Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000056S
|
00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #S030 - It's Hard Being Chosen - (Part 1) 00:19 Snell: So this time I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet for the word today. 00:24 I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet as we go into the scriptures of Matthew chapter 2. 00:29 And we will begin together here around verse 11. Matthew chapter 2, and verse 11. When you get there, let me hear you say amen. 00:39 Okay, let me just, I don't know what's happening here. We are unequally yolked today. 00:45 Like I'm all turned up and excited to be here in the house of the Lord and you're all mad because it's a little cold. 00:51 Now I need you to know, if you had been moving during worship, you wouldn't be cold, 00:55 [Congregation: Amen] but because you are sitting still, you're icy. So come on and wake up. 01:00 Let's get ready for the word. Get ready for the word. 01:02 I'm excited to be here and I'm glad to see you and those who are joining online. Matthew chapter 2, 01:08 we are going to begin together at verse number 11. When you get there, let me hear you say amen. [Congregation: Amen]. 01:14 Matthew chapter 2 and verse 11. 01:16 Now you're here with me. And before we read, I do just want to share a quick birthday shout-out to brother David Mahoney, 01:21 one of my good friends from the Northeastern Conference, happy birthday. Glad you're watching with us today. 01:26 Matthew chapter 2 and verse 11. We're picking up in many ways where we left off last week with the wise man. 01:33 Matthew chapter 2, in verse 11, the Bible says, and when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, 01:42 his mother, and fell down. And what? Worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gold, 01:51 frankincense, and myrrh. Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, 01:58 they departed for their own country another way. 02:02 Now when they had departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, arise, 02:08 take the young child and his mother and flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring you word, 02:17 for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And when he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night 02:25 and departed for Egypt and was there until the death of Herod that it might be what? 02:32 Fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, out of Egypt I have called my son. 02:40 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, 02:45 was exceedingly angry and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem 02:52 and in all of its districts from two years old and under, according to the time which had been determined from the wise man. 02:59 Then was what? Fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying, a voice was heard in lamentation, 03:10 weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children refusing to be comforted because they are no more. 03:18 Now when Herod was dead, behold the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, 03:24 arise and take the young child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who sought the young child's life are dead. 03:32 Then he rose and took the young child and his mother and came into the land of Israel. 03:37 But when he heard that Achalias was reigning over Judea instead of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there, 03:44 and being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee 03:49 and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled, that which was spoken by the prophets, 03:58 that he shall be called a Nazarene. 04:01 Today, saints, I want to talk to you for a little while about the subject, being chosen is hard. Let's pray together. 04:14 Father, as we've gathered today, one of the last weekends of the year, we are in need of an express word from you. 04:26 And so Father, I ask in a special way that you would overwhelm this service with your presence, 04:34 would you make your spirit so dense that it smothers all rivaling principalities? 04:40 And so Father, we ask in a very special way that in the hearing of the word, that faith would be multiplied exponentially. 04:48 So, Lord, I'm praying that Lord, it may be cold on the outside. Lord, would you warm us on the inside? 04:53 Hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen, that Christ alone would be heard. 05:00 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, 05:07 it is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Let God's people say together, amen and amen. You may be seated in the house of the Lord. 05:17 Again, talking to you under the subject today, being chosen is hard. Let me ask you a question. 05:28 By show of hands, how many us want to be chosen or favored by God? Amen. 05:36 And it is a good thing to desire God's favor or God's election. 05:40 But I do think friends that we need to do a more complete job of explaining what it means to experience God's favor. 