Music
I'll talk to us again about outliving your life.
Outliving your life.
An unknown Sunday school teacher named Ed Kimble,
one a young man to Christ named Dwight L. Moody.
Dwight L. Moody preaching in England,
one a young convert named Frederick B. Meyer.
F. B. Meyer preached at Furman University in South Carolina
and inflamed the heart of a great preacher of another generation named Robert G. Lee.
Meyer preached in New England and set afire the heart of J. Wilbur Chapman.
The preaching of J. Wilbur Chapman converted a young man named Billy Sunday.
Billy Sunday's preaching inspired Mordecai Ham from Louisville, Kentucky,
who in turn preached the gospel and Billy Graham was saved.
All because of an unknown Sunday school teacher named Ed Kimble.
I am the preacher and the musician and the pastor that I am if I am at all.
Because of the names of some unknown people in my yesterdays that you will never meet until we see Jesus.
Moses and Claudia Pickney let me make noise on the piano in their home.
Arthur Baptiste who was the superintendent of our Sunday school at the True Light Baptist Church
would open the door to let me learn how to play the organ.
But the Albey Alfred would leave his house to let me in because I was getting in through the window at the New Zion Baptist Church
to learn how to play the piano.
Before I told my mother and father I told a man by the name of Clifton Lemail
that I had been called to preach the gospel.
Brother Lemail brought me to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to meet J.K. Haynes who was at that time chairman of the board at Bishop College.
And Brother Lemail said if you're going to preach you need to learn something
because there's enough little ignorant preachers running around here who don't know anything.
My first set of books I received as a preacher came from Ms. Dolores Owens.
Lewis and Mabel Victoria would not let me come back from Bishop College unless they sent me back to school with their money.
When I was in Innis, Texas playing the music at the New Hope Baptist Church Ms. Tillie Lister and her daughters, Jule and Lola
took me in as a member of their family.
And Ms. Tillie would send me home every Sunday evening with a crumpled up $5 bill and a bag of fried chicken.
It was not Popeyes fried, it was not Kentucky fried, it was Ms. Tillie's fried chicken and a crumpled up $5 bill.
Ms. Tillie said I never got a chance to get any learning, but I want to see God bless your life.
And I'm in this church this morning because my pastor Reverend John Wilkerson let me preach my first sermon
November 27th, 1977 Luke chapter 12 verses 13 through 21 what are you collecting?
Reverend Joshua Frank let me preach in his pulpit at the New Zion Baptist Church.
Preachers have opened doors for me across this country. I can't name them all, we won't meet them until we get to heaven,
but I am standing in this place today because somebody opened the door for me.
And you are in here this morning giving God praise, giving God glory, raising hands in the hallelujah and thanksgiving
because if it had not been for somebody else opening a door for you, you would not be where you are right now.
You must be of a certain generation or a lover of music to remember the singing group called the Fifth Dimension.
In 1976 a duo split from the Fifth Dimension named Marilyn McCool and Billy Davis.
In 1977 they won a Grammy Award for a song they wrote entitled You Don't Have to Be a Star to Be in My Show.
The words went baby come as you are with just your heart and I'll take you in.
You rejected and hurt but to me you're worth what you have within.
I don't need no superstar because I'll accept you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, y'all know it.
And you won't be denied because I'm satisfied with the love you inspire.
You don't have to be a star baby to be in my show.
You don't have, well I don't want to sing it for you, you already know it.
Andrew is referred to eight times in the New Testament.
In the Gospel of Mark at chapter one, chapter three and chapter 13.
In the Gospel of John at chapter one, chapter six and chapter number 12.
He's mentioned in the book of Acts at chapter one and the book of Revelation at chapter 21.
Andrew does not have a starring role in the drama of redemption.
He is constantly referred to in the scripture as the brother of Simon.
Men who are known by their relationship to other men are almost always unobtrusive.
Not strikingly impressive to other people.
Boys were scared of me and Johnny in units not because we were so bad,
but because Carl and Lee and Ray and Steve and Bobby were our brothers.
His name Andrew, Andreas in the Greek means manly.
Moreover, he was a man marked by moral courage and insight as is evidenced by the
immediateness of the way in which at a critical moment he left John the Baptist to follow Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, it's impossible to find Christ in such a relationship as Andrew did
without realizing the birth in the soul of a missionary passion.
The man can become a living follower of the Lord Jesus.
No man, no man can become a living follower of the Lord Jesus without immediately finding compassion,
moving in him and driving him to go and find somebody else.
Although Andrew does not have a starring role, we never would have heard of Simon Peter were not for Andrew.
It was Andrew who brought that lad to Jesus with two fish and five barley loaves.
When some Greek speaking Jews said, sirs, we would see Jesus.
It was Andrew along with Philip who brought them before the Lord Jesus.
