 Happy Sabbath Church. Happy New Year Church. If you can see us, wave back to us please. Oh nice, thank you. It's right and nice to be here in the house of the Lord. Today I want to welcome you to our children's sermon. This is the first Sabbath of our new year 2024 and we thank God for bringing us this far. I'm here with the children that is the YMC and of course from the primary B class and today the children's sermon is being given to us by the Young Missionary Club of our church of Nairobi Central SDA church and we are looking at fundamental beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. We have been looking at all of them. We've done number one up to number 16 and so today we are looking at the seventeenth fundamental belief of our church. Allow me to mention that the Seventh Day Adventist Church and what we learn as children is that we accept the Bible as our only creed and we hold certain fundamental beliefs to be the teachings of the holy scriptures and children. All along we've been looking at the fundamental beliefs, right? And I believe we know the fundamental belief number one, two, three, up to 16. Can we go over them very fast? Could we do that so that we bring everyone up to speed? All right before we do that could we bow down for out of prayer? Jehovah God we want to thank you. You have allowed us and given us an opportunity to minister as children not only to this church but to the entire world. We pray that your presence will abide with us forgive us our sins and worship with us for this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. Fundamental belief number one. Who can tell us, just remind us what did we learn? Fundamental belief number one. Anyone? Anyone? Yes? Could we say amen? The first fundamental belief is the holy scriptures and two, which is the second one? Yes? The second fundamental belief is the trinity. It is, there is one God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit a unity three persons. Could we say amen to her? The second fundamental belief is the trinity. The third fundamental belief. The third one? Someone behind me? Yes? The third fundamental belief is God the father of the creator, sustainer and sovereign of all creation. Amen. God the father and which is the fourth one? The fourth one? Yes? The fourth fundamental belief is God the internal son become Very good. God the son that is the third one and children let me go first at the fifth one is the holy spirit that God the eternal spirit was active with the father and the son at creation right and then the sixth fundamental belief is creation that God has revealed in scriptures the authenticity of the creation God created us all historically that is the account that we have fundamental belief number seven is the nature of humanity and is saying that man and woman were made in the image of God that's a belief that we have as the adventist the eighth fundamental belief is the great controversy that all humanity is now involved in great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God and the ninth fundamental belief that we also learned was is the life death and resurrection of Christ the tenth fundamental belief is the experience of salvation the eleventh fundamental belief growing in Christ that by his death on the cross Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil and then the twelfth one is the church that the church is the community of believers who confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior then the thirteenth fundamental belief we looked at the remnant and his mission and then the 14th the unity in the body of Christ and 15th one the baptism and the last one that we did last month we were looking at the Lord's supper and the children did a splendid job in bringing out the 16th fundamental belief the Lord's supper now today children we are looking at the 17th fundamental belief and that is the spiritual gifts and the ministries the spiritual gifts and the ministries now it's something that we really enjoy and all of us enjoys receiving a gift whether it's a birthday gift or you've performed well in school or you are being rewarded for doing something good everyone appreciates especially from someone that we love and that is how God has acted with us now in the book of Matthew chapter 25 Jesus tells a story of a man who entrusted valuable gifts or talents to his workers if you look at verse 14 and verse 15 the Bible says for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them to one he gave five talents another he gave two another one he gave one to each according to their ability one thing that we learn God will give us gifts and talents according to our abilities okay God gives us talents and gifts according to our abilities what he entrusts that we are able to do and if you continue reading verse 16 and 18 it says then he would receive five talents went and did some work with them he traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he would receive two gained two more also but there is this person was given one talent he dug it in the ground and he did he didn't do anything with it he never traded with it and and of course we know the rest of the story now when the honor came back he commended those who used their talents wisely now God has given us talents and when Christ shall return he will commend those who have used their talents well and where do we use the talents in the house of the Lord he has given us talents and gifts so that his work may be seen in us as children and that is why today we are really looking at the fundamental belief number 17 that there is the gift that God has given us and that the church should gain from this gift that God has given us and look at it when he returned back he commended those were used there is that one was given five talents there is one was given two talents they traded and doubled what they had now look at what the master is telling them the master says to them verse 21 well done good and faithful servants you are faithful over few things i will make you ruler over many things enter into the joy of the Lord when you use the talents God has given you then God has promised that he will now make us faithful over great things if you can use five to get five then God is telling us that he can now entrust 10 in our hands because he knows that as little children we will use the 10 to get 20 he will entrust 50 into our hands because we'll be able to use 50 and get another 50 to whom little is given God expects you to use it so that you are able to show that you can reign over many things but sadly one man who did not use the talents well look at what the Lord is telling him in verse 24 i knew you to be a hard man a hard man is a lazy man a difficult man God does not want us to be lazy God does not want us to be difficult God does not want us to be hard and so as we grow up as little children God expects us to be disciplined that we will follow his teachings and do things that he wants us to do he looked at that man and he told him i knew you are a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed by the way it is bad to gain what you have not worked hard for okay we must work hard even in school we have to study hard and get what we deserve okay we are not going to sit there and say i will pass exams right even in church we are not going to sit there and wait for others to sing for us we can sing right and that is what God expects us to do now fundamental belief number 17 i don't know if you can project it up but it says God bestows upon all members of his church in every age which age which age yes whether you are children or you are daddies or mummies okay or pastors or elders okay anyone else of all age the spiritual gifts that each member is to employ in loving ministry for the common good of the church and humanity we use them to serve the church of God we use them to serve humanity others and everyone around us and it continues to say given by the agency of the Holy Spirit who are potions to each member as he wills the gifts provide all abilities and ministries needed by the church to fulfill its divinely ordained functions according to the scriptures the word of God right these gifts include faith healing prophecies proclamations teaching administration reconciliation compassion and self-sacrificing service and charity for help and encouragement of people okay so that is what God expects of us we believe a seventh day adventists that God has given each and every member in this church and even those are watching online and the children at large spiritual gifts that we are able to employ as faithful stewards of God i want to read for you a quote from a very very wonderful lady who wrote some good books called Ellen G. White in her book she says that is object lesson Christ object lesson says the talents that Christ has given you or as entrusted to his church represents especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit children one thing we have to know the gifts that you have you have been given by God and imparted by the Holy Spirit and this year we want to say as the young missionary club that we are going to use the gifts that God have given us to do his work in his church and also to serve humanity may God bless us all as we wait again for the next part of fundamental belief number 17 amen who will pray with us as we wind yes matin let's pray let us pray dear God in heaven we thank you for this sabbath event as we have finished our children salmon may you please be with us even as we are going to listen to the salmon please with us through the divine service which is in Jesus name we pray and believe amen