05:51 In fact, there are some amongst us who are frustrated because we were not chosen for a particular thing or favored in a certain way. 06:00 But you should know saints, that when God is dispensing favor, he is not just measuring your worthiness, 06:09 he's actually measuring your capacity. He is testing to see if you can handle everything that comes with being chosen by him. 06:20 Because how many of us understand that favor comes with a weight and a responsibility? 06:26 There is actually a hardness that comes with being chosen by God. In fact, think through the scriptures with me, 06:34 through all the experiences of those who have experienced God's favor. You see, Joseph experienced divine favor, 06:43 and yet he was permitted to be thrown into a pit and into a prison, that Job was favored by God 06:52 and yet he was permitted to lose everything that he loved. 06:57 Moses was favored by God, but his life was not filled with appreciation, but rather it was filled with complaint and murmuring, 07:06 that David was chosen by God and yet he lived as a fugitive and an exile before he took the throne. 07:16 That Daniel was favored by God and yet he still had to go inside of a lion's den. The three Hebrew worthies were favored by God, 07:26 and yet they still had to face a fiery furnace. That Mary was favored by God, but she didn't live in a mansion, 07:35 but she was aimed in the slums of Nazareth. And even though Jesus was favored, it did not allow him to bypass the cross. 07:44 So that when God gives us favor, he doesn't just evaluate your desire, he's actually looking at your capacity to bear it. 07:54 And the problem is friends, that we only see favor as an advantage. 08:00 But how many of us know that favor is a responsibility? And see, it's quaint to say favor ain't fair, it's in style. 08:10 But how many of us know that those who don't have favor feel like it's not fair 08:15 and even those that have favor feel like it's not fair? 08:20 In fact, what Job will tell you is that favor is not who God loves the most, favor is who God trusts the most. 08:28 Let me say it again, that favor is not just who he loves the most, it's actually who he can trust the most. 08:35 And the truth is that there are some of us that ought to celebrate not being chosen in a way 08:42 because it just means that what God would give you would be more than you can handle in this season. 08:49 And there are some of us that need to reinterpret the data of what you're experiencing as a chosen child of God. 08:57 You see, for some of us, we only think favor is blessing. We only think favor is advantage, 09:03 we only think favor is our right circumstance. But some of us need to reinterpret our hardships 09:11 and our horrors because sometimes your adversity is just the proof that you are in the difficult side of divine favor. 09:20 In other words, let me say it this way, it's crazy. I have three kids and my oldest son has certain advantages as the oldest. 09:28 As the oldest, he gets to stay up a little later. As the oldest, he can ride his bike a little further without supervision. 09:35 As the oldest, I let him watch some things that the others don't get to see, 09:40 but he doesn't understand that you can't have certain advantages if you're not willing to have the hard assignments. 09:48 You all not with me yet. In other words, whenever the trash has to be taken out, whenever heavy furniture has to be moved, 09:55 whenever somebody's got to go outside in the dark, that's the one I'm going to call on. 10:01 And I need him to know that you can't have the advantage if you're not willing to take certain assignments. 10:08 And do I have 7 or 8 folks that know that God can't trust you with certain advantages if you are still complaining about hard 10:17 assignments? In other words, when you complain about a hard assignment, 10:22 it's just proof that you are not ready for certain advantages. And whenever God gives you the hard assignment, 10:29 it's actually an endorsement of your character. It's a belief that you've got the capacity. 10:36 It's the trust that what he's going to give you is not more than what you are able to bear. 10:42 Are you with me today, saints? And so I want us to just unpack this word today. Go back with me if you don't mind, 10:48 to Matthew chapter 2, as we look and unpack the scriptures. Matthew chapter 2, and we're going to look together at verse 16. 10:58 The Bible says, then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, 11:03 was exceedingly angry and he sent to put forth to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem 11:10 and in his districts from two years old and under according to the time which had been determined by the wise man. 11:20 In other words, friends, I want you to get that the entire life of Jesus Christ actually personifies why it's so hard to be chosen. 11:32 And see, the first thing that this story teaches us is that when you are chosen, 11:37 certain people will be threatened by your very existence. 