Dr. Jason Vance, ”No Greater Love” February 28, 2026

Hello and welcome to church. We're so

glad that you were able to join us here

at the McDonald Road 7th Day Adventist

Church for our worship time. I hope that

your time is blessed. I hope the music

blesses your soul. I hope the message

touches your heart. And if if it does,

we would be honored if you would share

this content with somebody else so they

can be blessed as well. We're so glad

that you can be a part of our online

church here at McDonald Road and hope

that you are blessed in your worship

together with us today. God bless and

enjoy our worship service.

I just wanted to say I'm so proud of our

Pathfinders. Um

it's amazing how much goes into this.

Our drill team, our color guard coming

down, they look so organized and put

together. It was amazing watching them

mark marching with the flags. Uh, Cesar

did such a great job organizing that.

He's shaking his head now. No, it was

really good. Um, our praise team,

Savannah and Sophie offering the uh

prayer and and scripture reading, our

string ensemble and our special music.

This the music brought me I know brings

tears to my eyes that just listening to

that song and the hand motions that goes

along with that. It's really uh moving.

Thank you, Noella. and to everyone else

for participating in this uh church

service that we get to do once a year.

So, um

Pathfinders,

what's it all about? We've had this type

of organization in the church for over a

hundred years. It's hard to believe. And

um here we are looking at um what could

be the final group of Pathfinders that

uh live on this earth before our savior

comes. Right.

>> That's what we hope. Does it seem like a

possibility?

>> We're um I woke up this morning with an

announcement on my phone saying we're at

war. Wow. It seems like every day

there's something new happening. I've

never experienced that in my life. Just

this constant stream of change and

instability.

And so I'm I'm hoping that you all are

that last generation

that lives on this earth before Jesus

comes.

So Pathfinders was started by a

gentleman named well the name

Pathfinders isn't actually associated

with him but his name is Arthur

Spalding. Apparently he's pretty famous

around these parts. And uh

he called he called the organization

Mission Scouts. And I think it was a a

spiritual alternative to Boy Scouts. And

from that came what we know as as

Pathfinders. The Pathfinder organization

actually started out in California,

which is my old stomping grounds. And I

remember when I was a child, my parents

were counselors. This was in the 70s in

the um Redlands Club. And we went to

Joshua Tree and spent many amazing

moments out there in that uh national

park, which is a beautiful place.

So, I'm very thankful for this

organization and uh feel really blessed

to be the director with my wife who

would prefer I not ask her to stand up

so I won't do that. But um it's been an

amazing organization. This organization

is teaching our children

about nature, how to walk with God, how

to be close to him. Um so many valuable

skills that they learn.

But um

is that all is that all they need?

What's happening when our children grow

up?

How many of our kids are going to

college and then walking away?

They walk away from the Lord. They walk

away from the church. Why is that?

Because there's so much in this world to

draw them away.

Truth provides a foundation, but our

children are craving an experience that

speaks to their inner lives. They're

looking for a faith that transcends the

mind and reaches into the quiet places

where they battle anxiety and

loneliness. They need something that

offers them a purpose that outweighs the

pressure of the world. How many of our

kids are struggling with

uh just the stresses of life and they

they don't find those answers. They're

looking for them. Um in addition, they

face a world where reality is malleable.

AI, social media can manipulate them

into experiences that are more

stimulating than the experiences that

come from the Christian faith.

The digital world is anchoring our

children's gazes to to a screen while

the vibrant community of the church and

the urgent mission of the gospel remain

out of sight. What is it about this

screen that that offers that's a

counterfeit to the sacrificial purpose

of the body of Christ?

Digital platforms are actually

engineered to speak to the neurobiology

of our minds. They provide what's called

a variable reward schedule. Every swipe,

every response gives us a hit of

dopamine, which is a reward home run

that makes us come back for more and

more and more. So, there's this

stimulating experience that um it's

different. It's different than the quiet

cultivation of the fruit of the spirit

which prioritizes enduring virtues like

patience and peace over immediate

stimulation.

In addition, social media has taught our

children that relationships are

transactional.

