Towards the end of their time in captivity, as the Israelites endured their slavery in Egypt, they had no idea that their physical deliverance or “salvation” was around the corner. In fact, their dwelling in the land got “darker before the dawn” as they went through some of the plagues with the Egyptians. 

But in reality God was very near and was implementing His plan to deliver the Israelites from bondage. 

The events of the end-time will play out in much the same way for the physical descendants of Israel.  We know that circumstances will become more dire in the few years preceding the return of Christ.  We know that this will be a sign that His return is near and that their physical deliverance or “salvation” is around the corner.

It seems that at this time of the year, Passover particularly, our personal lives parallel these historical and future occurrences. Great trial and tribulation come upon us… or at least great in our mind and our lives.  They come because God is working in and with us.  He is leading us to our spiritual Salvation and is doing what is necessary to get us there.

Just as God led the Israelites out of sin in the past, He will do so again in the future. But this time, God will offer Israel not just physical, but also spiritual Salvation. And as we go through these days, we should also focus on the certainty that God will guide us–spiritual Israel–out of our troubles as well.  We can learn the lessons that God is trying to teach us and look forward to leaving them behind as we realize that our Salvation is just around the corner.

In less than two weeks, baptized members of the Church of God will be partaking of the Passover service. It commemorates the Lord’s death and the tremendous sacrifice He made, not only for those called and chosen now, but for the whole of mankind.

Most of the world will be carrying on as usual on that day, oblivious to the supreme sacrifice made by our Savior some two thousand years ago. For those called now, it is a solemn and sober occasion–an annual commemoration of Christ’s death (compare 1 Corinthians 11:26). 

Before partaking of the Passover symbols, Church members should ask themselves questions like these: How has their relationship been with God and Christ the past year? How has their relationship been with fellow brethren and the rest of the world?

Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 11:27, not to take the Passover in an unworthy manner. In one sense of the word, nobody is really worthy, but Church members are enjoined to partake of it worthily. Paul tells us in verse 28: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” This requires prior self-examination (compare also 2 Corinthians 13:5), to make sure that when the hour of the Passover comes, they will be worthy.

Even though all of us have trials and tests, hopefully none of us will have to go through that kind of suffering, abuse, torture and mocking that Christ had to endure. Although He did ask that this cup pass from Him if it were possible (compare Matthew 26:39), He totally submitted to the Will of the Father. He understood that it was the only way for mankind to eventually be called and forgiven, and to receive the Holy Spirit, so that they could ultimately become born-again members of the God Family. All of us need to deeply appreciate the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf, even while we were still in our sins, as well as for the entire world (compare John 3:16-17).

Converted and baptized Church members must carefully examine themselves, so that they can partake worthily of the Passover, knowing that in the not-too-distant future, they will be able to partake of this service in the full presence of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ–when the Kingdom of God is established here on this earth (compare Luke 22:14-18).

Just over a month ago, the United States signed into law the American Recovery and Re-investment Act. By its own accord, it claims to be “…an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.” 

How ambitious!

Even though we would like to see financial circumstances around this world improve, we know, as we have taught for decades, that our bad circumstances now are just the tip of the iceberg. Merely jumpstarting an economy will not be effective in the long term. The Bible makes it very clear that the coming circumstances will be much worse than what we experience now. When comparing the prophecies in the Bible with the news reported today around the globe, it seems certain that this will happen sooner than later.

Knowing the clear plan of God stirs up a feeling of fear and anxiety for the impending doom of this world’s future that simply cannot be ignored. The judgment to be meted out and the penalties for disobedience, mentioned in the latter part of Deuteronomy 28, which are especially applicable to these modern United States of America, set an especially trembling tone in these times, culminating in ruin. Deuteronomy 28:63 summarizes quite succinctly: “And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.”

However, even greater than fear, we need to find comfort, and even excitement, in the anticipation of the events to come. We do not look forward to seeing a disobedient world at its knees in a morbid way, but rather, we hope for the arrival of righteousness. God’s plan establishes itself more and more clearly every day, and this is cause for rejoicing — especially as the coming of God’s Kingdom draws closer (compare Luke 21:27-28, 31).

The American Recovery and Re-investment Act stakes a claim at being “unprecedented,” but it is absolutely a joke in comparison to God’s plan for true recovery.

