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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000078S
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00:00 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Sermon #S041 - Don't Go Down With The Ship - (Part 1) 00:20 Pastor Snell: And for those who are in the building, 00:21 I'm going to invite you to stand to your feet as we go to the word today. 00:24 We're going to go to a couple places in the scriptures. We're going to begin in Proverbs chapter 22 00:29 and verse number three. And then we're going to go over to Joshua chapter two, 00:35 which is where we will land sermonically today. 00:37 Proverbs chapter 22 and verse number three when you get there, let me hear you say amen. 00:42 Proverbs chapter 22 and verse number three, how many of us need a word from the Lord today? 00:49 [Congregation: Amen] 00:51 Amen. I just need to know where to aim this sermon today. I want to give it to people who want it. Amen. 00:55 [Congregation: Amen] 00:57 Proverbs 22 and verse three. And if you don't mind, just put your finger over in Joshua chapter two. 01:00 Again, we're in our pivot series. We're still in our series entitled The Pivot, 01:05 and we've been talking about how to adjust to divine detour. 01:09 There are times where the life of faith is not a straight line, 01:12 but the life of faith requires some turns along the way. 01:17 But I need you to know that God will be there at every turn. 01:19 Proverbs 22 and verse three, just a simple statement of wisdom for the general body of Christ today. 01:27 Proverbs 22 and verse three, when you get there, just say, pastor I'm here. 01:29 [Congregation: I'm here.] 01:31 It says, "A prudent man foreseeth evil and hides himself: 01:37 but the simple pass on and are punished." 01:41 Now, go with me over to Joshua chapter two and we'll begin at verse number one, 01:47 and we'll read honestly a good little bit of this today just so that you have a full frame from which to understand 01:53 the word today. Joshua chapter two in verse one. When you get there, just see it say Amen. 01:58 [Congregation: Amen] 02:00 The Bible says, "Now Joshua, the son of Nun, sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, 02:07 'Go view the land, especially Jericho.' So they went out and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab 02:15 and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, 02:19 'Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country." 02:24 So the King of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, 'Bring out the men who have come to you, who hav'e entered your home, 02:30 they have come to search out all the country.' Then the woman took the two men and hid them. 02:38 So she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 02:43 And it happened as the gate was being shut when it was dark, that the men went out. 02:48 Where the men went, I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them." 02:54 But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, 03:00 which she had laid in order on the roof. Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan and the fords. 03:08 And as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate. 03:15 Now, before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, 03:23 "I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, 03:29 and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 03:33 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came from Egypt, 03:40 and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, 03:47 whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. 03:55 Neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord your God, 04:03 He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. Now, therefore, I beg you, stay with me, Church, 04:12 I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, 04:17 that you will show kindness to my father's house, to give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, 04:24 my brothers and sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." 04:30 So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours. If none of you tells this business of ours, 04:37 it shall be when the Lord has given us the land that we will deal kindly and truly with you." 04:43 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall. 04:49 She dwelt on the wall. And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. 04:56 Hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. And afterward, you may go your way." 05:02 So the men said unto her, 05:04 "We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear unless when we come into the land, 05:11 you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down." 05:16 And unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all of your father's household to your own home, 05:23 and so it shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the streets, 05:28 his blood will be on his own head, for we will be guiltless for whoever is with you. 05:35 In what? His blood shall be on our head. If a hand is laid upon him, and if you tell this business of yours, 05:44 then we will be free from your oath, which you have made us swear. Then she said, according to your words, so it be, 05:51 and she sent them away, and they departed, and she bound the scarlet cord in the window. 