Herbert W Armstrong

   And this world is aching, as we heard in the sermonette, moaning and groaning, waiting for something that they know not is available to them. They're waiting for you, brethren. They're waiting for us. And yet God knows that the trials will soon be over, because He looks upon not just this sea of faces, which is tremendous and inspiring, but around this world, 100,000 perhaps of His people, meeting together on these days during this feast before Him. To glorify God and to prepare for that wonderful world tomorrow when indeed all of the trials of this world will be over. And hopefully we're all looking forward to that time.

   Now God looks at each and every one of us as something special. Each one of us is a unique jewel. Each one of us is a precious stone that He has plucked out of this earth. Now, each stone that He has plucked has certain flaws. And each one of us, of course, needs to be polished and cleaned up. Each one of us needs to be perfected, to be perfect, you know, Christ said, "Become you perfect," perfect without a flaw, a precious jewel.

   Some years ago, I read a story about a fishing village that came up with a huge pearl, a beautiful, beautiful large pearl, and the whole, whole town was going to become wealthy because of this one precious pearl. The only trouble was there was a small flaw in that pearl, and it made it not quite so valuable. So the townspeople got together and decided, "Well, we will peel off the outer coating of that pearl and get rid of the flaw, and then what is inside will be even more precious." And so they did that, and unfortunately the flaw was still on the next layer. And they continued to take off coatings of pearl, and pearls are in layers. And the flaw went to the center of the pearl, and it was worthless.

   Now Mr. Armstrong has said that maybe half of the church will not make it into the kingdom. Why? Because certain flaws may go to the very center of our character. And it isn't that God cannot polish out those flaws. It isn't that God can't rid us of those flaws. But it's because we ourselves refuse to be ridden of those flaws.

   Mr. Armstrong said in the brochure, he said "For the past year, we must clean up the church," and what is the church, brethren? Is it Tucson or is it Pasadena? Or isn't it you and you and myself? Isn't the church made up of individual stones, precious stones that God is collecting for His treasury, and each one of us must be cleaned up? But it is a responsibility that each of us has ourselves. We are responsible for much of the polishing and the cleaning up.

   God can give us trials. God can give us certain instruction. He can give us the help that we need certainly, and with God all things are possible, but unless we are willing to submit to the polishing and unless we are willing to be cleaned up, to become flawless, to become perfect in God's hands, unless we are willing to do it God's way, we will not make it. We will not be in that final choosing in the final selection. We will not make it into the kingdom.

   God isn't willing that any should perish, brethren, and that means you. And that means all of mankind. God wants you in the kingdom, God needs you in the kingdom. What is a family without children? What is a kingdom without individuals, personalities in that kingdom? Kings and priests or queens and princesses or doorkeepers if you prefer. Yes, God needs us, and the reason that He has brought forth creation from the very beginning was to gain more sons, more daughters, more members for His family, and He has chosen us to be the vanguard of that family.

   And we fight Satan, as we've heard. Satan is out like a roaring lion to destroy us, and indeed with God's help, he will never do it. I've had the privilege of serving God in three major areas on this earth: the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Australia, and the United States. And there's one thing common in each and every individual that I've ever run into, and that is human nature. We all have human nature. We all have our own problems to overcome, and we all have certain limitations.

   And I've noticed that there are at least three major deep-rooted character flaws that are prevalent around this earth. Now, hopefully, none of you have these character flaws. So maybe I will just tell you what I've run into in other areas. And if perhaps it does apply to you, and perhaps it will do you some good. Because I'm not saying that everyone has all of these problems, I'm not saying that all people have even one of these problems, you know, we all have our own problems. There are other problems and you have your own problems, but I've run into the situation wherever I've been and seen that indeed these three problems are prevalent.

   And I know that they are still prevalent in God's church. And unless we can get rid of these flaws, brethren, unless we can be cleansed of these faults, we will not make it into God's kingdom. And there are other problems as well, as I say, but as I've noticed these three major problems.

   So I'll give you three sermons this morning. I think we'll aim for about 3:30 this afternoon. I suppose we all would like to give more sermons at the feast. I know when I was in the Philippines, I had the opportunity of giving something like 17 or 18. And boy, were those Filipinos tired of hearing me after the feast.

