Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000030S
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00:06 Sermon #S017 - (Claim Your Benefits 3 Part 1)
00:20 Pastor Snell: We're going to go back once again to the Book of Matthew 15. 00:24 And once again, we're going to look together verse 21. Matthew 15 and we invite you to remain standing for the word. 00:31 Matthew 15 and we're going to look together at verse number 21. 00:37 Good to see my classmate Dino in the house. God bless you, brother. 00:41 I'm glad God brought you safely here. Matthew 15:21. When you get there just say Amen for me. Matthew 15:21. 00:52 I promise you, I'm going to finish it today. I promise. 00:56 Matthew 15:21. The Bible says, "Then Jesus went thence," actually, let me change that to the New King James Version. 01:06 Matthew 15:21. The Bible says, "Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 01:13 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Master, have mercy upon me, O Lord, 01:22 Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." The Bible says, "But He answered her not a word. 01:30 And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." 01:38 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 01:43 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, 01:49 "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 01:57 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 02:04 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be as you desire." And the Bible says, 02:13 "And her daughter was healed that very hour." 02:17 Today, Saints, for just a little while, I want to talk under the subject Part 3, Claim Your Benefits, 02:24 Claim Your Benefits. Let's pray together. Father, I pray that in this little while that you would say much. 02:33 Father, I pray that you would help us to move from the concept of faith to the reality of faith. 02:40 Help us to move from the theology of belief to the daily practice of belief. So, Lord, once again, 02:50 would you make your spirits so dense in this room that it suffocates every opposing principality? 02:59 And so, Father, I pray that the word would bring comfort to those who are discomforted. 03:04 But, Lord, I pray that you would challenge us in such a way that you discomfort those who are too comfortable. 03:10 So, Lord, would you hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen, that Christ alone would be heard, 03:18 and at the end of our time together may Jesus alone be praised. We ask this in the name of Him who is altogether lovely. 03:24 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Let God's people say together, Amen, and Amen. 03:29 You may be seated in the house of the Lord today. 03:40 Yesterday afternoon, I was leaving Huntsville Hospital, and as I was preparing to exit from the garage, 03:51 when you get there to the pay stations where you exit, 03:55 there were two very long lines as people were waiting to exit the building. 04:02 And so, in order to expedite my wait, I pulled into the shorter of the two lines, 04:09 and as I was waiting there in line, the person in the front of my line did not know how to use the machine and so, 04:18 those to the right of me were going frequently past and exiting the building. And so, because that line was moving, 04:26 I decided to shift over into the lane to my right, and as soon as I got in the right lane, 04:36 the person in the front of my line forgot their wallet, and so my line got held up and all of a sudden, 04:45 the lane to my left had begun to move quickly 04:49 and so because I've got somewhere to go when there was a break in the line I shifted back over to the left lane. 04:57 And as soon as I get back to the left lane, all of a sudden, the pay station begins to malfunction 05:05 and the lane to my right begins to move suddenly again. And so then because of impatience, 05:13 I shift back to the right lane. And as I get into the right lane, both lanes are stuck, 05:20 and there is no traffic at all. And after a little while, the parking attendant noticing that the machine in the left 05:28 lane was not working, he went and opened it up with his card and because the line was so backed up, 05:36 he allowed the next 20 or 30 cars to go through without having to pay in order to exit the building. 05:44 And if I had just stayed in my lane, I would have gotten out a little bit quicker and I would have had my fee paid, 05:55 but because I'm focusing on how fast everyone else is moving, in the process, I forfeit some benefits by changing lanes. 06:06 And by changing lanes, I wind up staying there longer, and it cost me more because I was impatient. 06:15 And I guess what I'm saying is that when it comes down to faith, 06:18 sometimes it's best to stay in the lane that God has for you. 06:23 Because we're impatient, sometimes we're always looking for the shortest lane 06:29 and when you focus on the flow of traffic instead of focusing on your path, 06:35 you will always be tempted to switch lanes ahead of schedule and, see, 06:40 some of us are always looking for the shortest path to success. 06:45 We're always looking for the shortest path to prosperity. We're always looking for the shortest path to wealth. 