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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000025S
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00:05 Sermon #S014 - (Unrealistc Grace)
00:20 Pastor Snell: Amen. Luke chapter 22, and we'll begin together at verse number 47. When you get there, 00:26 just say, "Pastor, I'm here." Luke chapter 22 and verse 47, and we will be a little bit more brief than normal 00:35 today as we share. Luke 22 and verse 47. 00:39 The Bible says, "And while he yet spake, behold the multitude and he that was called Judas, 00:46 one of the twelve, went before them and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, 00:55 betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, 01:04 Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, 01:13 and cut off his right ear." 01:15 When you read John's version, the Bible lets us know that it was Peter that did the swinging 01:20 and the servant's name was Malchus. Then the Bible says here in verse 51, 01:26 "And Jesus answered and said suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear and healed him. 01:34 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, into the captains of the temple, 01:39 and the elders which were come to him, be ye come out, as against a thief, 01:46 with swords and staves? When I was with you daily in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me. 01:53 But this is your hour and the power of darkness." 01:58 But I just want to emphasize verse 51, "But Jesus answered and said suffer ye thus far. 02:07 And He touched his ear and He healed him." Today saints, I want to talk to you under the subject today, 02:14 Unrealistic Grace. And I want to just subtitle this message, He destroyed the evidence. Let's pray. 02:27 Father, in this little while, would you say much? 02:33 You promised that your strength would be perfected in human weakness. 02:38 So Lord, I just want to connect mine to yours and I pray that your strength would be perfected in my faultiness. 02:47 So Lord, would you make your spirit so dense that it smothers every alternative principality. 02:56 May faith be multiplied in the hearing of the word. 03:00 Hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen. 03:05 That Christ alone would be heard. And at the end of our time together, 03:09 may Jesus alone be praised. We ask this in the name of Him who is altogether lovely. 03:14 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Let God's people say together, Amen? 03:18 [ Congregation: Amen] 03:20 And Amen. You may be seated in the house of the Lord today. 03:30 Today saints, there are 4 brief lessons on faith that we learn from the arrest of Jesus. 03:39 The first thing this story teaches us, friends, is the danger of misplaced faith. 03:48 You see, real faith is not about my wishes. Real faith is centered on God's will. 03:58 In fact, the only thing worse than unbelief is misplaced belief. 04:07 You see, when I am believing in one direction and God is moving in a different direction, 04:15 it creates a dissonance in my faith. 04:19 And when that happens, the assumption is the reason the belief did not materialize was 04:25 because I did not have enough belief. But the reason certain things did not materialize was 04:32 because we attached faith to a wrong belief. 04:37 In other words, notice, friends, what Jesus predicted would happen to His disciples. 04:42 He predicted that all of you would become offended because of me. 04:47 He predicted that when the shepherd would be smitten, that the sheep would scatter. 04:54 He predicted that all of you would ultimately forsake me. 04:59 But I need you to understand that even though His prediction comes true, the disciples do not leave Jesus 05:07 because they have no faith. They don't leave Jesus because they are afraid. 05:13 In fact, the narrative of the disciples forsaking Jesus is not about people who have no belief. 05:20 It's actually about people that believe the wrong thing. 05:25 See, the problem is we think that the disciples flee because they are ashamed to stand with Jesus. 05:32 That's not true. Do you realize, saints, that this moment is actually what the disciples have been waiting for? 05:41 When Peter told Jesus that, "I'm willing to go with you to prison or the grave", 05:47 I need you to get that this is not conjecture. Remember when Jesus walked the earth, 05:53 they were always agitating Jesus to lead a military coup against the oppressive government of Rome. 06:02 What we read in the text is not a group of men who are afraid. Let's be clear that they are here for this moment. 06:11 They are standing with swords in hand and they are ready to paint the ground red with blood 06:19 because they are ready to fight for an earthly kingdom. 06:23 In fact, friends, there are some who believe that the betrayal of Jesus was not an abandonment of Christ 06:31 but He was simply trying to put Jesus in a position where he had no choice except to use His divine power 06:40 and understand that there is simply a misapplied belief 06:45 because they're wanting Jesus to lead an earthly insurrection when God's 06:50 goal is to save them by a Sunday resurrection. 06:55 And see, understand that they don't flee until Jesus allows Himself to be taken. 07:03 In other words, they don't run because they are afraid for their lives. 07:08 They are offended by Jesus allowing Himself to be handcuffed. 07:13 They are disappointed that He allows Himself to be taken. 