Be Careful Who You Choose Pt 1

[Music] [Music] [Music] open your Bibles with me into the book of Joshua chapter number 24 Joshua at chapter 24 verses 14 and verse number 15 now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your father's served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve II the Lord and if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your father's served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the amorite in whose land you dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades for the word of our God shall stand forever be careful who you choose be careful who you choose Moses has delivered this bedraggled people and they are now in the promised land with the smell of brick dust still in their garments Moses has been put to sleep by God in the plains of Moab and Joshua his successor has taken this people across the Jordan River into the land of the Canaanites and Joshua has as a military general trampled Jericho conquered AI he has routed the enemies of the people of God everyone has received their inheritance caleb has gone back to his inheritance and Joshua is now 110 years old and he calls the children of Israel to the valley of Shechem it is significant that he calls them to the valley of Shechem for Shechem Valley is regnant with their past and pregnant with their future in the valley of Shechem is residue from Abraham's life it is in shekels Valley that God promises Abraham a seed is in the valley of Shechem that Abraham built an altar it's in Shechem Valley that the bones of Jacob and Isaac Leah and Rebecca have been interred it's in the valley of Shechem that they stand all day in between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim and here the law of God read to them and all of them said Amen is in the valley of Shechem that Joshua at 110 years old now caused them to say farewell and in his valedictory he rehearses how good god has been to them he says God led us with a strong arm and an outstretched hand I wish they had a Bible reader here when we got hungry he fed us when we were thirsty he gave us water to drink their clothes and their sandals would not wear out he gave them fresh manna every morning he helped them to route their enemies the walls of Jericho just came tumbling down God had been their protector God had been their provider God had been their keeper everything they needed God provided and he says now you have a choice to make you can serve the gods on the other side of the river you can serve the gods from the land of Egypt that you just got delivered from or you can serve the gods of the ammonites in whose land you dwell but as for me and I'm speaking for my house we will serve the Lord my brothers and sisters I want you to get this Moses trained Joshua to be his successor and Israel's new leader but Joshua and the elders of the people did not train their successors because they were too busy conquering the Canaanites routing the amorite and so they did not train anybody in the fear of the Lord and because Joshua and the elders had no trained successors Israel was always one generation away from apostasy because when you get the judges chapter 2 judges chapter 2 says that rolls another generation who did not know God or what he had done for Israel and Lily Grove if we don't train young people in the faith we are one generation away from passing on this corner and nothing we did will have last day wish I had a witness here we have people come in the church and you think by now that they would have it but they don't have it they are not trained to fear God while we are busy building or building we better get busy building some people because we could have a building with no people in it oh we could have people in it who don't feel God and what's the use of having a church house if it's not populated with people who feel gone the fear of the Lord I wish ahead the Bible really is the beginning of wisdom [Applause] Moses trained Joshua but Joshua failed to train his successor and as a result Israel was always on the precipice of apostasy brothers and sisters you don't have to believe this but all it takes is 25 years a generation and everything we have tried to build will come to nothing I'm brokenhearted because every time I go home to units where I'm from to the church that I was born and raised in preached my first sermon their pastor baptized married children there and I go back to that church now and there is no vestige that I had ever been man because they have almost systematically erased that I used to be that church's pastor there I think on purpose it's it's a malignant intent to get away from the faith of their fathers and Linda Grove it can happen to us if we don't train young people to fear the Lord talk back to me if you can we need to stop letting people live like they want to live in the church and set some boundaries set some standards or else there will come another generation who will not know God or what God has done for this church stone me the road we travel giver has been our listening wrong felt in the days when hope unborn had died yet with a steady beat have not power weary feet come to the prices for which our father's side the scripture says don't remove the ancient land mines every time God did something for them they built an altar they erected a monument to remind them that it was on this spot God kept us and every time God brings you out every time God makes a way for you every time God opens a door for you you don't need a monument or a stone or an altar but in your praise you need to let somebody know that it was nobody I'll see you I'll see you I'm looking at you I'm looking at you trying to act like you made it because you smart you trying to act like you made it because you got money it's a whole lot of folks smart on the streets right now it's a whole lot of folk got money but no appetite got a house but not a home give God the praise and then tell your children it was nobody but to know now listen [Music] just what Joshua does something that I never do Joshua is giving an invitation and when I give an invitation I'd never present other options but not when I opened the doors of the church I never say choose door number one or door number two door number three I'd never leave it open for options but Joshua says you have options and whichever God you choose will set the course of your life I've thought about that I prayed about that and and that's the Holy Spirit to open my understanding about that Joshua is a military tactician Joshua is a commander he's a general he's accustomed to giving orders Joshua's acid and he makes them do it but now he gives them choices because Joshua suggests to me Terry you can't all the people in the kingdom [Applause] you can't force anybody into service for the Lord because if you make them come they'll do it but they won't mean it but if you're not been John I wish I had a witness here if you show them some option if this God is like as opposed to what this card is like that will