We look forward to a future when a secure and successful society is not measured by gross domestic product, but by the obedience to God. The restoration of God’s way of life will be the goal for the true recovery of this world (compare Acts 3:19-21). We look forward to the day when all people on earth desire a clean heart, and shout out, as reported in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

Are there many truths? Is there an inexhaustible supply of explanations and ways of looking at things that all lead to the same conclusion?

In religion the statement is often made, or at least, inferred, that while there may be different ways of worshipping, in the end we all are worshipping the same God! However, a close examination of the Bible and specifically the teachings of Jesus Christ does not support such an idea. For example, in Matthew 7, verses 21 through 23, Jesus warns those who claim to follow Him but do not obey the Father and who actually “‘practice lawlessness.'”

When Jesus began to preach, He was confronted by the religion of the Jews who fiercely held to their own beliefs. They had the full text of the Old Testament plus the history of being one of the tribes of Israel. They practiced a kind of Sabbath observance that spelled out endless details of do’s and don’ts. The magnificent Temple stood as the center of Jewish life and worship.

However, with all of the trappings of religion that consumed the scribes and Pharisees and other sects of Judaism, Jesus rebuked them for their lack of true understanding and true teaching:

“‘Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”‘” (Matthew 15:7-9).

And so it is today! Deceptive religious practices now stand as the most visible representation of so-called Christianity. But the real truth of God is not what this world embraces. The differences between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God are irreconcilable. They are not and never will be the same!

If we believe this, then we should also understand what the Word of God so clearly and so emphatically teaches–the wisdom of God is spiritually discerned (Compare 1 Corinthians 2:14).

The lack of spiritual discernment overturned the Jewish nation when they rejected Jesus, the True Messiah. The lack of spiritual discernment has led to the emergence of a totally false religion masquerading itself as Christian–which, like the various sects of Judaism in Christ’s time, has given rise to endless divisions. The lack of spiritual discernment has led to the scattering of the true Church of God as human reasoning and demonic influences supplanted the truth with lies.

We are warned to not be among those who are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). We must be careful that none of us begin to “strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). Rather, we are to be teachable and guidable by the True Shepherd of our salvation, Jesus Christ, Who is the living Head of the Church of God.

How do you look at life? What do you expect from life? I’m not talking about life after death–I’m talking about the “here and now.”
 
Are you just drifting along–day after day? Or are you concentrating on making each day “special” in some way? This may be a difficult challenge in times of trials, but it is not impossible to do.
 
It’s really a matter of setting right priorities. We can work ourselves to death, without realizing perhaps, that “our riches may make themselves wings and fly away,” before we know it (Proverbs 23:5). Or, we can concentrate on being content and enjoying the good things in life (Ecclesiastes 2:22-24; 3:12-13, 22; 9:7).
 
When we are confronted with the death of a loved one, we may stop to think what all we could have done for him or her, when we had opportunity, but we were just “too busy” and “occupied” with seemingly more important matters. We just waited too long and missed opportunities to “give flowers to the living.”
 
A word of kindness, fitly spoken at the right time (Proverbs 25:11), or an act of love and mercy, expressing our appreciation and concern for another dear person, will not only brighten his or her days, but ours as well (Proverbs 11:17). If misunderstandings have severed friendly relationships, we ought to try to restore them now. Don’t wait too long–until it is too late (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10).
 
We can concentrate so much on comparatively smaller things, that we overlook and neglect the weightier and more important matters of God’s law (Matthew 23:2; Luke 11:42). Jesus emphasizes its greatness by stressing love for God and for our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). Paul encourages us to love one another by refraining from inflicting any harm on our neighbor (Romans 13:8-10). Husbands and wives are admonished to love each other (Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:4).
 
When we really love someone, we will show him or her our appreciation. True love is much more than just saying, “I love you,” while neglecting to prove it through our conduct (1 John 3:18).
 
We must constantly manifest true Christian love to our fellow man–whenever the opportunity arises (Galatians 6:10). Never be too busy to do this–and don’t wait too long.

Charles Dickens, the famous 19th century English author, wrote a famous novel entitled “Great Expectations.” In this work, an orphan named Pip had a difficult early life but later enjoyed “great expectations” with the help of an unknown benefactor. 

In the recent American Presidential election, Mr. Barack Obama was elected to the office of President with “great expectations” from so many about the future of that great country. Euphoria gripped the USA perhaps as never before. However, within a matter of about three weeks, his popularity rating had plummeted by about 20%! Such are the expectations of so many today that if their leaders promises don’t immediately materialize, then criticism sets in.

