Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Holiness Pt 1

[Music] when your Bibles with me into the book of Zechariah and chapter number three Zachariah if you go all the way to the end of the Old Testament and there's one book before Malachi Zechariah chapter three verses one through verse number five and he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan's standing at his right hand to resist him and the Lord said unto Satan the Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee is not this brand plucked out of the fire Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel NE answered and speak unto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from me and I will clothe thee with change of raiment verse five reads and I said let them set a fair metre upon his head so they set a fair metre upon his head and clothed him with garments and the angel of the Lord stood by thank you yummy have your seats grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our god shall stand forever all to preach a moment from the subject life liberty and the pursuit of holiness life liberty and the pursuit of holiness our long national experiment in democracy called the United States of America just celebrated 237 years this past week on Independence Day July 4th borrowing from the Aristotelian insight that man is a social creature whose life finds meaning in his relationships with other human beings Thomas Jefferson used a small wooden writing desk to draft the report of a subcommittee of the Second Continental Congress in June 1776 there were to be many edits and and many changes to what became known as the Declaration of Independence but the fundamental rights of man as Jefferson saw them remained consistent in the founding documents of this young nation adopted on July 4th 1776 Jefferson wrote we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal but they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness the Declaration of Independence promises happiness as a pursuit but does not guarantee it as a right on the cover of Time magazine in its July eighth edition some arresting statistics shatter Jefferson's ideal last year Americans spent 118 billion dollars on travel abroad we spent close to 25 billion dollars to attend sporting events and nearly 11 billion dollars on movie tickets we buy ourselves 140 billion dollars worth of recreational equipment and 200 billion dollars worth of electronics meanwhile more than 20% of us suffer from a mood disorder and 30% of us suffer from anxiety 25% of men and 5% of women are taking antidepressants 48% of women and 44% of men admit to having an eating disorder contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country of people in pursuit of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness self-improvement products are now a ten billion dollar industry one in three Americans admit to being totally stressed out be coped by shopping only 35% of us get the recommended hours of sleep during fiscal year 2012 Americans spent 78 billion dollars of lottery tickets eastern practices of yoga and meditation are on the rise adolescence between the ages of 8 and 18 spent more than 50 hours per week consuming social media on the phone and other devices programs like American Idol and Keeping Up with the Kardashians dominated the ratings in 2012 we believers we people who go to church ought to proclaim a declaration of dependence we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights among them are life liberty and the pursuit of holiness that's an old saying that goes the clothes make the man the founder of Men's Wearhouse says will change how you look we guarantee it the idea is that your garments say a lot about you from Armani to Donna Carolyn from Hugo Boss to Gianni Versace what you wear outwardly bespeaks who you are spiritually speaking every person in this church this morning is wearing one of free garments walk with me around the text in the book of Zechariah the remnant has been scattered from Babylonian captivity and they are in exile the Exile is over the Exile ik period the chaotic Kingdom stage has passed and now Joshua the high priest appears before God in filthy raiment everybody outside Christ appears before God in filthy ramen unfit to even come in God's presence I wish I had help to preach right here we are stained with the guilt of Adamic sin born with feet ready to run from God all we know how to do outside Christ is deceive and turn our back on the God we promised we love one of three garments are on every one of us here this morning some of us are still stained with the raiment of sin talk back to me if you can we hear the gospel but we are too stubborn to turn around we hear preaching but will not change our mind we read the Bible but don't take its word to heart we claim and confess a hope in Christ but we live a life that says we don't even know who he is we are still fit and unfit isaiah says all our righteousness is as filthy rags we are not worthy outside christ to even come in god's presence outside jesus christ we are lost and hopelessly on our way to hell does not matter what you wear it does not matter what you drive it does not matter where you live it does not matter your educational level it does not matter your financial status outside Jesus Christ you are filthy and unfit [Applause] no matter what these fortune prophets try to tell you on television about all you need is faith in God and all you need is some money and and I sow seed in some ministry if you don't know Jesus Christ you can sew all the seeds you oughta so you are lost and on your way to hell outside Christ I am unfit outside Christ I am wearing filthy garments I wish I had one or two witnesses here I'm capable of all kinds of evil without Christ I am ready to