Personal Min. & Stewardship Emphasis Day | Elder Paula Gunning-Harry | Sabbath, September 4, 2021

oh [Music] [Music] so hallelujah [Music] his love shall never end [Music] yes hallelujah christ again hallelujah [Music] more hallelujah let's turn to 2 30 2 1 3. which what's up good morning everybody good morning elder smith welcome to our personal ministries and stewardship emphasis day thank you we are celebrating all right welcome to our personal ministries and stewardship emphasis day celebration where people are praising god amidst the lockdown i am annie smith and it is indeed a privilege and a pleasure to have you joined us this sabbath morning we have come here this morning with worship on our lips yes and praise in our hearts we give him glory and praise because we could have died do you imagine that filipino can you imagine yes and you we could have died in our sleep last night but yet god has chosen to do what to wake us up this morning amen he kept us through the week and provided for us during the lock down amen let us praise let us give him glory and praise because he lives he lives in praise he loves praise he operates in praise he works miracles in the midst of our lives indeed indeed tell you what when we go through the bible yes we see many instances of spectacular things happening yes when people come together to praise and worship god yes yes waltz came tumbling down elder smith yes when the people of israel walked around jericho and they shouted praises to god amen i remember growing up in this church we used to sing around the walls of jericho around the walls of jericho around the walls of jericho the army was seven times without a stop seven times without a stop seven times without to stop the army when the people give a shout when the people gave a shout when the people gave a shout when the people gave a shout all the wars fell down you know jericho would last into jericho at last into jericho at last the army went and i see that brother darling he's not familiar with that one you know i see is this a show hello the hurry white in tune those right now that elder is in tune with that one as well and so this is such an apt example this morning about when the people gave a shout the glory of god filled the temple when the people of god came together for the dedication of the temple you remember that amen amen yes yes yes and guess what elder smith i believe that something spectacular oh yes will happen today yes i know when i believe the fight will lock down god's people still gather together in his name amen to worship him amen on his holy sabbath amen and so i say to you this morning we are celebrating man under the theme faithful stewards locked in but not locked down that is so we are locked into our bottle not locked down but not because guess what we have a voice and we are going to be using our voices today in phrases and adoration we are gonna be shouting out until the walls come down oh yes over to you yes it is indeed a joy to be in the house of the lord another sabbath i am alive and well yes and i give god the praise that i am here to worship with you yes welcome to those who are joining us on youtube yes welcome and we remind you that it is our personal ministries and stewardship emphasis there that's right so we continue to worship under the theme faithful praising god amidst the lockdown and indeed it is time when the devil has troubled its efforts has doubled its efforts to keep god's people from being faithful yes store from being faithful stewards and keep them distracted from praising him now i um psalms 18 verse 3 says i call upon the name of the lord because he is worthy to be to be praised and so sister yes sister my sister will just just come to see what is happening today to tell us what is happening what shall we see happening here today and as usual elder smith we have lots in store for you oh yes the praise team is gonna begin yes with the song service after which we'll have a season of prayer you know we really need to pray oh yeah when i see what is happening around so much so many people need persistence need prayer you know and so it is the time now if we did not accept that prayer without ceasing attitude now is the time that we should pray pray without ceasing yes and so we will continue to lift up praises to god with special music after which our adult lesson story will be reviewed and the visions and expense offerings will be collected then we will cut we will tune our voices in singing praises to god with praise and worship led by our praise team amen we have excitement here editor smith we have joy in our hearts we are faithful stewards amen praising god amidst the lockdown i'm saying we are locked in yes but not locked out and so at this time let us borrow our heads in pearl after which the praise team will lead us into some service let us pray pray heavenly father what a privilege and a blessed it is to be in your courts today holy sabbath day of rest father you have given this to us by your divine hand to be assigned to us and through all eternity we pray a very special blessing upon today's program even as we contemplate the theme faithful stewards locked in but not locked down we open our voices now in praise may you send angels to add melody to our voices may jesus christ be praised amen amen aim number 15 my maker and my king my maker and my king to the [Applause] [Music] thy suffering bounty [Music] the creature of thy land [Music] [Music] [Music] when [Music] thy loved [Music] [Applause] oh let thy grace in sperm [Music] thine [Music] [Applause] [Music] number 12 rejoicing pure in heart rejoice give thanks and sing praise [Music] the clouds [Music] immortal gladness fill us with the light [Music] stars and angels [Music] [Music] rejoicing thee thou art living [Music] [Applause] love the father christ our brother all who live in love are they teach us how to love [Music] number 249 praise him praise him jesus our blessed redeemer praise and praise in jesus our blessed redeemer sing o earth is wonderful turkey man [Music] his holy name like a shepherd jesus will guide his children in his arms he carries them all day long praise him praise him tell of his excellent greatness praise him praise praising praising jesus our blessed redeemer our sins he suffered and [Music] [Music] jesus the crucified fight or sound [Music] [Music] jesus our blessed redeemer heavenly portals loved with hosanna's ring jesus baby [Music] [Applause] unto the lord belong praise him praise him tell of his excellent greatness praise him praise him every joyful song [Music] 2 45 more about jesus i would know 245 more about jesus i would do [Music] more of his love who died for me more about [Music] love jesus died for me more for jesus let me learn more of his only will discern spirit of god my teacher be showing the things of christ to me more more about jesus [Music] more of his love who died for me more [Music] [Applause] making say mine more more about jesus more more about jesus [Music] which is in [Music] of peace [Music] who is for me okay let us stand for the opening hymn number ten from the seventh day adventist church hymnal come christians join to see [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] our king hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] through rejoice praises his gracious choice hallelujah [Music] [Applause] come lift your hearts all night hallelujah [Music] [Applause] hallelujah [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] hallelujah [Music] please be seated psalm 150 says praise him for his mighty acts viewers online if god has been good to you type for is mighty acts and so my viewers online if god has been good to you type in the chat for his mighty acts god has always been doing some acts on our behalf elder peanut and for his people today will be no different so we are now going to move into our special season of prayer with elder paulie and shaw our prior ministries coordinator who will ask him ask god to do some mighty acts on her behalf today so elder paul in shock will now come to petition the throne of grace and to ask god to do for us what we are unable to ask of him or what we asked this morning good morning again everyone we are now going to speak to the lord in prayer and for the rest of the day as we look at the theme that we do have here faithful stores locked in but not locked down we are going to work the um the verse second chronicles 7 and verse 14. we are going to look at the directive if my people pray this morning at the mentioning fca church we are going to be looking at we are going to be praying for palu k brother evans one of our elders we are going to be praying for our bereaved families that elder peanut her brother-in-law had passed the campbells with the passing of sister mowbray sister mack's family her son especially her son wade and our brother-in-law and actors river those who are stressed those who are discouraged campaign attorney for um campaign 21 again one of the campaigns beginning october 1st we are going to be talking to the lord about all these and of course the communities around our church let us pray our father and our god hallowed is your name let your will be done on earth today as it is done in heaven thank you father for this beautiful sabbath morning thank you for the opportunity of coming into your courts one more time father thank you for the privilege of prayer and all these requests all these pleas that we have laid before you at this time we are asking you to look at them father you know them but you want us to speak to you about that you said that if my people pray if my people were called by my name should humble themselves seek my face pray turn from the evils of their ways i will hear from heaven my dwelling place i will forgive their sins and i will heal their light [Music] father this morning we are putting all these at the foot of