05:58 They departed and went to the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. 06:04 So the pursuers sought them along the way but did not find them. 06:08 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain and crossed over and came to Joshua, the son of Nun, 06:15 and told him all that had befallen them. 06:18 And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands." 06:24 For indeed the inhabitants of this country are faint-hearted because of us. 06:32 Today Saints, for a little while, I want to talk to you. I under the subject, "Don't go down with the ship." 06:40 Tell your neighbor real quickly, "Don't go down with the ship." 06:45 [Congregation: Don't go down with the ship.] 06:45 Pastor Snell: Turn to the other neighbor 06:47 and say, "Just because the ship is going down doesn't mean you have to go down with it." 06:53 [Congregation: Yes, sir.] 06:55 Amen. Let's pray together today. Father, in this little while, will you please say much? 07:03 Lord, I pray that you would attach a rare power to the sharing and the reception of this word. 07:11 Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that in the hearing of the word, faith will be multiplied exponentially. 07:18 So Lord, would you please hide me in the shadows of the cross that Jesus alone might be seen, 07:23 that Christ alone would be heard? And at the end of our time together, may Jesus alone be praised. 07:28 And Father, at the end of our time together, Lord, may we have the assurance that heaven rejoices with us 07:35 because at least one sinner has heard your voice and hearkened unto your divine invitation. 07:40 Bless us to this end. We pray in the wonderful name of Jesus our Lord. Let those who believe say together, Amen. 07:46 [Congregation: Amen] 07:47 And Amen, you may be seated in the house of the Lord. 07:50 We read just a second ago that the book of Proverbs teaches that the prudent see danger and take cover, 08:02 but the foolish see it, keep going and suffer the punishment. And there are times that through observation, 08:11 revelation, or experience, God allows you to be able to see how a situation is going to end 08:19 or pivot from the particular road that you are on. And the story of Rahab personifies this principle 08:33 because most likely Rahab is from the city of Jericho. 08:37 Perhaps Jericho is all that she knows, and yet she has roots in the city of Jericho, 08:43 and yet Rahab is able to discern the fate of Jericho. She can sense that destruction is near, 08:51 and yet she makes a decision to begin to pivot. 08:56 And what Rahab teaches us is that you don't have to go down with the ship you came in on. Part of the message, 09:05 friends, is to address the pathology of misplaced loyalty. You see, wisdom, friends, 09:13 is knowing that your loyalty is justified, and there are some that have applied blind loyalty to people 09:22 and systems and ways of thought, even to their own detriment. And it's interesting that we've applied some virtue 09:30 and credibility to misplaced loyalty in our time. 09:34 So much so that we kind of praise the ride or die woman that sticks with a ratchet man, even to her own detriment. 09:44 We will have a way of extolling the brother that's willing to not snitch on his friends, 09:50 even if it causes him to go to jail. 09:54 And the motive of this message is that you've got to be more loyal to God's plan than you are to people groups 10:03 or even your social conditioning. And I need somebody to get this, 10:08 that whenever you notice God withdrawing His blessing from a thing, you ought to also withdraw your loyalty. 10:17 In other words, you got to make sure that your loyalty is justified. Are you all hearing the preacher today? 10:23 [Congregation: Yes.] 10:25 And I need to give you three brief principles of how to be able to ascertain or evaluate whether your loyalty 10:30 is warranted. 10:33 Number one, you've got to be able to see the difference between somebody who is loyal and somebody who is dependent. 10:40 In other words, there are some folk who are not loyal to you, they're just dependent on you, 10:46 and understand that their loyalty is only going to go as far as your resources, 10:52 and as soon as your resources disappear, so goes their loyalty. 10:57 And there's nothing wrong with having folk that are dependent, 11:01 but you've just got to categorize them the correct way. 11:04 The second thing about loyalty is how many of us know that loyalty has to have boundaries? 11:11 And, in other words, I like to be a loyalty cat, but I need you to know very publicly that my loyalty has boundaries, 11:19 so that I ain't letting nobody bring drama to my house, no drama to my job, 11:25 and I ain't going to let you mess with my income. Are you all hearing what I'm saying? 