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 Clayton Brandt Preaches on a Soul's Value  Services at the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on August 22, 2009 Sabbath School song service led by Eugene Chirshev and Anna Carr, accompanied by Donna Kanna. Lois and Bob Davis were the greeters for these services along with Jack Faatz. The opening song was “My Hope Is Based On Nothing Less”. Douglas (junior) had prayer and read Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”Brenda Herra welcomed everyone. Argie (junior) and Karl (sophomore) played a clarinet duet, accompanied by Donna Kanna on the piano. Erin (sophomore) read a mission story from South America about an Adventist member who joined the regular Seventh-day Adventist Church. His former associates in an Adventist splinter group thought he was lost. Rodney Herra and John Ellis collected the Missions Offering, which helps students and staff members go on mission trips. Brenda Herra concluded with a few remarks about how much better a new school year could be and closed with prayer. The congregation broke up into several Sabbath School classes to study “Loving Brothers and Sisters”; the students studied a lesson from the Young Disciples organization.
Following are notes from Brenda Herra’s talk:
When services resumed at 11:00, Clayton Brandt had the invocation or opening prayer. David Moses welcomed everyone and made the necessary announcements. The Sabbath walk will be at 3:00 and vespers at 7:45 in the church. Friday, August 28 will be a Family Night with people bringing their own instruments and singing and playing. Brenda Herra then presented the new officers list for approval by the church. The list was approved by the church.
Everyone then sang “Take the World but Give Me Jesus”. David Moses had the Morning Prayer and called for the offering, which was for Georgia-Cumberland Ministries; and Roger Westfall and David Zollinger collected the offering. The congregation sang the doxology, and John Ellis prayed for the offering.
For the scripture reading, John Ellis read Luke 23:31-34 “31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Argie (junior) and Karl (sophomore) played a clarinet duet, accompanied by Donna Kanna on the piano. Shymone Moses told the children a story about a little girl who always wanted attention. One day she broke her arm when she tried to draw attention to herself doing acrobatics. She was out of school for two months. Pride leads to problems.
Clayton Brandt preached on the value of our souls in God’s sight, the congregation sang “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”, and John Ellis had closing prayer.
Friday evening the Laurelbrook Church had a communion service. Presiding was the first elder – Robert D. Zollinger – since Pastor Larry Owens had transferred to an Alabama church.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Anna Carr – Laurelbrook graduate
Bob Davis – 1956 Laurelbrook graduate, serves in the maintenance department when he can
Brenda Herra – one of the chefs in the Laurelbrook Nursing Home kitchen
Clayton Brandt – local church elder, one of Laurelbrook’s maintenance men
David Moses – Bible I and III teacher for Laurelbrook Academy, does the campus mowing
David Zollinger – Laurelbrook graduate, works at nearby Majestic Stone Company
Donna Kanna – head of the Laurelbrook music department
Eugene Chirshev – 2009 Laurelbrook graduate heading south to Southern Adventist University this Sunday
Jack Faatz – deacon and head church greeter, retired Laurelbrook purchasing agent
John Ellis - local church elder, former Laurelbrook staff member presently working at nearby Majestic Stone Company
Lois Davis – Laurelbrook Academy registrar
Rodney Herra – local church elder, former Laurelbrook staff member presently working at nearby Majestic Stone Company
Shymone Moses – principal of the Laurelbrook Elementary School
Following are notes on the sermon:
1. People often hid treasure in ancient times due to change of rulership and due to invasions by foreign armies.
2. Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
3. Thus rich people found the earth a safe place to hide their treasure but often people would forget where they had concealed their treasure. Years later people might find this treasure.
4. In Jesus’ story, this man had leased a field and when plowing hit the treasure. He finds this huge chest containing a fortune. He doesn’t own the field and thus doesn’t own the treasure.
5. He goes home and tells his family he wants the field he was plowing. He sells off the animals and then goes and finds objects to sell and then sells the furniture and then everything else he owns.
6. When the sale is complete, he takes his wife out to the field and shows her the fortune he has discovered. Then she realizes what he has done. He saw something others didn’t see.
7. We are in danger of losing sight of the greatest treasure of all – our own soul. Do we think Jesus more than anything else in the world? There is nothing else worth living for.
8. Your “treasure” is located where the things you think of and talk of the most.
9. 1 Peter 2:7 “Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.”
10. We have to see the value of eternal life before we really want to possess it. This value doesn’t sink into our minds, and we don’t appreciate eternal life as we should.
11. We have to dig for it before we really appreciate it.
12. A good measure of this treasure is how much we are willing to give for it.
13. People around this man probably figured this man was crazy; people will think us crazy, too, if we give all to obtain heaven.
14. In ancient times, a man could sit down in a field and not realize the treasure beneath his feet. The gospel is the same – we have to dig for it and give our efforts to obtain it.
15. Anything that occupies our thoughts detracts us from obtaining the treasure. Many times we rake muck instead of looking up at the treasure we might obtain.
16. Think of the value of eternal life – what would it be like to have a perfect, happy life in heaven with Jesus?
17. Jesus is the gate to heaven. The gates of heaven are made of one great pearl, representing Jesus.
18. This gift of eternal life cost the life of God Himself. Jesus risked His eternal existence to give us this gift.
19. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus illustrates how valuable we are to God. The shepherd risked his life to get only one sheep.
20. Revelation 19:13 “And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
21. God’s love and life was given to redeem us from sin.
22. 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks [be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.” Paul saw the value of God’s gift.
23. In a box in my dresser, I have a box of homemade notes and valentines from my wife and children. You couldn’t give any price for these, as far as I am concerned. The value of the gift is in the love of the giver. These notes have a value due to the memories they awaken, due to the love shown by the giver.
24. One man had kidney failure – a friend decided to give one of his kidneys. He woke up from the operation in great pain. He thought by suffering this pain he could give his friend a new lease on life. Both men did well afterwards and became extremely close friends due to this great gift.
25. What if his friend had not appreciated his gift? What if the friend didn’t keep in touch? What if the friend had become his enemy and tried to blackmail his character? Would he be upset? Yet this is the way we often treat God in the person of Jesus.
26. By thanking Jesus, it brings out a love in our own hearts and a further appreciation of this gift.
27. Ellen White says that we can enter into a closer fellowship with Jesus than even the angels know.
28. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
29. Jesus died for his enemies, those who nailed Him to the cross as well as sinners from all ages.
30. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He felt He would never see His Father again. Yet He went through it to save each of us.
31. We can tell ourselves every day that Jesus paid for us, that we should disappoint Him again.
32. We each have everlasting life to gain or lose. If we could figure out the value of our souls, how much we would seek to know and love Jesus.
33. Isaiah 45:18-19 “18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
34. If we seek God, we will find Him.
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