Don't Fall Short of Firstfruits Standard

Mr. Brown expressed gratitude for being able to deliver a message and discussing God's plan of salvation. They explain how God created mankind in his image and set in motion a plan to save them. They emphasize the importance of fulfilling the goal of growing to be like Jesus Christ. Mr. Durrell Brown references biblical verses to support their points and highlights the responsibility of putting on Christ and being doers of the word. They also talk about the process of growing into a perfect man and the need to let the mind of Christ guide our actions. Durrell encourages listeners to put away their old selves and be renewed in the spirit. Durrell emphasize the significance of their calling as the first fruits of God's creatures. A very pleasant good Sabbath to all of you. It's not quite sunset here on the West Coast, but it will be shortly. It is a privilege, and for me a matchless privilege to be able to talk to you this evening and bring to you this message. The great God of heaven has blessed me tremendously. I'm in my 86th year of life. God has been good to me over the eras of time that I've lived. I've been in the church over 60 years. So what a blessing it is to be called and chosen at this time to not only set an example, but proclaim the word of God to God's people. Now God the Father and Jesus Christ, who became the Son of God through the incarnation, through this miracle of incarnation, he became one of us for the purpose in God's overall plan of saving us. What a tremendous plan that God has set in motion and the alternatives that he has. He created the heavens and the earth and the angelic forces, and one-third of the angelic forces failed in their purpose, had to be rejected and kicked out. God, in his mercy, continued his plan, which was to create beings in his image. What an amazing thing. Create beings in his image and place them on a refurbished earth that had been turned into ruin and brought to ruin because God had set one-third of the angels on the created earth to prepare it for the habitation of mankind who were to grow into beings like his son Jesus Christ. Apparently one-third of the angels did not like that plan and attempted to thwart it. We don't know how long after their rebellion. The earth lay in waste until God refurbished it and set in motion his other alternative to restructure the earth, create beings, different kinds of beings and living forces on his earth, and two beings made in his actual image to grow into the fullness of the measure of his son to come. What an amazing plan God the Father and Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godness, have set in motion, and we are the recipients of those plans. God has called us after a very long period of time. We see he has known what he was going to have to do because he understands the foibles and the weaknesses in his creation, in his plan to grow his family. So we find him creating mankind, male and female, in his image for this phase of his creational process, building and growing his family. We are privileged of all peoples at this time to be called the firstfruits of his creatures and to qualify for that firstfruit creation. So I want to talk about that and help us to see who we are and why we are and what God is doing in this earthly realm, and why at some point in the planning he had to send his son, the second consciousness in the Godness, he had to send his son through the miracle of an incarnation to become a human being in the flesh just as we are, and prove that the plan would work, that a human being could be grown into the fullness and the measure of Jesus Christ, his stature, and qualify to live eternally as a being in the image of God, and finish at this phase of his creation that will go on for all eternity, beings who would carry on that work and extend it to the ends of the universe. So I want to emphasize as strongly as I can in the message how important it is for those of us who have been called at this time as the firstfruits of his creatures to fulfill the goal and do our part of the responsibility of growing to the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ. That's the goal that we have come to understand God has set for us. Galatians 3.27, we'll turn over there quickly, Galatians 3.27, to see how this works and what this is all about, Galatians 3.27, for many, as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. God in this phase of the plan has called as firstfruits those who were willing to come after he opened their mind, and his goal is to grow us into beings like his Son, to put on Christ. For many, as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. He has a plan of salvation for us. We have the amazing responsibility to submit ourselves to this plan of salvation and allow through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which we will receive the empowerment from him after answering his call, following the instructions to repent of sin, get baptized symbolic of bearing the old man and receiving the Spirit of God, which will empower us to understand fully how to become like his Son, Jesus Christ. We have to let this mind, Ephesians 4.13 tells us, be in us. Let's take a look at that so we can mark it in our Bibles, Ephesians 4.13. This is the major part of our responsibility in this salvation process, Ephesians 4.13. Until we come, let's back up to verse 7, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Christ, the second consciousness in the Godness, was willing through the incarnation to become one of us. He was perfect to start with. He became a human being and started out filled with the Holy Spirit of God, which has set us an example. If we're filled with the Holy Spirit, we can grow to be just like him because he will put his Spirit in us. So we see here in Ephesians 4, let's go up to verse 7 here in Ephesians 4. And grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Christ was filled as a human being, the first of his kind, through the incarnation. For this very reason, verse 8, he says, after ascending on high, he led captivity and gave gifts to men. After his crucifixion and resurrection, he has ascended to heaven, having experienced living as a perfect human