Northeastern Conference Virtual Camp Meeting 2021

[Music] [Music] [Music] lord you're awesome and mighty in all your ways we've come to bless your name and lift you up and give you glory and honor we thank you for being an awesome god [Music] come on crazy here we go [Music] [Music] [Music] i don't know where i'd be without you [Music] i don't know [Music] lord you are awesome [Music] if [Music] i don't lift him up and say lord [Music] [Music] is [Music] if i don't know where i'll be [Music] lord you are our son awesome [Music] i don't [Applause] [Music] i don't know [Music] [Music] if [Music] [Applause] [Music] if it was a boy online [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] his strength is perfect when our strength is gone so we thank him for his amazing strength that reaches to me [Music] [Music] trends like no water reaches to me come on praise him sing you up you are my strength [Music] [Music] come on say amazing grace amazing [Music] amazing [Music] amazing grace amazing grace god in the fullness of your [Music] oh [Music] of me up you lift me up you lose me [Music] [Applause] [Music] strength [Music] we thank you for your grace [Music] me [Music] we thank you for lifting us [Music] amazing grace [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Music] the larger rock and him we hide a shelter in the time of storms [Music] my [Music] [Music] a shelter in the time of dawn [Music] [Music] my [Music] we [Music] you'll [Music] oh [Music] my [Music] is the scripture reading will be taken from matthew 7 verses 24 to 27 it reads therefore whosoever heareth these saying of mine and do with them i will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock and everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it here ends the reading of god's word let us pray father in heaven lord we want to thank you for another privilege to spread your word to your people god we want to ask that you bless the technicians who are able to set up this program i pray for each and every one of individuals who are watching all over the globe and i pray that you be with them and keep them safe and draw them closer to you god i pray that you be with the elders who are going to serve the sabbath lessons the sabbath lesson for today i pray that you help it to touch someone's heart so they do it so that they may dwell upon your word and god i ask that you keep each and every one of us safe and together as a church god asks that you keep us safe and bless each and every one of us in jesus name amen good morning and happy sabbath my name is allison nichols i am from the hope seven day adventist church in bloomfield connecticut i would like to welcome you all here to this morning's camp meeting sabot school we here at hope are excited to be taking part in this morning's sabbath school our theme for today is titled the church built on iraq in 1174 the italian architect bonano pasano began work on what would become his most famous project a separately standing bell tower for the cathedral of the city of pisa the tower was to be eight stories and 180 feet tall there was just one little problem builders quickly discovered that the sole was much softer than they had anticipated and the foundation was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure and sure enough before long the whole structure had began to tilt and it continued to tilt until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the leaning tower of pisa straight again it took 176 years to build the tower of pisa and during that time many things were done to try and compensate for that too boudincia was shored up the upper levels were even built at an angle to try to make the top of the tower look straight nothing worked the tower has stood for over 800 years but it leans 18 feet away from where it should be one day experts say it will fall and because it wasn't built on the right foundation all of us are building a house and that house is our lives how we survive has to do with the foundation we lay it is important to build our lives upon christ jesus this lesson is not just about our lives but our church as well i would like to thank darion for our prayer this morning and dna for our scripture reading you will now hear from our elders elder gladstone elder bailey and elder march the title of the sabbath school lesson is the new covenant life i pray that you all receive a rich blessing from today's messages good morning northeastern it's an exciting opportunity that we have to discuss the sabbath school lesson this morning my name is gladstone mclean and to my right sandra bailey to my left carl march as we discuss this lesson this morning we pray that god will bless us and let us pray as we invite the holy spirit to be with us father we thank you so much for your blessings on us we ask now that your holy spirit will come and tabernacle with us as we discuss this beautiful lesson together amen we've been discussing uh talk about covenant all all quarter and this uh week we have studied uh the new covenant life the new covenant life and our memory text is taken from john chapter 10 verse 10 and it says i am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly uh el marshal as we look at this text what is it that jumps out at you that is significant to you in this text well there are two things that come out the first of all is the i am come assurance that um is given at this time this being the first advent of jesus christ it was an assurance to those who were listening that he was present with them the second thing that comes out in the text is that he's there to do a certain mission which is to give life and to give it abundantly all right thank you uh so elder bailey uh you know we all have life so what's the significance of this life that jesus christ has come to give you it's referring to life beyond the here and no on earth yes we live but we all will die uh but jesus came so we can live beyond the present into eternity and the fact that he came he came with that purpose so we can live beyond the here and now now as i as i look at the text it also um you know it says abundantly but not just abundant it says more abundantly suggesting that there's um uh an expansion as it were of life uh that god is gonna give to us more abundantly um carl uh as you uh look at again that that that that word abundantly how significant is that for you and i think it's a combination of the two words that as you said is is what makes it significant in that um there might be a certain expectation of what life should be and then there's a certain expectation of what it could be if it's full and then there's an expectation that is even beyond our understanding our comprehension which would imply the more abundantly piece of that statement where christ is saying that this will be more than you'll ever imagine um there will be fullness there will be completion in him being with us amen amen all right let's look at uh sunday's lesson that talks about joy joy as i looked at the word i i look at the meaning it says it's a feeling of great pleasure and happiness and as we look at uh john first john chapter one verse four it says and these things write we unto you that your joy may be full actually i'd like to um i have read john chapter one first john chapter one verses 1 to 4 and sandra if you could read that for us we certainly appreciate first john chapter 1 verses 1 through 4. and as uh sandra is looking uh for that text uh when we think about joy uh uh carl uh it's an emotion and and there's some times that people think that you know when we're when we're praising the lord that we should just be straight and stiff and uh and just um you know uh not having emotion but here god has built within us this this emotion that it should be expressive how does that make you feel yeah so um and this is where we often try to differentiate between just the the passing emotion of happiness that that we sometimes have in the moment based on things that are going on around us and joy being something that comes that comes from within regardless so when it's talking about joy being full in this situation my takeaway is that it's a certain peace that comes with knowing jesus christ amen amen so uh sister sandra would you please read uh that text for us uh first john chapter one verses one to four sure and it reads from the king james version that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness which was with the father and was manifested unto us that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that he also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son jesus christ and these things right we unto you that your joy may be full thank you so much so uh sandra as we look at that text it it almost seems like john is uh really uh you know really giving a testimony of his interaction with jesus what is it that should impact us as we interact how should uh the interaction with jesus impact our lives as it relates to us having joy it should be a relational experience that brings joy to each one of us and in fellowshipping with god we have that kind of bond that will bring joy and because jesus is the one who gives us that joy we have to ensure that we maintain that relationship so our joy will become full and full and full every day amen amen as we look at verse 1 it says that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes so it brings me back to genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 where after men's sin that god made a promise that he would send a redeemer a deliverer and so all through the ages uh elder carl um we have been looking forward with anticipation about this uh savior that would come and so here john is uh now expressing the fact that yes we have always been looking but now we've seen yeah and it it shows the relationship that john had with jesus in that he came to realize that this was a manifestation of what they've always been looking for from the beginning and what they've heard but then it also gives us an understanding that john is saying this is not something i have heard about i've heard about it but i've also seen it i've seen it but i've also been a witness to jesus christ himself and had the relationship with him personally so having had that relationship i'm able to testify fully what that what what joy is brought to my life as a result of knowing him so it's making it very personal and he's using that personal testimony to to inspire those are those within his hearing that this is something that they too can also experience amen amen and uh sandra as we look at uh john chapter 15 uh verse 11 uh i i noticed there uh that and this is jesus speaking and maybe john is really echoing uh i think what what uh jesus had said earlier in in john chapter 15 and verse 11 he says these things have i spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full and so here uh uh in in first john chapter one verse four he's also talked about that fullness of joy that we receive but my my question is you know as we look at john chapter 15 there are certain things that that jesus was speaking about what are some of those things that uh that he was speaking about that uh allowed him to to really say to those back then uh i'm saying this thing that your joy might be for if we look at verse seven of that same chapter he said if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you so he is basically saying abide in me and i in you your joy will be full because this relationship will be ongoing your joy will be full when we are always in connection and he wants us to remember that amen so uh carl it seems like god is really saying to us that when we nurture that relationship that we have with him the outgoing of that is going to be that our joy become complete yes interestingly in first john 1 verse 7 it also says if you walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another so it's still going back to that completeness that we spoke about earlier um coming out of the relationship that jesus christ has with those who he who abide in him he will abide with them and there will be a completeness of oneness between the two of them and because of that oneness there is joy on the part of the of the the human believer amen amen all right now we uh we we want to talk about uh this thing called guilt now the the topic of the lesson is guilt of this section on monday is guilt free