do anything to run from the presence of God without Jesus Christ I cannot be trusted with your eyes on me every hour outside Jesus Christ I know nothing but how to sin how to lie how to deceive how to gossip how to tail bear how to be a back biter how to be an OSHA head of witnesses outside Jesus Christ all of us are wearing filthy garments now if the high priest is in filthy dog I wish I had some noise right here if the highest-ranking priest in the congregation is fulfilled what about the focus it in the period so we move from the filthy stained raiment of sin - what in the text is the strange raiment of self-righteousness verse 4 says and he answered and speak unto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garments from him he stained with sin and so he removes those filthy garments but he rather clothed himself with a strange raiment of self righteousness that comes from our first parents Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they knew that they had sinned against God when their eyes became open instead of confessing their sins they sewed fig leaves together any feeble attempt at self-righteousness I wish I had somebody to help me and when you try to cover up your sin with a degree [Applause] [Music] with a 401k with a new Bentley with a bigger house with more money you haven't changed you've just developed more sophisticated ways to displease God I need some help right here all education does for you is teach you more intelligent ways to go to hell [Applause] all money will do for you outside trash is give you a more expensive ways to go to hell [Applause] self-righteousness is a garment you ought to take off because in yourself there is no righteousness [Applause] [Music] I wish I had my 7:30 cry in Terry Anderson that is no thing good I wish I had one or two or more witnesses it there's no difference between the atheist and the most religious person in the world without Christ there's no difference between the agnostic and the pressin who sits in the pew every Sunday without Christ I was I was I was looking on the on the internet the other day and they were bragging about bragging about celebrities who claim to be atheists who brag on they do not believe in God this is this young fella Radcliff who who's on the Harry Potter movies is an atheist Jodie Foster is an atheist Morgan Freeman is an atheist he ordered a little better than that I don't think it ought to be any such thing as a black person who's an atheist Oh God has done for the negro Oh God has done for our race we are where we are about the grace of God how dare you say there is The Fool has said in his heart somebody ought to help me preach it and we look at these silly people in the movies and on television and we try to live our lives vicariously through these people who don't have a hope in Christ well Morgan Freeman and Jodie Foster is not my example my example is a praying grandmother my example is some old person who comes to Linda Grove every Sunday morning and ask the Lord to bless her children and bless her grandchildren a praying father who asked the Lord to put your hands on my children when I can't see them that's my example of what a Christian ought to look like but but when you sow fig leaves together you treat the symptoms and not the problem [Applause] you do not need a renovation you need to be born again [Applause] you don't need a little work done on the outside you need to be totally made over from the inside so radical is that process that the Lord calls us a new creature a new man is as radical as being born again because you cannot please God in your flesh no flesh can glory in his presence I wish I had somebody to help me have sinned and come short of the glory of God and rather than pursue happiness which is elusive slippery and can't be held onto we ought to actively pursue holiness because when you look at it what will the dog do after he catches the car [Applause] he can't drive it talk back to me if you can after the master's degree after the new car smell has worn off after you've worn Prada and Gucci Armani and Calvin Klein when the music stops when the club closes when the lights go out and life turns on you was it worth it I wish I had somebody to help me what does it profit a man I wish I had a Bible reader if he should gain the whole world and then lose is also Oh what will a man give in exchange for his soul I hope these atheist people who don't believe in God I hope they hear me when I ask the question I hope you're right because if the God with whom we have to do is real and I believe he is the very breath you use to declare you don't believe him is the very breath you're gonna need to stand before him in the judgement because that will be a day of reckoning never got a witness here when your education will be stripped away when your money will be stripped away when your job will be stripped away when your career will be stripped away and all you will have in the judgement is your naked soul and the Bible says it will be wood hay stubble or made of precious gold but the works are going to be blind in the fire and what remains if it's not of God will be burned up I want my work to be made of gold have a got a witness here I want to hear the Lord say well done I don't care if the president doesn't know my name I don't care if my name is not only in his social registry in Houston I don't care if I don't get invited to the mayor's prayer breakfast I want my name to be written in the Lamb's Book of Life coz when the roll is called up younger he's not gonna call me doctor he's not gonna call me mister he's not gonna call me Reverend he's not gonna call me pastor I wish I had somebody to help me God well done I want to be faithful over a few things so I can hear him say come on and I'll make you ruler over