The Great Reversal Pt. 1

[Music] when your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter number five verse number three Matthew 5 and verse 3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades with the word of our God shall stand forever I want to begin a series of messages from the the Beatitudes entitled the great reversal the great reversal everything in this sermon is a reversal of what we've been taught I want to begin this message by an anonymous note I found indulge me for a moment as I read a note to me dear me I've known you for as long as I can remember I once heard as a friend who sticks closer than a brother and yes that's us though I doubt it's what the proverb was talking about I've been close to a lot of people but you and me we have quite an attachment looking back it's fair to say I've treated you pretty well as a matter of fact more times than I can count me I've put you ahead of anything and everything else as we were growing up I try to make sure you are always at the front of the line I saw to it that you've got the biggest cookie on the plate the best parking spot the comfiest chair in any room we entered in school I noticed the little things you liked and I went after them you always loved attention so I did everything in my power to see to it that you got it you still like the spotlight mean so I've maneuvered to keep you in its glare now that we have the Internet I have more tools I post only the best pictures of you anybody would think you're living the dream have you seen the comments people write about you when you have struggled or had a hard time I've done my best to keep that our little secret I've tried to make you happy sure it was a little easier to keep you happy when we were cute little tykes a simple temper tantrum got the job done then as we grew older I had to be a little more discreet you wanted to keep winning and getting your way all the while looking humble and unassuming that gets tricky not to mention tiring me I know how you can get defensive but you have had a tendency not to give me all the information walking through the sporting goods store not your finest hour I love to see you get excited but we should have taken a look at the budget first as a matter of fact you never seem to care about those stuff like bills and consequences and what happens tomorrow I've said more than a few harsh words on your behalf to certain people and you never warned me about the mess you never told me I couldn't unsay what I've said I love you me but I can't keep living for you you always insisted that if I just keep you happy then I'd be happy as simple as that but you know what it's not as simple as that it never has been me I've let you be in control and sit in the driver's seat but it's clear you can't be trusted you keep on insisting you know the way we should go but it always seems to be a dead end I've looked into some other options and I've decided to begin a journey down a different path it's narrow and difficult and not many choose it but it leads to real an abundant life however there's no easy way to say this I can't take this path me if I bring you along so me this is the end of you sincerely me [Applause] the Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known teaching of Jesus against me though arguably the Sermon on the Mount is the least understood and certainly it is the least obeyed of Jesus teaching it is the nearest thing to a manifesto that he ever uttered for it is his own description in his own words of what he wanted his followers to be and to do the Sermon on the Mount is the most complete the linear nation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counterculture here is a Christian value system it's an ethical standard its religious devotion it's an attitude towards money ambition lifestyle and network of relationships all of which are totally at odds with the world there is no single paragraph of the Sermon on the Mount in which this contrast between Christian and non-christian standards is not drawn although the standards brothers and sisters of the Sermon are not readily attainable by every man neither are they totally unattainable by any man let me say that again although the standards of the Sermon are not readily attainable by every man neither are they totally unattainable by any man this message is not for everybody their simplicity of word and profundity of thought have attracted every fresh generation of Christian ever since Jesus uttered those words the eight qualities together constitute the responsibilities and the eight blessings the privileges of being citizens of God's kingdom I mention all Jews amazing Bible study that we are large on privileges and short on responsibilities we love the privileges of being Christian but also negating our responsibility it is significant that this sermon begins with Beatitudes rather than imperatives many translations use a secular word to transcribe what Jesus was teaching words like fortunate of the pure in heart or happy are the poor in spirit but there is more to blessedness than happiness Jesus is not calling us to a life of happiness because happiness depends on what's happening and sometimes what's happening does not make me happy blessedness is more far more than happiness because you can be happy and never be blessed but you cannot be blessed without being happy blessed people are happy people although their circumstances seen to the world that they'll have nothing to be happy about they are blessed in Jesus Christ a more accurate translation of blessed in this