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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000035S
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00:00 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #S019 - (Let Your Hair Down - Part 2) 00:20 Welcome to The Breath of Life Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 00:25 In today's episode, Pastor Snell will share part two of the dynamic message titled “Let Your Hair Down”. 00:32 Let's learn more about the transformational power of Christ through the study of God's word. 00:40 Pastor Snell: See, I need somebody to get this that we, I'm not against standards. I just believe we have misused them. 00:47 You see, how many of us know the standards that make a church or a person holy? 00:53 It is the outgrowth of somebody who's already holy. Okay, let me unpack this. 01:00 Standards don't make holiness. They simply preserve holiness. 01:05 It is the outgrowth of somebody that's already been transformed by the power of God. 01:13 Does anybody even know what a standard is? Do you realize that the word comes from, in the Old Testament of somebody's house, 01:20 or their valuables next to a stream or a lake? What they would do is they would erect a number of sandbags. 01:28 They built a standard so that if a flood came, it would help protect or seal their valuables. 01:37 In other words, because they had something of value. They erected a standard so that the flood could not come 01:46 and sweep it away and what I'm saying to somebody is that when a child of God recognizes their value, 01:55 they automatically erect a standard because they don't want what they have to be swept away. 02:02 In other words, the reason a young person that's promiscuous you as the reason they don't have any standards is 02:12 because they don't know their value. But when they understand their value, they automatically erect a standard. 02:20 Are you all hearing me today? 02:22 The reason a brother mistreats his body is because he doesn't understand his value, but when you understand your value, 02:29 you automatically begin to erect a standard. When somebody doesn't understand their value. They let people talk to them 02:37 and beat on them, but when they know their value, they automatically erect a standard because they know who they are. 02:47 They know whose they are, and they understand their value in Jesus Christ. 02:53 [Congregation: Amen] 02:55 And so standards don't make us holy, they preserve the transformation that Jesus has done in their life. 03:03 Are you all hearing me today? 03:04 [Congregation: Amen] 03:07 Pastor Snell: And so I need us to understand, beloved that we need to recognize that we are all saved by grace. 03:11 Are you all hearing me today? And see if God has delivered you, your job is not the then turn around 03:17 and inspect those who are where you used to be your job is to then turn around and give a blueprint 03:26 or a road map so that they can get where you are. Are you hearing me today, friends? 03:32 See, if your holiness repels or rejects sinners, it's because you ain't really holy. 03:43 [Congregation: Laughing] 03:46 How do I know this? We're here on a University campus because remember Newton's third law, 03:52 where simply this, that opposites attract. 04:00 So that something with a negative charge is going to automatically repel something else with a negative charge where you 04:08 at church, that something with a positive charge is going to reject something with another positive charge. 04:14 But guess what? When a negative is put in the same space with a positive, guess what? 04:21 The positive is going to draw the negative into his space. Why? Because opposites will go always attract. 04:28 That's why sinners, we're attracted to Jesus because opposites attract. And so, if sinners are repelled by you, 04:40 it's not because you're holy it's because you're the same type of sinner and that's why they run from you. 04:49 It's why they hide from you. It's why they want nothing to do with you because there is no contrast, 04:57 you just put a tie on yours and a suit on yours and a brooch on yours and you don't put it on Facebook. 05:05 But when you've been changed, you don't repeal sinners but you draw them in and receive them like Christ. 05:17 Are you all hearing me today, friends? 05:22 Third thing, I want to say real quick, it's going to get a little rough right in here. 05:27 But I would be remiss if I didn't tell my students, be careful what you become known for. 05:39 See, the word says this, she wasn't just a sinful person by nature. 