Passing The Torch

I find it a shame in the african-american community that our parents built colleges and universities with nickels and dime and we can't keep it open with corporate salaries we don't support Gremlin we don't support southern we don't support TSU when we graduate we are through with those schools and we don't see our quad you got Reza we don't care that when we make it we pull the ladder up so nobody else gets the chance to climb I was privileged on last evening to share with the ushers of our church in their annual celebration of the work that the ushers do here at lily Grove they usually have a workshop but yesterday they did something that blessed me that had warmed my heart and I want to talk a little about that this morning be honored and gave recognition to the ushers who had gone before them they call them torch bearers they were Trailblazers they were they were they were ushering in the small church they were on the floor when there was not many people they were ushering when when when it was not what it is now they they gave themselves to God in loyal service did not matter who the president was it did not matter what Sunday it was they were just dedicated to that to that work and they gave themselves to it until many of them their bodies have just worn out they're just not able physically to do it anymore and so the younger pushers on last evening honored them by calling them torch bearers people who light the way for other people people who bear their burden in the heat of the day and then when they are no longer able they be they have enough faith to sit on the sidelines and let somebody else do it so I want to talk about that this morning passing the torch because one day I'm going to preach my last sermon one day I'm going to give my last testimony one day I will render my final act of service and I want to go to sleep with the father's knowing that I have passed the torch I put it in somebody else's hands who can run on with it because I have been faithful in my responsibility breathe out faithful the revelation says not until death but unto death because your faithfulness may cause your death I don't think I've got that over to you you're giving your life to God may cause your death but if you're faithful in what God has called not some timing not not in it until you get mad not not working with it tell you Tara talk back to me if you can not being a part of it and if it don't go your way you walk out but be faithful unto death David is now in the twilight of his life the end for David is near but it looks back in retrospect in hindsight he looks in the rearview mirror of his own life to see how far God has brought him from a shepherd to a singer to a warrior to King to a poet and alas David desires David has an ambition to bill the Lord as a monument as a testament to what God has done in his life David once finally before he falls asleep to leave God a sanctuary he wants to build God a house he wants a place for the resting of the Ark of the testimony he wants a a house a temple built to the glory of God so that he can memorialize in some structural foundational building kind of way all that God has meant to him God brought him out of Saul's hand God anointed him King even when he was a young shepherd boy God was with him in the caves of in getting God had delivered him God had prospered him even when he sinned with Bathsheba and God sent Nathan the Prophet to chastise him David in penitent consciousness ask the Lord to create in him a clean heart to renew within him the right spirit and God I know I've disappointed you I've sinned against you only have I sinned against you but God whatever you do to me don't take your Holy Spirit from me then will I teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted unto you and God restored David and with all of his faults with all of the cracks in his character God still called him a man after my own heart and so David comes finally to the end of his days and he wants to build the Lord a house and in this passage of Scripture David said I had it in my heart I fixed it in my heart to bill God a house for the resting of the tabernacle a temple for his glory for his honor but God said no you've been a man of war you've shed innocent blood however I won't let you do it but I'll give that responsibility to your son gave it I know it's in your heart I know what you desire I know what you want to do but you can't put your hands to it because that's some blunders that you mean that I will not let you put your hands to my house but I'll pass it over to your son I want you to get this there are some mistakes that we made listen to me that God will forgive but he'll never let you do anything be y'all got quiet on me riffing there's some blunders that's the mistakes there's some missteps there are some problems there are some issues there's some stuff that you and I commit that God loves us and he will forgive but he won't let you put your hand to anything big so let me talk to you a minute about the blessing of a frustrated desire the blessing that comes along with a frustrated desire David asked at last as you and I will perhaps ask at the end of our days has it been worth it has it meant anything has the gospel been brought nearer to somebody because I lived my life is anybody better because God let me be born is the world brighter because I passed this way my old pastor the late Reverend John Wilkinson who sleeps the long sleep the shock of white hair and a voice like a silver bell my old pastor was a handsome man strong preacher he came to our church on the second and the fourth Sunday we children loved him so much that we run after his car when he drive down the street we knew that he was coming to eat when my grandmother would take out the best china and pressed white linen tablecloth and we knew he was going to get the best pieces of the chicken because Reverend Wilkerson was coming to our house but Reverend Wilkinson was not only a great preacher but he had trumpets in his voice to sing and the song he sang almost after every sermon at our church was have I given anything today have I helped some needed soul on the way just to know I've done my best before I go to take my rest let my name be with the blest today have the Savior's name are held today have my feeble efforts failed on the way if I fail some soul to guide deep in love and peace abide I find joy to know I've tried today go today Oh today have I helped some needed soul on the way just to know I've done my best as I go to take my rest let my name be with the blest today is the world brighter because you were born have somebody been brought nearer to God because you are alive what is your desire what what do you want ultimate led to do for God that you haven't gotten to do yet I wish I had my 7:30 cry because that's some things God won't let us do because we've messed up so bad coming up that God loves us and will forgive us but there are some things he won't let us put our hands on I wish I had a witness it a frustrated desire but here is the blessing of a frustrated desire in spite of the cracks in your character in spite of your faults and your failures God says however you failed but how you're messed up but however you are a liar you are a doubter ah you made some decisions you should not have made you went down some roads you should not have gone down you travel down some avenues that you evolved from you however he will hold his anger forever he will hold your sins against you coz even in Davis trials however now I don't have time to go to hell but you got to reach out to 22 of first chronicles to find out what David is talking about because before we get to chapter 28 God has already told David where to build a house David made a sacrifice and a burnt offering in chapter 22 and on that place of forgiveness and sacrifice and burning that's where God wants his house be read and every time God forgives we ought to have a memorial we ought to erect a sacrifice I'm not talking about a physical sacrifice where you build an altar I'm talking about there to be some place in your house or some place on your child some place in your life in your heart and some crack some corner some crevice of your mind