guilt-free sergeant what do you think causes guilt why does somebody have guilt actually guilt comes from things that we have done that are not right in god's eyes and we realize to the prompting of the holy spirit of course that we have done something wrong and it caused us to feel guilty but if i may add elder yes um as christians we don't have to carry that guilt because as soon as we realize that we have sinned we have an advocate we can go to the father ask forgiveness and he'll forgive us and sometimes when god sets us free it's it's we're sometimes just so hard on ourselves we don't want to forgive ourselves so we still carry that guilt god doesn't want us to carry guilt after we have confessed to him he wants us to live guilt-free as his children oh praise the lord and there's a promise that god makes in in romans chapter 8 and verse 1 where it says there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in christ jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit so as we look at this text it it it seems to suggest here that as long as we're connected to christ there's an element of faith uh carl that we have to have uh to say that uh when i kneel down on and or when i pray and ask for forgiveness that i must believe in faith that god is doing what he said he's gonna do um there is and um i was just reflecting on a sabbath school lesson from a couple of weeks ago where we where we spoke about the covenant and the covenant the new covenant being written the law being written in our hearts so it is okay to actually recognize when there is transgression and that's because the law is written in our hearts but it's also even better as romans 8 verse 1 puts it that there's no condemnation for what you have done in that there is redemption for what um there's a there's a path of redemption for you regardless of what you've done and that path of redemption begins with jesus christ and having that relationship with uh him senator you read uh ii corinthians 5 and verse 21 and verse 21 21 and it reads for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of god in him so as we you know i don't i don't want to jump uh too fast beyond this text because when we read uh romans chapter eight and verse one uh where uh paul is really expressing uh the fact that there's now no condemnation uh we have to you know kind of go back up to verse to chapter 7 of romans 8 where you know paul is really expressing uh this this battle that's going on as he tries to do right and he says i think he says the good that i would i don't do and the the the evil that i would not that's what i do and then he the bible says he cries out to god he says all wretched man that i am and so the the what i'm gathering from that is that the devil is always going to try to to condemn us uh and and let us feel that we are no good but uh praise god as we uh as we have read uh second corinthians 5 and verse 21 and the bible is saying that jesus christ has taken our sins so there is no need for guilt isn't that right it's all right and if i may just jump in elder um there is no no no no condemnation to them okay which are in christ jesus so if we want to live conde condemnation free or free from condemnation we have to live in christ jesus we should not walk after the flesh but we also always seek to walk after the spirit because is that spirit that actually sets us free from the condemnation so can we elaborate a little bit uh uh carl on what does it mean to walk after the flesh to walk after the flesh means that you're continuing to go after the things that you should not so much like what paul mentioned um and you just quoted right in that the things that i should not do is what i do but what you what what you actually have is that um if you have a relationship with jesus christ you will continue to have that conviction that wrong is wrong and right is right and you would want to walk after the right the next thing that that it comes out in in second corinthians 5 verse 21 um it really and this is what is um recorded in the lesson study if i could um read here for a moment it says that this does not mean denying the reality of sin in our lives it means instead because of the covenant relationship we have with the lord we no longer live under the condemnation of that sin and i think that is uh that is something to be absolutely excited about and that's what we we look forward to as christians then it says here that jesus paid the penalty for us and he now stands in the presence of the father pleading his own blood on our behalf presenting his own righteousness instead of our sins amen amen i don't want it to uh actually read uh romans chapter 8 and verse 34 where it says uh who is he that condemneth and that question is uh to to us when we when we are feeling guilty it says it is christ that died yeah rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of god also making intercession for us and so when we uh come to christ when we when we pray when we ask forgiveness we can know and understand that there's someone up in the heaven that is working on our behalf and that should get us excited so if you're out there and you think that you are no good that you you're a sinner you're condemned just understand that if condemnation comes it's not on the part of christ but it's on the part of the devil there's also something i read into that in that yes um it's asking you who is it that condemns yeah who can condemn except the one who gives the law and if if it's god who gave the law and he's saying that there's no condemnation then who else can actually bring this bring that to you and make you guilt um guilty no one and and that's where i think we we should um get a lot of assurance from that jesus himself says we he's not there's no condemnation and all you have to do is abide in me confess your sins and then you will be set free amen amen amen sandra you have any additional thoughts that you wanted to share i think we're good with the monday okay all right let's uh go on to tuesday we talk about new covenant and new heart new covenant and new heart and the the text here uh is in ephesians chapter 3 verses 17 through 19 and it says that christ may dwell in your heart by faith that he being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and depth and height and to know the love of christ which passeth knowledge that he might be filled with all the fullness of god so sister sandra as we look at this text um uh there's something that that i think is important here and that is that word dwell talk to us about uh being dwelling mr mike use the mind to dwell means to live to abide to reside so when when um it says that christ made dwell in our hearts it's actually telling us like let christ dwell in your heart live in your heart abide in our hearts and of course if christ abides in our hearts and out of the of the heart whatever comes out of the mouth or the mind or action is actually coming from our hearts so if god abides in our heart then of course whatever comes out will be godly stuff carl yeah and i'll just i'll just go forward to what's said there next in the text that is definitely assuring to me that god is love in that by dwelling in our hearts we are assured and we understand what love is and not only do we know what love is if you're trying to somehow put love in a box and understand what the dimensions are it is actually saying here in ephesians 3 um verse 17 through 19 that you will know as a result and you will know with a surety what the breath what the length the depth the height of what that love is that christ displays for you and then it goes further which is really exciting in that even though we've now put love in a box and now we know what love of christ is it's even telling us that we still can't understand it it still passes our knowledge so that's what's being said here in ephesians that i i think helps us to understand that there is just a love that is beyond even our imagination that god has us for us amen i i there are two words in here uh that we certainly wanted thanks carl that we really wanted to focus on and that one is it's it's rooted and grounded talk to us about that rooted and grounded in love um if you dig a plant it has roots that goes way down that gives it the nutrients it need for survival and when we're if this this love it's basically it's not a surface love because with a surface love there's no stability but with this love that you'll be grounded or we would be grounded and rooted in it means we have a supply we have a source that keeps our love grounded and strong and um being fed by god amen amen so you know living in this world there's things that are shifting all the time there's uh you know there's nothing that's stable you know the stock market goes up and down right uh but here uh you know when it comes to christ we have to be committed uh for the long haul so uh whether you know our life is good or whether things in our lives are going good or bad we have to know that we can anchor ourselves in this love in this christ that has done so much for us and before you move on i like the part that also says may that um being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints so we're not we're not i'm in this love grounding by ourselves there are saints that are rooted and grounded also so we have that support that human support that says um we are not just in this by ourselves but we have fellow brethren who are fellowshipping with us in the same rooted and grounded love that we find in christ is that why paul says do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the matter of psalmist but what yes coming together as we see the day approaching amen all right uh let's let's look at um uh ezekiel uh chapter 36 and verse 26 as we talk about this this new heart and what god wants to do for us um ezekiel chapter 36 and verse 26 36 and verse well actually verse 25 and 26 we want to read okay and it reads from the king james version 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 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 that pardon me and i will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them all right thank you so much so uh carl as we look at verse 25 talk to us about uh what uh jumps out of you in that text and how it relates to uh giving a new heart well we know that as sinners we are not clean and we know that it's through only jesus christ and through um the the saving grace that that he has that we are able to be clean now verse 25 of ezekiel 36 is telling us that he will sprinkle this clean water upon us all right then we shall be clean um so that's where that's that's the beginning of it it is giving us the opportunity to access cleanliness okay all right so let's just kind of pause there for a minute and uh you know when we talk about water uh in the bible um it is what does it talk about sandra is what what is that water that's washing us all the time um well um uh jesus is the water he or he supplies that culture that um keeps us clean okay uh all right thank you for that quenches our thirst i would say i was you know in ephesians i think it talks about uh washing off the water by the word right so as we uh get into this covenant relationship with with christ uh part of that relationship is really studying his word becoming acquainted with it and as we study as we continue to uh to read his word and to particip participate in the practice of his word then we we start being washed you know so there's you know there's a change that is is taking place so the bible says if any man be in christ he becomes a new creature all things are passed away and the reason why those old things are passing away is because we're ever abiding in his word and ever uh studying his word so so what you're saying it sounds like as he cleans us yes then he's also doing other things in our lives so he so that's why verse 26 of ezekiel 36 follows and that after he cleans you of the filthiness of the sin of the idols that that and that all these things that so easily beset you it says a new heart also we like yes but it doesn't even stop there it says on your spirit no it tells you it's a new spirit because now the things that you do will be different yeah from what you were doing before so now you will be living the covenant life as this um week's lesson is actually entitled this is how um everything comes back together that