Restoring Original Christianity for Today #3

Fred R. Coulter—February 1, 2014

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[Transcript starts at 6:55 of the audio]

Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!

As we will see, original Christianity at any time is the most fantastic thing that there is. But because the Christianity of this world has so downgraded everything concerning God, the Truth, righteousness and the plan of God that they don't have a clue as to what original Christianity is all about.

This is the end result of original Christianity. This ties in concerning fighting the beast and their armies, Revelation 17:14: "These will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him arecalled, and chosen, and faithful."

We could make a sermon out of each one of those and being faithful we could do many sermons concerning faith. But this is the process. True Christianity involves God calling and our responding back to God. 'Many are called, but few are chosen,' because few answer the call.

Another thing that we need to really clearly understand, because Rom. 10 follows up on that one verse where Christ is the 'end of the Law.' The context is Israel sought righteousness by works of law and never achieved the righteousness of faith. Christ is the end of righteousness by works of law!

We have an appendix in The Holy Bible in Its Original Order. Let me just recommend that you take one day and read the commentary. When you get done with that take another day and read one or two of the appendices. Appendix Z in the Bible answers all the difficult to understand Scriptures that Paul wrote. Some of them are hard to understand because he would write in what is called 'ellipsis,' so did John. That is once you have the topic, that topic carries all the way through in the context. This would be an abject contradiction in the Bible where Jesus said, 'I didn't come to destroy the Law.' Then you read that Christ is the 'end of the Law.'

But remember, the word the is not in the Greek. That means that law comes from above—works of law. So, this should read properly, Romans 10:4: "For Christ is the end of works of law for righteousness… [justification, put into right standing with God] …to everyone who believes."

We will see where Christianity in the world is. We have to have a demarcation line so we can understand about restoring original Christianity for today.

Verse 5: "For Moses wrote concerning the righteousness that comes through the law… [There can be righteousness that you do keep. The Greek: 'ho nomos,' the law.] …'The man who has practiced those things shall live by them.'" What was the reward for doing so?

• long life
• God's blessing
• prosperity in the physical things

Sin is still sin, transgression of the Law. If they didn't keep them in the letter of the Law—we're going to see a difference between the Old Testament command to love God and the New Testament command to love God, and the result of what Christ does.

Verse 6: "But the righteousness that comes through faith speaks after this manner: 'Do not say in your heart, "Who shall ascend up to heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down) 'Or, "Who shall descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from among the dead.) But what does it say? 'The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart.'… [if it's in your heart, when we are talking about the New Testament, who puts it there? God does! Remember—called, chosen and faithful.] …This is the word of faith that we are proclaiming" (vs 6-8).

What we're going to see here is what Paul is bringing out is the beginning place of original Christianity, which in Christianity in the world is the ending place. They start and they end here and reduce down the number of Scriptures that define their Christianity.

In effect, what does that do when you reduce down the number of Scriptures and say, 'We don't need this and we don't need that.' There are even some who say that Paul's teachings supersede the teachings of Jesus Christ. What does that do? Stop and think about it. What was the warning that we read in Deut. 4 & 12? 'You shall not add to or take away.'

If you bring in traditions of men, you are adding to! If you say, 'We don't have to do this Scripture or that Scripture or the other Scripture,' you are taking away, even though it still stays in the Bible, which then becomes a deceptive thing. People think, 'We're using the Bible.'

• Do you use all of it?
• Do you believe the Word of God is the Truth?
• If you believe it is the Truth, are you not throwing away Truth?

Verse 9: "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." That is also future tense. But what does it mean to confess? Just say, 'I believe,' because someone said that's what you need to confess? No!Believe in your heart!

What does believe mean? That in itself requires another whole sermon—doesn't it? To believe in your heart means to believe to obey! Let's see what God said about the children of Israel after they had heard the Ten Commandments. Then they were so afraid of God, and so afraid of the voice of God, that they said to Moses, 'Moses, you go talk to God for if we hear His voice anymore we are going to die.'

