Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/20/15

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 9/20/15

If a man therefore purge himself from these...

I would like to present scriptures on the thought of the process of purging.  When we come to the age of accountability and begin to feel the purging from God, we realize that it is not our own merit that we make the right decision in life.  We realize that our own merit will not save us.

There is the process of purging.

Psa 119:9  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Psa 119:10  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psa 119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

Psa 119:13  With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.

Psa 119:14  I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

Psa 119:15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Psa 119:16  I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse His way?  This is a vital question for every young man and young lady and for every man and woman in the world.  How does an individual clean up their life? 

Last Sunday morning Brother Bill brought in his Sunday school lesson that God began to deal with him when he was in high school.  He was unchurched and without bible training. 

Because of the faithfulness of God and the reality that God created him and each one of us.  There is a definite process of purging.  Prior to being saved he came to the realization that he was not saved and there was something wrong on the inside and there was a desire to know God and to do right. 

At an early age it was recognized that unless definite changes took place he would be in a reformatory and in trouble and who knew where that would lead.  Bill is not alone in that.  It is a common denominator to individuals in this world. 

God had already addressed it.  God addressed 2015 before you and I were here.  He addressed being married before I was married.  He addressed the home before I had one.  He addressed the church in the world before I was born.

These are not ideas that I came up with or my parents or anyone else.  These are truths that God knew that we would need.  He begins the process of purging.  It is the design of God that He begins the purging in a life when men and women are still young.

The question was asked, “How shall an individual clean up their life?” and it is a good question.  It would be good if every boy and girl would begin to ask it in 2015.  They cleanse their life by taking heed to the Word of God. 

The reality is that we were born with the nature to sin.  God inspired Paul to teach us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

When an individual sins they begin to acknowledge that “I did wrong.”  Then the conscience either is educated to excuse the wrong or acknowledge, “I did wrong and that puts me in a difficult position with individuals and with God.”

God hates sin.  By this Word of God men and women, children and young people become purged.

With my whole heart have I sought thee.

It is vital that every one of us has a purpose in our life that we are going to seek God with our whole heart and we are going to seek God early.  We cannot turn back time.  If you haven’t sought God with your whole heart, then today is your opportunity.  It is only when we seek God with our whole heart that we position ourselves to not wander away from his way.

If we don’t seek God with our whole heart then we position ourselves to wander. 

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

In the process of purging, we are cleansed by His blood.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

There is without question a definite process of being purged.  It begins with an individual recognizing that there is sin in my life:  I am doing things that are displeasing God.  They realize that not only is God displeased, they are displeased. 

You cannot be saved for your mother or father, for your husband or your wife.  You cannot have the idea, “I want to be saved because it will position me better in a relationship or in the job.”  We must realize that we need a savior and we need God.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is a wonderful thing to know to confess our sins to God.  You might be like I was prior to salvation: not sure you could remember all your sins because they were many.  You don’t have to remember them all but have the attitude, “I am confessing all my sins.  I may not remember them but they are all recorded.” 

If you don’t confess your sins and repent, then your sins will meet you at the judgment.  You will not be talking your way out of them or blaming them on society. 

If you confess then He is faithful to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness. 

John prophesied of Christ and said that one would come that was mightier than He.  “I am not even worthy to carry His shoes or unlatch them.”  What he was teaching was how great the Son of God is. 

God loves you.  I am convicted in my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Christ: James referred to “my brethren” and John the beloved referred to those that he was writing to as “the beloved.”  The bible says to salute every saint of God.  That is a commandment.

There is something in us that, when we have the Word of God revealed to us, wants to do what the Word of God says.  I want to be very careful to do so.

We have a mine that has not been closed, and has not been locked up: The Word of God.  That is a treasure.  May God help you and I to be so purged of some of those things that we have gathered on the journey that as John said, “That one that is going to come after me is mightier than I and He will have a fan in his hands and will thoroughly purge the wheat.”

That means that Jesus, who is awesome with that fan, if you are struggling this morning, the same Jesus that causes the chaff to be blown away when the wheat is thrown up, will fan you.  We cry out to God.  Every one of you prayed last week, “I want to be real.  I want to serve you.  I want to live for you.” 

Someone last Wednesday night stood and said, “I have a confession to make.  I was shortsighted here or there and God came.”  It is wonderful when God comes out of his chamber in this thought and chooses to come by us in our house, in your classroom, or wherever you are working and says, “I am here because I want to draw you closer.  I am here because you love me and I love you and there is purging that I want to make.”

Thy Word have I hid in my heart:  I wish I would have hid the first scripture that God gave me when I got saved.  You are not saved any time at all, it comes so quickly, and He places a promise in your heart.  “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”

Last week many were in situations where you needed divine intervention from God.  You were burdened for a specific soul and God laid a burden on your heart.

It is marvelous how the promise of God comes over, and over, and over again.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Sometimes husbands are so headstrong that they feel they must conquer whatever it is.  Sometimes wives are headstrong and that is why they have to let their husband help them.  The husband needs to let the wife help him. 

Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.  That He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of the water by the Word.

As a member of His church, when you get saved, confess and repent of your sin, then your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life and you become a member of His church.

The bible here teaches us that there is a washing of the water by the Word.  Sometimes it takes a little bit of scrubbing. 

We have a pan at my house that we ran under water and it didn’t come clean.  So I put some water with soap in it.  Came back later and it did a pretty good job except for the corner.  We have corners in our life that God sometimes needs to work on.  I got a little scrubber and began to work and it still didn’t come clean. 