Many others have “great expectations” of what they want to achieve in life for themselves and their family. Sometimes success may follow, but at other times such expectations may not be met.

But all true Christians should have “great expectations” for the future for themselves, their families and for all mankind. This is what really matters as we see the world engulfed by so many seemingly insurmountable problems. It is easy to become despondent in such a chaotic world, especially if our own situation is less than promising. But if we can grasp the vision – the big picture – of what God has in store for us and make this center stage in our lives, then we too can have “great expectations.” This is not built on what human leaders may or may not be able to achieve, but what God will do according to the promises in His Word.

Romans 8:18-19 states: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” That’s the future for us. We should indeed have great expectations!

Have you ever seen professional athletes, at the top of their game, train for an upcoming event?  They work long and hard, put their bodies through a nightmare of rigor and pain, and deny themselves even the smallest pleasures in life. They do this all in the name of a sport and in the pursuit of play. It is done to accomplish something that will not last, but rather will fade away and come to naught. Yet, they put their blood, sweat and tears into it.

Now what if they put all that energy and effort into something that is infinitely more important, beneficial and lasting… like the spiritual race set forth in the Bible? The fruits that such an effort would produce, would be colossal. If they were to be as conscientious about their spiritual life as they had been about their physical life, can you imagine the growth that would result?

Can you imagine if a person were to study, pray and fast like their livelihood depended on it?  Now, can you imagine that person being you?

Do we realize how important our example is to others? Not just to talk the talk, but to walk the walk? Not just to walk in our own footsteps, but to walk as Christ walked, when He was here on earth as a human being? To follow the example He gave for us? And, do we realize how our negative example can have a detrimental effect on others, including someone in the Church, especially newer members?

I recently read a book on the history of the Church of God and the trials and severe persecution the members faced, sometimes even to their death. In the Middle Ages, one of the groups began to allow Sunday worshippers to fellowship and meet with those who continued to keep the Sabbath. Rather than turning these worshippers to the Sabbath, the opposite occurred. Sabbath-keepers began to water down their own doctrines and within a few years, they were scattered to the four winds. This only illustrates the importance of maintaining doctrinal purity and the danger of doctrinal compromise or “tolerance.” Rather, we are to conduct ourselves as followers of Christ–whether it be in our appearance, our verbal communication or our conduct inside and outside Church services and functions.

The barrel of good apples will not make a rotten one better. Quite the opposite occurs. In order to prevent good apples from becoming rotten, one has to remove the bad apple. Like a rotten apple, a rebellious, divisive and openly sinning member may have to be removed for his or her own good, as change and repentance may be the result (compare 1 Corinthians 5:1-5). But until that time, such a person must be prevented from corrupting the rest by his or her presence and wrong conduct.

If we discover that we have a computer virus, we will need to make every effort to have it eradicated as quickly as possible. We don’t just ignore it, hoping it will go away. We know that if we don’t deal with the problem, it will totally corrupt our whole computer, making it dysfunctional.

Telling a child, “Do as I say, not as I do!”, just doesn’t cut it with God, since we are to follow the example set by Christ in all that we do. We are to analyze first, before watching something, doing something or saying something, what Christ would do in this situation. And then, we are to decide to follow Christ’s example, instead of our own reasoning. This will have a profound positive effect on those we come in contact with, including our fellow brethren.

We are accountable for the things we say and do, and one day, we will have to give account to Christ. This fact alone should make us more cognizant of not just talking the talk, but walking the walk–the godly walk of following the example of Jesus Christ.

“In 1947, young Bedouin shepherds, searching for a stray goat in the Judean Desert, entered a long-untouched cave and found jars filled with ancient scrolls.”

What they found were the now-famous Dead Sea Scrolls.

When reading the introduction above on a Library of Congress Website, the phrase “long-untouched” caught my attention. “How long?” I wondered. The answer, according to the Library of Congress Website, is “about two thousand years.”

The Website continues: “About two thousand years elapsed between the time the scrolls were deposited in the caves of the barren hills surrounding the Dead Sea and their discovery in 1947. The fact that they survived for twenty centuries, that they were found accidentally by Bedouin shepherds, that they are the largest and oldest body of manuscripts relating to the Bible and to the time of Jesus of Nazareth make them a truly remarkable archaeological find.”

Truly remarkable.

