking about it way back then. "My cup runs over." Just plenty, plenty of everything supplied for us. And verse 6, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Brethren, I hope you’ll find this Psalm of David as encouraging as I do, I hope you find it as beautiful as I do; the wording, the prose and the message behind it, just a wonderful piece of English literature.

Let's go on a little to Psalm 34. We were in Psalm 23, now we go to Psalm 34:15-19. David giving us encouragement again, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, His ears are open to their cry." You are here because you are attempting to be righteous, you are here because God has opened your minds to the truth and your intention is to be righteous, otherwise you wouldn't bother to be here. And what does he say as a result? He says here, "And His ears are open to their cry." God's ears are open to our cry, that is encouragement.

"The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,” there we have that repeated, David repeats that. "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears." He hears us, that's encouraging and He not only hears us but He delivers us. "He delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Just great encouragement from David, and then David goes on to talk about peace of mind, peace, let's go on still in Psalm, we go on to 119, that great Psalm with… the very long Psalm and every verse tells us something about the law of God. Psalm 119:165, just one verse. "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble." We just have the… David telling us there that peace of mind is a great advantage, not only for us but for those about us. Our attitude can help those around us as they also suffer. We all go through trials and not only do we have peace by loving God's law and nothing causes us to stumble, but those around us can be influenced because we see them and we see the problems, we need to think of those near us who going through the same problems and the same difficulties. We can encourage others, not only ourselves.

Let's go to Proverbs one verse, Proverbs 15:23 and we'll read a few more verses in Proverbs 15. Proverbs 15:23. So, here we're looking at encouragement for ourselves and we're looking at the way we can encourage others. Proverbs 15:23, "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” You see, we're told there, we're told there that we can encourage those around us by the answer of his mouth and the correct word, spoken at the correct time, how good it is. Let's drop down to verse 26, we're still in Proverbs 15:26. "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant." If we are pure and we use those, the correct words at the correct time, in the correct situation, they are pleasant and they assist and they benefit and they are an advantage to those around us.

Let's go to verse 28, we're still in chapter 15. "The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil." And verse 20… chapter 16, verse 24. Proverbs 16:24. "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." So there we have the opportunity to be encouraged and we have the opportunity to encourage others by what we say and what we do and the interaction that we have with other people.

Let's go on and see the fact that we should be encouraged by the magnitude of our calling. Let's go to Isaiah, Isaiah 43, we recognize the magnitude of our calling. I mentioned earlier on that we cannot come to God ourselves, we don't come to Jesus Christ… we know that the Father calls us, He throws that switch in our mind and He calls us and that's an incredible thing, it comes from God the Father and we need to be encouraged by the magnitude, the magnitude of our calling, and let's read what Isaiah has got to say about that, Isaiah 43:1-7, "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’" Is that not encouraging to know that God looks at you, whom He's called and He says, "You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.”

“When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you are precious to My sight, you have been honored and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you." He has opened our minds to the truth and He goes with us. "I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, 'Give them up!’ And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth — everyone who is called by My name,” He calls us by His name, "whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him…” what an incredible thing, what an incredibly encouraging thing to recognize the magnitude of our calling. We didn't just decide to come off the street and come in here. God opens our minds, He works with us, He opens our minds and He calls us. "Whom I created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." I find that incredibly encouraging and I hope you do as well.

Let's go and see what Jesus Christ said in John 10:27-30. Jesus Christ's own words, red letter in my Bible. I find the red letter Bible very, very encouraging, every time I turn there to just see that these are Jesus Christ's own words just hits me in the face. John 10:27-30. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish." It gets more and more encouraging as we go on. "Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me..." There we have it, "My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." No one can snatch you out of your Father's hand unless you yourself will it that way. "...no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Let's go on to Romans, let's look at Romans 8:28-32. Romans 8, beginning in verse 28, very encouraging scripture here written to the Romans. Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” and normally people stop there, they don't read any further. Very often in messages that are given in the world, that is read and it is stopped there. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…” full stop. No full stop, there's no full stop, there's a comma and it carries on to say, "To those who are the called according to His purpose."

