Market Street SDA Church-August 14, 2021

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] good morning and happy sabbath to each and every one of you those by air those who are here in the sanctuary we are so grateful and thankful that god has blessed us and allowed us another opportunity to come into this house and as we join in to exemplify our gratitude this morning song just says we have come into this house gathered in his name to worship praise him thank him glorify him edify him and just be grateful [Music] that he woke us up this morning and started us on our way sing with me wherever you may be and especially those of you who are here in the sanctuary and you can stand we ask that you stand with us this morning we have come into this house [Music] we've come into this house [Music] and gathered again one with another business we've come to worship [Music] [Music] we're gonna praise him with our mouths [Music] jesus christ [Music] the lord is in his holy temple the lord is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him lord we come before you with grateful thanks and with hearts that long to adore you and worship your lord thank you may we open our hearts to your leadings be sensitive to your speaking yes yes and alert to your leading and calling o god and lord may we feel the presence of the holy spirit here with us today you are welcome here among us oh lord bless us as we wait upon you in jesus name amen and amen we've come [Music] into this house all together [Music] we have we have come we have come into this house gathered [Applause] [Music] i want [Music] [Music] oh nobody but jesus so forget about yourself [Music] forget about your problems lay your chairs [Music] [Applause] forget about all of your troubles [Music] he inhabits the praises of his people don't worry about tomorrow [Music] think about his goodness [Music] jesus christ and the last thing we're gonna do while we're here we're gonna lift up holy hands yes just [Music] [Applause] lift up holy hands [Music] everybody over the buildings [Music] oh [Music] worship the king of kings jesus christ [Music] [Music] we will now go have our hymn of the morning blessed assurance jesus is mine [Music] we will do all three stanzas [Music] blessed assurance jesus is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] this is my song praising my savior [Music] is is [Music] this is my story this is my song my savior [Music] [Music] amen amen [Music] good morning and happy sabbath church family [Music] it is good to see you all today we are we are back basically my wife and i are back we had vacation last week so we went down made a small trip to southern california and we enjoyed some time away but we are back and we are happy to be back and who do i see in the uh on the base tomorrow this morning i see all the virgil childs up here he told me it was only once but we see him again no but we are happy to be back we're happy to be back with our church family it's good to see your faces in the place and for those of us online we are glad that you are tuned in to worship with us i am back today but pastor brown is away he texts me last night that he and his family made it down to tucson arizona last night safely he is down there for our pacific union meetings so keep him and his wife in prayer as they are there and they will be traveling back i believe wednesday so keep them in prayer as they come back but he wanted to let you all know that he is fine he is safe and he is happy to be down there in tucson arizona some of our students have started school this week the school year has started for some of our students and we are praying for them because they are entering into the unknown will school remain open will schools stay closed will there be a hybrid forever we don't know but we thank god that they have the option now to return to school physically and we are keeping them in our prayers we're also praying for our teachers our administrators those who have to figure this thing out to make sure our kids have a great experience so please keep our students and our teachers in prayer our prayer list is long i'm sure you've seen all the one calls that have gone out our prayer list is long and all of our members need prayer and they continue to ask for your prayer uh our on our one calls go out almost daily so please remember to keep each other in prayer keep each other in prayer i won't go through all the names our elders have those names and they will go in detail to pray for those names during our time of prayer but i did receive a text message this morning from alicia rowe asking for prayer for the roe family she texts me that her husband kenyetta row has come down with covid19 but he's doing well uh there's no negative symptoms going on he's doing well but the whole family is being tested and they're asking for your continued prayers so elders please lift up the roe family during prayer time today this morning if you received our one call you saw that sanara fullmore and family thank you so much for your prayers everyone is back from the hospital and they're doing well so praise god and we thank god for his faithfulness so continue to keep each other lifted in prayer and we thank god for what he is doing and showing himself strong at the market street church our food giveaway is suspended until further notice so please stay next to your one call whatever however you receive that whether that's email or text message stay close to that because we are looking to open up but when that happens we will need volunteers so please be keep your ears open but until further notice the food giveaway is suspended for now uh church we are not out of the woods yet we are not out of the woods yet these new variants of covet are on the rise and people especially our unvaccinated population are getting sick the cdc in our county originally recommended but now they require that when we have large gatherings or gatherings indoors that you please keep your mask on we have masks available to you please ask either our ushers or elders please ask even me and we'll make sure to get you a mask if you need one but please be sure to keep your mask handy keep it on please stay safe stay safe stay vigilant don't drop your guard continue to do all the things necessary to keep yourself and those around you safe from contracting this virus because remember this isn't about you this is about the people around you we need to keep each other safe and we were created not to be in isolation but to be in community so we ask that you do your part so that we can return to that community uh gathering once again so please be vigilant please be aware we are not out of the woods yet but we know that god is faithful and he will continue to bring us through this what did the elders say last month for our week of prayer the storm is passing over it's not passed over yet but it is passing over in the same god who brought us through the storm before same god who has