Auburn SDA Church
Who Is God?
  • Balm in Gilead

      • 1 John 4:8ESV

  • The Lord Is My Light
  • For the Beauty of the Earth
  • O Brother, Be Faithful
  • Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
  • Balm in Gilead

      • Joshua 6:4–5NIV2011

      • Judges 6:11–12NIV2011

      • Judges 6:15NIV2011

      • Judges 7:20–21NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 1:27NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 1:27NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 1:27NIV2011

      • 1 John 4:8ESV

  • Happy Sabbath, church family.
    It is a beautiful thing
    to gather in the house of the Lord.
    As we open our hearts today,
    I want to ask you a question.
    A deeply personal question:
    When you close your eyes
    and think of the word "God,"
    what is the very first image
    that flashes across your mind?
    What does His face look like to you?
    Is He a distant, demanding judge?
    Keeping a cold ledger of your mistakes?
    Is He an unpredictable ruler?
    Whose favor changes on a whim?
    Or is He a Father?
    Whose arms are open wide?
    Whose very essence is safety?
    Goodness?
    And love?
    The truth is,
    how we view the character of God
    dictates everything about how we live.
    How we pray.
    How we love Him back.
    If we view God incorrectly,
    our worship becomes a performance.
    Driven by fear.
    Rather than a relationship.
    Fueled by devotion.
    Tragically, we live in a world
    where the beautiful face of our Father
    has been deeply misrepresented.
    Sometimes even from Christian pulpits.
    Imagine for a moment:
    You spent your entire life
    receiving letters from a legendary benefactor.
    You were an orphan.
    This man paid for your schooling.
    Rescued your family from poverty.
    Sent you letters filled with deep affection.
    You have never met him face-to-face.
    But you built a portrait of him.
    In your heart.
    Based purely on his kindness.
    Finally, the day arrives
    for you to meet him.
    You travel across the world.
    You walk into his grand estate.
    Just before you step through the doors
    into his private study,
    someone stops you in the hallway.
    They hand you a portrait of the man.
    They say, "This is who he really is."
    You look down at the painting.
    But it has been created by an amateur.
    Using a cracked, wavy, distorted mirror.
    In this portrait,
    the benefactor’s eyes are dark.
    Cold and calculating.
    His expression is harsh.
    In his hands,
    instead of an open welcome,
    he is clenching a strict list.
    A secret list of names.
    He is turning away ninety percent of the people
    who come to his door.
    Not because of anything they did.
    Simply because he didn't feel like choosing them.
    Your heart would sink.
    You would look at that portrait and say:
    "This cannot be the man who wrote the letters.
    This is a distortion!"
    Brothers and sisters,
    millions of sincere Christians today
    are looking at God through a cracked mirror.
    Through a theological system known as Calvinism.
    In an earnest desire to protect God’s power,
    they have inadvertently painted a portrait
    that distorts His goodness.
    It presents a God who is sovereign, yes.
    But a God whose choices are arbitrary.
    Whose character is cold.
    Whose saving love is limited.
    Limited only to a pre-selected elite.
    Leaving the rest of humanity
    systematically barred from hope.
    Before they were even born.
    The Bible says:
    1 John 4:8 ESV
    Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
    But our anchor scripture today
    tears down that cracked mirror.
    The Apostle John does not say
    that love is just an attribute.
    He makes a definitive, staggering statement:
    God is love.
    It is His fabric.
    It is His name.
    Today, we are going to look past the distortions.
    Look directly into the radiant face of Jesus.
    And reclaim the biblical view of a God
    who is entirely safe to trust.

