Plymouth Seventh-day Adventist Church

09/08/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
“We are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested. It is not so. Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to” (C.S. Lewis).
Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”
All “souls” belong to God for He is the maker, the Creator, of each person. All people are equally His creatures, and His transactions with them are without bias or preference. God does not play favorites. He loves and wants to save all, punishing only when we deserve it. So even though God offers life as our inheritance if we choose Him, death will be the result of all who sin and do not seek forgiveness. Although Ezekiel was speaking of the impending judgments Israel faced, his words have a further application. They are also true of the final death at judgment – the second death, when all sin will be removed and the curse of sin destroyed. This second death is an everlasting death – eternal separation from God, not the sleep of the first death. The real disappointment of a choice that has rejected God is not eternal suffering, but the awareness that sinners have lost out on the amazing relationship with the designer and author of life.
Jesus endured this second death for us, so all who claim Him will never have to experience it. He freely surrendered His life so that we might conquer death and He rose from the tomb declaring: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
By His death, Jesus Christ guaranteed eternal life for everyone who believes in Him. His death condemned the originator of sin and rebellion to pay the penalty for sin – eternal death. Our Redeemer died to reclaim us. He is life – alive today and forever.
Choose Him, accept forgiveness, and begin living forever right now.

09/08/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
Many sinners call themselves God’s children, sons and daughters of God. But being a product of God’s handiwork does not qualify one for an offspring relationship. A cabinetmaker constructs a cabinet. But it doesn’t make the cabinet a child of the cabinetmaker. Only a birth process can do this. The sinful man who claims offspring with God “because he made me”, bases his claim on being a product of God’s handiwork. But a new birth is necessary to be a son or daughter of God.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Father God promises us “one heart” and a “new spirit.” As the Great Physician He must perform a heart transplant, removing the “heart of stone” and replacing it with a “heart of flesh.” This is vital for our salvation. We need the “one heart” because we currently have a divided heart. We are divided – a heart for God and a heart occupied by many idols. We are double-minded and need the inner spiritual and moral transformation that results in a single-minded heart that is not hard like “stone”, but is soft, like “flesh.” We need the soft heart so the fruit of the Spirit God plants within us will grow and mature. We need this heart surgery to truly become His children.
“The work of the Spirit of God upon the heart is essential to godliness. It must be received into the hearts of those who accept the truth, and create in them clean hearts, before one of them can keep His commandments and be doers of the Word…” (E.G. White, “Review and Herald”, August 28, 1879).
What a wonderful promise – a new “heart” and a “new spirit.”
O great Jehovah, perform this necessary surgery in us right now, we pray. We submit to You and we sign the waiver, giving You permission to make us anew. Amen.

09/07/2026

09/06/2026

If you missed us at the Marshall County Fair, you can download a free Gospel of John here: https://members.ptl.org/GOJ/1102641

We also have some printed copies still available. Just stop by the church and ask for one.

09/06/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
The walls of a room in an old Scottish mansion were filled with sketches made by famous artists. The practice began after a pitcher of soda water was accidentally spilled on a freshly decorated wall leaving an unsightly stain. A noted artist, Lord Landseer, was a guest in the house. One day when the family went out to the moors, he stayed behind. A few masterful strokes of a piece of charcoal turned the ugly spot into the outline of a beautiful waterfall, bordered by trees and wildlife. He turned the disfigured wall into one of his most successful drawings of Highland life.
Ezekiel 11:16-17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’”
By His sovereign love and grace, God can bring good out of our failures, and even out of our sins. God used the time of captivity to be a “sanctuary to them for a while”. God did not ignore them but used this time to transform His people. He was not done with them; they would still be used by Him to accomplish His purposes. Their captivity would be a constructive discipline designed to bring His people back to Him. Their confinement would prepare them to be used as a part of His long-delayed purpose and plans.
God still cares for, and is present, with His people even when they are exiles. Then God tells them the arrogant pagan boasters would be removed and those separated from Him would be gathered to possess the land as He had prophesied through Moses.
Numbers 14:31-32 “But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.”
Fast forward to today. We are exiles in a land that is not our home. But God promises to restore His people to the land He has prepared for us. We will live with Him for eternity!

