January 29, 2008

• Are You Wearing a Bib or an Apron? by Pastor Don

  (Edited from the closed caption transcript)

  We’re into a time where we have to begin to ask ourselves introspectively, “Where am I?  Locate me on the radar of life.”  Let me find myself.  And you need to ask yourself what are you wearing in your life to cover your body for protection? How are you protecting yourself?  Are you wearing a bib or are you wearing an apron?  Both of them carry out similar functions. When I looked up “bib” in my little Webster’s dictionary I found out that a bib is a vestment or a piece of material that is worn under the chin, that covers the upper part of the body, protecting the chest area. It is worn primarily at meal times for the purpose of protecting the garments, or protecting the person wearing the garment from circumstances that have fallen into their mouth and have fallen out of their mouths.  I’m not talking to anybody here today (either in the service or reading this Heather says smiling).  But, are you wearing a bib? 

  There are some people that come to church wearing bibs.  What they’re doing is they plan to eat a meal. They smell the food.  They’re playing with the food.  They put it in their mouth but part of it just slobbers down.  I was going to do a, demonstration of this, wearing a bib and eating some food and do this in front of you.  And then I thought, you know, I should spare you that. But it would be more helpful if I did it, to demonstrate the point.   If you are wearing a bib, some of the food gets in your mouth, but some stuff does not.  It’s not because there’s something wrong with the food and it’s not because there’s something wrong with the server of the food.

  You see, most of us think, well pastors, they preach all the time. Their skin is tough, they have alligator skin. Listen, pastors are puppies.  We are soft, delicate, easily hurt, sensitive people.  We have to be sensitive enough to give our lives to serving others.  So, how callus could we possibly be?  We’re very sensitive, so when we serve a meal, we want you to eat the meal.  We’re prepared, we stayed up for nights and hours and weeks and we try to get something from the Lord.  And we are trying to serve you something that is palatable.  Something that has some salt on it, that has some savor, has some food essence in it.  That contains all the nutrients you need, to live life.  Especially to live the Christian life.  We don’t just open the Bible and do a thumb sketch, running down and just pick any old subject.  We don’t, some do, but I don’t.  I don’t go to a file cabinet and say, well, this is the third Sunday of the month, let me pull out a third Sunday sermon.  And just take it out and dust it off, and say, “This’ll do.”  NO!  It won’t do!  I want fresh food when I go to the restaurant to eat.  I don’t want last week’s tomatoes.  I don’t want yesterday’s breakfast.  I don’t want some guy to take two eggs he served yesterday that didn’t get eaten , flip them over and throw them in the microwave, and bring them out and put them down in front of me.  I want some fresh stuff! I want something fresh.  I want something that is like hot baked bread.  The best invention ever was a bread maker.  That bread maker revolutionized my life.  It was great.  My wife wouldn’t even be home, and I’d come home and the whole aroma would hit me at the door.  See, that’s what church should be like.  You should barely get out of your car, and start saying, “I’m gonna get something today.”  “I’m gonna get something.”  But you won’t get much if you’re wearing a bib. Because even though I prepared the food for you, even though the bread baker has been baking all night and into the next day, when you get here and you are a bib wearer, then you plan to put some of it in your mouth, and spill the rest out.  And most likely the part that’s spilling down on your vestment called a bib, is probably the part you needed the most.  And it just droops around your lips and gets all greasy around there.  But none of it gets down into here. (Points to heart)  Because, why?  You’re protected by a bib. 

  Some bib wearers are filled with pride.  Their bib is called, Pride.  So no matter what gets in their mouth, they’re not going to swallow it. They’re going to spit it up.  I raised three boys.  All the babies spit up.  Did you notice that?  Babies spit up.  Glory to God.  Glory to God.  The mechanics of being a prideful baby is that you don’t think  anyone can help you.  Your stuff is too tough, our you’re too smart.  And so, since you’re so smart, you chew it around in your mouth for awhile and spit it out.  And you go, “I knew that.”  “Well, I knew that.”  Or, “I heard that once.” 