    The Open Porch vs. The Cosmic Lottery

    The teaching of Calvanism
    5 point acronym
    TULIP
    T - Total Depravity: All people are born completely tainted by sin and cannot choose God on their own.
    U - Unconditional Election: God chooses who will be saved before time, based entirely on His will, not human merit.
    L - Limited Atonement: Jesus died on the cross specifically to pay for the sins of the chosen elect, rather than every individual person.
    I - Irresistible Grace: The Holy Spirit draws the chosen people to God in a way that they cannot turn down or refuse.
    P - Perseverance of the Saints: Those whom God saves will hold onto their faith until the end and can never truly lose their salvation.
    This framework teaches a specific timeline:
    Before the foundations of the world,
    God looked down at fallen humanity.
    He randomly selected a group for salvation.
    Based entirely on His secret, sovereign will.
    If you are on that list,
    you are going to heaven.
    If you are not on that list,
    Christ did not die for you on the cross.
    His sacrifice was limited
    only to the chosen few.
    The rest were created
    to showcase God's wrath.
    Think about the moral weight of that concept.
    If God creates human beings,
    brings them into existence with a broken nature,
    a nature they did not choose,
    completely bars them from the capacity to repent,
    and then punishes them for eternity
    because they did not repent…
    What does that say about His character?
    It makes Him unreasonable.
    It makes Him arbitrary.
    It turns the cross of Calvary
    into a closed-door lottery.
    But what does the Word of God say?
    Let’s look at the scriptures together.
    Let’s look at TULIP from
    a biblical perspective.
    T - Total Depravity: All people are born completely tainted by sin and cannot choose God on their own.
    Since the fall
    we are wicked.
    Genesis 8:21 ESV
    .... for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth...
    The fall broke
    the image of God
    we were created with.
    We are broken.
    We are lost.
    But God stepped in
    to provide a way out.
    Romans 6:23 ESV
    For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    The more disturbing
    teaching of Calvinism
    the next couple
    of parts of the acronym.
    U - Unconditional Election: God chooses who will be saved before time, based entirely on His will, not human merit.
    At least 50% of Baptists
    believe this part...
    Ezekiel 33:11 ESV
    Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
    Does that sound like an arbitrary ruler
    who enjoys destroying people?
    Absolutely not!
    The Bible is clear,
    God does not want
    anyone to be lost.
    And,
    we have the power
    to make a change
    in our lost state.
    In the TULIP acronym
    next point is: L
    L - Limited Atonement: Jesus died on the cross specifically to pay for the sins of the chosen elect, rather than every individual person.
    God came to save
    the elect.
    There fore,
    his salvation is not
    for those who are not
    part of the elect.
    But,
    Listen to:
    1 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV
    This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
    According to this passage
    God wants everyone
    to be saved.
    There was no
    plan for only certain
    people to be saved.
    Who gets to choose
    if we are saved?
    We do.
    And
    John 3:16 ESV
    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
    Imagine a spiritual cruise ship.
    It sinks in the middle of a dark ocean.
    Thousands of terrified people are in the water.
    Gasping for air.
    Drowning in the deep.
    A massive rescue boat arrives.
    Slicing through the waves.
    The captain steps out onto the deck.
    He looks down at the screaming thousands.
    He speaks through a megaphone:
    "I am an incredibly powerful captain.
    To prove my absolute authority,
    I have pre-selected exactly forty people to save.
    My life rings are strictly reserved for them.
    The rest of you must drown.
    To show how powerful my ship is.
    Do not bother crying out to me,
    because I did not design this rescue for you."
    Church, if you saw a captain do that,
    you would not praise his justice.
    You would be horrified by his cruelty!
    But praise God,
    that is not the Captain of our salvation.
    The biblical portrait shows a rescue boat
    arriving in the dark.
    Throwing out millions of life rings.
    Shining a massive spotlight.
    Screaming through the storm:
    "Whosoever will, grab hold!
    There is room on this vessel for everyone!
    I do not want a single soul to go under!"
    As Seventh-day Adventists,
    this truth is woven into our identity.
    We are called to carry the Three Angels' Messages
    to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
    We preach an everlasting gospel.
    Why?
    Because the blood of Jesus
    was not a limited commodity.
    It was an infinite flood.
    Sufficient for every single soul.
    God’s election is not a closed meeting.
    It is an open porch.
    Christ built a massive ark.
    Anyone who exercises free will
    to step inside by faith
    becomes part of the "chosen" family.

    Courtship vs. Coercion

    This brings us to the next letter.
    The letter "I" in the mirror of Calvinism:
    Irresistible Grace.
    I - Irresistible Grace: The Holy Spirit draws the chosen people to God in a way that they cannot turn down or refuse.
    This doctrine argues a radical point:
    Because human beings are dead in sin,
    when God decides to save you,
    His Holy Spirit extends a call that cannot be resisted.
    He overrides your volition.
    He changes your heart without your permission.
    Effectively dragging you into the kingdom.
    On the surface, this might sound beautiful.
    It sounds like a rescue.
    But when you look closer,
    it destroys the very definition of love.
    Proposal with gun
    Power can compel compliance.
    Raw force can demand obedience.
    But absolute power
    can never force genuine affection.
    The moment love is coerced,
    it ceases to be love.
    God is not a cosmic computer programmer.
    Writing scripts to force our praise.
    God is a conversationalist.
    God is a suitor.
    He is a King who courts our hearts.
    Look at the imagery of the New Testament.
    Revelation 3:20 ESV
    Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
    Notice carefully:
    Jesus does not kick the door down.
    The Almighty Creator stands outside.
    Outside the fragile door of a human heart.
    And He knocks.
    Why does He knock?
    Why doesn't He use His sovereign power
    to unlock it from the outside?
    Because He is a gentleman.
    Because He respects your dignity.
    Joshua 24:15 ESV
    And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
    Look at the heartbreak of Jesus in
    Matthew 23:37 ESV
    “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
    Notice the immense vulnerability of the Almighty.
    I wanted to, but you were not willing.
    God values your freedom so deeply
    that He would rather risk absolute agony,
    risk the pain of your rejection,
    than force your affection.
    Imagine a brilliant, lonely computer programmer.
    He meets a woman, falls deeply in love.
    But she simply isn't interested in him.
    Desperate to be loved,
    he goes into his laboratory.
    He develops a hyper-advanced neural chip.
    One evening, he slips it into her drink.
    With the press of a button on his remote,
    her eyes glaze over.
    She turns around, smiles warmly, walks over.
    She says, "I love you with all my heart."
    Let me ask you:
    Does that programmer have a loving relationship?
    No.
    He has a marionette.
    He has an automated robot.
    He isn't experiencing love.
    He is just listening to his own voice.
    Echoed back to him through a captive subject.
    Our Heavenly Father did not
    build an automated universe.
    The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
    He risked the pain of Calvary,
    He risked the cross,
    just so that when you look up at Jesus
    and whisper, "Lord, I love You back,"
    it is a real, uncoerced choice of the heart.