Brethren, you would not be here if God hadn't opened your mind and opened your mind to the truth and called you so He… this is addressed to you. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” He called you according to His purpose, that is encouragement to me. "For whom He foreknew..." He knew you beforehand. "...He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Just an incredible thing to think that He predestined us to this calling. “Moreover…” verse 30. Romans 8:30. "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called,” He was working it out way ahead, He was working it out long before. "Whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" If God is for us, who can be against us? We need to make sure that God is for us and it's quite simple, we know and understand how we do that. He did not, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

Just an encouraging statement there and God says there in Romans 8, going back to verse 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Incredibly, incredibly encouraging statement there. Let's go on to verse 38. We're still in Romans 8:38-39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing..." Nor Satan, nor his demons, nor the deceived out there who try and deceive us, no one, no one, "...shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Let's go on to see what Paul wrote to the Philippians. Philippians 1:6, just one verse, Philippians 1:6. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." If the work is not completed in you, it's not His fault because He will complete it. If it's not completed in you, and it's not completed in me, it is our fault. We are the cause of that because he says, Paul says here, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you..." God the Father, when He opened your mind, when He flipped that switch in your mind, He began a good work in you and His intention is to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, that is His intention. You and I can sabotage that. So much of God's word is designed to encourage us.

Now, I'm going to, I'm going to tell you a story, a true story and why it comes to mind is that last Sabbath in Durban, South Africa, I gave a sermon on the angels and it's very much in my mind and I'm going to bring this story up because I want it to encourage you, because the angels have functions and in this sermon, I brought out the various functions of angels and I'm not going to go into that, that's not the subject of this sermon, but Hebrews 1:5 [14] tells us they are “ministering spirits” and we know that of it that, of their functions, very often they are emotionally involved with us.

We know that Luke 15:10 tells us that when someone is baptized when a sinner repents, the angels in heaven shout for joy, the angels that are involved, they are emotionally involved with us. They shouted for joy at creation and let's read Matthew 18:10, let's read Matthew 18:10 before I tell you this true story, because it's relevant. Matthew 18:10, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” When we do the blessing of the children in South Africa, we always do the blessing of the children at the Feast of Tabernacles. It's not always the custom, but we do it, that's the way we do it and when we do the blessing of the children, we bring out the love Jesus Christ had for children, the way He was special toward children and we bring out this scripture, "Do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."

I'm going to tell you a story. I could tell you stories similar to this that happened very recently but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to tell you a story of something that happened 45 years ago because it was so dramatic that it sticks in my mind as though it were yesterday. Now, let me start off by telling you that we have a poisonous snake in South Africa, very poisonous. It's not the most poisonous in the world but it certainly ranks right up there with the most poisonous of them. We call it a mamba, you would call it a mamba, no problem it's the same thing, if you give me the leave to call it a mamba because I won't remember to call it a mamba, very poisonous snake.

When I was 15-years-old, I had my dog, my very special dog bitten right in front of my feet and that little dog was dead in five minutes, that's how poisonous a mamba is. Now, I go to… I go on to 1971 when I was 31-years-old and I had bought my first farm, and I was working full-time as a civil engineer and the only day that I had really to work on the farm was a Sunday. So on the Sunday morning, I settled for home early, I travelled the five miles from where we lived to the farm. I took my two little children with me, they were aged four and six and they went down with me and my late wife, Jean, was going to follow down with a Sunday lunch and with the baby and we were going to have a picnic down there and I was going to plow our field because I was planting cabbages.

I was on the tractor plowing, the children were playing just out of sight not far from me, 150 yards, 200 yards away and I was plowing and my mind was in neutral, my tractor wasn't in neutral, my tractor was in gear, but my mind was in neutral as you do when you're plowing. And I was quite happy because it was going fine and I was plowing up and down in this field and suddenly, suddenly I had as though somebody had shouted in my ear, it was a physical thing. I banged the gear lever into neutral and I jumped off that tractor, I didn't even switch that tractor off. I knew there was a problem and I sprinted, I sprinted down to where I'd last seen the children. Now, remember, I was 31 so I could sprint. Today, it would probably be a slow shuffle but, nevertheless, I sprinted down and as I ran past, I had one hired hand working with me as I ran past him I said, [foreign language], I said to him in his own language [foreign language], "Where are the children?" Because I couldn't see them, and he said, "Don't worry about them." He says, "They're just playing down there, they're fine, I saw them a minute ago, they're fine."