06:52 Some are looking for the shortest path to the altar and wrongly, we think there's a short path to spiritual growth 06:59 and what you don't realize is that sometimes it's hard being in the long line, 07:05 but do I have a witness that sometimes there's a blessing in the long line? 07:10 In fact, I want to encourage somebody that's in the waiting line today to stop looking at the traffic, 07:17 to stop living in your peripheral vision, and just focus on the path that God has for you. 07:24 Because sometimes, if you switch up too quickly, 07:28 you might forfeit the blessings that God has in store for you in the lane that you are in. 07:35 And let me just say to somebody who is in the tired space of waiting, I know it's hard waiting in line. 07:43 Sometimes you get tired of being on that straight and narrow lane but the good news about being in that straight 07:51 and narrow lane is first, it leadeth unto life. But when you're in the lane that God has for you, 07:59 how many of us know that every now and then, God opens up a lane and allows the traffic to get unblocked. 08:06 But the good news about staying in the straight and narrow lane is, guess what? The fare has already been paid. 08:14 In other words, there is no price to admission. It has been purchased and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. 08:22 Are you with me today, Saints? And so, go back with me if you don't mind to Matthew 15:23, 08:30 there are some things I want us to see in the scriptures today. Matthew 15:23. 08:37 When you get there, let me hear you say, Amen. The Bible says, "But he answered her not a word and his disciples came 08:47 and urged him saying, 'Send her away for she cries out after us.'" Understand today, friends, 08:56 that today's message should not just grow your faith in what God can do for you. 09:05 It should also grow your faith in what you can do for other people. 09:11 In fact, one of the first things this story teaches us is that sometimes in the church, 09:17 when we don't know how to solve a problem, we just send it away. Now, I share with you a couple of weeks ago, 09:26 that this test in this story is not just a test for the woman, 09:32 it is actually a test for the disciples to see if they understand their assignment 09:39 and to see if they lay claim to certain benefits that God has promised to them. 09:46 And so, remember now this woman comes to Jesus and she cries out for help 09:51 because her daughter is severely possessed by a demon and understand that, 09:58 in this moment, Jesus intentionally creates a moment of awkwardness because the Bible says, 10:06 he does not answer her a word. 10:09 Now, to be clear, Saints, she is demonstrable in her expression. She is passionate in her plea 10:17 and she directs all of her attention to Jesus, and yet Jesus does not even respond. 10:24 And understand, this is out of character for Christ because Jesus always has a response 10:31 and he always has a clever reply no matter what the situation is but understand that by not responding, 10:41 Jesus is highlighting his disciples unreadiness and their lack of faith to lay claim to his promises. 10:50 In other words, when Jesus does not respond of the requests made of him, 10:56 maybe she gets to a place where she does not ask anything of the disciples 11:02 but maybe she just looks to them to see if they're going to advocate on her behalf. 11:09 Maybe she just shoots them a look to see if they're going to help her rightly interpret the silence. 11:17 Maybe she's just looking for them to point them in the right direction but 11:23 because they don't have enough power to help their impotence, 11:29 literally bring such conviction that they want to push the woman away. 11:35 And could it be, friends of mine, 11:38 the reason Jesus does not respond is he's trying to create an opportunity for the disciples to step in 11:48 and show who God has made them to be? Y'all, not with me yet. 11:53 See, she understands that Jesus's mission is about two-thirds of the way complete. 12:00 And Jesus knows that in order for them to function in his name after he leaves, 12:06 they've got to start practicing how to function in his name even when he is still present 12:13 and, see, Jesus is noticing a very dangerous pattern amongst the disciples that when they don't 12:21 know how to solve a problem, they just send the problem away. 12:27 What do you mean, Pastor? Go back one chapter to Matthew 14, and remember when the crowds had followed Jesus all day, 12:36 and before Jesus fed the 5,000, remember the instructions of the disciples to Jesus. 12:44 They said, "Master, send them away to the villages so that they might get something to eat." 12:51 And notice that Jesus said to them, 12:53 you give them something to eat but they got all these reasons why they can't perform anything 13:00 and do anything for the people and Jesus does in their presence, 13:06 the miracle he would have wanted them to do after he had already departed. 13:12 And even one chapter later, as soon as they face their next challenge, 13:18 as soon as they're confronted with another conundrum, instead of addressing the problem, 13:24 their habit is to send away the problem. 13:29 See, understand, friends of mine, that in Matthew 10:7, remember, the instruction of Jesus to the disciples, 13:37 He told them to go and preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He told them to feed the hungry, 13:46 heal the lepers, call the lame to walk, and He told them to cast the demons out. And it's amazing, friends, 13:56 because they're at a place that the only thing they have faith to do is to receive 14:02 but they don't have the faith to distribute or to give. And, see, the problem, Saints, 14:08 is the reason they are powerless is because they don't see themselves as a solution. Where's the church at today? 14:16 See, when you don't see yourself as a solution to the problem, your automatic response is to send the problem away. 14:24 In other words, friends, I need you all to see this moment with me. In other words, when Jesus does not reply, 14:32 He is literally designing an opportunity, He is creating a space for the disciples to step in and exercise the spiritual 14:44 authority that had been promised, so that, at the very worst, 14:49 they should have begun petitioning Jesus on the woman's behalf but at their very best, 14:56 they should have said, "What's your daughter's name?" And if she says, "My baby's name is Lashawn," 15:01 they should have said, "We call out Beelzebub in the name of Lashawn because of the authority we have in Jesus." 