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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000026S
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00:06 Sermon #S015 - (Claim Your Benefits Part 1)
00:20 Pastor Snell: Matthew chapter 15, in verse number 21. 00:23 Now, let me just go and share with you how we're going to do this message. 00:26 As I was kind of working through this message, I'll be honest with you, 00:30 I realized back then I was doing a little bit too much for one sermon. 00:35 So, I realized this sermon was going to be about two and a half hours. 00:39 So, what I'm going to do is going to break this message up, is that all right? 00:41 All right, Matthew chapter 15 in verse number 21. 00:48 So, if it feels like we end a little abruptly, it's on purpose. 00:51 It's only because we're going to give you part 2 in a couple of weeks. Matthew 15 in verse 21. 00:56 The Bible says, "Then Jesus went out there, went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon, 01:04 and behold a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him saying, 01:11 "Have mercy upon Me O Lord son of David. My daughter is severely demon-possessed." 01:18 But the Bible says, "But he answered her not a word, and his disciples came and urged him saying, 01:27 "Send her away for she cries out after us. But he answered and said, 01:33 I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. 01:38 But she came and worshipped him saying, "Lord help me." 01:45 But he answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 01:52 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs, which fall from the master's table." 02:00 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, "Oh woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you desire." 02:09 The Bible says, "And her daughter was healed from that very hour." 02:15 But I want to just put a little emphasis on verse 23, for the Bible says, 02:20 "But he answered her not a word and his disciples came and urged him saying, 02:29 "Send her away for she cries out after us." Today, I want to talk to for a little while under the subject, 02:38 Claim Your Benefits. Let's look to the Lord together in prayer today. 02:52 Father, Lord, would you elevate our faith today? 03:01 Father, I pray that you would allow us to be able to see your goodness in a fresh way, 03:06 in a new way, in a relevant way. So, Father, we just take a moment to thank God for your nearness. 03:16 We're thankful for the assurance that whenever we gather in your name, you are in the mist. 03:21 So, Lord we pray this prayer knowing that you're not on the way. 03:26 We offer up this prayer knowing that you're already at work. 03:29 So, Father, I'm praying that you would bless the teaching in the receiving of your word. 03:34 Would you hide in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen, that Christ alone would be heard, 03:40 and at the end of our time together made Jesus alone, be praised? Bless us to this, 03:46 and we pray in the name of Him who is altogether lovely. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray it. 03:51 Let God's people say together. Amen and amen. You may be seated here in the house or whether you're watching at home. 04:01 Again, we're talking under the subject today, Claim Your Benefits. 04:12 As a pastor, my responsibilities require me to travel a good bit. 04:21 As a frequent flyer, over time you earn miles and you gain access to certain benefits. 04:29 But I'll be honest with you, I don't pay attention to those things like I should. 04:33 In fact when I travelled, my primary goal is to get where I'm going and to make sure I make it back home safely. 04:42 But a couple of months ago, my wife and I were traveling together. 04:46 While I was waiting in a long line to check one of my bags, 04:51 I noticed that my wife was reading the verbiage on the SkyPriority lane. 04:57 After a while, she came to me and she says, "Honey, why are we standing in this line?" Of course, 05:04 I reply, "That we are standing in this line so that we can check the bag." 05:09 She began to inform me that because I have a certain medallion status, I'm not required to wait in the line. 05:18 I can go straight to the SkyPriority lane. 05:21 As we begin to maneuver through the airport, 05:25 she began to list all of the different benefits that I was eligible for that had gone unclaimed. 05:33 She says, "Because of your status, you don't have to wait in line. Because of your status, 05:39 you can claim certain upgrades. Because of your status, you can pay with miles and not money." 05:47 She said, "Honey, you need to maintain an awareness of your status, 05:52 so that you can lay claim to all of your benefits." 05:56 Now, saints, I'm in my feelings a little bit 05:59 because I can remember all the time I spent waiting in line when I had a status that could 06:06 put me at the front of the line. So, when I get to the counter with an attitude, 06:12 I asked the person at the counter, 06:14 "Why don't you all just automatically apply the benefits you know someone is eligible for?" 06:20 With an attitude, she responded. She says, "Sir, we send you a monthly statement with your status on it. 06:28 In other words, it's up to you to make sure you claim your benefits. We cannot apply them without your consent. 06:36 The only thing we can do is make sure you are aware of your status." 