11:42 Let me say it again, that, when your chosen certain folk will be threatened by your very existence, 11:49 it's amazing friends that just the news of the potential birth of a new king has sent Herod into high alert. 11:59 In fact, he is so irritated by the news that he sends the entire nation on a manhunt for a baby. 12:08 And it's crazy because no baby can be a threat to an established king, 12:14 but his goal is to eliminate any potential rivals to his posterity on the throne. 12:21 And so his hysteria is ignited and he goes into a mode of protecting what is his 12:28 and it's crazy friends that all Jesus does is be born. His only crime is showing up. 12:36 His only offense is being chosen by God. In other words, the baby does not lead an insurrection. 12:44 He doesn't call folk to a coup. He doesn't lead a campaign. As a baby, all he does is nurse and burp and sleep and poop. 12:54 You all mighty quiet with me today. And see what the birth of Jesus teaches is that when you are chosen by God, 13:02 it's going to put you on the wrong side of people [Congregation: Amen]. 13:06 And see, this is the irony of the whole thing that your boy Herod is protecting his path to the throne, 13:14 but the throne that he's trying to protect is not the throne that Jesus wants to occupy. Remember, Jesus, 13:22 says that my kingdom is not of this world because if it were, I would have fought for it. 13:29 But understand friends that when you are chosen by God, 13:33 insecure folk will begin fighting against things that you are not even trying to get. 13:41 In other words, friends of mine, when you've got favor in the workplace and people see God's favor over you, 13:48 people will start fighting against you 13:50 because they'll assume that you want their position when you don't even see that as a part of your future. 13:57 Isn't it crazy, ladies, that when you are beautiful on the inside and on the outside, 14:03 there are insecure women who going to think that you are after their man when you didn't even notice him? 14:09 They just got mad because they notice him noticing you. You all mighty quiet. 14:14 In other words, an insecure cat is going to want to fight you over a woman that you wouldn't even look at if you were still single. 14:22 You all might not hear your boy today. In other words, when they can see God's favor over your voice in the choir, 14:28 they're going to get insecure thinking you are coming for their part in the alto section and they assume you automatically 14:35 want what's theirs. 14:38 And see the problem with insecure people is they see your potential as a threat to their position, their possession, 14:46 and their ambition. And because they can't imitate your favor, they'll then assassinate your character. 14:54 Oh, let me say it again [Congregation: Clapping]. In other words, when they can't imitate what God has given you, 15:00 they'll try to assassinate what God is doing in you. In other words, because Saul couldn't imitate David's favor, 15:08 he tried to assassinate his person. When Joseph's brothers couldn't imitate his dreams, they tried to assassinate his life. 15:17 When the magicians couldn't imitate Daniels favor, they tried to assassinate his assignment. 15:24 The other apostles couldn't imitate Paul's anointing, so they tried to assassinate his character. 15:30 And I need you to get to a point where you see assassination attempts as a compliment [Congregation: Applauding]. 15:39 Okay. In other words, assassination attempts are always uncomfortable, 15:43 but assassination attempts are the proof that they just 15:47 know they can't compete with the power that God has placed all over your life. 15:53 In other words, folk, when folk try to assassinate your character, 15:58 when they try to come for your reputation, when they form alliances against you, don't you tuck your tail and run away. 16:06 It's just a proof that they know that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 16:13 And how many of us know that when you are called by God that you don't have to defend yourself, 16:19 you don't have to fight for yourself, you don't have to go tit for tat because the battle is not yours, 16:26 but the battle belongs to the Lord. You've just got to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord [Congregation: Amen] 16:36 See, let me just pause and just say to somebody that's under attack, I need you to know that when you've been favored by God, 16:44 you can't be foiled by men [Congregation: Amen]. 