15:11 But understand that because they don't have power, the woman's need highlights their impotence, 15:21 her need highlights their deficiency and because they don't want their deficiency to be exposed, 15:29 they just want to send the problem to somebody else. 15:33 And can I just say this, friends of mine? That one of the habits in the body is that sometimes, 15:38 we always tend to send away problems that we don't know how to solve. And, see, from the outside, 15:46 their behavior looks like calculated indifference or religious unconcern. 15:52 When the truth is that there is simply incompetence and then impotence to be able to handle the situation they are facing. 16:01 And how many of us agree that sometimes when we can't handle a problem, 16:07 we just send the problem to somebody else? And the truth is the same, even in our time, 16:15 there are certain problems that we don't know how to address so that we just send the problems away. 16:22 In other words, in the church, we don't really know how to deal with mental illness, 16:28 and because we don't know how to deal with it, we just send it away. 16:33 We don't know how to deal with domestic violence in the church, 16:38 and because we don't know how to deal with it, we just send it away. 16:43 Because we don't know how to deal with mass shootings in our community, 16:48 we don't know how to deal with it, so we just pray it away. Because we don't know how to deal with homosexuality, 16:55 all we do is just hide it under the covers and sweep it away in the corner because we don't know how to deal with it, 17:03 we just send it away. And, see, what we do is we issue statements of condemnation, but we bypass the actual issue. 17:13 And the thing we are good at is sometimes, we say we just need to focus on the second coming of Jesus exclusively. 17:21 And the reason we only want to focus on the end is 17:25 because we don't have the power to deal with what's happening right now 17:31 because we haven't laid claim to the authority that God has invested in the sons and daughters of God. 17:39 And, see, can I just say this during this general conference session? 17:44 The reason we don't know what to do is because when we meet, 17:50 we're focusing on church policy instead of community problems. 17:55 You all are not hearing me today. In other words, we are focusing on how we function instead of how to heal their issues. 18:04 Where's the church at today? 18:06 See, the problem with upper church management is we're clear on articulating our position 18:12 but we never articulate a strategy. In other words, we got a position on gun violence, 18:18 but we've got no strategy for gun violence. We've got a position on homosexuality 18:24 but we've got no strategy to deal with homosexuality. We've got a position on mental illness 18:31 but we've got no strategy for mental illness. 18:34 And what I'm saying to the leadership of the church is when we gather, 18:38 at some point, mass shootings are to get on the agenda. At some point, 18:43 domestic violence ought to get on the agenda. At some point, community hunger ought to get on the agenda. 18:50 At some point, police shootings ought to get on the agenda. We ought to stop gathering just to focus on our policy 18:59 and figure out a way to bless our community. Are you hearing me today, Saints? 19:08 [ Congregation: applause ] 19:10 And, see, friends of mine, I just don't mean this specifically to the upper management of the church. 19:17 I need every member of the body to understand that there is no problem you encounter that you're powerless to affect. 19:29 See, how many of us understand in the church that wherever you land, you've been assigned by God? 19:37 And if God has sent you there, He has sent you not to just be an observer but to be a solution to a problem. 19:47 That's crazy because some of us are still looking at me and saying, "Well, Pastor, I can't do anything 19:53 because I'm not a pastor, or I'm not a preacher or I'm not a famous person or a wealthy person." 19:59 I need you to understand that you got to get to a place where you just use whatever God has given you. 20:06 Can I say that somebody that if you've got money in your pockets, and you've got food in your refrigerator, guess what? 20:15 You can help the issue of hunger in our community. I need somebody to understand, friends of mine, 20:22 that if you've got 5,000 followers on Instagram, it's because God has given you influence with people, 20:30 but you've got to stop taking selfies and start being a helpy. Where you all at today, Church? 20:36 In other words, friends, if you've got a spare bedroom, you can bless somebody. If you've got room in your backseat, 20:44 you can bless somebody. 20:45 Do you realize that you can help somebody if you just opened up your mouth and said, 20:51 "Let me tell you what the Lord has done for me?" 20:57 Is there anybody that understands that your testimony has the power to deliver the captives? 21:04 It is why the devil works so hard to make you a saint of where God has brought you from, 21:11 but I want to just release somebody today. Don't ever be ashamed of where God has brought you from 21:19 and what God has brought you out of and see, I need you to know that when you come out, 21:25 you become the devil's worst nightmare because you've got the combination to the slavers bands of iniquity. 