07:17 There is a disdain that He's allowing them to be subdued. 07:22 In other words, friends of mine, there is an offense about what Jesus is allowing to happen. 07:28 Let me ask the question. Has anyone ever been offended by what God allows to happen? 07:36 In other words, you know that God is able to stop it from happening, 07:41 and yet he allows it to happen anyway. You can admit it today 07:47 because the truth is that we have all been offended in our faith by what God has allowed to happen. 07:55 In other words, where you believed in healing but God allowed a funeral. 08:02 You believed for a proposal but God allowed a breakup. 08:08 You believed for a promotion but God allowed a termination. 08:13 You believed for children but God allowed a miscarriage. 08:19 And let me just say to anybody who is in a place of disappointment. 08:23 See, the reason we are disappointed is because there are unmet expectations. 08:29 But sometimes when your belief does not come to pass, 08:33 it's not because you didn't have enough faith but sometimes it simply means that your wishes 08:40 and God's will did not align. 08:42 But be careful friends, how you handle your offense because if you're not careful, 08:48 your offense will lead you out of faith. And the thing I need you to get about faith today, friends, 08:55 is that faith is not determined to have its own way. 09:01 In other words, faith will not just believe for a desired outcome 09:06 but unrealistic faith can celebrate no matter what the outcome. 09:12 Let me say it again. You see, baby, faith will only trust God for a desired outcome 09:17 but when you've got unrealistic faith, you can believe in God no matter what the outcome is. 09:25 You see, real faith is able to absorb some disappointment and detours along the way because it understands. 09:34 Romans 8:28, "That all things work together for the good of them that love God 09:40 and are called according to his purpose." Let me say it this way. That faith is clay and not concrete. 09:49 In other words, faith is amenable. Faith is adaptable. Faith is pliable. 09:56 In other words, I need somebody to know this about faith. 09:59 That faith is bi-functional. Okay. Okay. Let me say it again. 10:04 I need you to know that real faith is bi-functional. 10:09 Now, some of you all are looking at me crazy because you may be familiar with the term bisexual, 10:15 and understand that a bisexual is simply a person that goes both ways. 10:21 But how many of us know that we need a bi-functional faith? You need to have faith that goes both ways. 10:28 You're all not with me today. 10:30 In other words, I need a bi-functional faith that can thrive when it goes well, 10:35 and it can thrive when things go the other way. See, 10:40 I need us to know that your faith is no good as long as it's homogeneous. 10:45 I've got to have a bi-functional faith that can thrive no matter what the outcome may be. 10:51 Do you realize that the 3 Hebrew boys had bi-functional faith? 10:56 Because they said our God is able to deliver us but even if not, 11:01 we will not worship your gods or bow down to your image. 11:05 Understand that James had bi-functional faith. 11:08 For he says, "I'll count it all joy when I fall into diverse trials." 11:14 Understand that Job had bi-functional faith for he says, "The Lord gives 11:19 and the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord." 11:24 Understand that David had bi-functional faith for he said, "I will bless the Lord at all times 11:30 and His praise shall continually be in my mouth." 11:34 Jesus had a bi-functional faith, for he said, "Father, take this cup from me 11:39 but nevertheless not my will but let your will be done." 11:43 And do I have at least 7 folks in the church today who are saying, "Lord, give me a faith that goes both ways. 11:50 Give me a belief that can thrive when it goes well but I can thrive when it doesn't go well. 11:57 I want to have a worship that is not based upon the circumstance. 12:01 But I want to get to a place where I can praise Him when it's well but I can praise Him when it doesn't go well 12:09 because my worship and my faith is bi-functional. Are you hearing me today, saints? 12:15 [ Congregation: Yes] 12:17 So, go back with me, if you don't mind to the word here in Luke 22 and verse number 49. 12:22 I need you to see a couple of things in the word before I take my seat. 12:26 The Bible says here in verse number 49, the Bible says, "When they which were about him, so what would follow?" 12:35 They said to the Lord, they said unto him, "Lord, shall we smite them with the sword?" 12:43 Then the Bible says, and one of them, talking about Peter, 12:46 smote the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear." 12:52 You see, the second thing this story teaches us, friends of mine, is that God don't fight battles that you start. 13:01 [ Congregation: Laughing] 13:05 See, God fights the battles that He starts but He doesn't fight the battles that you instigate. 13:12 Are you all with me, church? 13:14 Let me say this way and I talked about it in a book. I remember one day, 13:18 we were at our house. Me and my youngest son were working downstairs and my two oldest kids were upstairs playing. 