    The Sanctuary of Safety, Not a Golden Cage

    Finally, we arrive at the last letter.
    The Perseverance of the Saints.
    Often called "Once Saved, Always Saved."
    P - Perseverance of the Saints: Those whom God saves will hold onto their faith until the end and can never truly lose their salvation.
    This doctrine states a permanent guarantee:
    Once you are genuinely born again,
    God’s grace guarantees you can never lose your salvation.
    No matter what choices you make,
    your ticket to heaven is stamped permanently.
    This sounds incredibly comforting on the surface.
    It is marketed as the ultimate assurance.
    But structurally, it introduces
    a terrifying loophole.
    If a person accepts Christ,
    serves in the church for twenty years,
    and then tragically walks away,
    dies denying God…
    The Calvinist framework is forced to conclude:
    "Well, they were never
    actually saved to begin with.
    Their faith was a delusion."
    Do you see what that does to assurance?
    It means you can never truly be sure
    if your current faith is real,
    or just a temporary delusion.
    The Adventist-Arminian view
    is far more beautiful.
    It honors your ongoing
    relationship with God.
    When you accept Christ,
    God does not take away your free will.
    He doesn't lock you in a golden cage.
    Salvation is an ongoing, living covenant.
    John 15:9 ESV
    As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
    We can hae the
    confidence of
    abiding in Gods love.
    But we can also
    choose to leave
    that love.
    2 Peter 2:20–21 ESV
    For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
    Think of a beautiful, warm home.
    Built by a perfect father.
    He walks down to the rough streets.
    He adopts a homeless orphan.
    He cleans him up.
    Dresses him in beautiful clothes.
    Feeds him.
    Hands him a key to the front door.
    The father sits the boy down and says:
    "Son, as long as you are under this roof,
    you are completely safe.
    No burglar can ever break into this house
    and rip you out of my arms.
    My protection is yours forever."
    But that father does not chain the boy to the bedpost.
    He doesn't board up the windows.
    If the boy, missing the old ways of the street,
    chooses to turn his back on the father,
    open the front door,
    and walk out into the cold…
    The father will stand at the window.
    With tears streaming down his face.
    But he will not use a whip to force the boy back.
    He respects the boy's choice.
    This is the beautiful balance
    of biblical assurance.
    We are infinitely secure
    in Christ today.
    Not because we are trapped
    in a golden cage.
    But because we choose
    to wake up every single morning,
    look at the cross of Calvary, and say:
    "Father, I am choosing to stay
    in Your house today.
    Keep me close to Your heart."

    Conclusion & Appeal: Reclaiming the Mirror

    Church family, let us clear away the debris.
    The debris of a theology that paints our God
    as arbitrary, cold, or wrathful.
    Let us put down the cracked mirror of determinism.
    Look at the cross of Calvary.
    Look at the Savior of the world.
    Hanging between heaven and earth.
    With His arms stretched wide.
    Bleeding and dying for a world that rejected Him.
    Look at His lips moving.
    As He whispers:
    "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
    That is not the face of an arbitrary tyrant.
    That is the face of infinite, uncoerced love.
    He died for you.
    He died for your neighbor.
    He died for the stranger on the street.
    He has extended a universal life ring
    to every single soul in this community.
    Right now, at this very moment,
    He is standing outside the door of your heart.
    Gently knocking.
    He isn't going to kick the door down.
    He is waiting for you.
    If you have been living in fear of an angry God,
    if you thought He was checking a secret list
    to see if you were good enough…
    I invite you to step out of that fear today.
    Step onto the open porch of His grace.

      • 1 John 4:8ESV

      • Genesis 8:21ESV

      • Romans 6:23ESV

      • Ezekiel 33:11ESV

      • 1 Timothy 2:3–4ESV

      • John 3:16ESV

      • Revelation 3:20ESV

      • Joshua 24:15ESV

      • Matthew 23:37ESV

      • John 15:9ESV

      • 2 Peter 2:20–21ESV

  • The Lord Is My Light
Auburn SDA Church
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