No. 48 - THE PURPOSE OF THE BEGOTTEN By: John J. Blanchard Saturday, June 19, 2004 What is the purpose of the begotten children of God, and how are they different from the people that we see in the world at large? That is the subject I want to talk about today. I want to start by looking at the life of Paul. What happened to Paul when he was knocked off his horse and his life changed? Let us review his early encounter with the people of faith, and see what it did to him and what impact that should have upon us in our lives. PAUL PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS Let us turn, if you would, first to Acts chapter 6. Read verses 8-15. It is very interesting the way that set of scriptures concludes that they saw Stephen’s face as a face of an angel. Even though they were in opposition to him they knew something was unusual about Stephen. We are going to turn to chapter 7 of Acts and start reading some of what Stephen was telling them. We are actually breaking into his discourse here. Acts 7, starting in verse 37: “‘This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us…’” Stephen is explaining that Moses had received things from heaven that he had shared with their forefathers. Continuing reading in verses 39-50. This goes right along with the hymn we sang this morning: “How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings”. God does not dwell in a physical building anymore. Stephen was trying to explain this and how ancient Israel had let God down and had been punished. His hearers were hearing this and not appreciating it. Continue in Acts 7:51 where he tells them straight away: “‘You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.’” He tells the gathered council there of Sadducees and Pharisees that they are following in the footsteps of their predecessors and persecuting God’s own, including His own begotten Son! Continuing in Acts 8 starting in verse 1, we find that Paul was present during this dispute. “Now Saul was consenting to his death.” That is the death of Stephen. “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” After having seen Stephen get persecuted and killed, (as we are going to read in a moment) Paul was not a changed man. He thought he had done the right thing. I want to back up to verse 54 and read what Paul had witnessed. Acts 7, verse 54: “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.” So Paul was there, and it must have bothered him greatly to hear Stephen accuse them all of following in the footsteps of evil predecessors. Continuing in verse 55 read to verse 60. Stephen died. Saul was there holding the garments of those doing the actual stoning of Stephen, and he went on to become a persecutor of the church. He made quite a name for himself in that regard. That is why it said in verse 3 of chapter 8 that “he made havoc with the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women…” (that is, Christians) “…committing them to prison.” Let us skip over to chapter 9, starting in verse 1. “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Paul went and got letters of authority to even go to Damascus, and search out the homes and synagogues for Christians so he could bring them back to Jerusalem bound and ready to be punished. Acts 9, read verses 3-8. He was completely blind at this time. Continue reading verses 9-16. Paul was quite famous among the brethren at that time as a horrible persecutor. Continue reading verses 17-25. In a very short time Paul went from hunter to hunted, from persecutor to persecuted. What changed him? What had happened? Actually very little and yet very much when you think about it. PAUL HAD BEEN A BELIEVER Paul had been a believer in the truth of God, you might say, as revealed in the ancient writings from his youth. We can see that starting in Acts. Go to Acts 23. Paul was a faithful man, and when he was persecuting the Christians, he was doing it because he thought he was doing the right thing. He was not doing it to be evil. In Acts 23 this is when Paul himself was hauled before the council. Starting in verse 1: “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’” So when he was persecuting the Christians, he did it in good conscience. He thought he was doing God a favor! Verse 2: “And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?’ And those who stood by said, ‘Do you revile God’s high priest?’ Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”’” He knew the scriptures. He did not want to sit in judgment here. He realized that maybe he had been out of place the way he had spoken harshly, although he was telling the truth. Acts 23, verse 6: “But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!’” He perceived that there were both Sadducees and Pharisees there, and if you were to continue reading, you would see there was a dispute among Sadducees and the Pharisees as to whether the resurrection would take place or not. So he was very tactfully dividing them, but in his statement there he said I am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee. He is making a huge statement there. He is saying I am learned in the ways of the Torah. I am learned in the scriptures. I am not just a man hauled in off the street or following something blindly. I am learned, and I follow because it is the truth. This shook up a lot of them. The comment that he is a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee means that he was very carefully observing the ways of God, as he said faithfully, right up to that very day. Even when he was persecuting Stephen and before that, he was always keeping the Sabbath. He was diligently keeping the holy days. He was earnestly and faithfully tithing. He was fasting with regularity. He followed their strictest observances, as we will see in a moment. He was offering sacrifices. All of these things he was