And I ran, I ran as fast as I could and when I got there, there the two children were, they were coming… walking across the top of the wall. I had built a concrete weir and the top of the wall was fairly wide and it was smooth and they were walking towards me, they were safe because if they'd fallen off that wall, it wasn't very high and there was soft sand on either side. It was dry, it hadn't filled up with water and these two little guys were walking toward me and they were chatting, and they were quite unconcerned about anything and normally I would have been unconcerned as well. But right in front of them was a black mamba coiled up in the sun, fast asleep on top of the wall, they hadn't seen it because it just looked like a piece of irrigation pipe and they were 10 meters, between one and two meters away five, six feet away from this snake totally oblivious to the fact that this was a snake and they would walk right over the snake. As soon as I saw this, I just shouted, "Kim, Terry, stop!" And they stopped and of course, with me shouting like that the snake woke up, took fright, thrashed on the smooth surface of this wall because it couldn't get purchase to take off and then it managed to get purchase and it threw itself off the wall and disappeared into the forest.

Brethren, whenever I think of that story, I am encouraged. I am encouraged because I know, I know that an angel saved those children by one second, one more second and they would have alerted that snake, that snake would have woken up and it would have been, it would have panicked and it would have bitten both of them and I wouldn't have even known that they would have been bitten. They would have been dead within five minutes. Brethren, we need to encourage each other, we need to think of these things, we need to go back and we need to look at these things that have happened in our lives and we need to encourage ourselves and to encourage each other. That was the first one, that was the first one was encouragement.

The second one was endurance or perseverance, endurance or perseverance. Mr. Armstrong, Mr. HWA, Mr. Armstrong, he had a term for it and he called it "stick-to-it-iveness" which I think is rather good, "stick-to-it-iveness" and that is the ability to keep going even when the going is hard. Moses had 40 years in Egypt, he had 40 years in the wilderness and he had 40 years on the road and yet he stuck to it and we need to be encouraged to keep going. Satan will always put obstacles in our path but our future brother, our future brother says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” He says that and He says it in God's word. I will never leave you nor forsake you and as Rudy said, He also says, "Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." And let's see what Jesus Christ tells us.

Let's go to Matthew 10:22, just one verse, and we'll see again Jesus Christ's own words telling us what we need to do if we're going to be there, we're going to be there, Feast of Tabernacles 2017 and if we're going to be there in the Kingdom. He tells us, Matthew 10:22, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake…” Perhaps we're not quite there yet, perhaps that's coming in the future. No perhaps about it, it's going to come in the future by the authority of Jesus Christ. I can say that with no fear, nor favor. "You will be hated by all for My name's sake…” It's coming in the future, and then He makes the statement that matters, “…he who endures to the end will be saved."

Jesus Christ is telling us what is necessary. We have to endure just as Moses endured, we have to endure to the end and we will be saved and let's look at Luke 9:61, Jesus Christ again giving us a warning about giving up. Luke 9:61-62. "And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.'" We know the story, we know that the young man wanted to follow Jesus Christ and he said, "But just give me an opportunity to go and let me go and say goodbye to them at home." “And Jesus said to him,” His own words, "No one… no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." He gives us a warning. Jesus Christ gives us a warning in His own words and Paul, Paul gives us similar advice.

Let's go to Philippians, Philippians 3:12-14. Paul writing to the Philippians gives us similar advice about this question of endurance and perseverance, Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already attained, or have already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward…” looking forward “…to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal…” What is the goal? What is our goal? Our goal is to be back next year, our goal is to be in the Kingdom, our goal is to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul's advice to us and let's see what he says in 2 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5. "Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and your faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure." We go through those things, we have those things and if we don't, we're going to have them. “…we boast for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy… you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer." So, the patience and the faith and the endurance of the persecutions and tribulations is absolutely vital for us to be there that we “may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.”

Paul giving us that advice and let's go on in chapter 2. We're still in 2 Thessalonians we go to chapter 2, beginning in verse 1. "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace…” I beg your pardon, that was 2 Timothy, I misread my notes. 2 Timothy 2:1, 2 Timothy 2:1. "You therefore, my son,” Timothy, “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others. You therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes...” If you run the marathon, you don't get the prize, you don't get the gold medal, you don't get the bronze medal until you have completed that marathon. “...unless he competes according to the rules.”