11:29 [Congregation: Yes.] 11:29 As a matter of fact, like 10 years ago, 11:31 I had a group of friends that don't share my spiritual convictions from high school, 11:35 and they like to kind of send certain types of pictures in a group chat. 11:40 And I had to let them know that you going to see the wrong side of me if I have to answer for something that you did, 11:46 you going to be out outside of the circle of trust. Are you all hearing me today? 11:51 [Congregation: Yes.] 11:52 The third thing about loyalty, friends, is that loyalty has to be reciprocal. 11:56 It cannot be one-sided. In other words, we can't thrive at my expense. 12:03 It's got to be a situation where we pour into one another and help one another and bless one another. 12:10 Does that make sense today? And so what I need some young person to do is to begin to evaluate your loyalty, 12:17 make sure you know who's being loyal to you and that your loyalty that you give is justified so that loyalty 12:25 does not work out to your detriment but to your benefit. Are you all hearing me today? 12:29 [Congregation: Yes.] 12:31 In fact, let me say it this way, and you may kind of feel a certain way about me when I say this. 12:34 I need you to know that my loyalty is going to go only so far. In other words, If I remember, in the summertime, 12:39 all of my cousins from south Florida would come up to Tallahassee and spend the summers in our house. 12:45 And whenever you had like eight kids in the house, things were destined to be broken. 12:50 And so I remember one day something got broken, and my parents called us all in and asked who did it, 12:57 and nobody said anything. We didn't want to snitch on nobody, but I had some of those old school parents who said, 13:04 if don't nobody talk, then guess what? Everybody's going to get a spanking. And I remember one day, man, 13:12 I took a whooping for the cause of the good, 13:14 but I remember there came another day about a week from then where something got broke 13:19 and they called everybody in and asked who did it and then nobody say anything. And now I need to know, 13:25 I didn't call nobody by name, but I did this to where my cousin Gator to let 'em know that he was the one that did it. 13:32 And I learned around the fifth grade that I wasn't going to take a whooping for nobody else. 13:37 Ain't going to jail for nobody else, and ain't going to hell for nobody else. I've got some limitations to my loyalty. 13:46 [Congregation: Applause] 13:47 Are you all hearing the words today, my friends? 13:48 [Congregation: Yes.] 13:50 And so go back with me here to the book of Joshua, and I need you to know, friends, 13:55 that this particular story has some great implications for life and godliness 14:01 and the journey of faith. But the first thing this teaches us today, friends, is that real faith is actually informed, 14:10 let me say it again, that real faith is not ignorant, but real faith is informed. 14:16 Now understand, friends, you have a situation where God has removed the mantle of leadership from Moses 14:24 and he's placed it squarely on the shoulders of Joshua. And God has given him the assurance that as I was with Joshua, 14:33 the same way I am going to be with you. And God told Joshua that everywhere the soul of your feet touch, 14:42 I'm going to give the land to you as an inheritance. 14:46 And so God has already assured him that you are going to take down Jericho and occupy the land. 14:53 But note that Joshua still sends spies to do some reconnaissance and gather information and bring it back to him. 15:03 And it's amazing because patriarch 15:05 and Prophet says that the two spies are sent to gain the capabilities of the people to see the strength of the walls 15:14 or fortifications. But mainly they went to observe how much courage or strength was in the people, and notice, friends, 15:23 that even though they were assured by God, he gathers as much information as he can. 15:31 Even though God is on his side, he does his due diligence, even though he has a promise, 15:39 he still does his homework. He's got to know the points of vulnerability. He's got to know the places of escape. 15:46 In other words, Joshua still has to know what he's up against. 15:51 In other words, Joshua doesn't just charge in with a promise, Joshua charges in with a strategy. 15:59 And see, I need to kind of have this conversation so that we can look at it in a balanced way 16:06 because some of us are very strong spiritually, but we're kind of weak strategically. 16:13 In other words, some of us will sit long enough to hear God say what we are supposed to do, 16:20 but we won't sit long enough to hear God say how we are supposed to get it done. 16:26 In other words, there's not a problem with being strategic. The problem is when your strategy lacks anointing, 16:33 are you all hearing me today? And see, that's why Jesus says that my people are to be as wise 16:39 and cunning as a serpent and still be as harmless and innocent as a dove. 16:47 In other words, as believers, we are not supposed to be crooked, grimy, or slimy. 