<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Filip Milosavljevic

The Forgotten God

There's a few different ways you can treat a gift.

Some people receive a gift and then they're, whatever.

But then there's other people who get a gift and they don't know how to really care for it very well.

You see, I was given the task of being the best man for a wedding, and I was given the task of holding the rings.

They were given to me in a big bag right before the ceremony was about to start.

We're going to take a couple of pictures with the bridal party." And there I was standing.

I was like, I'm not letting these things go.

And then the photographer said something.

It's going to just kind of ruin the whole thing.

So we were standing by a table where everyone had put their things, and so I just put the bag down there, and we walked around the vineyard where the wedding was.

And then all of a sudden, as we're all lined up about to walk up, the bride for some reason just says, hey, where are the rings?

And I say, hey, yeah, where are the rings?

There's different ways that people approach holding something precious that God gives you.

Whether it's holding the hand of someone that you're called to love and to cherish.

You can either kinda do this with them or you can maybe be a little bit more thoughtful.

Other times when we consider the reality of the gift of what God has given us in the Holy Spirit.

I think we've moved on as a generation now, currently, from where maybe we were at some point.

People looked at the Holy Spirit as, ah, just someone else.

And there was anti-Trinitarian movements within Adventism.

But now I think the problem is I think we've gotten to a point as a generation of Adventists where we've taken the Holy Spirit and we've just done this with him.

Or we've completely forgotten that he was there and that we were called to have him in our lives.

To cherish the gift of what God said, Jesus himself, Acts 1.

I'm going, but I'm sending someone to be with you.

What you're about to get with the Spirit, It will pale in comparison.

The presence of Jesus himself versus the Holy Spirit and Jesus says, yeah, you better take that.

And the problem is, for many of us, it doesn't compute because maybe we've been throwing the gift away.

Amazing Father, my prayer is today, you would cut through the noise, cut through the distractions, draw us into a depth of intimacy with the Spirit that we have yet to experience maybe.

Lord, I'm praying for an outpouring today speak in spite of me may your word bring conviction holy god please help your people please help everyone who is watching everyone who's here and those who are yet to listen.

Please, God, may we not forget you and may we not throw you.

This morning, I want to tell you that I am so grateful from the team who's invited me to be here.

I love the leadership team, and I'm so grateful for what God's doing in this place.

So when I speak and say some things, I hope there is no personal application.

Oh, is he talking about this place is me and this ministry?

But when I say this generation of Adventists might have forgotten the gift, I mean all of us, worldwide.

So we need to take a really important look at a text in the book of Matthew, chapter 25, That sets the tone for where our study this morning is gonna go Chapter 25 and beginning in verse 1 you'll need your own Bible if you have a physical Bible Hallelujah the true believers are here the rest of you digital lights.

We're praying for you I'm just kidding I most of the time have a digital bio too but here we go Matthew chapter 25 verse 1 you're there say Amen men at that time the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Jesus, you have to understand, is in the end time passages.

He understands he's at the end of his life and now he's giving his disciples some context about where he wants them to grow in, what he wants them to be aware of, and now he's telling them a story that paints a universal reality for all of us for all time.

10 virgins, 10 lamps, they all went out to meet the bride, the bridegroom.

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

The wise ones however took oil in jars along with their lamps.

The bridegroom was a long time in coming and they how many fell asleep all fell asleep the scripture is very clear in various places all throughout the oil represents the Holy Spirit over and over we see this illusion of the Holy Spirit Jesus now gives us a story where the Holy Spirit is the main character you know you look at the book of Acts and you say man So excited what the early believers were doing.

I'm so excited what they were able to accomplish and we think they were the main character The truth is the book of Acts is the acts of the Holy Spirit The book of Revelation the revelation of Jesus Christ but the book of acts his people when his church is on fire it is the act of his people on fire with the Holy Spirit they all fell asleep the text says Sometimes when we approach the idea of the Holy Spirit, some people think that it's like, wait, I have Jesus, I pray to the Father, the Spirit?

You know, if I say, you know, Holy Spirit help me, and if I kind of talk about the spirit it's like you know it's a bonus it's like nuts on the nice favorite ice cream a little chocolate sauce but the main thing is that ice cream that's Jesus that's the father oh so you're going back to anti-trinitarianism are you You don't want to emphasize that aspect of who the Godhead is.

You know, sometimes we think of the Spirit as optional because, Well, it's like Star Wars.

May the force be with you, that thing that's among us.

But the reality is that is not the command we're given by Scripture.

The Holy Spirit is not optional in our relationship with the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is the Father and the Son, as they are the Spirit.

We sometimes want to divide it so much and then throw it aside like the gift that's forgotten.

Because listen with me here Romans chapter 8 and verse 9.

I want someone in the crowd to stand up boldly and read that for us Romans chapter 8 and verse 9.

Paul here in Romans chapter 8 which is an amazing chapter.

Therefore there's no condemnation and those who are Christ Jesus.

Oh, I love that and then the end nothing will separate us from the love of God Yes But here in the middle It says without the Spirit you don't even belong to me Whoa, wait a minute.

Hart is actually preaching in our main service right now we talk about health all the time the truth is 1 corinthians 619 is essential why the Spirit is so crucial to our life because it says there your body is what the temple of the Holy Spirit that is with in you the Spirit is not optional The spirit is not just simply an appendage like an appendix you can remove and still live without.

No, without the spirit, you are not even a believer.

Did you capture what happened there in the book of Acts when they were moving throughout the disciples, or hey, we've come, the Spirit's here.

The Spirit's here, well what baptism were you baptized in?

Wait a minute, have you heard of the holy spirit you know the baptism of jesus what it was so essential they had to get rebaptized might some of us today need to get rebaptized You can't live also on borrowed oil.

The story continues back in Matthew chapter 25.

Beginning now in verse 6, Matthew 25 verse 6.

At midnight the cry rang out, here's the bridegroom, come out and meet him.

Back to Menu

The Forgotten God

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Preparing for Rain

43m

God's Love Stories (Noon Meetings)

12. Demon Possession in India

1h 41m

Sanctuary, Salvation, & Our Savior

Sanctuary, Salvation, & Our Savior - Part 5: Sanctuary Under Siege

1h 12m

Evening Plenary

05 Not Just Another Church

1h 11m

The United States Attorney General, Democracy, Prophecy, and the Future Religious Liberty

58m

The Issachar Factor

1h

Experiencing Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

3. How the First Angel’s Message Prepares for the Second Advent

54m

From Slackers to Supermen: The Difference the Rain Can Make

40m

Every Wind of Doctrine Part 2

1h 9m

Mark Finley: Empowered by the Spirit

When the Spirit Falls

1h

Revival Plan-The Elijah Solution

The Elijah Solution - Part 1

1h

Who is the Holy Spirit Really and Why You Need Him Right Now ?

52m

Sound Doctrine