Deuteronomy 5:28: "And the LORD heard the voice of your words which you spoke to me…" Remember, there is no thought that can be withheld from God. This is why we need the washing of the water by the Word.

"…'I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They have well said all that they have spoken'" (v 28)—which means they think that they are well intended.

How many people say things that they think they are sincere in saying them when they say them, but when it comes to carrying through and doing them it becomes another story. It's like the person who is always late. He intends to be on time. His intention is right, but his actions can't follow through.

• Did they hear the words of God? Yes!
• Did they enter into their hearts? No!

Verse 29: "Oh, that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever." They didn't have the heart to obey. Why? Because they were never given the Holy Spirit!

Romans 10:9: "…and believe in your heart…" What does that all entail?

• repentance
• belief
• baptism

because you are responding to God from your heart! Not just well-intentioned so you can avoid hearing the voice of God.

"…believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation" (vs 9-10). This is what the Protestants say:

• Do you believe? Yes!
• Do you confess that He is the Christ? Yes!
• Do you believe He was raised from the dead? Yes!

• What kind of belief does God want us to have?
• What's another thing we are to do before we believe?
  • We are to prove all things whether they are so or not.
  • Then you believe!

Verse 11: "Because the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in Him shall not be ashamed.'… [if you believe Him in the way that the Bible says] …For there is no difference between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all is rich toward all who call upon Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (vs 11-13).

That requires what? Repentance! Baptism! We'll see the whole process: what they do is take all of these words as a beginning and an ending. They don't have any process toward perfection. They don't have any progress toward growing and overcoming.

It's like coming to a race. You get down there, you're all ready to go, everything is ready to go and whoever the referee is he has his starting gun in his hand. 'Get on your mark, get set, BANG!' All of sudden right in front of you comes up a wall and you stop. He comes over and he says, 'Congratulations, you are saved, you have no works to do.'

We're going to follow this up with some Scriptures: what kind of works do we do? A little preview: read Rev. 2 & 3. How is God going to judge us? What did Jesus personally say to all seven of the churches? 'I know your works.' Do a little advance study. I think you'll find that very interesting.

We're not going to be saved by our emotions. There are emotions in it, especially when you come to the conviction of sin and you see how wrong that you have been. That's all part of it.

Verse 14: "How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?" This is why there's the preaching of the Gospel. That is true, it's got to go out.

In the new booklet that we have, Why "Christianity" Has Failed in America, is because exactly of what we have just covered. You can't start out and do the work of the Lord by breaking the fourth commandment. You may be very well intentioned. You may say some of the right words, but you cast away too much of the Word of God—all the Old Testament and most of the New Testament.

Verse 15: "And how shall they preach, unless they be sent?…." This is a statement and a prophecy. Continuously the Gospel has been being preached in different degrees in different areas of the world. I just got a real thick printout of the history of the Church of God in the 1800s down to today. You find that on:
http://www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/historysdcog/ by Richard Nickels [transcriber's correction]

In my research I came across G.G. Rupert, a very stern man with a real long beard. I want you to think back to some of the statements you heard in the past. In 1913 he was preaching in the Church of God 7th Day, a minister by the way, who was preaching to keep the Holy Days of God.

Guess what else they were preaching clear back in the middle of the 1800s? Born again is at the resurrection! We are begotten when we receive the Holy Spirit. So, it has been preached. G.G. Rupert said that soon the Gospel is going to be preached in a very powerful way. Shortly after that what came along? Radio! So, they have heard.

Verse 15: "…Accordingly, it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of peace, and those who announce the good news of good things!'"

A little caveat here: This is why it's good when you study the Bible to go through in the context and find out what it says.

Verse 16: "But all have not obeyed the Gospel because as Isaiah said, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'"

Not only about the resurrection of Christ, but also obeying the voice of God, living by every Word of God. All of those are the foundational points of original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles and written and preserved in the New Testament for us. We need all the New Testament. We need all the Old Testament. We need to understand the difference between the application of the laws and commandments of God and the relationship that we have with God concerning the Old Testament and concerning the New Testament.

