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Charis:
Good afternoon ICSDACC! Welcome to the Sabbath afternoon! Glad you could be here! Hope you had a good lunch! Have you
ever had one of those nights where you cannot sleep? And you can’t sleep, and you see no way forward and I’m not just talking
about because of financial trouble or because of car problems or bad grades but something that’s spiritual. Have you ever had
one of those nights where you’re just not sure where God is at? Well those of us in the , we’ve had some of
those nights too and we know that God’s children who’ve gone before us had too. And we hope that as you listen to the music
and the stories this afternoon that you will gain a fresh confidence in the Heavenly Father’s love for us even in the darkest of
times.
1ST SONG | YOUR LOVE IS TRUE
Singer: Ian Jay Dinopol, Davery Tulabing, Rhunjie Cabig
Instrumentalist: Davery Tulabing(Guitar), Myreq Legaspino (Violin)
Lyrics:
At times I have to wonder how you still love me Lord
After all the times I’ve turned my back on you
Your love is such a mystery, it’s hard to comprehend
That You would give your life for fallen men
For God so loved the world below He gave His only Son
That whoso’ver believe they would not perish
And Jesus came into to the world to save and not condemn
And those who receive Him find new life again
(join me?)
Von:
Let’s pray. Prayer: Father in heaven, as were here this afternoon, I pray that these stories that we looked at of a few people
who’ve gone before us will encourage us in our way. And we thank you for this day, in Jesus name, Amen.
Charis:
It was March 1840 a travelling preacher came to town. He rode in, came up on Casco Street of Portland Maine and he entered a
little church. And as the preacher named William Miller stood up to preach he saw that every pew was packed with people,
every aisle people were standing shoulder to shoulder ,the foyer was packed with people and even the stage was lined with
people. It seemed that as if all of Casco, or sorry, Portland Maine had come to hear William Miller preach. And William Miller
stood before the congregation that day and he opened his bible and he very carefully, methodically and persuasively went
through the books of Daniel and Revelation and then he made a most profound statement. He said,” Based on the things we’ve
seen here Jesus will be coming back to this earth in just 3 years time.” There was no loud commotion or shouting or falling over
that attended his meetings, no, the message like that it was a great sense of awe. And in the audience that day was a girl, only
Ellen: “Robert?”
Ellen: “Do you? Do you think God will spare me to live till I get home? Or because I’m such a sinner, do you think he’ll take me
and my great sins now?”
And for the first time she realized with Robert’s delay he too was feeling the fear.
Robert: “Well, Ellen, I’m sure if you’ll ask Him in faith, He’ll save you.”
And that night Ellen cried herself to sleep with a tear running down her cheek in the early hours of the morning. And just a few
nights later, one of these troubled nights when Ellen finally drifted off into a horrible fitful sleep she had a dream and as she
dreamed she looked out and there was all these people going back and forth with their buggies, with their wagons pulling loads,
all were busy. And as she looked passed those people she saw a temple a little ways out and then she learned that all who must
be saved must enter that temple. Well Ellen thought, I’ll just watch for a minute and she watched and she saw a few tried to enter
the temple but as they did somebody would come along and grab them by the arm, “Oh don’t go in the temple, now, don’t it’s a
waste of your time. You’re an embarrassment to your family, come on man.” And Ellen thought, “Oh my.” Timid little girl as
she was she thought you know I’ll just for some of these mean people to live and then I’ll try to see if I can enter the temple
unharmed. But as she waited more and more people came into that area and they got so congested and she realized she must
leave at once to enter the temple or be too late. And so little Ellen, got to her feet and started along and she reached the door of
that temple and as she walked in, “So, beautiful.” And she looked up there was this pillar right in the centre of the temple held up
all the roof and as she looked at this pillar and eyed it down her eyes caught something terrible. Oh, right at the base of that pillar
was this little lamb it just looked like it’s been beat and bruised and battered and it was chained to the pillar. “Oh it’s the lamb,”
she thought. Oh, she thought, “That must represent Jesus sacrifice for my sins and if I repent I’m sure I’ll be saved,” and then as
she looked a little higher she noticed on the other side of the pillar were all these elevated seats and there was people on these
seats with great big smiles, they just looked so happy. Huh, boy, if I repent on my sins then I’m sure I’ll be happy like those
people and I’ll get a seat with those people. But just then, poof, all things vanished and there was Ellen left standing alone, it was
too late. And as she awoke from that dreadful dream, didn’t come from Jesus by the way, that was the devil’s dream. She awoke
from that dream, you know how dreams are, especially when you’re a child, they’re so vivid, so real. She despaired of life itself,
she wished that it would forever end. She began to lose weight. She was so exhausted and worn out all the time she would faint.
