Tag / William Earnahrdt

by In Light Of The Cross

The Final Goal of the Sacrifice

In this week’s Sabbath School lesson, I read,

… I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:7-9 NKJV

I was already familiar with the meaning of this passage, that even though the latter temple was not filled with the temporal splendor of the former temple, it would be filled with greater glory than the former, when the Son of God bodily entered the temple. I paused, though, and wondered if that was the final goal. I also question if we, as Seventh-day Adventists, are missing the final goal when considering the heavenly sanctuary as greater than the earthly sanctuary. Of course it is “greater,” but is the sanctuary in heaven the final goal? Was the latter sanctuary the final goal? What is the final goal

Then I considered these passages,

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 NKJV

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 NKJV

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:27-28 NKJV

These passages may remind you of similar passages, but you may already see where I am going with this. Even if the latter earthly sanctuary was filled with more glory than the former, what good does that do me today? Even if the heavenly sanctuary is filled with more glory than either earthly sanctuary, what good does that do me today down here on earth, unless my heart becomes God’s sanctuary? For our theology to be balanced and correct, we must see beyond the earthly temporal sanctuaries and realize that the goal is not even met in the heavenly sanctuary. The real goal is for God to dwell in our hearts and lives.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we talk about being the remnant church and restoring the church to how it was in the New Testament before the compromises of the Dark Ages. That is correct, but it still is not the goal.

The final goal of Christ’s sacrifice and the Gospel is to restore people into the image of God that man was created with before the fall. The final goal is also to restore our relationship with God to how it was before the fall. In other words, the goal of the Gospel goes way beyond restoring a people to how they were before the Dark Ages; the goal of the Gospel goes back to restoring people to how they were created to be before the fall.

What happened in the earthly sanctuary and what is happening now in the heavenly sanctuary are amazing. But what is more amazing is what God, through His Son and the Holy Spirit, is actively doing in our hearts today.

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 NKJV

People today can’t visibly see Christ entering the latter temple mentioned in Haggai. However, they can visibly see the results of Christ living in our hearts today, which is the real goal.

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Worshiping the Creator-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, May 13, 2023.

Main Theme: Our natures are created for worship. We all worship something. The only question is what do we worship? Only God deserves our worship.

Read in Class: Revelation 1:9, Matthew 13:21 and Acts 14:22. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What’s the message here for all who seek to follow Jesus in this world?

Apply: Have you ever been persecuted or inconvenienced because of your beliefs? If faithful servants of God, like John, face suffering and tribulation, what makes us think we, ourselves, won’t face trouble either? (See 1 Pet. 4:12-15).

Share: Your friend says, the reason the church does not see more persecution is because the church fits right in with the rest of the world. Is your friend right? Why, or why not?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Acts 17:27, and Colossians 1:17. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these verses teach us about the closeness of God?

Apply: How can we learn to draw hope and comfort from understanding the immanence of God? Or does it scare you, because God knows your darkest secrets? How should the gospel give you peace in that context?

Share: Your friend asks you how you know God is real? Have you seen Him actually work in your won life where you knew without a doubt it was God? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 3:9, Romans 5:17-19, Colossians 1:13-17 and Revelation 4:11. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these texts teach about Jesus as Creator and Redeemer?

Apply: Why is Jesus worthy of your worship? Why is no one else worthy of your worship?

Share: Your friend says God must be on some ego trip to want everyone to worship Him all the time? What do you tell your friend? See also, Why worshiping God Must be a Choice and not an Addiction.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:6-7. What is the main idea of this passage?

Study: What does worship have to do with the everlasting Gospel? What reason does the angel give for worshipping God and what commandment do these words remind us of? How is that commandment linked with the everlasting Gospel?

Apply: Earlier we talked about being persecuted for our beliefs, but is it always just beliefs we are persecuted for? How do your actions and acts of worship set you apart from the rest of the world?

Share: How can you share the everlasting Gospel with your actions as well as words this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Extreme Heat-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by moein moradi on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 30,2022.

The Main Idea: God will do whatever it takes, even being misunderstood in order to help us become like Jesus.

Read in Class: Hosea 2:1-12. Define what the main idea is in this passage.

Study: What methods does God say He will use to pull Israel back to Himself? What would these experiences have felt like?