make a difference listen before Joshua gives them some options he stacks the deck for Jehovah [Applause] he said now choose whatever God you want but first let me tell you what this God did for someone will help me three to choose whatever God you decide whatever God you set your heart on go after that God but let me tell you first what this God did for us when we were slaves he sent us a deliverer when we cannot know how we were going to make it he opened the Red Sea when we were hungry he sent manna from heaven there was nothing but rocks in the wilderness we got fresh that God gave us sweet water out of a rock now choose these other gods if you want but as for me and my house we gone with God number one what's this the God you choose will determine the direction of your life he says you can choose the gods of your mother's and father's the gods of the Chaldeans in the land beyond the river where Abraham was called in that land with those gods there were three cosmic deities three astral deities and all kinds of gods to go along with the lifestyle of the Chaldeans and if you want that God choose him choose the gods of your mothers and fathers now brothers and sisters that God of your mother and father what what Joshua is saying to us is psychologically that is what is called transference and psychologically transference is the law of exposure whatever you are exposed to the most invariably and inevitably that is what you will gravitate towards for example if your father loved sports you will become a sports lover football basketball baseball whatever it is if your father loves that that's what you will become if your mother was into shopping and clothes cooking and housewares invariably that's what you will gravitate towards it's the law of transference it's the law of exposure whatever you are exposed to the most you will gravitate towards that because you've been around that all your life and brothers and sisters we need to be careful what we are transferring to our children because your children will learn to love the God you choose if you crazy about money sex politics power prestige cars cash clothes you will transfer that to your children and they will learn to love what you love no matter how false that thing is my daughter help me preach it if you love church your children will love church if you love preaching and the preacher your children will develop your attitude you don't have to take my word for that bill get them a little microphone and make them a pulpit and start preaching like Reverend Anderson cuz you bring them to church somebody ought to help me preach it conversely if you are against the church and against the preacher you transfer that to your children in your attitude towards supporting it [Applause] y'all got mighty quiet on me right honey if you love the Lord and His Church you don't you don't have to say anything just watch them they'll stop playing Church let's start preaching they'll start singing like they hear the choir singing and somebody will shout and somebody will pick somebody up because you bring them to church so much that they start acting like church folk because you transferred to them what you love the most [Applause] he said you can save those gods but they don't satisfy then he said you can serve the gods of the Egyptians that God just brought you from now what sisters at me to go back to a God small gene that he just brought you from somebody ought to help me if you worship anything and God delivers you from that it's wise not to go back to that because the demons come seven times stronger than they were before [Applause] if God has delivered you from an addiction don't go back to that don't hang around a crack house don't hang around the nightclub don't hit come on talk back to me here don't hang around a strip club if God has delivered you from the head get away fry to go back to a God you just been delivered from the scripture says that's like the dog going back to lick up his own vomit the very thing that made him sick he go and eat that thing again come on talk back to me if you can God has brought you from some stuff I said God has brought you from some stuff God has delivered you from some pain God has brought you out of some depression God has rescued you from some abuse why would you go back to what God just got you out of what is your Egypt [Music] the Egyptians had gods for everything they had fertility gods we had gods be worshipped the Sun the Moon the Stars everything was a god because they were they were pantheistic in their faith and then Joshua says listen if you forsake the gods of your mothers and fathers and forsake the gods of the Egyptians that God just delivered you from it's very possible you could be caught up in the gods in whose land you dwell because the gods of culture the the draw the attraction of the gods of this culture is proximity time and place we are so close to these gods that they are hidden in plain sight and their influence is so imperceptible that you can be caught up in it before you even recognize it the brothers and sisters I want you to grab the opposite of fear ISM is not atheism the opposite of theism is idolatry and idolatry is not just the worship of false gods idolatry is worshipping the true God falsely and it is very possible to worship the true God falsely God is not in these bricks and wood and pews and indoors because we confuse worship with religion but if you change the religious language everybody born of a woman is hardwired for worship and if it's not God you don't worship something whatever you give your money to that's what you worship whatever you spend your time doing that's what you worship talk back to me if you can if you love God you're gonna spend your money at the church you're gonna spend your time at the church you spend your resources you spend your life giving it to God because worship is not a religion it's a lifestyle and my lifestyle is around the church I was I was preaching in San Antonio a few weeks ago in their citywide Institute and young preachers from young preachers who admire my preaching for some reason they watch me on YouTube and and I'm their YouTube pest and they took me to dinner one evening and they said revelant we heard that you live close to your church I said I could throw a rock and hit Lily Grove from my house they said Reverend that's old school how you do that I can't do that how you'd live bottom people [Applause] I said people who barbecue smell like barbecue people who fix cars smell like oil shepherds who lead sheep or to smell like if I can eat from them people I ought to be able to live with them people and I don't have anything to hide that I got to live farther miles from the folk I'll leave because I try to live my life and preach my sermons in such a way that if they know wrath has fallen he told us about that LAN son all have sinned and come short of the glory of God I'm not above the people I try to lead I'm a fellow sinner you help me preserve me and to live with them people