doing to be righteous. If you would go to Acts 26:1, Paul explains this again. He is before the governing officials, having been hauled there by his persecutors. Read Acts 25:13-21. You have here a governor who is very concerned about an individual, Paul, who has been accused. He assumed when Paul was being accused that he was going to see a man brought before him for a crime of some sort. When he got there, he said it was not a crime. This man had done nothing of which we have a law against. This is an internal religious matter, and they want me to judge on an internal religious matter. It has something to do with some man called Jesus whom some say is dead and others say is alive. He said there is no crime here. I do not know what to do. That is the situation Paul found himself in, but he continues to express himself here as we will see. Let’s drop down to Acts chapter 26 and read verses 1-4. He is going on to say I have been a Jew since I was a baby, and I had been educated. You know all about the Jews so you understand what I am telling you. They are listening carefully. Verse 5: “They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” He said I was the strictest of the strict, and now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. He said now I am being judged on a promise that was in our scriptures the prophets had made. Our fathers were promised, and I see that promise now and that is why I am in judgment here. Verse 7: “To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” He says here I was a follower of Judaism, and I made some mistakes. He said I thought I was doing the right thing. Just as these men who are accusing me now think they are doing the right thing. Verse 10: “This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” Paul says I forced them to blaspheme, and I have persecuted them far and wide thinking I was doing God a favor. Continue reading Acts 26:12-18. Here we have Paul describing how he used to persecute the saints thinking he was doing God a favor. Then he was called by God in a remarkable way. He was given a job to do, and he is now proclaiming the things that were causing the Jews to persecute him. But we see there was something here against Satan. Verse 18 says, “…to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God…” This was the job that Paul was given and this is why he was called. This is what made him different. It was not keeping the Sabbath. He had always kept the Sabbath. It was not keeping the holy days and tithing. DOING THE MINIMUM Somebody says what kind of religion do you have? What do you believe? What makes you different from other Christians? Don’t we always say we keep the Sabbath? We keep the holy days and we believe in tithing. That is only saying, brethren, we are spiritual Pharisees! We are doing the minimum. We are not doing anything if that is what we are doing, because we have not gone beyond. Just like Paul had not gone beyond doing those things in obeying God. He had not gone to the spiritual and learn how to love his brothers, sisters and the world until he was called. He had to be knocked off that horse and became begotten. After his conversion he was truly a different man because he was following in the footsteps of Christ. That is what made him different. He had the Holy Spirit, of course, but he had to follow Christ with that Holy Spirit or there would appear to be no difference. We can have the Holy Spirit and just do the basic things. God may come and someday say you were a Pharisee! That is the point we are going to make today. We want to examine what really makes us different. What is being begotten? A NEW MAN Let us turn to John chapter 1, and we are going to study the subject of being begotten for just a moment. The first one begotten, of course, was Jesus Christ. John 1, verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The first begotten was Jesus Christ. We beheld His glory, John is saying here. He was full of grace and the truth. Just skip over a page to chapter 3, verse 16. This is a very commonly read scripture. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Father has only begotten one Son, Jesus Christ. He is the One begotten by God the Father. Turn, if you would now, to Hebrews chapter 1. We will read verses 5-9. Jesus Christ is God the Father’s only begotten Son. He will be given rulership above all His companions that will follow, which are the believers that would follow such as Paul, John and Stephen. But He has more authority, more power and more glory than any who have ever lived or will live. He is the first of the firstborn. But He is to be the firstborn of many brethren, as we will see in a minute. I would like to skip back to Revelation 1 and see a description of Him again. Read Revelation 1:1-5. Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead. All human beings are destined to die. We are flesh and blood with a given amount of time to live with no inherent eternal life and no hope to gain it without a savior. That Savior is Jesus Christ. He is the firstborn of many brethren. There are many brethren to follow. If you would turn to Romans chapter 8, we will confirm this again. Romans 8, 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. