The church service in the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on May 11, 2019 began with a welcome and announcements by Clayton Brandt. Some students went to the Spring City church to minister there. Lori Brandt and Clair Kitson need our prayers as they struggle with health issues.
Jacqueline Miller played an introit on the piano. Heissel (junior) had the invocation. The congregation sang “He Leadeth Me”. Clayton Brandt had the main prayer.
Clayton Brandt called for the offering, which will go to disaster and famine relief. Daryll Ellis and Eliseo (junior) collected the church offerings. Clayton Brandt then prayed for the offering.
Michael (junior) told how he wondered if his mother loved him yet prevented him from doing certain things. He saw his mother hid some chocolate on the top of the refrigerator. Michael convinced his brothers to help him get the chocolates. They ate the chocolates right away, hiding between a sofa and the wall. His mother looked for the boys, found them, and took a picture of the boys with faces messy with chocolate. That night, however, all the boys had bad stomach aches. The boys found that their parents prohibit things out of concern for their well-being.
Arielle Pierre sang a song about love, accompanied by her husband on a guitar, for special music. Mahary (junior) read 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Heissel (junior) then spoke on the topic “Is It Time to …?” The congregation sang “Because He Lives”. Heissel had the closing prayer.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Arielle Pierre – wife of Joubert Pierre, who teaches academy math classes
Clayton Brandt – works with Laurelbrook’s heavy equipment
Jacqueline Miller – semi-retired nurse living on the Laurelbrook campus
Following are some notes from the sermon:
- Change bothers us, but change makes us become different.
- We have to change whether for God or for Satan.
- With God, nothing is impossible.
- Philippines 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
- Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
- Do what is right because it is right and leave the consequences to God.
- We often say we don’t have time.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 1 ¶ To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.”
- There is time for everything. It depends how we manage our time.
- Start with prayer and make a schedule. Follow that schedule and don’t try to do too much. Be sure you put in time for rest. And put in time to help others.
- Occasionally, do something not in your schedule.
- Ellen White says in Education that in our lives order, self-control, self-sacrifice is indispensable.
- Habits are a tendency or practice of doing something a certain way. They can help you.
- You need at least five sections of your life and then make a list of six things you would like to change for each section of your life.
- For 40 days, pray as you work your way through your changes. But don’t give up because God can help you.
- It takes 21-40 days to adopt a new habits. Notice how the 40 days appears in the Bible.
- Genesis 7:17 “And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.”
- “And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:”
- Deuteronomy 9:9 “When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:”
- Numbers 13:25 “And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.”
- 1 Samuel 17:16 “And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.”
- Jonah 3:4 “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
- Matthew 4:2 “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”
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Habits in your daily routine – wake up, go to the bathroom, wash your face, brush your teeth, take a shower, eat breakfast, and get ready for school. These are repeat actions.
- In your routine, you need to be flexible and allow for change.
- God is waiting for us to surrender all to Him so God can change us to what we should be - our relationship with God, our relationship with others, etc.
- It’s not easy, but God can help us. Change can come.
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Health is another area, taking care of our bodies because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
- Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel exercised self-control and was temperate in all things, especially appetite.
- God can help us be temperate in all things.
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Character – you build your character if you have the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-26 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
- Ellen White says that we should set our mark high, cultivate every grace of character, and remember that God can help you change your character. God’s character can become your character.
- You have the freedom to make changes with God’s help. Then your time, your character, your state of health can be more in line with God’s wishes.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”