09/05/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
Sometimes, because of their lifestyles, people are ripe for judgment. Take the case of the thriving and extraordinarily beautiful city of Messina, Italy. In the early morning of December 28, 1908, an earthquake struck, and 84,000 human beings died. Only a few hours before that devastating earthquake, which laid Messina and the surrounding districts in ruins, the unspeakably wicked and irreligious condition of some of the inhabitants was expressed in a series of violent resolutions that were passed against all objections. The journal ‘Il Telefono’, printed in Messina, published in its Christmas issue an awful parody, daring the Almighty to make himself known by sending an earthquake! And in three days the earthquake came!
Ezekiel 7:27 “The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
“The king … the prince … the people”, all classes of the population, suffer in a similar manner. Social honor, money, or prestige spares no one from God’s “judgments”. The phrase “they shall know” or equivalent expressions occurs 88 times in the book of Ezekiel. This is a keynote that God commands Ezekiel to make known to the people. Their lack of knowledge resulted in them being taken into captivity. In captivity, God could teach them – humility was an educational process. Through difficult adversities God’s people would learn what they had failed to learn during the times of prosperity. By sufferings, which are the result of their own decisions, they will be forced to acknowledge God as Lord.
It is true also for modern day children of God, that whoever breaks God’s law, will find themselves imprisoned by their own judgments. Further, since we encourage each other to sin, we will find ourselves brought low by God. We all will be in trouble if God judges us based on our own merits instead of having our sins washed away by Jesus.
Lord, help us find that good part which cannot be taken away.
Happy Sabbath!

09/04/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
A New York Court of Appeals decided against a plaintiff in an action for damages. The man who was walking along Fourth Avenue stopped on a temporary bridge to watch work being done on the subway. A workman advised him to move on, as he was liable to get hurt. The man refused, claiming he had a right to be on a public street. A few minutes later he was struck on the head by a piece of iron from a pipe high above. He was severely hurt and sued for damages. The court decided he was perfectly justified in staying where he was hurt after being warned. However, the warning he had received and ignored removed any further obligation on the part of the company. The court explained further that the contractor had no right to remove the man by force as he had performed his full duty by warning of the peril.
Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
Ezekiel is called by God to be a “watchman”. He is to “hear” God’s words and deliver the “warning” to the proper person, or people, from God. The “watchman” correlates back to the time of a military sentinel who would keep a close watch on an area from a lookout. If he saw any threat, it was his responsibility to warn the troops of the approaching danger. This describes the special characteristics of Ezekiel’s work. He was to be on the watch for souls.
God has entrusted that work to us. We are to be His faithful watchmen. We are to not become disinterested, careless, or tired of the job. We are called to keep watch over each other as He trusts us to do this. He calls us to view with critical awareness those around us, and to share the good news of salvation. We are active participants in the lifesaving of others. Our faithfulness may save many people, whereas our careless negligence may rob us of not only the blessing, but the right to be in God’s eternal family. After all, if He can’t trust us down here …
The military takes a severe position as it relates to lookouts. The results of not doing their duty can be court martial or even death. We must wake up to our duty and take seriously God’s directive to spread the good news.
Lord, open our senses to those around us.

09/03/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
An angry man rushed through the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history, in Amsterdam until he reached Rembrandt’s famous painting “Nightwatch.” He took out a knife and slashed it repeatedly before he could be stopped. Another time, a madman slipped into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome with a hammer and began to smash Michelangelo’s beautiful sculpture The Pieta. Two cherished works of art were severely damaged. Did the officials throw them out and forget about them? Absolutely not! Experts working with the utmost care and precision made every effort to restore the treasures.
Lamentations 5:21 “Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old…”
Jeremiah prayed for repentance. He recognized that it would take a Divine act, “Restore us to yourself, O LORD”. Only God can restore lost sinners to be in favor with Him. Only He can impart the grace that makes it possible for sinners to repent and return to Him.
Romans 2:4 “…Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
God does not leave any behind, unless they have first turned their backs on Him. Even then, if they turn back to Him, He quickly returns to them, showering them with mercy and love.
When God bestows repentance, it is powerful and effective: “that we may be restored!” It is His great desire to renew the relationship with us. When God confers on us His repentance, He changes us and restores us: “Renew our days as of old”.
Troubles may cause us to lose heart, but the way back to God is wide open for all who want to find Him. Put your whole trust in God, confess your sins, pour out your heart to Him and He will cover you in His grace and mercy.
Spare us, Lord, we want to be Your people.
Do not let sinners rule over us. Restore us to our place with You!