brought us into this storm will bring us out and we will be able to have a testimony and say how good god has been church it is now time for praise and worship as our praise team comes and leads us in praise and worship we ask that you feel free to worship god in spirit and in truth that you feel free to lift up your hands to raise your voice even with your mask on to raise your voice and singing and to recognize that god is still control and he will bring us through [Music] i think everybody knows our theme song each one reach one so if you will join in with us as we sing each one reach one written by our own derrick hall let's go let's go outside these walls and be a witness let's tell those who were lost that jesus said each one reach one to spread the love of jesus for the lord [Music] each one reach one let's spread the love of jesus [Music] let's tell those who are lost and [Music] to jesus the love of of jesus [Music] praise the lord if you will it's praising worship time and if you can and you will stand with us as we usher the presence of the holy ghost in this place um so just says i want to thank you because you've been so good god you just keep doing marvelous things thank you god for those folks who have had sicknesses and you have allowed your powerful healing to transform and begin a uh working them for those that are still ailing and going to just trust him stand on his word he's a god that keeps his promise so this morning we're going to praise god for you and for your blessings and for all of the things that god is doing and will do just for you i just want to pray [Applause] [Music] [Music] thank you jesus [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you lord [Music] wanna love jesus i just wanna love you forever [Music] [Music] thank you jesus [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank [Music] can't help [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] yes [Music] you know that he is blessing you blessing blessings thank you hallelujah i just want to you know this is uh you serve an amazing god i look back at how he has brought me through so many situations some that are too numerous to tell some that are so deep but only god could do the unwinding only god could do the unraveling only god could fix it i just can't help but love him this morning so i just want to let him know with all of my heart with every part of me i just want to say that i love you ah i lift my hands [Music] because of you my cloudy days and you wanna let him know this morning [Music] to you [Music] because of my cloudy days [Music] more than anything [Music] when [Music] and i can say i've never known [Music] cause you've been so good to me [Music] i want to say [Music] i love you jesus i love you jesus i worship and adore you i worship and the doors come [Music] you on [Music] [Music] [Music] just want to tell you [Music] i praise you jesus i love you jesus [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] i love you jesus i worship and adore you thank you lord thank you i wanna [Music] [Music] than anything long one more time i love you just one more time tell them that you love him love you jesus and you worship and adore [Music] [Applause] just want to tell you that i love you more [Music] [Music] so many things [Music] [Music] i just want the world to know more [Music] god yes hallelujah hallelujah [Music] oh this [Music] [Applause] [Music] sometimes it's hard [Music] it's difficult but when god touches your heart you can only cry out lord i love you more than anything that's a testimony but now is the time for us to talk to god what am i asking you to do now is look within your own heart and tell him lord i love you more than anything and as you're doing that there's a little song i'd like for us to sing before we get into prayer that somebody prayed for me they had me on their mind they took the time to pray for me [Music] let's go with that [Music] somebody prayed for me they had me on their mind took the time [Music] my mama [Music] i'm so glad she prayed i'm so glad she prayed i'm so glad the pastor prayed for me [Music] is [Music] somebody prays for me [Music] almighty god and father in heaven in humbleness of heart we come before you this morning lord we are thankful that somebody prayed for us we are thankful that you prayed for us we are thankful that amits amidst the drops of blood you prayed for us and we are thankful this morning god through the influence of the holy ghost you have decided to drop by here so please god disappoint us not but give us the unction to function give us the ability to press on the upward way no heights in our relationship god we would gain every day walk with us oh god those who are sick lord we don't want to bring a laundry list before you this morning but we want to remind you of your children your children who are sick reacts that you will visit with them and you help them o god we are one sabbath closer to when you will come lord we will never again see this day is gone when we come to the end of it so we're asking that you help us to make full use of this day touch your hearts god as the one to whom you have selected to bring a word to us so we're asking god for just one word one word to fill our minds oh god so walk with us today guide guard and direct lord remember those who are listening on the airways those who are looking on on television we want to see jesus nothing nothing nothing is more important god than being in the arms of jesus so please today disappoint us not may we go down from this mountaintop being reminded that the god in the night is the same god in the day so draw near us today oh god we pray in the name of jesus amen so somebody prayed for me [Music] so good morning church the deacons are now awaiting us for the tithes and offerings father we want to thank you for what you've provided for us today and thank you that we have a willing heart so god to return a portion to you now blessed we pray in jesus name amen amen give generously to him and do not withhold a grudging heart then because of this the lord your god will bless you in in all your works and in everything you do a.j tozer told a story about what money can do he says as a best thing as money is yet it can be transformed into everlasting treasures it can be converted to fund the from the hungry sorry converted to food for the hungry and clothing for the poor it can keep a missionary actively involved in winning lost men and women to christ amen amen shall we pray and thank god for what he's given us lord again we just want to praise you for what we've given those who had to give and lord those who had not to give bless us all o god and lord may the monies we give be transformed as a.j toaster said to food for the hungry and clothing for the poor and winning lost men and women to you we pray in jesus name amen amen amen good morning boys and girls all of my boys and girls under the age of 12 can you wave at me i see you i see you upstairs all