   I remember a story, way back in the days of the great preachers in England. A great pastor had to go on a trip, so he invited a novice preacher, a rank beginner, to preach at his church while he was gone.  The pastor had a great cathedral that sat 5,000 people, but they had a small anteroom downstairs that could only fit 200 people.  The pastor just assumed that, did you hear what I said….he assumed the young man doesn’t have anything to say, so we’ll let him go into the little room downstairs.  And so the pastor sent back a wire after he was gone for awhile, this was back in the 1800′s and he asked, what did the young man preach and how was it attended?  A wire came back, that said that the young man was wonderful.  He preached John 3:16.  And he filled the anteroom.  The pastor waited until the next night, and sent another wire, and asked, how did the young man do?  And the man sent back a wire.  He said, he did fabulous.  He said, the anteroom was so filled, that we had to move the meeting upstairs.  He preached John 3:16.  God so loved… And then by the end of the week he said, how did the young man do?  And they had to send back a wire, and say, he’s filled the sanctuary with over 5,000 people, and he preached John 3:16.  “For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  There were some people that came to that outpouring, that came to that meeting led by this young man on the first night, but they were wearing bibs.  And they said, “Oh this is a young man, I can’t learn anything from him. He’s just a young boy, what could he teach me?”  And so they left.  They missed a miracle.  Because by the third night, he’s drawing over 5,000 people.  And some of those prideful people left because they were wearing a bib.  They couldn’t hear a Gospel message from the throne of God that was coming through someone who was younger than them.  It was just pride. 

  There’s some people that aren’t as wise as you, there’s some people that can’t sit under an Afro American preacher.  There’s some  Afro Americans who won’t sit under a white preacher.  Or they won’t go to a church that has a Korean minister.  And there are some that are so arrogant and prideful, they wouldn’t listen to a lady preacher.  Come on somebody, I’m just telling the truth here.  And that is because, why?  They’re wearing a bib that they think is for their protection, but it’s not for their protection, it’s for their spillage.  Lord have mercy, I’m preaching here. 

  There’s some stuff that is meant for us, that if we would put it in our mouths and chew it around for awhile, get comfortable with it and let it slide on down….Lord have mercy!  It would give us the strength we need.  We went to a funeral the other day, and sure enough the place was packed to overflowing.  People everywhere.  I asked one of the persons who was in the back room, did any people leave, and when did they leave?  And they said, after you sang a few songs, they stayed.  After you read a few scriptures, they stayed.  And then they said, but when that lady started talking about Jesus, they started slipping out the back door. Why?  Because they were wearing a bib.  They only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear.  Could only eat what they could keep in their mouths.  And their mouths could not keep much in.  When you’re wearing a bib your thought processes, your experiences, your morality begins to cut out from you what you can eat. 

   I can remember when I was in the world and not living right.  I couldn’t sit and eat holiness messages.  Lord have mercy, anybody here today?  Whenever the preacher, Pastor Al, would  start preaching on holiness, I’d get a little uncomfortable.  I’d just have to move around in my seat because my walking wasn’t right yet.  There was some things that as a bib eater, as a baby, I’d still spill.  And whenever holiness was talked about, I’d just spill that out because when I looked at my personal walk, I couldn’t handle that food.  I couldn’t eat that food so I would just kind of slide it out the corner of my mouth, and let it drip down on the bib. So sure enough, one winter, Pastor Al preached on holiness.  He preached on holiness for 12 weeks….12 weeks!!!!.  But praise God!  By the end of the 12th week, I  loved the topic.  I wish he’d gone on for four more sessions, because why?  Holiness was what I needed to eat, but I was still spilling out on my bib.  Come on, somebody praise the Lord in here.

  I love to see men, especially men, because they struggle with this.  Men come to church and if you’re talking about tithing, or giving to the church, they’re spilling that out on their bib.  Meanwhile, they can’t hardly put gas in their car.  Can’t pay their credit card bills.  Got credit cards up to here and still think they’re right.  Lord have mercy.  Somebody squirming yet?  I hope your squirming.  But you can’t beat God giving.  And so as long as you feel uncomfortable about it, as long as the subject irritates you, it’s because your not really ready to give God your faith through your income.  Through your work.  You’re just not ready to give Him that.  So you’re just still a baby wearing a bib, spilling it out. 

  Some people choke to death on the faith message.  Lord have mercy. I’m going to cover it all today.  Some people choke to death on on the faith message.  What do you mean Pastor Don?  I had a guy who’s family was a mess, coming apart.  The family was coming apart at the seams.  And I was in one of those 12 week series on faith.  I’m pounding it.  Man, I’m just trying to get people faith anyway I can.  I’m breaking it down week after week, week after week, trying to get across to them the understanding that faith isn’t this.  Here’s what one lady told me.   She said, “I have faith.”  I asked, “What do you have sister?”  She says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” I said, “Baby doll, that is not faith.” Believing it when you see it is knowledge.  Faith is, I believe it when I don’t see it. So I came out of the pulpit and I’m laying hands on people, and people are getting more faith.  I remember this Sunday, just as clear.  It was one of those Sundays where the anointing was so strong on me, I’m laying hands on people as fast as I can, so they can get this faith.  I’m running around laying hands on people to increase their faith.  That guy said, “I have had it with this faith message.”  He says, “I won’t be back to this church. I’ve had enough of your faith teaching.” …You know, so I took my hand down.  He pulled his family out of the church.  Proceeded to go into financial, social, sexual disasters.  Proceeded to see his children get put on Ridlin, middling, diddling, biddling.  Got him to find out they become ADHQMHDHCHVHA.  And what he needed was some faith, but he didn’t want it.  Why?  He was wearing a bib. 

