Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000079S
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00:05 Sermon #S041 - Don't Go Down With The Ship - (Part 2)
00:19 Welcome to the Breath of Life Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell! 00:25 In today's episode, Pastor Snell will continue part two of the dynamic Message titled: 00:33 “Don't Go Down with the Ship.” Now, let's learn more about God's power through His Word 00:41 Pastor Snell: And see, the problem with the contemporary church is that we guard the front door, 00:47 but we leave some access points uncovered. In other words, 00:51 there are certain things as human beings where we have some access points that we leave uncovered 00:56 because we're watching for temptation in one direction, not realizing it comes in all directions. 01:04 In other words, brother, you may be watching against the other woman on your job, 01:08 but are you guarding against the other Instagram models on your phone? 01:14 In other words, young people, we guard against negative messages from other people, 01:19 but are you guarding against negative messages in your music? You're on guard, sisters, 01:27 against those that try to tear down your marriage and your family, 01:31 but what about when you're watching Real Housewives of Atlanta? Ooh, you all want me to end this sermon? Okay, 01:37 [Congregation: Laughing] 01:39 We're on guard against crack for our kids against crack and ecstasy and heroin, 01:43 but what about the pills in your cabinet or the lean or the vaping pens that have no consequence? 01:52 Let me just be clear that I am not anti-social media. Some of us are watching the sermon on social media, 01:59 but as a man of God, I've got to engage in a very tepid way because there is a level of nakedness that we've just 02:09 become numb to that's corrupting us and drawing us out of spiritual purity. And what I'm saying today, friends, 02:18 is that you can't just guard the front door, you've got to watch the windows. It is why we are cautioned, 02:24 like the old school folk used to say, to guard the avenues of your soul. You got to guard your eyes, 02:30 where the church at today. You got to guard your ears, where the church at today. 02:34 You got to guard where you're touching and what you're ingesting 02:37 because every avenue you leave uncovered is a point of vulnerability for the enemy. 02:45 And it's crazy because I need you to know, the Bible says there is nothing new under the sun. 02:50 So there are no new temptations, but how we access them is different. Isn't it crazy how warfare is constantly shifting? 03:00 You realize maybe 200 years ago, soldiers learned how to use a sword and a shield. 50 years ago, 03:06 soldiers learned how to use a gun. But right now, soldiers are learning how to use a computer 03:12 because the field, the battle has changed. 03:16 And what I'm saying is we've got to realize that some of our greatest temptations, 03:20 you ain't got to leave your house, you ain't got to leave your bedroom. 03:23 All your kid has to have is a device and some internet, and the beelzebub is all up in your business. 03:32 [Congregation: Applause] 03:34 So you can't just guard the front door, you got to guard against every access point in your house. 03:42 It's crazy, when we first moved into our house, 03:44 we kind of out in the country next to a field, and just a couple of days after we first moved in, 03:48 there were some little field mice somehow getting into the house. And so it's crazy Malcolm, like a fool, 03:53 I'm walking around checking into the depth underneath the front door. But guess what? 03:57 The front door was completely sealed. They weren't coming in through the front door, 04:01 they weren't coming in through the window. 04:03 And so when the builder came by, I was like, "Dude, something is about to go down. 04:06 These mice keep getting in the house." 04:08 And they made it clear that the mice are not coming through the doors or the windows. 04:12 But even though you have a brick facade at the bottom of the house, you have what they call weep holes. 04:18 And see, those weep holes are at the bottom. They're put there to kind of let the heat man escape from the house. 04:24 And they made it very clear that wherever there is an access point, a mouse is able to get in. 04:30 And so what I had to do was get these little get steel wool 04:34 and bind it and stuff it inside of the weep holes so that it will cut the mice and still allow the heat to escape. 04:41 And what I'm saying is that there are some weep holes in our lives 04:46 and you got to find something that the devil cannot penetrate 04:50 [Congregation: Applause] 04:52 And put it there so that you're not made too vulnerable. Are you all hearing me today, friends? 04:56 [Congregation: Yes.] 04:58 Bible says here in Joshua chapter two and verse number 13, stay with me in the Scriptures today, Joshua 2:13. 05:07 Look at what the word says. The Bible says, "And spare my father and my brothers and my sisters," excuse me, 05:17 let me actually look over here at verse number four. So the woman took the two men and hid them, 05:22 and the men came and said, "I do not know where they are from." And then verse six, the Bible says, 05:28 "But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof." 05:35 Watch this. Third thing this teaches us, friends, is that God plans ahead. 05:42 Now, this is a dangerous mission for these two men. They go, Joe, behind enemy lines, unarmed, 05:56 without the support of a SEAL team. And the cavalry is nowhere in sight. In other words, 06:04 they do this with an immense amount of risk because if they get found out or outed, 06:12 the king is going to have their heads. And it's amazing because the king literally comes and somebody, 06:20 I don't know what it is, maybe it is their accent that gives them away. 06:23 Maybe it is they have an energy that is not in line with the likes of the people that normally fellowship in these 06:32 types of spaces, but there is somebody that dimes them out and lets the king know that the Israelites are in the arena. 06:41 And it's amazing because there is a small miracle embedded here in the text 06:47 because the Bible says that the king sends soldiers to question Rahab and to arrest the men. 06:55 But the Bible says that she hides the men in a stalk of flax that is on the roof that had already been put there. 