Committed to God

Jim Jamieson

Split-Sermon

Welcome, family, to another weekly Sabbath.

I'd like to read something taken from the post, the Year of Dedication, October 30, 2014. And it states: "We are now past the fall holy day season of 2014, and we are already planning ahead for next year’s Feast of Tabernacles. However, I am highly sobered as we begin making these preparations, since I know that this next Feast may well be the last we are able to keep together in this age at sponsored sites around the world. That is just how serious, how perilous these times are for us and the world."

"On the other hand, I am also very positively moved concerning what lies ahead for the Church in this following year. For all who work for and yield themselves to what God is offering us, this coming year will be one of tremendous blessings and growth. But it will require much work and dedication on your part, for this next year is to be a ‘Year of Dedication.’"

"The last year in the ‘sixth period’ of 1,260 days in the measuring of the temple begins on the 6th of November 2014. It will end on the 7th of November 2015. Then, on the following day, the ‘seventh period’ and the primary work of God’s two witnesses will begin. This final year in measuring the temple is going to be set aside and be devoted as a ‘Year of Dedication’ for God’s Church."

So, brethren, how committed are we to dedicate our lives to this "Year of Dedication"?

The title of today's sermon is Committed to God.

I looked up the definition of "commitment," and the first definition: "The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etcetera." And the synonyms for that definition are, "dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, and fidelity." The second definition is, "An engagement or obligation that restricts freedom or action." And the synonyms to that are, "responsibility, obligation, duty, tie, liability, task, engagement, and arrangement."

So what we're going to do today is we're going to look at people who were committed to God and those who weren't committed to God, and the results of that. And we're going to start out with those that weren't committed to God and look at a few instances.

We're going to start out in Isaiah 14 and read verses 12 through 14. Isaiah 14:12-14, and this is talking about Lucifer, Lucifer who became Satan. Starting in verse 12—How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will also sit on the mount of the congregation of the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend of the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. In other words, he intended to take over God's throne and rule over the stars (being angels).

And just, we'll continue on in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and just see how this is going to work out for him in the future. So Ezekiel 28:12-19, starting in verse 12—Son of man, take up a lamentation against the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering:

The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and the jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you in the day that you were created. So we know we're talking about Lucifer because the angels were created.

Verse 14—You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were in the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. Until he quit committing to God, God's way and plan and God's...what He had for the future, in other words, Elohim.

Verse 16—By the abundance of your trading you became filled with the violence within, and you sinned. And we all know, "the wages of sin is death." Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God (God's government); and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by a multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore, I brought fire from your midst and I devoured you, and I will turn you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, you shall be no more forever. So Lucifer gave up being at the very throne of God, and he was not committed to God's way and God's plan.

Alright, for our next example we're going back to a very familiar story of two people that weren't committed to God and what God instructed them to do, and it's the story of Adam and Eve. Let's go to Genesis 2:16-17—And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Alright, moving on in the story, let's go to Genesis 3:1-6. Alright, starting in verse 1—Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat that your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband to eat. So we can see there that they were not committed to God. They were willing to be swayed. Of course, they were tempted and swayed, but they made a choice. They made a choice to disobey God, rebel against God, and to not be committed to God's way of life.

So let's move on down into Genesis 3:23-24 and see how, you know, what the reward was for not obeying God. So Genesis 3:23-24—Therefore, the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. You know, when they were in the garden everything was there for them, everything was provided by God. But they rebelled and weren't committed to God's way of life and what He told them.

And verse 24—So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. God gave to Adam and Eve everything in the garden, but the one thing God told them not to eat of, they did. They weren't committed to God and what He wanted them to do.

Alright, for our next example we're going to look at the story of Saul. And God had asked him to do something and he, again, wasn't committed, not dedicated to what he was told to do. So let's go to 1 Samuel 15:1-3—Samuel also said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. And therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. In other words, be committed to what God tells us to do, what God told Saul to do. Thus says the LORD of hosts: I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man, woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. Alright, there's the instruction that God gave Saul to do.

And let's read on to see what Saul did. And we'll go to 1 Samuel 15:9-23—But Saul said to the people, Spare Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them. But everything despised and worthless they utterly destroyed. Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments… wasn't committed. And it grieved Samuel; he cried out to the LORD all night. So when Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal. And Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD. But Samuel said, What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites. And as we just read, Saul and the people agreed to spare Agag, but Saul is trying to place the blame on, you know, his army, and trying to get out of it.