   The first, let's say the first problem that we must all face, and that is our human relationships. Human relationships. What is the second greatest commandment? "Love your neighbor as yourself." I'm certainly not going to go into a long sermon concerning relationships, but I want to point out just why it is necessary to love our neighbors as ourselves.

   Who is our neighbor? Who is our neighbor? We can say, "Oh well, the Vietnamese are our neighbors and the Africans are our neighbors and so forth. The police out here that direct traffic are our neighbors," and this, that, and the other thing. Fine. So let's start a little closer to home. Who is our neighbor? Generally, you could say our mate is our neighbor. Our family is the neighbor that we are most closely associated with.

   And yet too often, too often, this is where we are least interested. Too often in God's church, we find problems between husband and wife, between parent and child, that unless those problems are solved, and unless something is done??"and I mean soon??"not only will you not make it into the kingdom, you may not even return to the Feast of Tabernacles next year. It is a prevalent problem.

   Satan has turned things upside down, so true. And one of the things he's done is to come between husband and wife and parent and child, and everything is designed in this world to bring about a division between the family and to force us apart.

   I'd like you to turn to Ephesians 5, and we've been there before. Let's just briefly notice a specific point or two concerning God's people. Starting in verse 21 (Ephesians 5:21), reading through very familiar scriptures, but notice: "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

   What are we here at the Feast of Tabernacles for? One of the major reasons is to learn to fear God. And that means to hold Him in high respect, to honor God, to acknowledge that His law is the most perfect law, the only law worth following, the only way that's going to bring about peace and happiness, harmony, unity. It doesn't mean that we have to be afraid of God and fear and tremble before Him. It means that we respect and honor Him above all beings and His law as a perfect law, spiritual law.

   And that is one of the reasons we're here. Because He wants us to acknowledge that His way is right and His way is happiness. Another point that God tells us to do at the Feast of Tabernacles is to rejoice before Him. Too many people say, "Well, that means come down and have a lot of fun, eat too much, drink too much, go on too many go-karts and just really live it up and have fun," and that isn't what rejoice means at all.

   What does rejoice mean? It means to express in an emotional way gratitude for what God has blessed us with, gratitude for His law, gratitude for being called at this end time, gratitude for the hope of the resurrection for all.

   Well, I didn't mean to get into that, but let's go here: "Wives, as we fear God, as we honor Him, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, and He is the savior of the body."

   Now let's look at this. Christ is the savior of the body, as the husband should be the savior of the wife, being concerned about the wife, working to help the wife, encouraging the wife, teaching the wife. "Therefore, as the church is subject to Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything," acknowledging that he is the head. Maybe he shouldn't be. Maybe the wife is more brilliant, maybe the wife is better equipped to be the head of the family in some cases.

   So... So what? God says we must be subject to that. But if this is the case, ignoring the laws of God is not going to solve the problem. But sitting down and discussing these problems is necessary, and realizing that there are maybe weaknesses on the husband's part, weaknesses on the wife's part, character flaws that are going to separate us from God unless they are solved.

   And we should look at marriage and a family relationship or even a relationship with a neighbor as something God ordained, as something God has commanded??"to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love our wives, to love our children, to love others as ourselves and be concerned about those other people, to be concerned about getting them into the kingdom.

   "Christ gave himself for the church that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water of the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." Here again, a polishing up, a cleansing. Mr. Armstrong wants the church cleansed, but it cannot be cleansed until we as individuals are cleansed. And we must work on it ourselves.

   Husbands and wives must work together. They must strive to help one another and work together. And yet too many of God's people, too many married people perhaps, don't sit down and discuss their mutual problems. Maybe they can discuss the Bible in a superficial way, but where it begins to come and apply to them, where it starts to correct them, they turn off. And I've seen this happen around the world. I don't think I'm talking about Omaha??"I'm talking about people around this earth. It's a problem now.

   There are too many dictator husbands and too many dictator wives as far as that goes. We can't have either one. We are heirs together before Christ, and it's up to the husband to help the wife to make it into the kingdom. It's up to the husband to help the wife, to encourage her, to help her learn. And it's up to the wife to do the same thing for her husband.