16:53 But yes, what we are still supposed to be thoughtful and calculating and opportunistic for when God says, move. 17:01 And it's amazing because God, we can only see God in the revelation, but sometimes we can't see God in the research. 17:11 Let me say it again. Sometimes we can see God in the revelation, but we can't see God in the research. 17:19 And notice, friends, that the research that they do, it just confirmed the revelation they already had. 17:27 Remember they come back to Joshua and it's like, man, what God has said is true. The people have lost their courage 17:35 because of us, and God is going to give us the city. In other words, 17:40 the research doesn't conflict with the revelation when you do research, it just confirms the revelation. 17:48 And see, the reason you've got to have that research is how many of us know that we are fallible and prone to mistakes, 17:56 that sometimes we get deceived by others, sometimes we can even deceive ourselves. 18:02 And sometimes you've got to gather some objective data to help inform some spiritual decisions. 18:10 In other words, friends, every now and then God's people need some R and R. And when I say that, 18:18 I don't just mean rest and relaxation when I say you need R and R, you need revelation and research. 18:26 In other words, you need to know what God is saying and you need to have it confirmed through study. 18:32 Are you all hearing me today? And I need you to know that you could never have rest 18:35 and relaxation if you hadn't had revelation and done no research. Are you all hearing me today, friends? 18:42 In other words, I need somebody to know that maybe God has revealed that this is the time for you to purchase a home. 18:49 But guess what? You still got to research the market. You've got to research the interest rates. 18:54 You've got to research the realtors. Don't just charge in with a revelation. 19:00 Maybe God has shown you it's time to start the business, but you've got to see if there is a market for your product, 19:07 you've got to research how to do accounting and tax law for your particular area. 19:12 Maybe God has revealed that it's time for you to come here to Oakwood University, 19:18 but you've got to do some research on the department. 19:21 You need to research financial aid, you need to learn when the application is due. 19:26 Don't just show up with a dream and a bag of luggage. You've got to do some research. 19:31 Are you all hearing what I'm saying? And I need you to know some sister today, 19:35 I need you to know that somewhere your future husband is on the other side of the church researching you. 19:41 [Congregation: Laughing] 19:44 In other words, I need you to know that a good man isn't just going to step to you based on how you look, 19:49 he's going to wait and gather some detail when you didn't even know how he was looking. 19:53 In other words, listen, when I got ready to step to Sister Snell, I didn't just step day one, 19:58 I was watching to see how she treated others beside me. 20:02 I wanted to see if she came to prayer meeting when I was not around. 20:06 I wanted to see kind of how she did things and moved when she didn't think anybody was seeing. 20:11 I had to do my research. And she did the same thing. She asked my friends, she asked people that were loyal to me. 20:18 And the reason we've got rest and relaxation is because we had revelation and research. 20:26 Are you all hearing what the pastor is saying today? 20:28 See, it's crazy because the book of Hosea says, "My people are destroyed by a lack of knowledge." 20:41 You see faith wants to remain informed, but fear wants to abide in ignorance. Oh let me say it again. 20:49 That faith wants to be informed, but fear wants to operate in ignorance. Why? Because in a life of faith, 20:56 based upon what is revealed, I am willing to amend my course. But when I am fear-based, 21:03 I choose a path and I wan to avoid information because I've already made up my mind. 21:09 In other words, when you are fearful, 21:12 you don't even wan to go to the doctor cause you don't even when you don't want to hear what the doctor has to say, 21:18 when you are fearful, you don't ask around 21:21 because you are fearful that they're not the person you've built them up in your minds to become. 21:27 And there are times, friends of mine, 21:29 where we allow fear to drive us into improper decisions instead of taking the time to be well-researched 21:36 and understand what God is telling us to do. Sometimes you still got to spy out the land. 21:45 Are you all hearing the pastor today? 21:46 [Congregation: Yes.] 21:48 Now, I do need to save this, friends of mine, with a particular balance because see, 21:50 there's somebody that's hearing this and taking it too far because see, 21:54 I need you to know that research should inform faith; it should not replace faith. 