Alright, starting in verse 15 again...And Saul said, They have brought them up from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said to Saul, Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night. And he said to me, Speak on.

And Samuel said, When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? Did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? Now the LORD sent you on a mission, in other words, something you need to be committed to, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.

And verse 19—And then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said to Samuel, But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took the plunder, there again, placing the blame on them and he was in charge, But the people took the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, and sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.

So verse 22—So Samuel said: Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to be committed to God is better than sacrifice, And to heed than fat of rams. For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, in which if you are not committed, if we're not committed, it's rebellion. I mean, God's put before us this "Year of Dedication" and we've been instructed by God through Jesus Christ and His apostle and prophet of how we should dedicate ourselves this next year in drawing closer to God and really looking at ourselves and just trying to get the sin out of our lives that's there. And with God's strength and working with us and our willingness to be committed to Him, we can get that done, only by the power of God working through us.

Alright, finishing up, Now because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king. So we can see by these examples that if we're not committed to what God asks us to do, we won't prosper and be blessed by Him.

Alright, now we're going to look at some examples of people that were committed to God and how they were blessed because of that, and being in obedience and not being in rebellion of what God asked them to do. And the first example we're going to look at is the story of Christ. We'll start out in Luke 2:40-49—And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, He went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, they returned, in other words, the Days of Unleavened Bread, the Passover season… When they had finished the days, as they returned the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. They hadn't seen Him for a day and they went looking for Him. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days... I don't know if this is a day out travel and a day back travel, and then while they're there it took them three days to find Him, but nevertheless, a minimum of three days that they were separated.

So verse 46—Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard them were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You done this to us? She had to have been very perplexed, and along with Joseph, too. You know, their twelve year-old son in a big, big city of their area, and being gone, separated at least three days. But anyway, reading on... Your father and I have sought You anxiously. And I'm sure they did. And He said to them, Why did you seek Me? Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business? He was committed to His Father's business, what God had sent Him to do. At the age of twelve He's in the temple and the example He is setting and leading at that time.

So let's move on in Christ's story and we'll go to Matthew 4:1-11—Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

Verse 3—Now when the tempter came to Him (Satan), he said, If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread. And Christ answered him and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He started answering Satan with God's own word and was committed to what God thought and what God taught. And you know, He had God's mind in Him. Then the devil took Him up to the holy city and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, and, In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. And again Christ answered him in His Father's own words. You know, Jesus said to him, It is written, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.

Verse 8—Again, the devil took Him up to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. There again, Satan just trying to destroy and disrupt God's plan. But there again, Christ having God's mind and strength.

And verse 10—Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him you shall serve.

Verse 11—Then the devil left Him, and behold, the angels came and administrated to Him.

Alright, moving on in this story of Christ, let's go to Matthew 26:36-39—Then Jesus came with them to the place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray over there. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to the death. Stay here and watch with Me. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. He was completely, totally committed to His Father's plan and His Father's will, and He knew what was ahead of Him that night. And He was still a human being but He was committed completely to His Father's will, as we'll see as we move on.

Alright, for the next verse in this story of Christ let's move on to John 19:28-30—After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished… He'd been beaten throughout the whole night, and then they'd nailed Him to a stake and put Him into the ground.

Let's start again in verse 28—After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst! Now a vessel filled with sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And bowing His head, He gave up the spirit. He was committed to the very end of His life because He knew what His life meant to us. I mean, if He hadn't been committed to His God or His Father's plan and whatnot, we wouldn't be in Elohim, you know, we wouldn't have the opportunity. He was there to be a sacrifice for our sin so that we could some day in one of the resurrections be in Elohim, be in the family of God.

Alright, for our next scripture let's move on to the faith chapter, Hebrews 11:1-40, and just go through the people that down through time, the 6,000 years, that have been committed to God.

Alright, Hebrews 11:1, and verse 1 is the definition of faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, and that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testified of his gifts; and through it, he being dead still speaks. In other words, his example is still there for us today and it just speaks to us of his faith, of his commitment to God.

Alright, verse 5—By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; but before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Committed to God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. You know, we have to have the faith that — and we do — and be dedicated and committed to God. This is His Church, you know, Church of God—PKG, and He's preparing us for that Kingdom, but we have to be committed to Him so He can work through us.