text is a privileged recipient of divine favor is the poor in spirit blessed blessed a privileged recipient of divine favor is the poor in spirit are brothers and sister hear me the Old Testament ends with a warning of a curse the New Testament begins with a series of blessings the Old Testament was characterized by Mount Sinai the New Testament is characterized by now Zion the Old Testament had his laws with thunder and lightning the New Testament has grace with salvation and healing the Old Testament was about judgment and cursing the New Testament is about promises of peace and blessing the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed while the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed in the New Testament Beatitudes Jesus starts by telling us if you want your life to be blessed you've got to do the reverse of everything you think you know and that goes against culture blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven the brothers and sisters Jesus is not saying blessed are the poor because there's nothing spiritual about poverty see I quietly got right there but that's nothing holy about runs in your stocking about not getting your nails done and wearing long dresses and can't get your car started and and can't get to work on time and can't pay your bills there's nothing glamorous less spiritual about being broke Jesus is not saying blessed are the broke I don't want their spirit now I'm not talking about you I'm talking about me but that's something that there's nothing particularly holy about being broke and there's nothing particularly unspiritual about being rich it's not being rich of being poor that Jesus is talking about right here because poverty is not a sign of Holi there I want to get that over to you I want to stress that I want to really make that plain he's not saying blessed are the poor see how glad you got again I'm not I'm not preaching the prosperity gospel here I'm saying there are some attendant blessings that go along with being Christian that just has to do with you doing what's right and God opening the windows of heaven and pulling out blessings that you won't even have room enough to receive that has to do with God making sure that all your needs are met because you've met your responsibility there's nothing glamorous less spiritual about being broke no the Lord wants you to look good not just on Sunday the Lord wants you to eat well the Lord wants you to drive nice cars and live in front houses that God is with that God is not against having riches God is not against you having material possession that's not what the text the text is teaching blessed are the poor in spirit let me show you what they mean to be poor in spirit is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty indeed our spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God for we are sinners under the holy wrath of God and deserving of nothing but the judgment of God we have nothing to offer we have nothing to plead we have nothing with which to buy the favor of heaven I don't care how rich you are materially to come before God you've got to acknowledge the bankruptcy of your spirit nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cling that's the language of the poor in spirit I have nothing to offer God that he needs our walls I was a head of witnesses don't come in his church with your nose in there don't don't come in God's presence thinking that you have to be here God does not need your amens God does not need your hallelujah God does not need you up raise hands because everything we bring God is a filthy rag the only way he can accept me is when I agree knowledge that I'm absolutely spiritually bankrupt I need to see again like I said on last Sunday those of us who shout in God's presence don't shout cuz we are their spiritual we shout because we know we've been forgiven [Applause] we've been set free and whom the Sun has set free is free indeed there is that for now I wish I had a Bible reading no condemnation for them that I in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit sing because I'm happy I sing because I'm free his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me I shout in the Lord's presence not because I read the Bible and keep the commandments so closely but he walks with me he talks with me he tells me I am his own ever got a witness when I fall I'm not overly Kasdan persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed I'm always bearing in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ and I shout because he saved me [Applause] and he didn't save me because he thought I was worth saving he saved me because he wants me jesus loves me this I know because the Bible tells me so I shall because I've been redeemed from the hands of the enemy I wish I had some company you could help me testify I come here this morning with a lot of problems but thank God I'm safe I come this morning with stress in my family but thank God I've been redeemed I come here not knowing if my brothers will be alive when I get back the unis to see him but if I don't see him tomorrow I will see him anymore I say because I'm happy I sing because I'm free hit his eye I wish I had some noisy him eye is on the sparrow he's numbered the hairs on my head nothing will happen in my life that will take him by surprise that's why I shout in his presence and some of you who can't shout you go back to sleep I'm not talking to you I'm talking to those of us in here this morning who know that if the Lord will help me if the Lord will come to my rescue if the model