Let's listen to brother Anderson as he preaches for us tonight. Amen
All right, let's open our Bibles tonight to Philippians chapter 3
My favorite chapter in the Bible Philippians chapter 3 and let's begin reading a verse number 7
Philippians chapter number 3 verse number 7
And you can follow along silently as I read the Bible reads in Philippians 3 7
What things were gained to me those I counted lost for Christ?
Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done that I may win Christ
And be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law
But that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection
And the fellowship of the sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead
Let's bow our heads for a brief word of prayer father
Thank you so much for the service tonight and for the opportunity to preach and God
I thank you for those that are willing to come to church on a Monday night
To hear the Bible priests because they love you because they want to learn the Bible and father
I just pray you bless this particular sermon and use it in a great way fill me with the Holy Spirit father and Jesus name
I pray men now
I'd like to read for you one more verse before I start preaching
Famous verse Matthew 5 verse 8 you don't have to turn there
But from the Beatitudes the Bible reads blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. That's the title of my sermon tonight
What does it mean to know God what is it to see God?
I don't believe that Jesus was talking about physically seeing God the Bible says no man has seen God at any time
If we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us
I know that Moses in Hebrews chapter 11 is described as enduring seeing him who is invisible
seeing God
Paul talks about here in Philippians 3 if you look down at your Bible
He talks about the driving force in his life you ever wonder when you think about the Apostle Paul
What would motivate a man to go through some of the things that Paul went through I mean he was beaten with rods three different times
Five different times he received 40 stripes save one. He was shipwrecked. He was stoned. He was left for dead
He was in hunger and want and and and all kinds of adversity. Why did he do it?
Why did he keep going what kept him going?
Well, it's found right here
The Bible says in verse number 8 he Dallas and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord and then down in verse number 10. He said that I may know him see his goal
I don't I wonder what the goal of your life is. I wonder what the goal of Christians is
I wonder what the goal of most preachers is now. I have many goals in my life
I have a goal to see as many people saved as I can that's why I went to Phoenix, Arizona to start a church
knocking doors
Yes, that's how I started my church. Yes. That's how I'm going to continue to see God bless that church
Yes, door-to-door soul winning is what works in 2007. Yes preaching the gospel to every creature
Not handing out a flyer not just inviting somebody to church
But opening my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Hey, that's what I'm talking about soul winning
I have other goals in my life. I have a goal to see faithful word Baptist Church grow to greater proportions
I have a goal to raise my family my children for God. I have a goal many goals
But I see the Apostle Paul's goal and I'm sure he had all those same type of goals
I know he did but he had another great goal. That was the driving force all the time. He said that I may know
him
Now people talk a lot about knowing God
They talk a lot about having a walk with God having close fellowship with God the Bible talks a lot about this
Jesus talked about seeing God understanding God knowing God
now
If you're gonna see God flip over if you would I just want to turn to two more places flip over to the book
Of James to chapter 4 please James chapter 4 and we're gonna read verse number 8. I
Want to ask you something. What are you willing to give up to know God?
Is it isn't that why you're here tonight?
Because you want to know God is it because you love God is it because you want to know God and have fellowship
With Jesus Christ is that why you're here tonight?
Well, if you're gonna know God don't you think that if Paul had to give up everything to know God if
Paul had to count all things but dung he had to say everything in my life is worthless all my education
To me is worthless
All my friends and my accolades that I have in the Jews religion is worthless to me
For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord. He said that's what's important to me
What are you willing to give up to know God?
What are you willing to give up to see God will look down in your Bible James chapter 4 verse number 8
The Bible reads draw nigh to God and he will draw an eye to you. What's that saying?