Every time we meet Andrew in the scripture almost, every time we meeting meet him,
he is bringing somebody to Jesus because you have to be saved before you can share.
If there is confidence in your salvation, there will be power in your witness.
You can't lead anyone to somebody you've never met yourself.
Walk with me around the text.
The next day, verse 35 reads, John again was standing with two of his disciples
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, look, behold, here is the Lamb of God.
The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.
The simple statement by John the Baptist is pregnant with meaning.
The imperavital interjection, behold, I've been waiting all week to use that word.
The imperavital interjection, behold, is dramatic, pointing out, look only at Jesus,
riveting our eyes upon him, opening our ears to hear only what Jesus has to say.
The Lamb of God with its significant article, look, thee, Lamb of God,
points out Jesus as the one particular Lamb of God.
The Lamb in the most imminent sense of the word, the Lamb which belongs to God,
his Lamb which he ordained as a sacrifice for himself.
He is the savior of sinners and the sacrifice for sin.
He was the Lamb that redeemed the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
He's God's final answer to the question that Isaac posed to Abraham
as they were walking up Mount Moriah.
Isaac said, Father, I see the wood.
I wish I had a Bible reader.
I see the fire, but where is the Lamb?
Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a Lamb.
And this morning, God has provided not the pascal Lamb of Genesis chapter 3,
not the Passover Lamb of Exodus chapter 12, but the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world.
We are in here this morning because God provided himself a Lamb.
Have you been to Jesus for his cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
That's power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.
Sadly, brothers and sisters, sadly we have let the blood flow out of Christianity
and we have tamed the lion of Judah and turned him into a house cat.
And we try to make Jesus palatable and make the cross sanitary and make Christianity disinfected.
But if you're going to be a follower of Jesus, you got to be washed in the blood.
If you're going to be saved, somebody had to die.
And the somebody who died was Jesus, the Lamb of God, who became sin for us,
who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God.
The cross was blooded.
Christianity is glory.
Crucifixion was brutal.
I read in the news this morning that they are going after Jamie Foxx
because Jamie Foxx said the Jews crucified Jesus.
And Jennifer Aniston and all of these movie stars are getting on social media
and all these other people are talking about he's anti-Semitic
because he said that the Jews crucified Jesus.
That's not anti-Semitism.
That's Bible doctrine.
A wicked government, Rome, was in collusion with a blasphemous religion
of the Jews of the scribes and the Pharisees to crucify Jesus.
The chief priests, scribes, and elders of Jerusalem conspired with Rome to crucify Jesus.
Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and said,
you men of Israel, this Jesus that you crucified.
I wish I had somebody bold enough to help me preach this morning.
It's not anti-Semitic, it's Bible doctrine that Jesus was crucified by the Jews,
but God raised him up.
Early Sunday morning,
the power of God raised him up.
Crucifixion is about the love of God,
but resurrection is about the power of God.
There's power.
Power.
Wonder-working power.
I need somebody who's saved in here this morning,
and you're not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ
because it is the power of God under salvation.
You don't care who knows it, you don't care who's looking at you,
you don't care what they think about you.
I'm saved because Jesus died for my sins.
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
That's the claim.
John said, look at this lamb.
He takes away sins of the world.
But then in verses 37 through verse 39A,
there's a call that emanates from this claim.
Verse 37, look with me at verse number 37.
The two disciples heard him say this,
talking about John the Baptist, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following,
he said to them, what are you looking for?
What are you looking for?
The two disciples in the text,
one is Andrew and the other is John,
who writes the gospel of John.
The two disciples in the text heard John the Baptist.
They heard John the Baptist, but they followed Jesus.
Let me run it by you one more time.
They heard John the Baptist,
but they didn't follow John the Baptist.
They followed Jesus.
And when they hear you teach in your Sunday school class,
they ought not follow you.
They ought to follow Jesus.
When you hear me preach on Sunday morning,
don't become a disciple of Terry Anderson.
If you have a heaven or hell for you to go to,
you need to follow Jesus.
Jesus asked these two men who are following him
to articulate what is on their mind.
But the evangelist John wants his readers and us
to reflect on the deeper question.
The Logos Messiah confronts those who make any show
of beginning to follow him and demands that we articulate
what we really want in this life.
Jesus does not inquire whom do you seek?
But what do you seek?
Because many are seeking what they should not
while others are not seeking what they should.
What question casts out all self-seeking,
all worldly ambition,
all unworthy aims when you join Jesus?
What did you come here for?
Why did you wake up this morning?
Why did you dress yourself and drive from Baytown,
Sugarland, Pearland, and Clear Lake?
Why did you go through all that trouble to get in the car,
get on 288, 45, or 59 to come?
What are you looking for?
Because when you get what straight,
you can shout over who?
And many of us are here only for the fishing lures.
Somebody ought to help me preach here.
