The Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church service on January 26, 2019 began with Clayton Brandt welcoming everyone and making a few announcements. Leilani (junior) played an introit. Clayton Brandt had the invocation. The congregation then sang “Praise to the Lord”. Robert Johnson had the main prayer; the congregation responded with “Hear Our Prayer, O Lord”.
Eric (senior) then called for the offering. Jester Felarca and Daryll Ellis then collected the morning offerings; the loose offering went to the North American Division for religious liberty work. The congregation sang the doxology, and Eric prayed for the offering.
Victor (from Wildwood) told the children a story about his college life. When he went home on break, his younger brother who was a little taller. The two brothers did a little wrestling. All of a sudden, he pushed his brother into a wall of the hallway, making a hole. He dreaded his father coming home. His father came home and said he would fix the hole. Victor experienced grace that day. God is like that - forgiving us even though we don’t deserve it. We have many reasons to rejoice in the Lord.
Ashley (senior) then read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “16 ¶ Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Rachel (from Wildwood) sang “I’ll Lead You Home”.
Robert Johnson discussed the topic “Rejoicing in the Lord”. The congregation sang “Blessed Assurance”. Robert Johnson had the closing prayer.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Clayton Brandt – works with Laurelbrook’s heavy equipment
Daryll Ellis – Laurelbrook graduate working for nearby Majestic Stone Company / local church deacon
Jester Felarca – former Laurelbrook staff member presently working as a colporteur
Robert Johnson – from Wildwood / speaker for the Spiritual Retreat / chaplain for their lifestyle center
Following are some notes on the sermon by Robert Johnson:
- John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”
- Jesus is speaking of the Father sending Him into the world.
- Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
- Jesus was sent to show what the Father was like. God is love and on our side.
- John 17:21 “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
- An epistle is a letter. Christians are letters to everyone we meet or interact with. This shows people what God is like.
- Ellen White says Satan enjoys seeing Christians distrusting God and viewing God as a terrible taskmaster.
- Christians should focus on the blessings they receive, the beauty God gives them to enjoy, and bright spots in their life experiences.
- 1 Samuel 7:12 “Then Samuel took a stone, and set [it] between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.”
- This was a memorial, a reminder of what God had done for them.
- When Israel crossed the Jordan, the memory was kept as a reminder of what God could do for them.
- If a “dead” person visits a person, it is really a demon visiting. In the Bible, there are cases of demons being cast out, but there are stories of demons refusing to go. Is this a question of faith? A lady plagued by demons “put on the whole armor of God”, and the demons vanished. This is one of the “memorials” in the speaker’s life.
- In Fiji, the speaker visited a boy with a right arm he couldn’t move. He prayed and moved the boy’s arm. Soon the boy was playing with other children. This was another “memorial” to the speaker.
- When we go through difficult times, we need to remember these “memorials” from our past.
- Ellen White says God wants us to think about the bright spots in our lives and heaven rather than the problems here in this world.
- Romans 8:32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
- We can trust that God will give us everything we need.
- We cannot rejoice in the Lord unless we believe He can supply our needs.