I said my being close to God same thing. We're talking about being near God nigh to God
Now he says if we draw an eye to God God will draw an eye to us if you take one step toward God
God takes another step toward you and you're you're twice as close to God, but don't stop reading there
That sounds good, doesn't it draw an eye to God he'll draw an eye to you
But let's keep reading. How are we gonna draw an eye to God the Bible says draw nigh to God and he'll draw nigh to
You cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded
He said blessing of the pure and hard for they shall see God
He said if you want to be near God, you've got to purify your heart. You've got to cleanse your hands
See first you cleanse your hands and then you purify your heart you say the outside doesn't matter
Hey, your hands are on the outside of your body. You got to wash your hands. You got to be clean morally spiritually physically
And then you got to purify your heart and get close to God and when you get close to God
You're gonna have a pure heart when you have a pure heart
You're gonna see God and when you give up the sin in your life, you're gonna know God
That's the truth of the matter. You can talk all about getting close to God so many different ways
But I'm gonna tell you how I get close to God
I get close to God by reading the Bible the Word of God and I get close to God by being on a constant process
I
Haven't attained as Paul says later in the chapter. He said I haven't attained I haven't reached my goal
I don't know God like I want to know him, but he says that's the direction that I'm going
Is it a direction of getting to know God and he said in the process of getting to know God?
I've had to give some things up. You see you can only see you can't see God
And see all that the world has to offer you must decide which one you're gonna see
Now which one is more important to you?
Do you want to see your favorite TV show when you get home today, or do you want to see God you say?
Well, I can see both. I
Don't know if you can see both
Thinking about what's on television right now
I don't know if you can't see both
But but let me ask you something
Do you want to see that worldly DVD that you're gonna pop in when you get home or do you want to see God?
Because you gotta decide which one you want to see now if you say well
I think the DVD is gonna be more exciting. Hey, you must not know how exciting it is to see God
You want to see that filthy magazine that you might open up you might be tempted to open or do you want to see God?
Do you want to you want to watch MTV watch all the rock music and see all that garbage?
Or do you want to see God? What do you want to see tonight? Why are you here tonight?
Hey, do you want to see God tonight? I was I was I was thinking about the right
Do you want to see Seinfeld? Is that what you want to see or do you want to see God?
Hey, you want to see friends or do you want to see God you want to see American Idol tonight?
What do you want to see God tonight? Hey, do you want to see will and grace or what not to wear?
Hey, uh, all this all the garbage shows. I don't even I'm probably preaching about shows that are off the air. Just thank God
I'm in the process. I'm trying to see God. I don't want to see the world's garbage and I don't want to see God
You see you're gonna have to choose what you want to see tonight and and the question of what you want to see and what
You want to know is the question of your heart is your heart pure tonight is your heart right with God?
Now I was thinking about this my wife and I
years and years back
short on money and
We did the same mystery shop who knows what mystery shopping is put up your hands if you know, you know what I'm talking about
Hey, you know we did mystery shopping for McDonald's
Mystery shopping for McDonald's and we would go to mystery shopping and if you don't know what that is, we'd go to McDonald's
We'd order the food and we fill out all the survey about how it was and sometimes we got one time. We got $60
to eat at McDonald's one time usually is about six or ten dollars that we got but
We'd be in the drive-thru at McDonald's
We'd order our chicken sandwich combo meal and we had a stopwatch and we had to time everything and did you know that most of
The time when we went to McDonald's and we timed it with a stopwatch
We were out of there good night in a minute and 53 seconds. Sometimes a minute and 57 seconds
I remember a few times
We were at a branch that was doing a terrible job and it would be maybe three minutes and 47 seconds
And we're thinking good night. It's been three minutes and 47 seconds. I don't have my food
What in the world but if you think about it, you know three minutes and 47 seconds pretty fast to get a complete meal cook
Now imagine tonight it did it black Angus around here, is that a restaurant fancy restaurant? What's the fancy restaurant around here?
Come on the Outback. All right. Yeah, you go to the Outback. Can you imagine sitting down at the Outback tonight and
You're served with your meal in three minutes and 47 seconds
Good now, I mean you'd be thrilled that'd be great. Hey, look the things that are worth something in life
They don't come instantly ever
Never never is it is it that fast now? What do you want to eat tonight?
You want to eat McDonald's or you want to eat the Outback?
You want to eat you want to eat chicken McNugget, huh? You want you want Christianity McBible?