jesus is enabling you to um to be a new creature amen sandra you wanted to add something to that yeah i was just looking at sprinkle and if if we look at something that's dirty yeah and if we just go into a one-time sprinkle will it get clean probably not no but god says he will sprinkle continually sprinkling us with his words sprinkle us with his love sprinkles so we will eventually become cleaner and cleaner and cleaner because we we won't totally get seen sinless with one um reading or one word but it is constant reading this word will be seen less we seamless so we get a little cleaner with a little more sprinkle that he continues to sprinkle us with his words sprinkle sprinkles and to become cleaner and cleaner and find ourselves cleansed amen i like the way that you put that it says uh we are not sinless but uh as we continue to uh interact with christ we sin less and less right and uh you know that's really the process of sanctification right it's it's it's a process of a lifetime we're trying we're we're we're in our relationship with god we're we're getting better and better uh every every day all right let's uh look at uh the new covenant and eternal and eternal life and this uh or our key text here is uh luke i'm sorry john chapter 11 verse 25 and 26. carl you want to read that first please yes son it reads i am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die all right so here uh jesus is saying to all of us i am the resurrection and the life how critical is that carl as we look at this this word resurrection and as it relates to us as human beings well from the very beginning when um the when sin entered the human race and uh it was give it was a given that there will be death all right now at that point in time it was also promised that there will be a redeemer someone who will be able to turn the trajectory of human race and mankind from just death now what is this saying here in john 11 is that that individual that being that entity that is able to do that is the one who's saying i am the resurrection and the life so that is the assurance being given to us from jesus christ that he is the one who's able to to to make that change um in our trajectory uh sandra any additional thoughts yeah with um the new covenant and eternal life um that was all fulfilled when um in jesus and um the memory text for the week says i am calm that we may all have life so when jesus came of course he came to fulfill this new covenant and he died he lived and died and was resurrected and in his life because he's the first fruit of those who rose in his life we also have life everlasting our eternal life as it's put right here so in him the covenant is fulfilled in him also everlasting life is fulfilled yeah i i wrote in my thank you i wrote in my quarterly here um when we talk about eternal life it's i said it's a reversal of the dead sentence right so you know the bible says all have sinned and control of the glory of god and the wages of sin is death now the the text says uh you know i am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me uh now carla i want you to talk about this belief because the bible also says that the devil believes and trembles so um you know how does that impact our life when it says he who believes in me will uh live and if he dies um let's say let me read that it says he who believes in me will live even if he dies yes yes so it's an active belief okay um so as you rightly said the the devil also believes that there is god and he also believes what god he believes he knows what god can do right but this belief here is an active belief in that you are taking god at his world you're taking jesus at his word for what he can do for you um so your belief and the belief in jesus christ here allows us to access this eternal life that he already told us that he has for us right so that's that's the first thing i take away here but then i will also look at what um is expressed here in the lesson because one might wonder do i only access this gift this this gift of life that is given unto me in by believing in jesus only after i die right right right so i i think that's a question elder that maybe you guys address help us address so so so life uh really begins once we accept the life-giver as savior right and so we have this present continuous uh existence right and so eternal life really starts when we have accepted jesus christ as our personal savior and so death now becomes just an a little interruption in that life amen right and so we can be excited that when the bible says we will never die so the bible really uh talks to us that death really is asleep right so you go to bed tonight and you don't wake up but the next time that you open your eyes as long as you're connected to this uh life giver uh you're gonna see jesus coming in the clouds and he's calling your name and you're just gonna rise in newness of life yes i like the fact too that the verse brought to the point that it's not to just um a certain group it says and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die so um it's not to black or white or jews or greek it's to every human being who chooses to live in christ that will have access to this eternal life and when he says um those who believe in him will never die he's speaking of the eternal death because he came to give eternal life he's speaking of that eternal death but that will come if we don't connect with the eternal life-giver amen now in the bible it talks about uh two resurrections so even though jesus is the rebel is the resurrection and the life uh he's gonna uh resurrect both the righteous and the wicked so it's important for us as we think about being resurrected what resurrection we are going to be in and so carl talk to us about those two resurrections well i certainly want to be in one of them and that that one is where i'm able to fulfill this promise that is given to me here okay only one of those resurrections would lead to an eternal life particularly after you die um so it goes back to what i was mentioning earlier regarding when we're able to access this eternal life that is spoken of here we're able to access it once we start believing in jesus christ and accepting accepting him as our savior so there are two dimensions to this eternal life there's the present dimension so while we are still mortals and still uh susceptible to what we refer to as death which the bible says is merely asleep but then there's a future dimension that happens after we're resurrected upon jesus return and that is when we're able to live forever and that's where eternal life and living with him is where we are able to access amen amen and in revelation chapter 2 and verse 11 the bible says you know talks about blessed and holy is he who had part in the in the in the first resurrection because on such the second death has no power and so uh for those out there um that's listening it's important for us to be connected to to christ to live for him so that uh when he comes uh the second time not the third time now he's gonna come the second time uh that uh he's gonna be able to call your name and my name and we'll be uh involved in the first resurrection because the bible says on such the second death hath no power and so let's all plan to be in the first resurrection amen amen now uh with this covenant and this new covenant there's a mission that we all must be involved in so sandra would you read matthew chapter 28 verse 19 through 20. and it reads therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you and lo i am with you always even until the end of the world amen amen and so uh uh there in this text uh there's a directive that the covenant maker is given to us and that is to go but we're not only going what is the purpose carl of going we are going to teach we are going to uh make sure that others know of the beauty of this relationship that we have with jesus christ we're going to ensure that all nations are knowledgeable of what they have access to and eternal life that um that jesus christ brings amen and so he says uh i'm going and and i want you to teach whatsoever i have commanded you and the the inference is that uh in sandra is that we need to be connected to christ we need to be learning from him before we're able even to go out and detail because someone can go on a mission but have the incorrect message right right and so the message is important because this is the message of love you know i have written in my calling it's a message of mercy it's a rescue mission that we're going on and that rescue mission is to call men from death to eternal life other thoughts yes um sometimes um teaching you teach you give the information so people become knowledgeable about what you're teaching or a particular subject but um it says teach them to observe so we're not giving you information here we're giving you information that you should actively use observing for example you're going to observe the laws you're going to observe all the things that god has commanded us to do and not to do you know so teach them to observe don't just teach them and leave them teach them to observe amen amen i hope that uh you have been blessed by the study of uh the word this morning we certainly have been excited uh to know that we can be connected to someone who can give us eternal life and that person is jesus christ i have a saying if you're not connected you cannot be resurrected and so let us all choose and decide this morning to be connected to the life-giver he's given us a covenant of love but we have a part to play we have to accept uh that relationship with jesus christ who is the life-giver amen thank you all for your participation this morning may god bless you as we continue to worship him in spirit and in truth i want to thank all the elders of hope for the outstanding job they did in leading the sabbath school lesson this morning as they talk about the covenant life a new covenant life of course the sabbath school theme this morning was a church built on a rock and i think as you listen to the eldest you should have come to the conclusion that a church built on a rock is a church led by jesus but a church filled with people living a covenant life people who are rooted and grounded in love people who are planning for the first resurrection and people who are empowered to go to go and share the gospel and i'm so excited that there are those who have recognized the need to be excited about the gospel of jesus christ you know the devil tried to close the church to destroy the church during the time of the pandemic and it's very unfortunate that some christians have even allowed the devil to have some measure of success by the way we have lived our lives and how we've conducted ourselves not loving as we should surely some have not been as honest with the lord as they should in returning the tithe and and the offering and many have neglected to use the opportunity to share the gospel we praise god for those who recognizing recognize that living a covenant life means that even during the pandemic or dare i say especially during the pandemic we needed to share the gospel we trust that you were blessed today by our presentation and of course the lesson this morning came to you from the elders of the hope church and this morning's sabbath school was presented by the hope seventh-day adventist church in bloomfield connecticut and at this time we just want to i want to ask you to pray with me as we close out our sabbath school father we are so thankful today for your love and for your goodness thank you lord that you have been with us thank you for the thousands who joined with us not only across our conference but around the world thank you for the word we receive and we pray now that you will use this word to water it nourish it so that lord we can continue to build that church your church upon the rock christ jesus i pray that you lord will consecrate us today to be your emissaries your witness we recognize that these are challenging times to be alive yet they're exciting times to be alive because we see the power of god working just as diligently as it has always worked to keep your people and we're so excited to be your people bless us now bless our conference bless our conference leadership bless the balance of today's program we pray with the forgiveness of our sins in jesus name amen thank you very much [Music] you know and then coming here my first day was really fun because everybody was really welcoming like no one really looked at me weird because of freshmen like everyone came around introduced themselves shared snaps it was really fun it made sense that maybe they're a bit of a family [Music] northeastern academy is a co-educational institution that provides christ-centered education to students grades 9 through 12 in a family-oriented environment we currently have two campuses one located in bronx new york and the other in matapan massachusetts [Music] okay the first one you're going to be writing on your paper is the word spring oh yeah please write the words northeastern academy's mission is to ensure that our students encounter god experience learning and are given opportunities to exercise leadership our well-rounded curriculum caters to the diverse needs of our students providing opportunities for growth and reinforcements [Applause] there is always something for every student at northeastern academy each child can choose from our wide variety of extracurricular activities and outreach opportunities the biggest draw for me to northeastern academy was the arts program we are enamored with the choir my daughters blossomed into great singers at the academy northeastern academy is committed to teaching the whole child preparing them for service in their communities future careers and the church ministry more than recommend northeastern academy for your child if you want them to gain a holistic experience with a family-like atmosphere where their spirituality and academic gifts are encouraged and nurtured thank you [Music] thanks to your fervent prayers pine forge academy is strong and the faculty and staff remain kovic 19 free we are looking forward to an exciting future providing excellence in christian education to students the pfa spirit doesn't live on campus it lives within us no matter where we are we are connected no matter where we are we are learning no matter where we are we are excelling and no matter where we are we are together as we look towards the future pine forge's health and safety are we are prepared for action our academics are prepared for achievement our finances are prepared for affordability and we are prepared for acceleration join us now as the legacy lives on we are pine forge academy strong we are pine forge academy strong we are prime forge academy strong we are pine forge academy strong we are pine forge academy strong join us now as the legacy lives on we are pine ford strong god is on our side our alumni are on our side we will remain open for you and for generations to come if we ever needed the lord before we need him right now we solicit your prayers for the academy as we pray for you and your family thank you and we are asking you to please please stay safe [Music] welcome to oakwood university's newly renovated department of biological sciences located in cooper complex building one the department of biological sciences makes up a large part of the school of arts and sciences and has been nationally recognized for developing successful students for graduate and professional school [Music] our laboratories and research facilities feature state-of-the-art equipment to ensure that our students are fully prepared for their future careers [Music] our faculty consist of trained research scientists medical doctors and public health officials offering a wide range of expertise [Music] [Music] the department offers a brand new computer lab and lounge allowing our students to be able to study and form learning groups with their classmates we thank you for all your continued support prayers and contributions not only to the department of biological sciences but to oakwood university here is andrew's university a place of joyous beauty a place of unexpected discovery a place for unparalleled connections a place that nurtures your soul deepens your understanding and broadens your horizons [Music] andrews university embraces the world and gives back to the world it turns as a community to god in worship and celebrates his gifts through service it welcomes a youth and graduates a focused and committed adult a place always ready to break new ground always sharing the depth of the gospel story always enriching the personal stories of young people helping them bring color and hope into the lives of others [Music] yes andrews always has had a story to tell and today we will continue to forge that story we will explore intentionally inviting students to find their personal calling we will live wholly engaging the campus in making positive decisions for wellness we will embrace our amazing diversity we are more whole when we value different voices we will learn deeply in the arts stem architecture business health professions education and ministry we will create improved spaces and we will do it with faculty staff and students working and learning alongside each other and we will engage globally andrews in the world and the world of andrews our students will graduate as global citizens ready for challenges locally nationally and internationally yes andrews university has an amazing story to tell the ending is not yet written [Music] [Music] the word of god says that we must worship him in spirit and in truth and the truth is what we know is that god deserves all the glory all we honor and all the praise yeah how can i say thanks for the things you have done for me [Music] my [Music] to go [Music] [Music] foreign is [Music] is [Music] one of the things [Music] we worship you [Music] yes [Music] praise [Music] is oh great things i wonder praise the lord [Music] through jesus jesus [Music] all the glory the lord uh good morning i trust you have been enjoying earth camp meeting thus far i'm dr daley the health ministry director for conference and i'm here to remind you of a healing center that was established three years ago but before i do that i have two questions to ask are you looking for a beautiful place to go to relax rest and detox a place where you will find natural ways of preventing managing and reversing lifestyle diseases like diabetes hypertension obesity and cancer if you are well the healing center is for you it's right here it's in height part just uh three minutes away from camp victor lake as a matter of fact there's a trail from camp victory lake uh to uh the victory wellness center now how can you contact us uh you could visit us on facebook at victorywellness.org you can also um call us at 845-4449 or you can email us info victory wellness dot org so i encourage you to keep on praying for us visit the center contact the center uh send your family and friends to the center and god is going to bless you for remember our health is our greatest wealth and at the victory wellness center i will help you to enhance your health god bless you have a happy and healthy sabbath day [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the spirit of the lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised look for 18. [Music] for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son [Music] god that he gave his only begotten son [Music] me [Music] [Music] the world so loved the world [Music] is but that the world through him might be saved my [Music] [Music] is [Music] for deeper [Music] [Applause] [Music] right [Music] the world god so loved the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] the marketplace is empty no more traffic in the streets all the builders tools are silent no more time to harvest sweet busy housewives cease their labor in the courtroom no debate where god earth has been suspended as the king [Music] i just heard the trumpet sounding and now his face is king is coming praise god he's coming for me [Music] happy faces are gonna line the hallways for those whose lives that he has mended those from prison he'll set free [Music] broken and ruined the king is coming i just heard the trumpet sounding and now this face i see the king is coming the king is coming praise god he's coming for me [Music] i can [Music] spells the [Music] all in place [Music] is [Music] is [Music] the king is coming praise god praise god [Music] [Music] [Applause] ah to us [Music] me [Music] crazy [Applause] i will save unto him [Music] [Applause] [Music] everlasting is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] us [Applause] [Music] [Applause] make a joyful noise to the lord all ye lands serve the lord with gladness come before his presence with singing know that the lord he is god it is he who has made us and not we ourselves we are his people and the ship of his pasture enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise be thankful unto him and bless his name for the lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth and joyf to all generations let me invite those who are in the building and those who are worshiping with us via social media this time to pause as we approach the throne of grace shall we pray father god we come before you on this beautiful sabbath morning i want to thank your god for your goodness and your providence in our lives as we gather god in this building and on social media platforms we come to worship you for who you are you have been good to us you have kept us from last year until this time and as we come god to worship you in spirit and in truth may as the praises go up your blessings come down we ask today god that you'll have your way during this service may everything that is said and done meets your approval and with all is said and done o god may you be glorified and may somebody be blessed have your way throughout this service and save us for we ask these mercies in jesus name let god's people say amen [Music] the rock the living rock on jesus the rock of ages so shall we abide the fearful [Music] rages [Music] the mighty run [Music] on visions on the waves [Music] rock [Music] found it its hope is [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you lebanon's men's chorale for that beautiful selection it is a joy and a pleasure today to welcome the saints of the northeastern conference from buffalo to boston from rhode island to staten island scattered across seven states 60 000 believers to the glory of god and today it is a special day because it is that wonderful time of the year when we gather for cat meeting the circumstances of the last year and a half have prevented us from gathering physically but god has allowed us to move forward and worship together and fellowship together in spirit and truth via technology today we concentrate on the theme built on the rock we are a church that has been built on the rock how do we know because the storm the pandemic has tossed us about the storm has come but at the end of the day the church stood because it was built on jesus christ and so today we want to say thank you to our brothers and sisters throughout the entire territory who have sustained their local congregations through their prayers through their stewardship through their presence and as a result the northeastern conference has not flourished you've heard me say before perhaps that if a year and a half ago someone said to me pastor honore all your churches and all your schools will be shut down for over a year i would have thought we would have collapsed but jesus pulled us through he is our foundation he is our rock in the time of storm and we have come through with flying colors our pastors have worked over seven nearly 700 souls were baptized last year in the middle of a pandemic we did have a small time drop but god was good to us and we have not had to lay off a single worker in the northeastern conference and that is because of the faithfulness of believers like you everywhere who remain faithful to god no matter what so yes northeastern is a church built on the rock today we want to express our gratitude to the mount vernon seventh-day adventist church to its pastors pastor eddie laguerre and pastor gregory nelson for hosting us and giving us a platform from which we can convene the saints of the northeastern conference thank you mount vernon we also want to share with you that this week our executive committee met and lifted all the restrictions for covet-related restrictions in our field that means that it is now up to local congregations and their boards to decide when and how to open our prayer is that we all of our churches will soon