“Go Forward” Church president affirms foundational Adventist beliefs Newly elected GC president Ted Wilson’s sermon on the second Sabbath of the fifty-ninth General Conference session addressed issues such as the authority of God’s Word, belief in the inspiration of Ellen White’s writings, creation, music, and unity in diversity. This is a greatly condensed version of his message to the 70,000 attendees in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. To read Wilson’s full sermon, go to adventistreview.org/ wilsongcsermon . —Editors. he Seventh-day Adventist Church is on a heaven-directed journey, and we are almost home. I believe with all my heart that Jesus is coming soon. I appreciate the wonderful spirit and enthusiasm of our worldwide family of faith. And while we are all proud of our respective nations and cultures, I praise the Lord that there is a culture of Christ that binds us together and supersedes all others. Chaotic World; Solid Word Signs of Christ’s coming are increasing in frequency and intensity. Destructive events in nature, the great confusion of world politics, the pervasive and compromising activities of ecumenism, the dramatic increase and influence of spiritualism, the deterioration of world economies, the disintegration of societal and family values, the disbelief in the absolute authority of God’s holy Word and the Ten Commandments, rampant crime and moral decay, wars and rumors of war: all point to the climax of earth’s history and the Lord’s return. What a blessing to know that even amid the uncertainty of the world around us, we can rest with absolute confidence in the unchanging Word of God. Throughout the course of human history and against relentless attack, God has preserved His holy Word. The Bible contains an accurate account of our origins, a reliable record of our salvation, and a glorious glimpse of our soon- coming deliverance. As Seventh- day Adventists, we accept the Bible as the foundation for all our beliefs and see in its pages our unique prophetic identity and mission. With the power of His truth, God has carved out of this chaotic world the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We are to be a peculiar people, God’s remnant people, to lift up Christ, His righteousness, His three angels’ messages of Revelation 14, and His soon coming. As God’s remnant people, identified in Revelation 12:17 as those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” we have a unique message of hope and a mandate to proclaim God’s grace to the world. One of the identifying characteristics of God’s last-day people is that the members of His church accept and believe all ten of God’s commandments, including the fourth commandment to remember the Lord’s holy Sabbath day. The observance of the Sabbath is not only a sign of His creatorship in the beginning, but will be the sign of God’s people in the last days. Salvation We rely wholly on Jesus and our relationship with Him for our salvation. We do not obtain salvation through works, but through the grace of Christ. Grace is the promise of God’s pardon and the provision of God’s power--—justification and sanctification. You cannot separate what Christ does for you (justifying you daily as if you had not sinned) from what He does in you (sanctifying you daily as you submit to Him and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to change your life to become more and more like Jesus). It is this marvelous, powerful, redeeming grace we have been called to proclaim to a sin-sick world. “We have no ground for self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us [justification], and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us [sanctification] (Steps to Christ, p. 63). The Spirit of Prophecy Revelation 12:17 tells us that God’s remnant people will “have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 19:10 explains that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The same spirit that moved the holy men of old has again, in these last days, raised up a messenger for the Lord. The Lord has given us one of the greatest gifts possible in the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy. Just as the Bible is not outdated or irrelevant, neither is the testimony of God’s end-time messenger. God used Ellen G. White as a humble servant to provide inspired insight about Scripture, prophecy, health, education, relationships, mission, families, and much more. As God’s faithful remnant, may we never make of none effect the precious light given us in the writings of Ellen G. White. Our Need of Jesus When we use the term “remnant church,” or “remnant people,” we must never use it in a self- centered, exclusive manner. We are to be the humblest people on earth, recognizing our complete need of Jesus our Savior and praising Him for calling us into this mighty Advent movement. Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice and high priestly ministry we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). When we lean completely on the everlasting arms of our Lord, He will work through us in a mighty way to give the final message of mercy to a dying world. Ellen White makes clear that “a revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 121). As we connect with Christ daily and allow Him to work through us, we will be used by the Holy Spirit to proclaim His grace and to hasten the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Egyptians were pursuing the children of Israel at the time of the Exodus, the Israelites felt trapped by the desert to their right, the mountain ahead of them, the Red Sea to their left, and the approaching army of Egypt behind them. They failed to put their trust in the power of God. All they could see were the barriers. What barriers are you facing today? Mountains of secular doubt in the Bible? A sea of family and personal conflicts? Forces of negative social change? Regardless of your circumstances, God has a way forward.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:31:40 +0000