Verse 7—By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not seen, moved with godly fear, preparing an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. You know, Noah just... Back then I think of the tools he must have had, or didn't have to work with. But for 120 years? He lived in that evil world, just like we live in this evil world, and I'm sure he wanted it to come to an end. But 120 years. Did God tell him, "Well, it's going to be 120 years"? I mean, he found out when he got closer to the end there that it was, but you know, it took him 120 years. And we're asked now to go on 5 years. Less than that now. And we just have to be committed to God and what He is doing and what He is working, and it's all happening in His time and His way, and we have to be committed to that and just continue to move forward. And when we're instructed by God's apostle and prophet to do something, we just need to do it and move forward.

Alright, verse 8—By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Alright, verse 9—By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him and of the same promise; for he waited for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, you know, she was in her nineties, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him (God) faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, by him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

Verse 13—Now, all died in faith, not having received the promise, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.

Verse 15—And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But they stayed committed; they stayed going forward and just trusting God.

Verse 16—But now they desired a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his own begotten son, of whom it is said, In Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up from the dead, from which he also received him in figurative sense.

Verse 20—By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's commands. They were committed to God and they weren't about to allow their child to be murdered. And God had so much planned for Moses. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. You know, that's what we're looking forward to as the end of this age and Christ's return, and the Millennium and God's Government being set up here and this world just being changed and made right.

Verse 27—By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

Verse 28—By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, in other words, over the door, as we know the story back there in Exodus, and, lest he be destroyed, the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea and by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempted to do so, were drowned. By faith all the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies in peace. You know, you think that story of Rahab. She put a lot on the line. She's committed to God, because of the Israelites... you know, she just had the faith that the Israelites were going to overcome Jericho and the people in there. You know, she had believed what happened at the Red Sea. You know, she'd heard about that in the land, and when they came to the Jordan she wanted to put her faith, trust, and commitment in God.

Anyway, let's read 31 again... By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, but she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, and also David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, and obtained the promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Alright, verse 35—Women received their dead raised up to life again. In other words, you know, Martha and Mary with Lazarus. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, you know, go through the mocking and how people just hate this Church, God's Church.

Verse 36 again, Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. You know, Mr. Weinland is sitting in federal prison falsely accused, but he's there for a reason. I mean, God could have prevented that but he's there for a reason. And we heard at the Feast this year, you know, Mr. Weinland talking about that and just how much the Church has grown because of it. You know, God knows what He's doing and we just have to be committed to what God is doing and what He's doing in us, and just yield ourselves to Him in this "Year of Dedication" and just be committed.

Verse 37—They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, in mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

You know, you think of the 144,000 and you look at God's book, the Bible, and how many names that we're pretty sure they're going to be there. It what, maybe a thousand? I don't know! But all these people, what we just read about, what they went through, just nameless people that God knows who they are and what they went through, but they're waiting for that day when Christ returns and they can be resurrected with all the 144,000. We're on the doorstep of that. It's just, just ahead of us.

So now let's move on and where we are at in time. You know, we've read these examples of people and of beings that have been committed and those who haven't. I'd like to read an excerpt from a sermon Mr. Weinland gave on the Last Great Day, 2011, and the title of this sermon was A Time to be Sobered.

Alright, Mr. Weinland states in that sermon: "Let's turn over to 1 Peter 5:6 – [and then in bold letters he says,] Humble yourselves! You know how I read this in a very strong way? Be willing and desirous of wearing sackcloth. Do you realize that's what sackcloth is all about? To be clothed in sackcloth – it's a time of fasting; it's a time of humbling yourself before God, of crying out to God to help you, of crying out to God to lead you, to strengthen you, have a humble spirit, a willingness to go and do whatever God reveals to you because you know that you have come to know the Great God of this universe."

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. God works with us, molds us and fashions us. He knows what we're doing, and we follow. But what are our convictions? What? Truly, what are our convictions before God? To walk in whatever way He leads us? How great is your conviction toward the truths that God has given you? How deep is your conviction to live by what God has given you to believe? Can you be shaken from what you perceive your conviction to be? …You have to go back to verse 6 here and do exactly what it says. God is our strength. God is our fortress. God is our high tower. God is our rock."

"How deeply convicted are you of how God is leading you? That He is leading you? Have you been in any tests in those things? You have been, but big ones, great ones, you haven’t. So again, how deeply convicted are you of how God is leading you? That He is leading you? That this is truly His Church..."

