This is the second of two sermons by Pastor Bohr at the 3ABN 2008 Spring Camp Meeting-the first being "Divine Ordinances". In this sermon Pastor Bohr examines Isaiah 58 and its special application to Seventh-day Adventists and reveals some of the snares many would fall into during the end-time Day of Atonement.
Satan leads God's people into dead formalism and ritual, yet with outwardly apparent delight and lip service they seek God's will and blessings as if they were a righteous people. "These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me" (Mark 7:6). As in Isaiah's day and as in Christ's day, we are in danger of making the Sabbath experience a merely outward observance, trying to "earn brownie points" rather than calling the Sabbath delightful and a day to do good and bless others. God hates formalistic ritual worship and He desires mercy over mere sacrifices, offerings, fasts and observances.
- What is the kind of fast that Jesus is most interested in?
- What aspects are mentioned in Matthew 25 that the righteous are rewarded for in the judgment?
- Is observing the Sabbath or not eating unclean foods or having the correct doctrinal belief system even mentioned there?
- How does the Laodicean message connect with Isaiah 58?
- What are our motives for observing our faith?
- Are we, like the Jews in Christ's day, a fig tree with no fruit, a rich young ruler with no love for others and an older prodigal son who was more interested in his reward than in seeing a soul saved?