The sacrificial experience will break

that cycle, but it does require

sacrifice. And um it's a different type

of love than than the kind of experience

you get from a dopamine hit when you're

looking at a device.

So digital reality can stimulate

morality, but it cannot stimulate the

truth. It cannot simulate the truth of

the love described in John 15.

Ministries like Pathfinders, they can

take our kids away from the distractions

of the world. Um but they're not the

destination.

All of us need to hear the quiet still

small voice of the Holy Spirit

whispering that there's no greater love

than this that we lay down our lives for

our fellow man and our friends.

Um there are three people who for me at

least really represent this type of

experience, this type of love that's

willing to lay down one's life for your

friends that Jesus talks about in John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

I'm sure you've all heard of Desmond

Doss.

Uh he's pretty famous around these parts

also. In fact um I was recently driving

over a bridge on the way to the

university and I saw his name there. So

they made this bridge in memorial to

him.

The year was 1945. We're in on an island

called Okinawa and it's a 77th Infantry

Division. And

Desmond Das had made a choice. He had

not he had not been drafted into the

army. He had made a choice. He had

volunteered to join the army and chose

not to carry a gun. And what was his

reward for this? Um well, his unit

essentially persecuted him. He was even

briefly thrown into u into jail over

this. So he had an awful experience. And

what do you think he did?

He held true to God. He continued to

hold on to that small Bible that he had

that he carried with him wherever he

went. And that was his strength. That's

where he where he got his strength. Um

so they finally went to this place in

Okinawa called the U Ma Escarment. 400t

tall cliff. In fact, Desmond Doss was

part of the the group of men who went

and actually put the netting up on the

cliff so they could climb it. And um

one day he climb he was up there with

his um his squad, his uh company, and uh

they came under intense mortar fire,

artillery fire, and bayonet charges.

75 men lay wounded on the ground and

pretty much his entire company

retreated, but he stayed up there. And

what was the um the uh first service?

Everyone knew this really well. I was

surprised. What was the uh prayer that

he kept asking God?

>> Just one more. Okay, good job. Yeah, you

know it, too. So, that was the prayer

that he kept asking God, just one more

over and over again.

Where did that courage come from?

What made him willing to sacrifice so

much and be willing to risk so much for

these men? Men who had treated him

poorly?

I would say that Doss proved that truth

is not a set of beliefs in your mind.

Truth is manifested in how you live your

life. His truth made him willing to give

the ultimate sacrifice. He was willing

to lay down his life for his friends.

And um

for 12 hours under fire, he used a hand

fashioned rope litter to lower 75 men

down from this cliff all by himself, one

after another. An amazing story, but I I

wonder if if he could have done it

without u the power of God compelling

him to move forward in this.

Another individual who

this story is it's it still amazes me

every time I read this. Um, we've all

heard of Moses.

Moses climbed Mount Si. He went alone.

Um, he he took Joshua, but Joshua didn't

go with him to meet God. And he's up

there by himself with God, seeing God's

glory. And God hands him two things. God

hands him the decalogue, the Ten

Commandments, the transcript of his

character. But then also God reveals to

him this covenant of the sanctuary

service which was essentially God's plan

to redeem all of us

um from from the loss of our um of our

salvation.

So um as Moses came down, he had this

transformational experience

and he's I'm sure just full of God's

glory. He's excited to share this

knowledge with the children of Israel.

And what does he face when he gets down

to the bottom?

He sees the ch he sees the children of

Israel basically worshiping an idol.

They're they're living in their own not

digital reality, but their own

experience that is against God. And um

at that point, what does God tell Moses?

God says to Moses, "Let me make a new

people out of you. Let me create a new

nation out of you. Maybe we'll get it

right the second time." And what was

Moses' response?

Exodus 32:31-32.

Exodus 32:31–32

Moses returned to the Lord and said,

"Oh, these people have committed a great

sin and have made for themselves a pot

of gold. Yet now, if you will forgive

their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me

out."

So Moses was willing to lose his eternal

existence

for the children of Israel.

And do you think God knew he was going

to say this? I think he did.