right sing this song with me are you ready let's sing the b-i-b-l-e yes that's the book for me i stand alone on the word of god the b-i-b-l-e let me hear you sounds good i stand alone on the word of god the b-i-v-l-e great job boys and girls here in the building and hello to you boys and girls online we have a story today from miss lauren brown and we are going to hear that in a moment but before we do we are doing going over a little series this month called back to the basics now we know you're going back to school and you got to learn your abcs and your one two threes again but we want to bring you back to the basics of our faith so today lauren's going to talk to us about the sabbath are you ready she's going to come in three two one good morning all right so today just like pastor willis just said we are going to be going back to the basics and our story is going to be about the sabbath but before we get there i have a question for you guys i want to know how many of you have ever fought your sleep maybe you stayed up later than you were supposed to um or maybe you laid down and your eyes were starting to fall asleep you're starting to do that nod okay but you won't lay down you're fighting your sleep maybe you're in bed and you're scrolling okay and then you fall asleep and the phone hits you in the face am i the only one that happens to okay maybe i am all right maybe you are tired you're exhausted but you're just like no not going to sleep you're fighting it all the time well i'm going to tell you about a story when i was little so we had this family room with this couch and i was in my favorite spot watching my favorite show rugrats and it was getting late and my dad said it's time for bed ignored him okay and he said lauren it's time for bed little did he know i already decided i wasn't going to bed so i said no his look changed it was at that moment i knew i had to run so i started running to my room i ran ran ran everything else was kind of a blur but my brother said he was in the playroom so he looked out the door and he saw me running and then he saw my dad following behind just walking and he said i'm staying out of it okay and so i ran to my room and i dived under the bed and i thought i was in the clear but then i felt a hand on my ankle we're gonna leave it there i'll let your imagination take it from there let's just say that was the only time i said no that was the only time i've ever ran till this day all right so god actually gave us a day of rest you spend about seven hours a day in school that's 35 hours a week and then if you have homework let's just say the bare minimum like an hour a day that's another at least five to ten hours okay so now you're at 40 hours let's add in the extracurricular activities maybe you're playing outside maybe you have sports um that's an additional um five to ten hours okay now we're around 50 hours our bodies get tired and god knows that because he created us and so he gave us that sadder day of rest but sometimes we're like those kids that will not go to sleep we fight our sleep okay we think that sabbath is boring we think it's not fun we just like no i'm not taking this day of rest there's so much i need to get done but remember god is our creator and he knows best and he built in that day of rest for our good so my question for you is how many of you will stop fighting god and make sure that you get the rest on sabbath as he suggests perfect let's pray dear heavenly father thank you for this day thank you for giving us the rest that we needed please give us the wisdom guidance and direction to obey you and take the rest that we need so we can do your will in jesus name amen [Music] [Music] hmm so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] song says i need you and you need me [Music] we're all a part of god's body [Music] we need each other [Music] to make it through the day through the week that's why we constantly pray for one another [Music] think about it i don't know who you think you need i don't even know who you [Music] are cognates of the fact that you need anybody some people think they are one-man show they don't need nobody [Music] but we need each other to survive [Music] i need you i need you you need you need me [Music] it is his [Music] i need you to survive [Music] you can join in with us i need you i need you you need me you need me [Music] it is [Music] i need you to survive i need you i need you to survive [Music] pray with me i pray i pray for you you pray for me [Music] i love you i need you to survive i pray i pray for you you pray for me [Music] [Music] [Music] oh i'm not sure [Music] [Applause] you pray for me [Music] i need you [Music] you [Music] i need you to survive i pray i is [Music] [Music] i need you to [Music] you're my brother you're my sister i need you i need you to survive [Music] [Music] make a way out of the way [Music] [Music] bless the lord bless the lord soul [Music] so [Music] [Music] thank you praised team for reminding us that we need each other to survive we're the body of christ and each part is necessary for the body to thrive and that is the prayer that we pray as a church we pray for each other because we need each other to survive today's sermon is coming from a familiar text in matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11 and you can turn with me in your bibles to matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11. very familiar text and it reads then jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward he was hungry now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the son of god command that these stones become bread but he being jesus answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of god verse 5 then the devil took him up into the holy city set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of god throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone jesus said to him it is written again you shall not tempt the lord your god again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory and he said to them all these things i will give you if you will fall down and worship me then jesus said to him away with you satan for it is written you shall worship the lord your god and him only you shall serve then the devil left him and behold angels came and ministered to him our title today will be under the great controversy the great controversy let us pray father we thank you for this moment to hear a word from you hide me behind the cross let your people hear and see only you up here and lord speak to all of us today so that we can leave forever changed ready for your soon coming it's in jesus name that we pray amen the great controversy that word controversy describes times we're living in see we live in controversial times times where some person can say something online and upset an entire nation we are in controversial times where black lives don't matter and asian hate is on the rise and something as seemingly simple as