This is the sermon preached by Elder John Bettis on Sabbath, 22 February 2014 at Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Christian church.
Israel was in Egypt for 400 years. It took 40 years in the desert to reset Israel’s focus. Picture yourself amongst the people there.
You enter the Sanctuary. There is the altar of sacrifice. A lamb is there brought by someone who had sinned against God. The priest lays his hands on the lamb and the sins of the person are placed on the lamb before the lamb is sacrificed.
Put yourself in the place of the sinner. Your sin caused Jesus to be sacrificed at the Cross of Calvary.
Exodus 19:1-2
Israel at Mount Sinai
In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
God is resetting the focus for Israel.
Leviticus 23:15-16
The Feast of Weeks
And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.
Jesus died for us on Passover.
In Acts 2, Jesus resets the focus of the Christian church at Pentecost. This is 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Coming of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We learn from Hebrews 8 where Jesus went and what He is doing after Pentecost.
Hebrews 8
The New Priestly Service
Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Do we need to be refocused? We need to have our focus on Jesus. We need to remember we are sinners in need of a Savior. We are living in the Day of Atonement and Judgment has begun.
We need to be sounding the trumpet to the world right now. The Feast of Trumpets happened 10 days before the Day of Atonement every year in Israel. The purpose was to warn the people of Israel about the importance of confessing their sins. If someone did not confess their sins, they would be sent out from the camp forever.
Revelation 14:6-7 contains the Three Angels Message warning people of what is coming on the earth.
The Proclamations of Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
The Good News is the Gospel Message that Jesus saved us. Worship the Creator message is contained in these verses. Our world today says that there is no creator and you find evolution theory in the textbooks in our schools.
What is the present truth message? We need to take this message through our lives, what we do and say.
When Judgment is finished, Christ role changes ! HE is our KING !