the cross we are asking you to look at them and father even as we sing praises to your name today as we continue to pray as we lift you up and tell you thanks for all the good things that you have been doing for us hear us in the name of jesus our lord and our savior and we say amen amen at this time we'll have special music brother daily wayne doily will sing for us don't take aways my child they only come to make me strong without them to jesus oh would i get along if i didn't have a problem i never know my god could serve them and i never know or faith could move my mountain i've got bridges to cross and i got mountains to climb i know i never make it on my own lord i put my trust in you there's nothing more that i can do lord help me cross my bridges one by one i will climb the ice mountain and i will seal the stormy seas cause i know my ship is unclear of jesus christ fatherly when my work conduct is ended and i beat this world goodbye and i take my final journey to my home beyond the sky i've got bridges across and i've got mountains to climb i know i never make it on my own lord i put my trust in you there's nothing more that i can do lord let me cross my bridges one by one and i got bridges to cross and i've got mountains to climb i know i never make it on my own lord i put my trust in you there's nothing more that i can do lord let me cross my bridges one by one lord let me cross my bridges one by one one by one amen and we have so many bridges and sometimes we just want to have them to cross them all at once but guess what yes yes yes yes thank you elder um brother doily thank you so much god is indeed a good god yes and so we are happy that you could have joined us this morning those on facebook wherever you are we are happy that you could have joined us this morning as we come once again receive to receive a message from the lord and so at this point we will go right into our adult sabbath school lesson and so we'll now seek the lord the lord's guidance through this study with elder pauline shaw shall we pray brethren most righteous loving heavenly father hallowed be your most holy name this morning for this quarter we have been studying about rest and indeed we need rest from above and so today on your blessed day on your sabbath day that you have given unto us to rest we come one more time to open your words i pray that your holy spirit will be with us touch our brain cells give us the wisdom give us the knowledge and the understanding so that we're able to comprehend your words and to live them out in our daily works of life hope that somebody will be blessed today as we go through our lesson in your precious name i pray amen amen yes brethren we are privileged to be going through another sabbath school lesson and this is lesson number 10 and the topic is sabbath rest sabbath rest that sounds so good and peaceful brethren the sabbath rest our memory verse let us repeat that together six days shall work be done but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest holy convocation you shall do no work on it it is the sabbath of the lord in all your dwellings the lesson brought out the fact that our fellow men around the world have found various reasons yes they believe many of them believe in a rest yes but for some of them it's a day yeah just choose a day and um rest that day or those who have some bible knowledge the sabbath was for a special set of people some time ago it's not relevant to the rest of us now but seventh adventist christians in particular know that the sabbath is for all times we know that right brethren yes man the sabbath is perpetual it shall be forever when we get into the kingdom we shall be observing the sabbath sunday's segment of the lesson sabbath and creation when we think of the sabbath it's not only to stop doing your everyday duties yes we must do that we are enjoined to do that because we are we have to leave off the everyday things because this is a special segment of time that the lord has mopped out for his children yes but is it only to just stop what you're doing sometimes sleep sometimes you read i look a bit or you're saying what is the sabbath about brethren somebody tell us tell me i love yes man communion with the lord i can just picture adam and eve as they met with the lord in those first weeks yes man uh oh that must have been beautiful brethren and for us today and we are in the time where the lord will soon be here so let us just let us enjoy the little time we have brethren yes man enjoyed with our lord with our fellow men with our neighbors and the part of the lesson asked us how can we help our neighbors or help others to see that this time segment is important we will get to that as we go along and some sunday's segment also the question is asked i'm looking at genesis 1 26 and 27 and also genesis 9 verse 6. um the question is looking at these how special are we as human beings let's talk about that a little bit and how much different are we from the rest of god's creation and two and two and why is it so important that we understand the distinction so we are different from the rest of creation let's talk brethren we are different from the rest of the created um world yes yes okay so we were made in his image etc etc why why why yes we were made in this image because um he wanted us to do something special right he made the cr the creation and he wanted us to have dominion yes man over everything that he made he brought everything that he made to adam at the time adam named them yes he put adam in the garden to dress it and to keep it that is adam and eve of course address it and to keep it so and they were to serve him and worship and all the children their children who came after them should learn that also so this is the distinction the others other animals can't talk and all of that we can talk communicate with our god because we are made in his image yes man to think like he thinks any thought brethren and this our creation like our god all right well we are thinking about that part we are talking about celebration of freedom the sabbath also reminds us of the freedom that we have in jesus right freedom celebrating freedom freedom from sin freedom from everything that defiles and when the children left egypt it was a type of the freedom that we will enjoy when the lord returns is that so brethren all right all right we are talking about freedom and slavery and all of that real slavery one man um having power over another for his own purposes or so so what other types of slavery are we seeing in our lesson this week on mondays are whatever type of slavery are we seeing yes okay you remember what what um the lord said to cain back then remember yes man abel had brought his offering cain brought his if um abel's was accepted because he did what the lord said so cain was swollen and upset and all of that the bible calls it his countenance falling so his countenance fell so the lord said you know why are you like this if you did well you would have been accepted and if you didn't then sin lies at the door so we are enslaved to sin yes so but jesus came to relieve us of this slavery that we have found ourselves in and um the scripture states that the things which so easily beset us the lord will help us to get rid of yes and when we keep going back to the same thing we are like dogs going back to their vomit and pigs to their wallowing so once we are washed day by day day by day morning and evening morning and evening we seek the lord in prayer and bible study and witnessing to others and this will help us to keep above sin faith in christ of course um the part of the note says sabbath is a celebration of freedom from all the things that keep us in bondage so every seventh day every seventh day we remember that we are freed from the slavery of sin on sabbath we are reminded that there is freedom from sin not in our own power but in the power of god which is offered to us by faith we also are reminded that this is a freedom we did not earn the firstborn israelite children were saved by the blood of the lamb smeared on the doorposts the evening before their exodus from egypt we too have been saved by the blood of the lamb and are now to walk in the freedom that is ours in christ jesus okay romans chapter 6 verses 1 to 7 states that um paul talks about baptism yes so so baptism for us is a symbol of cleansing and being dead to sin yes and when we get up we um get up in the newness of life as it were let us run over to tuesdays the stranger in your gates and this is important brethren we are talking about sabbath rest yes and we as seventh-day adventist christians do have friends family members who come to visit sometimes yes and how should they be treated when they come to visit us brethren what do we do before they come if they didn't know yet most of them would have known anyhow how should they be treated when they come to our house seeing that we observe the sabbath i know somebody's talking but i'm not here okay so um they should know that we observe the salad yes and because we do while they are in our house you know they are going to observe with us yes out of courtesy yeah yeah they might not want you but outs of out of hurts for us um they will um observe the sabbath also and it has got to be so we cannot be gone to church or to other get together for worship and others are in the house doing whatever they want to because first peter 2 9 says we are a chosen generation a royal priesthood and holy nation and a peculiar people so we should show for the praises of him who have called us out of darkness into his marvelous light yes man oh okay and the question which is important for us also looking at exodus 23 and 12 the question what else is going on here according to this verse verse 12 of exodus 23 what does this text teach us about how god viewed other others besides the israelites themselves and of course us