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 Rodney Herra Talks About Preparation for Second Coming  Services at the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on October 17, 2009 began with a Sabbath School song service led by Lois Davis, accompanied by Donna Kanna. The opening song was “Wholly Thine”. Nancy Brenneman had prayer and read Exodus 15:26 “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee.” Ruth B. Zollinger then welcomed everyone. The congregation sang a scripture song – Romans 12:1-2 “1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.
Ten minutes of a video dealing with Adventist World Radio’s work in Nepal was shown. Ruth B. Zollinger talked for a few minutes about the topic “God Wants You Healthy”.
Following are some notes on her presentation:
Douglas (junior) and David (senior) collected the Laurelbrook Missions Offering, which helps students and staff members go on mission trips. The congregation broke up into two Sabbath School classes to study “Worship and Dedication” – Robert Zollinger taught the class in the church sanctuary and John Ellis a smaller class in a room of the Laurelbrook Nursing Home. The students studied a lesson from the Young Disciples organization.
When services resumed at 11:00, Rodney Herra had the invocation or opening prayer. Chuck Hess welcomed everyone and made the necessary announcements. This coming week will be our Week of Prayer with Wayne Coulter and some of the GYC students; he will also be in charge of the church service next week. Everyone then sang “Tis Almost Time for the Lord to Come”. Chuck Hess had the Morning Prayer and called for the offering, which was for local church budget; and Marvin Frey and Daryll Ellis collected the offering. The congregation sang the doxology, and Chuck Hess prayed for the offering.
For the scripture reading, Chuck Hess read Acts 1:10-11 “10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Laurelbrook Elementary School students sang for special music.
Robin Hughes told the children a story about her first foster parents who were Seventh-day Adventists. The couple owned about 300 acres and had Arabian horses. On this property was a cave with waterfalls and rooms. These foster parents asked that she and her friends not go to the cave that Sabbath. But the children didn’t listen. The first time they managed to go and come out properly. The second time Robin was the leader, the burning paper they were using for lights went out, they got lost, and the children finally prayed and got out of the cave. The children were really messy after their stay in the cave. What is the moral of the story? Listen to your parents and do what they say.
Rodney Herra preached on Christ’s Second Coming, the congregation sang “Gleams of the Golden Morning”, and Chuck Hess had closing prayer.
In the congregation this week were relatives and friends of Christopher Hess and Naomi Cruz, who will be getting married at the Ogden Road Seventh-day Adventist Church tomorrow (Sunday, October 18). Both the bride and the groom graduated from Laurelbrook a couple of years ago.
Personnel Other Than Students:
Chuck Hess – local church elder, retired Laurelbrook president
Daryll Ellis – Laurelbrook graduate who is one of the managers of nearby Majestic Stone Company
John Ellis - local church elder, former Laurelbrook staff member currently working at nearby Majestic Stone Company
Marvin Frey – Laurelbrook Nursing Home administrator
Nancy Brenneman – academy computer teacher and head of the computer lab, academy librarian, head of the academy success program
Robert Zollinger – local head elder, former Laurelbrook president and former board chairman
Robin Hughes – C.N.A. at the Laurelbrook Nursing Home
Rodney Herra – local church elder, former Laurelbrook staff member currently working at nearby Majestic Stone Company
Ruth B. Zollinger – retired nurse who has worked in India off and on for quite a few years
Following are notes on the sermon:
1. Thanksgiving is really a true Christian holiday.
2. As a family in South Dakota, we always entertained relatives and friends at Thanksgiving. I couldn’t understand why they came to our house because there wasn’t much room. It was a highlight of my experience because there was plenty of food and some left over. We would be playing on the hill above our house and anxiously looking for the relatives to show up.
3. Matthew 25:1 “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.”
4. A virgin is someone who hasn’t been defiled. This is talking about a pure church belonging to God. The lamps stand for God’s Word, the oil the Holy Spirit.
5. Matthew 25:2 “And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish.” Five were foolish – the gospel attracted them but didn’t sink in. Their lives hadn’t changed
6. Matthew 25:3-5 “3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.”
7. All of the virgins – wise and foolish – slept. There was a third group of people – someone made the cry that awoke the group.
8. Matthew 25:7 “Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.” They had to take the Bible off the shelf and use it.
9. Matthew 25:8-13 “8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
10. The darkest time of the night is midnight. This would be also the darkest time spiritually.
11. Matthew 25:19-27 “19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.”
12. These two parables both talk about a preparation, all received God’s Word and talents.
13. Matthew 25:31-34 “31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
14. God is prepared for us – are we prepared for Him?
15. Matthew 25:35-40 “35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.”
16. The wicked asked the same question and got a different answer.
17. What do these three parables have to do with us today?
18. We like to hide the talents the Lord has given us.
19. Note that the ten virgins took God’s Word with them. Do we have God’s Word? Does it light our path? Is a lighted path do any good if we don’t use the path?
20. How do we know how to use the lighted path? We are to use our talents to help others in need. God’s Word helps us find who’s in need.
21. What did the five foolish virgins lack? The oil, the Holy Spirit. That lighted path won’t do us any good without the Holy Spirit. Our talents are useless without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.
22. We have to use God’s guidance to show us what to do for others.
23. The most important thing to do for people is to show them Jesus. Satisfying hunger may be a preliminary step to doing this.
24. We must plead for the Holy Spirit’s guidance or our lives are useless.
25. A murderer used his prison time to memorize the Bible, but after he got out he killed someone else. He lacked the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
26. Do you believe Jesus is coming soon? It does no good to believe this without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
27. I pray every day that you will be on your knees every day asking for the Holy Spirit so we can wake up and then wake up other church members.
28. If you sleep, there’s a chance you will be lost.
29. Acts 1:10-11 “10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
30. We can be in heaven if we allow Jesus change our lives via the agency of the Holy Spirit.
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