05:46 The Bible says that she was known for being a sinner and it's crazy because they're upset, not just because she's washing feet. 05:55 That was the custom that you did for any guests that entered into a house. Like they are literally tripping 06:00 because they know how she gets down. Let me just say this, this is not so much a spiritual point, 06:09 it's a life point because Christ doesn't care. Nothing about your reputation. Are you all hearing me today? 06:15 [Congregation: Amen] 06:18 But reputation doesn't affect you in heaven. But it still affects you down here on this Earth. 06:27 See you all act brand-new on me here today. So you want to be careful young people what you become known for? 06:34 Because this is the crazy thing about reputation. We used to teach that it follows you where you're going 06:39 but reputation doesn't just follow you, it runs ahead and beats you where you're headed to. 06:49 I want to say be careful what you become known for, you know what's crazy, 06:53 like the older I get the more I realize how small this world really is 06:59 and how few degrees of separation there are between all of humanity and you know what makes the world even smaller. 07:07 It is the presence of social media that does not allow you to get away from your past. 07:12 It's going to always catch up to you somehow. Am I preaching to somebody today? 07:17 And the real talk that even if you're black. We are only 13% of the population and even if you're in the church world, 07:24 which is a subculture of the larger culture, I need you to understand what in the church culture, where everybody knows everybody, 07:33 and everybody is related to everybody. You got to be careful what you become known for. 07:41 See, at some point, your reputation is going to matter to your future employer. 07:47 Your vitae and your resume may look good. But at some point, they're going to ask some questions that cannot be found on your resume. 07:55 At some point brother and sister, your reputation is going to matter to your future spouse. 08:04 See, at some point when you get serious, somebody's going to ask the question about your body count 08:11 And they going to say it doesn't matter, but if it doesn't really matter, why are they asking the question in the first place? 08:17 Are you all hearing what I'm saying today? 08:19 And what I'm saying is you got to be careful to not be known for certain things because reputation doesn't just trail you, 08:27 it beats you into the future that God has planned for you. So students you want to be careful not to 08:34 become known as snooze button students because you're always running late because you hit the snooze button three times 08:42 before you wake up. You want to be careful not to be known as the chimney guy 08:49 because you smell like smoke every time we run across you. You want to be careful not to become known as the doorknob girl. 08:57 You know the one where everybody gets a turn, you all might be quiet today. Make sure you're not known as a beach Christian 09:06 because you've got the dirt on everybody that comes your way. You don't want to be known as a rubber band person 09:13 because you're always stretching the truth. You don't want to be known as a Cadillac Man with a nice body 09:21 and nice features but the engine goes bad. You don't want to be known as an EBT brother 09:27 because you got so many baby mamas chasing after what you got. 09:31 You don't want to be known as a seafood place because everybody that leaves you walks away with crabs. 09:37 Almighty quiet in this place today. You want to be careful what you become known for. 09:45 [Congregation: Shouting indistinct] 09:49 Pastor Snell: You want to make sure you guard your reputation. See, Ecclesiastes seven says, 09:55 a good name is more precious than ointment. Proverbs 22 says a good name is worth more money than riches. 10:04 Are you all hearing me today? 10:05 [Congregation: Amen] 10:06 And what I'm saying is you came all the way from Detroit, from California, from Toronto, 10:11 from Florida don't come all the way here and drag your good name, that your parents and grandparents sacrificed to help establish. 10:22 A good name is worth more than gold the Bible says. And so one our text. We found this woman who comes to repentance in Christ 10:37 and it's crazy because she's experienced correction from Christ but not condemnation from Christ. 10:45 And let me just say there's nothing wrong with correction in the church, we just got to learn how to correct without condemning. 10:52 Are you all hearing me today, friends? 10:53 [Congregation: Amen] 10:54 And so this lady has repentance that comes in an obvious way 10:58 because if one of the signs of repentance is that your former values become depreciated. 11:06 Are you still with me, church? 