When you read John chapter 6,
they will follow in Jesus until he starts talking about
his flesh and drinking his blood.
And the Bible said when Jesus started talking like that,
they started walking away.
And they started walking away so fast
that Jesus turned and asked his disciples,
will you also go away?
Peter said to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We got the what straight.
That's why we can follow who,
because we know what we're in this for.
And if you're in it for a reputation,
if you're in it for glory and popularity,
if you're in it because you want folk to like you,
if you're in it because you want to teach to be seen,
if you're in it because you want to make a reputation or name
for yourself, you're in it for the wrong reason.
Because when you know what you're doing,
you're going to make some enemies.
I wish I had one or two more believers.
When you know what you're following the Lord Jesus for,
some people are going to misunderstand you.
When you got your heart fixed and your mind made up
that I'm not in this for any reputation,
I just want to follow Jesus because I want to know him
for myself.
I want to be saved.
I want to be a missionary.
I want to lead somebody else to Christ.
I want to be compassionate towards the loss.
I don't want any outside show.
People will misunderstand you.
Because brothers and sisters,
let me see if I can stop right here and work on this part.
We Christians who are real Christians
are strange people.
We are not at home in this world.
We are strangers.
John the Baptist had a strange diet,
locusts, and wild honey.
John did not wear Breone's suits.
John did not wear a messlin shoes.
John had a camel's hair and a leaven girdle.
We have gotten so accustomed to church being fashionable
and church being a place where you can go to hook up with somebody.
Single women can't hardly get to their car
for men trying to hook up with them after church.
Somebody looking for somebody's phone number.
Somebody's trying to get a job.
Somebody's trying to network with somebody
and to move from this place to another.
That's not what church is about.
That's not what the fellowship of the body of Christ is about.
And if we don't change our attitude,
if we don't change our mindset, listen to this.
If the apostle Paul came to Lilligrove this morning,
he would be getting a letter next week.
A letter to the church at Lilligrove.
Watch how you sit here.
Watch how you move among other people in this church.
This is not about you.
This is about the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you come here to this large church on this large day,
you don't have to be a star, baby.
You never have to have your name called.
You don't have to be the president.
You don't have to teach a class.
You don't have to lead a song.
You don't have to play an instrument.
I wish I had somebody to help me.
You just got to come here with your mind,
lead on Jesus and leave here and go do what you heard me say
and God will tell you one day, serve it.
Well done.
You've been faithful over a few things.
I'll make you ruler over many things.
This is the last word that I'm through.
In verses 39b through 42, I don't have time to read it.
From that claim, there's a call.
And then when there's a call, there's a change.
Jesus said, what are you looking for?
Andrew and John said, Rabbi, where you staying?
And Jesus said, come see.
The answer of the disciples' question with a question
belies the desire to have a private undisturbed conversation
regarding the high hopes which had begun to stir in their hearts.
Because once you get straight what you're in it for,
then you can ask Jesus, where you staying?
And Jesus answered them by saying, come, see where I'm staying.
Because brothers and sisters, if you're going to follow Jesus,
it's more than about being saved, it's about being a disciple.
Because many of us have been to Calvary for pardon,
but we have not been to Pentecost for power.
We are post resurrection, pre Pentecostal.
When was the last time you told somebody the good news
that Jesus is mighty to save?
It's not about you coming in here on Sunday morning shouting and having a good time?
That's what you ought to do. You ought to praise God.
You ought to give God your most enthusiastic worship.
But when you get through worshiping, you ought to be a witness.
I want to say to the people who are watching us on Facebook
and watching us on YouTube, and you haven't been to church since the pandemic.
Because it seems like your vaccine works everywhere but at church.
Your vaccine works at Target.
It works at Walmart.
It works at the doctor's office.
I want to ask those of you who are watching me online on your phone or on your computer,
are you watching or are you worshiping?
Don't brag on the fact that you belong to bedside Baptist.
That's not anything to shout over.
If God wakes you up and you are physically able, you ought to make your way to the house of God.
Because coming to God's house is not a sacrifice.
It's a privilege.
God lets you praise Him.
God lets you give Him glory.
God lets you honor Him.
Because if you stop praising Him, He's still going to be praised.
If you say that Jesus is leading you, how come He ain't led you to church?
If Jesus is leading you, He's going to lead you to His house.
I was glad when they said unto me, I need two or three Bible readers,
let us go to the house of the Lord.
That's something that happens in God's house that can't happen at your house.
Because this is the house designated for the worship and the praise of God Almighty.
That's something that goes on when deacons stand up and read the Scripture and pray to God on our behalf.
That's something that goes on when the choir sings and then you add your voice,
no matter if you can sing or not, you just add your voice to the chorus.
What a fellowship.
What a joy divine.
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
That's something that happens when you sing amazing grace at church.
That's different from when you sing amazing grace in your house.
That's something that happens when you hear the preaching of the Gospel, live and in person.