13:25 I told my youngest son to go up to his older siblings and tell them to begin cleaning up their room. 13:33 Now, I need you to know that my youngest, he's so excited to be able to tell the older 2 what to do. 13:39 That he marches up there, and I hear him shout from downstairs, "Brooke and Jaden, start cleaning up your room." 13:49 Now, the problem is the older 2 are not going to recognize the authority of the baby boy. So, they mock him 13:56 and send him back downstairs without any positive response or affirmation. So, he comes down 14:02 and he begins weeping and he says, "Daddy, I told them to clean up but they did not do it." 14:08 I said, "Son, this time when you go, don't just tell them to do it. I want you to tell them, 14:14 Daddy said to clean up your room." 14:20 And understand, that when they go upstairs the second time, he marches up with some parochial swag up the steps 14:27 and when it gets to the top of the steps, he gets a little bass in his voice, 14:32 and he says, "This time, daddy said for you to clean up your room." 14:38 And then all of a sudden they begin moving and adjusting their behavior because this time, 14:45 he did not ask in his own authority but he asked in the name of his daddy. 14:50 Is there anybody that knows that when you come in your own authority, principalities are not going to move? 14:57 But when you come in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, that doors have to open. 15:06 That things begin to move when you ask in the right name. Are you all hearing me today, saints? 15:11 But then, so what happens is, over the course of the day, as we are working downstairs, 15:17 he came down and was like, "Daddy, what else do you want me to do?" So, I said, "Go up again 15:23 and tell them Daddy said do some reading." Go back up again and say Daddy said, do this chore. 15:29 So, he's loving working beside me because he's used to acting in my name. 15:34 But then he makes one mistake. The thing got just a little bit too good to it. 15:40 So, I told him, "It's okay, son, if you go upstairs and watch television." 15:46 So, the other 2 were already watching television. So, he walked upstairs. 15:51 I just said go watch TV and I hear him say, 15:54 "Daddy said give me the remote control so I can watch what I want to watch." 16:03 Now, this time the other 2, they sniffed this out. And guess what? They come and say, "Daddy, 16:09 did you say to give him the remote?" 16:12 See, what happens is I withdraw the authority of my name for a command that I did not send. 16:21 See there, we are wondering why certain things we don't get in His name 16:25 because He withdraws His authority from commands that he did not send us to do. 16:33 Are you hearing me today, saints? 16:36 Third thing quickly this teaches us, friends of mine, is it teaches that your pain should never replace your purpose. 16:45 Now, what I'm going to share quickly is just a general principle for life and happiness. 16:51 Do you realize that the last miracle that Jesus did before the cross was to pick up a severed ear 17:01 and reattach it to someone's head? 17:04 Now, I need you to understand, friends of mine, 17:06 one of the things you'll notice if you read the scriptures is that Jesus never used His power in aid of himself. 17:15 That He only used His power to benefit or blessed or help others that stood in need of mercy or grace. 17:23 Are you all still with me, church? 17:26 Now, I need you all to get that what makes this impactful is not just that Jesus healed him 17:34 but what impresses me is the timing. You remember friends, He's just come out of the Garden of Gethsemane. 17:43 He has just finished sweating great drops of blood as he cried out unto the Lord. 17:50 In other words, He is in a place of His own despair as the weight of His personal passion is crushing all the way down 17:59 on Him. In other words, He's got a group that's come to arrest Him. They're about to go and beat him. 18:05 They're eventually going to crucify him. 18:08 But the thing I like about Jesus is that even in the midst of His pain, He does not allow His pain to 18:16 become a substitute for His purpose because, in the moment of His passion, 18:22 He takes some time out to pause, and be a blessing to somebody else. 18:29 You see, one of the things that we learn from Jesus is that sometimes you can borrow gladness 18:35 by giving a little gladness. I know you all don't want to hear this. See, in the midst of His pain, 18:42 He takes some time to stop the pain of Malchus. 18:48 In other words, I need you to know that this 18:50 becomes a part of His pattern throughout the entirety of the cross experience. 18:56 That in the midst of His suffering, He pauses to heal Malchus that even as they hurl insults at Him, 19:05 He pauses to pray for their forgiveness. 19:08 When He's being dragged through the street, He pauses to give John instructions on how to care for his mother. 19:15 When the two thieves that once insulted Him when they confess Him, He begins to pause and say, "In this day, 19:23 I say to you, that you will be with me in Paradise." 19:27 See, the thing that we learn from Jesus is that when He is in a place of personal pain, 19:33 He does not forget the purpose for which He has been called. 19:37 See, sometimes we wonder how is it that He was able to handle the burden of the cross. 19:44 The reason He was able to handle His own burden was 19:48 because He was able to lift the burdens of those that He entered into contact with along the way. 19:55 What I'm saying to somebody today is that, when you're in a bad situation, don't just sit around 20:02 and wait for it to get better in order to bless somebody else. 20:06 How many of us know that if you start blessing somebody else, 20:10 the blessings you give away will become like a boomerang or where are you all at? 20:18 Has anybody ever played with a boomerang? That when you throw it away, if you position it at the right angle, 20:25 it'll come back to you? What I'm saying, beloved is that when you make a happiness deposit, 20:32 what's going to happen is you'll get a happiness return. 