22:00 [Congregation: Amen] 22:02 Pastor Snell: Okay? See, some of us, if we're not careful, we're going to Google our way out of belief. 22:08 [Congregation: Applause] 22:11 Because remember when the spies come back, they come back and the revelation is confirmed. 22:17 But how many of us know that even if the spies had come back and said, "Man, these folks are on 10, 22:22 they are ready to fight," guess what? It would not have changed the mission. 22:26 It would've just changed the way that they went about it. And see, I need you to know, friends, 22:32 that if you always allow research to replace faith, you'll live as a bucket of nerve 22:38 because we will have research but no spirituality. See, I need you to know, 22:43 be careful about man Googling every symptom. 22:48 [Congregation: Applause] 22:50 Am telling the truth today? 22:52 [Congregation: Yes.] 22:54 Pastor Snell: Listen, man, I woke up one time with my side. I slept on the side on my side one night, 22:57 and it's crazy because when I woke up, man, my chest was hurting on the left side. 23:01 And so I googled, 'What does it mean when your chest is hurting on the left side?' 23:05 And it's crazy, I almost checked myself into the ER. Because, guess what, man, you'll Google yourself into a panic. 23:15 I'm not preaching at anybody today. In other words, 23:17 I remember sometime ago I met with somebody who was having a series of bad dreams. 23:22 And guess what? Man? She went to the internet and googled, 'What does this mean?' 23:28 And the answer said it meant that I'm going to die. I said, 'This doesn't mean you're going to die, 23:33 it means you ate Mexican food after 11 o'clock. Go to bed a little earlier and you're going to be okay.' 23:40 Are you all hearing what I'm saying? 23:41 And what I'm saying is that sometimes even your research is going to reveal obstacles, 23:46 but obstacles don't mean that you don't move. It just means you change the way that you move. 23:53 The research teaches you just how much you need to be praying. And see, it's just like when you ride a bicycle, 24:02 you've got to have air in both tires. 24:06 Oh, God. In other words, it doesn't matter how much air you got in that front tire if the back tire is flat. 24:14 So in the same way, I've got to have air in my research tire. I've got to have air in the revelation tire, 24:21 and I cannot have imbalance. I got to be full on both ends. Are you all hearing me today, friends? 24:26 [Congregation: Yes.] 24:28 The second thing that this story teaches us is that sometimes sin compromises your defense system. 24:37 You know what, friends? 24:39 One of the things that baffles me is how do the spies gain such easy access to the city of Jericho? 24:47 In other words, by Rahab's own testimony, everybody is on high alert because we knew that Israel was near, 24:55 we heard about how you destroyed the Ammonites, and we heard actually how God used you to open up the Red Sea. 25:03 And it's crazy because their threat level is already on orange, 25:07 but yet the spies are able to infiltrate the city so easily. 25:13 And it's amazing because Jericho is known for its massive walls and its impregnable defense system. 25:20 And yet the spies just waddle on in without any confrontation on the start. 25:26 Now, I believe, what I learned about Jericho is that they go to what the Bible refers to as a harlot's house. 25:33 Now, what I learned about Jericho is that prostitution was a large part of their tourism, their commerce, 25:40 and their attraction. And see, the crazy thing is that if you came through the front door, they'd ask for documents, 25:48 interrogation, and you'd be questioned. But if you came around to the harlot's corner, 25:53 you could just walk right on in. In other words, if you came on business, you were going to be confronted. 26:00 But if you just wanted a girl and a good time, then guess what? You could just slide on by. 26:06 In other words, it was their love of sin that compromised their defense system. 26:14 It was their love of wickedness that gave their enemies the upper hand. In other words, Israel could not come 26:21 and knock down the front door. The only way they could get in is to find an access point that wasn't covered. 26:29 And see, how many of us understand that we have an enemy as well? 26:35 And the good news is that he cannot just knock down the front door because the angel of the Lord encamped 26:44 about those who love him. And the only way he can get in is to find an access point that is not completely covered. 26:55 Are you all hearing me today, friends? 26:57 Thank you so much for joining us for the Breath of Life Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell! 27:05 We hope and pray that you have been blessed by this fourth message in the sermon series titled “The Pivot.” 27:12 Join us next week for Part Two of the message entitled “Don't Go Down with the Ship.” You don't want to miss it! 28:11 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:33 [END] |
Revised 2023-07-20