be worshipping and person it calls for common sense it calls for us to be wise and how we do it but we want to see the brothers and sisters coming back together again my friends today is a special sabbath you will hear a delightful delectable message founded on the word of god on jesus our rock it is my prayer that you will be edified that your soul will be nourished and that you will be in a closer relationship with god as a result of the time you spend with him here at camp meeting may god bless you and keep you next habit it is our hope to share with you the plans that have been drawn for a new pavilion at camp victory lake the final touches are being put on but next sabbath i'll share more of that information with you god bless you and keep you and have a wonderful beautiful sabbath in the lord remember we are the church built on the rock happy sabbath to all of you and those who are watching by internet in the in your living room on your patio with your church happy sabbath to all of you i greet you in the matchless name of jesus christ our soon-coming king welcome to our second virtual camp meeting we are so happy you have joined us in the territory of the northeastern conference which includes the wonderful states of new york connecticut massachusetts new hampshire rhode island vermont and maine we're also happy to have our friends brothers and sisters from around the world joining us on this glorious and special sabbath day welcome to you who are watching this service on the internet to all of our pastors dedicated pastors in our conference teachers dedicated teachers support staff and friends we hope that this day will be a blessing to all of you i want to declare to you today that our conference has been has continued to be guided by god and by the administrative team we thank you for your prayers and your support we serve you though we are still in a global pandemic god has remained faithful to us we mourn the loss of our faithful members and friends for the past year yet we thank god for his continued mercy upon us god still is and it gives us a hopeful future i'm very happy to share with you that our conference remains strong indeed strong despite the varied challenges of the day the mission of god is being fulfilled we have over 60 000 members with 184 organized churches 24 organized missions and many small groups around the field our infrastructure is building up phenomenally thus we are strengthened to do the mission of god and i praise god today despite the current climate and economic challenges in our world we have witnessed many churches without homes being housed we're also thankful for the birth of new small groups expanding the kingdom of god and i say glory hallelujah god is at work we thank god and we thank you for making all these things happen the conference has been blessed by your faithfulness and steady leadership stewardship despite the unemployment reality of the nation each day and i must pause here each day i see god at work doing what he does best creating new opportunities for his people pouring out his unspeakable blessings upon us upon you our theme this year the church yes the church built on the rock indeed we are firm steadfast unmovable unshakable my friends i am an eternal optimist should always be optimists because we are the church built on the rock of christ nothing can break us no rain no wind no storm we are the church built on the rock of christ jesus hear me if you're listening watching in the caribbean in europe somewhere in brooklyn or queens long island or in the privacy of your home some people see hurt but we see healing some people see what is wrong we see what is right some people see what we lack but we see what we have some people see what is ugly but we see what is beautiful some people see adversities but we see adventurous some people see problems but we see possibilities we are possibility thinkers as a christian you are a possibility thinker we see god at work even in this pandemic god has been faithful to us he has been good to you so today we rejoice we praise we give our thanks we magnify the lord we shout hallelujah today we give god thanks on this glorious sabbath day northeastern northeastern it is my prayer today that when we leave this special virtual camp meeting service we will be inspired to return to work to do the work that god has called us to do it is time to preach the gospel it is time to lift up christ it is time to point men and women to the cross of jesus christ it is time to stay focused because the church built on the rock is eternity bound may god bless you may god keep you god loves you and so do we good morning northeastern we're so grateful and thankful and happy to be here today to enjoy another camp meeting virtual though it be we're here to worship and to praise god as have been noted by my fellow administrators we we celebrate on the theme this year a church built on the rock i don't believe that that theme just dropped out of the sky but that theme it was necessary because of our experience this past year and a half that we realized that no matter how we felt and thought things may have been going we see today that we are a church because we are god's church built on a rock as i look at that rock metaphor i want to just share with our constituents our friends i guess and all those who just happen to tune in today maybe you just tuned in to hear the beautiful music or you're waiting on the beautiful sermon but northeastern is ecstatic today because god has done something great for us [Music] we praise god that we were prepared for the storm amen you see you you you don't wait until the storm come to get ready for it so we were prepared for the song jesus christ instructs us to be ready because we do not know when the storm is coming we do not know he said when the thief is coming you know and i thought about it as i was listening thinking about what i'm saying here to you today is that we look back and we see the pandemic and we see what we what we were going through and we see that we were not even looking for this to happen and it came upon us but the thought that i wanted to just mention right now is what jesus says you do not know when i'm coming so you may want to be ready for a pandemic but you need to be ready for when the skies break open and jesus comes and he says when that began to happen you probably you wouldn't even know the church the encouragement from your administration encouragement from your people today is that we need to be ready amen and even more so we're ready for when jesus comes you see when we enter into the pandemic storm we were ready [Music] we confidently and i say this to you i'm the newest member of this team but i say it to you as i as we sat in our administrative meeting we did not flinch we did not get all upset and concerned we were ready because god in the previous year had made us ready he had allowed us when you read in the bible about the storm about the um the built on the rock we would we had already dug deep he had already prepared the foundation because god knew what was coming so when the time came we confidently took the storm we confidently knowing that jesus was with us we grabbed the stern and we traveled through the storm and as i think about it now in retrospect i realized dr honore and dr ewell that jesus was in the boat with us [Music] that jesus had prepared us to to take the stern and just go with it and that's what we did i do not remember a phone call that told me elder chandler what are we going to do next week how are we going to fear but we took it and we went through the storm and as we was traveling through the storm i want to tell you eventually we began to see the sun in the horizon amen somebody we began to see that it was going to be clear pretty soon and all of a sudden as jesus stood up and said peace be still the storm ceased [Music] and as the storm ceased [Music] we looked around and we saw that there were a lot of boats in the storm with us amen brothers and sisters we saw that there were many churches still standing through the storm we saw you all the constituent members of northeastern conference we saw that you were going through the storm with us amen amen amen and we saw that when we when the storms stopped we looked out oh there's always a little storm damage [Music] but we were not my brothers and sisters we were not destroyed oh yes we had as the secretary alluded to we had some illnesses we had some deaths we had some loss of jobs but when the storm subsided we were standing and the only reason we stand is because we are the church we are the church we are the church built on the rock christ jesus god bless you as we worship together today enjoy every moment of this service and allow jesus to guide you through whatever you're going through right now and be faithful and confident that we you and i are the church built on the rock god bless [Music] i worship keep light in the darkness my god that is who you are you are here turning lives around [Music] [Music] i worship you yes [Music] we make miracle work promise keep light in the darkness [Music] we make a miracle work promise keep light in the darkness my god that is who you are you are here and you are touching every heart [Music] i [Music] you are here you are here [Music] [Music] [Music] that is god is who you are [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we make [Music] [Music] even when [Music] [Music] [Music] you never stop working you'll never stop you never stop working you never stop [Music] that is light in the darkness [Music] is [Music] thank you lord lord i love you more than anything no matter what i earn in this life no matter what i do in this life lord i know i love you more than anything hallelujah [Music] you you reign on the throne for you are god and god alone because of you my cloudy days are gone and i can sing to you this song i just wanna say that i love you more than anything [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Music] and we can [Music] more than anything [Music] [Applause] when all my friends were gone you are right there hallelujah [Music] that i love you more than anything more than anything sing i love [Music] just want to tell you [Music] more than silver or gold sing i love you jesus [Music] who you are [Music] oh i think you got it now come on and sing with us [Music] i just want to tell you [Music] [Applause] take some time to tell us just want to tell you lord [Music] [Music] is than anything yes lord i love you the scripture reading for today comes to us from luke chapter 6 verses 47 to 49 and i shall be reading from the new living translation it says i will show you what it's like when someone comes to me listens to my teaching and then follows it it is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock when the flood waters rise and break against that house it stands firm because it is well built but anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground without a foundation when the floods sweep down against that house it will collapse into a heap of ruins here ends the scripture reading may god grant to us the understanding of his word [Music] here i am [Music] [Music] surrendering [Music] we have come to talk to our maker and our king a god who has been faithful a god who has provided protected us and kept us safe since the last time we met in this fashion and so right at this time i want for you to turn your attention heaven warm boil your heads with me right now father in heaven we come this morning recognizing oh lord that you are creator you are the alpha you're the megan the beginning and the ending we recognize oh lord that we can't walk unless you walk before us we can't do anything unless you motivate us to do so but we come this morning because you have invited us into your presence we recognize oh lord that in your presence there is fullness of joy and at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore you said that we should come boldly to the throne of grace where we can find the hell in our times of need so we come this morning recognizing our needs we want a place before you this morning family members church members pastors and their families who have been through a rough time still going through a challenging time persons who have been falling healed hill because of the scoville virus persons who have had complications we