20:35 See, the problem with the church in our time is we make the mistake to say that when it gets better, Dr. Dent, 20:41 I'll be a blessing. But the reason you can't have that disposition is how many of us grown folk know that life will 20:50 never stop hurting? 20:52 In other words, there ain't going to never be no season where you got all the money you need 20:59 and everybody likes you and everything is going perfect and ain't no pain in your body. 21:05 How many of us know that you don't wait till it gets right to serve? 21:09 [ Congregation: Applauding] 21:11 You learn how to serve until things get right. Are you all hearing me today? 21:15 In other words, friends of mine, 21:17 I need somebody to understand that some of us got to learn to serve our way out of sickness. 21:23 See, I need somebody to get that you don't save your way out of poverty. You share your way out of poverty. 21:30 Oh, your faith is not unrealistic today. See, there's somebody who's saying, "Pastor, it's bad in my marriage." 21:37 But I need you to know, it won't get better when your needs get fulfilled. 21:41 It will get better when you start fulfilling some needs. 21:45 Is there anybody that understands that marriage works best when we operate like waiters and not customers? 21:52 [ Congregation: Applauding] 21:55 Okay. In other words, there's somebody who's saying, 21:57 "Pastor, I'm going to wait till COVID is over in order to find a way to be in ministry." 22:02 How many of us know, COVID ain't going nowhere soon so you've got to find a creative way to be a blessing to 22:09 somebody else. What I'm saying to somebody is that until it gets better, 22:15 you've got to make it better for somebody else. And that what you give, guess what? 22:21 God is going to send it back to you. 22:24 [ Congregation: Applauding] 22:26 The last thing I like about this before I take my seat. See, this story teaches us that our God is so good. 22:37 He's so into your salvation. Do you know what He'll do? He'll destroy the evidence. 22:52 You see, there was the reason that Jesus healed the soldier's ear. 23:04 You realize, saints, that at this point, their evidence against Jesus is kind of shaky. 23:13 They're looking for a reason to bring a charge against the disciples. But at this point, 23:20 they don't have a good reason to bring a charge against the disciples. 23:27 So, when they move towards Jesus and Peter takes the swing and cuts off the soldier's ear, 23:37 you realize the Roman soldiers are like, "Yep, we got them now." 23:44 In other words, they've got a reason to file assault charges so they can crucify Peter right next to Jesus. 23:56 Do you realize that the ear of Malchus was supposed to be exhibit A in the prosecution against the disciple Peter? 24:10 They couldn't wait to bring a bleeding Machus into the court to testify that Jesus' 24:18 disciples are invoking insurrection against the government of Rome. 24:24 But understand when Jesus picks up the ear and puts it back on the head, 24:33 what Jesus is doing is He's destroying the evidence. 24:39 He just shut down witness number one so no charge can be brought against Peter 24:46 because Jesus got rid of the evidence. See, the reason it's such a great miracle is 24:53 because this miracle foreshadows justification. 24:58 See, justification is not where God says, "You're not guilty." 25:03 It's simply where you're declared righteous in the face of obvious guilt. 25:09 See, justification doesn't mean you're falsely accused. It means that accusation is true. 25:16 It means you did do it. It means your DNA is all over the scene. That the devil got your fingerprints all over it. 25:26 But when you're justified, it just means that when the devil came to bring an accusation, 25:35 he had a list of all of your transgressions. But when he got to the courtroom, 25:42 all of your sins had been covered in the blood of Jesus. So, he says, "Judge, give me a minute. 25:52 I had some evidence. I had some proof. But I can't find it." 25:58 Why can't he find it? Because Jesus covered it in His blood. He blotted it out in His righteousness. 26:09 He sealed the record so that it cannot be found. And how many of us can praise God because you are guilty? 26:19 You did it. The darn accusation was true but you've been justified because Jesus got rid of the proof. 26:29 Jesus removed the evidence and you receive the pardon not because you're good, not because you're deserving, 26:39 but because His grace is so unrealistic. 26:44 If you're thankful that your case has been thrown out, that the ransom has been paid, 26:53 that the record has been expunged, give Jesus praise. Give Him praise in his place. 27:06 [ Congregation: applauding] 27:10 See, the reason the accuser has been cast down, that accuses them before God day and night is 27:18 because your record has been expunged. There is no accusation that can be made 27:25 because all of your sins have been covered and preserved and hidden by the righteousness of Christ, 27:39 and expunged through the blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah to the lamb today. 27:50 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:41 [END] |
Revised 2022-07-12