Laurelbrook Academy SDA Church

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Robert Johnson Discusses Experiencing Jesus

 

The church service in the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on August 17, 2019 began with Clayton Brandt welcoming everyone and making the announcements.  There will be a potluck in the cafeteria after the church service is over.

 

Robert Johnson had the invocation. The congregation then sang “Redeemed”.  Clayton Brandt had the main prayer.  The congregation responded with “Hear Our Prayer, O Lord”.

 

Clayton Brandt then called for the church offerings; the loose offering went to the local church budget. Sabastian Roy-Lavallee and Gustavo (junior) collected the offerings.  The congregation then sang “Praise God, From All Blessings Flow”. Clayton Brandt then prayed for the offerings.

 

Dr. MacKenzie from Wildwood had a health talk about God’s plan.

 

1. 1 Corinthians 3:17 “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.”
2. Sugar can cause problems all through our lives.
3. Ice cream has all types of chemicals and sugar.
4. Soft drinks rob the blood of oxygen and take needed chemicals from your teeth and bones.
5. Diet soft drinks have links to cancer, depression, and headaches.
6. But there are good desserts in nature. We are engineered to appreciate sweet natural deserts.

 

Cheryl Orser told the children a story about a little girl in Colorado above a set of railroad tracks. One day when she was washing dishes there was a loud boom. But she stayed to do the dishes. Then she went down to the tracks and saw a large boulder on the tracks.  Then she heard a train whistle.  She went home and got a bunch of branches on fire. She went down and went to a curve and waved her torch. The train stopped in time. She saved the people on the train.  The passengers “passed the hat” and presented the girl with a substantial cash award.

 

Yzznne (sophomore) and Maria (senior) sang a vocal duet for special music.

 

Yzznne then read Luke 2:41-49 “41 ¶ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the w they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it]. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among [their] kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

 

Robert Johnson then talked about “Seven Days to a Better Life”.  The congregation then sang “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”.  Robert Johnson had the closing prayer.

 

Personnel Other Than Students:

 

Cheryl Orser – retired elementary school teacher and Laurelbrook staff member

Clayton Brandt – works with Laurelbrook’s heavy equipment

Dr. MacKenzie – doctor in training at Wildwood for a month to take the hydrotherapy training offered there

Robert Johnson – chaplain at Wildwood Institute, a self-supporting health ministry

Sebastian Roy-Lavallee – Laurelbrook maintenance man

 

Following are some notes from the sermon:

 

1. Mary and Joseph lost Jesus. “41 ¶ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it]. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among [their] kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
2. Jesus at this time was twelve years old and the first time He had gone to Jerusalem. It was a journey of several days’ duration. It was the Passover feast remembering the night the firstborn would die unless blood was on the doorpost.
3. Jesus watched the lambs being killed and realized that He was the Lamb of God.
4. Verse 44 says that His parents forgot Jesus because they thought He was with someone else. A day passed before they or anyone else realized Jesus wasn’t with the group.
5. At the end of that day, Jesus wasn’t there to help them set up camp so the parents went back to Jerusalem.
6. How long would it take to realize that Jesus is not present in our lives?
7. Verse 46 – it took three days to find Jesus instead of just the day it took to lose Him.
8. Jesus was doing His Father’s business. 
9. We need to make sure that Jesus is with us.
10. Idle talk, evil speaking, or lack of prayer causes us to lose Jesus.
11. Then we need to search and find Jesus.
12. Angels don’t want to be in a place where no one notices Jesus is missing.
13. Talk about and meditate about Jesus.
14. We should spend an hour a day thinking about Jesus and His life. Our confidence in prayer comes back. We love the Lord more.  We will be filled with the Spirit of God.
15. Of the sixteen hours a day we are awake, could we possibly spend an hour a day thinking about Jesus? We have to refocus our minds.