now are we are we views as creation yes looking at exodus 23 verse 12. yes he he intended that all of us should keep his commandments and the israelites back then and we today who know the scriptures i know what the lord requires we should lead the way in in worshiping the lord the proper way in these days we should keep all of these commandments because if we keep nine and we fail in one we shall have been found deficient going over to wednesdays and looking at serving others serving others honors god's sabbath how did jesus keep the sabbath brethren what do you remember how did he keep the sabbath oh yes yes he went about doing good of course and i think he went to to to service in the mornings but i i really think went to service in the mornings help out to read if they asked him to he would read and then after lunch he would go out to here or whoever is right there if you know according to his um will you would heal them right there so doing service to others honors the lord we do not leave things in our day to be done on the sabbath it's an emergency or this is important to be done now cannot be done tomorrow yes we do just as jesus did he is our example okay then the person of the persons back there when jesus did the good that he was used to doing they would charge him with sabbath breaking yes sometimes we wonder what what what were they thinking a person is healed especially the man by the pool there a man was healed in such a dramatic way and yet they quarreled they called because he was healed on the sabbath no that is not proper thinking okay looking at isaiah 58 verses 12 to 14. isaiah 58 verses 12 to 14 talks about a lovely way are all the lord would prefer us to keep the sabbath but are we out lives established should be observed yes isaiah 58 to 14 yes amen yes that's how we are to observe this habit and looking at verse 12. elder smith could you look um read verse 12 verse 58 12 please mm-hmm hmm foreign okay thank you i was thinking of the verse that says um we are the repairers of the bridge and restore our paths to dwelling yeah face places yes yes indeed yes when we observe the sabbath um this is what comes out of it so that others can see do we have time is our time finished okay all right on thursdays the sign that we belong to god so this sabbath is a sign between us and the lord um exodus 31 13 16 and 17. tell us that we are sanctified by this act we are sanctified by the lord and by our association with him intensifies when we worship him on the sabbath day when we observe the sabbath because when we do that we are saying that his creator and we hear his children and we have accepted him as our savior our creator and our redeemer looking down on fridays quickly and it's um the notes part of the note the notes all through the week we are to have the sabbath in mind talking about sabbath observation and be and to be making preparation to keep the to keep it in accordance with the commandment commandment we are not merely to observe the sabbath as a legal matter then the demands upon god are even greater upon the sabbath than upon other days its people then leave their usual employment and spend the time in meditation and worship they ask more favors of him on the sabbath than upon other days they demand a special attention they crave his choicest blessings god does not wait for the sabbath to pass before he grants these requests and we can see that many people were healed on the sabbath and let us be mindful that the lord is here to bless us abundantly brethren so this is the end of our lesson study and we shall now continue as is written okay happy service brethren it is uh it's a good thing to be alive and irrespective of all that is happening around us we can safely say that god has been good to us it is a a difficult season for the manchester district and for several others many are mourning i'm just coming down from hector's river i went up there to assist the brethren with grief management because you know that one of the fundamental pillars of their church true soldier of the cross has taken her rest elder mack who also served as treasurer and and so the the church is in in mourning i welcome for them your prayer and her only son is grieving and that is understandable when i visited with with him on thursday he he had wept himself to weakness he needs our our prayers and our support in this difficult season no doubt there are also those connected to this church here in manchester who are also mourning her their death because she would have impacted many lives as she served as principal at seaside and she was also a justice of the peace you know i i but i i am confident in one thing that she fought well she fought well even in her sickness she would still find the time i i'm made to understand that she was still trying to ensure that the remittance was on time to the last minute i'm also saddened by the you see there are many debts that have been going on around me i have lost uh you know very close friends and loved ones and so on but you know when you when it there comes a point when you have done funeral services so much that it's not so bad anymore but that shield is breaking and i share with you the text that keeps me comforted and buoyed up first corinthians 15 verse 19. if in this life only we have hope in christ then we are of all men most miserable yes it is a difficult season but we have this hope that burns within our hearts it is a hope in the coming of the lord and so do not allow yourselves to be overtaken by grief if you must you can cry as you consider what's happening around but the word of god reminds us that if we weep as those without hope we put our god to shame so we not as those without hope for there is a day a coming when all the chaos and the mayhem of this life will end when time changes into eternity so remain comforted remain strengthened and let us carry as these valiant soldiers fall asleep in jesus let us wave high the bloodstained banner the the mission cannot die with those who are falling asleep we who are yet alive are commissioned to tell the world that there is still but one source of hope life and even eternal life and that is jesus christ there is still hope in jesus and i want to encourage our members those who are with us here and those who are online to stay safe as best as you can practice the the protocol as diligently as you can and because i i do not want the pain of losing any uh more of our members it is not a nice experience so as best as possible i am appealing to you to stay safe when you are going to public spaces as best as possible i'm asking you to put on a mask i'm asking that you sanitize or wash your hands frequently that you make use of the healing elements of nature i have sent a lot of resource material in the in your um church groups and those resource materials are sent so that on the matter of vaccination you will make informed decisions if you decide to take the vaccine then take the vaccine if you don't if you are not convinced then that is still your concern it is this if whether or not i take the vaccine is my personal business and whether or not you also choose to it's your personal business hello and so uh you know let us stay in form let us remain focused on the mission that we have to to accomplish and in these seasons let us not lose any opportunity to be our brother's keeper because there are many outside our doorsteps who need to see a little jesus in us that they will come to glorify him whom to know is life eternal let us pray lord father and friend there's a lot going on but we know that you are still in const control the world is in a pale mel many are clueless even many who are being looked to for guidance do not know where to go but as your children we are privileged to be connected to the one who not just knows the way but he is the way maker we present your children to you scattered across the mansion manchester district of churches those who've been negatively impacted directly and indirectly by the kovid 19 pandemic i ask that you will be to them a real god in this season i present all those who are mourning at this time will you have us constantly remember and never forget that even in bad situations you are still a good god help us o lord to pledge allegiance to the lamb may we be careful and diligent to such an extent that even if our physical bodies perish may our souls be anchored our faith be anchored in the cleft of the rock so that in that great getting up morning we will rise at the first trump in jesus name amen [Music] thank you so very much pastor hamilton for your words of encouragement and to add a for so ably presenting our lesson review indeed we saw reasons to praise god at this time we'll deposit our missions and expense offerings as the deacons come around let's give it with love and store it above give it with a willing heart above give it with a willing heart and if you have it just give it with love and store it above give it with a willing heart give it with love it give it with a willing [Music] above give it with a willing heart give it with love and sort above give it with a willingness gave it with love and give it with a willing heart give it with love and give it with a heart we have come to the end of our sabbath school this morning so elder pinot tell us tell us what are some benefits praise increases your joy gets rid of discouragement increases courage hope and faith gives you more power in prayer increases your love for god yes and praise gives you better health amen so let everything that has break praise the lord stay tuned for the rest of the sabbath day of worship and i close by giving a big welcome to sister mauricia barkley who's joining us all the way from england amen [Music] happy so much everyone let us pray heavenly father thank you for everything i've done for us glad i was able to begin our song let us begin after two one two