Verse 6, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” Verse 8, 2 Timothy 2:8. “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David who was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” Verse 10, “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” Incredible statement that Paul makes there to Timothy, he's mentoring Timothy, he's bringing him along in the faith, he's showing him the right way and he says, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” And then he goes on to give a warning, he says, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

Jesus Christ won't be the problem. He won't give up on us, He is faithful, even though we are faithless He's there, He is faithful, but if we deny Him, He also will deny… He will also will deny us. You see, it was never promised to come easily, it is, however, promised but it requires endurance — what is, what am I referring to? What is the "it"? I said "it" was never promised to come easily, "it" is however promised that it requires endurance, what is that "it"? What are we referring to? We are referring to salvation, we are referring to entrance into the Kingdom, and we are referring to being back here again next year for a start — back at the Feast of Tabernacles next year. So we had encouragement, we have endurance, and we have the fact that it is essential to have assistance, we cannot do it ourselves. God does not expect us to do it all ourselves. We need assistance, we need the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God, it is not a trinity — it is the power and mind that proceeds from God, it is the Helper, we do not have the ability to do it alone.

Now, I had some trials after the Feast last year, in other words, a year ago. I had some trials which were quite difficult to handle and I discovered the scripture. Now, I read the Bible several times and I read the New Testament many times and I read over the scripture and I discovered it when I was going through these trials I discovered the scripture, it popped out of me and I'm going to share this with you, I'm going to read it from the New King James Version first and 2 Timothy 1:7, I always read from the New King James Version first because I have, I have trust in the New King James Version and then I look at the new… at the more modern translations because they very often give a bit of balance of… in the wording they use, I'm going to do that, I'm going to read 2 Timothy 1:7 from the New King James and then I'm going to read it from several new, later, more modern translations.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” Rudy spoke about that early on. “…but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Before we look at that verse again, let's read it in several more modern translations. “For God gave us not the spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and discipline.” “For God gave us a Spirit which produces not timidity, but power and love and self-discipline.” Everyone a little different, all adding to the picture but not taking away from the truth. “The Spirit that God gave us does not make us afraid, His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” “For God gave us a spirit, not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” And finally the Good News Bible, there may be a reason why it's the last one, Good News Bible, “For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, His Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.” This… this verse, this 2 Timothy 1:7 is incredibly helpful because it tells us that the Spirit God has given us is not a Spirit of fear, but of power. Power to do what? Powers to resist sin, power to resist Satan, resist the devil and he will flee. Of love, of love. I don't have to go into love, love is something that we understand. And of a sound mind, of a sound mind. What do we mean by that?

I asked the senior minister once, I said, “What happens to people when they turn their back on God? What happens to them when they turn their back on the truth? They just seem to lose the plot, they just seem to have a problem. What is it? What happens?” And he said to me, he said, "They lose their discernment." We are given — through the Spirit, we are given a sound mind which means we are given discernment. We can take this wonderful thing and we can study it and we can discern the truth from this. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind and Acts 1:8.

We're going to read Acts 1:8, this is a promise by Jesus Christ Himself, His own words in Acts 1:8, Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and of all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Including Cincinnati right now, this is what He's saying, you will receive power, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be witnesses to me and to the end of the earth. Our Beyond Today television program and magazine is going out to many, many countries in the world and here we are promised by Jesus Christ, “You will receive power and you will be witnesses to the end of the earth.”

Let's go on to Romans, Romans 8:9-19, remember now we're looking at the fact that it is essential to have assistance. We cannot do it ourselves, we need assistance, we need the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:5, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Simple statement and fact; if we don't have God's Spirit, we are not of Jesus Christ, finished, it's as simple as that. “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,” the Spirit from God the Father, He raised Jesus Christ “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit which dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” We need the Spirit, we need to have it, we cannot do it ourselves.

