There was a song I learned many, many years ago. A song I still remember today. Since I am one of the worlds worst singers I will quote the song in the poem format:
Oh, we are the Pathfinder’s strong
A servant of God are we
Faithful as we march along In truth
and purity
A message to tell to the world
A truth that will set us free
King Jesus our Saviour is coming back For
you and me.
I first learned the song in Norwalk,
California at the age of ten when I first joined Pathfinder’s. Later I
transferred to the Fullerton, California club and eventually by the time I was
16 was a member in La Habra, California.
When our children were old enough
Karen and I decided to join our children in Pathfinder’s and eventually we
became the leaders. We were Directors in Oceanside, CA. Then Norfolk, VA and
finally Toms River, NJ. When we moved to Summerville we joined our children in
the club here as counselors. We believed that what the Pathfinder’s had to
offer was important to our children and to all children in the church.
Our children are grown now and Karen
and I are blessed with grandchildren. Yet, we still believe in what the
Pathfinder’s have to offer. We believe the message is still important not only
for the children in our church, but also to us adults.
What I would like to do today is to
review the message the Pathfinder’s have and the importance it has to us as a
church and not just to our children. As a template for this message I am going
to use the Pathfinder song, reviewing it line by line:
1.
For we are the Pathfinder’s strong.
An army’s strength is in its unity.
An army cannot win a battle or a war if each soldier fights independently.
Tactics taught to the leaders and each soldier emphasizes that strength in
numbers and in will is what wins the battle.
So it is true for each of us. We are
God’s Army. We enlisted the day we joined our heart to God either through
baptism or profession of faith. In God’s army just like man’s, we must be
united in purpose. We must have faith in our leader. We must have surety that
we are on the right side. Only through the strength of our unity, purpose,
faith and our leader can we win the battle.
Turn with me to 2Timothy2:1 Timothy,
my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong.
In the battles we face as we serve
our Lord we must not shirk our duty.
We cannot be weak or unwilling to go
forward in the face of a determined enemy.
We must be of strong courage and
determination.
To achieve these attributes we must
always reach out to God and claim His promise of strength, courage and
determination. We must grow stronger each day.
We are told in Eph 6:10 Finally, be
strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. The path to heaven will
not be an easy one if we attempt it ourselves. Satan and his minions will
contest every inch that we traverse. It is only through God’s strength will we
successfully make it all the way.
2.
The servants of God are we
What does it mean to be a servant of
God? I know of whole sermons that have been spoken on this subject. Hundreds if
not thousands of books have been written on the subject. I certainly am not
going to take the time today to wax philosophic on the subject. I will however,
describe what I think a servant should be in the uniform of God’s Army. When
you say you are a servant you are declaring that there is someone above you
directing your actions.
A servant is not necessarily a
slave. Nor, is a servant always at the bottom of the chain of command. During
medieval times it was not uncommon for a Knight to declare himself the servant
of his liege lord. By acknowledging someone as his liege, the Knight was
stating that he would do his lord’s bidding. Just like the noble Knight of old,
when we say we are the servant of our Lord, Christ Jesus, we acknowledge that
we have placed our life and our future in His hands and we are willing to do
His bidding .
Paul tells us in Gal 1:10 I am not
trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to
please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ. In
other words, we should not worry what others think or say. Our religious
practices should not be of the variety that accommodates our schedule or our
wants, but solely be that which pleases the Lord.
Paul reminds us in Galatians that we
should desire God’s favor and not man. A true servant is one that listens,
learns and obey’s his master’s wishes. What is God’s wish for us?
3.
Faithful as we march along in truth and purity.
Christ desires us to be faithful,
true and pure. To be gentle to those that abuse us,
to be honest to those that deceive
us,
to separate ourselves from the
impure elements of our society and above all to worship God and Him only.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet, we
manage to mangle the job quite often. You might say that we have a problem
focusing on the issues. Or, you could say we lost focus in our religion.
1 Corinth. 4:2 tells us we are to be
faithful. Indeed, it is our duty first and foremost to be faithful stewards for
our Master. Fidelity, or trust, is a cardinal virtue. As such, we must remain
true and pure and not consort with those elements that do not meet the criteria
as established by God. What criteria you ask? In verse 17 Paul tells the
Corinthians to follow the example of Timothy.
Timothy adhered to the principles
that Paul taught him. The principles that he wanted the Corinthians to follow.
