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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000028S
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00:07 Sermon #S016 - (Claim Your Benefits 2)
00:19 Pastor Snell: Give your neighbor a fist bump and say, get unreal. Turn to the other neighbor and say, don't get too realistic. 00:28 Amen. Amen. 00:31 I want to invite you, friends of mine, as you remain standing, to go with me in your Bible to two places. 00:37 First, I want to invite you to go with me to Galatians chapter 3, and we're going to look at one verse in verse 29. 00:44 Then if you don't mind, just put your finger over in Matthew chapter 15, 00:49 which is where we will rest sermonically today. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 29, 00:58 when you get there just say, "Pastor, I'm here." If you're not there, just say, "Pastor, I'm coming." 01:09 Amen. Galatians chapter 3, we're going to look together at verse 29. 01:17 Very important message here in this one verse for those who are wanting to receive all the benefits of faith. 01:26 The Bible says, " And if you are Christ..." - anybody belong to Christ in this place today? 01:32 [ Congregation: Yes] 01:34 "If you are Christ, then you are Abraham seed and the heirs according to the promise." 01:43 Now, go with me over to Matthew chapter 15, the book of Matthew chapter 15, 01:52 and we're going to begin together at verse 21. Matthew chapter 15, and we'll begin together at verse 21. 02:06 When you get there, just say, amen. 02:08 [ Congregation: Amen.] 02:10 Bible says that, "Jesus went out from there, and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon, 02:16 and behold a woman of Canaan," of where? 02:19 [ Congregation: Canaan] 02:20 Of Canaan, came from that region and cried out to Him saying, "Master, have mercy upon me. 02:27 O Lord, son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed." But He answered her not a word, 02:36 and His disciples came and urge Him saying, "Send her away for she cries out after us." 02:43 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 02:50 Then she came and worship Him saying, "Lord, help me." 02:56 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread 02:59 and threw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, 03:03 but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table." 03:07 Jesus answered and said, "O woman, great is your... what? 03:13 [ Congregation: Faith] 03:15 ...is your faith, and listen what He says, "Let it be as you desire," and her daughter was healed from that very hour. 03:26 I just want to emphasize today, verse number 24 and verse 25, it says, "But He answered 03:33 and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 03:40 Then she came and worshipped Him saying, "Lord, help me." 03:45 Today, saints, I just want to give you part 2 of a message installment titled, Claim Your Benefits, 03:52 part 2. Let's pray. Father, you said, if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, 04:05 you're that much more willing to give the holy spirit to them, that simply asked. So, Lord, 04:10 we're praying today that the spirit would 04:13 become so dense in this room that it would suffocate all opposing principalities. 04:20 Father, I'm praying today that somebody would come to clarity, not just about who you are, 04:28 but I pray that somebody would understand who they are in you. So, Lord, 04:33 I'm praying a few things as a result of this sermon. I pray for salvation to the lost. 04:40 I pray that is a result of the word that captures would be set free. 04:44 I pray to God that faith will be multiplied exponentially, that we will not live with a sagging faith, 04:51 but may we live with a robust and active faith. 04:54 So, Lord, would you hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen? That Christ alone would be heard, 05:01 and at the end of our time together, may Jesus alone be praised. 05:04 We ask this in the name of Him who is all together lovely. 05:08 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray it. Let God's people say together, amen and amen. 05:13 [ Congregation: Amen] 05:15 You may be seated here in the house of God today. In our text today, we find a woman who's request of Jesus is granted. 05:34 Even though the request is granted ultimately, that request is not granted immediately. 05:43 She has to demonstrate a patience and a willingness to wait that literally causes Jesus to marvel at her faith. 05:54 What it shows, friends, is that unrealistic faith is not formed in a microwave. 06:01 Unrealistic faith shows up in a crock pot. See, the reason I'm saying this is because there are some, 06:09 even in this series, who said, "Pastor, I have prayed. I have claimed the promises and the benefits and yet, 06:17 I still have not seen any change." What I want to say to somebody who is waiting on God to remember that the promises of 06:27 God have no expiration date. 06:30 [ Congregation: Applauding] 06:32 In fact, the promises of God are like marshmallows, not that they're soft, but like marshmallows, 06:37 they never ever go bad. See, the promise of Philippians 4:19, 06:44 which guarantees that God shall supply all of your needs is just as valid today and the day that Paul wrote it. 06:53 The promise of Matthew 28:20, which guarantees that He will be with us always to the end of the earth, 07:01 has experienced, not any decay. The promise of James 4:7 that says, "That if you submit to God and resist the devil, 07:10 that He will flee from you." It has as much of authority as the day that James begins circulating it to the churches. 