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Christ was the first one to conquer death, but the promise is that others would come, others would also be firstfruits. They cannot be the firstborn and they cannot be the first begotten of the Father, but they can receive the seed and be firstfruits and go on to be brothers of Jesus Christ. What we are seeing is the change that Paul had when he fell off that horse, was converted and received the Holy Spirit. He became a new type of human being. He became a type of human being with the indwelling Spirit of God. This is what made him different, but that is not all. He went and did something different. It completely transformed his life. He always felt he was honoring, worshipping and working for God, but it turned him 180 degrees once he received the Holy Spirit. He turned 180 degrees from what he had been. That is how starkly different it is to be a new man or new human being. Let us go now to Ephesians chapter 2. We must understand this concept of a new man, a new human being, in order to properly fulfill the roles that God has for us to do. Ephesians 2, verse 14: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace…” Jesus Christ is the one who has made one new man from the two. Himself and us put together, His Holy Spirit dwelling in us making a new man. Continuing in verse 16: “…and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” God, that is Jesus Christ our Lord, has made it possible for us to become part of His body, reconciling us to the Father thereby putting an end to the enmity. It puts an end to the death that we were cursed with as physical human beings. Continue reading Ephesians 2:17-22. We are now a dwelling place for the Spirit of God, and that is what makes us different. He dwells in us, and we are no longer the same old man. We are a new man. We are a new human being. Go now, if you would, to chapter 4 of Ephesians and read verses 7-16. This is a very important concept that Jesus Christ has given us a government in the Church, and that government in the Church down through time has tried to bring the body of Christ to perfection. It is the Spirit working in the individual that achieves the perfection, not the human teacher. If we allow Him to do so, Jesus Christ working in us is creating a perfect man. He is creating a new human being like Paul! It was the Spirit working in Paul. He was taught many things, I am sure, by the apostles. But it was the Spirit working in him that changed his life and made him a completely different man from what he had been before. This is what is happening to us if we let God do it. We let God work in us and we become perfect like Jesus Christ. We become a new type of man, a new human being. This is what happened to Paul. Turn, if you would, to I Corinthians chapter 4. Read verses 14-20. Paul was saying you might have 10,000 people instructing you. It does not matter. You are my children in the faith. Christ was the firstborn. That Spirit was passed on at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 to the disciples and those present. Since then it has gone from children to children and generation to generation of Christians who are first called and drawn by the Father to the body that is Jesus Christ. Then they are told to be a new man, a perfect man. It does not matter if you have 10,000 teachers. It is only the Spirit working in the person that is going to accomplish it. The individual that brings the truth is a good thing. In essence, he calls down fire from God. Once someone is drawn to the body of Christ, that minister who has the Spirit (which they must have) calls down fire from God. That enters the individual just as it entered the apostles and those present on that Pentecost. From that point forward, it is the relationship that individual has with Jesus Christ that changes them and makes them a new human being. It is how we follow Christ that makes us that new person. It is very important to understand that. No one is going to do it for the congregation. No minister can possibly do it. The only thing a minister should do is try to share what God hopefully has shown them and give the brethren the knowledge to go ahead and work with Christ themselves. It is important to realize this. This is what Paul did in his life. He went out and he did something. It was how he followed Christ that made him a perfect man from that point forward. I do not mean he was without sin. Do not get me wrong there. He was growing toward perfection. It is Christ’s blood that could make it work with Paul repenting whenever he failed. The point is, he and the apostles begat new men who begat new men. I mean human beings, men and women. This occurred down through time as God the Father drew people to Christ, and that is the body of Christ today! Initially the first begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, had disciples who were physical beings who walked around with Him on the planet earth. God drew them to Jesus Christ. Once Christ entered them with the Holy Spirit on that Pentecost, they now dwelt in the body of Christ. The Father still draws people to the body of Christ as He sees fit. With a point in mind here, they are to follow Jesus Christ. We are not just called to keep the Sabbath, keep the holy days, tithe and do all of those physical things. Those are essential, but that is only the beginning. It will get us nowhere if that is all we accomplish. That is what I want to talk about today. We need to follow Jesus Christ as a new man. FOLLOW CHRIST Let us turn now, if you would, to Luke chapter 9:23. This is Christ speaking here. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself , and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?’” We have to pick up our cross and follow Jesus Christ. Go to John chapter 10. Read verses 1-6. Christ said My sheep will follow Me. That is very consistent with picking up your cross and following Christ. Once called, our job is to follow Christ. He went way beyond keeping the Sabbath, the holy days, tithing and all the things to do with clean and unclean food and what have you. He went beyond that into a spiritual realm the world had never seen before. This is what happened to Paul. When he fell off the horse and was converted, he went to a spiritual realm the world had never seen before. Even the believers in ancient Israel kept the laws and statutes, but they did not understand the spiritual intent of what God was trying to do. The key word here is “overcoming”. We have to overcome. This is what Paul did after his conversion that made him different. OVERCOMING Let us turn to I John chapter 5. Read verses 1-5. When we believe Jesus Christ, we keep His commandments, so we must do those things that Paul did early in his life. But we must go beyond the keeping of the physical commandments and go into the spiritual realm of overcoming. The Pharisees had never overcome. They had relied on their physical sacrifices. They had relied on the righteousness of paying their own tithes, keeping the Sabbath and fasting; but they had never overcome. They were not prepared to follow Christ’s footsteps but rather judged Him. That is what Paul was doing to the body of Christ in his early life. He was not overcoming anything. He kept the law and the statutes perfectly and murdered Christians thinking he did God a service, until he had his eyes opened! That is what made him different. When he received the Holy Spirit, he lived differently because he became an overcomer. Overcoming is the key that makes us a profitable servant of God and a fruitful believer. Turn, if you would, to Revelation chapter 2. I am just going to read some snippets to the seven Churches. Revelation 2, verse 11: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. Revelation 2, verse 17: “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.’” The people in the Pergamos Church era were also told to overcome, and then they would receive some of the hidden manna. Verse 26: “‘And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…’” Overcoming and keeping their works is how they live, their efforts in the name of the Lord. God will give them power over the nations. This He told to the Thyatira era. Drop down to chapter 3. This is speaking to the Sardis Church era. Revelation 3, verse 5: “‘He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” So the Sardis era is told the same thing: overcome and you will receive white garments, and I speak for you before My Father. Then we drop down to the very last Church era, the Laodicean era. We read in Revelation 3, verse 20: “‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Laodicea is told, if they overcome they will sit on the throne just as Christ does! That is an awesome reward, but each Church era is told they must overcome. That is what Paul did that was different. After Paul received the Holy Spirit, he had the power and the will to overcome. He worked. He applied himself to the task at hand and became an overcomer while still keeping the Sabbath, the holy days, tithing, fasting, praying and doing all of those things. He no longer was offering sacrifices, for his sacrifice was now Jesus Christ. So this is what we must do. Be an overcomer because first of all Christ did it and then the firstfruits to follow Him must pick up their cross and follow the way He went. Let us turn back to John chapter 16, verse 31. “Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’” We just saw that all the Churches and the firstfruits are to overcome. Christ said, now be of good cheer. I know you are going to have trials and tribulations, and even right now you are about ready to leave Me when I get my heavy persecution. But He said be of good cheer. You are going to get some help. I have overcome the world! So we are not doing something that has not been done before. Christ did it before, and now He is dwelling in us. That should make it possible to be done again. Read John chapter 16:5-11. How did He overcome the world? He overcame Satan. By overcoming Satan, He judged Satan. He found that Satan fell short. That is how Christ overcame the world. He overcame Satan’s system, He judged Satan and gave him a mortal wound. He qualified to replace him. We must believe and follow because there are more positions than replacing Satan. REPLACING SATAN’S EVIL GOVERNMENT There is an entire false government out there called Satan’s principalities and wicked powers in heavenly places. They must all get replaced. Therefore, there must be more than Jesus Christ to go forth and defeat Satan and the demons. Jesus Christ has a body of Christ composed of many parts that are told to overcome as I have overcome so that we can replace this horrible, evil system. That is why it is so important to overcome. We do not just overcome for ourselves. We are overcoming for everyone else’s benefit. We must get rid of Satan and his false government. Turn, if you would, to John chapter 12, verse 27: “‘Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save Me from this hour?” But for this purpose I came to this hour.’” Christ is praying to the Father. He says I am very troubled, but Father save Me from this hour. But for this purpose I have come to this hour. So He wants help from God the Father, but He knows that this is what He came for. He knows He is to ultimately die for all of us. Continue reading John 12:28-31. Just before He died Christ said I have to go through this in order to judge Satan and make him fall. I must overcome Satan and the world. That is why as He was teaching He was saying follow Me. Pick up your cross and follow Me. If the Father calls you and draws you to Me and you want to follow through with that, pick up your cross and follow Me. For in My house there are many mansions. We have to replace a whole evil government that is out there. Continue reading in John 12:32-36. Christ is saying if you want to be sons of the light, you are going to have to follow Me now. I am here right now. While I am here, we know it is the day. We are told that earlier in John. While Christ walked the earth it was day, and He was teaching them to follow the light so they become sons of light. Then it concludes with verse 37: “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him…” Other