represents only father I stretch [Applause] my hands to be so ever wanna help I know if thou withdraw myself from me never should I go you wanna you want to be blessed let me let me show you let me help you let me help us to be blessed and I talked about with material possession because you can have a house full of furniture freezer full of food a pantry full of canned goods and can't sleep at night [Applause] [Music] if you can have an expensive car and know where to go food but no appetite a house that's not a home that's not being black you're not blessed with no car or job cuz I'm forgot that and want to kill themselves but there's me laughing so precious as Jesus to me that with his treasures begone rich as can be with my Savior I see I'm happy with Jesus alone I'm happy with Jesus alone I'm happy with Jesus alone before and deserted thank God I can say I'm happy with Jesus alone I don't care you don't speak to me I'm happy I don't care if you don't like me I'm happy I don't care about your friendship I can't see that you want to know how to be blessed blessed are the poor in spirit blessed all folk who come to church limpid just just trying to get here I'm not talking about from no physical malady but you're so guilty you're so shamed you just crawl in here not looking for our front seat cuz the mess you did last week you ought to be in the overflow you understand the car while church is going on no no stop stop stop looking for attention because that's bringing attention to me the attention is not on me I got to divorce me [Applause] it's only when I come to the end of me that I can truly worship God you want to know how to be truly blessed turn your eyes off yourself stop stop living your own reality show stop posting pictures of yourself so what you ain't that pretty [Applause] you ain't famous you ain't rich you ain't Beyonce you're not jay-z you're none of that turn your eyes off yourself because we are not interested in you a many get off of Facebook put your face in a book [Applause] [Music] because a broken spirit is not trending on Twitter [Applause] a bankrupt soul is not fashionable on Instagram someone ought to help me preach it because nobody really wants to be around you when you're broken in spirit that's why we pretend that everything is going well but take your eyes off of yourself because you are not that important when when you when when you narrow the focus you can focus on the now somebody should have shouted right there when you narrow the focus you can focus on the now because broad is the role but it leads the destruction but narrow is the way that leads to life and she'll ever find it take your eyes off of yourself here's the second thing starve your flesh by removing the things on which it feeds stall your flesh by removing the things over with your feet someone will help me preacher you are really rich in proportion to the amount of things you can afford to do it out you are really rich in proportion to the amount of things you can afford not to have because commercials and commercialism tells us that we got to have the latest gadgets nothing wrong with your phone but a new phone comes out you got to have it talked back to me if you can I don't need all of that I just need a phone that answers when I went with when I when I want to hear somebody's voice and hang up when I'm talking I don't need a computer on my wrist and [Applause] I'm not hating on you got that I'm just saying wait till you get to your office that's the status symbol see how glad you're getting right there and not everybody got these little gadgets to tell you how many steps you walk in and how many calories in your food then you gotta take a picture of it and send it to me to let me know that you had Vick and Anthony's [Applause] when you're satisfied in your own skin you can eat cornbread and milk and go to bed when you don't care about what folks think and what folks saying you can walk around your house barefooted what does it profit a man to gain the world and then lose his soul starve your flesh by removing the things on which it feeds because if you don't watch the flesh it'll start speeding in on itself and before you know it you will devour yourself in empty pursuits running after stuff that's not going to last that long build your hopes on things eternal jesus said lay up treasures for yourself where moth can corrupt where thieves can't break through and steal it lay up treasures in heaven let your conversation be in heaven set your affections on things above not on the things beneath starve your flesh of the things on which it feels here the last thing for this service ask God to Humble Eve [Music] I'm through now the quiet took up all the time I'm through now I want you to ask God to humble you coz if you don't he gonna do it anyway if you belong to him he's going to humble you somebody ought to help me finish it let me close this little sermon that was a man by the name of David who was king over all Israel sitting on the throne of Israel adjudicating matters of state and when he should have been at a wall he was at home watching another man's wife he saw Bathsheba washing herself and he decided that he had to have that woman her husband was on the battlefield and David had Bathsheba and Bathsheba got pregnant for King Dave is in the Bible you ought to read it and and to cover up his sin he had her husband brought in from the battlefield somehow lord help me preacher and he wanted him to go in to make love to his wife so that she could hide the pregnancy and said it was his but he was a more