07:19 What I want to pause to say, saints, is that just because you don't see the benefit, 07:25 doesn't mean that you don't need to claim the benefit. 07:29 In other words, saints, remember that Abraham claimed the benefit of an heir at 80, 07:36 but he didn't see that benefit till he was about 100. Remember David claimed the benefit of a king 07:44 and he was anointed at 15, but he did not see the throne until he was about 30 years old. 07:51 Remember Joseph had dreams of rulership as a teenager, but they didn't come to pass until he was a full grown man. 08:00 What I want to say to somebody today is that sometimes 08:04 you've got to have enough faith to start claiming the benefit even if you don't see the benefit, okay? 08:12 There are some of us that are not yet convinced. 08:14 I remember, saints, back in about 2004, my wife and I bought our first used car as a married couple 08:23 and because the car was used, we decided to buy an extended warranty for the vehicle. 08:30 But after about 2 months of having the warranty, we got the notice that the warranty company had dissolved 08:37 and it seemed as if we were going to be out of our money. So, what happened is, 08:42 we joined a class action lawsuit with others who had bought the warranty so that we can get our money refunded. 08:50 So, we joined the suit there in 2004, 08:54 but it wasn't until 2007 that we got a notice saying that our money was going to be refunded, 09:02 but they said, "You've got to write in to claim the benefit." 09:07 Now, understand that it is in 2007 that I sent in the claim for the benefit, 09:15 but there are years that go by before I hear anything about the result. 09:20 But God had ordained it in around 2017, when we were getting ready to close on our house - 09:28 you know how it is when you're about to close on a house. You've got to make a down payment. 09:33 You've got moving expenses, and I need you to know that God could have sent the benefit anytime before then. 09:40 But we claimed the benefit in 2007, but it didn't show up until 2017. I need you to know, saints, 09:50 that I forgot all about it. I claimed it not knowing when it was going to show up, 09:55 but I believe that God providentially ordained the timing of the benefits so that it would show up just when it was needed. 10:04 I guess what I'm saying to somebody today is you've got to claim the benefit even when you can't see the benefit. 10:12 I want to encourage somebody to know that even if it seems like the promise has not come to pass, 10:18 sometimes God is just timing the fulfillment of the promise. He is making sure you don't squander it or waste it. 10:30 He knows a need going to arise, and He supplies the benefit so that is congruent with your need. 10:38 Are you hearing me today, saints? 10:40 [ Congregation: Yes.] 10:42 So, go back with me, if you don't mind, in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 15 and verse 22, 10:55 when you get back there, let me hear you say, amen. 10:57 [ Congregation: Amen] 10:59 The Bible says, "And behold a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out onto Him saying, "Have mercy on me, 11:07 oh Lord son of David. My daughter is severely demon-possessed." Now, friends of mine, 11:16 I need you to understand that this woman has a faith that is so exceptional, that it literally calls for the phrase 11:27 or the admiration of Jesus Christ. As I begin to unpack the story, 11:34 there are some things about her faith that we need to take note of. 11:38 You see, the first thing this teaches us, saints, is that unrealistic faith is informed. 11:45 Let me say it again, that real faith my friends, is informed faith. Now, beloved, 11:54 I want you all to be clear that as you survey this story, 11:59 I want you to know that this is not some emotionally scattered woman who is running around to anyone that 12:08 she perceives is able to help her. In other words, she's got some conviction about Jesus 12:15 and she is convinced that He is the one. 12:18 Now, remember that she is an unbelieving Phoenician woman who hails from the land of the Canaanites. 12:26 I need you to remember that she is not a part of the Jewish construct by religion or by ancestry, 12:35 and yet we see an informed faith in the way that she petitions Him. In other words, saints, 12:42 there may be some urgency in her voice. There may be some panic in her tone, 12:48 but there is information that drives her energy towards Jesus. 12:54 We see how informed her faith is in the way she refers to Him. 12:59 Notice that when she cries out she says, "Master, have mercy upon me, thou son of David." 13:08 Understand beloved, that the term, son of David is a messianic inscription. 13:16 When she refers to Him as son of David, she is connecting Him with the lineage of the house of David 13:25 because both the prophet Micah and Samuel prophesied that the Messiah would come through the lineage 13:33 or the genealogy of David. In other words, as she approaches Christ, 13:39 let's be clear that she is not showing up in some random or incidental way. 13:44 She comes to Jesus in a research sort of way. See, what makes this impressive, friends, 13:52 is that at this point, people are still trying to make up their minds about who Jesus actually is. 14:01 Remember when Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" 14:08 Remember they said, some say that, "Thou art Elias." Some say that, "Thou art a prophet." 