Plantation SDA Church
Welcome to Plantation SDA Church Today's speaker is Pastor Joseph Salajan
Welcome to our Online Bulletin.
The online bulletin has been enhanced with additional information to make it more relevant to you. It includes:
• Links to the live stream and service rebroadcasts
• Sermon Outline.
• Bulletin
• Church Newsletter
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Isaiah 56:7 NKJV
Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem and saw a very disturbing picture there. In the Temple court merchants (endorsed by priests) were exploiting/blocking/bullying the people that were trying to bring their sacrifice to the Lord. Jesus became sad and angry… He was facing this for the second time. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and, among other things: 17Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer '? But you have made it a den of thieves.'" (Mk. 11:17 NKJ)
Inclusive nature of God’s salvation.The Temple in Jerusalem was not for the Jews only… That Temple should have been the epicenter of God’s Kingdom on earth: a house of prayer for all nations… Two forces of salvation: the - should have worked in complementarity…
Context: Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. (Isa. 56:1 NKJ)
This was a warning; a divine remonstration,rebuke, reproach… I knew Isaiah was a pre-exilic prophet, that prophesized about the exile… Because God’s people had become unfaithful… justice and righteousness were missing! Why does God tell them in this piece of prophetic poetry: keep justice and do righteousness…? Because they were not keeping justice and were not doing what is right…
But then the tone changes: a beautiful description of who God is. (Isa. 56:2-8 NKJ)
The word gather reminds of the gesture of the shepherd that gathers his sheep… God is the Good Shepherd. He allowed his flock to go into exile (mission purpose). He would gather them and with them others… from among all the nations, those that serve Him, those that keep the Sabbath, and hold fast to His covenant…
Jesus is the Good Shepherd: "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (Jn. 10:16 NKJ) Jesus is the New Temple… "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself…" (Jn. 12:32 NKJ) How he wantseverybody… desires everybody, attracts everybody… He’s irresistibly attractive…! That’s a great SDA sermon!
The following verse is really disturbing. 9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour, All you beasts in the forest. (Isa. 56:9) This is God’s poetic invitation for the beasts of the field/forest to come and devour the sheep… He tells the enemies of His people: come and devour… Very dramatic… Why? The short answer is: leadership and the people!
10 His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough…. Weird picture… In a pastoral context isuseless when it comes to protecting the flock/herd. When the beasts come, they are not able to bark to scare them away + they are greedy. They just eat and eat…!
…And they are (Isa. 56:10-12 NKJ) [Greed; profiteering and territorialism…]
See the contrast between God, the Good Shepherd that gathers the sheep… and these greedy and gluttonous shepherds… There is a problem with them… like in the times of Jesus: 36But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were wearyand scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matt. 9:36 NKJ)
Who are these shepherds? It’s very convenietnt to blame the political leaders… they too! But in His time Jesus would often criticize religious leaders… Read Matthew 23: … for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (Matt. 23:13)
They have become barriers… self focused they don’t care! Even worse, bullies… Isaiah says. 4 Whom do you ridicule? Against whom do you make a wide mouth And stick out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, Offspring of falsehood… (Isa. 57:4 NKJ)
And then you can find a very disturbing description of their idolatry… The result?
The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil… (Isa. 57:1 NKJ)
Strangely enough, these leaders makea lot of fuss over/make a song and a dance about their own righteousness… God is like: Really!? 12(57:12)
God also has something to say about the pretended/professed righteousness of the people. Read Chapter 58-59.
: 9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. (Isa. 59:9 NIV)
14Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. 15So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. 16He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. (Isa. 59:14-16 NKJ)
The light comes on in Chapter 60: Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.2For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. 3(Isa. 60:1-3)
Isaiah 59:9, 14-16 NKJV
Bulletin
This section contains the traditional bulletin, including:
• The Ministry of Giving
• Service Order and Participants
• Songs in today's service
• Sunrise/Sunset times
Newsletter
The last section of the online bulletin is the newsletter. Its similar to the print version but enhanced with live web links and other interactive features. It includes:
• Prayer Ministry Update
• Calendar of Events
• Social Media Links for Plantation SDA Church
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