Then sitting down watching it on the screen.
I know some people are physically unable to get to church and God be praised for electronic devices
and God be praised for technology, but as soon as you get your breath,
as soon as you get your feet under you, you need to come see.
They said, Lord, where are you staying?
Jesus said, come see.
I don't want to tell you what I'm doing.
I want you to come see for yourself.
You're going to help me close this, won't you?
And when you come see for yourself, when somebody like John the Baptist gets discouraged,
you can go back and tell him what you saw.
John was put in prison and he told his disciples, go and ask Jesus,
are you the one?
Or look we for another and since they came and they saw,
they went back and told John what Jesus was doing.
The blind see, the lame are walking, the deaf are hearing,
the dumb are speaking, the poor are having the Gospel preached to them,
and dead people are coming alive again.
When you meet Jesus, something happens in your life.
When you come on the Lord side, he puts clapping in your hand.
He puts a smile on your face.
Monday morning is a drudgery sometimes,
but thank God you can face Monday morning because you got to happy on Sunday morning.
You can meet your enemies on Friday because you have a friend in Jesus Christ.
You can bear your burdens on Wednesday because the Lord lifted your spirits on Sunday.
Is there anybody here who came and you saw?
And if you came and you saw, you ain't have to talk about what somebody else said.
You don't have to shout on somebody else's testimony.
You don't have to clap your hands because somebody in the choir says,
give God a hand of praise.
When you start thinking about what God has done for you,
when you start musing over, how many doors God has opened for you,
when you start thinking about the ways God is preparing for you.
Your enemies have set some traps for you, but God has led you all around them.
The devil has tried to stop your forward progress, but God is the wind in your sails.
The devil has tried to pull you down.
Some people walk out of your life and thought you'd never be anything without them.
But look where God brought you from.
Look where the Lord has brought you from.
If the Lord has kept you this morning, why don't you give God some praise?
If the Lord opened doors for you, now is the time to tell God thank you.
If the Lord let you see some things that other folk told you would never happen,
you ought to tell God how much you appreciate it.
If you are in the supporting cast, you don't have to be a star this morning.
You just need to be in the supporting cast because you do know there is an Oscar for best costume.
There is an Oscar for original screenplay.
There is an Oscar for best supporting actress.
There is an Oscar for best supporting cast.
You don't have to have a starring role.
Just get in the number and be in the support cast.
God has a reward for you.
If you get satisfied in the support cast, you're going to help me close this, won't you?
I was on Broadway.
We went to see a production of the Lion King on Broadway.
And we got in there and got our seats.
There was multiplied thousands of people.
My friend in New York, Glenda's daughter was Nala in the play, The Lion King on Broadway.
We stayed throughout the entire performance.
The Lion King is marvelous on video, but you ought to see it on Broadway.
You ought to see it live on the stage.
We watched the entire production of The Lion King.
Went back to New York and watched The Lion King all over again.
Because it's a marvelous production on stage.
But what I liked about the end of The Lion King, when the curtains closed, everybody came out to take a bow.
Nala and Simba took a bow.
Rafiki came out and took a bow.
The giraffes came out and took a bow.
Your mother helped me close it.
The elephants came out and took a bow.
But the real applause, the real excitement happened when Mufasa came out.
Because Mufasa was the Lion King.
And when the Lion King came out, Rafiki started clapping.
The giraffes started clapping.
The elephants started clapping.
Because the star of the show was the Lion King Mufasa.
One of these days, the real Lion King.
The lion from the tribe of Judah.
The pharise of ten thousand.
The bright and the morning star.
The way out of no way.
The wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Y'all know him, don't you?
One day Jesus will step away from the Father.
Move from the right hand of power.
Raise his hand and swear the time that has been shall be no more.
He's gonna put one foot on a quaking earth and the other foot on a troubled sea.
And Gabriel will blow his heart and they will rise from the north and the south.
And the east and the west and the real Lion King will stand up at the right hand of God.
And he himself will take a bow. All hail, all hail, all hail the power of Jesus' name.
Let angels prostrate forth, bring forth the royal dalyadim.
And crown him! crown him! crown him! crown him crown him crown him crown him crown him
on a hill called Calvary. He died, didn't he die. But a huh,
Sunday morning, the real lion king got up from the grave with all power in his
hand. If you know him and you're not ashamed to testify, if he brought you out
and you don't mind being a witness, why don't you grab somebody, shake somebody's
hand, tell them I know him, far more myself, tell them he's the real lion king.
He is, he is the root of Jesse. He is the stem of David. He is the Lamb of God.
He walks with me, he talks with me, he tells me I am his own. And the joy, the joy,
joy, joy, joy. Do you have joy? Do you have holy ghost joy? If you got real joy, why don't
you tell somebody this joy that I have, the world didn't give it, the world can't take
it.