14:14 But understand that this woman has done her homework before she shows up to see Jesus. 14:22 You see, there are some that just called Him a good teacher. Some just referred to Him as a rabbi, 14:28 but when she showed up to talk to Jesus, she says, "I know that you're more than just a teacher. 14:34 I recognize that song more than an average rabbi. I know that one that is greater than Elijah is already here. 14:43 I want to call you by your official title. I want you to know that I know that you are the Messiah, 14:52 the son of the living God." 14:55 [ Congregation: Applauding] 14:57 In other words, saints, I want you to get that what makes this powerful is that this is a designation that she as an 15:05 outsider of the Jewish construct should not even be aware of. 15:11 What causes Jesus to immediately pause is that somebody outside of the Jewish construct is calling Him by His messianic 15:20 name even though those who are inside of the faith don't recognize Him as Messiah. 15:27 It's crazy because I don't know if any of you guys in this place have a nickname that only your family calls you. 15:37 In other words, the rest of us call you by your official name, or by your government name, 15:43 but there are certain names that only your parents call you or maybe your siblings call you 15:48 or maybe those who grew up with you call you. 15:52 Sometimes, you feel a certain way when somebody outside of your family calls you by your family nickname. 16:02 See, what causes Jesus to pause is that somebody out of the ethnic family is calling Him by His messianic name. 16:11 In other words, saints, what causes Jesus to be impressed is this lady is already acting like she's family. 16:18 You all didn't get that. She's already acting like she belongs to Him. 16:23 She's already acting as if she has inside information. See, I need you to know beloved, 16:30 the reason this lady comes in this fashion it's because she's already convinced that Jesus is the one. 16:38 In fact, if you read the book, Desire of Ages, one of the things that 16:43 become clear is that she's done some research on Jesus. She has gotten the word about who He is. 16:51 She has heard the word that this man receives sinners. She heard that He is a God that loves all people. 17:01 She has gotten the notice that He made the invitation that, "Whosoever comes unto me, I will let no wise cast him out." 17:11 They know that He is not the God of the elite. That He is not a part of a social or religious 17:18 or financial caste system. She has gotten the word that He loves everybody. 17:24 See, what makes her drawn to Jesus is not just the word that He is able. 17:30 What drives her to Jesus is the assurance that He is willing. In other words, saints, 17:36 I need you to know, what has happened is she's researched Jesus. Let me say it this way. 17:41 She has Googled Him. In other words, even in the science of philanthropy, 17:48 when you're trying to get people to donate to a certain call, 17:52 what people are known to do is research or Google them so that they can make their ask based upon their understanding 18:02 of their capability to give. God's word is somebody today is, "You better Google me." 18:10 [ Congregation: applauding.] 18:12 See, every now and then, late at night when the game goes off, I watched the inside, 18:17 the NBA post games with Shaquille O'Neal and every now 18:20 and then they will have arguments about who is the greatest player, 18:23 and there is sometimes a recency bias where they're talking about great players while Shaq is on the set. 18:31 They will forget all about him, and every now and then, Shaq says, 18:35 with as much humility as he can, he says, "You're all acting like I've never done that." 18:40 He says, "You better Google me." 18:43 In other words, he's saying, " You better look at my history and recognize what I've done." 18:48 What I'm saying to somebody today is that you need to use the scriptures as your search engine and do a Google of 18:57 the great God that we served and remember the great things that He has done. 19:03 See, God is saying to somebody today that, "You better Google me." He's saying, "I'm the God that fertilizes barren wombs. 19:13 I opened up red seas. I cause fortified walls to fall down. I cause the sun to stand still. 19:21 You better Google me." He's saying, "I cause ax heads to float. I cause storms to be still. 19:30 I walk on water like it's concrete. I pay taxes from a fish's mouth. You had better Google me." 19:39 He's saying, "I multiply fishes and loaves. I call the demons to come out. I turn water into Merlot. 19:48 I caused manna to fall from heaven, and when they got tired of manna, I sent quail to satisfy their desire. 19:57 You better Google me." 19:59 He says, "I send rain in famine. I heal weathered hands. I open blind eyes. 20:06 I give the deaf back their hearing. I cause lupus to go into remission, 20:12 and I call the lame to leap up and dance. You better Google me." He's saying, "I've got creation on my resume. 20:21 I spoke and it was done. I commanded and it stood fast. You better Google me. I've got resurrections on my resume. 20:31 Google me. I raised Jairus' daughter. I resurrected Lazarus from the grave. 