One of the greatest problems that people in general have, is that of balance which is not being extreme in any way. There are three ditches that we can fall into – that of being a Pharisee or nitpicker, that of being a liberal, and that of being a critic. None of these three areas will do us any good at all in our Christian lives. God has given human beings various abilities and powers but all too often we can, and do, neglect or abuse these attributes. But with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, we can use the abilities that we have been given, in a right way ensuring that we don’t fall into these various ditches.
Brian Gale (United Kingdom)
Be Steadfast – Or Else!
Steadfast is defined by one dictionary as: firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change; firm in belief, determination or adherence. These are the qualities that are a must for all true Christians. There are many things that can threaten our steadfastness. We have tests and trials – something that we are promised – and some may give up or compromise; a spouse dies and the one left can be so upset that they can drift away; the local group dissolves as members die, move away or stop attending so that the group is longer viable; there is no group or church locally; members can move from one part of the country to another due to their job or family – and to an area that has no Sabbath services. Excuses can be made about attendance where there is a group. These are just some of the dangers that can threaten our steadfastness. And being steadfast to the truth is an essential requirement in making it into God’s Kingdom. It is just that serious.
Public Opinion and the True Christian
Public opinion is something that matters very much to the political parties–so much so that they are very good at finding out what the people want and then feeding that desire. One encyclopedia defines public opinion as the aggregate–the sum total–of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Gone seem to be convicted politicians who stand for what they believe.
Influence is one of the outcomes of being in power. There has been so much manipulation in so many areas over a sustained period of time that those things that our fathers and forefathers thought were wrong are now accepted practice. For example, in Great Britain and many other parts in the world, the homosexual lobby has made such inroads on public opinion that the law is now on their side, and one can be prosecuted for quoting what God has to say on the matter. Abortion was abhorrent not all that long ago, but now is accepted practice. Foul and abusive language is commonplace in television programs, and now very few even bat an eyelid. The list continues. Public opinion has been so manipulated that standards of yesteryear are now thought of as old fashioned and that society has “moved on.”
Has this rubbed off on the people of God? I would think that the answer must be yes to one degree or another. We don’t live in a vacuum–and we have to live in this wayward society of ours. Someone once said that fashions may change but standards do not. Godly standards do NOT change although there are those who try to explain them away. God is very specific on this matter. Malachi 3:6 says: “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Hebrews 13:8 explains: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” James 1:17 adds that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The great God of the universe is constant in everything. He doesn’t change with public opinion as people try and bend Him into the shape that they want–and with which they are comfortable. Whichever direction public opinion takes should make absolutely no difference to our approach to the important issues of life. The knowledge of God and His ways are simply not known or understood, except by the very few. In the Kingdom of God, public opinion will not be influenced by that master of the black arts–Satan the devil–who is today the real source of forming and shaping the values of our society.
Once Jesus Christ has established God’s government here on earth, mankind will have to be taught God’s way, and a lifetime of absorbing Satan’s influences will have to be swept away out of the minds of billions of people. Public opinion then will be Godly and not manipulated in the wrong direction as it is today. Public opinion is of no use to us at all–it is the opinion and the way of God that matters. What we have to do is seek the will of God–not the will and opinion of society. Matthew 6:33 sums it up perfectly: “But seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these [physical] things shall be added to you.”
Anticipation and Commitment
As we approach the end of the (Gregorian) year of 2006, many will
celebrate this event with “ringing out the old and ringing in the new”
– a time of anticipation and, for many, resolution. In London,
there will be the usual huge media attention as Big Ben strikes 12
midnight on December 31st with dancing in the streets, people
congregating in Piccadilly Circus and all this being shown on
television, with similar behavior being copied around the UK.
Today,
New Year’s Eve has become a time for people to wallow in excesses of
alcohol and other unacceptable conduct! The modern attitude seems to be
to have a wild time on New Year’s Eve and turn over a new leaf on New
Year’s Day! New Year’s resolutions are usually empty and
meaningless, with few people making a lasting change. The
anticipation is of better things to come the following year and, for
many, a commitment to resolutions that may last a few hours, a few days
or even, in some cases, a few weeks, but rarely have permanence in
their lives.
The celebration of man’s New Year is never once
commanded in the Bible. It is not something that God’s people are
attracted to or involved with. However, we also have anticipation and
commitment, but different, wholly different, from the world around us.