Concerning the Old Testament: everything began and ended at the temple on earth. The book of Hebrews says that when Jesus died, all the sins that were brought to the temple were forgiven, because they did not have contact with God the Father or Jesus Christ in heaven above except the prophets and certain of the kings. Not one of the kings of the ten tribes of Israel ever was counted righteous.

Verse 17: "So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of God." That's why we have Sabbath services every week. Today we can have it so with what we have, you can hear sermons anytime you want. We can send out sermons. Other people send out sermons. The Word of God is going out in mammoth ways, in many, many different things. Even the Protestants are doing it. It's going out, but how do they approach God?

Also, remember that God's Word is always true, provided that it is presented accurately. Whoever speaks it is only conveying the words of God. Notice who he is talking about here:

Jeremiah 23:13: "And I have seen repulsive things in the prophets of Samaria… [the ten northern tribes] …they prophesied by Baal… [sun-worship] …and caused My people Israel to go astray." What do you know about that? We have the same thing today. Facts and prophecies repeat over and over and over.

Like Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, 'One generation comes, another generation goes and the earth remains the same'; likewise with the Church of God. The Gospel is preached; the Gospel in the world by the Sunday-keepers is preached in their version of it. Then you end up with Matt. 7, 'Many will say to Me in that day—all the false prophets—Lord, we prophesied in Your name. Lord, we did many great works in Your name.' What is His answer? 'I never knew you. Depart from Me you who work lawlessness!' Teaching the things of men.

Verse 14: "I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem… [there's Samaria; there's Jerusalem] …a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies…. [yet, they were supposed to handle the Word of God] …They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah." What a prophecy for today! Yes, indeed.

Verse 15: "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.'" Has that happened? Yes, indeed!

Verse 16: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth of the LORD.'" What is considered out of the mouth of the Lord today? The Word of God! Out of His mouth to His prophets, to His apostles, written down for us.

Verse 17: "'They still say to those who despise Me,' The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace!'….And they say to everyone who walks after the imagination of his own heart, 'No evil shall come upon you!'" Oh, yes, let's all have same-sex marriage. Wonderful and watch the population increase. Like an inversion, it will implode.

Verse 18: "For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD to see and hear His Word?….'" This is what true Christianity is all about. We will see the difference and how much greater it is.

"…Who has attended to His Word and heard it? Behold, the tempest of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly" (vs 18-20).

In spite of all of this, in spite of all the things that are going in the name of Christ that are contrary to the Word of God, v 21: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet, they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel…" (vs 21-22). Even the Sunday-keepers who speak Truth can warn the people. They aren't going to get salvation, but they can warn the people of sin.

"…and had caused My people to hear My words… [reading the Word of God, that's how it's done today] …then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings" (v 22). That's an amazing statement—isn't it?

Wherever the Word of God is spoken the way it should be spoken, read from the Bible, God will honor it regardless of who says it. That doesn't mean they have salvation, because you have to be called and chosen and faithful. But that means that they are not running out living their lives in totally depraved ways that God must bring evil upon them.

Verse 23: "'Am I a God Who is near,' says the LORD, 'and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him?' says the LORD. 'Do I not fill the heavens and earth? Says the LORD" (vs 23-24). With His Spirit, with His seven Spirits. {Note sermon, The Holy Spirit of God and the Seven Spirits of God.}

You cannot be called unless the seven Spirits of God are finding those who are seeking God. Then the Spirit of God will come with them. The Father will draw them and that's the end result of the beginning of Rom. 10. God will draw them. God will lead them to repentance. God will lead them to baptism. He wants them to have His Holy Spirit, but they have to respond to God.

Verse 25: "I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed.' How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies and who are prophets of the deceit of their own heart?" (vs 25-26).

How do you know? You prove all things! You check it by the Word of God. He who is of God speaks the words of God! That is another way of judging original Christianity. The more that men teach themselves or teach things contrary to the Scriptures, the further they are leading people away from God.