being, dying as a perfect human being, receiving atonement and the power for the atonement of all our sins. He has ascended to heaven that his sacrifice for all humankind, past, present, and future, would be accomplished. He even descended in the same one who also ascended above all heavens so that he might fulfill all things. This major step in God's overall plan of salvation is a marvelous thing for us to comprehend at this time and be a part of. As the first fruits in this creative process, what a powerful and major calling we receive to be the first fruits of these creatures. Verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. This is what Christ has done and has commissioned us who have been called and chosen to do. Until we all come into the unity of the faith, that's our goal, that's our struggle, that's what we've been created to become. Do we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ? We're going to see what our part is in the process and what God's part is in the process. Christ as a human being, perfect human being, came through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and lived a perfect life of obedience to God, set us a perfect example that it is possible to please God in such a way that he will save us. So what a fantastic plan this is. We are to put on Christ. James 118 said we are a kind of first fruits of these creatures. Let's go over there and see James, brother of Christ, how he explains this, James the first chapter and verse 8, I believe it is, but I can't see here that well, let me see if I'm reading my notes properly here, James 118, that's where we need to go. According to his own will he begat us by the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all his created beings. This is the first time God, not experimented, but has in essence and for all practical purposes fulfilled this creation. Jesus Christ came as a human being, God in the flesh, lived a perfect sinless life, died the death on the cross, and being of more value than all human beings who have died and will come, obtain eternal salvation and forgiveness for the sins of all mankind past and present. So what is our job? Verse 22, then we are to be doers of the word and not only hearers, only the deceiving ourselves. Verse 26 tells us some of the things that we have to do and not do. There's more we'll see concerning this. We are at James 118, let's go to Ephesians 4.13. We see that again, until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man. The goal is godly perfection unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This accomplishment will place us, as verse 14 says, so that we'll no longer be children tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and this kind of thing. We'll be holding the truth in love and may in all things grow up into him who is the head, even Christ. From whom all the body, fitly framed and compacted together by that which every joint supplies according to its inner workings in the measure of each individual part, is making the increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This continual process, once we're called, chosen, we're repented of our sins and empowered with the Holy Spirit, the goal is to grow into a perfect man. Verse 17 tells us, so then I declare and testify this in the Lord that you are no longer to walk even as the rest of the Gentiles are walking into the vanity of their mind. You're to let the mind of Christ guide us in all of our thinking, in all of our action. Verse 20, but you have not so learned Christ. Once we learn Christ, the whole New Testament is a teaching about what Christ is like, what he did and what he's going to do through us and what our part in the salvation process is. It says, but if you, in verse 20, but you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him and have been taught in him according to the truth in Jesus, then as verse 22 says, put off the old man. Verse 23, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new mind, the new man. Verse 25, the things that we are to put away, verse 26, do not sin and neither give place to the devil. We will see this great and tremendous calling that we receive as first fruits of his creatures place us still in the position to be influenced by the devil. We see that our calling is a higher calling. We are qualifying for higher positions than the rest of the human beings to come will be qualifying for. God in his mercy has looked down on these generations to be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. What a marvelous privilege, brethren, that we have received. Let's not take this lightly. As the first fruits of his creatures, we have a harder job than those who will come after us. We are going to be warring against the world, the flesh, and the devil. That's a tremendously hard task. Our first parents failed it, failed it badly. I think we can see, and I may get to those verses, that there's coming a resurrection where all who have ever lived or had the potential of fertilized egg in the womb of a human being that was aborted will have an opportunity. We have scriptures that indicate all of these people will be brought up in a resurrection and given an opportunity to enter the kingdom of God and become beings who God can use in his overall plan as it is extended to the entire universe. What a matchless privilege, brethren, it is for those of us who have been called at this time to be among the first fruits of his creatures. It's a harder task than those of you who have been called and chosen. Make no mistake about it, our God is with us, he's hoping, he's available, he loves us, and he wants to see us make it. So we must put on Christ, we must let his mind be in us. We saw that right here in Ephesians 4.13. We're to become a perfect man. The Philippians, I don't know if I went there yet, Philippians 3.4, let's go to Philippians 3.4, let's go down to verse 8, verse 8, but then truly I count all things, Paul says, to be lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung that I may gain Christ. We've got to cast off all of this carnality and worldly things and focus on measuring up to the fullness of the stature of the measure of Christ. Verse 9, and may be found in him not having my