   I've known women whose husbands would not talk to them for weeks. For weeks at a time. They get offended over some petty little thing, and you know, he walks in, he sits down, he eats his meal and then goes and watches television or goes outside, doesn't say a thing to his wife. And people like this think that they are indeed members of God's church. And I think we're kidding ourselves that we're going to be members of God's family if we have that sort of an attitude. And it is prevalent in God's church.

   We've got too many of a strong silent type who can't just sit down and say, "Well, look, I'm having a problem here, and I need your help. You're my help mate. You're my wife. Help me." I don't know what I would do without my wife or my children as far as that goes. They are part of me.

   Let's go back to I Peter, verse 3 or chapter 3 (I Peter 3:3). Very briefly??"and maybe you don't even want to turn there, but you've heard these scriptures before??"in verse one it said, "Likewise you wives be in subjection to your own husbands." Be subjected to them. That doesn't mean you have to take a beating. That doesn't mean you have to put up with a lot of guff. But some wives need to perhaps take a little more guff than they do. "That if any obey not the word, they may also without the word be won by the conduct of the wives." A woman has a tremendous influence over a man.

   Verse 7 (I Peter 3:7): "Likewise you husbands dwell with them according to knowledge." What knowledge? The knowledge of the world, the books that you can buy down at the corner drugstore on how to have a happy sex life? No, according to the knowledge of God, according to God's knowledge, how to have a happy marriage in God's way.

   God's way is right. God's way is perfect. Now, the marriage manuals that you can buy may be fine. But if they deviate at all from God's way, then they are wrong. Mankind has been deviating from God's way for 6000 years, and look where we are today. If we keep going, we'll be light years away from God. Sodom and Gomorrah is upon us. And if we don't dwell with each other according to God's knowledge, we're not going to make it into the kingdom.

   "Giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life." And if you're not interested in getting your wife or your husband into the kingdom, don't think that you're going to be an heir yourself. Now I realize there are extenuating circumstances. But sometimes a husband or a wife is just hopeless, let's say. But if you can't discuss your problems with your husband or your wife, if you can't discuss God's knowledge and God's way with them, you can still discuss it with God.

   You can take the time that others might enjoy talking with their mates and spend that time on your knees before God. Because if you are interested in that mate, if you are praying for that mate, if you want to get that mate into the kingdom, then indeed your attitude is right and you're going to make it.

   It goes on here that if you will do this, "that your prayers be not hindered." The idea being that if you're not dwelling together with the knowledge of God and striving to live according to God's way, and if you're not looking upon one another as heirs of God's promises, that indeed your prayers are going to be no good. You're not gonna be heard by God, and you're not going to make it into the kingdom.

   And we have problems in God's church just like the world has. There are smoking problems and drinking problems, adultery, drugs??"don't think that we don't have them. And if we cannot be concerned about our mates and realize what problems they have and encourage them and want to help them, what makes you think you're going to be interested in helping the world? You won't be.

   I've known women, as I say, whose husbands will not discuss anything with them. And yet they've hung on because obviously they are discussing these things with God and they're praying for their families. But it is up to us to be concerned about the immediate family and to expand out from there because if we can't be concerned about that immediate family certainly we're not gonna be worried about somebody beyond our neighborhood.

   You know, the instructions back in Deuteronomy 14 say you come to the feast, you and your household. That means you, your wife, your children, and you come to learn to fear God, you come to rejoice before Him. I'm not saying you shouldn't have fun. We should, we should enjoy it. Our children should enjoy it. But the major point that we should realize is that we come before God as a household, come before Him to worship before Him as a family.

   Salvation is a family affair, and those that don't have families of course have the family of the church. And we should acknowledge that and we should include them in our activities and so forth. But there are people that should be here today who are not here because they have to stay home and watch their kids. They don't trust their teenagers. Why? Generally because they have not taught their children according to knowledge, according to the knowledge of God.

   I realize many people come into the church after their children have grown up. But I have noticed also that too many people in God's church do not train their children from the time they are babes according to God's way. And you've seen it and I've seen it. That's why we have children, little children back in the restrooms playing in the water or jumping on the walls, and they do. Where are your children right now?