many things even your garment is stained with sin either it's the strange garment of self-righteousness or finally it's the stunning raiment of salvation it's right here in verse 4 and number 5 and behold and said unto him behold I have caused an iniquity to pass from thee and I will clothe thee with change of raiment I will call I will cool I will clothe I will take off that filthy garment and I will clothe thee with a garment of righteousness now listen that's a legal transaction that's called forensic justification where God legally declares me not guilty I wish I had a witness that's a forensic transaction because an advocate a lawyer a barrister a defense attorney has not only come to my defense but he's taken my sisters I don't think I've got that over to you there's a difference between a defense attorney defending you and then a defense attorney standing in your place to take your sentence I was guilty before God but Jesus went to the cross died in my place couple got a witness here went in my tomb died for my justification but rose early one Sunday morning to present me spotless before my father even though I am stained would see my bet don't make a Christian shout something's wrong with you all right here the Savior say my strength indeed is small child of weakness watch and pray finding me turn all in all Jesus paid it Oh Hey to him I owe sin had left a crimson stain but I'm shouting this morning cuz he washed it I wish I had a witness he washed it listen when you a real Christian sin will make you feel bad when you truly been born again your sins will make you weep and mourn but when you dry your eyes when you move from your period of fasting and mourning praise God that so sins have been forgiven [Music] somebody here know you've been washed I said is there anybody here know you've been washed anybody else here know you've been washed know you've been born again know that your name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life you know you've been saved sanctified filled with the Holy Ghost he washed me [Applause] I'm through now but I'm getting happy like the old folks at my church used to say I'm getting happy now when I think about what can wash away my sin nothing but the blood of Jesus you're gonna help me preach this watching what can make me whole again nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow no other fount I know nothing but the blood of Jesus I'm glad he washed me I'm glad he cleansed me I'm glad he wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life now you're looking at a sinner saved by grace I wish I had somebody to help me I still got some issues I still got some problems but I thank God I've been forgiven I still mess up from time to time I still do things I'm ashamed to talk about but I'm glad I've been washed in the blood he forgave me he sanctified me he wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life and I'm free this morning because whom the Sun has set free he is free indeed I can shout this morning I can wave my hands in the sanctuary because the Lord has washed me white as snow is there anybody here no you better wash is there anybody here know you've been redeemed is there anybody here know you've been born again no matter what your problem is Jesus died for your sin no matter what your issue is Isaiah said come let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they can be white as snow though they be red as crimson God will make a white like wool he died just to save you he died just to redeem you he died to wrestle you from the hands of the enemy he died just not you like brand from a burning fire he died didn't he die but Sunday morning he rose didn't he ride with all power in his hand and I need somebody who know you've been around I need somebody who know you've been born again if you're not ashamed to testify this morning if you're not embarrassed to give God the glory no matter what your past has been he washed you white as snow why don't you grab somebody shake somebody hand I've been a while I know I've been wasps I know I've been wise [Applause] oh he's all wrong [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you thank you Jesus thank you Jesus for your cleansing blood thank you Jesus it reaches to the highest mountain it flows to the lowest Valley the blood that gave me strength from day to day it will never it will [Applause] no he's RR [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] if your garment is stained with sin he'll remove it if you're wearing a garment of self-righteousness take it off and he will put on you a new role that's what happened to that boy who came home in Luke chapter 15 all the way home he was rehearsing his little speech I've sinned against heaven and against being no longer worthy to be called your son make me a high seven when he got in front of his daddy he started his speeches daddy say hush that talk you're not a slave you're a son and he told his dad let's go get in my robe and put it on him get some shoes and put on his feet get my ring and put it on him my son was dead but he's alive again he was lost and he is found and the Bible says they began to be married Clara's Jordan in the cotton practice translation of the Bible says then the party started and that might offend some of you Baptists Christians but when a sinner comes to back to Jesus Christ we are the party we ought to celebrate we ought to dance all in the aisles because somebody was on that way to hell but the Lord Jesus turned them all around and that's cause for celebration [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 21,961

Rating: 4.7710438 out of 5

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

Id: vffJ0QbAftg

Length: 34min 28sec (2068 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 17 2014