where you can remember it was on that spot I asked God to deliver me and God answered my prayer I need somebody here with some answered prayers prayers for forgiveness prayers for restoration prayers that God will forgive the mess I got myself into prayer that God will get me out of the stuff that I deliberately walked into and when God delivered me I didn't come to church and act like I made it on my own some of y'all too proud to see me some of y'all too sophisticated to lift your hands but I need somebody in here who knows it was nobody ever got a witness the doctor couldn't do it the lawyer couldn't do it my friends couldn't do it it was nobody but the law it was at that place that David shouted built an altar he was on his way to bring the Ark of the Covenant back from the house of obed-edom I need a Bible reader here and the word says on the way he started thinking about how good God had been to him and he started dancing shouting all out of his clothes and his wife Michelle saw him and she despised him in her heart because he danced before the Lord and she said you ought to be ashamed of yourself you're acting like a base man you're disgracing yourself or in front of these young women what kind of King are you making a fool out of yourself in the streets and David said you think I'm clowning now you think I'm dancing and giving God praise now you think I'm out of my clothes right wait till I get this Ark back to his rightful place in Jerusalem lift up your head o ye gates and be lifted up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come II who is this King of glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in the battle when you know God has delivered you but David said all I want to do is bill God a house God said no you shared innocent blood you took another man's wife to bed and you had that man killed however I want I want to thank God this morning for that word however somebody in here got some scars on your back how are you have a got a witness here somebody here I got some issues that you struggle with every day however I wish I had a witness here somebody's traveling with Satan and sin every day on your job in your home on your mind in your heart ha that there are some things that I won't ever finish but God will give it to my progeny my granddaughter my daughter that's some things my mom and dad had never finished but God gave it to me to my brothers and my sister my mom and daddy would have loved to live long enough to see a black man in the White House but God let me live to see that house that was built by slaves one day the son and daughter of slaves lived in that house that were built not for them but by their God and let my parents see that but God let me see that there's some things you and I have accomplished that our grandparents only dreamed of they passed the torch on us here's what I want to get to when David is getting ready to leave that work to Solomon he says in verse number 9 as for you my son Solomon here it is know the God of your father if you're gonna get this work accomplished no the god of your father now in several passage of Scripture the Old Testament the scripture says no the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob but David says no the god of your father you watched me honor God you've seen me serving the Lord and listen when your children watch you and they watch you serve god listen to their conversation in the car watch how they act when they get at home they want to sing because they saw you singing they want to pray because they saw you praying and when you are not paying attention to them they will knock and mimic everything they see you do because they want to know the god of that father I don't I don't think you can bring your children to church too much no no no no no if if they can go to soccer practice and baseball practice and piano lessons and and ballet bring on the church because if you bring it all that other stuff without bringing them the church you'll have a cultured idiot a sophisticated food they need some Church in them they need to see their daddy and their mama in church giving God praise they need to know the God of their father that's another song I used to sing in my new church I was young but I recall somebody ought to help me here singing song was my mother's joy I wish I had one or two remember as the shadows closed at the end of the day then that song went on to talk about my mother's God is now my god my father's God my grandmother's my grandfather's God is mine I know God now because I saw them model Christianity in front of me and if you don't get anything else out of this little word this morning you ought to model a christ-like life so that your children will know the God of their father brown jr. James Brown jr. makes me laugh all the time about my little boy Joseph Joseph is a character Joseph is always listening at church he always wants to be with the Brethren he's sitting with his mama in the balcony right now but he wants to be down here with the Brethren because Brown says when he's taken in the school Joseph is in the back of the car singing this may be my last time five years old talking about this me me my lad but he's at church so much that he ain't got time for that rap nonsense because he's with the Brethren know the God of your father so that when you go off the scene you put something in them that will carry them the rest of their life oh I heard my mama Priya I heard my daddy called my name in prayer and though their desires were frustrated and my desire to do a whole lot that I want to do is frustrated but God says however I won't let you get it done but I'll get it done through you because Solomon will sit on the throne of Israel forever Judah the house of David a lion shall come from the tribe of Judah the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor the lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come Jesus will come through the house of David through the lineage of David through the house of Judah but God would not let David build a house and that left David with the blessing of her frustrated desire but I heard to the close there's finally the benediction of a final departure as the blessing of a frustrated desire but there's finally the benediction of a final departure David said to Solomon be strong and of good courage his word like you get that just do it from David says in verse 20 don't don't look to the right on the Left don't worry about who likes you who does not like you don't worry about who's on your side just do it it would be a travesty if all those people who came before us a lily Grove worked and sacrificed and gave their nickels and quarters and then we come here they'll with big salaries and big cars and big houses and don't do more than they did here we are with two cars in the garage opportunity that we've never had before bigger salaries and nicker ever imagined and we are not as generous as they are I find that a shame in the african-american community that our parents built colleges and universities with nickels and dime and we can't keep it open with corporate salaries we don't support grammar and we don't support southern we don't support TSU when we graduate we are through with those schools and we don't see how quad you got right that we don't care that when we make it we pull the ladder up so nobody else gets the chance to climb thank you for tuning in to a call to Joy it is our prayer that the Word of God has brought joy strength and faith to your life we would love to have you as our guest at little Grove Missionary Baptist Church where we are exalting the Savior equipping the Saints and evangelizing the center for your convenience we have a 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship service every Sunday morning and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights Lily Grove is located at seventy thirty forty Westar Street Houston Texas 77021 are feel free to visit our website at WWF God has called us to a life of joy

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 43,221

Rating: 4.8473282 out of 5

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

Id: ct9ynXdgBcw

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2013