immigration in america is made painfully difficult for certain people we are living in controversial times where we cannot trust the words of people we're living in controversial times where everyone is hypersensitive to the words of everybody else around them and one word stirs up more controversy do you know what that word controversy means it means to disagree but not only to disagree but to disagree in a very public and heated debate now if you ask my wife she would tell you that i come a family that's not afraid of debate it's funny when she first spent time with my family that she thought we argued all the time she was like y'all don't agree on nothing and this was the viewpoint of someone coming from a family that did not argue at all because it was considered disrespectful but can i say this to someone today to set maybe somebody free to disagree does not mean to disrespect someone on social media needs to hear that today to disagree does not mean to disrespect you and i can disagree and still respect each other everything in my household was not a debate see to take out the trash was not a debatable conversation that was a command to be done in the moment without further conversation but conversation centered around opinion allowed for more than one viewpoint to be accepted sometimes it would cause debate but it would never invite disrespect in my family my opinion may not be the same as yours but we can talk about it without a green and still have respect for each other at the end of the day one of my favorite movies is the great debaters this movie covers the historical story of some young people of color who were in us on a scholastic debate team on the college level in the early 1900s they debated and won against other black colleges to the point where they got so much attention and credibility that their coach put them up for to challenge white schools who didn't mix their debate matches with black schools my favorite part of the movie was seeing the intelligence of young black minds on display who could comprehend organize and argue their point against the points of others while still respecting their opponent they do this because they recognize that the point of their debate is not to convince their opponent that their viewpoint is wrong the point of their debate is to convince the audience watching to agree with their points over their opponents but there is a great debate that has been happening for thousands of years it's a debate that has been going on far longer than any of us have been alive this debate this controversy is greater than the controversy of political party nationality race age gender wealth and it's even greater than religious affiliation it's been a controversy that's been going on before this world was created this debate actually invited disrespect this great controversy has been about the answer to one question is god just is god right in his judgment is god right about the way he does things is god the right being to sit on the throne and lead every living being or does god not realize that all he has created is intelligent enough to live without his preconceived boundaries is god just these are the questions we all might have asked about god at some point in our lives maybe you didn't ask it in this way but maybe you've asked is god fair does god know what he's doing up there does god really care about me is god even real you're not alone in these questions every believer no matter how saved you think you are if you are honest would say that you have questioned god if you haven't yet the old folks will tell you just keep on living life brings you to these questions events heartbreaks and tragedies bring you to these questions the death of a family member the divorce of a spouse the aftermath of a natural catastrophe these are the events that bring us to question the authority and the justice of god in an imperfect world but the first being to question the justice of god was before the introduction of imperfection this was before the existence of sin this being was one of the most beautiful creations god had ever made turn with me in your bibles to ezekiel 28 ezekiel chapter 28 that's in the old testament ezekiel chapter 28. say amen when you get there ezekiel chapter 28 giving you time to get to ezekiel chapter 28. if you get there before me maybe you're more saved than me ezekiel chapter 28 i'm hearing more amens than i'm getting there all right ezekiel chapter 28 turn to me verse 12 and it says that's 12 b actually towards the end of verse 12 it says you were the seal of perfection full of wisdom and perfect in beauty you were in eden the garden of god every precious stone was your covering the sardius topaz and the diamond barrel onyx and jasper sapphire turquoise and emerald with gold the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created verse 14 you were the anointed cherub who covers i established you you were on the holy mountain of god you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones you were perfect in your ways from that day from the day you were created till iniquity was found in you skip down to verse 17 and i'll read the first part of 17 your heart was lifted up because of your beauty you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor this cherub this angel this beautiful being was lucifer lucifer was the most beautiful being you would ever have seen god create see if you saw lucifer you would have just been in all your eyes would have been wide open your mouth wide open because you were just in awe of the beauty of lucifer he was created with jewels in his body he didn't have to carve them out he didn't have to buy them he didn't have to put a chain around his neck when lucifer was created jewelry was a part of him and he was created like this watch this to reflect the beauty of god did you know that diamonds and jewels look better when light is reflected through them well maybe you didn't know you know good old adventist no jewelry anyway but but diamonds and jewels are at their best when light shines through them because your eye perceives different hues of color based on certain light waves that that the object absorbs and reflects this is why depending on the gym you can see different colors sparkling out of the same gym in fact when you look at some gems you'll see different colors based on the angle you're looking the gym they're looking at the gym lucifer was created with diamonds and precious gems in him and then the bible says he was anointed to walk into and out of the presence of god isn't that something to walk into and out of the unadulterated presence of god to walk into the raw glory of god see one of god's attributes is light that's why when he created the world he said let there be light and then didn't create the sun moon and stars until like three days later some of you get that when you get home so the pr so the essence of god is light lucifer had the job of going into the presence of god who is