The same principles we should follow:
Never reply to verbal assaults with
anything but kind words,
Never brag or place yourself above
others
In all things be patient
Never be jealous of what others have
Always be faithful to the Lord.Ellen
G. White tells us in Prophets and Kings pg 157:
Faith is needed in the world
today--faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let
go until Heaven hears. Faith such as this connects us closely with Heaven, and
brings us strength for coping with the powers of darkness. Through faith God’s
children have "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to
flight the armies of the aliens." Hebrews 11:33, 34. And through faith we
today are to reach the heights of God’s purpose for us.
And in Acts of the Apostles pg 275
she tells us:
God’s servants are to work together,
blending in kindly, courteous order, "in honor preferring one
another." Romans 12:10. There is to be no unkind criticism, no pulling to
pieces of another’s work; and there are to be no separate parties.
In addition, Jesus calls Himself “a
faithful and true witness” in Revelation 3:14. Shouldn’t we also be faithful
and true?
4. A message to tell to the world.
What is a Christian?
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary states that a Christian is a follower of Jesus
Christ. Nothing new there we all know that definition.
But aren’t we also suppose to be
disciples of Christ? Again let us look at the dictionary’s definition. A
disciple is: one who accepts and assists in spreading the words or doctrine of
another.
As a member of the Pathfinder’s so
many years ago, I was expected to spread the Message. How you may ask? We
handed out literature during Ingathering or when collecting can goods in the
fall. We spread the message by our behavior. We learned about the Bible and
Jesus as we progressed in our class work and put into practice what we learned.
In other words we spread the word by our actions and our deeds.
Do the Pathfinder’s still practice
spreading the message? How many of you watch the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day?
The Rose Parade has been an institution in Southern California for over one
hundred years. It has been televised internationally since I was a child. Every
year the judges award prizes for the most innovative and beautiful floats. Over
50 floats compete for these prizes. During the parade a banner proceeds in
front of each float that won a prize. Have you ever noticed who’s carrying the
banners? For over ten years now the Pathfinder’s have been handling that
responsibility only passing off the responsibility to the Boy Scouts when the
parade is on the Sabbath. They don’t receive any special recognition or award
for doing the job. But, they subtly announce their allegiance to God by wearing
their uniform with pride so all the world can see.
Now, I ask you; are you a disciple?
If you said yes, then I must ask: do you announce your allegiance to God by
word or deed? If not, then I suggest you examine your heart and your
faithfulness.
5.
A truth that will set us free.
Ellen G White once stated: Let us
dwell upon His rich promises, till our hearts are melted into tenderness and
devotion. ... Go away free, for Jesus has set you free. He said, "I will
give you rest. ... When you follow the light, walking in the path of truth,
As citizens of the USA we pride
ourselves in the freedoms we enjoy.
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Freedom to travel within the
confines of our country.
And of course, Freedom of Religion.
At times we take these freedoms for
granted and are astonished when we hear of the restrictions placed on citizens
in other countries. We are surprised when people in other countries are jailed
without cause and forced to sit in their cell for weeks or months without a
hearing.
We are saddened when we hear tales
of people having to present their identity cards to officials at any time and
for any reason and especially when they travel within their own country. We
feel blessed to know that we are not required to pay tithe to a state religion
even when we do not profess that particular faith as is done in many other
countries.
Though some maybe prisoners of a
political nature, the Bible tells us that all people can be free spiritually.
Anyone accepting by faith the message of Christ and Him crucified can be set
free. Free to love the Lord. Free to be accepted into Christ’s arms. Free to
live in heaven for all eternity.
And finally,
6.
King Jesus Our Savior is coming back for you and me!
Yet, all the above freedoms are political
and manmade. We are, however here to focus on the spiritual truths that will
provide us freedom. The truth I am speaking about is this:
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was
born of a woman,
He lived and walked on this earth
for 33 years,
He was brutalized and crucified
He was buried in a tomb for three
days
He arose from the grave
He ascended to heaven
And said He will come back for us.
That is the truth! That is what we
need to proclaim! That is what will set us free from this evil prison and
domain.
Back in the 1840’s a farmer by the
name of William Miller had a vision in which he was directed to spread the news
of Christ’s return. Miller did not think he was adequate for the job and
ignored the vision. However, God had other ideas and repeated the vision two
more times before William Miller accepted the mission.