   When I come before God, I want my children with me. Too often teenagers say, "I'm gonna sit with somebody else. I'm gonna sit with my friends." I want my children to consider my wife and me their friends. I want to be my children's friends, and when we come before God, I want my family with me. Not over here someplace or as I've noticed in some cases they'll say, "I'll go sit with my friends," and the first thing you know they're out in the parking lot and going somewhere??"gone somewhere out of the tabernacle building. They're bored.

   One man told me one time, "Look, I can't train my children like that. That's like training a dog. You go around beating them." God doesn't say you beat your child, but He does say you correct your child, He does say you spank him. You punish him if necessary. You know, He said the rod will not hurt you, and I'm not going to go into all the scriptures. Hopefully you know the scriptures.

   There are too many women with babes in their arms who say, "I can't spank that dear sweet thing." Don't say it doesn't happen because it does. And they let the little children grow up doing what they want without any correction, without any training whatsoever in God's truth or following God's instructions on rearing children. I'm not just talking about Bible knowledge. I mean obedience, I mean submission to authority when they're 6, 8, 10 weeks old and going on up, but too many refuse to do anything until the child is older and then they begin to put the restraints on the child.

   When he's a teenager: "Boy, I'm gonna make him stay in his room, I'm gonna make him do this, I'm gonna make him do that." It's too late then. You train up a child in the way he should go. A teenager isn't a child. Too many act like it, I agree. They may act like a child, but they are not children. The time to train is when we're little. That's why Christ has said become like little children. Humble yourselves like little children, be trained, be molded now. Because when the time comes for the refreshing of all things, when we're going to be mature, God is going to be too late.

   And God knows if we're gonna rebel now, we're gonna rebel when we're God and He's not gonna let us be God. He doesn't want us to be God. No, you put the restraints on a little child, and as he grows older, you gradually let the restraints loosen up. And by the time he's a teenager, you can trust him. You can trust that child.

   Well, this person that said our child-rearing instructions were like training a dog had all of his children leave home, turn against him. Whether he can put two and two together, I don't know. Don't think just because children are here that they're perfect, don't think that we don't have problems. There's graffiti written on our restroom walls like any other worldly place. Somebody put it there. Somebody who doesn't believe in God's way.

   I don't mean it when I say that we need to discipline our children, train our children, that we beat our children. There was one man I knew that beat his wife, beat his children. "Boy, he was gonna keep them straight." The great dictator, and he would kind of smile about it. "Well, I'm sorry and I did it again." Last time I saw him, he came up to me. He was rather sober. He said, "I lost my child." I thought, "Well, the authorities finally caught up with you." I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "God took him." The child had died. Not from a beating. That God had taken that child away from him, you see.

   This man didn't have a decade to get straightened out. That man didn't even have 10 or 4 or 5 years ago, the child was taken from him. He wasn't beating his wife anymore. He wasn't beating his children anymore. But it was a very severe trial. A very severe gouging of that flaw to get it out of him. And it's a very painful thing to learn when we're adults and parents how to raise children after they've gone out into the world, they've gone into drugs or alcoholism, committed suicide, it's a little late. It's a little devastating when our children are gone to say, "I should have done it God's way."

   Fine, if we learn our lesson, wonderful. Maybe we can make it into the kingdom. And of course the children will be raised up who have died or committed suicide. But I hate death myself. I want to learn it God's way. I want to do it God's way. I wanna believe in God's law. I wanna make it my life. And I don't, I'm not perfect in raising my children. You can ask them??"maybe you better not.

   But our teenagers, they should be aware of the tremendous blessings that are coming their way. They should be wanting to make it into the kingdom. I know one teenage girl in the Philippines that just strove to come to services and she would get there every chance she could until her parents chained her to her bed and wouldn't let her come. Because she knew it was a better way, she prayed for her parents. Even though they chained her to her bed, just as Christ prayed for those who crucified him. She had the attitude of Christ. Too bad more adults don't.

   It's a very sad thing to me that when Japanese congressmen fall all over themselves and want to become Mr. Herbert Armstrong's sons, that some of his own sons??"I mean, ministers that have been trained under Mr. Armstrong's personal tutelage??"have turned on that parent, have dishonored that parent.