than His disciples and the 120 that were gathered on that Pentecost, thousands who heard Him did not believe! But they had not all been drawn to the Father. Some had and could not handle it, but those that stuck with it and were together on that Pentecost received the Holy Spirit. They could become overcomers, and that is what made them different from the rest of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Jews at that time. They now could go forth and help defeat Satan. Those other physical people could not. They could not help defeat Satan, and this is what makes the difference. Once we receive the Holy Spirit, we should be turning 180 degrees going the other way, and help defeat the world. We should not just live in the world. We are not called to become part of the world or stay part of the world. We are called to come out of the world and be separate in the way we live. We should be a different type of human being. If you would, turn to Hebrews chapter 2 and read verses 1-14. Christ was the firstborn among many brethren, and by His perfect life put an end to Satan’s system. It temporarily went on. For what purpose? Christ continued to assemble the rest of the firstfruits who will be replacing the demons under Satan and have a complete government. Christ will then be able to shut down death! We are all born to death, and as we read in Revelation 1, Christ was the firstborn from the dead. He was the first one begotten of God from the dead. All physical flesh is going to die unless they receive eternal life from the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then we must go forth and bear fruit from that point, becoming perfect and becoming overcomers. This is why we are repeatedly told in Revelation to overcome. He who overcomes will receive all of these gifts. We have work to do in order to overcome. It is how we live our life that makes the difference after we receive the Holy Spirit. All creation is waiting for God to finish what He is going to accomplish in His people, the firstfruits. OVERCOME TO BENEFIT OTHERS Turn, if you would, to Romans chapter 8. This is a set of scriptures we are very familiar with, but we will read them again in this sermon. Read verses 18-23. We are waiting for the redemption of Christ’s body, and the whole world is waiting for that body, the sons of God to be revealed. Those who have overcome will then help set them free into the liberty of the sons of God. We are here to live a life of overcoming for the rest of the world! It is not for us to get a great reward. That is not the purpose. That is selfish. It is not for us to be taken to some place of safety. It is not for our benefit. We are living and doing this for other people. That is the purpose. We are laying down our lives for our fellow man starting with our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. We need to do these things plus the basic things. That is what Paul learned when he was changed. Go back to Matthew 23:23. This is Jesus Christ speaking and it simply says: “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.’” He says go from the basics to what really would help you to bear fruit. By this you would be profitable to God. This is what we are told in overcoming. Go forward and be concerned with the matters of justice, mercy and faith. It is by our faith and works that we are going to get something done and by overcoming. How do we overcome? We overcome by living a circumspect life and letting the fruits of the Spirit evidence themselves by loving our fellow man and our brothers and sisters in the faith. Turn, if you would, to Luke chapter 6. Christ lays it all out for us. We usually read The Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Today we will read it in Luke chapter 6:20. This is what we need to do. “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.’” These are people who are hungering for the truth, He is saying here. They will be filled. These are those people who are weeping for the sad condition the earth is in today, not people who are weeping for themselves! Or these are not people who are physically hungry for a better meal. He says if you are hungering for righteousness and truth, you will be satisfied. Luke 6, verse 22: “‘Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.’” He says when people persecute you because of My name, blessed are you. So Paul was happy when he was suffering. He said so on several occasions, because he knew what it was to persecute the people of God and then he knew what it was to receive it. He said it is far nicer to receive persecution and suffer because I know I am doing this for my fellow man now. I know what I am doing. I have turned 180 degrees around, and I will gladly suffer in order to grow. That is why when Christ knocked him off the horse He said I am about to show Paul what he must suffer, when he sent Ananias to anoint him with oil and send him the Holy Spirit. Paul went ahead and gave his life for all mankind by being an overcomer so he could help in his own little way to replace Satan’s evil government. Continue reading in Luke 6:23. “‘Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.’” He says leap for joy when you are persecuted! I know we do not feel like it at the time, but we should really feel like it. If we are unselfish, we would leap for joy. WOE TO THOSE RICH WITH KNOWLEDGE Verse 24: “‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.’” He is not talking specifically about physical riches, wealth and power. He is talking within the Church, as he was talking with the Pharisees and calling them rich. Today we can be rich in the Church, whether of high position or low, and keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days and having lots of viable knowledge but falling woefully short on the spiritual side of