11:07 [Congregation: Amen] 11:09 It's crazy because see what initially causes this woman to spring into action, 11:14 is that there is a service gap. What do you mean Pastor? Because she's been watching this thing from the outside. 11:24 She's looking at the window and she notices, that ain't none of these egghead fools in the room, 11:32 humbled themselves to wash the feet of the Lord Of Glory. 11:36 It's amazing because in the culture at the time where most people walked wherever they were going 11:42 and when you were walking barefoot or with sandals on, you would get particles of dust or clay on your feet. 11:48 And whenever you entered a home, either the owner of the home or a servant would take a basin of water 11:54 and a towel, and they would bow down and wash the feet of the honored guests. 11:59 But have you noticed that Simon the Pharisee and all of the additional guests, they're so busy trying to be on Christ's level? 12:07 They're so busy trying to prove that they belong. They're so busy trying to bring him down so that he's like them, 12:14 that they forgot to do for Christ, that which they were due for an ordinary citizen. And it's amazing that this woman is fueled. 12:21 Number one by thanksgiving. Number two by an outrage. In other words, she came just to give the alabaster box full of oil, 12:30 she didn't really come to wash, no feet. But because nobody else would do the job, she didn't have time to get water. 12:38 She didn't have time to get a towel. 12:40 She just fell down at the savior's feet and begin to wash the feet with the tears off her face 12:47 and dry them with the hair from her head. In other words, 12:52 she's one of those people that didn't tell somebody what needed to be done. 12:57 She didn't say, you get some water and you get a towel. She realizes when a job needs to be done, 13:03 you point nobody to the gap. You just take what you have and you get it done even if you have to do the job yourself. 13:13 [Congregation: Clapping] 13:16 And I need you to get that one of the most courageous acts friends of mine is not when she gave this expensive bottle 13:25 or box of perfume. One of the most courageous things happened, when this woman simply took her hair down. 13:37 When she takes the pin out and removes the bun and the cover from her head 13:44 and lets this hair flow all the way down to her shoulders. I need you to know all the brothers are tripping 13:50 because she lets her hair down. All the ladies are at gasp because she let her hair down. 14:00 All the rules of etiquette are upset because she lets her hair down. That everybody's ready to pick up a stone simply 14:09 because in the presence of Jesus, you've got a sinful woman who lets her hair down. 14:17 And understand friends of mine this, that in ancient times, you all still with me? 14:22 They're about three ways that a woman found value or identity in the culture. 14:29 Number one, a woman needed to be married and it wasn't so much about companionship 14:34 because in the culture being married was actually a component of actual survival. 14:39 Number two a woman was defined by whether or not she had children. 14:44 So, to be barren or to miscarry was seen as being under the curse or the judgment of God. 14:49 But the third thing that brought a woman value, the thing that set her apart was her long hair, head of beautiful hair. 14:59 Do you realize that in ancient cultures there was a theology about a woman's hair, 15:04 that was a mystique about a woman's hair? In a culture where a woman would be rolled from top to the bottom. 15:10 What would set her apart is not the way that she was built. It was not the form of her physique, 15:15 but she would stand out in two ways simply because of the beauty of her eyes or the length of her hair. 15:23 In other words, there was a theology about hair. Even in First Corinthians 11, I think it's verse five, 15:28 even Paul talks about how a woman with long hair that their hair is her crown. The hair is her glory. 15:35 The hair is what sets her apart. So, understand how this woman would go about managing this hair. 15:44 She will spend a lifetime growing the hair. She was been all day oiling up the hair. 15:50 She was being great lengths doing her hair and it's what usually set her apart. 15:55 The hair is how she found value. The hair is what separated her. The hair is what made her stand out. 16:03 But now that she has found her identity in Jesus Christ. Now, that she knows who she is and she knows who she is. 16:13 She realized that what brings her value is not what comes out of her head. 16:18 So that when she finds the muddy feet of Jesus, 16:22 that former value has been so depreciated that she takes the hair and wipes the mud off the crusty feet of our Lord 16:32 and Savior Jesus because once you get converted. What used to mean a whole lot, loses all of its value in the presence of Jesus. 