Moses was standing in the gap just like

Christ stands in the gap for us as that

mediator willing to give everything for

us. And this was a demonstration of the

power of John 15 that Jesus was talking

about.

Finally, there is there is Paul

um

Paul the Apostle who um

sorry got to get to my right spot here

who was mourning for those closest to

the truth. Romans 9:ES 1-4. The children

of Israel have been given the adoption

into the blessing of God. They've been

given the covenant, God's commandments,

all of these blessings, and they'd

rejected it all.

And what does Paul say in Romans 9? He

says, "I could wish myself accursed."

And the Greek word for that is anathema

from Christ for my brethren.

Essentially, the word anathema means to

be assert eternally separated and set

apart for judgment.

So once again, you see a man of God

willing to separate himself from God

eternally for the people he loves. What

a powerful statement. And it's it's

speaking to us right at this time right

now. Because here we are

literally at the threshold of Jesus

second coming. And God's asking us, are

we willing to do that in our lives?

These men did not just know the truth.

The truth they had led them to be

consumed by a love that made their own

lives secondary. What a powerful

statement. And this is the fundamental

truth that God desires for us to grasp

regarding his nature.

So we go to the upper room. John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapters 13-17. Jesus is standing there

giving his benediction to the disciples

before he goes to the cross.

And this is where our scripture reading

comes from today. Jesus is standing

there and he's saying,"I

have a new commandment for you that you

love one another." He gives him the

blessing of the Holy Spirit. He says,

"You need to abide in me and you need to

have the words that I have abide in you

also." And finally, he prays for unity.

But in the middle of this benediction,

Jesus says, "This is my commandment that

you love one another as I have loved

you. Greater love has no one than this

than to lay down one's life for his

friends. Jesus bookended this statement

about laying down one's life with two

statements of command. Twice he says

that it is so important that he uses the

statement twice.

He's signaling that sacrifice

sacrificial love is not merely a

suggestion but the foundational law of

his kingdom.

So Jesus is saying essentially um

when we look around in this room, when

we walk into church,

what is the experience we have? Do we

look at each other and say, "I'm willing

to lay lay down my life for you."

What would what would happen in our

church if we came in with that with that

statement running through our minds?

Would we walk in and a stranger standing

there and we would look at them and say,

"I'm willing to lay down my life for

you." What would what would happen when

we looked at that person or the person

we're having a dispute with in a

committee meeting or a disagreement on

the uh soccer field um or someone's

bullying us. If we had that experience

where we said to ourselves, "I'm willing

to lay down my life for you." What would

happen? How would that person respond to

us? Would it change how we are as a

church?

Um

I would say that um Mary had that

experience. We all know Mary Magdalene.

She was transformed. All she all she

wanted to do was follow Jesus wherever

he went. And she was she would have been

willing to give everything she had for

him. What was so different about Mary?

And why was she willing to do that?

Mary had basically been forgiven.

Everything that she possibly um her life

had been shattered by the experience

that she had gone through. And when she

met Jesus, she had absolute faith in

him. And it led her to a devotion that

was um remarkable.

So, I'm looking at I'm looking at our

Pathfinders and I'm saying all of you,

you could be the ones that

lead the church

in these final days to give out the

gospel message to the world. What an

exciting opportunity for you. And um

Revelation 14:12 talks about this

Revelation 14:12

generation. It says, "Here is the

patience of the saints. Here are those

who keep the commandments of God in the

faith of Jesus."

We typically think of patience as as a

passive ability to withstand hardship.

But I would say the biblical definition

of patience is much more active.

Are we describing a people defined by

their suffering or a people defined by a

love that chooses the ultimate

sacrifice?

Are we willing to be patient with each

other when they when they upset us, when

they make us distressed? Are we willing

to have grace for each other?

when they do things to us that are

upsetting. This is the kind of patience

I believe this end time generation is

going to have.

And what about the faith of Jesus? What

was it that Jesus was ultimately willing

to give? He was willing to give his

eternal life for us. Um the faith of

Jesus was anchored in his absolute

willingness to lay down his life. Even

when the darkness of the cross obscured

any vision beyond the tomb, he chose to

rely entirely on his father's character.