   You know, you teenagers, when you see the faults, when you can see faults in your parents, when you can see people doing things wrong, believe me, you are responsible for what you do. You are responsible for your actions before God. Mr. Keller said that he was very impressed and happy with the teenagers in the Midwest, and I agree. A finer group of young people, I don't think you'll find anywhere. But there are too many that are rebellious, too many that resist their parents' authority.

   I don't care if your parents mistreated you or mistrained you??"when you're a teenager and you're here and you hear God's law, believe me, you are responsible for what you hear. And you should be sitting with your parents, you should be glad to be with your parents. You should be glad to be rejoicing before God as a family. There's just too many young people that don't have a family.

   Let us go into I Corinthians 7. Another short scripture here and yet one that's quite telling. Mr. Armstrong mentioned this one and we heard Mr. Keller mention this same scripture. I'm not going to go into it and try to cover a great deal on this scripture, but one point: it says "The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband"??"that is, set apart, a special category under God's tutelage. But notice: "Else were your children unclean, but now they are holy."

   And I've mentioned this before. I want to emphasize it again, you young people: the word "holy" is the same word that is translated "saint" in other areas of the Bible, the New Testament. It's the same word. And God considers you young people saints, part of the household of saints, part of the family of God when your parents are here and when you're here. You may not be begotten of God at this time, but God looks upon you as one of His holy precious jewels. And He wants you in His kingdom. He needs you young people in His kingdom.

   You are the most important young people on the face of this earth. Indeed, our children should be more valuable in the kingdom even than we are because they've been trained God's way from the beginning. And unless you are training them from the beginning God's way, you are rejecting God's law. If you're going to reject God's law, if you don't love your children enough, if you don't love your parents enough, you're not going to make it into the kingdom??"that is, as a member of the God family.

   Go back to Malachi 3, the last book in the Old Testament in the King James translation. I've often wanted to write a song. I can't even sing, so I don't know why I should want to write a song. "If Daddy could only see me now." If Daddy can see me now, I tell my daughters, "You remember, no matter what you're doing, you think, 'What would Daddy think if he saw me now?' Would I be disappointed? Would I look upon my children with tears in my eyes of agonizing shame? Or would I rejoice by their actions?"

   We should train our children to stand before God in everything that they do, every moment of their lives, and what they do is before God, because God looks upon our children. He considers our children. But here in Malachi 4 verse 4 says (Malachi 4:4), "Remember the law of Moses, my servant." Remember that law, apply it, you see, to our lives, to our training, to our husbands, our wives, our children, our next door neighbor, our loved ones, our relatives.

   Verse 5 (Malachi 4:5): "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Another translation says, "He shall convert the father with the children and he shall convert the children with the father lest I smite the earth with utter destruction." The implication being that the family should be converted together.

   It's a family affair. Salvation is a family affair if you can possibly do it. I realize that not everybody has that blessing. But God wants families. He wants us to be concerned about those close to us because if we are not concerned about those who are close to us, we cannot be concerned about this world.

   In all over Burma, there's a great drug traffic. And one of the little tricks of the trade these days is taking a little baby and killing it and taking all of the insides out of that little corpse and stuffing it full of drugs, sewing it up, wrapping it up like a sleeping child and walk across the border with the drugs to be sold on the other side. A little helpless baby, ripped asunder, its insides torn out and drugs replaced.

   You can have compassion upon that child. Can you have compassion upon the murderer that killed that child? Do you have in your heart a desire to go up to that person and say, "That's wrong? God's law says it's wrong. Do it this way. Don't murder, don't deal in drugs." Do you have compassion for a person like that? Do you have compassion for Idi Amin? Do you have compassion for Hitler, for the prostitutes, for the murderers? Do you have compassion and love and concern? Are you praying for the conversion of the Attorney General of California?

   Indeed, if we cannot be concerned about our own families and those close to us, we cannot be concerned about the rest of the world, and what God is looking for are people who are interested in helping others learn God's way. And indeed if we are not and if we're not practicing it today, we will not be practicing it in the world tomorrow.

   And we are held responsible for our deeds and as I say we don't have a decade to work out our problems and get rid of our flaws??"we've got to be starting today. Husbands have got to sit down with their wives and say, "I love you, I want you in the kingdom, and I want to start working on those problems today."