16:46 [Congregation: Amen] 16:48 And what I'm saying to somebody today is that when you begin to be blinded and overwhelmed by the glory of the cross. 16:54 When you become smitten by the riches of divine grace. When you become settled on the assurance of the heavenly promise, 17:02 one of the automatic byproducts of knowing the grace of God is that this stops value, and automatically depreciates. 17:14 If you all don't believe me, go to Philippians chapter three in verse three. Philippians chapter three in verse three, 17:19 I'm almost done. Philippians chapter three in verse three, when you get there, let me hear you say, amen. 17:24 Philippians chapter three and verses seven. Philippians chapter three and verse seven. 17:31 When you get there, let me hear you say, amen. Philippians chapter three, actually, let's look together at verse four. 17:38 He says, Paul says, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks, 17:43 he may have confidence in the flesh, I'm also. 17:46 He says, I was circumcised on the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin, 17:50 a Hebrew of Hebrews concerning the law, a Pharisee concerning Zeal, persecuting the church concerning the righteous righteousness, 18:00 which is in the law I was blameless. And noticed what he says, this is the summation of the matter. 18:05 What things which were once gain to me? I have counted them loss for Christ yet, indeed, 18:13 I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. 18:18 Jesus Christ my lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. I count them rubbish the Bible says. 18:28 That I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of suffering. 18:35 See i hope somebody's understanding this because see with God is at work in your life friends. 18:41 Those things that you used to use to identify yourself. The things that used to make you the man. 18:49 The things that used to make you that girl. The stuff that you're used to put so much value in, it automatically loses its value, 18:59 it depreciates, once you realize your value in Jesus Christ. 19:05 You see, I'm not saying that in Christ, you got to just throw away and discard everything. 19:11 I'm saying you just don't attach that much value to it anymore. 19:16 I get to as far as I say this, there are some things that just mean too much to some of us. See, when you're immature, 19:28 what people think about you means too much to you. What you wear and how people perceive you, it means too much to you. 19:40 In other words, having a certain title, to some of us it means too much to us. Listen education is good. 19:48 I think you ought to get all that you can but for some of us having a certain, it just means too much to us. 19:55 And what I'm saying to us beloved is that we've got to begin to reassess our values, 20:00 and attach the right amount of value to things in the light of the Cross. 20:06 Because I need you to know friends of mine that I'm somebody not because of what I wear, not because of the shoes on my feet, 20:14 not because of the title I have, not because of the letters behind my name. 20:18 I'm somebody because I have been created in the image of God. I've been born again. I've been filled with the Holy Ghost. 20:28 I've been sealed by the Holy Spirit. I need you to know, that having God's seal is more important than having a tattoo. 20:35 Are hearing me today, friends? 20:37 [Congregation: Amen] 20:39 And it's crazy. The grace of God. See, too many of us see grace as a license to sin, 20:50 but grace is actually what transforms you from sin. How do we know the woman has been transformed? 21:01 It's not just because she comes with tears on her face. The Bible says, friends, that she takes her box of alabaster oil. 21:13 And she doesn't dab it. Are you all hearing today? That she doesn't do this number. 21:22 But the Bible says she pours everything she has onto the head and to the feet of Jesus. 21:33 And understand this saying that little stuff you get from Route 21. 21:38 This ain't that discounted stuff you get in that little Locker at Ross or Marshals. 21:43 Are hearing what I'm saying? Like this is the good stuff that's so expensive that your boy Judas got mad 21:52 because he's like, we could have fed the poor for a long time based on what the woman poured out. 21:59 But I need you to understand that this sign of pouring the oil out was not just a symbolic gesture. 22:08 It wasn't just an act of indulgence. It was actually a demonstration of repentance. What do you mean Pastor? 22:17 Because understand that scholars suggest that this woman is a harlot that someone who gives her body away for money. 