Verse 27: "They scheme to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell, each one to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal." God says this and here is the dividing line. He said that we will understand it in the 'latter days,' because we will see it in its fullness.

Verse 28: "'The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream. And he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully…'" That's how you know who is a minister and servant of God. That's how you know if someone wants to tell you about God, do they relate the Word of God to you faithfully or not. That is faithfully, as the way God wants it given.

"'…What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD…. [all blown away, burned away] …'Is not My Word like a fire?' says the LORD; 'and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?'" (vs 28-29).

That's what we're seeing today. Crumbling Christianity of the world just almost falling off the cliff now. It's imperative that all of us who know the Truth that we do what God wants us to do with the Truth in our lives and in trying to reach the world. We're not going to do it on our own, either way. God has to call us. To reach the world God has to open the door. Can't be done by human effort. It will fail.

Verse 30: "Therefore, behold I am against the prophets who steal My words each one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets who use their tongues and say, 'He says,' when I did not say" (vs 30-31). So then He condemns them.

Let's look at the same commands in Deut. 6 that we find in Mark 12. Let's look at the difference between how it was done in the covenant with Israel and how it is done in the New Testament Covenant with Christ and God the Father.

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We are going to see something very interesting. Remember where we read that they did not have the heart to do what God wanted them to do. Nevertheless, the requirement is still the same.

Before the coming of Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit, would it be possible for someone to be righteous? keep the commandments of God? love God in the letter? We are told that Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and his wife were blameless before God. They were righteous.

God even commended the Rechabites. You might study the Rechabites during the time of Jeremiah. God said to Jeremiah, 'Have the men of Rechab come up here.' So, he got them up there. He said, 'Set before them wine. Tell them to drink.' So, he set before them wine and said, 'Drink.' They said, 'No, we won't drink; our father Rechab told us never drink any wine. We won't drink it.'

What did God say to Jeremiah? 'You tell the people of Israel, the people of Judah—because it was Jerusalem and Judah at that time—why can't you even be to Me like the sons of Rechab? Because they kept their fathers' commandment, they will always have a man to stand before me in every generation.' Just because of that.

After they didn't have a heart to do it, notice what He gives them that they should do. Remember, everything that we do is a choice unless it's completely forced upon you with power from someone else. We choose! We may really tell ourselves we don't want to, but we don't exert enough choice to stop and not do it. We've all done that—haven't we? Yes, indeed! How is this different from the New Testament?

Deuteronomy 6:1: "Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God commanded to teach you so that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it, That you might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life, and so that your days may be prolonged" (vs 1-2)—long physical life.

• blessings of land
• blessings of crop
• blessings of animals
• blessings of rain
• blessings of all physical things

Verse 3: "Hear therefore, O Israel, and be diligent to observe it, so that it may be well with you… [even people who are not converted, God wants it to be well with them] …and that you may greatly multiply, as the LORD God of our fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey."

Now today it's the same way. This morning Dolores and I were having soft-boiled eggs. Having been a chef I can soft-boil them exactly the way that Dolores likes them, the whites done and the yolks soft and runny. Then put in all the seasoning and everything.

She went to the store to buy some eggs and the fellow who put them in the case—because there weren't very many eggs there—came out with 12 dozen; that's all he had. Twelve dozen of these Rock Island brown eggs. The only ones he had were jumbo eggs. Dolores had kind of a guilty conscience and only took three. Then we got to talking: We've got the world in every supermarket, everything that you would want. She made a very astute analysis. She said, 'Living here in this area we get so many things that are grown organically, it takes away the incentive to even want to have a garden.' It does!

Jim and I were talking about that before services and just think what's going to happen when bad times hit. When they hit in Atlanta with two inches of snow, they snarled up the freeways for two days. There were those getting out of their cars, abandoning their cars, and going to other cars and banging on the window demanding food, demanding water, demanding these things.