things. We can be falling woefully short in loving our neighbor. He continues in verse 27. Verse 27: “‘But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.’” Look out in the Church, brethren. I could not tell you right now how many brethren and Church groups are suing one another or involved in lawsuits with people in the world trying to get back what people owe them. What are we told here? If you want to be profitable or if you want to be walking in Christ’s footsteps, forgive. When someone does us wrong, if we want to pick up our cross and follow like Christ, we forgive them. Remember what Stephen said when they were stoning him? He said forgive them of this sin, Lord. He did not say pay these guys back! Get them right now God! Call fire down! Do something! He said forgive them God. They do not know what they are doing. They are under the sway of Satan. Verse 32 of Luke 6: “‘But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.’” In other words when we see a brother or sister in need, do we give them help and say by such and such a date I want all of this back? No! By the same token, do we take from our brothers and sisters and never want to give back? This is big stuff. This is overcoming. If you were to go back to Matthew 5, these are the inheritors of the kingdom! The people who can do these things have overcome the evil one. They are the ones who have beaten Satan down. They are the ones qualified to replace the demons! It will not be the ones who look good, sound good and are powerful on this earth. It is the meek and the humble who have learned to forgive and forget and be generous with their time, money and work. This is what God is looking for. Verse 35: “‘But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.’” Be merciful, just as our Father is merciful. Do not seek revenge. Going on to verse 37: “‘Judge not, and you shall not be judged, condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’” It is not our job to condemn the world out there. They have not been called. They have not received the Holy Spirit. They are still in darkness, and it is not our job to condemn those walking in darkness. Our job is to give them light to follow so they can follow in Christ’s footsteps when it is their opportunity. This is our job. We certainly should not be judging one another. Verse 38: “‘Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.’” What can God put in your bosom? Can He give you money? No, He can give you the Holy Spirit, righteousness and the help we need to get stronger. Remember it said Paul immediately went out after that episode of receiving the Holy Spirit. He immediately went out and taught, getting stronger day by day. That is overcoming, getting stronger day by day. Because as we give and forgive, God measures back to us in our bosom more of the Holy Spirit and more strength, so that we can be a greater light to the world. We can be a vessel full of oil. Remember He said to Ananias I have chosen him to be a vessel for Me. That is the vessel full of oil. Paul used it to good advantage. Finish reading verses 39-45 of Luke 6. Our words, actions and deeds go before us, brethren. They attest to what kind of tree we are and what kind of fruit we are bearing. Are we doing the things that help us to overcome and point other people to the way of Christ, or are we a stumbling block to other people, for when they look at us they see the opposite of these fruits that we are talking about here? People must see us overcome in order to know how to overcome. Let us turn to John chapter 17. We are not to operate under the same conditions that the world operates. We have been called out of this system. We have been called to bring light to it. Read John 17:6-15 where Jesus Christ is talking to His Father. His prayer was to help us stay away from the evil one. Read verses 16-19. Christ came to bring light to the world; then He sends us out to bring light. By how we act and how we live, we show to what extent we are converted, and what extent we are using God’s system and His ways to bring light to others so they can pick up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. John 17, verse 20: “‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.’” When the world looks at the Church of God today in its various branches and splits and how we treat one another, they are not seeing the light of God! Therefore, we are harming God’s purpose! It is when we show the world love for one another and give them light and truth and how we treat the world by our actions, that they can see we are different. We should be like Paul. It was not long before everyone realized Paul was a changed man. He was completely different. Even those that he was helping persecute the Church soon turned on him. There is something wrong with Paul. He is not acting like he used to be at all. He used to hold our coats when we would stone people. He used to gather them up and bring them to us. What happened to him! They became his persecutors. Does the world see a difference in us, or do they see the world reflected back? What are we watching on television? What are listening to? How do we act in our businesses, at work or at school? This is what is critical if we are going to show the world how to overcome. We must first overcome. It is how we live. Continuing in verse 22: “‘And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.’” There is that word being made perfect again. John 17, verse 24: “‘Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.’” This is what the world is seeking: who can show them how to love God. We show them by how we love one another and by how we love the people in the world, indeed. REFLECT THE FUTURE KINGDOM We will start wrapping this up for time, but it is important to note that we are in this world but we must not reflect it. We must be reflecting the kingdom of God even though it is not here yet. That is why it is hard to be a firstfruit. We live like the Millennium is already in our lives even though we are in this very competitive harsh, cruel, dark world. That is why it is hard to be an overcomer. If it was easy, there would be no special reward for being an overcomer at this time. We are doing this for the benefit of other people. I will review what we are trying to do by paraphrasing scriptures that you could go look up on your own. Bring every thought into captivity. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love the household of the faith. Wash one another’s feet. By our love for each other, we must be known to all men as the body of Christ. In closing, the fruits of the Spirit are in direct opposition to the fruits of the flesh. To be an overcomer, we must be eliminating the fruits of the flesh from our lives and replacing them with the fruits of the Spirit. Turn to Galatians chapter 5. We must be doing this so effectively, brethren, that even strangers should see it. Remember what they said about Stephen. When they began to accuse him and brought him before the council, they looked on his face and saw the face of an angel. They knew there was something different. We need to be that obvious to people we are dealing with. They need to see that they are dealing with somebody who is different. We need to be somebody who is showing the fruits of the Spirit. Let us do a comparison here by reading Galatians 5:16-26. Continue reading in Galatians 6:1-2. This is very important point, brethren, because we all suffer from time to time and go down by temptation. When we see someone overcome with a problem or sin, we gently pick them up, for someday we may need them to pick us up. It is important because we are going along as one body in Christ so when one part hurts, the whole body should hurt. The whole body should feel it. Therefore, we gently and kindly help one another without judging or being harsh. This is the purpose of having a whole body with each part fitting together and framed perfectly. When your left hand hurts, the right hand picks up the slack and vice versa. This is how the body of Christ is, and we should all help one another get to the end result of being more perfect as Christ was perfect. Continuing in verse 3: “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.” Each of us has our own load. Each of us has our own faults and weaknesses that we must overcome. We help each other, but it is up to the individual to overcome. None of us here can take on the sins from someone else. We can only encourage and help each other to go forward. We cannot do the job for one another. That is important because as we go through what limited time we have left, if we keep making the same mistake and do not make progress, we are not being profitable for God. We need to encourage each other to make progress, go forward, bear fruit and overcome because it is only by overcoming that anything gets done. Standing still or going backwards does not get it. If we have the same problems and the same sins we have always had, we are not being profitable to God. We are not gaining ground. We are not overcoming. SIGNS AND WONDERS IN US He who has an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the Churches, must overcome. By overcoming we receive all of those blessings that we were told about. It is not a big name. We do not have to have lots of money. We do not have to have big miracles following us around. What Christ is looking for is what we do with our lives. That is a sign and a wonder. They saw Paul, a converted man, stop killing people in the name of God. He stopped hauling people off to be put in prison. They saw him chained. That was the biggest sign and wonder for them that they had ever seen! This is how it is for us. People who knew us when we were carnal and now know us, should see a sign and a wonder. They should see that God could do that for them. This ultimately brings the healing and the liberty for the entire world. We will then be revealed. They are groaning and waiting for us to be revealed. There must be something hiding us. It is not our wealth. The richest people on the planet cannot hide. The famous and the stars cannot hide. They are known everywhere. The powerful cannot hide. They are known everywhere. But the Church of God is like a hidden little bunch of people that the world is groaning for to find out where they are. We cannot do great signs. I do not mean to belittle the fact that people are seeking some sort of wonderful sign, but it is in our own lives that the miracle takes place. It is in what we do. It is getting converted. It is overcoming, because that is what has beaten Satan into a corner. It is getting rid of his government and getting rid of the demons. That is what is doing the signs and wonders. That is the power that you and I have. If we do that right, I can guarantee other wonderful signs will come. If we do not do that right, it is not going to happen. I am not trying to pick on anybody, but unfortunately we know of other Church groups that want to have some great thing happen rather than do all the little things right. We have to do the little things. Christ says if you are not faithful in the little things, how can I give you a big thing? That is why He cannot give a rod of iron to someone who would not hesitate to crush a city because of disobedience. He cannot give that kind of power to anyone who does not have tremendous love, compassion and mercy for others. This is what it is all about, brethren. Overcome, and then we are showing God that we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. We will, indeed, be following Christ’s footsteps, just as Paul did when he turned and went 180 degrees from where he was once headed.