I got hot water, got soap on it, and let it soak again.  Then when I came back I got that scrubber and worked on it.  It didn’t come off right away but I worked on it and then it came off.

You tell God, “I love you, and He says, “Yes, now let’s go work on the corner.”  We say, “I am burdened for so in so.”  He says, “Yes, but let’s go work in the corner.”

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The glorious church is glorious in the thought that He has called us out of darkness into the marvelous light.  We haven’t made ourselves, it is He that has made us. 

Every once in a while you feel that the chairs need to come out and the couch needs to be moved and the corners cleaned.  We say, “I can’t believe how this all got there.”  We say to God, “In the corners of my life I want you to scrub and clean around because I want to be without spot and without wrinkle.”

Isa 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

The result of purging is that you are redeemed.  Those things that God has dealt with me on prepare me to deal with those things that are to come.  We don’t know what is around the corner in life.  If you let Him deal with the corner it will redeem you from something that would have caused you a lot of heartache and trouble. 

Lu 15 is the account of two sons.  It is a sad story, but a beautiful account of the prodigal son.  One day one of the sons made the choice:

Luk 15:11  And he said, A certain man had two sons:

Luk 15:12  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

Luk 15:13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Luk 15:14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Luk 15:19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Luk 15:21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

Luk 15:23  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

Luk 15:24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

The enemy wants to waste what God has given you.  I think of the beautiful songs that we sing; someone requested “The Holiest of Holies” Wednesday night.  That song is profound.  Every time I hear that song it speaks to me.  When you hear the chorus of that song you realize that it was divinely inspired: “Oh Sweet and tranquil Home.”

It is sad that there are high school students that are homeless.  Every night when I bow and pray I thank God for a home.  I thank God daily that I am not in an institution where I don’t know who is coming in and out of my room 24/7.

Many of you are gifted in things as far as this world.  If you are a good seamstress, mechanic, or guitar builder, then thank God.  But let us remember the depths in your soul that God wants to bring out.

That prodigal son said, “Give me everything.”  Then he left.

I am a parent.  You will experience the day or have experienced the day when your son or daughter leaves to go to college or get married or other things.  When that father saw His son going down the road it had an effect on him. 

That young man went out and wasted all he had been given with sinful living.  He reached the place where he had nothing left, joined himself to a citizen of whatever country he was in, and they gave him a job of feeding pigs.  He was so down that he would almost have eaten what they were eating then he came to himself.

Sin has never treated any one well.  They may look successful but there is never that peace, that comfort, or that assurance and then there is eternity. 

He came to himself and said, “Even my father’s hired servants have everything that they need.  I am going to arise and go back home and say, “Father make me one of thy hired servants.””  If we are going to get to God then we will only get there humbly.

He began going home, but the father was watching.  Isn’t that wonderful?  If you have someone that you are praying for then watch for them.  It is an awesome thing the way that Jesus told this.  It has a great spiritual application. 

“Oh if I could just be a servant.”  The father was watching and when he was a great way off, the father ran to meet him.

How close are you to getting saved?  You might say, “I am a ways off.  I am trying to work through something.  Well let’s work through it. 

God sees the storm from the other side.  If you are thinking of getting saved then get some of the saints around you and tell them how you see serving God.  “I see that measuring would be tough, I would have to give up some things and having devotions would be hard.”  Get us about you and let us tell you. 

Brother Pat Brown was in his eighties when he got saved.  He has passed on, but if he could come back he would say, “Get saved young.”  The thought is seeing it from the other side. 

Being saved brings real joy.  It gives us the liberty of laying hold on the promise of God.  It gives you the right things to think about.  It also gives you the power to think about it.  When you have a thought come to your mind that you don’t like, the bible says, “Bring every thought into captivity.” 

Let’s say that the thought came that one of the Johns were thinking that being married to Brother Kelly was hard to live with.  If that thought came into my mind and an attitude began to work:  God says, “Let me get into your corner; bring that thought into captivity.  Those brothers love you.” 

When the thought comes, “What is going to happen in my life?”  God will take care of you.  Bring that thought into captivity.

The Father saw him afar off.  When an individual is in sin, they really need to come home and feel the Father’s love.  There is nothing like coming home and saying, “God I am sorry, please forgive me.

The prodigal came home and as he was coming home the father had compassion.  If you have messed up in your life the father will have compassion.  He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

The son said, “I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and I am not worthy to be called your son.”  The Father said, “Bring forth the best robe.”

There is a wonderful robe that is the robe of salvation.  Put a ring on his finger, bring the fatted calf, let us eat and be merry.  For this my son that was lost is found.

He came as a servant and wanting to be saved.  The promise is this:

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Wherever you are this morning.  Your home life may be good and your mom and dad may love you, but there is nothing like the love of the heavenly father.  They may take good care of you and try to teach you and that is to be commended.  If they don’t there is nothing you can do about that but you can come to God as a servant and He will treat every one of you just like He has treated everyone else.

We never outgrow Him being our father or us being His sons and daughters. 

If there is someone that needs to come home, there is a song that tells the story of the prodigal, “I wandered far away from God.”  How do you get far away from God?  It is an easy process.  Broad is the gate: 24 feet wide, everything goes.  Broad is the way that leads to destruction.

The strait gate is 6 foot wide; not everything can go through.  Narrow is the way that leads to life eternal. 

If you need to be purged of sin, let me pray with you this morning.