20:39 I interrupted a funeral and gave the widow of Nain her son back. 20:44 But that one my greatest resurrection because I laid down my life. 20:50 But then I took it up again. I'm the God of resurrection, 20:56 so you better Google me." So, when you're worried about the bill, Google Him. 21:03 When you get worried about enemies, Google Him. When you get stressed about the job, 21:09 Google Him. Stop looking at the size of your problem and make your request on the size of your God. 21:20 You better learn how to Google Him. Are you hearing the word today, saints? 21:26 [ Congregation: Yes] 21:30 See, faith is informed, is not guessing, is already convinced about who Jesus is. 21:40 Are you all hearing me today, saints? Second thing this story teaches us beloved, 21:50 second thing it teaches is that, whatever you don't bring to Jesus is going to wind up taking you to Jesus. 22:05 Oh, looking a lot of tough right up in here. I'm glad you already said, amen. 22:13 [ Congregation: Amen.] 22:16 The word says that she appeals to Jesus. She says, "I need help, 22:22 Lord because my daughter is severely demon-possessed with the devil." 22:28 Your version may say she is vexed with the devil, but understand when the Bible refers 22:34 or when she refers to the girl has being vexed or severely demon-possessed, 22:40 all that means is the child is acting out in a way that the parent can no longer control. 22:53 Okay. See, I need you to know that the demon is not new in the girl's life. 23:03 The demon just can't be controlled any longer. You all get mad. 23:10 See, I need you to understand that this devil has been there so long. 23:15 That he's been a part of the girl's puberty growth. So that, when her chest enlarged, 23:23 so did the demon's hold. When her hips expanded, so did the demon's power. When her estrogen level increased, 23:33 so did the demon's authority in her life. 23:38 I need you all to understand this, friends of mine, that she didn't mind as long as it was a baby demon. 23:49 But that baby demon became a pre-teen demon and now, she can't control it. 23:55 Now that is an adolescent or a young adult kind of demon. 24:00 Now, remember we talked a couple of weeks about how the Canaanites, 24:04 friends of mine, were polytheistic in their worship. 24:08 Remember we talked about how they spoke with the devil in the black arts and they had a strong 24:13 association with the occult. 24:16 See, understand that she has raised the young girl in association with the themes of the enemy. 24:23 Understand, she did not mind the devil having control until she could no longer control the behavior of the little girl. 24:32 What the mother learns in hindsight is that whatever you don't take to Jesus will ultimately 24:39 wind up pushing you back to the savior's feet. See, she didn't even realize, 24:44 she didn't understand until it was too late that because she did not raise her in the things of God, 24:52 she actually served her up to the devil. 24:57 [ Congregation: Applauding] 24:59 Can I suggest, saints, that there is some parental indifference amongst us, 25:05 and we don't realize that we are serving the kids up to the power of Beelzebub. 25:13 In other words, if the only religion in the home takes place when you're in church, 25:20 it's because you're serving them up to the enemy. 25:24 When you leave them locked in rooms with devices and television unsupervised, 25:30 we are serving them up to the enemy. When you allow your church hurt to be superimposed and transfer it to them, 25:39 you are serving them up to the enemy. When you talk bad about church leaders and church people in front of them, 25:47 you are serving them up to the enemy. When you laugh at the disrespect and talk back now, 25:54 you are serving them up to the enemy. 25:57 Guess what I'm saying today, saints, is that when your kids get grown, 26:02 it's okay for them under their own choice to become under the enemies influence. 26:08 But what we cannot allow is for some demons to get raised right underneath the roof or our own houses. 26:16 [ Congregation: Applauding.] 26:20 It's crazy because she didn't take the girl to Jesus, guess what? 26:24 That girl's behavior is pushing her back to the feet of Jesus. Let me tell you this, 26:29 beloved, that whatever relationship you don't bring to Jesus is going to 26:34 become so painful that that same relationship is going to take you out to Jesus. 26:40 Let me say it this way, that you need to take the job offer to Jesus because if you don't take the job offer to Jesus, 26:49 the job experience is going to take you back to Jesus. Young, folks, 26:54 you need to take the little girlfriend or boyfriend to Jesus because if you don't, 26:58 that relationship's pain is going to push you back to Jesus. The married folks, 27:04 we need to take these marriages to Jesus because if you ain't got that married in front of Jesus, 27:11 that same marriage is going to push you back to Jesus. Are you all hearing what I'm saying? 27:16 See, there are some of us that are so tied up in relationship issues that God, 27:22 literally has to use the pain of the relationship in order to bring your back in close connectionship with him. 27:30 So, whatever is causing you to be lost, God uses that very same thing to help you get saved. 27:39 Thank you so much for joining us for the Breath Of Life Televison Ministries Broadcast, with 27:46 Pastor Debleaire Snell. We hope and pray that you have been blessed through today's message. 27:52 Join us next week for part 2 of the second episode of the series"Claim Your Benefits." 27:59 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:54 [END] |
Revised 2022-08-08