06:42 Can I suggest friends of mine, that as children of God, we are eligible for certain benefits 06:49 and blessings because as a child of God, you have an octopi status. 06:55 Do you realize that the Bible refers to you as sons and daughters of God? 07:01 In Galatians, Paul says, "That through Christ you become Abraham's seed and you become heirs to all of his promises." 07:11 Do you realize that the Bible says, Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants, 07:16 but I call you my friends." When you understand your status in Christ, 07:22 you recognize that you're eligible for certain benefits. 07:26 It is why in Psalm 103 in verse 2, the Bible says, "Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not his benefits." 07:37 In other words, saints, I need you to understand that you are eligible for a healing today 07:44 because in Psalm 103 He says, "I am the God that forgives your iniquities and I heal all your diseases." 07:52 Do you realize that you're eligible for His provision? For in Philippians, 07:57 He said, "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory." 08:04 Do you realize you qualify for a personal security detail for the Bible says, "The angel of the Lord encamps 08:12 about those that fear Him." Do you realize that you're eligible for the Holy Ghost? 08:18 For He said, "If you're willing being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, 08:24 I'm that much more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask." 08:28 How many of us know you qualify for His grace for the gift is greater than the trespass? 08:35 For where sin abounds grace does much more abound. 08:38 Somebody ought to shout because you qualify for the kingdom of heaven 08:43 because He said, "If I go and prepare a place, I will come again and receive you unto myself." 08:51 See, part of unrealistic faith is understanding the status that has been assigned. 08:57 When you know who you are to Him and you know who you are in Him, 09:02 you realize that you don't have to wait at the back of the line. 09:06 You've got priority in Jesus. Is there anybody that knows that because He's promised abundant life, 09:14 you're eligible for an upgrade as soon as you abide in Covenant with Him? 09:21 [ Congregation: Applauding] 09:23 Are you hearing the word today? So today, as we unpack this message briefly today, 09:28 I'm praying that God begins to multiply your faith in unrealistic proportions today. 09:36 See, friends of mine, in order to claim your benefits, there are just a few things that you've got to know. 09:43 See, in order to claim your benefits, number one, 09:47 the first thing that's got to happen is you've got to change the way you view Jesus Christ. 09:55 In other words, saints, how many of us understand that your greatest benefit - hear me - is not what Christ does. 10:06 Your greatest benefit is Christ Himself. 10:10 Let me say it to somebody on this side that your greatest benefit is not what He does. 10:16 Your greatest benefit is Christ Himself. 10:21 Now, let me just be clear because when you look at this story from the outside, 10:28 it actually looks like a story of chance or coincidence. In fact, if you look at it only from a surface level, 10:37 it looks like this woman just happened to be in the right place at the right time. 10:43 But I need you, saints, to know that there is nothing coincidental or random about this encounter. 10:50 This woman is moving with intentionality, and so is Jesus Christ. In other words, 10:58 I need you to get that there is no luck involved in this meeting between the woman and Jesus. 11:05 In fact, I love what desire of ages page 400 says, where my favorite author says that, "Christ, 11:13 knew this woman's situation. He knew she was longing to see Him and He placed Himself in her path." 11:25 [ Congregation: Applauding] 11:27 Lord, help me. Let me just say to anybody who is searching for Jesus. 11:32 I need you to know that before you ever start searching for Jesus, that Jesus was already searching after you. 11:42 I need you to get that if you continue searching for Jesus, 11:47 it's just a matter of time before He puts Himself in your path. Are you hearing me today? 11:54 [ Congregation: Applauding] 11:56 Now, I need you to get because see, that statement provides some context about Jesus' response to the woman. 12:02 In other words, what He does is He tests her faith by playing a little bit hard to get. 12:10 But I need you to understand that she does not control Jesus to do something that He did not already want to do. 12:21 In other words, it was to supply her need that Jesus showed up in this region in the first place. 12:29 See, friends, I hate to be redundant, but I'm doing it with purpose because see, 12:35 I need somebody to get that faith is not a crowbar that prize the hand of God open. 12:44 In other words, I need you to get that faith is not something that strong arms God into doing something that God 12:53 does not already want to do. 12:56 In other words, Jesus places himself in her path because He came to bless. Y'all didn't get that. 13:03 He's here to bless. It is His desire to bless. In fact, faith for her is simply laying claim to benefits, 13:14 even though she is a gentile and not a Jew. See, a part of unrealistic faith, my friends, 13:21 is getting to a place where you change your perception of who God is. 13:26 Is there anybody that understands that God isn't open hand and not a clenched fist? 13:34 [ Congregation: Yes] 13:35 You see, the problem with some of us is the way that we look at God. 13:39 We see God as a stingy savior who only blesses those who are deserving of His merit and deserving of His grace. 