   Probably a lot of you saw "Fiddler on the Roof," where after 20 years the guy says, "Do you love me?" They've never thought of it before. "Yeah, well, I've washed your socks and mended your clothes, I guess I love you." It didn't have much to look forward to, but we do??"we have something marvelous to look forward to. Let's work on it. Let's begin to work and praying for and really working on having love for our neighborhood.

   Well, going on. Another very great problem, grave problem the world is facing today is the financial situation that we are faced with. Please, we'll go through it again, but it's because man has robbed God, refused to pay Him his tithes and his offerings, absolutely refused to do it God's way.

   God says back in Leviticus, "All tithes belong to me." And notice here in Malachi 3:8 says "tithes" plural. That money belongs to God. When we had a financial crisis last January, too much of that crisis was because people said, "Hey, wait a minute, I'm gonna hold up on my tithes until I figure out what's going on here, I'm gonna sit and wait. You know, where there's smoke, there's fire, something going on out there. Some of that money is being spent or misspent." And they look upon the tithes as their money.

   Now, obviously this does not apply to the vast majority of God's people, but it does apply to too many people who figure that their tithes belong to them. And tithes do not belong to us, brethren. Tithes belong to God. God from the very beginning used that tithe for His work from the days of Melchizedek when Abraham paid him his 10%. That Melchizedek was God on this earth doing the work of God on this earth.

   Later on, He turned that responsibility over to the Levites. And He said, "All of my tithe will go to the Levites," but for to do the temple service, to carry on the work of God in Israel. Later on when Christ established His church on this earth, there was a change also in the law, and I'm not gonna go into a long tithing sermon. I think we need one, perhaps.

   Christ said those who preach the gospel must live of the gospel. He established those laws to support the work of God. And too many people say, "Well, my tithes, my money is not going to go out there and pay Stan Reader's salary. Or send a gift to some, say, Buddhist somewhere. Or give a gift to some enemy of the United States. I don't want my money spent on airplanes and this, that and the other thing." And I don't want to go into all the problems. But you see, it isn't our money. It isn't for us to worry about. It isn't for us to discuss how that money is spent. It's God's money. It is His tithe, not man's tithe.

   The apostle Paul felt sorry for the Corinthians, and he didn't teach them about tithing. He didn't say that you people have to support the gospel because they were a bunch of tightwads, maybe??"maybe the Scottish were down there at that time, I don't know. I'm Scottish partly so I can kid the Scots. But Paul later said, "Forgive me this wrong. Forgive me for not telling you that you should tithe. Forgive me for not instructing you in the laws of God," because the law of God says we must tithe.

   But too many people say, "My money, I’m not going to send my money in there to spend on high salaries or they look at the minister's car, minister's clothes, minister's house. And say my money's paying for that." No it isn't. You know, ministers tithe as well. We get a salary. I recently got a van. I bought it myself. And I jokingly said to the Omaha congregation, "I'll have to justify this for the rest of my life." And one woman says, "Well, I don't know if the ministers were never blessed, I would really become suspicious." Well, God has blessed me. There was one time I had absolutely nothing. I'm grateful for what God has given to me.

   But I've always tried to be faithful in my tithes at least. I think I have been, but I know people who would not tithe, who are not with us today. I know people who resented their money being spent by Mr. Armstrong for something they didn't like??"they're not here today. When God says tithe, He's talking plural, that includes the second tithe and it includes the third tithe, and there are people that are not here today who did not save their second tithe, who didn't feel it was important, didn't feel that they could afford to save a second tithe.

   There are people who feel that they can't afford a third tithe. And so our third tithe count is falling. We're in need in the third tithe account. Yet I knew Filipinos who lived in grass shacks, who saved their second tithe and gave their third tithe and were blessed for it. Maybe they got a new thatch for the roof. But they appreciated it.

   We had one man from the hills who came down to Baguio City to the Feast of Tabernacles, and he wrote me a letter and said, "Oh, it was a picture of the world tomorrow. I'm so glad I was able to attend. Marvelous," he says. "It was the first time I'd ever slept on a bed, the first time I've ever had a shower, the first time I've ever been able to meet with the people of God, the first time I've ever heard a minister preach, first time I've ever heard a choir sing, the first time I've ever had three balanced meals a day. It was a picture of the world tomorrow," he said, "and I want to be there."