  There are many aprons in the Bible.  The first and most important apron in the Bible is the apron that the Priests and the Levites wear.  Now an apron is different from a bib.  An apron is a covering that is tied on to protect the body and the clothing for the purpose of accomplishing work.  Lord have mercy!  OHHH, I just get a chill thinking about that.  I have a tool apron and it has pockets on the top here, pockets in the middle, and then it’s got four or five pockets around the bottom.  And then you know, I tie it around my waist.  Notice, I said, I TIE it. Come on, somebody. I tie it around my waist.  There are different types of aprons.  Anybody ever been in a butcher store?  See the butcher put on an apron.  Ok, if you shorten that a little bit, you would have exactly what the priests wore during Moses’ time and during the time of the tabernacle and the Temple.  They would put on a white linen or cotton apron, and they would wear this thing in the Holy Place, not in the Holy of Holies, but in the outer court where people would bring their animals.  And they’re going to do the work of the Lord.  They’re going to bring these animals in so that the animals can be slaughtered and killed and their blood drained out in order that they can burn them on the altar of the Lord.  And the part that isn’t burned, the priests themselves can eat and you can also bless the people with it. The Bible tells us that during the time of the Tabernacle, there would be so much blood on the altar that the priests would be standing ankle deep in blood.  Because there would be so many animals to sacrifice.  In one church service they sacrificed 53,000 sheep and rams. So the priests would wear an apron in order to protect himself from diseases and also to protect his other clothes, under those clothes because the blood is going to be spilled because he’s bringing what?  An offering to God, by the blood, but he’s also bringing an offering by the flesh of the animals that are being brought. 

  When a wife steps into a kitchen, she puts on her apron.  Right? What’s she putting it on for?  She’s going to go to work.  Why is she going to work?  She’s going to prepare some vitals.  You all know that word?  Some fixin’s.  She’s going to be busting out some fried chicken and grits, I hope.  With some collard greens and green beans on the side.  And so what is she doing.  What does a great chef do?  When the great chef goes into his place of work, he first puts on his apron, and washes his hands and prepares himself.  But that apron is going to protect him from what?  Protect him from disease, and its going to keep his clothes, under clothes from being soiled as he prepares to work. 

  The difference is this.  The baby puts food in and regurgitates it out, but guess what, the apron is for accomplishing the task.  It serves to protect, but also there is work to be done. Are you wearing a bib or an apron? … What do you have on?  What are you wearing in your life?  Are you ready to come into the House of the Lord and, and eat what’s being put into you and then put on your apron to do what?  To protect you.  Come on, somebody.  To protect you.  What is the apron going to have on it?  It’s going to have on it a sign of blood.  What’s that a picture of?  It’s a picture of Jesus Christ’s blood being sacrificed.  It’s a picture of the animals being offered up as a blood sacrifice.  And it’s also a picture of, if you get it in your head, if you stay with me for a minute.  It’s a picture of your blood in your body being consecrated unto God.  How serious are you about this thing?  Because if you’re real serious, we can take off your bib and put you in an apron. 

  Do you want to see what a Biblical apron looks like?  Alright, notice that it says that its a covering or a protection.  A Biblical apron has two facets, one, the Apostle Paul says, in the scriptures it says, that the people brought unto the Apostle Paul handkerchiefs and aprons.  Lord have mercy, what a beautiful picture.  And he blessed them, and they were given to people, and guess what.  When they wore those aprons, they received healing, and demons were cast out.  Because they wore the handkerchiefs or the apron, that was on them. 

  I was at a meeting one time, and that scripture jumped out to me.  So I pulled out of my pocket my handkerchief, and I went to the man who was preaching, and I said, I have a woman that’s suffering, doesn’t know there’s a demon force that’s binding her to alcohol.  We took our hands and we laid them on that handkerchief.  That cloth got hot.  I folded it up neatly and put it in my coat pocket.  And I set a trap.  I went to the lady and I said, “Sister, this is anointed. This is dynamite…..Dynamite.  Put this in your pillow for three days, and you’ll be delivered.” She slept on that thing three days. You know what her testimony was? The end of the third day she says, I saw the demon come out. I said, “You saw it?” She said, I saw it.  A big ugly sucker.  Had a couple of little ugly ones, with him too. Demons don’t run by themselves, they need help because they need to tie up your apron, tie up your bib, but praise God, she became an apron wearer.  Not a bib toter. 