Apply: Read Hosea 2:14-23. What does this passage reveal about God? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have been running from God in any area of your life. If you are convicted that you have been, why wait to go through the crucible? What’s stopping you from surrendering all to the Lord now?

Share: Are you willing to share with the class, what you consider is the most sever means God has used to bring you back to love and obedience to Him?

Read in Class: Job 1:6-2:10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What causes Job’s sufferings and how does Job respond to these trials?

Apply: How does Job’s trials help you with your own trials?

Share: Have you ever been tempted to just “curse God and die?” Why did you or why didn’t you? What was the final outcome of your crucible in this specific situation?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 1:4-9. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In 2 Corinthians 1:4, Paul states that the reason for receiving God’s compassion and comfort is “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (NIV). To what extent might suffering be a call to ministry? How could we become more alert to this possibility?

Apply: What can you learn from Paul that can help you keep from falling into self-pity amid your own struggles?

Share: Can you share how others have comforted you during a hard time? How did it make you feel? How did you respond?

Read in Class: Isaiah 43:1-7. What is the main idea of this passage?

Study: What are the different ways in which God assures His people of comfort during the times of water and fire. What picture of God does this paint in your mind? Which promises can you claim for yourself?

Apply: What do these verses teach you about the actions and character of God? Ps. 103:13, 14; Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Pet. 1:7. How have you experienced the reality of these verses in your own life?

Share: Can you write a letter, text message or email this week offering encouragement to someone you know who is going through a crucible?

by In Light Of The Cross

Don’t Hint When you Need Help. Make it Clear.

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

Avianca Flight 52 left Bogotá Columbia January 25, 1990 headed for JFK airport in New York. That particular day there were several storms on the eastern coast of the United States forcing flight 52 to go into holding patterns over a few cities to avoid the storms. Because of this once they got to New York they were literally running out of fuel. In only minutes they would be on empty. The cockpit radioed to the control tower that they were “running low on fuel.” The control tower did not take this as a signal of distress. They figured every flight from South America is low on fuel by the time they get to New York. But flight 52 was not just running low on fuel. They were literally running out of fuel! It was an emergency situation, but the cockpit was much too polite to be more assertive and tell the tower it was an emergency situation. To the air traffic controllers low on fuel did not mean on the verge of empty or emergency situation. So the tower put flight 52 into another holding pattern as other planes landed. While waiting Flight 52 tragically ran out of fuel and crashed on Long Island killing almost half of the 158 people on board.

During the investigation listening to the conversations on the black box it was discovered that the word “emergency” was never used by the cockpit. If the cockpit had been more assertive and used that word instead of just hinting at running low on fuel the tower would have put them first in the queue.

During these days of isolation or anytime really, you may be lonely or depressed and because of social distancing others may not pick up on it just like the control tower was not picking up on the hints given by the cockpit that there was an emergency. If you are depressed or lonely and need someone to talk to please do not leave subtle hints. Make it clear to those around you that you need help!

In my early 20’s I enjoyed going out to eat with friends on Sunday nights as a way to have a little fun before the weekend ended. One Sunday night I called a friend to see if he and his wife wanted to go to Mazzios. He told me they were tired and wanted to just stay in. I told them fine and I would talk to them later. As I began to hang up, my friend said, “Wait a minute William. Do you need someone to talk to? If so we can go.” I told my friend that I was just fine and just thought it would be fun to go out. That’s all. My friend replied, “Okay then we will just stay home and go out another time.” I thanked him and called another family that I met at Mazzios.

I have never forgotten that phone call. While the control tower failed to realize the emergency situation of flight 52, and the cockpit failed to make it clear that there was an emergency which led to a miscommunication and scores of deaths, my friend wanted to make sure there wasn’t an emergency situation he was not picking up on. He asked me to make it clear if I needed someone to talk to that night. He would not allow any miscommunication or leave anything to chance.

Please let’s all be like my friend that night. During these days of isolation and anytime really, let’s listen carefully and even ask our friends clearly and openly if they need someone to talk to. Ask plainly if someone may be lonely or depressed. Let’s not let anyone fall off our radar.

If you need help don’t leave hints. Spell it out clearly to your friends, family, pastors and teachers. Also listen carefully to those who may be crying for help. Don’t rely on hints. Be like my friend and ask plainly and clearly, “Do you need someone to talk to?”