16:48 In other words, I need somebody to digest this. I need somebody to know that when God has set you up, that there is no slander, 16:57 there is no lie, there is no snare, there is nothing that man can do to disrupt the favor that God has put all over your life. 17:09 In other words, when you look at the story of Joseph, there was nothing that his brothers could do to disrupt God's plan. 17:16 When you look at Saul, there was nothing he could do to disrupt God's favor. When you look at the story of Joseph, 17:24 he is the testimony that God will take what your enemies meant for bad [Congregation: Yes]. He'll re-injure, 17:31 reverse engineer the circumstance so that what was meant for bad, God will turn it around and use it for your good. 17:40 And see, I need you to know friends, that when you've got God's favor, 17:44 he'll put the attacks on a seesaw [Congregation: Applauding]. 17:48 In other words, anybody old enough to remember the seesaw on the playground where when you mash down one side, 17:54 it raises up the other side because it's got something holding in the middle. 17:59 See how many of us know that no matter how far the enemy tries to push you down [Congregation: Yeah] 18:04 because you've got Jesus in the middle [Congregation: Amen], it's just going to raise you higher on the other side. 18:10 In other words, don't try to stop them from pushing. God is just going to reverse it and cause it to start lifting you. 18:18 Are you hearing me today? And see, I want to just say a quick word to the haters and the chosen amongst us. 18:26 I want to first say to the haters, 18:28 you would be more fruitful if you spent more time watering your garden than you did poisoning theirs [Congregation: Clapping]. 18:37 Okay. You all going to make me work hard for today. I need you to know it doesn't matter how much poison you put on their garden, 18:45 it will not make your garden more fruitful. In other words, 18:49 you'll find better use of your time by watering what God has given you than you do trying to poison what God has given them. 18:58 And see, I need somebody to know that living a life of insecurity takes all the joy out of your experience. 19:06 There are some of us that need to come out of the pettiness business. You need to come out of the slander business. 19:14 You need to come out of the sabotage business. You need to come out of the hating business because it is no way to live, 19:22 having to avoid other people's prosperity. You all are mighty quiet today. 19:27 In other words, I want to be able to rejoice with those who rejoice. 19:31 I don't want to have to hide from the goodness of God in somebody else's life. 19:37 Are you're all with me today? In other words, put some water on what God has given you. 19:42 Put some water on the visions inside of your spirit, and I need you to know that if God didn't give it to you, 19:51 then sabotage can't acquire it for you [Congregation: Applauding]. In other words, if divine favor did not give it to you, 20:00 then guess what? Earthly weapons cannot take it from you. And see, and this is why we've got to change the way we do things, 20:07 because see, if you use the flesh to get it, then you've got to use the flesh to keep it. 20:16 But I need you to know friends of mine that when God gives you something, there is nothing they can do to take it from you. 20:24 Are you with me today, friends? 20:27 And let me just say to somebody who finds themself in a position of envy where others are hating on you, 20:32 let me just say this quick word. I want to free somebody in the room. 20:36 I want to encourage you to stop using so much of the energy of your mind, counting the folk who are against you, 20:45 numbering the folk that hate on you and trying to give credits to those that seem to be against you. 20:52 I need you to know it is a fruitless and pointless activity. In other words, stop calling out haters on Facebook. 20:59 Stop counting them on Instagram. Stop looking at all the folk that weren't there for you. 21:05 Because all you do by calling out haters is make them relevant. In other words, they thrive on a certain type of attention. 21:14 And the more you spend time looking at them and trying to manage them, the more you deplete your own self. 21:23 And that's why you need to live. 21:26 How Paul says in the book of Romans, he says, as far as it depends upon you to make sure that you live at peace with all men. 21:35 In other words, don't spend your time getting, even spend your play space in forgiveness 21:41 because I need somebody to know that haters can't defeat you. All they can do is distract you [Congregation: Yeah]. 21:50 And in other words, they can't take down God's plan. All they can do is distract you from God's plan. In other words, 21:59 if they can get you spending more time looking at them, than you spend looking at God, 22:06 then you have yielded your power over to them. Are you're all with me today, friends? 22:11 They can't defeat. All they can do is distract. 22:14 Okay, I think the brothers will hear me on this like, 22:16 how many of us know the reason when older men are playing younger men in basketball? 22:23 There is a reason we talk trash. There is a reason we hard foul. It's because we know we can't defeat them. 22:32 Come on and tell the truth [Congregation: Laughing]. All we can really do at a certain point is distract them. 22:37 In other words, like when you playing against a young guy, I need you to know, but I'm playing defense. 