rejoice keep your in heart rejoice give thanks and see your first [Music] the cross of christ your king rejoice rejoice rejoice give thanks and see with voices full and strong ocean searching praise send [Music] ancient days [Music] rejoice rejoice rejoice me thanks and sing with all the angels with all the saints on earth pour out the strains of joy and bliss to rapture no blessing rejoice rejoice rejoice he thanks and sing yes soon through life's long path still chanting as he goes [Music] rejoice rejoice rejoice give thanks and sing [Music] praise almighty forever [Music] rejoice give thanks amen in number 308 i would be their savior holy thyme 308. i would be their savior holy thine teach me how teach me home i will do thy will o lord not mine help me help me now holy down holy thing holy time this is my fault holy down holy thing holy thine o lord just now what is [Music] and we leave them all for the day [Music] my [Music] [Music] this [Music] [Music] amen let us turn to number one praise to the lord the almighty the king of creation let's begin praise to the lord the almighty the king of creation [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] what almighty can do if we did be friendly [Music] let's go to 27. and number ninety let's go to 92 instead this is my father's world and to my listening here all nature ring and round mirror all nature seeing and round me ring the music of the spear [Music] this is [Music] this is my father's world [Music] oh [Music] this is [Music] is he shines in all the trees everywhere this is [Music] this is my father's [Music] the lord is [Music] let us go to 99 be not this may what you be tired god will take care of you [Music] is [Music] god will take care of you god will take care of you through every day [Music] we'll take you [Music] god [Music] of your [Music] me [Music] god will be [Music] care of you every day [Music] god will take care of [Music] god will take care of you god will take care all through every day [Music] 479 please stand within the audience be silent be silent [Music] jesus [Music] strengths of me [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] these are the announcements for today today is personal ministry day and stewardship emphasize emphasis day and the team is faithful sword but not like down september 18 will be sub at school and health week also on september 25th will be world part finder day our wednesday night and sunday night meeting resume on our zoom platform at 7 00 pm you can find the login info on our church pages please remember to call visit pray for our sick and shot in members also those persons whom we have not been seen for such a long time also to remember to pray for the families that are mourning at this time our 100 day of prayer continues every morning at 5 00 a.m to 6 a.m and we are praying for the outpouring of the holy spirit the revival for mission and covid 19. tomorrow the jamaican union is inviting us to engage in a special day of prayer at 6 00 a.m and the focus is kobe 19 and its challenges our regular prior and fasting session is every wednesday at 10 a.m our district-wide online campaigns start october the 1st 2021 and the speaker is pastor lambert amilton the thought for the day our greatest glory is not in falling but in rising every time we fall all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear do have a blessed sabbath wherever you are this morning wherever you are this morning whether geographically or mentally wherever you are have a happy day your heart might be aching at this moment because of this the the stresses and the cares of life but i want you to remember that god is with you there is a god in heaven and he is still in control and so he has caused you to be here in this sanctuary or joining us on youtube and i want to welcome you and i want to help to put a smile on your face there is hope still in king jesus there is hope in the lord welcome to this service this morning please remember that there's god in heaven still looking down on us so whatever you are doing just look up and hook up to the god above welcome once again happy peace about everyone invite the church to stand at this time for our cult worship our reading is psalm 29 verse 2 which says give unto the lord the glory due to his name worship the lord in the beauty of holiness the church is now called to worship praise god from whom are blessings for [Music] crazy more creatures praising my body [Music] i mean [Music] our father lord we thank you for sparing our lives to be in your sanctuary another sabbath father as we come we ask that you will accept our worship and give us a sabbath day's blessing in jesus name amen by the church to remain standing for all opening him in 625 fire ground team 625 let us begin i'm pressing on the upright way new heights i'm getting day still praying as i onward bound lord pled my feet on higher ground [Music] [Music] then i have found lord pat my feet on higher ground my heart has no desire to save where thousand rise and faces make those summits when we're these abound my prayer my aim higher ground lord leads me up and i shall stand by faith unhealthy [Music] i want to live above the world though satan started me for faith has called the [Music] lord plant my feet on higher ground i want to skip the utmost high and cancer gleams of [Music] lord lead me on to higher ground lord lifts me up and i shall stand my faith on him and save my [Music] please be seated and this time i invite ella shaw to come to the offertory and our stewardship promotion and after which we will take our scripture reading greetings again everyone um stewardship what is stewardship we are here as guys stewards yes we are to have dominion and not ownership we are god's managers and caretakers of the planet the areas where we are and so forth now the lord told ancient israel back then and now let them make me a sanctuary that i may dwell among them first corinthians 6 19 and 20 reminds us that we belong to the lord we are bought with a price we are not our own therefore we belong to the lord and we are expected to manage ourselves for our god and as we manage ourselves then we help others to turn to their god also joshua 24 and verse 15 there is personal stewardship family stewardship we have corporate fellows um stewardship let us look at joshua 24 15 just for a little joshua 24 and 15 and here was what joshua told the brethren back then and to us 24 15 and if it seemed evil unto you to serve the lord choose you this day whom he will serve whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the amorites in which land he dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the lord that is part of our mission in today's world 2021 the society is so made up that when we think of stewardship yes we think of our personal selves and we usually think of money yes money makes the world go around money goes where we cannot go therefore we are enjoined to bring our tiles and our offerings some of us might not quite understand what it means as we bring a tithe of our increase some of us are not receiving a week by week or bi-weekly or monthly or even quarterly paycheck but we do receive funds we can attest to that isn't that brethren yes many of our brethren receive funds from here and from there and they are doing quite well by the grace of god now the funds that you receive in such a way is are these part of your increase are these funds a part of your increase yes brethren yes a thousand times yes whenever you receive anything they are increase the tenth belongs to the lord and a free will offering when we do this no matter how small it is we do build up the treasury god's treasury needs to be built up and kept up we have a lot to do as a congregation or as a various congregations yemen we have obligations to the congregation and to the community so we are to bring in whatever the lord blesses us with it doesn't matter how small it is or how large it is we are supposed to bring them in and before our ties and offerings are collected this morning by our detains we are going to have encouraging us this morning two of our brethren will understand what it means to be faithful faithful is towards the lord and um we we will see a little more clearly that it's not that hard all we have to do is have faith in god that he will do what he says he will do and that's faith brethren we're going to call sister pinock first as she comes to encourage us along this line happy sabbath again everyone indeed it is a blessing to be in god's house what do you say amen and amen today we are talking about stewardship even though we are locked in elder palmer we are not locked down i know brethren that we are going through some very difficult and rough patches i know that there are some persons financially it is like everything is gone everything is down elder harry but can i encourage you this morning to build your house on the rock christ jesus we are we are told and you know sometimes we repeat it every day until it just becomes like a ritual you know we say um give god what he's supposed to get and then he will open the windows of heaven and pour a stone blessings but how many of us really and truly believe that how many of us truly practice that as elder shaw says always remember to be faithful to god and give him exactly what he ought to give you what he ought to get and i can tell you i can tell you personally that he will open those windows of heaven and give you blessings that you want that you you just can't all you have to do is to say what a god we serve you know the other day i was at home and i was just working out some finances as i go forward and some things that i need and need to see happening and i was just sitting there at the show and i just received a call and somebody said will you be able to teach this class and there it was i just got right there an additional part-time job it's a job