own righteousness which is derived from the law. Just law-keeping for law-keeping's sake because the law requires you to do that is insufficient. But the righteousness, but that righteousness which is by the faith of Christ, we must come to have not only the mind of Christ but the faith of Christ in God's plan and what he's going to do throughout all eternity. The righteousness of God that is based on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being conformed to his death. I've talked in an earlier message about the power of the first resurrection. Those of us who are called now will be in the first resurrection which is a better resurrection. It's based on better promises because we have had to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil so we're qualifying for a higher calling, higher positions in the kingdom of God for all eternity. Not a fantastic blessing but that God would have that kind of mercy on us at this juncture in his plan. Verse 10, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death. So we have to go through, perhaps many of us, the same things that Christ went through, the suffering, the rejection of death, the suffering and the power of the flesh to suffer and we have to endure. Verse 11, if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Do we have that attitude? I'm willing to give up anything, everything, even this physical life that I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I have already received, I have already been perfected but I am striving so that I may also lay hold on that for which I also was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, Paul says, I do not count myself as having attained but this one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forward to the things that are ahead. We've got to keep our focus on the things that are ahead. My time is short, I realize that, in my 85th year. So we're only promised three score and ten. So I've gotten my promised time and somebody else's. I've been healed, well it's been into remission, cancer two times. I've survived a truck accident that could have killed me, broken ribs and bones, six months recovery. So God has been good to me, I have no problems with God being good to me. And I trust you feel that way too. Many of you in this audience that I'm speaking to have received your three score and ten and more. Our time is short. Have we measured up yet to the fullness of the measure of the statue of Christ? That's the standard. That's the first fruit standard. How close are you to it? I've been baptized since what 1960. That's a long time to have been trying to qualify as a first fruit. I personally don't feel that I'm there and my time is short and all of our times is short. So where are we in our striving to be ready for that first fruit resurrection? That's what we have been called to brethren. Jesus is the first of the first fruits and in his mercy he is called. Not many are called and of the many who are called only a few are chosen. But I'm actually fairly straight. We have been chosen. Are we measuring up? Have we already measured up to the fullness of the value of the statue of Christ? Verse 14, verse 13 here in Philippians 3, brethren I do not count myself as having attained. Paul was able to say this after all he had been through. He spent three years in personal training in Arabia. Three years being personally trained by Jesus Christ and he still had problems but he had a lot of faith. He's written these words of encouragement and these instructions for us to see how he made it. He knew he was going to be in that first resurrection. Are we sure? I press brethren, verse 14, I press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So then since we're doing that let as many as be perfect be of this mind and if anything you are otherwise minded God will reveal that to you. His Holy Spirit will convict us, it will call to our attention that what else we need to do and empower us to that kind of perfection. Brethren verse 17 Paul says be imitators together of me and bear in mind those who walk in this way as you have us for an example. Verse 21 is the goal and that's where we want to be. But transforming us, transforming us, our vile bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body according to the inner workings of his own power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. This amazing plan of salvation that God has given us Romans 13 verse 14 we don't need to turn there says what we are doing is putting on Christ. Galatians 3.27 basically the same thing we're putting on Christ let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. How do we accomplish this? Ephesians 6.12 let's look over there and see I skipped that I think Ephesians 6.12. Ephesians 6.10 finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength put on the whole arm of God. That's the work that we have to do in our minds. Put on the whole arm of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil where we're wrestling against the world of flesh and the devil. Put on the whole arm of God he describes it down here in verse 13 take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having worked out all things to stand. So there's work to be done there's wisdom that we receive through the empowering of the Holy Spirit to have discernment and avoid things situations that will get us into trouble God's Spirit will lead us into all truth and it will empower us to resist the devil and his evil. Take the whole arm of God stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth. His word is true all of it from Genesis to Revelation. We see instructions on how to be godly how to avoid troubles and problems and all that and how to get forgiveness for our sins and our weaknesses and this kind of thing. Stand therefore having your loins girt about with the truth and wearing the breastplate of righteousness when we're keeping God's law at the spiritual level then we are righteous and that righteousness should be protecting us protecting our heart and mind and being. