BEFORE DELVING into prophesies found primarily in the Book of Daniel, Pastor Brian Carter delivered a potpourri of biblical truths on Jesus Christ to friends and members of the Pinelands Seventh-day Adventist Church last Friday night.
The visiting minister, who shared in part on pagan worship, reminded the congregation about God’s right to decide, dictate, determine and demand from His children.
During his passionate address, Carter said that the current condition of the world was not God’s choice, but He gave to man the right to choose. He also said that man did not happen by accident and God, because of His omniscience, knew man would have fallen into sin.
“When we go through tests we have a God who says His goodness and mercy will pursue us. We did not happen by accident. God made us to give the world an example of the image of God.
“When sin entered the world and the image of God became marred, God sent His Son – the Lamb of God – to die for us.”
He said although man sinned, “God loves us in spite of . . .”.
In saying this, he urged the congregation to love people in spite of.
“We must choose to love people in spite of. When we do, we validate the sovereignty of God and affirm each other. God wants us to be like Him.”
Carter said humans were so designed for the Lord’s dwelling and that Jesus came to validate the character of God.
“Thus we behold the glory and character of God through Jesus Christ. After demonstrating the character of God, He went to Calvary. When He [hanged] on that cross and darkness covered Golgotha, He stood alone with the sins of the world upon His shoulders. He who knew no sin became sin for us. On the cross He forgot Himself.”
Members of the congregation paying rapt attention to the speaker.
The minister stressed that even on the cross, Christ remembered His mother and the thief who was crucified next to Him.
He said that the sacrificial Lamb of God also asked His Father to forgive mankind in what was an act of universal forgiveness.
Carter declared that Jesus came as the Lamb and when He died, there was no need for another sacrifice as He became the ultimate one.
“His blood was sufficient for our salvation, but in spite of all God has done for us, we continue to make the world a worse place in which to live.”
He said the confusion among churches today had a lot to do with pagan worship, but that truth was found in God’s Word.
“The Word of God competes with the tradition of men, but your best works cannot get you into Heaven. It’s only the grace of God which can. Only God can forgive sin. We do not have to confess our sins to another man.”
Carter also shared why Christmas and Easter were not to be celebrated on their given dates, adding that these dates and celebrations were founded on paganism and acts of compromising.
During the night’s ministry, special songs were beautifully rendered by Shanice Small and Damian Headley.