One family, the wife was in the car, and she told her husband when they got home, because she used to be against having any protection and home and no guns, she said after that, 'I want a gun.' Think what happens. No one knows how to plant. How long does it take to grow crops? No one knows how to store anything. You don't need to, you can run down to get whatever you want, whenever you want it.

When the real bad times hit, it is going to be instant bedlam! People are going to be desperate, beginning the second day. It will intensify day three, four, five, six, seven, eight; then it's really going to get bad. Comment: The Spanish have a saying, seven meals to anarchy. Coming from below the southern border they know! Only two inches of snow to anarchy!

You read the Ten Commandments and I've been doing some of those on Church at Home (churchathome.org). I ask: Are any of them hard to understand? None of them are hard to understand! Just think what the world would be like if in the letter of the Law people kept the Ten Commandments of God. But you see the evil that's within.
We will see this is quoted in Mark 12; v 4 "Hear, O Israel…" That's to all the people. However, we need to apply it to ourselves individually. God meant it to be everybody collectively and individually.

"…Our one God is the LORD, the LORD…. [the best translation from the Hebrew] …And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. And you shall diligently teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand…" (vs 4-9). The Jews have a little box and phylactery and they wrap it around their arm.

"…and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house and on your gates" (vs 8-9). The Jews have that. You go to a Jewish community in the Los Angeles area and there are the Ten Commandments. But they all live by the traditions of the Jews. An amazing thing! Let's compare this with the New Testament.

• Can people teach themselves and even memorize?
• Can little children memorize the Ten Commandments, give them by heart? Of course, they can!
• Do they keep them? Probably not!
• How many little kids went to summer vacation Bible school?
• Did it make them better? Maybe to a degree, depending on how they responded!

Mark 12:28: "And one of the scribes who had come up to Him, after hearing them reasoning together and perceiving that He answered them well, asked Him, 'Which is the first commandment of all?'" First here is 'protos' or primary, the most important one.

Verse 29: "Then Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is…'" Everything that God does with people starts with this. I am sure that this is very similar to what God told Adam and Eve. This is what was known before the Flood. But people don't want to do it. This is identical to what we read in Deut. 6.

"…'Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the Lord, the Lord…. [that's the same in the Greek.] …And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second is like this: 'Your shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.' Then the scribe said to Him, 'Right, Master. You have spoken according to Truth that God is one, and there is not another besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And Jesus, seeing that he answered with understanding, said to him, 'You are not far from the Kingdom of God'…" (vs 29-34). He didn't say, 'You are under the Kingdom of God.' We are under the Kingdom of God, not in it, but under it.

What is the difference with the New Testament in loving God? Many people in the Old Testament were well intended. Then another generation came along and watered it down, and another generation came along and watered it down. What is the difference, because there is a difference? If you memorize it yourself, it can be in your mind by memory, but what is the difference? There is a difference. The difference is the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10—here is the difference between Christianity of the world and original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles. This is why we need the Holy Spirit of God. We're going to talk a little bit about the Holy Spirit of God, because we have to in order to cross over the bridge from general Christianity of the world to original Christianity given by Jesus Christ and taught by the apostles.

Hebrews 10:15: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, '"This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days," says the Lord…'" (vs 15-16). Those days are the days of the ministry of Christ. Could not be done until that day. The Holy Spirit was given to some of the kings, the prophets, some of the priests and the patriarchs. But in the Old Testament that's all that are going to be in the first resurrection.

Imagine what it's going to be like when they are resurrected and on the Sea of Glass and see everything that has been done with those who have come through the Church. That is going to be an amazing thing.

Verse 16: "This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days…" How is that established? Remember Paul said through grace do we make void the Law? No, we establish it! It's established by the Holy Spirit, because the laws and commandments of God have spiritual force. Those things from without can never convert the within.

"…I will give My laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds" (v 16). God gives it into our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit. So therefore, we can love God truly in sincerity and in Truth with the Spirit of God. That is different than memorizing it and you putting it into your minds. Vast difference!