pray for families who have lost loved one who are still grieving at the foot of the cross and at the feet of jesus we tell you thanks because you are worthy to be praised life could have been worse had it not been for the god who has helped us through the pandemic we thank you lord that the church is growing not only numerically but financially we want to thank you for or administrators or conference president or executive secretary or treasurer all departmental directors and their staff administrative assistant or or pastors in the field we thank you for their services we thank you lord that you have kept them together and that through your divine providence that the church continues to move forward lord we recognize that we have not been as faithful as we should have been and so we ask for your divine forgiveness even at this time we ask that you will mold us that you will make us and that we will walk in your divine status we will walk in your path the path that leads to life everlasting we pray that you will bless each aspect of this program here today each participant each member each church lord put your divine blessings upon us and so that we won't have room enough to receive it bless your man's servant as he proclaims your word today may our hearts be blessed and may we be brought closer to the foot of the cross and to the feet of jesus this is our prayer in the wonderful and precious name of jesus that god's people say amen and [Music] amen [Music] i want to know you i want to know more what more can god do that he has not yet done what else can he give that he has not yet given how much more can he improve on his love for humanity he left the splendor of heaven knowing his destiny he gave his only begotten son laying down his life for you and for me and he spilt his precious blood on calvary for it is god the bible says who gives you and gives us the ability and the power to get to gain and even to produce wealth and also to be successful in life would you then give back to god just a portion of what he has given to you there is an injunction in luke 3 verse 38 give and you will receive your gift will return to you in full pressed down shaken together to make room for more running over and poured into your lap the amount you give will determine the amount you get back so i encourage you today to give back to god give to mission give to evangelism and the overall work of soul winning give to adventist community services and disaster response give to conference wide development for you know the grace of our lord jesus christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich so therefore bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house test me god says in this test me today see if i will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing without measure i will rebuke the devourer for your for you so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land and the wine in your field will not fail to produce fruit says the lord of hosts thank you oh god for giving and sacrificing so much for us that we are now inspired to make a covenant to you by sacrifice continue to bless and continue to multiply the gifts and the givers in jesus most holy name we must humbly pray and with thanksgiving amen and amen [Music] hmm uh [Music] know [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] him with [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] christmas [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] my [Music] [Music] r [Music] his glories [Music] is down [Music] is [Music] oh is is with me let god's people say amen crown him with many crowns the moment has come for us to hear the word of god and that word is being delivered today by his emissary dr david mckenzie pastor mckenzie is a son of the land of many watchers the beautiful country of guyana where he grew and developed and felt that call to ministry and during his ministry in guyana he pastored close to 35 churches his ministry continued here in the united states following his graduate education at andrews university where he obtained his doctorate in ministry he was called to serve here in the northeastern conference for many years he pastored the lighthouse church in brooklyn from there god called him to serve at the flat bush church and because of his talents and potential the brethren recognized in him the leadership potential and he was called to serve as the youth director of the northeastern conference a task which he accomplished with distinction and you know when you're a child of god and you're excelling uh people can't help but notice that so he was taken from us and he is now the youth director of the atlantic union conference overseeing youth ministries and our vast territory of this union elder mackenzie is a humble lovable servant of god he is a man of prayer every morning at six o'clock if you go on zoom you will find him leading hundreds of people throughout the united states the caribbean south america and moments of prayer because he believes in the power of prayer he is who he is today because next to him he has a loving and just as humble wife who loves serving the lord and who supports his ministry just the same she is a doctor bernice mckenzie a doctor of social work [Music] but speaking to her she put on those no heirs she's just humble like him and loves serving the lord they are the parents of two beautiful teenage children nathaniel who is a preacher in his own right and nya an aspiring and developing musician gifted by god they exemplify what it means to be a christian seventh-day adventist family so today it is a joy for us to welcome home dr david mckenzie as he shares the word of god may the lord open your hearts and minds to the guiding of his spirit as he uses his emissary to share that word next we will be hearing another wonderful selection from the ephesus ensemble and following that musical rendition the next voice you will hear is that of dr david mckenzie may god bless you [Music] jesus [Music] jesus is [Music] [Applause] [Music] i would not be a sinner i'll tell you the reason why i'm afraid my lord [Music] [Applause] [Music] i'll tell you the reason why i'm afraid my lord might call my name and i wouldn't be ready to die yes jesus is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is he is [Music] [Applause] [Music] has he ever stepped in just right on time has he ever picked you up when you were down has he ever placed your feet on solid ground then you know he is [Music] [Music] then you know he is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] a shelter in the time [Music] [Music] so happy sabbath northeastern i'll say this again happy sabbath northeastern conference and our viewers around the world it is a joy and a privilege to celebrate with you this our 2021 camp meeting hallelujah you know my brothers and sisters covet 19 took the world by storm but god manifested his power to keep his church on steady ground somebody say hallelujah northeastern conference is home and i'm happy to be home today you know brothers and sisters at the atlantic union we keep our ears on the ground and so over and over we will hear good news i heard i heard i heard how northeastern conference in the midst of this pandemic [Music] and other conferences were laid off workers cutting salary i heard our northeastern conference went through this pandemic without cutting one salary without laying off one worker isn't god good i heard brothers and sisters how the youth and young adults of this great conference continue to receive the support of the administrators i remember when i was while i was the youth director in the atlantic union our beloved president dr honore and executive secretary dr ul would call me in regularly how our youth and young adults how are they going we will spear nothing to ensure they receive what they need to make it to the kingdom my brothers and sisters i did not only hear about the youth and young adults i heard about our seniors [Music] you know my mom is a senior she's paralyzed at the moment she's viewing this live broadcast i have a soft spot for seniors and when i heard that northeastern conference built the towers 90 million plus to ensure that our seniors both in the church and in the community receive a place to rest i can't help but announce today northeastern god has blessed you in this part of the vineyard and we praise the lord for the leadership of this great conference dr honore dr uel and pastor chandler brothers and sisters i bring you greetings from the atlantic union administrators dr knight our president dr omlier dr zabala they sent their love and their support and just before i enter the word of god permit me also to bring greetings from my dear wife dr bernice mckenzie and children my son is preaching in the southern new england conference today they sent their love you did not bring me here to preamble you brought me to dive into the word and so i invite you at this time to bow your heads with me as we pray father thank you [Music] that in the midst of this pandemic the gospel can still be preached thank you that in the midst of this pandemic we can still fellowship thank you for this 2021 virtual camp meeting i ask lord that your spirit will bless every listener today both this weekend and next weekend thank you in jesus name we pray amen i invite you to turn with me to two passages of scripture matthew chapter 7 and we're reading from verse 24 unto 27 and luke chapter 6 verses 47 from verse 47 on to 49. it commenced with matthew 7 24-27 this is what it says therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and do it then i will lighten him unto a wise which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock and everyone that heareth these saiyans of mine and doeth them not shall be lightened onto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it luke 6 47-49 conveys the same story whosoever commit to me and heareth my saints and do with them i will show you to whom he's like he is like a man which built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock and when the flood arose the stream beat immediately upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock the message this morning is entitled still standing in keeping with your theme the church built on the rock the message still standing the passages read remind me of a story i heard and read some time ago bastille gear it was the first hand account of a family that lived on long island when the hurricane of 1938 unexpectedly hit the shore with devastating force the family's house was near the shore and as the wind and waves pummeled their home they didn't know if they would make it at one point they watched in horror as the neighbor's home was lifted off its foundation the foundation could no longer have held it in place or kept it standing and the entire house was swept out to sea never to be seen again what a storm i said what a storm one of the problems dr ul one of the problems historians tell us that contributed to the devastation of the storm of 1938 was the lack of an accurate forecast of the storm i say that again i'll say it again one of the problems historians tell us that contributed to the devastation of the storm of 1938 was the lack of an accurate forecast of the storm to allow folks [Music] to better prepare to be better prepared for nature's onslaught forecasting the storm is a survival imperative i said forecasting the storm is a survival imperative i wish somebody will type in the chat i need and accurate forecast machine chapters 5 to 7 contains the sayings of jesus this section of matthew is referred to as the sermon on the mount jesus concluded the sermon on the mount unlike any other he clinched he clinched the pertinent message from the mounts of vantage point with a weather forecast he warned that storms are coming i said one more time i said he warned that storms are coming uh my brothers and sisters he gave the forecast in the form of a parable two men two men had the same goal to build a house he spot his spotlight the individual result of each builder then he declared that one was foolish and the other was he then leaves the decision as to which example to follow in the hands of heroes my brothers and sisters i want you to tell somebody next to you everybody has a decision to make as to whose example they will follow jesus stole this parable dr honore jesus told this