But just a few nights later she once again fell off into a fitful sleep and as she did she dreamed another dream. And in this dream
she was looking out a window and it was so peaceful outside everything was so green and the birds were singing. It just looked
like such a happy world and Ellen thought, “Oh, why can’t I be happy?” and her face just fell into her hands and she began to
cry, “Oh Jesus, if you were on this earth I would go to you, ‘cause I know you wouldn’t turn me away, and you would make me
happy. I could tell you all my troubles and you’ll fix it.” But just then her thoughts were interrupted, a door behind her opened,
(eeeerrrr), she turned around and there stood a gentleman at the door. He looked down at her and said, “Ellen, would you like to
see Jesus?” “Oh yes, yes I would like to see Jesus,” said Ellen. “Okay,” he said, “Gather your little things and come with me.”
And as she followed the gentleman he went out and went to a steep, long, long, long, long staircase and as he started up he
halted a minute and he turned and looked at Ellen and said, “Now Ellen keep your eyes up many have tried this way and have
fallen off and he climbed the staircase and Ellen followed that gentleman. And as she got to the top, there was a door, he looked
at her again and said,
“Okay.”
And he opened that door and Ellen looked in that room and she saw Jesus. And she almost fell from fear she thought, “Oh, I, a
sinner, how could I ever stand before Jesus,” but before she could she saw these tender eyes and a smile. And Ellen saw a friend
and she fell at Jesus’ feet. And Jesus, as he always does for His children, he reached out and put His hand on Ellen’s shoulder
and he said, “Oh Ellen you have no need to fear.”
No need to fear
Though evil seems so strong
Their pride and power is not for long
Charis:
As Ellen got up from that dream oh she was much encouraged. She finally got the strength to talk to her mother, and you know
how mothers are they can always make you feel so much better, she said, “Mother, I’ve been struggling so long I’ve wondered
how Jesus could save me?” When her mother said, “Well Ellen I could tell you’re losing weight. You looked so stressed. Ellen
I’ll tell you what you should do. Why don’t you go talk to Elder Stockman? He is such a kind gentleman and a man of god. I just
know he’ll make you feel so much better, Ellen why don’t you go talk to Elder Stockman?”
Chorus:
And I will never let you fall
This is a promise to believe
I will never let you fall
Any further than your knees
Von:
Of course Jesus didn't come in 1843. So people got together they started to study again, realized they’d messed up their math and
they hadn't fully understood prophecy. So they narrowed it down to October 22, 1844 that was the date Jesus would come. And
many people gave all, they were ready. They wanted Jesus to come. One individual turned farmer to preacher by the name of
Hiram Edson he sold all he had, he printed tracks and he began to preach, “Jesus is coming.”He went around to his neighbors
One preacher had been preaching that Jesus was coming. And just a few weeks before the date this preacher was walking down
the road. Elder Fitch was his name and as he did he saw a whole group of people coming they said, “Oh Elder Fitch we want to
be baptized. We just so want to be baptized before Jesus come. Will you baptize us? Please Elder Fitch.” Of course it’s October
and it was a cold October. “Well, said Elder Fitch, I wouldn't turn anyway, anyone away and he turned around and he walked off
to the river. And there he baptized that whole group of people in the freezing cold water. And then shivering Elder Fitch got out
and he began to walk home. Then there came another group of people,
“Oh Elder Fitch please we want to be baptized before Jesus comes. Will you baptize us Elder Fitch?” “Okay, let's go back to the
water.”
And poor Elder Fitch walked back and he got in that cold river and he baptized a whole crowd of people. And he came out
chilled to the bone hardly could feel his toes. And he caught a sight here came a third group of people,
“Oh Elder Fitch we want to be baptized before Jesus comes when you baptize us?” “Okay.”
They went back to that water and Elder fish baptized everyone that day who wanted to be baptized. He made his way back home
he caught pneumonia and died eight days before Jesus would come. And his little children were sad as they watched their daddy
be buried, but Mommy said,
“Oh children, it’s okay, Daddy's coming in just eight days, in just eight days you'll see Daddy.”
And so, when October 22 came around they excitedly came up to mommy, “Mommy when’s Daddy coming?” They knew the
answer but they want to hear it again. “Oh children, today you'll see daddy.”
But on October 23 they came in sobbing, “Mommy, when are we gonna see Daddy?”
All their hopes, all they had was tied up in the desire to go to heaven and to be with Jesus.
CHORUS
Some times I think that I can stay here no longer.
I feel very lonely here, for I've seen a better land!
Oh! That I had wings like a dove,
Then would I fly away, and be at rest.