Having it put into your mind by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, requires the circumcision of the heart. That's the difference between Christianity in the world and original Christianity taught by Jesus Christ. "…I will give My laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds" What does that do? We operate by choice from within.

Verse 17: "And their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again." That's why repentance every day, according to the model prayer, is needed.

Verse 18: "Now where remission of these is, it is no longer necessary to offer sacrifices…. [animal sacrifices] …for sin." Animal sacrifices are works of law! Here is repentance to God with all your being. That's why there is baptism and you're conjoined to the death of Jesus Christ. That is not taught in the Christianity of this world. If it is, not the way that it should be. That is a great difference.

John 14 will help us understand what Jesus said and what He meant. That's why this letter that I sent out in January is very important for you to know and read and understand concerning the Spirit of God. Original Christianity is this:

• the calling goes out
• you respond to the calling
• you repent
• you are baptized
• you receive the Holy Spirit

—which changes the whole equation. You don't have to do it on your power alone. Yes, you must exert whatever energy you need to do it, but you have the Holy Spirit to lead you, to guide you. This is what becomes the important thing.

Plus, we'll have to get into the things, what is it that God has promised us and what is eternal life. They weren't offered eternal life. We are offered eternal life. There are conditions on us. With the Holy Spirit of God, we can fulfill these conditions.

John 14:15: "If you love Me…" Everything that God does is based on love. He said He brought these things to the children of Israel because He loved the fathers and He loved Israel and they were not a great nation, but few indeed.

"…keep the commandments—namely, My commandments" (v 15). That is the force of the Greek. Add to that verse what we know. Jesus Christ was the One Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament. So that expands it out—doesn't it? Who gives us the strength to keep the commandments of God? He does! 'I will put them into your heart. I will inscribe them in your mind.' That's why we have the spirit of man and our minds are made to receive the Spirit of God.

Verse 16: "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age: Even the Spirit of the Truth…" (vs 16-17). We've got all ready to go a new series called, How to Use the Holy Spirit of God. That's important for us to understand.

• How do we use it?
• How does the Spirit help us?
• How does Jesus work in our mind?
• How does the Father work in our mind and in our heart to do the will of God?

That's what it's all about.

Protestantism has gotten down, and they're even losing out on this: if someone is interested, 'Bring them to church.' God's way is: Study My Word and you will become part of the Church,if you love Me and if you repent. God is dealing directly with each one that He calls. This is why it's so important. Yes, when we come together, if we're loving God all during the week, when we come together we are not going to come in carnal attitudes and have a lot of difficulties and problems. Doesn't mean there won't be some little things flare up now and then, but they can all be handled the way that God wants them to be handled.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter—to comfort you, to lead you, to guide you, to help you in everything that you do. Even helping you understand the depths of your own carnality so you can repent to God even deeper than you thought. Only the Spirit of God can expose these things in your mind and heart.

Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth, which…" That's what it is in the Greek. This is the proper translation, because the Spirit of God is not a person. The Spirit of God is the power of God that comes from God the Father and Jesus Christ.

"…the world cannot receive…" (v 17). That's why Christianity of the world can be as nicey-nice as they want to. But sooner or later it all degenerates to where now they even read the Koran on Sunday morning to get 'wisdom' from the Muslims because they have so watered down the Word of God. That's only going to accelerate the problem—don't you think? Yes, indeed!

"…cannot receive…" (v 17). There it is, 'ou dunatai,' impossibility. Why? Because they won't obey God and they don't love God! They may profess with their mouth, but as God says, 'Their hearts are far away from Me.'

I imagine—take Super Bowl Sunday. I wonder how many people going to Sunday-keeping church are going to be sitting there concentrating on God or trying to figure out how it's going to be when they get home and watch the Super Bowl. The NFL has obliged the churches quite well. They're starting it at 6:30 eastern time, but I wonder what their minds are on.