parable while in palestine in palestine it was common during the summer season to see several rivers drier leaving only an attractive bed of sand if you are not familiar with palestine you would never know that a river is there until the storms until the winter season accompanied by storms and rain returned in the rainy month of september my brothers and sisters in this parable jesus said to men two contractors saw the attractive bed of sound one attracted by the good vibes of the sandy terrain attracted by the external the looks of the sand are combined with his dispiritedness to dig a foundation he said i will build right here jesus said he was foolish i said jesus said he was foolish because his house only lasted for a time for a season for when the winter season returned the waters came tumbling down the riverbed accompanied by the winter storms and destroyed his house jesus said he was fooling because he made his decision based on the external foolish because he built his house only for a season foolish because he built his house on sand oh but the bible tells us that the wiser and visually insightful contractor when he saw the layout he said if i build here when the storms come my house will not stand i pray somebody in the hearing of my voice will look at the decisions you have to make and say if i build here i may enjoy it for a season but my house will not stand i pray that somebody will look at the relationship they're about to enter with all the red flags and say if i build here i may enjoy this for a season but my house will not stand i pray that somebody will look at the company they keep with all the negative influences and say if i continue to build here i may enjoy this for a season but my house will not stand my brothers and sisters when the wiser and visual insightful contractor when he saw the layout he said if i build here when the storms come my house will not stand and so i will take the time and make the effort to look for and build on something that will last a lifetime because when i build i don't build for a time i don't build for a season i build for a lifetime so i will look and find something to build on that will last a lifetime and that something is a rock is anybody listening to me my brothers and sisters i know we've got to go but permit me to leave with you three points from this forecast and sit down i call i call it the sfr s storms i said ask storm my brothers and sisters it doesn't matter who you are or where you are storms are coming our storms come into our lives either in the form of a calamity or a hardship or something else it might be a medical issue it might be a marital issue it might be a family issue my brothers and sisters whichever form they take everybody at some point in life will encounter storms but notice jesus used this storm in this parable to facilitate a teachable moment i said that one more time jesus used the storm in this battle to facilitate a teachable moment tell the person next to you god doesn't bring storms but he allows storms i said he allows storms to teach lessons of correction perfection or magnification correction oh my brothers and sisters sometimes in order for god to bring us back on the right path he allows certain things he allows certain things to come our way those are storms of correction and then sometimes god allows storms to perfect our faith in other words to take us to another level those are storms of perfection that's why the songwriter said i thank god for the mountains and i thank him for the valleys i thank him for the storms he brought me through for if i never had a problem i would know that god could solve them i wouldn't know what faith in god could do somebody help me through it all i through it all i've learned to trust in jesus i've learned to trust in god through it all through it all i have learned to depend upon his word and then sometimes god allows stones to magnify himself i said to magnify himself that's why he came walking in the midst of the storm on water i tell your neighbor i look the devil in the eyes and say devil i will come out of this and god's name will be glorified because god will be magnified in this now there is there is a reason why god told this parable spoke about this particular storm in the context of seasons for my brothers and sisters they are different approaches to storms there are storms you can resist in other words you can fight back you can conquer come to attack and gain the victory then there are storms you can review you can rebuke them in the name of jesus and they will flee from you but then there are stones that you can't resist you can't rebuke the only thing you can do is keep your eyes on jesus and endure the storm wait until the season is over for the storm is but for a season with this type of storm i said with this type of stone the believers mindset the believers determination must be this when this storm is over i must still be standing when this storm is over my faith will still be strong when this storm is over my eyes must still be on jesus tell your neighbor the storm is but for a season and when the storm is over you must still be standing because it will be over weeping may enjoy for a night but joy comes in the morning the storm will be over our god is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able but will with the temptation make a way of escape the storm will be over my brothers and sisters i stopped by here they will tell you that waters will rule waves will blow and hit against your house all the proverbial shorelines of your life may be battered by storms but always remember that the storm will be over it's only for a season and now look at this brothers and sisters jesus jesus spoke of two men i said two men representing the two groups of people in our world those who are in christ and those who are not those my brothers and sisters who are in the world and those in the church you name it but notice this the same storm hit both men both houses both groups equally hard can i tell somebody here today not only non-believers will have stones believers will do the only reason we are still here is not because we are better than anybody the only reason we are still in our right minds is not because the storm missed us the only reason we are still here is because of jesus tell somebody because of jesus i'm still here life is rough but because of jesus i'm still here the boss is on my back but because of jesus i am still here my family is in turmoil but because of jesus i am still here i've been knocked down but not knocked out because of jesus i am still here i've been troubled on every side but i'm still here i've been dragged in the sun talked about but i'm still here and it's because of jesus had it not been for the lord on my side where would i be his grace and mercy they brought me through i'm living each moment because of you tell your neighbor storms are coming storms are coming and if we are to stand we've got to be in jesus not only folks in the world will have stones listen to this game i said not only those in the world will have storms the church will have storms too the divine forecast prophesies that the church will have storms daniel 12 1 says there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was ever a nation the church will have stones revelation 7 1-3 says and after these things i saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth that the wind should not blow on the earth nor on the sea nor on any tree and i saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living god and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till i have sealed the servants of our god in their foreheads church storms are coming four winds that four angels are built in this world right now as we speak four angels are built in this world holding satan at bay keeping him from doing all he wants to do to you and to me and to this church but these angels will not always hold satan at bay the bible says god is sealing his people and when the ceiling is over the angels will lose the winds of strife i stopped by to tell somebody storms are coming and so this is no time to play church northeastern this is no time to play with your spiritual life jesus said in preparation for the story looking at the two men in the bible decide the example you will follow if you if your goal your desire is to be still standing when the season is over then like the wise man you've got to build on the rock i said you've got to build on the rock like the wise man you've got to build on a strong foundation i'm going to run through point number two my brothers and sisters point number two is foundation point number one storms storms are coming point number two you need a strong foundation my brothers and sisters one of the main emphasis in this bible is the importance of a strong foundation listen to this jesus said two men two builders two contractors represent the two groups of people in our world this tells me that everybody is in the building business i say that one more time i said everybody is in the building business everybody is building a house i said everybody is building a house house represents the totality of life your faith your career your your future your family everybody is building a life and everybody has a dream of the kind of life they want to build for themselves and for their children and for their families and for the church but this parable tells us that the success or failure of your life of one's house is dependent on the foundation you build on is anybody listening to the preacher and so i want to tell parents today give your children a good foundation i want to tell youth leaders today ensure you guide our youth and young adults in the lane of strong foundations i want to tell our church leaders today ensure you feed god's flock with the spiritual food they need to build a foundation for this life and the life to come somebody say hallelujah because foundation is important one lead contractor had this to say about foundations this is what he said this is what he said it may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process but your foundation is the most important part of your entire project the biggest reason for this is that any mistake you make in the foundation or any thought you overlook in the foundation will only get worse as you go up it is known as compounding defects and it means that mistakes grow i want to tell somebody the mistake people make in life is that we build our lives we build our future we build our families we build them on the wrong foundation jesus wanted to convey that you must not only build for building sake you must build to last jesus wanted to convey my brothers and sisters that we must build to last we must build to stand storms and so jesus said if you're going to build to stand stones then you not only must understand you need a strong foundation but you need to know how to build a strong foundation and so he said in verse 48 of luke 6 building on a strong foundation is like a man which built a house and digged deep somebody said dig deep and dig deep and laid the foundation upon a rock my brothers and sisters jesus said if you're gonna build on a strong foundation you've got to dig deep i said you've got to dig deep the greek says dig is a verb in the active voice which means it's not a past action it's not a future action it is a present continuous action did anybody hear me jesus was saying to build a strong foundation that will equip you to stand when the stresses of life are high when folks drag you in the sand when your back is against the wall when persecution comes away to build such a foundation you've got to dig deep dig deep in the spiritual disciplines of life my brothers and sisters what are the spiritual disciplines bible study bible study prayer fasting service worship if we're gonna build a strong foundation we've got to dig deep my brothers and sisters some folks want to build but don't want to dig deep or the greek says the two words dig deep comprise a single id digdy but the idea is twofold the builder dug through the sand and deepened into the solid rock which tells me to dig deep is not a superficial experience to dig deep my brothers and sisters it's not a fly-by-night experience to dig deep is not a surface experience to dig deep you've got to go beyond the surface is anybody listening to me i said to dig deep my