   Of course, the bed was an old World War II army cot with a lumpy mattress that was as old and a threadbare blanket. The shower was one spigot of icy cold mountain water coming out of a wall in an unheated shower room. And the meals, most of you wouldn't appreciate, you know, goat stomach and so forth. But he appreciated what he had. And he was exuberant. And he saved that money.

   One old man came to me, said, "I just have a little income. I cannot possibly afford to tithe. I cannot do it." And I said, "God promises you that if you'll tithe, He'll protect you, He'll support you." Man says, "I just don't know, I'm an old man. I have just a little income. I can just barely live now." And I said, "Mr. Nico, if you tithe, I will support you if God doesn't."

   And he came back the next week, all smiles, says, "Hey, you know, my son brought me some food and some money and I don't need to get anything from you this week," and the next week was the same. And I never did have to support him. Boy was I grateful for that. In fact, when we returned to the Philippines in 1974, I saw him again. We both had tears in our eyes as we threw our arms around each other. He was still tithing. He was still with God. I'm looking forward to seeing him in the kingdom.

   Now Christ said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." And God knows that if you are faithful with that which is closest to you again??"in this case, where your heart is, your money, your wealth??"and if that wealth is going into His work. And remember, it did say you rob if you don't give offerings as well. God knows that if you are faithful in your tithes and in your offerings, you're not going to compromise with any of the other laws of God.

   And you're not going to compromise, you're not gonna pussyfoot around the Corinthians in that day and not tell them about tithing or some other law that may offend them. You're gonna teach them all the laws of God. And tithing is important. And if we are faithful with those tithes, indeed we'll be faithful in anything. And God knows it. And if we are faithful, we will be in the kingdom. If we're not faithful, brethren, we won't be at the feast, and eventually we won't be in God's kingdom.

   Moving along. Sermon number 3: Faith in God, Christ and the church. Now we all have faith, don't we? We're here because God instructed us to be here. We realize that God created all things. He created the heavens and the earth, the stars and the dust under our feet. He breathed a breath of life into mankind, but one thing too many people realize or think that this, that God cannot do, and that is direct and correct Mr. Herbert Armstrong. He can do everything else. He can put, you know, work on the spirit of Cyrus, and change his mind. But if Mr. Armstrong makes a mistake, it's Mr. Armstrong only and God is not working with him.

   Recently I was asked by a Mormon??"he'd asked me all sorts of questions about the problems in the church and so forth. I didn't know he was a Mormon at the time, but he says, "Tell me who's the head of your church?" I said, "God the Father is over Christ. Christ is the head of the church. Mr. Armstrong is the servant of Christ." He says, "Ah, that's the right answer," he said. "That was a trick question because I'm a Mormon."

   Well, they believe that too, but do we all believe it? I know most of us do. I know most of us agree that Mr. Armstrong indeed is the one that God is using. But do we always pray for him? He asks that we pray that his eyesight be strengthened. Do we pray for him? Do we really? I know some do. And I know maybe most of us do. But what about you who doesn't? That one person, I'm speaking to one person here today.

   Do we follow a man? When we obey Mr. Armstrong, do we follow a human being? Let's go back to Isaiah 50. One quick scripture here. God asks us a question. What is the answer? Isaiah 50:10: "Who is among you that fears the Eternal? That obeys the voice of His servants? And that walks in darkness and has no light?"

   Who is it that fears God? Who is it that obeys God's servants? Who is it that walks in darkness? The answer is nobody. If we are doing it God's way, if we really believe God's way is right and living our life that way, and if we are obeying His servant, Mr. Armstrong, then we're not gonna be walking in darkness. We're not going to be blind spiritually. We're gonna be able to move out and get the job done and go to a place in the wilderness and go on into the kingdom.

   Just as those who followed Moses in the wilderness??"did they follow Moses in the wilderness, or didn't they follow God, who was in a pillar of fire and smoke? No, we don't have to judge Moses. We don't have to question Samuel or vote him out of office. And neither do we have to judge Mr. Armstrong or vote him out of office. He is the servant of God and when we obey Mr. Armstrong, we are obeying not a human being or a man as such, we are obeying the servant of the living God. And unless we are obeying that servant, we are going to be blind spiritually, and we're not going to be here much longer.