Verse 14. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Just as Jesus Christ became the son of God the Father, so if we are led by the Spirit then we are sons of God, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” What an incredible thing, what an incredible statement, what an incredible understanding that we know and understand that we are children of God, “…and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Brethren we don't push ourselves, we don't say that the glory, we are going to have glory, that we're going to be in a position of being glorious. God's word says so. The sufferings, what we go through now, the enduring to the end, He says are not worthy, it's going to be so wonderful, this glory that we have is going to be so wonderful that the suffering we go through now is insignificant in comparison. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

In verse 19, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” The creation, everything is waiting, it's been designed and it's been channeled in that direction waiting for you and for me to become sons of God, that is God's purpose, that is what it's all about. Just incredible knowledge that we need the Holy Spirit and that our destiny is to be sons and daughters of God. This is God's plan from the beginning, right from the beginning, from the foundation, this was His plan that you and I would be given the opportunity to be sons and daughters of God and we know from Acts 2 how to receive this, you don't even need to turn there. You know, it's one verse, wonderful scripture. Peter said to them… Acts 2:38, “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Straightforward, there it is and yet some people spend their whole lives resisting this and don't go ahead and listen to what Peter said, “Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” We cannot do it alone.

I'm going to go to a scripture that you know very well, Galatians 5, and I'm not going to read from verse 22, I'm going to read from Galatians 5:16 and I'm going to read through to verse 26. “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh…” The Spirit helps us to resist these fleshly temptations that are common to all of us, young and old, “…and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

Now, we come to, "Now the works of the flesh are evident…” Now, I picture this as being in a motor car, an automobile, and traveling over a very rough corrugated, dirt road. I don't think you have many of them here. Wherever I travel here in Cincinnati they are all macadamized… all they're all hardened roads, but we have in Africa we have plenty of roads like this that don't get maintenance, they don't get a grader over them and they're rough and they rattle your teeth and when you get home, you have to go to the chiropractor because your neck is out of joint but this is the feeling that I get here with this Galatians 5:19.

“Now, the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery," big pothole of the road. “Fornication," more corrugations. "Uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath..." Getting quite unbearable going over this road. It is so rough and it is so unpleasant and it is so difficult to even read those words, "...selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,” and we've had enough of those and it goes on, "...envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Now, we go on, now, we go on to the fruit of the Spirit and now we have a smooth beautiful road and it's a totally different thing and it's just beautiful words and it's very similar to Psalm 23 and that it is beautiful English prose. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness…” What a difference, what an incredible difference, the fruit of the Spirit, as opposed to the lust of the flesh, “…longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Just an incredible piece of scripture there telling us what the fruit of the Spirit is. One is tempted to go back and read it again it's so beautiful, I'm going to do that. I'm going to go back and read it again. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” Isn't it beautiful? "...gentleness, self-control and that is the fruit of the Spirit. One of the first sermonettes I ever heard in the Church was given by an elder and it stated, and in fact, that the main reason people leave the Church is by looking at or being offended by another person.

Remember now, we're under the heading of the fact that we need to have assistance and we need to have the Holy Spirit to help us against these things and I see it all the time. We are offended by people and I say it often, I seem to have said it so often recently. We know the rules, we teach the rules and we don't live by the rules. We don't stir up the Spirit, we quench the Spirit. We know the rules and very often we teach the rules. And when I say we teach the rules, I don't only mean from me standing up here giving this sermon, I mean in our interaction with other people, with our children and with those about us, we teach the rules by living the example.

So we know the rules, we teach the rules and we often don't live by the rules. This should never be, that should never be the case. And today, what we are looking at is how to make sure we will be back here next year and that we will be in the Kingdom and that we will be in this wonderful Kingdom that we pictured during the Feast of Tabernacles and we need to rely on the Helper, we need to rely on God's power, the Holy Spirit to help us. Don't let anyone take your crown. Nobody is powerful enough, nobody has the ability to take your crown unless you allow them to, unless you quench the Spirit, unless you do not stir up the Spirit.

So to conclude, will we be back? Will we be back next year for 2017 Feast of Tabernacles? Will we be in the Kingdom? You see it isn't a question of how long we've been in the Church, because I've known people who have been in for many years turn their back on the truth, so what does it take? What does it take to know that we'll be here? To know that we'll be in the Kingdom because it's in our hands, there's no one else who can take it from us, it's in our hands, what does it take? Well, I've only covered three today, there are others that we could cover but it takes encouragement through knowing of God's promises. He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake him.” We leave Him, He never leaves us. It takes endurance Jesus Christ told us, "No man having put his hand to the plow and turning back is fit for the Kingdom.” And we have the promise of a Helper to help us in all things including to endure to the end. See you next year, see you in the Kingdom.