No, or do you want to know God like the Outback know God like a t-bone steak know God
Hey like filet mignon know God. Well, I'm gonna tell you something. It's gonna take time
It's gonna take faith because you can't just say well, you know what brother Anderson
So inspired by the sermon. I think I want to know God tonight
It's not gonna happen tonight. You're not gonna see God tonight
You can start on the road to seeing God tonight, but but let me tell you something you say well
I want to go down the road of knowing the world. I want to know what all the devil has to offer
I want to know what what the world can give me
You know what? You can have that immediately
You can have that in three minutes and 47 seconds. All you got to do tonight go home
Get out the phone book and call up, you know dish Network call up, you know Cox cable is what we have invented
Thank God but you know, hey calm up and say hook me up
Hey, I'm at I'm at 2620 West Greenway Road, Tempe, Arizona
Would you activate my cable jack? Would you give me HBO? Would you give me Showtime? Would you give me Cinemax?
I want to see Phil. I want to see sin. I want to see what's wrong and it'll be there
They probably won't even have to come out for a service call
The jack is probably already there. You probably just need to move a bookshelf
You might need to move a coffee table and you can put your television there
You can plug in and you can watch all the filth imaginable
But if you get out the King James Bible tonight and you sit down with it, it's not gonna happen that fast
Because it's not fast food. It's not have it your way. It's not Burger King. Hey, it's the outback
Now turn turn to one more place tonight Hebrews chapter 12
Hebrews chapter number 12 and
Verse number one just one book backward from the book of James is the book of Hebrews
Hebrews chapter 12 the Bible reads in verse number one
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin
Which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us
Looking what watch these words looking unto Jesus
We're talking about seeing God tonight looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith
Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross?
Despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself
Let she be worried and feign your minds. You have not you resisted unto blood striving against sin now
I was thinking about that phrase before I get into what I want to show you from this
I was thinking about that faith phrase striving against sin
Now, what does it mean to strive? Well striving means wrestling. It means fighting. It means battling right now what it means
It's a fight, right? Well, I was thinking about
Fighting against sin. There's so many fights out there aren't there? You say what are you talking? What are you talking about?
Church, you know talking about fighting. Hey, you must be in the wrong church
Yeah, you must have meant to go somewhere down the street
Hey, cuz the Bible that we read around here says a fight the good fight
Fight the good fight of faith. Hey, there's a fight going on
There's a fight between the forces of evil in this world and the forces of good in this world. There's a fight going on
You know, there's so many things that I'm fighting for as I said, you know, I'm fighting to get people saved
Fighting to keep my family straight keep them right to raise my kids, right?
You know, there's a fight that we might not have to think about the fight against sin
My
Church is has a goal in addition to all the other goals. I mentioned of fighting against sin
Hey fighting the fight for this country that sin in this country, you know, there's a there's a price that you got to pay
If the Bible says we're supposed to look at the sacrifice that Jesus made in his fight against sin
Looking at the Jesus consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against me
Hey think about what he went through fighting against sin. You've never drawn blood. He's saying you've had you ever have you ever been?
Attacked in such a way that you drew blood because you were fighting against sin
I haven't I'll be honest with you
But the Bible saying here that Jesus Christ did shed his blood in the fight against our sin
I thought of immediately when I read this and and thought this through I thought about first John 3 5 the Bible says and you
Know that he was manifested to take away our sins and in him is no sin
So the purpose for Jesus Christ dying on the cross was to take away our sins
Hey, that's what salvation is by the way
The Bible says in Matthew chapter 1 his name shall be called Jesus for he shall take save his people from their sins
What's that talking about? It's talking about not only are we saved from the penalty of our sin in hell
But we're saved from our sins. Like our sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west
Hey, we never have to answer to God for our sins because they're paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. Hallelujah
But you know, that's not the only reason that Jesus died on the cross
That's that's the big reason
But if you read that same chapter in first John chapter 3 in verse 8 the Bible says for this purpose the Son of God
Was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. See that was his striving against sin
He said I want to destroy what the devil is doing in the world
I want to I want to fight against the sin that runs rampant in the world
Hey
He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity to purify unto himself a peculiar people
Zealots of good works
And so there's a price that we need to pay as Jesus paid. Yes to win people to Christ number one
Amen, praise the Lord. Yeah, there's a price to be paid if you're gonna start a church or pastor church or build a church
There's a price to be paid to help people and to and to help people that are in need but I'm gonna tell you something
There's a price you got to be willing to pay to fight sin to strive against sin
Fight tooth and nail against sin in your life, not just the pastor you
Fight the sin that's taking over this country. Hey, don't let sin take over America
Hey, don't let sin take over the state of New Mexico here
Hey, don't let sin take over in your family or in your life fight against sin
You know when the you know, the queers are taking over this country, you know that hey
Did you know that the queers are taking over this country on?