With the Holy Spirit of God and the Truth of God, when we come to services we come to be taught the Word of God. If the minister, including me, does not teach you the Word of God, sooner or later it's going to disintegrate. Did we not see the whole process through our years in the Church (WCG)? What did God do with it? What happened to it? Just think what would have been if they really preached original Christianity and the power of the Holy Spirit.

"'…cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it; but you know it… [The apostles knew it.] (Why?): …because it dwells with you…'" (v 17). This is part of the function of the seven Spirits of God that are the eyes of God going through the whole earth seeking out those who are trying to find God. God's Spirit, one of the seven Spirits, will be with them. The Holy Spirit from the Father was with them because of the importance of what they were going to do.

"…because it dwells with you, and shall be within you" (v 17). That becomes the important thing. That is the key to conversion, receiving the Holy Spirit. People can be baptized and fool a person doing the baptism into thinking that they are repentant, but may not be. God will not give the Holy Spirit. God is not going to be fooled by anyone. I suppose that there are even demons who want to possess people and be baptized into the hopes that when that person dies, the spirit will stay with the dead body, so at the resurrection the spirit can be raised and saved. No, it's the work of God within you!

Verse 18: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Yet, a little while and the world shall see Me no longer; but you shall see Me. Because I live, you shall live also. In that day… [That's after they see Him from the resurrection.] …you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you" (vs 18-20).

Notice the connection with God and the relationship spiritually in the true Christianity as originally taught to the original apostles. There it is right there. Jesus explains it in v 21.

Remember when we read Romans 2:13: "Because the hearers of the law are not just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Don't let anyone think that there are no works to do. I'm going to give some sermons during Unleavened Bread about perfection and about the works we are to do. It's not going out to feed people. That may be part of it. The works that needs to be done are the works of God within usto prepare us for eternal life. That's the difference between Christianity of the world and original Christianity.

John 14:21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them…" There are a lot of people who know the commandments, but do not keep them.

"…that is the one who loves Me… [it's all based on love, from the heart and mind] …and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him" (v 21).

This was a great mystery to Judas, who was not Iscariot. How does God manifest Himself to you? Without Him coming right before you and saying, 'Hello, I'm Jesus'? He works spiritually in your life through the seven spirits of God! When do people turn to God? When they are in trouble! If they respond to God, then God will begin dealing with them more. It's a spiritual operation that takes place. It begins with keeping the commandments of God.

Verse 22: "Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, 'Lord, what has happened that You are about to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?'" Jesus didn't answer the question because he was going to find out a few days later after the resurrection.

Verse 23: "Jesus answered and said to him…" Everybody out there in Christianity of the world, look at this Scripture and ask yourself:

• Am I really a Christian?
• Do you know the commandments of God?
• Do you understand that Sunday is a stumbling block between you and God?
• Between you and a proper relationship with God?
• Did you know that Halloween, Christmas, New Years and Easter—all of those things—are stumbling blocks between you and God?

You would do well to read what God has to say about them, because His Word is the Truth. We've got a book we'll send you: Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which?

It is going to be so startling that it's going to be difficult for you to take it, because what so many people love in this world, they are going to have to give up and repent of it. You can tell your little old preacher that Christ never was in Christmas and He resents those people who try and put Him into that lying, evil day. He will have no part of it. That's why the ifis there.

"…'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word… [the whole message of Christ; everything that He taught] …and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him'"  (v 23).

So therefore, when you understand it, those who have the Spirit of God, worship God in Spirit and in Truth, and they worship God in heaven above, and with the Holy Spirit within them, God calls them a temple of God. Now how important is that? God has chosen us to dwell in us!

• Can you have anything greater than that?
• Can there be any greater hope than that?
• Can there be any more of a guarantee of eternal life than that?
• No!

Since God is living, working and active, He wants us to grow in grace, grow in knowledge and change and overcome. This is what is so profound and important. This is why we need to understand these things. On the Sabbath Day really know and understand the will of God. When sundown comes and the world comes again, there is going to be a lot of difficulty around. Unless we are surely anchored in God, the way God wants to with His Spirit, it's going to be hard to do.