that i've had before but here is a job continuing and so god is good the other day i i i received a letter something that that that should have been in train from 2011. and i heard nothing about it until the other day i just got a letter and said this is it everything is okay and with that comes some additional salary and so i know that god is good and brethren don't be afraid if you give him too much elder hall he's going to give it back to you you know so don't be afraid don't worry hold on be faithful stewards be faithful to swords the work of god has to go on we have to do our part in this part of the vineyard and so i encourage you this morning brethren as long as it is god's work move forward in faiths elder harry move forward god is just there waiting to bless us and to do us good never give up and never plant any seed of discouragement in anybody's mind because god is just ready and waiting to bless you amen amen thank you elder we are encouraged aren't we brethren yes man and we are going to ask another of her brethren a young one this time young in the faith and young to a lot of things but growing nicely we are going to ask her to come and see how she has been proving the lord so good morning again i am here this morning to represent all those that are unemployed and i'm here standing to tell you that it is possible to tide even though you are unemployed tide tide means attempt it refers to giving 10 of your hernia production or possessions the israelites were commanded to tied from what they earned do you have an income coming in can unemployed person tithe and i stand boldly by saying yes they can i have been unemployed for some times no but some person might say i am not working so i can't tie that's not true because the lord has been graceful unto us it provide us with things so whatever little that you receive you can tide from that because if person to look at me they don't they can't tell if i'm not working if i don't open my mouth and tell them that i am not working because guess what when you be faithful to the lord it take cares of your bills everything and you you don't lack what you need you might want things but you don't lack anything that you need it tells us that he will open the windows of heaven and poured us out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it he pledges his word i will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and it shall not destroy the fruits of your ground neither shall your wine class or fruit before time in the field said the lord of hosts thus his word is our assurance that he will so bless us that we shall have still larger ties and offerings to be stored return unto me and i will turn unto you said the lord of hosts bridging will you comply with the conditions will you offer willingly gladly and abundantly i am not working but i am faithful to the lord i chose my tithe as if i am receiving a monthly salary and to god be the glory just try him those of you are unimplied just try the lord just be faithful if you get one thousand dollar give the lord his portion and you will see oh he will bless you thank you brethren we are encouraged our decon or declines will come now as we um prepare to collect the mornings tiles and offerings psalm 24 and verse 1 the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein isaiah 66 verses 1 and 2 thus saith the lord the heavenly is my throne and the earth is my footstool where is the house that he built unto me and where is the place of my rest for all those things of mine handmade and all those things have been said the lord but to this man will i look even to him that is a poor and of a contrite spirit and the trembling at my word let us let us stand we give thee but dialogue [Music] let us affirm our faith remember the sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou never and do all thy work but the seventh day is the sabbath of the lord thy god it is thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man's servant nor thy maid servant nor that nor thy strength that is within thy gates for in six days the lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in dampies wherefore the lord bless the sabbath day and holidays amen this is please stand for the reading of the scripture lesson and if you are joining us on youtube could you please find it in your bibles as well the word for this time comes from the book of hebrews chapter 12 verse 1. hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1. i'll read in your hearing wherefore seeing we are also sorry wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us we thank god for the reading of his words the apostle paul reminds us in philippians 4 6 and 7 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to god at this time as we prepare to pray let us remember those who are sick and shouting and those who have lost their lives i trust remember sister so members family and sister his sister married her grands her daughter who is not feeling well at this time sister mark's family as well as the students and the faculty and staff at ncu who have lost one of our administrators and the other persons we might not have mentioned let us pray and just before sister shaw praise you sing this song i need the prayers of those i love i need the prayers of those i love [Music] me [Music] [Music] for me [Music] fear not fear though not for i am with thee be not dismayed for i am thy god i will strengthen thee yea i will help thee ye i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness isaiah 41 and verse 10 a mighty fortress is our god a bulwark never failing eternal father and our friend hallowed is by name father we thank you for the blessing of life today thank you for all the privileges that you have granted us now we thank you so much father for the privilege of prayer we come confessing our sins for give us where we have fallen so far short almighty father but we have faith in the fact that you sent your son to die for us so that every stain of sin can be removed from our being father we accept the fact that you accept us now fill us with your spirit oh lord give us that spirit of discernment so we can understand the movings of the times help us to be prepared by your grace to meet you in peace we come this morning lord we are presenting our congregation to you those who are present here and those who are in space father our communities around our sanctuary here our brethren who are believed our brethren who are distressed and oppressed by the movings of the times father be a wall of strength to each this morning father we know that you are with us we feel your presence and if we feel not we know that you are here with us because you have promised to be here with us give each worshiper here or their father a precious and a special blessing those who are grieving father no one understands like you do yes father your son was hanging on the cross yes so you understand it all father thank you for knowing us your children thank you for being here with us bless us as we worship almighty father those who are sick amongst us touch them this time even those who have contracted the disease further touched them according to your will for them it is your will that we should be well so lord we are leaving each into your hands and into your care at this time touch your servant lord now as she delivers your word to us help us to listen help us to understand the message for us help us to take heed further and be saved as you have enjoyed us lord thank you so much that we are here help us to be encouragers to one another to those who are bereaved to those who are a little discouraged to those who are backsliding father help us to be able to say and do something to encourage our soul today have mercy up on our government be with those who govern give them wisdom and the understanding their father so that things can run well and help that your people were called by your name christians in general in this country especially lord and seventh-day adventist christians in particular help us to humble ourselves and seek your face and pray and turn from the evils that you are called out to us that we have in us because you have promised oh holy father to hear from heaven you have promised to forgive our sins and to heal our land we know that we should believe every word you say and we know that you'll forgive us of our sins and heal our land father our land needs healing only you know so give us a special touch today father as we listen to your servant and as we plan to follow you to the end of our lives by your grace and lord when all of this is done and you do put in your appearance father save us because we are asking in jesus name and for his sake amen amen [Music] eyepiece it is now time for us to to hear a word from god and to present the word this morning is is one who is a a teacher by by profession at the epic of high school for the past 24 years she has served his church in various apartments and she currently serves as as one of our elders and our person i mean she's leader she is one who is passionate about evangelism and she's also one who loves to share the word of god with those around her and i speak of none other than sister harry who will be sharing the word with us this morning she requested your prayers and support as she speaks to us this morning and i trust that whatever she is about to present we will we will find some meaning in it and take some part of it and make it applicable to our lives as we look forward to christ soon return but just before sister harry comes we will have the song of meditation verbal intentional happy sabbath everyone this is a well-known song and one of my special songs that remind me of what will happen at the end and at the end of the end the judgment has said the book have been hoping how shall we stand in that great day when heavy thoughts and words and action god the righteous joshua [Music] how shall we stand in that great day how shall we stand in that great day shall we be found before him wanting or with our sins all washed away [Music] the work is begun with those who are sleeping soon will the live in here be tried out of the books of god's remembrance is decision to abide how shall we stand in that great day how shall we stand in that great day shall we be found before him wanting [Music] or with our sins all washed away [Music] oh how shall we stand that moment of searching when all the sins those books reveal when from the his case decided shall be granted no appeal how shall we stand in that great day how shall we stand in that great day shall we be found before [Music] or with our sins all washed away [Music] happy sabbath everyone i greet you in the matchless name of jesus christ our lord it is indeed an honor and a privilege for me to be standing here today as the speaker for the owa thanks to our pastor pastor lambert hamilton and also to the board of elders for affording me this privilege of ministering to god's people but my highest stance goes to god for leading us thus far through one of the most difficult periods that the remnant church has experienced within modern times and i'm sure you will agree and today especially i want to thank god for seeing us through one of the most distressing and traumatic weeks we have had in terms of debts and sickness brethren discouragement and hardship yes brethren both in the church and in the country as a whole for some of us it may seem as if god is far away but god sees and knows everything that we are going through brethren to those of us who are grieving i remind you that jesus is coming soon and he is the resurrection and the life and if we are faithful we will see our loved ones again in that promised land there be no sorrow there no more burdens to bear no more sickness no more pain no more parting over there and forever i will be with the one who died for me what a day glorious day that will be but if we want to go home brethren and live with god then there is work for us to do here some soldiers may have been wounded and some may have died some may have become discouraged and have put down their sword but the army of god in manchester elder show manchester district of seventies churches is still on the battlefield for our lord to this end we will be having as you heard a grand online evangelistic campaign which will begin on october 1. and on behalf of the personal ministries department of this church i am calling upon every member to come on board everyone can do something begin today to make a list of persons you wish to see giving their lives to the lord and pray for them daily you can also texting those names into the chat if you're online at this time or to our communication secretary ella lamar harry so that our prayer band can also pray for them then too we should also pray pray for the outpouring of the holy spirit we are excited you know because with pastor lambert hamilton our speaker we shall be preaching the gospel satan's kingdom will be brought down and jesus's name will be lifted high now i want to thank elder harry and the lamar harry for his kind words of introduction and also brother linton pinock for that most timely and thought-provoking song how shall we stand in that great day shall we be found before him wanting or with our sins all washed away food for thought brethren the title of today's message is finish the race sister darby finish the race let us pray mighty god father i ask that as i stand here this feeble mortal clay i pray that you will send the holy spirit to surround me at this time and speak through me to your people let not me be seen but lord let your glory come down in this place in jesus name i pray somewhere in life the enemy is trying to get you to quit but i am here today to tell you don't quit finish the race a few years ago i reached a point in my life where i struggled under the weight of pain depression frustration and anger i felt a keen sense of disappointment deep hurt and resentment some things had happened and i was very disappointed at the response from persons i expected to be in my corner some very unkind and unsavory remarks were made about me and i began to doubt if this was really the place for me brethren we sometimes tend to have a condemnatory and judgmental approach to our brothers and sisters when they seem to be airing nobody wants to hear their side of the story because our bellies are already full from all the gossip and lies spreading about them on the grapevine galatians 6 1 tells us that if a man be overtaken in a fault you which are spiritual should restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering yourself lest you also be tempted but some of us seem to have deleted that text out of our bibles so needless to say i found myself embroiled in a crucible of criticism condemnation and estrangement but instead of seeing it as an opportunity for me to grow i decided to quit i was deeply hurt and disappointed i withdrew from active service and i became a spectator on the sidelines in essence what i had done was i had stopped running my race and was walking off the field have you ever reached that point brethren yes i was there but thank god for his grace and mercy i was upset and was slowly walking away and a half i did not bother to stop to check my own attitude to own up to my share of the mess but brethren his goodness was running after was running after me he put me back on track and he ran with me through the fire through my darkest hour and i am still running my race only because of the goodness of god hallelujah some of you here today you have had some circumstances in life and face some problems that made you want to quit and give up the race it may be financial hardship it may be stressed at work or from lack of work stress at church stress at home stress in the marriage stress with the children stressed with health issues just repeated disappointment frustrations and setbacks you have reached a place in life where you want to just throw in the toe toel as a christian and just quit but i want to tell you today stay in the race stay in the race britain finish the race the songwriter says i just can't give up now i've come too far from where i've started from nobody told me that the road would be easy and i don't believe he's brought me this far to leave me my brothers and sisters god kept me i am still running my race only because of his grace he kept me george knox that popular jamaican singer he believed god when he said when god said i will never leave you nor forsake you that is why he could sing god is standing by so hush don't you worry and don't cry so i've come here to tell you finish the race will you look at your neighbor and say finish the race goes online type it in the chat finish the race the scripture reading which was so ably read by elder palmer came to us from a very famous passage in the book of hebrews hebrews chapter 12 and i will focus on verses one and two wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking on to jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god i want to encourage you once again to run to finish the race because i know that somebody is at a place in their journey where the devil is trying to get you to quit a few weeks ago i couldn't help but get caught up in the a little bit in the festivities as we here in jamaica celebrated our victories at the tokyo olympics as a nation we felt proud of the performance of our athletes especially our female athletes as we could boast of having the fastest man and the fastest woman in the world it was on the lips of everyone in jamaica everybody was singing the song with liquibot with talawa and with big boats yeah but today as we base in the afterglow of our victories at the olympics let us consider the words of the apostle paul in the book of hebrews chapter 12 where he alluded to the fact that every christian is in the greatest olympic contest of all the greatest race of life which is a christian race designed by god for each of us and in the christian race brethren there are no spectators all of us are contestants all of us are runners it is an individual race you have to run that race that has been given to you and do it faithfully you cannot run anybody else's race and nobody else can run your race ella smith it cannot be delegated to anyone else you cannot pay anyone to do it for you you have to run the race that god gave you and run it yourself in this race brethren don't compare yourself to other persons on the track you know to say well unlike them i can't run my race as well as they can run theirs because i have a heavy workload i don't have the time or i am too old it's time for me to stay home or the things that i am going through in my life are overwhelming me i can't run my race no sometimes we moan about our own life and say we are not as fortunate as others for whatever reason maybe because of our family of origin or our financial resources our connections that we have god will not accept those excuses when you compare yourself to others and realize that you can't do what they are doing you will quit in our own jamaican vernacular it's a bad man we take kill my lane is not your lane bred dream but my lane is just as long as yours although i seem to be ahead of you the only thing is that you can't see my conflicting circumstances that i am going through this race that we are running it is not the person who comes first that matters you are not competing with anyone else in this race you are only to run your race what is important is that we finish the race with the help of the holy spirit to finish this race successfully it means that sometimes you may have to face obstacles that may challenge your very life but rather than giving up before you even start you ought to be willing to give your obedience to almighty