You know, as we move forward in this "Year of Dedication" to God, it would be good to all of us to go back and listen to that sermon, because it is a very sobering sermon and it just really makes us, encourages us to take a good look at ourselves, which we're doing in this last year of this 6th period of time. And it's just a real good sermon and encouraging, and I just strongly suggest we all do that.

So as we move forward in this "Year of Dedication" it's going to come down to making right decisions, right choices. It's just to go forward and the responsibility we have to make those right decisions and to look to God, and to obey Him, and to be committed to Him and draw near to Him.

So let's turn to James 4:7-10—Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! In other word, be sober. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Alright, for our next verse let's go to 2 Timothy 2:15. Just some, a couple encouraging verses here that God's given us in His book to go through what's ahead of us, in not only this next year that we're going through, the "Year of Dedication," but what lies on behind that as we move into that last 3½ years and where we come out of this evil world and this world is changed to be under God's Government.

So 2 Timothy 2:15—Be diligent to present yourself approved of God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We've got to work at this and we have got to use God's word and the 57 Truths that He's given to us, to be dedicated, to be committed to Him.

So moving on to the next scripture. We've read this several times. Ecclesiastes 9:10; goes hand in hand with 2 Timothy 2:15. Ecclesiastes 9:10—Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. So now's the time to be dedicated to God, just as those people we read about in Hebrews. In their lives, that was a time for them to be dedicated and committed to God.

For our next verse let's go back to Hebrews 10:19-25—Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus Christ… We can go right to the throne of God, you know, because of the sacrifice that Christ gave for us, you know, and God gave for us, gave His Son. ...and by the new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, of His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith (being committed), having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (being committed), for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching. You know, brethren, when we get opportunity to be together in this next year, we need to do our best and strive. I know it's hardship on a lot financially and whatnot, but when we can, we need to make a big effort just to be together, to draw closer to God and draw closer to the ministry and each other, and that we just go forward and function in a dedicated... committed as a body.

So I'd like to go back to the post, a "Year of Dedication," and just read one more thing out of there. It's under the bold heading, "Satan's Diminishing Power," and it states: "Indeed, the vast majority of God’s Church will be zealous in setting aside this following year for great dedication to God – far greater dedication for change and transformation. One should deeply fear to do otherwise, for if one does not fear now, once this year is past, they will." That's very sobering warning there, and we just have to take it to heart. Again, just commit and dedicate this year to God and having Him work in us. And how much stronger the Church is going to be. I think of the people in the Church and just getting ready for this next Feast, and it's, you know, we're still in this year of 2014 and the excitement's already been, you know, building up and everybody is just looking forward to that and it's months off.

But anyway, moving on in what it states in the post: "God is offering us an opportunity for far greater spiritual growth, transformation, and blessings that are unprecedented in time and to a degree that we cannot fathom. That which you have been called to share in at this time – to participate in – leading up to Christ’s coming cannot remotely begin to be actually be seen, but it is most great!"

Alright, for our last verse let's turn to Isaiah 58:5—Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, in other words, to humble ourselves and be willing to wear sackcloth, as Mr. Weinland talked about in that sermon. And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, an acceptable day to the LORD? Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens... There again, there is scripture there that says, "Cast your burdens upon Him," and He's going to be there to get us through it and take care of us, and, "He's our High Tower, our Rock," as it brought out in that little excerpt we read in that sermon. ...to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? In other words, get that sin off our back this year that has been plaguing us for a long time. But God's there, and through prayer and fasting and going through this "Year of Dedication" God's going to move this Church forward mightily.

Verse 7—Is it not to share the bread with the hungry, you know, what's coming up, not only physical but spiritual bread that we're going to be required to share, you know, that people are going to want answers and want to know. You know, God...God's given us so much, but just to know what's coming ahead, you think of people in this world that don't know. They just think it's the end of the world. They have no hope.

Anyway, back in verse 7. Let's start verse 7 again—Is it not to share the bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; and when you see the naked, that you cover them, and you hide yourself from your own flesh?

Verse 8—And that your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. In other words, God's going to protect us through this year, but especially through that last period of time of 1260 days when the two witnesses do their major part of their job.

So, family, as we continue on into this "Year of Dedication" let all of us commit to God, commit to His Church, and commit to the work that is yet ahead of us; and let us do this in prayer and fasting.□

Table of Contents

Chapter 1