21:33 And he doesn't want other folks to get the combination that God has put under your care. 21:40 In other words, you can help somebody. You realize that if we just laid claim to the Holy Ghost as we should, 21:50 do you realize, friends of mine, that the most underclaimed benefit in Christ-- slow it down. 22:00 The most underclaimed benefit is the presence of the Holy Ghost. I love what Jesus says, 22:07 he says, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, 22:12 I'm that much more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask." 22:18 See, the problem with some is we think the disciples then get the Holy Ghost until the day of Pentecost. 22:24 But the Bible says that he already breathe the Holy Spirit on them, 22:29 and there were times that the demons were already subject to them. Are you all hearing me today, Saints? 22:34 And what I'm saying today is that there got to be some Holy Ghost-filled saints who understand that the veil has 22:42 been removed, that we are not under the priestly order anymore, 22:46 where only those who are Levites by genealogy have access to the oracles of God. 22:53 But how many of us know that we are under the priesthood of all believers? 22:58 So that all of us have access to the power and the agency of the Holy Ghost. 23:05 In other words, Church, if somebody needs special prayer, you ain't got to send them to the pastor's office, 23:13 you ought to take them to a corner of the church and pray down the fire of God over their life and their experience. 23:21 If somebody needs a word, you ain't got to call Pastor Williams, 23:25 open up your own Bible and go line upon line and precept upon precept. 23:31 If somebody needs something to eat, you ain't got to send them to Community Service, 23:36 open up your own wallet, and if you ain't got no money, do like Peter and say, "Silver and gold have I none, 23:44 but such as I have I give thee in the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Are you all hearing the word today? 23:52 In other words, if somebody walks through this door full of a thousand evil spirits, 23:56 nobody shouldn't cry and say, "Where is Pastor Snell?" There ought to be some Holy Ghost-filled, 24:03 fire-baptized, blood-washed saints of the most high God that can roll up on Beelzebub and say, 24:11 "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, by the power invested in me, I command you to come out 24:22 because I got the Holy Ghost." Are you hearing me today, Saints? 24:28 [ Congregation: applause ] 24:30 Pastor Snell: And see, the problem is because we don't have power, we want to send away the problem. 24:36 And instead of sending away the problem, we just need to lay claim to the power that Jesus has made available to us. 24:43 Are you all hearing me today, Saints? 24:46 The second thing we learn from this story is that the only favor you need comes from God. 25:02 I need somebody to hear me on this. That the only favor you will ever need comes from Jehovah. 25:11 You see one of the things I love about this woman is no matter what these disciples say, 25:19 she keeps her focus on Jesus. You see the love that she doesn't try to politic her way to Jesus. 25:32 In other words, she doesn't try to get next to Peter in order to get close to Jesus. 25:39 She doesn't promise favors to John in order to get close to Jesus. 25:44 She doesn't flirt with Andrew in order to get close to Jesus. 25:50 In other words, she bypasses all the middleman and go straight and makes her request known to the Son of David 25:58 because she realizes that the only favor that matters is his. 26:05 See, this is why she is not offended or put off by how the disciples treat her. 26:11 Because if she came expecting their favor, then she would have been disappointed when they rejected her. 26:20 But see, the one thing the lady understands is that it doesn't really matter how they feel about her, 26:27 the only thing that matters is how Jesus feels about her. And, see, the reason I'm saying this, 26:33 Beloved, is that there are some of us that spend too much time trying to get close to important people. 26:42 We spend a lot of time trying to get close to important people that we think are able to do something for us. 26:49 But how many of us understand that people cannot do for you anything that God cannot already perform? 26:57 See, we spend this time trying to develop these relationships with folk, trying to get close to that person, 27:06 and, see, there are some of us that have gotten into this habit where we try to keep our ear low to the ground, 27:11 we become connoisseurs of information. It is why we pledge this sorority and that frat in the name of networking 27:20 and upward mobility, and I'm not here to condemn any of that 27:24 but I need you to understand that it is only God that opens up doors that no man can shut 27:32 and God shuts doors that no man can open. Are you all hearing what I'm saying? 27:38 Thank you for joining us for another broadcast of The Breath of Life Television Ministry. 27:44 We hope and pray that you were blessed throughout the three part series of the message titled Claim Your Benefits 27:51 by Pastor Debleaire Snell. Join us next week for part two of the third and final episode in the series. 27:58 Claim your benefit. 28:00 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:25 Hi. I'm Debleaire Snell. Have you ever been in a place where as soon as you start believing big, 28:31 praying big and thinking big, someone told you that you need to be more realistic. 28:37 It was unrealistic for Jesus to say, I'm going to lay down my life and in three days I'm going to pick it up again. 28:44 I would encourage you to put down your commonly held beliefs. And it's time for us to get unrealistic. 28:52 [end] |
Revised 2022-08-22