is not old school it's just loving folk who love you and trying to be steward over what God has given me everything that concerns me is within a block from from from one side of the street to the other side of the street it's about what my life consists on and when I want to get outside the loop and go someplace else I get outside the loop but sooner or later I come back 270 forty six or seven 234 to Western Street because my life consists of what I do because that's what I worship I worship God and so I live where near I worship so if it's raining if it's got ice on the street if it's cold if nobody can get here but me I can run up here and preach to myself and run back home and sit down and eat this a pig's feet with cornbread and green because God's been good to me in a block radius listen when you really know who you are and you're comfortable in your own skin you don't need a whole lot somebody ought to help me preach it it don't take a whole lot for you if you're really glad about who you are God's been good to me in a block radius [Applause] he says you can serve the gods of your father's that you met on the other side of the river all you can save the god of Egyptians that God just brought you from or you can serve the gods in whose land you dwell that's your choice I'm leaving that up to you I've been your general since Moses died but I can't make you serve Moses gone you got to make a choice but why are you choosing let me give you some background let me give you some history let me rehearse in your hearing who it was that kept you and somebody in here who's trying to decide what God you gonna serve let me rehearse for you some history he's been a company key he's been a shelter in a time of storm he dried your tears he opened doors that were closed in your face he put the table he made your enemies leave you alone when nobody was on your side he was there protecting you never got a witness when you didn't have a job you never lost your house when no money was coming in you ate everything you got clothes in your closet and can't decide what to put on ever got a witness here God's been good to you God has opened doors for you God has made so many ways for you so while you're trying to decide on what God to choose let me speak for me and my house as for me and my house now some of y'all can't speak for your house I wish I had a witness here because some of you are scared are your children and don't want to hurt your little grand boys feeling but as for me and my house I wish I had somebody raised like I was ready when I was coming up my mama and daddy didn't ask us if we wanted to go to church they made us get up on Sunday morning and find our way to the Lord's house they didn't bring baby dolls and coloring books they made us sit down in church we had to go to Sunday school and then we had to go to the eleven o'clock service and then we had to go to Baptist train in Union and then we had to be there almost all night in night service and then get home and take off your church clothes and get up the next day and put on your school clothes come back from school and then put on your play clothes we couldn't iron on Saturday night but on Saturday because you couldn't put an ironing board up on Sunday morning cuz Sunday was the lord's day have I got a witness here my mama would cook on Saturday night and we would eat on Sunday morning what we called our Sunday dinner you're gonna help me preach this won't you get the smell of fried chicken all over the neighborhood because that was our Sunday dinner but God has been better than that here we are now can drive what we want to try sleep where we want to sleep spend money that we all have because God's been good to us but God has been better than that somebody has been sick and couldn't get well but the Lord healed your body but he's been better than that somebody had lost a loved one and you thought you'd never stop crying but then the Bible said weeping man to a fun night but joy will come in the morning but he's been better than that one Friday on an old rugged cross he died didn't he die but he's been better than that bright early Sunday morning he rose let me he arrived but he's been better than that he sent the Holy Ghost to keep me until he comes again but he's been better than that one of these days he's coming back again and when he comes back again somebody ought to help me preach it the Bible says eyes have not seen is have not heard neither has it entered into the hearts of men the good things that God has in store for them that love him you see these commercials on television that's advertising these various products and then the announcer oh the commercial says but there's more he makes an announcement about how good the product is and then he said wait there's more and then he talks about what the product can do and how many you receive for a certain dollar amount he says wait that's more but come on to the Bible for a minute and let me introduce you to what God will do for you the Bible says God shall wipe away all tears from that but wait there's more there shall be no more death not sorrow not crying but wait there's love John said ah sorry the witness I saw them coming from the north and the south and the east and west and they had on white robes and I asked the elder who wrongly but wait there's more he said these are me who come through Great Tribulation is there anybody here chose the right gun is that I anybody here made the right choice why don't you grab somebody tell them I decided to make Jesus match so I decided I decided [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah hallelujah Sheila's getting us ready for a great day are you ready I said are you ready are you ready for that great day what was your thought somebody tell them I'm ready if he calls me tonight I'm living they be called me next year I'm ready they be called me next month [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I'm grateful I'm thankful that I made the right choice I didn't choose my mother's gone I didn't choose the gods of culture I didn't choose a God that he just brought me from I made the right choice Jesus Christ is the right choice he is the way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father except by him I am the door of the sheepfold I am the resurrection and the life I am the bread of life I am the water of life I am my father a one he said if you've seen me you've seen the father you said I go to prepare a place for you and if I go I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you will be awesome I'm on my way to Canaan land if you miss me from singing downhill and you can't find me no way come up to bright glory I'll be singing of air I made the right choice [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 310,583

Rating: 4.7446809 out of 5

Keywords: Reverend Terry Anderson Pastor Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church Houston Texas

Id: 1OWpGyKNIvA

Length: 41min 51sec (2511 seconds)

Published: Mon May 18 2015