brothers and sisters you've got to go beyond the surface this is why jesus said search the scriptures the word search means to go beyond the surface we've got to come to the place where we dig deep because i learned in construction if you want to go higher if you want to be stronger then you've got to go deeper did anybody hear that we're coming to a clue i said if you want to go higher and you want to be stronger then you've got to dig deeper the other day i read about the chinese bamboo they said it takes five years sometimes even longer before any sign of change above the ground is observed but after the waiting period it starts to grow and it can grow up to 90 feet tall in just six weeks that's about two feet each day oh my brothers and sisters how this remarkable growth was achieved well the answer is simple the roots took five years to dig deep and wide to experience massive growth at the shoots i want to tell somebody here today you've got to dig deep and wide you've got to dig deep and wide some folks want to grow spiritually but don't want to dig deep they want to build on emotions they want to build on the superficial experience of the moment the hype of the music the hype of the sermon they want they want to build on the superficial experience but i stopped by here there to tell somebody if you are going to grow tall if you're going to be strong spiritually you've got to move past the superficial experience and sink your will sink your life into the solid rock christ jesus we've got to close my brothers and sisters the first point storms are coming point number two we need strong foundations and point number three we've got to build on the rock brothers and sisters in this life we can either build on sand or we can build on the rock is anybody listening to me i said in this life we can either build on sand or we can build on the rock oh my brothers and sisters if we build on sand i said if we build on sand it means we are building on the things of this world but the things of this world are temporal and so building on sand means that you are building a temporary experience and so my brothers and sisters i want to tell somebody don't build on sand you've got to build on the rock somebody say hallelujah i said don't build on sand it will last for a moment don't build on positions folks will shout hosanna today and crucify you tomorrow don't build on prestige today you on the mountain tomorrow you in the valley don't build on possessions you can lose them in a moment don't build on pride as they don't build on pride it comes before a fall don't build on people they will change in a moment and so the greek says in this parable you've got to build on a rock but not any rock because not every rock provides the same foundation not every rock will last forever if you build on ignacious rocks they will melt with the heat of the volcano if you build on sedimentary rocks they will wash away with erosion if you build on metaphoric rocks you are building on shaky ground and so the greek says the rock here to build on is petra is everybody listening to me because petra is not just for a moment petra is not just for a time a petra is not just our solid physical rock petrol is a spiritual rock and we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against wickedness in high places and so the parable says don't build on petra don't build surrey on element on sedimentary rocks don't build on ignatius rocks build on petra you see petra is our humanity combined with divinity petra my brothers and sisters is a person his name is jesus and at the name of jesus every knee shall bow and every town shall confess that jesus christ is lord i rather have silver or gold i'd rather be his that have riches untold the parable says you've got to build on jesus i want to tell you this story and get out the pulpit my brothers and sisters i read a story the other day i said i read a story the other day a little boy was in a ship and the ship was caught in a terrible storm and the waves and the winds destroyed the ship one survivor i said one survivor and it was the little boy the little boy you see the waves swept him onto a rock i said the waves swept him onto a rock and he held on all night the next day the rescuers found him he was shivering and he was cold and one rescuer said to him boy the night must have been long boy you must have trembled all night and the boy looked at him in a shivering state and he said yes the night was long and cold yes i indeed trembled all that but i held on to the rock and the rock did not tremble i held on to the rock and the rock sheltered me from the storm i held on to the rock and the rock delivered me from death i held on to the rock had it not been for the rock i would not be here i want to tell somebody in the midst of your storm hold on i said hold on hold on to the rock hold on to the rock his name is jesus hold on to the rock your rock doesn't tremble he's a form foundation he kept those in the past safe and he will keep you too because he's the same god yesterday today and forevermore hold on to the rock your rock is a refuge in the time of trouble hold on to the rock the lords are rock in him we hide a shelter in the time of storm hold on to the rock your rock is a delivering rock he delivered moses by the red sea he delivered joseph from a pit he delivered samson from captivity he delivered shadrach meshach and abednego from a bird in fiery furnace he delivered danielle from a den he delivered esther from the king he delivered john from a drum of boiling oil he delivered this world from sin and one day i said one day soon and very soon we're gonna see this rock somebody say hallelujah but now we are serving him by faith but one day faith will give way to sight what a day it will be the clouds will be rolled back like a scroll somebody say hallelujah somebody say praise the lord uh suddenly i said suddenly we will see a cloud about the size of a man's hand coming from the direction of the constellation orion as the crowd gets closer we will see it's not just a cloud it's a band of angels and sitting on that cloud is our rock somebody say hallelujah right on king jesus right on no man will hold it back right on king jesus right on the trump of god will sound and the dead in christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up i said shall be caught up to meet the lord in the air and we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye no more arthritis no more credit cards no more church boards no more business meetings somebody say hallelujah no more storms we shall be changed but until then hide yourself in the rock christ jesus until then you've got to build on jesus build your faith build your spirituality build your family build your church build your life somebody say hallelujah because he's a strong foundation hallelujah i want to pray for somebody today i want to pray for somebody today somebody viewing this message you've been building on ignatius rocks you'll be you've been building on rocks that could melt you've been building on sedimentary rocks you watched people that commit to you just wash away you've been building on metaphoric rocks shaky ground but today i said today the call is for you to build on jesus he is petra the solid rock if you build on him you will stand now and you will stand the storms to come to build on jesus you've got to give your life to jesus he said if you love me keep my commandments he said if you love me follow me i want to call for somebody in the hearing of my voice you've not yet given your life to jesus you want to say pastor pray for me pray for me that i will come over to jesus and build on the rock christ jesus i want to pray for somebody today who's going through some storm you want to say pastor pray for me pray for me as my brother sings this song i want you wherever you are to adopt an appropriate prayer posture and say pastor pray for me god bless you [Music] though the storms keep on raging in my life [Music] and sometimes it's hard to tell the night from [Music] still that hope that lies within israel assured i keep my eyes upon the distant shore i know he'll lead me safely to that blessed place he has prepared but if the storms don't see and just in case the winds keep on they keep blowing in my life my soul has been it's been angered in the lord in the lord in the lord yes i realize that sometimes in this life we're gonna be tossed by the waves and the currents that seem so fierce my lord but in the word that keeps me steadfast and unmovable despite the tides oh but if the songs don't [Music] cease and just in case the winds they keep on they keep blowing and blowing in my life my soul has been [Music] though the bellows may roll and the breakers may dash but i shall not sway because she holds me fast short of the days and clouds in the sky i know it's all right because the lord is not my soul my my my my soul has been my soul has been [Laughter] [Music] life [Music] hallelujah hallelujah my brothers and sisters if you want to anchor your soul in the lord today adopt an appropriate prayer posture as we call our executive secretary of the northeastern conference spiritual leader dr ul to pray for god's people across the northeastern conference and all our viewers dr uel [Music] oh god what a word what a message a timely and fitting message we are so thankful of god for what you have shared with us you've touched our hearts you have moved us you have challenged us you've given us an opportunity for our souls to be anchored in you and you alone take us oh god mold us fashioned us make us better than we were yesterday [Music] make us strong strong as a rock firm unmovable unshakable forgive us of our sins cleanse us from all unrighteousness lord we thank you for jesus christ for saving us for rescuing us for delivering us so today oh god we respond to your message we respond to your truth we want to be changed we want to be transformed we want to see you when you come so lord we stand here we sit in a privacy for home we sit in our church we sit in the patio on the patio we have heard your message and we want to move forward in faith thank you for the man's servant the man whom we have sent today to preach the gospel of jesus christ bless his ministry bless his life bless his family bless him as he goes throughout doing your work bless the northeastern conference revive us revive every church revive every pastor revive every worker revive every teacher revive every friend keep us strong keep us focused focus on the rock of christ jesus bless us we pray in jesus name amen [Music] join with us church and help us sing to him number 522 my hope is built on nothingness [Music] and righteousness oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] trust is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] and now made the north eastern conference of seventh-day adventists receive the benediction may the good lord make us wise so that the foundation of our lives rests on his word on his promises on deep faith and humility on spiritual disciplines on prayer and service may the good lord help us build our lives deep very deep in soul-searching in prayer in confession may the lord was able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine may his power dwell in us so that northeastern conference experienced a revival may the lord make camp meeting 2021 a moment of conversion in our lives may our lives be forever changed after such a powerful sermon may god make us a new so that we can face all the storms in the world and women standing when christ returns may god bless you today tomorrow and always for we pray in jesus name amen amen [Music] and i saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and [Music] kingdom [Music] [Applause] [Music] glory to him for the hour of his judgment is [Music] him [Music] hey glory to him for the hour of his judgment is [Music] here [Music] glory to him [Music] and the sea and the fountains of the [Music] of the water [Music] revelation 14 6 and [Music] worshiping [Music] you are not hidden there's never been a moment you were forgotten you are not hopeless i will send out an army to find you in the middle of the darkest i will in the middle of the heart it's true oh [Music] you you

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Length: 227min 23sec (13643 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 27 2021