There are two other truly remarkable things about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

First, the copy of the book of Isaiah found in the cave is virtually identical to the texts on which our modern Bible is based. Since this “Isaiah Scroll” is almost 1,000 years older than any previously known manuscript, the discovery qualifies as “truly remarkable.” It’s fitting that Isaiah 40:8 reads: “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” We can have confidence that God has preserved His Word for us.

The second remarkable thing is that, according to the American scholar who photographed the Scrolls in 1948 and interviewed the shepherds who found them, they weren’t searching for a stray goat but for “hidden treasure… especially gold.” What the shepherds found disappointed them, as their behavior showed. On several occasions they unrolled the largest of the scrolls, likely destroying the cover and other fragments. For about a month the Scrolls hung in a bag in their tent until, through various intermediaries, the shepherds sold the Scrolls for $97.20.  They had one of the greatest archeological discoveries in the history of the world, and they sold it for less than $100.

What can we learn from this?

Treasure is in the eye of the beholder. The ancient Bible texts certainly weren’t “treasure” to the shepherds. Is the Bible treasure to us?

Chances are good that in our home—perhaps in a bag we carried from services or on a shelf—is the storehouse of spiritual treasure: God’s Word…God’s Truth… the Bible. The Bible virtually spills over with instructions, admonitions—even pleadings—urging us to read, to study, to meditate on God’s Word frequently. God left absolutely no doubt that He wants us to study His Word. He left no doubt that those He is working with are to make His Word a central part of their lives. He gives us these instructions:

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

While these are ancient texts, they were preserved for us, as Romans 15:4 says: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Indeed, the Bible is a treasure chest of learning, of comfort and of hope. There is nothing we go through that Bible study cannot help us handle better.

Do we want to be wise and make good decisions? Then we need to read the Bible! Psalm 119:98-99 tells us: “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.”

Do we want joy in our lives? Then we need to read the Bible! Psalm 19:8 states: “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Do we need encouragement in times of trial? Then we need to read the Bible! Matthew 11:29-30 says: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Do we want to live forever? Then we need to read the Bible! 2 Timothy 3:15 speaks of “the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Will reading the Bible instantly solve all of our problems and guarantee us eternal life? Of course not! If we want to inherit the blessings the Bible speaks of we have to do the things it says, not just hear them (James 1:22; John 13:17; Luke 11:28 ). In the parable of the sower Jesus compares the Word of God to seed (Luke 8:11). That seed can grow into a harvest only when combined with the right attitude and actions (Luke 8:15; Romans 2:7).

The Bible texts the shepherds found were “long un-touched.” How “long-untouched” do we let our Bible text go during the week? How long-untouched should they go?

Someone once observed that the person who won’t read is no better off than the person who can’t read. God has blessed us with the ability to read the Bible. God has blessed us with the freedom to read the Bible. He even promised to help us understand the Bible. The only thing we have to provide is the willingness to do it.

And why wouldn’t we be willing, since the Bible is a truly remarkable treasure.

Is our conversion to be measured by a series of actions we took at the very beginning periods of our calling? Is conversion something neatly tucked away— along with learning about the truth of God and being baptized?

If we are judged by our conduct, by our actions with family, friends, neighbors and—especially—our brethren, do our actions rise to the level of being truly converted?

Have you noticed a theme over the past several weeks in sermons, sermonettes and our written materials that deals with inter-personal relationships within the Church of God? That has not come about by accident! Rather, we have addressed problems that need to be taken seriously and very, very personally!

It would seem that the prevailing view and reaction is that this is certainly needed. But how many of us really apply these admonitions as personal correction? And how many of us implement the changes that we need to make?

Throughout both the best of times and the worst of times in the history of the Church of God, friction between people arises. It has, and it will again! This is a kind of thermometer—or, a litmus test—of our conversion in action. If we have not made it a point to stay mindful of valiantly struggling to walk as Jesus Christ walked, learning to think as He thinks, then we are doomed to fall back to our own personal likes and dislikes—to our own unconverted way of viewing and treating others; however, we are warned to not become entangled in these former ways once we have begun to live in the newness of conversion as Christians (Compare 2 Peter 2:18-22).

As we should know and as we have been reminded, what we do to others and how we treat them measures our conversion. Jesus Christ is the One doing this evaluation, and He, in no uncertain terms, warns us that our actions towards others is exactly how He views our treatment of Himself!

Shame on us if we refuse to humble ourselves and begin to love one another, as we ought! And shame on us if our own actions should cause someone to ask, “Are YOU converted”?