This is the pinnacle of faith, a total

surrender to the father's will, even

when the outcome is hidden from sight.

Ellen White says in Desire of Ages 753,

"The Savior could not see through the

portals of the tomb. Hope did not

present to him his coming forth from the

grave a conqueror or tell him of the

father's acceptance of the sacrifice. He

feared that sin was so offensive to God

that their separation was to be eternal.

Yet, he trusted God. He had a faith that

persevered in spite of all that. And I

believe that's the kind of faith

that we all will have in these final

days.

and the commandments of God. Obviously,

we're talking about um God's law, our

obedience to it.

But John made a very powerful statement

and or he's he's he's quoting Jesus

words in John 15 and he's saying, "This

is my commandment that you be willing to

lay down your life for your friends."

What does it say about the statement in

Revelation, Revelation 14? He's saying

essentially that this group of people is

willing to lay down their lives for each

other. And why would you why would you

disobey God's law when you have that

willingness in your heart? If you are

willing to lay down your life for your

friends and for even for your enemies,

you're going to be obedient to God's

law. It's just a natural thing.

So God describes the people who stand at

the very end of time.

He says, "Here is the patience of the

saints. Here are those who keep the

commandments of God in the faith of

Jesus." I hope you see this as a

description of the heart. The patience

mentioned there isn't just enduring

trial. It's the supernatural endurance

of someone who has already died to self.

The commandments aren't just obedience

to God. They're the authoritative

command to love one another with the

sacrificial love as Christ loved us. And

the faith of Jesus is the faith that

trusts the father even when the portals

of the tomb look dark and eternal

separation feels certain.

This is why the Pathfinder ministry

matters more now than it ever did in

1920.

We aren't just teaching our kids to

camp.

We're training a generation to stand in

opposition to a world of fear,

a world of me first digital stimulation,

and a world where truth is whatever

feels good. We are inviting them into a

reality where they can look at their

brother, their sister, and even their

enemy and say, "I'm willing to lay down

my life for you."

Can you imagine the power of a church

where we don't just attend together, but

are willing to be anthma for each other?

Can you imagine the loud cry that would

go out from this place if we truly had

the mind of Christ?

So, as we look at our young people

today, don't just see children in

uniforms. see the final generation, the

heirs of Desmond Doss, the descendants

of Moses and the brothers of Paul. My

prayer for our church and for our

Pathfinders is that we would move beyond

the mind and into the heart. That we

will look at our savior on the cross and

let it break our self-reliance.

Walk out of these doors with a new

mission to love, to serve, and to boldly

proclaim to a dying world. Not just with

our lips, but with our lives. Greater

love has no one than this. I will lay

down my life for my friends.

>> Let's bow our heads.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your

Sabbath. Thank you for the opportunity

for the Pathfinders to

serve you, to worship you

here with our church family. I pray that

you will help our hearts to experience

the sacrificial love that you

demonstrated to us when you died on the

cross. Help us to

live this love with each other.

Be willing to show grace towards each

other. Prepare our hearts for your soon

coming and be a witness in a final

generation that truly stands for what

you what you believe, what your

character is.

be with us now as we spend the rest of

the day with you, Lord, in your name.

Amen.

>> Thanks so much for joining us here at

the McDonald Road 7th Day Adventist

Church for worship. Each month, we reach

between 25 and 30,000 people with gospel

content online. We're looking to expand

our audiovisisual department this year

and looking to raise $30,000 in this

project. We would love for you to

partner with us on this and consider

making a donation to our audiovisisual

department as we look at expansion and

reaching more people with the gospel

across the internet this next year. You

can go to mrcsda.org

to make a donation directly to our

audiovisisual department. Thank you so

much for considering making this

donation and the privilege is ours to

partner with you in making this a bigger

and more effective ministry here at the

McDonald Road 7th Adventist Church. God

bless each one of you and thanks again

for joining us here at the McDonald Road

7th Day Adventist Church.