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace living it preaching it and teaching it through our example in our relationships in this world says beside all these things take up the shield of faith God will give us more faith as we step out on the faith the level of faith where we are if we are acting on that faith God will give us additional faith which will have the power to quell all the fire darts of the wicked put on that helmet of salvation we've been talking about the salvation that is coming keep that in the forefront of your mind that God has called us as the first fruits of this plan of his creation what a marvelous call but on the helmet of salvation that he has already saved us if we can hold on to it praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and in this very thing being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints you know the Holy Spirit is our witness it will convict us it will empower us and it will testify to us we are the sons of God we've seen we've seen that verse and that promise so we are called to be the first fruits of his creatures the first fruit standard is the highest standard but we qualify for the highest offices I was looking for that verse in my notes where at the end of things when the millennial harvest and the White Throne Judd harvests when those brethren are brought in to the kingdom and they're rejoicing and praising God the angelic beings falling down on their faces with this work that God has called us to is finished Christ turns the work over to the father and submits himself and we're standing there in the presence of God 24 elders falling down worshiping we're standing there what a marvelous reward for our faithfulness I attempt to fantasize on what it's going to be like when Adam and Eve and all those millions maybe even billions who come up in the second resurrection that we will be celebrating through the Feast of Tabernacles what is going to be like no doubt Adam and Eve will be there and all those who fail to qualify who were not called who failed to see the truth during that long period of time we don't know how long from Christ to the flood how much time was there we can't put the genealogies together sufficiently perhaps we will do that before too long we have some clues we know how many generations it was of this kind of thing but God was very patient for a long time but he shut that operation down all those people are going to come up in a resurrection their eyes will be open no doubt Adam and Eve will be there what position they will all will they be able to continue their role in helping bring as all those in the second resurrection will have responsibilities no doubt to all of their progeny who will be there and understand what a marvelous God what a merciful God he is being to give them another chance at salvation John in the 14th chapter I'm getting emotional about this look at John in the 14th verse 8 Philip asked Jesus Lord show us the father and that will suffice us that will be just sufficient for us Jesus said unto him have I been with you so long a time and you have not known me Philip the one who has seen me has seen the father why then do you say show us the father don't you believe that I am in the father the father is in me the words I speak to you I do not speak for my own self but the father himself who dwells in me does these words believe me that I am in the father the father's in me but if not believe me because the work themselves truly truly I say it to you the one who believes in me shall also do the works that I do and greater than these shall he do because I'm going to the ball and whatsoever whatever you ask in my name this will I do that the father may be glorified in the son if you ask anything in my name I'll do it if you love me keep my commandments namely my commandments and I will ask the father and he shall give you another comforter that it may be with you throughout the age even the spirit of the truth which the world cannot receive because it receives it not that not knows it but you know it because it dwells in you if we are filled with God's spirit brethren and we continue to let it move us and guide us and grow us keep his commandments Judas who is not Iscariot said to him Lord what has happened that you about to manifest yourself to us and not to the world Jesus has answered and said to him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our abode with him a temple of God is going to be set up those of us who are firstfruits of his creatures will be in that temple with the father I have spoken these things to you while I'm yet present with you but when the comforter the Holy Spirit comes which the father will send in my name that one shall teach you all things and bring to you remembrance all these things so brethren we have received God's Holy Spirit it is evident he has called and chosen us and it is evident that we are the firstfruits of his creatures we're qualifying for the highest offices in the kingdom of God to hold them throughout eternity Adam and Eve and all these other people will come up in a resurrection we will be the ones who will bring them into the kingdom of God our God is an awesome God he loves none of his plan is a failure it all has had purpose in his great awesomeness what a tremendous calling we brethren have received let us not neglect let us not fall short as one who has not fully measured up to the fullness of the measure of the statue of Christ we want to be sufficiently informed and Christlike however many cities whatever charge and responsibility we are placed in for eternity that we will rejoice in it and be so happy and so excited that this will carry us throughout all eternity so I trust brethren that we come to see who we are and the charge and responsibility that has been placed upon our shoulders as the firstfruits let us let us hold fast and gather ourselves as closely to God as we can and hold on if if if we are there we have it made obviously we can see prophecy is being fulfilled we're close we're closer than we've ever been to the close of the this dispensation this plan of God I trust that this will help us to see who we are and most of us I think in this in this audience are aged Christ could come very soon for us have you qualified under a first fruit standard I trust and hope this message of our loving and caring God he is has helped us to see that is doable and we can get there