  Are you ready to shout?  Ready to get excited about what God is doing?  Let’s say, “I’m going to put this on!!! I’M GOING TO PUT THIS ON!!!  Ephesians 10:6 ”Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the WHOLE armor of God.”  Put on the what?  [the whole armor]  Hold it, the whole armor of God.  The bib was good for awhile, but let’s take the bib off and let’s put on a Holy Ghost apron here.  Let’s put on some Holy Ghost armor.  He says, “Put on the whole armor of God.”  But why should we do it? “That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” When are people going to realize when you are stuck in bondage, and can’t get out, you’re getting help.   Your bib is being tied on.  There is a demonic force that is binding you.  You must put on the whole armor of God.  How come a husband can’t speak to his wife, and a wife can’t speak to him?  You are getting help.  There’s a bib tier in your house that must be driven out in the Name of Jesus.  There is spiritual work that needs to be done, there are demonic presences that are following you home and therefore you’re ready for a fight, before you turn on the light.  So let’s go on. He says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against” what? “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  What are you thinking?  Heaven up there?  You need to be thinking, Heaven right here.  Did anybody get that?  The first Heaven is the air right over your head.  When you’re thinking wrong thinking, when you’ve got stinking thinking, you’re probably having some help.  If you’re going along fine thinking good thoughts and all of a sudden stupid thoughts are jumping in, you need to realize maybe that’s not my idea.  Maybe I’m getting help.  Maybe somebody’s trying to tie a bib on me so I can’t hear the Word of God.  Lord have mercy! 

  See, you can fall in love with your bib.  You can have it on for so many years, you can be so prideful for so long that you really think that you’re right.  Go to somebody, don’t come to me, go to somebody else and ask them to tell you the truth, straight out.  And they’ll tell you, you’re a liar.  You know, you have no self control.  You’re a big baby, you whine and cry.  You know, there is nothing worse than a grown man whining and crying and blaming his wife.  I realize I wasn’t a man until I took responsibility for everything that happened in my house. 

  Look at verse 13, “Therefore take up the” what?  “the whole armor of God.” put your apron on, your Holy Ghost apron.  “…that you may be  able to…” to do what? “…withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.  Well, why aren’t you?…  Wait a minute… Why aren’t you?  You’re still sitting down.  “Stand therefore..” having done all that you can do, stand.  Stand. 

  My hope and my belief is that you are going to take your Bibles today, go home to your house, open up to this scripture, and stand in your house, and declare some stuff.  You need to let your kids know that you’ve tried it your way, but now you’re going to do it Jesus’ way and you’re going to stand on the Word of God.  You need to go home and put your checkbook in your Bible and say, from now on,  I’m standing.  I’m not writing any checks and telling anybody it’s in the mail and lying about it.  I’m going to stand.  I’m going to pay whatever debt is owed, and I’m going to pay my bills on time.  And if I can’t pay on time, I’m going to call them and let them know so, and when they ask me why, I’m going to tell them that I’m standing on the Word of God and it says, I’ll let no man be a debtor.  I’m going to pay everybody.  I’m going to pay them on time. 

  You’re going to go home and you’re going to stand, and you’re going to take your adult children, and your younger children and you’re going to say, “You can’t play this in here no more. You’re going to listen to that garbage somewhere else, but there’s going to be no women abusing music in this house anymore.  I’m standing on the Word of God.”  There’s going to be no more of that profanity played in your little ears, going into your head, so that you can practice how to abuse me when you get to be 18 years old.  This is over.  It’s done.  Right here, that ain’t happening. 

  In the Name of Jesus you need to tell that 19 year old boy, drunkenness is a sin, if you ever come back in here drunk you’re sleeping on the sidewalk, no way.  You’ll not pervert my house.  Lord have mercy.  Some of you ain’t smiling now.  But you need to stand.  Stand.  You’ve stood where you stood long enough and gotten bad results.  It’s time to stand on the Word. 

  Look what he says, he says, “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”  Do what?  STAND  After you’ve stood, stand.  Hold your ground.  Don’t give up.  Hold your ground.  Don’t give up. If I lay hands on you and you don’t get it the first time, come back.  I will lay hands on you for healing, till Jesus comes, or your miracle manifests.  I will not get tired, wear out, or give up on you.  It won’t happen.  I’m believing for you.  You will not stay bound to those drugs, you will will not.  I declare it in the Name of Jesus.  Stand therefore, put on the armor of God, and after you’ve stood, stand some more.  and then what do you do after that?  Stand some more.  And then when you’re defeated and you think its all over, what do you do?  Get up, and stand some more.  And they tell you it won’t work, what do you do?  Stand some more. 

  (Heather’s note, The video ended. I pray this blessed you. I know that in some areas I’m still in a bib, but I am wearing more and more aprons as I spend more and more time with God. I pray that you replace any bibs with aprons and take some stands.)

  Have a blessed day.

  Heather

  • 8:37 pm
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