13:48 There are some of us that see God as a tyrannical dictator who is sovereign and not sensitive to our various needs. 13:58 But the thing I need somebody to get today is that, God's intentions for you are all good intentions. 14:07 [ Congregation: Applauding] 14:09 See, I love what He says in Jeremiah 29. He says, "I know the thoughts that I think towards you. 14:15 Thoughts to prosper you and not to harm you. My plan is to give you a future and a hope." 14:22 Do you realize in John 10 and verse 10, He says, "The thief comes not, but to steal kill and destroy." 14:30 But He says, "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly." 14:37 In James, He says, "You have not because you ask not, but He says, "Ask and it shall be given. 14:45 Seek and it shall be found. Knock and it shall be opened unto you." But see, the problem with some of us, 14:52 we are seeing God as the bank and not the co-signer. 14:56 [ Congregation: Yeah. 14:58 In other words, we see God as a loan officer that's going through all of your history with details 15:04 and sending it to underwriting so that somehow they can figure out a reason not to approve you. 15:10 But how many of us know that God is not the bank? God is the co-signer, 15:16 and what the cosigner does is they risk their credit... 15:20 [ Congregation: Applauding] 15:22 ...so that you can get approved. In other words, you have a cosigner because your credit is bad 15:29 because you don't meet the approval. 15:31 But how many of us know Jesus is the co-signer who says I'm going to apply my perfect credit to your bad credit. 15:40 You go get approved, not because you're deserving, not because you're good, 15:46 but because they're judging you based on my record? Are y'all hearing me today? 15:52 [ Congregation: Applauding] 15:54 So, we got to know that we have been approved because Jesus co-signed for us. Are y'all hearing me today, saints? 16:01 [ Congregation: Yes] 16:03 Second thing, friends of mine, that this story teaches us that your greatest benefit friends, 16:10 is access to Jesus. Okay, y'all still not with me. Know your greatest benefit is access to Jesus. 16:24 See, I love the story Lois, because before Jesus does anything for the woman, 16:32 see, part of a miracle is He makes Himself accessible to the woman. 16:40 You see the supremacy of Christ is not His capabilities. The supremacy of Christ is His accessibility. 16:51 What separates Christ is His willingness to function as Emmanuel who is God with us. Are you with me today? 17:07 So, some of the beauty of the story, and like we said, 17:12 we won't get through it all today, 17:13 is there is this Canaanite woman who rose up upon Jesus with a need for her daughter. 17:21 Now, I need you to be clear that the Canaanites, they were polytheistic in their worship. 17:26 Meaning that they worshipped a variety of idols or deities. 17:32 See, the funny thing about the Canaanites is that they actually dabbled in the black arts and witchcraft. 17:39 In fact, there are a number of scholars that believe that the girls demon possession is as a result of being exposed 17:48 to the things of the occult. So, that if you were to look in this woman's house, 17:54 it would actually look like a haunted house where there are a number of inappropriate deities 18:01 and spells and idols that would be erected in the name of her former belief system. 18:08 In fact, when she rolls up upon Jesus, she's got half moon symbols and calls. 18:15 She's even got brands in her flesh that give credit and homage to the Gods that she used to serve. 18:24 But I need you to understand, in order to know the woman, what was the draw of idol worship? 18:31 In other words, that was the reason that people worship idols. See, I need you to get, friends of mine, 18:37 that these people when they had a block of wood or a block of metal, they recognized that the idol was not God. 18:46 The idol was the representation of their God. In other words, 18:51 the purpose of serving an idol was to create a scenario where their God could feel close to them. 18:58 Okay. Y'all didn't get it. The purpose of an idol was to help create security. 19:04 The purpose of an idol was to experience intimacy. 19:08 The purpose of an idol was to feel man's need to have closeness with the Divine. 19:15 But understand the supremacy of Christ shows up 19:19 because Jesus does not wait for the woman to get all the way into Jerusalem. 19:25 But Jesus shows up in the woman's path to let the woman know that, "When life comes for you, 19:33 you only got to get all the way to me, but I'm going to come and bring myself exactly where you are." 19:41 In other words, before He does anything, the woman is impressed simply because she's given access. 19:51 In other words, she can't get that from Baal. She can't get that from their God. She can't get that from Chemosh. 19:59 You can only have that type of intimacy when you're in a relationship with Jesus. Are you hearing me today? 20:07 [ Congregation: Yeah.] 20:09 See, friends of mine, how many of us understand that your greatest blessing, 20:14 it is not a house you live in, it is not the car you drive, it ain't the red bottoms on your feet, 20:22 it is not the Louis on your arm, but your greatest benefit is unrestricted access to Jesus Christ. 