VERSE 2
I wanna go to Heaven, I wanna hear the voice of Jesus,
"I have washed your robes in my blood, you stood stiffly for my truth."
And when I get to Heaven I'll cast my crown at Jesus feet!
I wanna praise His name forever!
He has done so much for me!
VERSE 3
I wanna go to Heaven, I wanna hear the voice of Jesus,
"I will gird myself and serve you, for you suffered much for me."
And when I get to Heaven I wanna sit at Jesus' table!
Oh! To eat the fruit of that land,
To go back to earth no more!
CHORUS
Some times I think that I can stay here no longer.
I feel very lonely here, for I've seen a better land!
Oh! That I had wings like a dove,
Then would I fly away, and be at rest.
Charis:
Elder Edson out there wept the night away until the sun came up. And then he called out to his few friends still there. You know
how these things are disappointments weeds the crowd out real fast but a few remained he said, “Well friends let's go off to the
barn and pray.”So they went off to Elder Edson’s little grainery there, and they knelt down and they prayed, “Lord why? What
did we miss? Why disappoint us? We studied. We thought we knew. What do we make of this? What do we do now? Lord
please, show us the next step.” And they didn't get the answer and they began to keep praying, “Lord please, why? Help us.”
And they still didn't get the answer but they got the assurance that Jesus knew what He was doing and He would make sense of
the whole thing and that was good enough for them. They got up off their knees and they walked off into the house they did one
of those impromptu breakfasts, you know nothing planned open the cupboards get what you can, get a little to eat. And then
Elder Edson turned to his good friend Elder Crosier he said,
“Well Elder Crosier why don’t we cross the cornfield. There are some believers over on the other side they were looking for
Jesus to come. I'm sure they're discouraged. Let's go try to encourage them and pray with them.”
So the two men started out and as they crossed the field Brother Crosier was so deep in thought, he hadn’t noticed that Brother
Hiram Edson had stopped walking and there he stood. Elder Crosier kept going and after some time he realized, “Hey where’s
Brother Edson and he turned around he was way back there in the field,
And he looked and there was Brother Edson deep in thought. And as he came back Brother Edson said,
“Oh I now know, I now understand. Jesus wasn't coming to this earth to cleanse this earth like we thought to take us home.
There's a heavenly sanctuary he's gone in there. He's doing a work there.”
And that began a long study. The believers would open their Bibles they'd sit around the table and they would look for a verse
that would explain. And if they couldn't find it they would go down on their knees and once they were impressed where to look
in their Bibles they'd get up and they’d find the answer. And then they would be confused and they would go on their knees and
they would pray and they would get up. And they realize that what happened was on that day that they were all so disappointed
Jesus didn't come here to take us home. It wasn’t judgment day in that sense it was a different kind of judgement day. Jesus had
gone into the most holy place of the sanctuary there to intercede for you and me there He has dedicated His work. He's doing all
he can to see that you and I make it up there. In the sanctuary Jesus is interceding for us.
Von:
Oh they were so encouraged when they learned that. But the courage didn't come so easy to all of them. No. One brother by the
name of Samuel Rhodes, year before the expected date of Jesus' return he had sold his farm. He’d used the money he printed
tracks and he went around to preach. He was a man described having a lot of dash on verb. People refer to him as the Peter, the
one who could preach. And he preached that Jesus was coming and when Jesus didn't come he didn't take it too well. And as
he’d go to town, people,
“Hey Brother Rhodes, still here I see, are you goin’ the next time? Weren’t good enough ha? Oh well have a nice day.”
And the taunts and the jeers got to be too much. And finally, one day Brother Samuel Rhodes he got his pony grabbed a few
hand tools he hopped up on his pony and with a bit lip he said,
And he rode off. By the way if you're going try to leave the world don't do it on a pony doesn't work very well. But he tried and
off he rode. He left. As we go New York, state he lived and he rode 70 miles east to Boonville. And then not named after Daniel
Boone by the way it was named after Garrett Boone he was an agent for a land company. And anyway Elder Rhodes rode his
pony down an Indian trail few miles past Boonville, crossed the Black River which is kind of the foothills of the Adirondack
Mountains, cleared a little plot of land and he built a little cabin and he just lived like a hermit. And every day he felt more
rejected of God and despised of men. Well Brother Edson tried and he would go to visit Samuel Rhodes. And he’d say,
“Samuel, come on back. Jesus loves you. You don't have to be discouraged. Jesus loves you, come back.”
Samuel Rhodes had had none of it. Brother Edson talked to Ellen White by this time, she was now married, and she said,
But then she was impressed by Jesus that that was a mistake and that people could be brought back. So she went back to Brother
Edson she said,
“I tell you what, why don't you go try to get Samuel Rhodes to bring him back.”