Saturday in Phoenix where I live a few miles from where I live the gay pride parade
Gay pride
Actually, you know what they call it didn't call it gay pride call it Phoenix pride
Thank you for using Phoenix as a synonym for being a filthy pervert
Phoenix pride
2007 and you know what I drove by that because I was on my way to work on Saturday and you know what I saw
You want to know what I saw?
Thousands upon thousands of people I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw thousands of them
Thousands and thousands like a great mighty army
They're they're fighting. They're fighting to take America
What why don't we fight for a while, huh?
Are you ready to fight?
You know of the abortion holocaust in America marches forward at 3,000 to 4,000 per day
Hey like a mighty army of machine-gun soldiers
Marching down the street you say that's not the way it is. It's in a doctor's office. Hey, I'm gonna tell you something
That's the way I see it
Hey, I think that's the way that God sees it
I think God sees an army of nurses an army of doctors an army of bloodthirsty
Murderers of human life. Hey, I'm gonna tell you something. Are you willing to stand up and say no more?
It's enough
Stop you've gone too far
You can't do that. No, I
Am are you gonna join me? Are you gonna join to Jesus Christ in the fight against sin?
But let's let's look back at the chapter we saw striving against sin in verse number four
Both in the world in our personal lives
But first number five says and you've forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you is unto children
My son despised not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou it rebuked of him
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
If you endure chasing God deals with you as with sons were in Hebrews 12 7
For what son is he from the father chasing it not but if you be without chastisement where of all our partakers then are you?
Bastards and not sons. What's he talking about? God disciplining us for the sin in our life
God chasing us for the sins that we commit
Now, what's the purpose the Bible says?
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and gave them reverence
Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but watch God's motivation for chasing us
But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness
So what's the goal of God disciplining you it's to bring about personal holiness in your life. It's to purify your life
It's to get the sin out of your life. That's why God disciplines you
Now the Bible reads now no chastening for the present seem it to be joyous verse number 11, but grievous
Nevertheless afterward a yield at the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down in the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet
Lest that which is lame be turned out of the way
But let it rather be healed now watch this verse in verse 14 follow peace with all men and holiness
Without which no man shall see the Lord. That's what we're talking about seeing God
So in verse number three actually verse number two, we started out looking unto Jesus
I mean, we're looking in the direction of Jesus. Maybe we can't see him so clearly but off in the distance
We're looking in the direction of Jesus Christ on the cross. We were looking unto Jesus
We're looking in the direction of Jesus then in verse number four
We begin to fight against sin in verse number four and then in verse number five through thirteen
God is is going through a chastening process with us
where he's disciplining us for our sins where he's trying to bring us into a
higher level of holiness
We're trying to clean up our lives and and discipline us so that we can be more righteous and holy before God and then all
the way down in verse number 14
He says that's where you're gonna see the Lord
You're not gonna see the Lord back in verse number three when you just say I think I'm gonna look over at Jesus
Hey, why don't you start striving against sin? Hey, you got to endure chastening
You've got to go through God's discipline until you get all the way down to verse number 14
You're gonna see God when you're pure and hard when you've cleansed your hands when you're purified your heart
Now this is the truth tonight
This is that this is the true road to knowing God
It's not that little devotional book that they'll hand out to you and tell you read this every morning
This is your walk with God. That's how you walk with God. Hey your walk with God's when you clean up your life
Hey your walk with God is when you obey God. I
was thinking about a
Think about my favorite character of the New Testament, which is the Apostle John
I was thinking about how John was not only one of the 12 disciples talk about a man who knew God talk about a man
Who knew Jesus Christ?