god even if it means losing your own life brethren thought i would hear some more amens we cannot run this race only when it is convenient for us at no time has god told us to run with him in this race only when it is easy to do or when it is convenient or when we have wi-fi or zoom or have the time or the energy and don't feel too sick or when we are not in a pandemic this idea to only run your race with god when the going is easy and when no personal sacrifice has to be made is a human idea that did not come from god at one point jesus said to his disciples if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me it is important that you understand that he was talking to his disciples he was talking to church people brethren the bible tells us that whosoever will save his life shall lose it there are some people who always try to play it safe they say the pastor is the one who should do it because he is getting paid to do it or not his jamaica conference should organize it and pay people to do it or i will join in with the online campaigns being held and that's all i need to do [Music] no personal effort is needed on my part that's not true brethren if we comfort ourselves by saying i will sit in my house and run my race online brethren we cannot substitute the work of organizations for our individual efforts or our individual efforts for the work of organizations it can't work we cannot consolidate and centralize the races which we have been called to run as individuals we cannot leave to institutions and organizations the work of ministering to the sick and the poor the giving of the gospel to the lust and reclamation of those who once walked with us we cannot isolate ourselves completely from contact with the world because our hearts will grow cold we will become self-absorbed and unimpressible where all we can think about is ourselves and our own safety and comfort what a selfish state that is to be in love for god and man will die out of our souls in other words brethren we will fall out of the race if covet 19 is going to stop you from running the race you were not a child of god from the beginning let me put it as bluntly as that if covet 19 is going to stop you from sharing your faith and sharing the gospel and sharing god's love then something is wrong with your relationship with god i'm not saying you must be careless with your life don't get me wrong but we must find a way to spread the gospel in these times find a way to reach out to your neighbor find a way to reach out to all those who god places in our path the same way you can go to the bank and the market and i'm reiterating what i've always been saying the same way you can go to the bank and to the market the same way you can get your business done you can get god's business done too run the race wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses well what does that mean paul knew that the devil is a master at highlighting your deficiencies and weaknesses telling you that you can't stick with god in these times he can't help you you're too messed up too far gone but in this passage the bible tells us that we have a cloud of witnesses who had their own drama but they kept on walking with god they stuck with god even when they didn't know what the outcome was going to be brother pinock paul says as we run this christian race let us take note of the past witnesses the past competitors and he named them on his list you have abel who offered a better sacrifice take note of enoch take note of noah abraham sarah isaac jacob and moses joshua rahab gideon samson take note of these individuals who run the race they are our examples take note of them they have run the race and yes this race can be successfully run by us too we too can make it to the finish line because others have made it i am trying to tell you today to keep walking with god sometimes you may want to quit because of what people have said and done to you you may have tried evangelism and run into some people who are not happy with you for what you're doing they may have criticized you cruelly but i'm here to tell you this morning or this afternoon that god did not choose angels who have never fallen to do his work but human beings like you and i ellen white tells us in the acts of the apostles page 330 that he chooses human beings men filled with imperfections as instruments in this grand work through feeble mortal clay like you and me his blessings are to be conveyed to the world through us his glory is to shine forth into the darkness of sin where we meet the sinful and the needy and lead them to the cross so with all your imperfections brethren just say god open up my mind i just want to do your will god cooperates with people who are willing to be used by him do not worry about critics don't mind their criticisms because somebody once said this it's the people who carry the ball who are going to get tackled another said nobody stones a tree that is not bearing fruit so no matter what you are struggling with stick with god endure keep making it to church brethren keep doing evangelism keep walking with the lord because one day the power of jesus is going to get a hold of you and deliver you and change you you're going to get a breakthrough secondly he says we must lay aside every weight in the first organization of the olympics did you know it was only men who were contestants and it was only men who were allowed to be spectators why was this why only men because the runners who were determined to lay aside every weight to give them the greatest chance of winning they ran naked and if naked men were running my sisters then you can't have any female spectators so he is saying we must lay aside some things somebody turn to your neighbor and say lay aside type it in the chat those of you online lay aside that means to put it down that means to stop holding on to it to stop picking it up it means to become separated from it there are some things we need to separate from there are some things that self the unconverted sinful natural man would want to do some people have a can't do attitude as it relates to evangelism they shy away from working for the lord because it's not the most convenient thing to do it's more convenient to pursue their own interests some say because of kovid 19 we can't do evangelism but brethren there's a proverb that says make hay while the sun shines right now we have the privilege to worship albeit in twenties but very soon is going to be taken away very soon we won't be able to come into the church building at all all the dots are lining up we have a responsibility to preach the everlasting gospel no we have a moral man mandate to tell the world what god says we may not be liked for it but we must do it now because very soon the freedom we have to share it on the public space of the internet may be taken away but until that day comes brethren let us cry aloud and spare not this is a time when the church needs to be united in making the lord cry warning the world of the master soon appearing let us not get distracted from this our mission i see where some of us have become so distracted with all sorts of debates but our mission graduating is not to spread fear or criticize and condemn anybody instead it is time for soul searching and wrestling with god he says lay aside the weight now this weight is anything that is pulling you down spiritually he said you have got to lay aside the weight you have got to say no to some stuff that you want to do you have got to say no to some people and sometimes in order to save you god has to allow you to lose some friends and some relatives sometimes god has to move you from one place to the next he may even have to move you from one country to another brother nathan lay aside the weight there are some adulterous relationships we need to separate from there are some worldly practices you need to separate from there are some shows you're watching on tv and on the internet you need to separate from there are some selfish and prideful attitudes that you need to get rid of there are some bad habits you need to separate from he says let us lay aside every weight so as athletes we must run the race free of encumbrances laying aside every weight and the things which would hold us back from running we must lay aside everything that is unlike christ and we must run the race this race is not about coming first it is whosoever shall endure to the end and by the way there is a crown that is awaiting everyone who runs the race you neglect or ignore it to the detriment of your own soul and not only your soul but the one for whom christ that just died the one that was assigned to you the one for whom you got the responsibility to bring to the lord and you neglected it individual responsibility individual effort personal sacrifice is the requirement to finish this race successfully the third thing paul told us is that we should run the race with endurance let us run with patience the race that is set before us we should run the race with endurance don't give up for he that endureth to the end the same shall be saved run the race with god brethren don't give up even though you feel like quitting if you continue to read further down in the passage the author took the time to say that these witnesses did not have it easy but they endured to the end some had to face cruel beatings endure torture some were chained in prison some had their heads chopped off some were burned alive some of these went without food some of them had to hide in caves they did not have it easy but they endured to the end and some of them according to hebrews 11 and verse 36 had some serious difficulties and trials of mocking and scourging imprisonments torn in some were sown in two tempted but they pressed on to the end they finished the race some of the patriarchs had to give up families and fortunes some of them lost friends and fame some