honourable man than the king and would not go in to his wife someone ought to help me preach it and so David got him drunk supposing that he would then go in and have sex with his wife but he was more honorable drunk than David was so and so David calls the captain of the army and says put him on the front line and make sure he's killed in the battle and he dies in the battle and David think that his sin has been covered but a year later Nathan the Prophet comes to the palace and said King live forever David says come on in he says King I have a little story I want to tell you that was this man who had one ewe lamb and that was this man who had a whole head and flock of sheep and he took this man's one ewe lamb he loved that lamb so much he slept with him he ate with his children he took that national lamb and killed him with all the sheep that he had King what do you think his judgment ought to be the Bible says David was filled with wrath and said that man ought to be killed he ought to be put to death bring him here he needs to be put to death and the raised finger of the prophet said O king you are the man David does not get angry because this sin has been found out David does not put in hair and want to kill Nathan because he brings in the bad news David did what I did David did what you ought to do whenever your sin confronts you and brothers and sisters notice I said whenever not if ever but whenever your sin confronts you I need somebody here who the sinner like myself because only us sinners can shout right here David falls down on his knees and write Psalm number 51 conversely on me O God according to your loving-kindness according to the multitude of your tender mercy blot out oh ma transgressive against me and we only cover sinned and done this evil in your sight wash me thoroughly with hyssop and I shall be whiter than snow there it is create in me a clean heart and renew within me the right spirit have a got a witness here and then once you get me cleaned up then will I teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted unto you it's not unclear you've been broken that you can help somebody who's been broken it's not until God has brought you to the end of yourself that you can help somebody see who Jesus really is I need somebody here with some sins in your past some sins you're dealing with right now but God still has mercy on you God still lets you teach Sunday School God still lets you sing in the choir God still lets you preach the gospel not because you're so holy not because you're so righteous but because Jesus loves you so much that you just must be on our folks I wish I had a witness the only folk who can help me shout right here it's folk who've got some sins in your life that you're still dealing with but God loves you and he wants to use you anyway come on sing your song come on pray a prayer come on give your testimony God can use you even with your messed up life God can make a way even with all the junk in your life God can still raise you up even with all the problems in your personal life is there anybody here praising God for His goodness is there anybody here who is broken in the spirit then come on you can shout right now because last is the kingdom of heaven only when you're broken can God really use you only when you're down can God really talk to you only when you realize that you're nothing can God really get his hands on you why don't you grab somebody shake somebody's hand tell him you see my glory but you don't know my story you see me shouting but you don't know all I've been through and in spite of a heart that is final all is right at all but I've been through I feel is there anybody here still got joy promises are somebody elements by tomorrow ah ah ah ah [Music] I wish I wish I had more time required took all my time I wish I had more time but but but but but just give me a minute to tell you one last thing vasa a pottery in Japan known as Kensuke II kansuke pottery it's broken ceramics where the cracks are still visible but they've been filled in with gold and they're more expensive now that when they were first purchase because the cracks are visible but it's filled with pure gold that's the money in here this morning you'll crack are visibly but he's dealing with four gold please be patient with me it's not through with me yet and when he get through a certain form is there anybody here know we have this treasure in an earthen vessel that the power of God may rest upon me but when I am weak then I must roll have you tried him won't he feel the cracks in your life won't it make a way out of no way help me play this name help me lift him up tell it where you fulfilling in the crack oh yeah my cracks are visible but to fill them with your goal Branka Branka Branka movies all are [Applause] [Music] Bassem that them holes in my testimony but he still uses me there's some cracks in my exterior but he feels them with the goal of his holy spirit so that I'm more precious now than when he first painful you want to be blessed take your eyes off of yourself stop your flesh of the things on which it feeds and then ask God to employ you because if you don't ask him he's gonna do it anyway use me Lord in your service draw me nearer every day while I'm willing to run all the way if I falter while I'm trying God don't be angry let me stay [Music]

Channel: lillygrovembc

Views: 46,740

Rating: 4.8071542 out of 5

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

Id: q_s704fiHe8

Length: 44min 18sec (2658 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 21 2017