He said our hands have handled it in that first John chapter 1 and so here's the Apostle John
Not only one of the 12 disciples
But he was also one of the three, you know, Peter James and John who got to go certain places with
Jesus that some of the other disciples didn't go
Only three disciples were at the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17
I was Peter James and John and if you remember at the Last Supper
When the twelve apostles were sitting around the table who was the one that sat right next to Jesus?
It was the Apostle John known as the disciple whom Jesus loved
Sitting right next to him. He actually leaned on
The breasts of Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. He was that close to him
I mean he was leaned up against him physically was physically touching his body at the Last Supper
Hey, here's a man who knows what it means to have fellowship with God
Here's a man who knew what it meant to be nigh to God
Here's a man who knew what it meant to have a pure heart and I was thinking about what he said in first John chapter 1
Where he said these things right we unto you that that your joy may be full
This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light
And in him is no darkness at all if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness
We lie and do not the truth
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light
We have fellowship one with another us and Jesus Christ is what he's saying there. We have fellowship one with that
Hey, can you say that tonight? Can you say I have fellowship with Jesus Christ?
He said we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleansed us with all from all sin
If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins
He's faithful just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous
If we say that we've not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us chapter 2
Listen this my little children these things right eye unto you that you sin not but if any man sin
We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins
Not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world verse 3 and hereby
Know we hereby we do know that we know him
John said this is how I know that I know God
He said hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandments
That's how you know, if you know God or not you want to do a self-test right now. Do I know God?
Do I keep God's commandments?
Same answer same answer. Hereby. We do know that we know him if we keep his commandments
Hey, that's how you're gonna know God tonight by keeping the commandments of God
I thought about what David said in Psalm 16. He said I've set the Lord always at my right hand
So that I'll not be moved
You know, I don't a person I don't know about you
I don't want to be like these people that change all the time, you know, they change the Bible
They change over from the King James Bible to one of these fly-by-night modern Bibles that just came out last week
Hey, they change the kind of music that they that they used to condone and have in their church
Hey, they changed I'm talking about people who change the way that they dress. They used to dress modestly
They used to dress like a godly decent Christian now
They dress like the world and I'm talking about people who change their doctrine. They change what they believe
Hey metal not with them that are given to change
Hey, I don't want to be like people. I don't be like churches that are constantly changing
Jesus Christ said Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. He said I'm the Lord I changed up
Hey, I want to be like people who change. I don't want to be like churches who change
I don't want to be like the Christians who I've known have changed. Hey, how are you gonna keep from changing?
How you gonna still be in church 10 years from now 20 years from now?
Are you still gonna believe the same things that you believe right now 10 years from now 20 years from now?
I'll tell you how you've got to set the Lord always at your right hand just like David said in Psalm 16
You say what was brother Anderson's sermon about it was about fighting sin was about cleaning
That's not what it's about at all. You're missing the point. It's about being close to God
it's about having fellowship with God it's about waking up on Monday morning and
Having Jesus Christ right there with you at your right hand where you could reach out and touch it
Hey, it's about having Jesus Christ with you on Tuesday
It's not having Jesus Christ with you when you wake up on Wednesday. And again when you go to bed at night on Wednesday
Hey, Jesus Christ is always at your right hand
That might not be moved he said I don't want to be moved
I'm gonna keep Jesus where I can always no matter how dark it gets
No matter how hazy it gets what's right and wrong and what people believe. Hey, I can always reach out and touch
Jesus Christ cuz I don't get that far away from him
He said I want a fellowship with the with the father and with his son Jesus Christ
Hey, I want to keep him always at my right hand so I can just always reach out and say well
I know Jesus didn't move and if I can just reach out and touch Jesus right now
Hey, I know that I haven't moved because I'm in the same place because I know he's in the same place
Hey set the Lord always at your right hand that you're not be moved
Hey draw an eye to God and they'll draw an eye to you
Hey cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded
Hey, uh, bless her the pure in heart bless her to the pure in heart. Let's have the pure in heart for they shall see
God
You