Laurelbrook Academy SDA Church

The church service in the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on March 17, 2018 began with Ricardo Reid welcoming everyone and making a few announcements.  Everyone is invited to a potluck at Jacqueline Miller’s home. Vespers will be announced. A monthly fasting and prayer session will be held in the church every first Sunday from 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning.

Jacqueline Miller played an introit. The congregation had a silent invocation.  The congregation then sang “Watch, Ye Saints”. Clifton Brandt then had the Morning Prayer; the congregation sang “Hear Our Prayer”. 

Josia (senior) then called for the offering.  Eric (junior) and Daryll Ellis then collected the morning offerings; the loose offering went to the local church budget.  The congregation sang the doxology, and Josia prayed for the offering.  

Brenda Herra then told the children a story. Josia (senior) then read Revelation 18:1 “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”  Clayton and Clifton Brand then sang “The Love of God” as a vocal duet without accompaniment for special music.

Clifton Brandt discussed the topic “Lightened with His Glory”. The congregation sang “Lift Him Up”.   Clifton Brandt had the closing prayer.

 Personnel Other Than Students

Brenda Herra – student vocational coordinator
Clayton Brandt – works with Laurelbrook’s heavy equipment
Clifton Brandt – works with Laurelbrook’s sewer, water, and boiler systems
Jacqueline Miller – semi-retired nursing living on the Laurelbrook campus

Following are some notes on the sermon by Clifton Brandt

1. People in the Old Testament were saved the same way we are today with the addition of a sacrificial worship service.
2. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 “7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
3. Because of God’s great love, He put the plan of salvation into effect.  This plan was to be for the other nations as well. Some nations eventually rejected God’s plan.
4. Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” 
5. Deuteronomy 5:29 “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” 
6. This verse followed the repetition of the Ten Commandments and Moses’ reminder of what took place at Mt. Sinai. The Israelites feared they would be destroyed and refused to hear God’s voice again, but God really loved them and wanted them to realize they couldn’t be saved by themselves.
7. Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
8. How can we love God with all our heart? We can look back at God’s demonstration of God’s love at the Cross.
9. Jeremiah 23:6 “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
10. Note that the Lord provides our righteousness.
11. Psalm 119:172 “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments [are] righteousness.” 
12. Commandments = righteousness.
13. Luke 1:5-6 “5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” 
14. Someone righteous before God = obedience to God’s commandments. Noah and Abraham are also examples of people who were righteous and kept the commandments.
15. Righteous = obedience. But how can we really do that? 
16. How can a sinner keep all God’s commandments and be blameless?
17. Job 14:4 “Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one.”
18. Ezekiel 36:25-26 “25 ¶ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” 
19. Romans 10:1-4 “1 ¶ Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” 
20. We must submit to God, but sometimes we reason ourselves into rejecting what God tells us to do.
21. The Israelites didn’t correct interpret what God had told them.
22. Jesus must dwell within us in order to follow God.
23. Repentance (turning away from sin) is essential to salvation. This gift comes from God.
24. Acts 5:29-31 “29 Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand [to be] a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” 
25. Ellen White, Even the Death of the Cross, p. 51 says that a sinner is attracted by the love of God towards him. Repentance is born in the sinner by the love of God as shown in the life of Jesus here on earth. The sinner realizes the huge sinfulness of sin and the mercy of God towards him/her.
26. When we have truly repented of our sins and renounced every evil work, we will want to please God and repent of all our sins.
27. Sometimes we simply ask God’s forgiveness and go on. Unless we change our lives, it is making light of God’s forgiveness.
28. Zechariah 3 gives us a picture of the high priest standing before God in filthy rags. Then the angels took away these filthy garments or sins and gave the priest a new clean garment symbolizing Christ’s righteousness.
29. God sent our church a message through Jones and Wagoner that a sinner cannot be obedient to God’s commandments by himself/herself and must be covered by Christ’s righteousness, a genuine article coming from the same source as the commandments themselves.  Then the law witnesses that that sinner is perfect before God.
30. Romans 3:19-21 “19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;” 
31. Obedience to God’s Law is required, but this can only be done through the righteousness of God in the sinner.
32. When we receive the forgiveness of Christ, we get a new heart and a new spirit within us.  We allow Jesus to live out His life in us and won’t be cast off if we stumble into sin. We take hold of Christ’s arm by faith and let Him guide us in the right way.
33. Romans 8:1-4 “1 ¶ [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” 
34. The Law cannot save us, but when we have been saved the Law witnesses that we are perfect people.
35. How many really want this experience of salvation through Christ? Determine to let Jesus live out His life in you.