22:40 I only got like three slides, right [Congregation: Laughing]. I got about five slides left, 22:46 and after that it is going be a highway to the basket. Can I get a witness out there? In other words, 22:51 I need to go home with my knees and my ACLs intact. Can somebody say amen out there today? [Congregation: Amen]. 22:57 In other words, so when I'm playing ball with my son, like if he only recognized me, if he just kept his focus, 23:03 the reason I'm talking trash about his shorts, the reason I'm talking trash about his shoes, 23:08 the reason I'm hard fouling him is to distract him because I can't keep up with him. 23:13 And you're all looking at me like I don't love the Lord. I love the Lord [Congregation: Laughing]. 23:17 This was done to me by my dad and this is why I'm doing it to him. Are you're all with me today friends? 23:23 In other words, he can't defeat you, he can only distract you. Are you hearing me today? 23:30 And so the word says to us here in Matthew chapter 2, I want you to look at this. 23:35 The Bible says here in verse number 14, the word says this, that when he arose, he took the young child 23:47 and his mother by night and departed for Egypt 23:52 and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, 23:58 out of Egypt, I have called my son. 24:01 The second thing this teaches friends of mine is that when you are chosen by God, you don't get much detail. 24:11 Okay, now I need you to get a sense of how disruptive this narrative is to the family. 24:21 You see, Mary has come to the place where she has come to the full term of this pregnancy. 24:27 And you would think that even if God does not give her stellar first-class accommodations, 24:33 you would think he would at least provide a home or a space where she could be settled. 24:39 In other words, as she goes into labor, Mary needs a space where she can begin the nesting process, 24:47 where she can have the bottles in a certain place and the rocker in a certain spot 24:52 and the pillows all sterilized so that she can nurse the baby during his early days. 24:58 But can you see how stressful it is for them to march through the city of Bethlehem, 25:05 rejected by every innkeeper in town that there is no place for them to rest? There is no place for her to birth? 25:13 In fact, I don't even know if they got permission to go to the manger. 25:19 They may have just gone into the first door that they saw available for the baby to be born. 25:25 And you would think that God would create a space where they would have privacy, 25:30 where they could nurture the baby in his early days. But before they know it, 25:34 they hear a pounding on the door from the wise man. And even though it is good news, 25:40 their initial assumption is that somebody's knocking to commence an eviction notice. 25:47 And as soon as Mary catches her breath, notice that the angel says, arise and send the child to Egypt. 25:56 Watch this. Notice that he doesn't say this 2 or 3 day in advance. He waits till the same night to tell them to go, 26:06 and she's got to take a newborn in the middle of the night and go all the way to Egypt. 26:13 But catch this, the Bible says that they go into Egypt, the Bible says so that it might be fulfilled, 26:23 that which was spoken by the prophet that I will call my son out of Egypt. You all didn't catch that. 26:29 Did you notice that around the Christ narrative, every major event was followed by the statement that it might be fulfilled, 26:37 that which was spoken by the prophet. So that Jesus being born to a virgin was the fulfillment of a prophecy. 26:45 That him being born in Bethlehem was the fulfillment of the prophecy. Him being born when he was, 26:52 was the fulfillment of the 70-week prophecy. That him going to Egypt, was the fulfillment of the prophecy. 26:58 And it's amazing that God had all the details in eternity, but he only gives them in the nick of time. 27:06 Did you notice friends, that when he sends them down to Egypt, that God doesn't give Mary and Joseph a calendar? 27:15 He does not give them the year at a glance that says, this is when you're going to have to leave. This is how long you stay. 27:23 In fact, the word says he doesn't even tell them how long they're going to stay in Egypt. 27:27 He says, just stay there until I send a word. 27:30 In other words, he literally only reveals the details in increments based on a need-to-know basis. 27:38 And even though they are chosen by God, God does not give them all the details. 27:45 Thank you so much for joining us for the Breath of Life Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell! 27:52 We hope and pray that you have been blessed by part one of “It's Hard Being Chosen.” 28:00 Join us next week for Part Two. You don't want to miss it! 28:06 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:43 [END] |
Revised 2023-02-17