So he rode 70 miles to Boonville, crossed the Black River and there he saw Brother Samuel Rhodes out working in his field.
And as he walked up a friend that was with Edson by the name of Richard Ralph called out,
And Brother Rhodes looked up and saw Richard Ralph and Hiram Edson and I tell you he was none too welcoming.
“Oh Brother, said Edson, Jesus loves you. We're here to bring you back.” “Well, he said, why don't you come with us, Brother
Rhodes, we're having meetings.”
“Well, can't go today. I've got really way too much to do maybe tomorrow.”
He really didn't have anything to do that day but Hiram Edson wasn't about to be outdone he said,
“Okay, no problem.”
And Hiram Edson stayed there all night and then in the next day,
“So, well Brother Rhodes I'm sure now you're ready to go.”
And so they started walking across the Black River and started down that Indian trail when all of a sudden Brother Rhodes who
was in the back of the line split and broke and he took off running full speed as fast as he could through the woods and as he ran
Elder Edson wasn’t about to be outdone he turned around and he chased him. It was like two squirrels going mad through the
forest. Brother Samuel Rhodes was running and he had an advantage it was his terrain he knew it. And as he ran he was trying to
lose brother Hiram Edson and he was running around the trees and over the hills but Brother Edson had an advantage and that
was determination he wasn’t about to let this same Rhodes get away from him. And he continued after Samuel Rhodes and his
Brother Edson came running around this large clump of bushes. He saw Brother Rhodes he was at the edge of a clearing down
on his knees with his face in his hands crying,
“Oh Jesus, why do my brother and loved me so? Why do they seek me like this? Jesus? Is it possible you love me like this?”
And Brother Hiram Edson had the great privilege walking up, putting his hand on the shoulder of Brother Rhodes and telling
Brother Rhodes that,
“Yes Jesus loves you like this. And Jesus’ grace is so amazing it will cover you.”
Ptr./ Pre-Appeal:
Well after that experience Samuel Rhodes was happy to follow Brother Edson and they went back together. And Samuel Rhodes
began to study the Bible with these brothers and see all he had missed he heard of the three angels message understood what
judgment was happening up in heaven. It was later written down by James White, he said,
“No man has ever more freely given all for a treasure in heaven than Brother Rhodes, his commendable zeal in the cause and
success in convincing people of truth has caused our enemies to wickedly reproach him.”
You know I don't know each of you here tonight or this afternoon. But even if I knew all of you by name, I could never know all
the secrets of your heart. But maybe one of you, maybe you're like young Ellen, you’re fearful. How could I ever be ready? How
can I stand before the judge a sinner? And if that's you. I come to you in the place of Elder Stockman to tell you of the love of
Jesus, a saviour wanting to save you. Now maybe the reason you feel uneasy about Jesus coming is because you know there is
something you've been keeping between Him and you. And if that's the deal friends you need to deal with it. You know that job
that you've been working a little too late on Friday, it's time to get that dealt with. You can have the peace that passes
understanding but you need to get these barriers between you and Jesus out. And I want to tell you something if you think you
have something that so little that there's no way can ever really get between you and Jesus and after all even if it did you get rid
of it later you're already confused. There is nothing that can go between you and Jesus that is little. If it's in between the two of
you it's a big deal. You know growing up through my teen years and then into my twenty's. I've had many, many wonderful
friends-- mission minded friends. The friends that would get together with me in the evening and pray would go to give Bible
studies and did you know now I can count on one hand the number of friends who have kept their faith and it all started with
something between them and Jesus that was just very little. So I'm going to ask you if you want to experience that peace that
passes understanding, if you want to hear sermons on the judgment without losing your sleep then give all to Jesus. If there's
something you want to give up to give to Jesus I’m just going to ask you to stand. Anything between you and Jesus don't let
it be. Don't become one of my friends that I found out won't be here next year because you fell away. Give it up.
“He that converted a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, shall cover a multitude of sins.”
If you're willing to not give up on your Brother Rhodes but to go grab him and pull him back. I would like you to raise your
hand.
7TH SONG | continuation
I long to be like Jesus, meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus, the Father's holy Child,
the Father's holy Child;
(PRAYER) :Father in heaven please help us to learn from the journey of those who went before us, how to find the peace that
passeth understanding and that assurance that you are our Saviour, and that you are giving all to save us. May that ever bring in
our ears, in Jesus' name, Amen.
Legend to remembered:
Von = Black
Charis = Red
Ptr./Appeal = Blue
Important Quotes = Yellow Highlight