light and then coming out of the presence of god with that light so lucifer who was created with precious stones and fine jewels as a part of him is at his most beautiful watch this when in the presence of god when in god's presence he reflects the very light of god and that light lingers in his jewels as he comes comes out of god's presence reflecting that light to everyone he comes in contact with no wonder lucifer's name means son of the morning or light bearer because he literally holds and reflects the ultimate light that wasn't only true with lucifer this happens to every being that goes into the presence of god remember moses you know he led god's people out of bondage in egypt and while in the desert he went up to the mountain and got the ten commandments from god and he came down and read it in exodus 34 when you get home but the bible says that his face would literally be glowing with the glory of god so bright in fact that it scared the children of israel and they said please put a veil over your face or something it's too much to see the glory of god shining on your face lucifer reflected the light of god through the gems that were in his body and went and then he would come out of god's presence into the presence of other beings who would just be in awe of his beauty seeking to hear any report from god lucifer had a good job report from god reflect god's glory every day report from god reflect god's glory he was at his best when he would report from god and reflect god's glory other angels would ask him about his report from god as they would stare at his reflection of god's glory he earned a reputation as the one who would report from god while reflecting god's glory but one day it wasn't enough for him to report from god and reflect god's glory one day lucifer who was enjoying the praise and recognition of other angels became unsatisfied with their praise because he recognized that it was second only to god almighty one day lucifer said in his heart why don't i receive ultimate praise why is it that god gets more glory and honor and recognition than me church be careful with what you become unsatisfied with some of us are fulfilling our purpose in this life but are becoming unsatisfied because it feels too routine some of us are in service to our community but it becomes unsatisfied because it's not as attention grabbing as other community service projects some of us have beautiful families but are becoming unsatisfied with a domesticated lifestyle be careful with what you become unsatisfied with lucifer became unsatisfied with his role and aspired for something greater but when you have the greatest job of all creation and you are second only to god what can be greater than being god yourself lucifer knew he wouldn't overcome god by himself he recognized in all of his intelligence and wisdom that the only way he could seek to overcome the most powerful being in existence was to get his creations to doubt in him see he couldn't defeat god by force he couldn't defeat god by a strong point or unwavering opinion the only tool lucifer could use to try and defeat god was to spread doubt about god to god's creations so he begins to spread this controversial idea among the other angels saying is god fair has god tapped into our fullest potential has god given us true freedom if he has why are we stuck doing the same job for eternity if we are so perfect why do we need to live by rules or law don't we have the intelligence to always do what's right by ourselves lucifer's goal was not trying to convince god to change his mound of mind about his creation lucifer wanted god's creation to change their mind about god have you recognized in your life where you had one idea of god but over time that idea about god began to change maybe it was some event or some tragedy but you thought about god one way before and now you think of him completely different satan's goal in this entire controversy is not to prove or disprove god his goal is to change your thinking about god if god is a loving father he will he will inspire events to make you question the love of a father if god is a faithful husband to the church he will inspire events that make you question the faithfulness of a husband if god is a protector he will inspire events that leave you feeling void of protection if god is a provider he will inspire events that make you feel your provision is cut off if god is the truth he will inspire events that make you doubt the concept of truth if god is love he will inspire events that make you question the depth of love satan's goal is to change your thinking about god because he can't rule a perfect kingdom satan can't rule a perfect kingdom but he can rule a divided one so the bible says turn with me in isaiah chapter 14 isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 through 14. turn into the book of isaiah chapter 14. verses 12 through 14. this is what the bible says say amen when you get there all right y'all saying amen before me praise god isaiah 14 chapter 12 and it says how you are fallen from earth from heaven o lucifer son of the morning how you are cut down to the ground you who weakened the nations for you have said in your heart i will ascend into heaven i will exalt my throne above the stars of god i will also sit on the mountain of the congregation on the farther sides of the north i will ascend above the heights of the clouds and i will be like the most high revelation tells us the rest of what happened turn to revelation yeah we're using our bibles today turn to revelation chapter 12 starting at verse 7. say amen when you get there revelation chapter 12 verse 7 through 9. i'm hearing more amens praise god praise god seven verse seven says and war broke out in heaven michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought but they did not prevail nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer so the great dragon was cast out that serpent of old called the devil and satan who was deceives the whole world he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him so in a series of events lucifer becomes satan and starts a war in heaven trying to take over the throne of god by creating a great controversy centered around the question is god just does god know what he's doing is god the right being to sit on the throne of all creation is god right to tell you how far you should go is god right to tell you what you were created to be is god good enough to be lord over your life and for you to have to check in with him for every step of the journey of your life or should you have the freedom to live your own life and walk in your own destiny this is the controversy this is the debate this is the disagreement that started in heaven and then carried into this world god creates this world land waters uh sun moon stars animals trees bugs fish every living thing and then he caps off creation with humanity adam and eve literally created to represent god on earth and govern