   We were all appalled when Mr. Ted Armstrong went out of the church. And yet Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Herbert Armstrong, had deliberately commanded him to do something or not to preach. It was a command. He did not obey the voice of God's servant. And he's not with us today.

   One woman called me??"or I called her, to see why she wasn't coming to church. She says, "Look, if I hear Mr. Armstrong say or anybody say that Mr. Armstrong is an apostle one more time, I'm going to go through the ceiling." Well, I gave her a chance. I didn't hear any splintered timbers or any jet blast or anything. She didn't go. But she refused Mr. Armstrong as the servant of God, as an apostle, one sent by God. And she's no longer with us. She's no longer one of those precious jewels that God is looking for. The flaw went too deep. It was too difficult to get out. She wouldn't give it a chance.

   Well, let's go back to Malachi again. Chapter 3 again. You know, God realizes here that unless we are willing to obey His servant and follow that servant that He has placed above us, if we're going to question that servant, then we are questioning Christ. We're going to reject God as the Israelites did.

   And God knows that if we're gonna reject the servant, then indeed if Christ tells us to do something, we're gonna reject Christ, aren't we? And we're gonna go to God the Father and say, "Well, Father, I don't like what Christ is doing." That is if we're God too in the kingdom. And indeed if we don't like what God commands us to do, we're gonna be like Satan and try to take over. And God isn't going to allow that, is He? So you're not gonna make it into the kingdom. You just won't be there.

   Here in Malachi 3 verse 16 (Malachi 3:16) it says: "Then they that feared the Eternal spoke often one to another." Do you discuss God's word in God's way? You'd better do it. "And the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Eternal and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, sayeth the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels," when I gather my treasury together. "And I will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him. Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked."

   You're gonna be given a chance to help the righteous. You're gonna be given a chance to help the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves not. But you see, it's going to take a powerful dedicated attitude on our part, isn't it?

   And as I say, like the man who beat his child and lost that child, we don't have a decade to wait. We don't have another year to wait. We've got to be working on ourselves right now. Mr. Armstrong says the church needs to be cleaned up. He's emphasizing this in the past six months, or last just fewer months than that. And we'd better be pleading with ourselves as well. Listen to that servant and obey him. Follow his example.

   Let's go to Zechariah. We're close there. Zechariah 8, and look at this world tomorrow that we will be given a chance and opportunity to work with these people. Verse 4 (Zechariah 8:4), just hitting a few very light scriptures here: "Thus sayeth the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem and every man with his staff in his hand for very age." Yes, people are going to be dwelling there who are old people who have been taught God's way. They're gonna be happy, they're gonna be alive, they're gonna be glad to be alive.

   "And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof"??"happy children who are going to be trained God's way because you are going to be able to help others learn God's way. "Thus sayeth the Lord of hosts, if it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of these people in these days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" God is looking forward to that time. It's something marvelous, something He has desired.

   He wants you, brethren, He needs you to train these elderly people, to train the little children. But it is up to us. It really is. Let's go back to Micah 4, just a few books back, speaking about the last days. It tells about God's kingdom being established above all nations in verse 1, verse 2 (Micah 4:1-4): "The law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

   How is it going to go out? We are going to teach it. We're going to be given that opportunity to help others learn these things, but notice verse 4: "But they shall sit every man under his vine and his fig tree"??"maybe our half acre??""under his vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken it."

   God has promised this for mankind. The trials for mankind are soon to be over. And we can help them, "For all people will walk everyone in the name of his God." As you'll be able to help a group of people, you will be a child of God, you will be a member of the God family and people will look up to you and will walk after your example.

   Do you think God wants a God in over people that will not set the right example? Certainly not. He wants people that can set the right example because people in the world tomorrow are going to be following. "And we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, the Eternal God." We will all follow God the Father forever and ever.

   And that is our promise, but unless we are cleaning ourselves up, certainly we are not going to be able to help others in the world tomorrow. As Mr. Rand said, "The world is moaning and groaning and travail until now, waiting for the sons of God." Mr. Armstrong says we must cleanse ourselves, we must clean ourselves up. The world is waiting for us to be cleaned up, to be God and to lead them into the world tomorrow. Brethren, jewels, God wants you. God needs you. Work on it.