We
anticipate better things in the Kingdom of God at Christ’s return,
which is an event that surely can’t come too quickly to the committed
Church of God member. Our commitment that we made at baptism to live a
changed life in Christ is a lifetime commitment. It is not
temporary anticipation of and involvement in worldly festivals derived
from paganism, but we are looking forward to eternal life with
the great Creator God of the universe. Now that is
anticipation that just cannot be beaten and worth all the commitment
that it will take!
Do Not Try to Tell Me What To Do
It is an indisputable fact that our culture is seeping – or has seeped into the church. This includes a general breakdown in respect for authority, and the embracing of individualism, the attitude that says nobody can tell me what to do. The true ministry are there for the express requirement of helping in every way possible the spiritual growth and development of church members – and when that is achieved with the right approach of members and ministry, the effect will be growth within the body of Christ.
Gross National Happiness
The tiny, landlocked nation of Bhutan, sandwiched between Tibet and
India in the Himalayas, has a philosophy that could be taken straight
from the pages of the Bible. In a Buddhist country of around 700,000
people, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decreed, when he ascended the
throne in 1972, that instead of seeking a gross national product, the
official goal was to enjoy gross national happiness.
A journalist
with the Bhutan Broadcasting Service made the following observation
about the King’s edict: “He basically meant, let my people be happy,
you know. And how do you be happy? Well, if kids go to school, kids
that live healthy, and if the forests are there, you take them out on
walks on the weekends.” And that, he agreed, is the
opposite of a consumer society. Selfishness is exactly what “gross
national happiness” is trying to avoid–the excesses of consumerism
experienced by many nations of the world.
Gross National Product
(GNP) measures only the sum total of material production and exchange
in any country and was never intended to be a measure of actual
well-being. An international conference on Gross National
Happiness, hosted by the Bhutan government in the capital city of
Thimphu in 2004, attracted 82 eminent participants from 20 countries.
This conference showed that basic happiness can be measured since it
pertains to quality of nutrition, housing, education, health care and
community life.
During the last few weeks, the true Church of God
has been keeping God’s autumnal Feast Days as part of the Holy Day
calendar. There will be much happiness when the Feast of Trumpets (kept
on 23rd September this year) becomes reality as Christ returns to the
earth to set up the Kingdom of God. Ten days later (2nd October), the
Church kept the Day of Atonement which heralds the putting away of
Satan for 1,000 years. As our adversary, and the one who has caused so
much suffering during the last 6,000 years is banished, there will be
much rejoicing and happiness at this event. And then, four days later,
the Feast of Tabernacles (7th to 13th October in 2006) was kept for
seven days which represents Christ’s millennial rule on earth, followed
by the Last Great Day (14th October in 2006) which foreshadows a time
during which all who have not previously been given an opportunity to
accept or reject God’s calling will be given their first opportunity
(see our free booklet “God’s Commanded Holy Days”).
These
events will provide the answer to all of the world’s ills. And the
praiseworthy efforts of Bhutan will be completely overshadowed by the
perfect rule of Christ over all the earth. This will bring happiness on
a scale previously unrealized during man’s 6,000 years of misrule. And
Gross National Happiness will be the order of the day!
The Work Ahead in the World Ahead
Utopia cannot be ushered in all at once. There will still be many attitudes that will have to be worked with – and with Christ’s return – that process will commence. And we will have our part in that important process.
This sermon covers, very briefly, seven areas – education, health, economics and finance, law and order, religion, sexual morality and government and politics. Of course there will be a number of other areas where much work will need to be done – such as rebuilding a planet devastated by the worst time of trouble that this planet has ever seen, or ever will see; morality, integrity, honesty, courtesy, compassion etc but the family of God will have much work to do throughout the millennium and during the Great White Throne Judgment.
The First Commandment
The modern, so called gods, will be a thing of the past when Jesus returns. All of the culture of celebrity and worshipping anything and everything other than the Creator that pervades society today will become history. Establishing, developing and maintaining that personal relationship with the true and living God is the most important commitment we, as members of the true Church of God, can ever make. That is the primary focus of the first of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 v 3 which states very clearly and very simply: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Several Aspects of Peace
This sermon discusses several different areas about peace. Periods of peace in the history of Israel; the world not knowing the way to peace; peace in the World Tomorrow; the personal peace that we can have at this time and the important concept of peace between brethren now.
Let Us Be Glad
By living according to God’s way, we can avoid so many of the problems experienced by those who ignore it. Our life can be more fulfilling and enjoyable because of our faith – not grinding out this life before we enjoy eternity. Those of us who have been called to understand God’s master plan as revealed through His holy days are of all people most blessed, and the Feast of Tabernacles is a wonderful time to enjoy both now and what the reality holds for us in the future.