every living thing just as god would do they are created to reflect the image of god that's why they are made in his image there was nothing imperfect in the garden because god the creator designed it to be so and then out of love he created this last huge thing for humanity to live in choice god created an option out of love because how many of you know that love is not love unless it is measured with a choice if he chose you because there were no other options he's not the one but if he chose you from all the other options now we have something to work with if she chose you because the other options weren't calling her you need to reevaluate that so-called love but if she told you the other options stopped calling her because she chose you now you're talking love is not love unless it is measured with a choice so god tells man that you can eat from every tree in the garden but don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because if you choose that tree you will choose death without me over life with me and so because choice is an option guess who wants men to expand their mind with choice satan but satan is not roaming around the garden able to catch and carry adam and eve to the tree of knowledge of good and evil no satan is confined to the tree god allows choice to be present but he doesn't allow choice to be overpowering can i just pause right here and thank god that he will confine sin to a corner because god is god he will tell sin don't go past this line go no further in fact he'll say sin go to your corner and don't come out and sin has to stay there unable to touch us thank god for his con for confining sin to a corner where it has no authority over your life but in his love he gives me the freedom to choose if i want to walk over to that corner or not see he warned adam and eve not to but in their freedom they go anyway and when in the circumference of sin they end up going farther than they wanted to go and sin now has freedom to spread all over this world satan then makes earth the center stage of the great controversy doing all that he can to make every single person that god created change their thinking about their creator he did it to know after the flood thinking that noah's relief could come from drunkenness he did it to abraham thinking his protection could come from could come from a lie he did it to moses thinking his temper was a better guide than god he did it to david thinking murder could cover up his sin of adultery he did it to isaiah thinking his faults barred him from serving god he did it to the nation of israel thinking that their religious rule keeping could save them from the power of sin and in this great controversy satan has done everything in his power to convince humanity that god is not who he says he is and if god is not who he says he is then you can't be who he says you can be stop trying to be faithful you can't stop trying to be loving you can't stop trying to be kind you can't stop trying to do the right thing you can't that's what satan is telling humanity stop trying you can't but then something happened in the history of this earth that changed the narrative forever see a boy named jesus was born and as a little boy jesus showed us we can as a teenager jesus showed us we can as a young adult jesus showed us we can you can be faithful you can be loving you can be kind you can do the right thing you can be holy because jesus was now we don't know what jesus life was as a child teenager or young adult scripture doesn't tell us all that but we do know that it was without fault because in matthew chapter 3 we see jesus come on the scene being recognized by the father as the son of god in whom he is well pleased and then jesus is brought into the wilderness by the holy spirit to be tempted by the devil we have to understand that god is not afraid of a fight see we say you know stand back from all of this don't don't even be in the realm of it because you may not be able to overpower the temptation all that and for certain for certain things that is true but recognize that your god is not afraid of a fight from satan jesus needed to be tempted not just for him to be found pure in the sight of god and satan but he needed to be tempted for us to see see in the gospels we usually see jesus as the perfect son of god we don't read about his struggles we often read about people's struggles to believe in who he says he was but jesus was tempted just like we are and more because his life is proof that we can overcome temptation jesus didn't have some special sin repellent he was just as vulnerable to fall as we are but he didn't and in this text that we read this morning i believe we can find three points to make it through this great controversy give you three points let me get out your way but let's read verse three of chapter four of matthew once again says now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the son of god command that these stones become bread here's point number one recognize if you identify god based on who he is or based on what he does three points to make it through this great controversy point number one recognize if you identify god based on who he is or based on what he does is god god to you based on what he does for you or based on who he is to you this is what turns people away from believing in god because god's identity is often wrapped up in his ability so if he can do but doesn't do then maybe he's not who he says he is maybe he's not real altogether god's identity is often questioned based on his ability and when his ability is not put on display his identity is either warped or disproven altogether this is what they did when jesus was on earth past this text the bible says in john chapter 6 he fed 5 000 men not including women and children and then went to the other side of the sea without telling the people and they traveled over to find him and when they found him they asked him why did he leave so jesus said you were seeking earthly food when i was trying to give you spiritual food don't go after the food that goes bad but go after food that will last forever they heard all of that and then said what sign will you perform so that we can see it and believe it jesus just fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish but he has to show his ability again for them to believe in him god shows us something that we can apply for our lives right in that story stop trying to prove yourself to people who will only believe in you as long as you perform stop trying to convince people that you have value we waste so much time trying to prove ourselves to people who don't value us simone biles showed us that see she stepped away from the pressure in the opinion of others to do what was best for her mental and physical health but people were still talking about well if she was really the goat she would have pushed forward with the mind and heart of a champion these are the same people sitting on their couch eating