(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

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 his 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 in Jesus name I pray amen 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 and 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 eight 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, isn't 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? Well look down in your Bible James chapter 4 verse number 8 the Bible reads draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh 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't 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're gonna decide which one you want to see now if you say well I think the DVD is gonna be more exciting 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 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? 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 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 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 of 47 seconds It's pretty fast to get a complete meal cooked Now imagine tonight it did a 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 night. 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 in V I don't have it. 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 It's the book of Hebrews Hebrews chapter 12 the Bible reads in verse number one We're for seeing we also are compass about was 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 Lest ye be wearied and feigned your minds. You've not you're resistant 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 tough? What are you talking about? Church, you know talking about fighting. Hey, you must be in the wrong church You have 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 it has a goal in addition to all the other goals I mentioned of fighting against sin Hey fighting the fight for this country the 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 under Jesus consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against me Hey think about what he went through fighting gets in 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's 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 sis 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 zealous 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 or pastor church or build a church There's a price to be paid to help people 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 few miles from where I live the gay pride parade Gay pride Actually, you know what? They call it in call it gay pride. They 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 off. 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 verse number five says and you've forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you is unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou are rebuked of him For whom the Lord loveth he chaseneth 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 We're 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 where he's 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 not your 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 Say 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 twelve disciples talk about a man who knew God talk about a man Who knew Jesus Christ? He said our hands have handled it in 1st John chapter 1 and so here's the Apostle John Not only one of the twelve 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 1st 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've 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 them 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 in 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 unrighteousness 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 the browser. 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 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 sermon about it was about fighting sin was about cleaning it 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 him Hey, it's about having Jesus Christ with you on Tuesday It's about 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 I said the Lord always at my right hand that I 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 blessed are the pure in heart blessed are the pure in heart blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God