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 Doyce Hughes Discusses the Nearness of Christ's Coming Services at the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on June 20, 2009 began with a Sabbath School song service led by Bubba Herra, accompanied by Robin Hughes. The opening song was “My Jesus, I Love Thee”. Vasti (senior) welcomed everyone, had prayer, and read Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Miranda (sophomore) then read a mission report about a girl in Zambia who had problems with school being on Sabbath. Karl (sophomore) and Gabby (9th grader) collected the Laurelbrook Missions Offering, which helps students and staff members go on mission trips.
 Jaimie Douville concluded with a few remarks about loving God and motive we have for serving God. She had Miranda stab an apple like the slights we endure each day. She mentioned that no one can put this apple back together except God. When we really accept Him and let Him work in our lives, God gives us a new heart like a new apple. After her talk, Jaimie closed with prayer. Each student (and many of the staff members) was given an apple to remind him/her of what Jaimie discussed. The congregation broke up into several Sabbath School classes to study “community”; the students discussed a lesson from the Young Disciples organization.When services resumed at 11:00, Doyce Hughes had the invocation or opening prayer. Robert Zollinger welcomed everyone and made the necessary announcements. He mentioned that Mireya Lujen, who has been working in the Laurelbrook summer program, went home to Mexico for a visit and got involved in a serious auto accident and is in a coma along with other injuries. She needs everyone’s prayers. There will be a hike this evening at 7:00 p.m. ending with worship at Laurelbrook’s Picnic Pavilion.
Everyone then sang “Shall We Gather at the River”. Robert Zollinger had the Morning Prayer and called for the offering, which was for local church budget; and Roger Westfall and Argie (junior) collected the offering. The congregation sang the doxology, and Keith Ferguson prayed for the offering.
For the scripture reading, Keith Ferguson read the scripture reading. The Ellis and Herra families played a hymn medley (Bubba Herra was the vocal soloist) for special music. Cassandra (junior) read the children a story. Doyce Hughes preached on “A New You”, the congregation sang “Lift Him Up”, and Keith Ferguson had closing prayer.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Bubba Herra – Laurelbrook graduate
Doyce Hughes – Laurelbrook staff member presently taking the L.P.N. course
Jaimie Douville – 2009 Laurelbrook graduate presently working in the Laurelbrook summer program
Keith Ferguson – retired Laurelbrook staff member presently working at the Laurelbrook vehicle shop
Robert Zollinger – past Laurelbrook president and current Laurelbrook board chairman
Robin Hughes – C.N.A. at the Laurelbrook Nursing Home, accompanist for both Sabbath School and church services today
Following are notes on the sermon:
1. Revelation 3:11 “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
2. Revelation 22:7 “Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
3. Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
4. Jesus is coming soon, but why doesn’t He come more quickly?
5. Ellen White, Adventist Home, p. 544 says that the perfection of our characters is what God is waiting for.
6. Ellen White in Christ’s Object Lessons says much the same thing.
7. What are we doing in our lives to help Jesus to come more quickly?
8. All my life I had heard that Jesus was coming soon, so much that I got bored with hearing it repeated. I was the 4th of 6 children and had a developed sense of right and wrong. Then one of my brothers died, and our family turned from God. When I graduated from public school, I went to Los Angeles and got a high-paying job. Then God spoke to me as I was going to work about getting ready for His Coming.
9. First, I decided to leave early for work and study God’s Word in the resulting empty times. Then I started reading the Spirit of Prophecy books. Then I decided to become a medical missionary and got accepted at Southern Adventist University where I studied for two years.
10. As I studied, I got into a routine. I joined a Pathfinder club. People started speculating about his marital status, which hurt his feelings. He dropped Pathfinders and found a worldly girlfriend. I lost a desire for spiritual things and got into alcohol.
11. God wouldn’t let me go. I got to the point where I didn’t care about life. I was reaching the bottom. One day I prayed. I had plenty of time to read the Bible because I had lost my job. I started memorizing Bible passages and longing to do something different.
12. I started visiting churches, but many churches didn’t make me feel welcome. Then I found the Brayton church and felt the Spirit of God in that assembly.
13. God doesn’t turn His back on us.
14. I started thinking about Jesus’ soon return and what our purpose here on earth must be.
15. We should have a desire that we would rather die than commit a sin. This will spread the message that God has for the world.
16. Ellen White also says that true happiness comes from self-denial. When we achieve one victory, the next victory comes easier.
17. If we neglect opportunities to overcome sin, what is going to happen to each of us down the road? Satan becomes enshrined in our souls.
18. God wants every person to be saved. We can show others that God can assist us in overcoming sin.
19. Are you living for God or for ourselves? No person fostering sin can go into heaven.
20. When we spend time putting God’s Word into our hearts, then we are cherishing Christ in our hearts.
21. When I decided to live for God, I wanted to find a life partner to share this spiritual journey with. God told him to sit still, and God would bring a person to him. Two weeks later Robin came to that same church.
22. Eventually, we will be the sons and daughters of God. We have an opportunity to reach this level, but when we achieve this level the world will not know us.
23. We have the opportunity to become sons and daughters of God now. When Jesus appears, we will be like Him.
24. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
25. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the type of new creature we will be.
26. When something or someone is “sanctified”, it is different, in this case holy.
27. When I was five or six, my parents were helping in a “stop smoking” seminar titled “A New You”. When we put away sins, we become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
28. When Jesus comes into our hearts, we become a new person and put His promises about overcoming sin into effect. When problems come, Jesus helps us with them. People then start watching your life and come closer to God.
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