chips not in any physical peak condition judging olympians saying ah that wasn't clean enough maybe they could have jumped a little higher regular people judging olympians who have trained their whole life and are in peak physical shape to perform dangerous stunts only a certain percentage of humans can do stop trying to prove yourself to people who will only believe in you as long as you perform you are pretty enough you are strong enough you are smart enough you are tall enough you are enough god created you to be enough so walk forward in your purpose with intrinsic value so when satan comes up to jesus and says if you are the son of god perform turn these stones into bread prove yourself jesus says no i don't need to perform to prove myself i already know who i am besides man can't live by bread alone anyway but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of god and this brings us to point number two make it a priority to eat the word of god every day some of us make it a priority to eat food every day and it shows tell the truth now tell the truth when we were on lockdown all we could do was bake cook and eat every day we make it a priority to eat every day why because your body needs it even if you don't feel like eating your body will send you signals to let you know it's time to eat see your stomach may rumble you might get a headache you may even begin to feel weak because your body will let you know that you need to eat and it's good that you eat good foods by the way not junk food good foods it's good that you eat good foods because your body needs the nourishment to fight off disease and your body needs strength to perform it's the same way spiritually when you feed on the word of god your spirit gets nourished and strengthened to fight off the spiritual attacks of the enemy in this great controversy and you'll recognize the signs of your spiritual need your attractions will start to shift when you need something spiritually see what's positive will not be as appealing as what's negative your attitude will begin to change when you need something spiritually you'll recognize that you'll get short-tempered and mad easily your need for god will increase but your desire to spend time with him will decrease when you have a spiritual need because then you make it priority to eat the word of god every day when you make it a priority to eat his word what's positive will start to appeal to you more than what's negative your attitude will become full of kindness goodness and mercy when you make time to eat god's word every day your need for god will increase as you fulfill that need by spending time with him in his word what if i told you that your sabbath dinner today would be the last meal you could eat for the next three weeks you would cherish that meal you would cook as much as you can you would fit as many meals as possible to fit on your plate and into your stomach you would try to fit two three or four extra meals in one meal but the truth is no matter how much you feel yourself in one meal that won't sustain you for the next three weeks you'll still get hungry you'll still get weak you'll still get some headaches but why is it that we do that in our spiritual lives we have one amazing worship experience or one amazing bible study or or church service or personal devotion and then we go days and weeks without spending any time with god and then we wonder why we struggle to do what's right am i preaching to myself today we need to make spiritual food just as much of our priority as physical food we need to listen to the hunger pains of our spirit and feed ourselves spiritually every day because jesus said man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of god this is what gave jesus the strength to push past the first temptation of satan but the devil is never finished after one attempt see he's persistent so the bible says in matthew chapter four verses five through seven it says then the devil took him up into the holy city set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the son of god throw yourself down for it is written he threw scripture at jesus he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your feet against a stone here's my third and final point stop reaching for the edge of unbelief there are a lot of shows that give their input or give their take on the concept of spirituality time and the afterlife all of which are connected to the unknown existence past the life we see now you know shows like the good place or future man or lucifer or upload and even loki these type of shows are made for the purpose of entertainment but they constantly put forward the question either overtly or cover or covertly is god real is there life after death does evil really exist what if our concept of time is a lie now asking questions and seeking answers is not the issue the issue is rooted in our disbelief in the answers given we are told through scripture that death is not the end that jesus will come back and take us to heaven with him but we like to toy with the answer to the question but what if but but what if the bible says the dead know not anything but what if we could upload our consciousness after death the bible says god is the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end the one who is was and is to come but what if there isn't a god but one man who stepped out of time and is he who remains we are told about the fall of lucifer and a third of the angels out of heaven for starting a war in heaven but what if lucifer was simply just misunderstood people don't believe in the god of heaven and earth people who don't believe in the god of heaven and earth are seeking out answers to these but what if questions through science paganism and the creative ideas of their own minds and whether they know it or not they are fulfilling the directive of satan which is not to prove or disprove god but to change your thinking about god stop reaching for the edge of unbelief stop stop trying to test the limits of your faith that only give me room for more doubt than growth stop allowing your brain to make room for other schools of thought that seek to alter your faith hear me clearly that doesn't mean to be uninformed but don't allow an influx of information to distort your faith in god verses 8 through 11 of chapter 4 say well verse 7 says jesus said it is written again you shall not tempt the lord your god again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory and he said to them all these things i will give you if you will fall down and worship me then jesus said to him away with you satan for it is written you shall worship the lord your god and him only you shall serve then the devil left him and behold angels came and ministered to him this is the first time we see in jesus life where satan according to scripture where satan challenged god face to face this is the first time we see that that satan said i own everything but i'll give it to you if