Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Malachi 4: 5,6
4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
SW - The Southern Watchman March 21, 1905— “In The Spirit and Power of Elias”
5, 6. The Elijah Message—In this age, just prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, God calls for men who will prepare a people to stand in the great day of the Lord. Just such a work as that which John did, is to be carried on in these last days. The Lord is giving messages to His people, through the instruments He has chosen, and He would have all heed the admonitions and warnings He sends. The message preceding the public ministry of Christ was, Repent, publicans and sinners; repent, Pharisees and Sadducees; “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Our message is not to be one of peace and safety. As a people who believe in Christ’s soon appearing, we have a definite message to bear, — “Prepare to meet thy God.” {4BC 1184.6} {SW March 21, 1905, par. 11}
Our message must be as direct as was that of John. He rebuked kings for their iniquity. Notwithstanding the peril his life was in, he never allowed truth to languish on his lips. Our work in this age must be as faithfully done.... {4BC 1184.7} {SW March 21, 1905, par. 12}
The Elijah message is loud and clear, as was the message from John the Baptist. We are to prepare a people to stand in the great day of the Lord. Preachers stand Sabbath after Sabbath to prepare us, and likewise, we must do the same for this world that is dying in apostasy and sin. John the Baptist called the people’s attention to the Ten Commandments, to repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Our work today must be done as faithfully as in these prophet’s day. So, with no uncertain terms, our message must be loud and clear “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.”
Our Father, God Almighty
We come before You in Thanksgiving, Prayer, and Praise. We thank You and praise You for giving us another Sabbath day whereby we can receive a message from You on High. May You continue to bless and anoint our Preachers to continue to deliver Your message of salvation to this dying world. We pray that we may hear and understand Your message and are able to share it with others. Give us strength and courage to proclaim Your message loud and clear and let Your prophets be our example, that we may strive to prepare the way for Your second advent. Keep us faithful and let not our will, but let Thy will be done. Save us and forgive us of our sins. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers and for giving us the victory over sin. This is our prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