22:24 She is one that interacts with several men in the course of a day 22:29 but understands that whenever you share intimate space with a personal partner, 22:35 how many of us know that you don't just leave unaffected by each man she deals with leaves a scent on her. 22:44 In other words, she's got to have something that covers the scent. So as not to offend the next client that is coming her way. 22:54 And it's amazing, that's why cheating adulterous people. 22:58 The first thing that they do is they take a shower to wash away the scent to cover the deed that had just been done. 23:07 But understand this lady takes the perfume that she uses to cover the scent she has used the perfume to cover her tracks. 23:16 She has used the perfume to wash away what she is done. She has used the perfume to get her ready for the next client 23:25 and the reason she pours it all out is because she doesn't need to be covered by perfume anymore. 23:34 She doesn't need to be covered by Chanel number five. She's got a better covering. She's got a permanent covering. 23:43 She doesn't need the perfume because she knows that she is covered by the righteousness and the amazing grace of our Lord 23:55 and Savior Jesus Christ. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? 24:06 Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, how precious is that flow? I said it washes white as snow. What can wash away my sins? 24:20 Nothing but the blood. 24:22 So you're saying Pastor, why did she pour it all out? Why did she save some for the next day? 24:29 Why doesn't she keep some just in case? The reason she got rid of all the oil. 24:36 It was a step in faith to let Jesus know that I don't need that no more. 24:43 Because I ain't going back no more. Ain't laying on my back no more. The former things have passed away. 24:52 All things have been made new. I've got a new start and a new slate, and a new beginning in Jesus Christ. 25:02 Are you all hearing the word today? 25:05 [Congregation: Amen] 25:07 And it's crazy because all four writers of the Gospel are careful to point out that the woman brought an alabaster box. 25:18 I need you to know that was not by accident. There was a greater methodology and what they were saying 25:24 because how many of us know that Alabaster is actually a precious stone? It's actually a form of granite 25:33 and alabaster stone is white. But of all the stones, it's the softest stone. In other words, 25:44 they thought the alabaster stone was so soft, that it felt like flesh. 25:52 The reason alabaster stone had value was that it was easy to carve. It was easy to engrave. 26:02 It was easy to leave a mark on. Alabaster stone was one you could put holes in, 26:09 but it wouldn't break, oh yall didn't get it. 26:13 Alabaster stone could get holes but it still would not break. See, that's why Ephesians five says that Christ loved us 26:24 and he gave himself for us so that he can leave a sweet-smelling aroma. In other words, Jesus went to the Cross. 26:35 He allowed his flesh to be engraved. Had your name tattooed on the palms of his hands so that when his body was broken, 26:44 he can release something that will cover up our sins and it will take away the stain of death and decay, 26:53 some of us still didn't get it. But how many of us know that Jesus is my alabaster? 27:00 He was the one that was wounded for my transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. 27:07 The chastisement of our peace is upon him and by his stripes, we are healed. 27:13 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 27:40 Hello. I'm Pastor Debleaire Snell , Speaker, Director of the Breath of Life Television Ministry. 27:46 I need you to know that the greatest deficit in our world is a deficit of hope. 27:52 When we look at everything that's affecting our culture, the pandemic mass shootings, 27:57 the escalating prices of gas, someone's wondering, what reason do I have for hope? 28:03 I want to invite you to be a part of the 2022 Hope Rally here in Huntsville, Alabama. 28:10 We're going to start on September the 24th through October the first. 28:14 We're going to meet each night at 7:00 PM and dinner is going to be served at 6 p.m. On September the 26th. 28:23 We'll be blessed by the Dynamic Ministry of Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers. And on October the first, 28:30 we'll be favored by the Musical Ministry of Jonathan Nelson. I want you to know that during our hope rally, 28:37 questions are going to be answered. Mysteries are going to be revealed. Discouragement is going to be displaced. 28:44 And Jesus is going to be preached. If you need more information, go to our website at www.breathoflife.tv 28:54 [END] |
Revised 2022-09-21