Rachel Hammett - God saw all my good works as filthy rags

http://lvbaptist.org/Hammett,_Rachel.ihtml?id=298676

Since before I was born, my father has been an independent Baptist preacher. I went to church with my family every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and all special services. My brothers and I were always involved in the church activities, and we even lived next to the church building.
I grew up hearing that I was a sinner, and that I was lost, but I never took the time to think about its effect on my life. (Note: Lost is a Biblical term referring to those who have not received God's gift of eternal life. Salvation, saved and born again are Biblical terms referring to the forgiveness of sins by God and the rescue of a person from the power and penalty of that sin. This is God's requirement for everlasting life.) Sometimes I would get scared of Hell, and I would pray to 'be saved.' But the elements of true Bible salvation were missing, and it made no impact in my life.
When I was in the fifth grade, I belonged to a Bible club in our church called King's Kids. I went mostly to see my friends and participate in the activities. I remember distinctly at one meeting where the assistant pastor came in with a bucket. He told us how he had changed the oil on his car that day and had brought a special present for us. Then he began pulling old, dirty, oily rags out of the bucket and wiping them on his hands. Soon his hands were black with disgusting, dirty grease. He asked one of the boys, "Would you like to take this home? Why don't you take it and wash your mother's dishes with it?" Of course, the boy wouldn't. His mother would be very upset if he washed the dishes with those nasty rags. Like kids are prone to do, we laughed and giggled at the speaker's outrageous suggestions.
After the titters and whispers had subsided, the speaker looked at us with a serious face. "You know what?" he said, "God says that He looks at us like these dirty, old, greasy rags." Suddenly my smile faded. In Isaiah 64:6, God's Word tells us, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." I had always thought of myself as a pretty good person. After all, I had never done anything 'really bad.' I practically lived in the church. I never missed a service. I did everything right...or so I thought.
But God says that He looks at my righteousness as a filthy rag. This is a hard thing for us to understand. After all.....

Read More Here... http://lvbaptist.org/Hammett,_Rachel.ihtml?id=298676

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Tags:

• Independent Baptist
• Baptist Preacher
• Baptist
• Christian
• Church
• lost
• oil
• righteousness
• filthy rags
• good works
• I'll do it on my own
• changed life
• Lehigh Valley
• Lehigh Valley Baptist Church
• Emmaus Pennsylvania

[johnapiano]

great video Rachel!