you just do one simple thing bow down and worship me as if i was your god but jesus is showing us that when we stop allowing the but what if questions to enter our mind then we will begin to worship and serve the god who created our mind see our our our our attempt to look and figure out all these finite answers is what is distorting our minds from realizing who god is god is who he says he is god is who he says he is this great controversy is designed for us to question who god is not to realize who god is but to question who god is is god god is god really in charge does god really love me does god really care this is a controversy that has started from the beginning and satan will make us think we'll continue for forever but can i give you a sneak peek into the into the final scene jesus already won we see that satan is questioning jesus at the beginning of his ministry but what we learn is that jesus stays true throughout his ministry people question are you who you say you are is god who he says he is or is this to just go on forever but jesus showed us through his death on the cross that god is just that god knows what's right that god has the best answer to our questions that answer is i am who i say i am i've created you to be who i created you to be don't look at all these other answers of well what if and but what if and can this and how about that just know that god is who he says he is and he's coming back to collect you we just need to hold strong through this controversy jesus already won we just have to wait for him to come back and get us when i was young i used to be afraid of the dark i don't know why i wasn't always afraid of the dark but i used to be afraid of the dark and i got so afraid because you know the wind starts blowing and you know creeks start going on in the house you start thinking of all these different things that might be happening in the house and got so afraid that i asked my mom if we can go to the store and get me something that will help me in the dark that was called a night light you know simple night light not the one with shapes and different colors that that show on the wall or that that you know have like activity and animation so not not a real fancy night light but just a simple night light that shot that shine bright enough so i could see in the darkness and know that i was safe i got a nightlight and whenever i got scared whenever i got nervous as a child i could recognize that the light was still with me that no matter how far how deep the darkness got that light would cut right through that and i could know i was safe this controversy can be described as a fight between light and darkness and the darkness may become overwhelming at times the darkness may get heavy at times the darkness may get thick and make you feel like all there is is darkness but jesus is our nightlight he's shining by us just bright enough for us to know that we are not alone in the darkness he's shining reminding us that there is morning coming the night will not be for always morning will come and the ultimate light we will see our father in heaven some of you listening right now may have questioned god may have doubted if god is really who he says he is you may be wondering is there something past this life or is this all there is to see i'm here to tell you that the god we read about in this book is real god we read about is true the god we read about is just and one day soon he is coming back to get all of his children who have been faithful to him just like he's been faithful to you if you've never believed in this god and you're watching online or you're in the building right now in a in an attempt to say i believe raise your hand with me for those of us who have known god and are still trusting god and you want to let someone know that you do believe raise your hand with me too we are a church that believes in the god that will come again and receive us to himself right now i'm going to pray we're going to ask god to strengthen our belief because satan is doing everything in his power to make us question who god is but we know who god is let's pray father we thank you for being our god lord you could have just wiped out any types of questioning uh about you could have wiped out lucifer from the beginning but god in your love and in your mercy you give us free will free choice you allow us to question the lord you allow us to repent and god in this moment some of us have questioned you we ask god that you forgive us that you strengthen our belief in you even more and that we take that and encourage others that there is a god who is real and who's coming back god this controversy has gone on for so long but we know it's not going to go on forever because one day you will come back and put an end to sin and satan this great debate will not go on forever because you've already given the answer and that is that you are just you are who you say you are you are god so god cover us keep our minds in your hand keep our faith strong help us lord to know that your promises will always come true and god we ask that we come out of this whole controversy refined as pure gold ready to be received into you and your kingdom in jesus name i pray amen we're going to have a special special song and then i'll come back to close our service um [Music] i have decided i have decided to follow jesus i have decided to follow jesus [Music] i have decided to follow jesus [Music] no turning back [Music] no turning back the world [Music] the world behind me the cross before me the world behind me the cross before me no turning back [Music] i still will follow don't go with me i still will follow go none go with me i still will fall no turning back no turning if you know it everybody i have decided i have decided to follow jesus i have decided [Music] jesus i have decided to follow jesus no turning [Music] amen thank you praise team church are you glad you came to church today we thank you for showing up and we ask that you uh what we pray that you have safe travel back home next week there will be prison ministries day and our base guitar player today will be our preacher next week so we thank him for joining us for next week prison ministry day please be sure to join we have a worse wonderful worship experience planned for you pastor brown will be back next week and then the following week pastor brown will be preaching again in this pulpit again we praise we pray that you have safe travels back for us online thank you for tuning in please join us next week at 11am god bless you god keep you let's pray father thank you for being a good god to us we ask lord that you protect us as we travel that you keep us safe lord help us to stay healthy in jesus name i pray amen [Music] [Music] do [Music]

Channel: Market Street SDA Church

Views: 295

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Id: MP97zMRQJ5o

Length: 109min 56sec (6596 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 14 2021