I know. You read the title for the sermon (Yahweh War!) and thought, "What could Pastor Tello possibly be talking about?" How does one reconcile those two words with the thought of a loving and patient God? I know. We are covering a very difficult subject today for our sermon thought. We are on the 8th Fundamental Belief of the Adventist church, the beliefs that speaks to the issue of the Great Controversy.
The pain and suffering that we have had to endure needs an answer. And while a sermon on Sabbath cannot answer all questions it can at least lead one to have a thought that would lead them to study. That will be my goal today. To present to you two thoughts that will not answer all questions, but will at least, lead you to study more and seek clarification from the God you love.
The character of God is on display in the Great Controversy. Is God really a loving God? Or is He more vengeful and a blood-thirsty, ethnic-cleansing god? The answer to these questions will determine the desire one has to worship, follow, and dedicate one's life to God. If the character of God is in question in the Great Controversy, an appropriate understanding of the character of God is needed and is crucial.
May we, this Sabbath, hear something that will inspire us to study, to learn, to grow, and more importantly, to love our God more than when we came here today. "God is love" is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green - all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy." SC 10.1
Listen, take notes, and hear what God has for you today!
So, until the next time, this is Pastor Tello reminding you that thoughts do changes lives!
Pastor Howard Tello