of them were sacrificed brethren some of them were enslaved and brutally beaten some were falsely accused but they ran the race they endured to the end so far none of us has been called upon to endure not even a tenth of these trials so we must be able to run our race but some of us at the first sign of trouble we make excuses there are some people in the church who are a humbug to the cause of god there are some people in the church the first sign they get that something may become a threat to them they raise a red flag you can't do this you can't do that you can't do the other but god is going to find a way with me or without me with you or without you god will find a way to get his work done brethren the race at times will become discouraging and difficult but let us run the race with endurance the fourth thing i want us to take into consideration as the apostle paul says and really the thing that is most essential to the rest is keeping your eyes fixed on jesus somebody ought to say praise the lord let me read it in case you don't know it or you haven't seen it looking on to jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endure the cross despising the shame most runners they keep their eyes fixed on the finish line you don't have athletes running and looking down at their feet bridger you don't have athletes running and looking behind them you have to keep your eyes focused on the finish line the goal the message today is if you want to be distressed look within yourself if you want to be defeated look back if you want to be distracted look around good runners know you don't look around when you are running if you want to be victorious look ahead of you because that is where the finish line is keep your eyes on jesus let us keep our eyes on him and look at him his pattern because he is the author and finisher of our faith we can't run this race unless we keep our eyes on jesus because every now and then we are going to come upon some things that are going to discourage us distract us don't keep your eyes on the members brethren don't keep your eyes on the members because members will discourage you yes there are some hypocrites in the church there are those who are destructors but god there are still some sincere holy ghost-filled determined blood washed christians who are determined to finish the race so we have to keep our eyes on jesus no matter how close you are to the finish line don't slow down keep running keep on pressing socrates taught for 40 years plato taught for 50 years and aristotle taught for 40. jesus only taught for three years but if you should combine all those years of teaching of these great philosophers those years cannot match the three years of jesus he is the author and finisher of our faith he is the greatest philosopher of all jesus painted no paintings but some of the world's greatest paintings are of him he wrote no poem no song but every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble carpenter of nazareth he is the author and finisher of our faith now i want you to take note of his passion who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross the cross is serious brethren but jesus went to the cross he bore the cross for god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and it is because of the cross why we can finish the race the fifth thing i want you to consider is the prevailing wisdom run this race as if your life depends on it your life depends on it brethren in this race let nothing distract you let nothing discourage you run as if your life depends on it run run because a roaring lion is behind you run because a dreadful beast is behind you and if you trip up get up and run again because your life depends on it your salvation depends on it your future depends on it run until you see what the end looks like run through the storms of doubts run through the valley of despair run over mountains of fear run down the pathway of righteousness run until peace flows like a river run until justice averts violence run until christians love each other run until man becomes his brother's keeper run run until sinners repent and come to christ run until you see jesus at the finish line church stay in the race brothers and sisters stay in the race don't give up there are some more difficult times ahead there are more challenging times ahead but he who is faithful will keep us from falling there are times when you want to give up on your dreams there are times when we get a lot of sad news like this week some of our brethren who once walked in a solid relationship with jesus some of them have become cold bitter and indifferent but i want to encourage somebody today don't give up victory is just around the corner the finish line is just in sight just over the mountains in that promised land and you know the rest your deliverance might be at the next sunrise don't give up your healing might be in your next praise winners don't quit and quitters don't win stay in the race let no one discourage you don't give up we have come this far by faith so stay in the race run the race finish the race because this is no time to quit you're not only running for yourself but you're running for a country a city whose builder and maker is god you're not just running for yourself you're running for heaven finish the race don't just start it and fall by the wayside endure through it it started with those witnesses and guess who finished it abraham abraham was a liar but he finished the race no matter what your character is you can finish the race sarah also finished the race sarah laughed at god and if somebody who mocked god can finish the race then i paula michelle gunning harry can finish the race guess who has finished the race a murderer and a fugitive called moses so we can go to the lockups then and let the prisoners know that they too can finish the race a man whose mother helped him to trick his brother and his father and who ran away and went to his uncle and there he played a bigger trick he finished the race successfully if jacob trickster can finish the race you can finish the race too a man who built an ark that same man went and drank strong wine got drunk and did some abominable things so somebody needs to tell all the drunkards that if noah finished the race they can finish the race also there is a woman who was a member of the oldest profession in jericho she was a prostitute and if rahab could finish the race go to the prostitutes and sex traffickers run backstreet and wherever they are and tell them that they too can finish the race there is a man who saw another man's wife lost it after the man's wife and because he had the power he sent for the man's wife had sexual intercourse with her and when he learned that she got pregnant he sent for the man the husband of that woman and said man go to your wife because you must get a jacket tonight go and sleep with your wife and the man said no i can't go and sleep with my wife because i have my friends on the battlefield then this man because he had the power he put pen to paper and ordered that the man be placed in the line of targets on the battlefield and my bible tells me that this adulterer this murderer finished the race brethren if you don't make it it's only you to be blamed finish the race but before you can finish the race you have to start the race so somebody needs to begin today by accepting jesus christ as your lord and savior somebody who had dropped out of the race needs to fall back into the race because together we must finish the race adults must finish the race young people who have gotten discouraged must finish the race fall back in line children must finish the race not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the lord of hosts you don't need any banned substance to run this race all you need is the holy spirit once you have the spirit you cannot be disqualified looking onto jesus we will finish the race run the race because someday the race will end and after all you have gone through to finish the race your reward is not your name in the church record book it's not your name in the local newspapers or social media it's not your name blazing in the lights of adventist popularity after all these things after the time of trouble after the seven last plagues after the union of church and state after the national sunday law after the political powers that will rise after all death sickness discouragement and hardship after the crime and violence after covet 19 michael shall stand up the great prince which standeth for his people and god's people shall be delivered jesus shall come the earth shall shake the grave shall open the righteous shall come forth and we will be raised up and given a crown of life the earth will once again be filled with the glory of god as waters cover the seas until then my brethren let us remain faithful let us endeavor to finish the race i will finish my ways no one can wait for me amen our closing hymn is taken from 6 3 2 until then please stand [Music] [Music] oh [Music] god [Music] for a while [Music] remember there will only bring us [Music] but until then [Music] god the benediction is taken from the back of the imminent church imran romans 15 13 may the god of hope live with all joy and peace as they trust in him so that you may overfloweth all by the power of the holy spirit [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] hmm [Music] some views are blooming now but the fields are dry we are not the same [Music] together you and i [Music] [Music] and another anchor's close to home to hold the neighbor's hand tell me [Music] that devotion will be [Music] together you went down [Music] we are [Music] together you

Channel: Seventh-day Adventist Church, Manchioneal

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Id: 06ILvmqiSQc

Length: 181min 30sec (10890 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 04 2021