"…We will…make Our abode…" (v 23)—dwelling place. Notice why the Christianity of this world has nothing to do with Christ. There are a lot of people who will not like me for saying that. Love God and hate me, that's okay. But when I become your neighbor, learn to love me.

Think about what God did to Saul who became the Apostle Paul, right at the height of his power. I wonder what he felt when he was coming from Jerusalem with the orders in his hand from the high priest. The most important person on earth gave Saul orders to defend Judaism and to get rid of all of these who believed in Jesus Christ and haul them off to prison and kill the most virulent of them.

What did God do? Right outside of Damascus, BANG! knocked him on the ground, blinding light! Paul's attitude changed instantly. He said, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said, 'I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to kick against the pricks—isn't it?' What's He talking about? He's talking about those thorns that are about six inches long and that grow around trees. If you go up there barefooted and kick against that, how's that going to feel?

He said, 'Get up. Go into Damascus and there will be a man come to you whose name is Ananias.' He made Saul blind for three days and nights. I imagine that Saul, during those three days and three nights, he was fasting and praying, that he did an awful lot of repenting. When God first told Ananias, 'I want you to go over here to this place and there's a man named Saul there,' he says, 'I've heard about him, Lord. He's coming here to get us.' The Lord said, 'I have chosen him.'

Ananias didn't say, 'God, You're out of Your mind.' No! The Lord said, 'He's a chosen vessel to Me to bring My Word to the children of Israel, to the Gentiles and kings.' So, he went and laid hands on him, Saul's sight came back; Ananias said, 'Let's go and get you baptized to wash away your sins.'

I want you to think about that, because it doesn't matter where you are today, God is as close to you as your knees are to the ground. But you must repent.

God is very particular: called, chosen and faithful. God doesn't do it in a haphazard way. God is a God with purpose, and He doesn't share this secret with the world. Remember they can't receive it. That's why I want you to understand how great the love of God is for each one of us individually. He wants us to live forever.

Let's look at the world again, v 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words…" All of you in Sunday-keeping Christianity, do you know the words of God? How about try a very simple one. Jesus said that 'the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, therefore the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day.' That's Saturday today. You try on that shoe for size, because Sunday is an abomination to God, because you're not keeping Jesus' words, Who was Lord of the Sabbath.

"…and the word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me" (v 24). What are you really fighting against when you fight against God and His Word? When you come along and say, 'This is done away and that's done away and the other thing is done away'? You can have a simple little formula out of Rom. 10 that sounds Scriptural. And when you get people to take the first step, you throw up the wall and say it's all done, there's nothing else to do. What do you think God thinks about that?

It comes from the Father. The Father is the Ruler of the universe. Who are you dealing with? Think about that! That's why original Christianity has this close relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ on an individual level for each one of us, 24/7 every day, every week, every month, every year so that we can grow in grace and knowledge and attain to the resurrection.
We'll have some more things to cover next time, but this is the difference. It is an absolute demarcation. Don't be fooled, because people are nice! Love God! Keep His commandments!

Scriptural References:

1. Revelation 17:14
2. Romans 10:4-9
3. Deuteronomy 5:28-29
4. Romans 10:9-17
5. Jeremiah 23:13-31
6. Deuteronomy 6:1-9
7. Mark 12:28-34
8. Hebrews 10:15-18
9. John 14:15-20
10. Romans 2:13
11. John 14:21-24

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Deuteronomy 4; 12
• Revelation 2; 3
• Matthew 7

Also referenced:

• From The Holy Bible in Its Original Order: Appendix Z—Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning The Law and the Commandments of God
• Booklet: Why "Christianity" Has Failed in America by Phil Neal
• History of the Seventh Day Church of God by Richard Nickels (http://www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/historysdcog/)
• Book: Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which? by Fred R. Coulter
• Sermon: The Holy Spirit of God and the Seven Spirits of God
• Sermon Series: How to Use the Holy Spirit of God

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 2-18-14
Formatted: 2-19-14

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