20:32 [ Congregation: Applauding] 20:33 Oh, I thought I'll be shouting better than that today. 20:37 Is there anybody that's just thankful today that God had put no restrictions on His access? 20:44 He doesn't make you wait to call at a certain hour. He doesn't charge you by moment, but guess what? 20:51 He says, "Whenever you call early in the morning, late at night, in the middle of the noonday, 20:59 even if you don't call in a number of years, whenever you call on my name 21:05 [ Congregation: Applauding] 21:07 I'm going to grant access to my children." See, friends, this is one of the under celebrated mercies of God. 21:16 See, some of us will only praise God for things, but I'm just at of place where I praise God 21:23 because I've got access. I praise God, that the veil has been torn. 21:27 I praise God that He is available to those that are seeking after Him. 21:34 Are you hearing me today? Now, the reason some of us aren't rejoicing yet, 21:45 is because we see the woman as having an advantage over us because she's talking to Jesus in His bodily form. 21:58 But how many of us understand that she's got no advantage? She doesn't have any access that these sons 22:10 and daughters of God do not have. See, that's why in John 14 and 15, Jesus said, "It's good for you that I go." 22:21 That's it. That was a reason He says, "It's for your benefit that I go." Because He says, "If I do not go, 22:29 then guess what? The counselor, the helper, the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, cannot come. 22:40 In other words, what He's doing by going away is He's multiplying His access. 22:48 You realize that Jesus never left the earth. Guess what? You would have to fly all the way to Jerusalem, 22:56 Jesus would have just been a regional Palestinian folk hero. 23:01 But do you realize that we are under a better dispensation? 23:06 Because under the old Covenant, you had to go to a temple, but under this Covenant, you became a temple... 23:13 [ Congregation: Applauding] 23:15 ...so that the Holy Ghost lives inside of me. 23:20 See, that's why He wanted us to know that the Father, 23:23 Son and Holy Ghost are one because the Holy Spirit is just Jesus multiplied. 23:30 Oh God, where y'all up today? The Holy Ghost is just Jesus in you, and in you. 23:37 Are y'all hearing me today? Let me say it this way. When Jesus was on earth, 23:43 He was the landline, but the Holy Spirit is a cell phone. Oh, y'all didn't get it. 23:49 In other words, Jesus on earth was Bellsouth, but the Holy Ghost is Sprint. Y'all not hearing me today? 23:56 [ Congregation: Applauding] 23:58 Y'all remember the landlines where you had to go to the phone in order to have access, 24:03 but when you got a cell phone, you can have access no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing. 24:11 When you got the Holy Ghost, He puts a cell tower on the inside of your heart so, I ain't got to go home to meet Him. 24:21 I ain't going to come to church to meet Him. Wherever I am, I'm in His coverage map and I've got access. 24:29 In Jesus, there ain't no dead spots. Are y'all hearing the words today, friends? 24:35 [ Congregation: Applauding] 24:38 Can you hear me now? 24:40 [ Congregation: Yeah.] 24:40 Are you hearing me today? 24:43 [ Congregation: Yeah.] 24:46 Now, I got to say, there is one problem that is affecting our access, 24:55 and the problem is not with Jesus. Do you realize that Jesus is accessible to us? 25:07 The problem is that, we are not accessible to Him. I know it's going to get a little quiet in here today. 25:16 See, the problem is not that we can't get in touch with Jesus. The problem is we're so busy, 25:25 and we're so important.We got so many irons in the fire. The issue is that Jesus can't get access to our lives. 25:39 It's amazing how Pew Research Center says that of most professed American Christians, 25:44 that the average American Christian spends less than 7 minutes a week in prayer. No, don't raise your hand. 25:56 See, I need us to understand that the lack of access, friends of mine it's not on Jesus. 26:01 The lack of access is on us. See, I need somebody to understand the reason we're not seeing the unrealistic is not 26:13 because we can't access Him. The unrealistic is not happening because He can't get access to us. 26:22 See, there are certain things that are becoming deficits because Christ doesn't have any access to you. 26:28 The reason you don't know His will is because He doesn't have access. The reason you can't hear His voice is 26:36 because He doesn't have access. 26:38 The reason friends, you can't recognize when you're wrong is because He doesn't have access. 26:44 The reason you don't have sorrow or conviction over sin anymore is because you become a master of avoiding 26:52 and eluding the access of the Holy Ghost in your life. 26:59 I need somebody to get that you cannot have the benefits of Christ. 27:04 See, I need you to get that His benefits - y'all still with me Church? 27:07 [ Congregation: Yes] 27:09 Y'all got quiet. See, His benefits are not transactional. They are relational. 27:18 Thank you so much for joining us for the Breath Of Life Televison Ministries Broadcast, with 27:23 Pastor Debleaire Snell. We hope and pray that you have been blessed by today's message. 27:28 And that you claim the benefits of God as his child. Join us next week for part 2 27:34 of "Claim Your Benefits." You don't want to miss it. 27:40 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:33 [END] |
Revised 2022-07-20