William Miller sat down and began to
study the Scriptures. He did not believe it to be wise to proclaim Christ’s
return without a thorough knowledge of the Bible’s message on Christ and His
return. When he began his public ministry William Miller was not deterred by
scepticism and heckling.
Miller first predicted that Christ
would return on 21st March 1842, but then revised the date to April 3, 1843.
Over 3,500 of his followers jammed the Boston Advent Temple, only to be
disappointed. You might have thought that the movement would have died. But it
didn’t. Rather it continued to grow.
Miller decided to recalculate his
date for the Second Coming and soon publicized a new date - April 18, 1844.
When the Messiah did not show up on that date, there was again frustration and
some followers left the Adventist ranks. Undeterred by these failures, Miller
came up with a third date - 22nd October 1844. The date was publicized as the
Millerite publication True Midnight Cry. And, surprisingly, this third date
again rallied his followers. They began to spread the news of the new date of
the second coming with an enthusiasm that had not been seen before. Churches
which did not accept this message were denounced as agents of Babylon. and the
devil. And - despite opposition from established, mainline religious groups -,
thousands of people including many clergy began to defect to the Millerite
cult. As doomsday approached, the Millerites began to prepare. One account
notes that fields were left unharvested, shops were closed, people quit their
jobs, paid their debts, and freely gave away their possessions with no thought
of repayment.
Huge press runs of Advent
publications like The Midnight Cry warned the public that “The Time Is Short!”
“ Prepare to Meet Thy God!” and “The Lord is Coming!”
William Miller himself began
peddling white “ascension robes” to the faithful, many of whom waited for the
miraculous event in freshly dug graves.
But as we all know, the Second
Coming did not occur on 22nd October 1844.
Even though the Second Coming did
not occur many people were not so much discouraged as they were inspired to
study the Scriptures. From these events we the Seventh-day Adventist church and
also the Jehovah’s Witnesses had their beginnings.
We also certainly know that William
Miller wasn’t the first to proclaim the Second Coming of Christ. Again and
again in the Bible we are told that Jesus will return again. In the New
Testament Jesus and later the apostles constantly told the people that He,
Jesus, would return.
Jesus speaking in Mark 13: 24 - 27;
But after the suffering of those days, ’The sun will be darkened, the moon will
not give its light,
Mar 13:25 the stars will fall from
the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken loose.’
Mar 13:26 Then people will see ’the
Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.
Luke tells us in the opening chapter
of Acts that while the apostles were gathered together on a hilltop Jesus
ascended to heaven. Suddenly, two angels appeared among them and admonished
them. Acts 1:11; They asked, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up
toward heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven,
will come back in the same way you saw him go up into heaven."
Yes, Christ’s Second Coming has been
announced by thousands of people over the centuries, but that doesn’t mean it
won’t happen. Yes, millions of people have been disappointed that Christ didn’t
arrive before they were laid to rest in their grave, but that doesn’t mean they
won’t arise from their graves into Christ’s welcoming arms.
Peter warns us in 2Pe 3:1 Dear
friends, this is now the second letter I am writing to you. In them I have been
trying to stimulate your pure minds by reminding you
2Pe 3:2 to recall the words spoken
in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior
spoken through your apostles.
2Pe 3:3 First of all you must
understand this: In the last days mockers will come and, following their own
desires, will ridicule us
2Pe 3:4 by saying, "What
happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything
continues as it did from the beginning of creation."
2Pe 3:5 But they deliberately ignore
the fact that long ago the heavens existed and the earth was formed by God’s
word out of water and with water,
2Pe 3:6 by which the world at that
time was deluged with water and destroyed.
2Pe 3:7 Now by the same word the
present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire and are being kept for
the day when ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.
2Pe 3:8 Don’t forget this fact, dear
friends: With the Lord a single day is like a 1,000 years, and a 1,000 years
are like a single day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow about
his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you.
He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the Day of the Lord
will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roaring
sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything
done on it will be exposed.
2Pe 3:11 Since everything will be
destroyed in this way, think of the kind of holy and godly people you ought to
be
2Pe 3:12 as you look forward to and
hasten the coming of the day of God, by which the heavens will be set ablaze
and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire.
2Pe 3:13 But in keeping with his
promise, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where
righteousness is at home.
2Pe 3:14 So then, dear friends,
since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to have him find you
without spot or fault and at peace.
In closing I urge you, all of you to
become like the Pathfinder’s and that is “a servant with a message.” A message
to tell to the world. A message that will set people free.
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