07:05 [Congregation: Yes, yes.] 07:08 Okay, some of you all still didn't get it. You see, a stalk of flax, 07:10 it is a long kind of group of vines that are sometimes laid out to bleach. 07:15 And they can be about seven feet tall and about eight feet wide. 07:20 And they're tall enough to hide the men even though they're exposed on the top of the walls. 07:28 See, some of you all still don't see God. You see, not only does God send them behind enemy lines, 07:35 God sends them to the home of a harlot that's got a soft spot. 07:39 Not only does he send them to the home of a woman that has a soft spot, 07:43 God has already provided a safe place on the wall so that before they got outed, 07:50 before the king shows up, before the men entered the room, 07:55 God had already provided a hiding place so that the men could not be taken away. 08:02 [Congregation: Applause] 08:04 And see, what I need somebody to understand fundamentally is that when your steps are ordered by God, 08:09 that God plans ahead. I need somebody to know that God is not sitting here at 12:54 responding to situations that may arise. 08:22 God has already looked into your tomorrow, known what is coming down the path, 08:27 and he has already put things in place to make sure that you go lacking no good thing. 08:39 And see, I need somebody to understand that God loves you too much to let stuff overtake you. 08:49 I need you to know that God has made provision for deficits that are 18 years down the line. 08:55 I need somebody to be clear that God sits on high, that he looks low, and he knows what things you stand in need of. 09:04 So I need you to know, even if you lost a job this week, I need you to know God already has some provision in place. 09:11 I need you to know that even when they walk out the door, 09:14 God knew it was going to happen and he has put some resources in place. 09:18 I need you to know that while you are trying to figure it out, God has already worked it out. 09:29 Are you all hearing me today? 09:30 [Congregation: Applause.] 09:32 It's crazy. One of the things that happens on occasion is we take some road trips in our car, 09:38 and one of the funny things about it is that then, me and my wife, we pack differently. 09:43 And it's interesting because whether we're gone two days or two weeks, we going to have the same amount of stuff in the car. 09:49 And one of the reasons that happens is I plan for the destination. She plans with the family in mind. 09:57 And so, because I like to pack real light and lean and not have a whole lot of stuff, 10:00 but it's crazy because I've come to understand her way makes a whole lot more sense, 10:04 especially when the kids are inside of the car because, man, 10:07 she's planning ahead for every particular situation that might arise. 10:14 And so I'm mad because we got all this stuff in the car, 10:16 but she knows that I don't like to stop for nothing, 10:18 but gas. So she knows somebody's going to say, "I'm hungry" soon as we finish eating 10:24 and we ain't got to stop. She's saying, "Here it is. I planned for it." 10:27 And then as soon as we get a little further, somebody's going to say, "I'm thirsty." 10:31 We ain't got to stop because she's planned for it. 10:34 Soon as we get down the way, somebody's going to say, "I left my charger." We ain't got to stop 10:39 because she already planned for it. Somebody on the way home is going to say, "I forgot my homework." 10:43 We ain't got to go back because she's got it in the back seat. She's already planned for it. 10:48 Somewhere down the line, somebody's going to say, "I'm bored." 10:51 She's got some, I got some books I've already planned for it. In other words, 10:55 we ain't got to stop or make no adjustments because she's planned for every possible scenario that we might face. 11:03 And what I'm saying is, if an earthly parent can plan for every eventuality, what about your father in heaven? 11:12 Who knows every need that's going to arise? He knows every deficit that's going to occur. 11:18 He knows every enemy that's going to be revealed. He knows every problem that's going to arise. 11:24 And I need you to know you ain't got to stop. He's already packed it. 11:29 [Congregation: Amen] 11:30 Are you all hearing the word today, my friend? Fourth thing, this teaches us today and, and, 11:43 and stay with the past for a minute, is that some frustration is a good thing. 11:51 Now let me take a moment to create a narrative 11:55 and some context around Rahab so that we get a better picture of who she actually is. 12:02 Now, the Bible says that she is a harlot. Your version may say a prostitute, 12:06 but the English translation doesn't really quite do justice to the word because the actual meaning is a little bit wider 12:14 and broader than what the English suggests. 12:16 In fact, what the Hebrew actually suggests is that the woman is not necessarily just a harlot, 12:21 but that she is an innkeeper. Or one phrase says that she is a keeper of the victuals. 12:27 In other words, I need you to get this about Rahab, is that Rahab has a certain utility about her. 12:37 In other words, she is not just a prostitute. 12:40 Rahab has a particular set of skills that allows her to be whoever she needs to be, 12:47 whenever she needs to be that particular person. 12:51 And so I need you to get that Rahab is probably on the tail end of young adult life. 12:57 Why? Because she is able to hear about how God dried up and opened up the Red Sea, 13:03 which was at least 40 years ago from this. So that Rahab is not just some young erratic toy. 13:12 Her greatest asset is her mind and her judgment and her ability to read situations. Are you all hearing me today? 13:21 In other words, as an innkeeper or keeper of the victuals, she has a business mind as she knows how to handle money 13:29 and how to delegate responsibility. She is a trafficker of information. 13:34 So she keeps her ear low to the ground. She doesn't know just what's happening in Jericho. 13:40 She knows what's happening in all the surrounding lands. And because of some of her uncouth experience, 13:47 Rahab knows how to read, especially men. And she is very good at fooling them 13:54 and making them think that she's on their side when she knows she's actually not. 13:59 And I need you to know that Rahab operates, man, with this very cold and calculating a risk 14:06 and reward rubric that helps inform some of the decisions that she is able to make. 14:13 Now, again, I told you earlier that prostitution is a part of the economy, the commerce, the tourism in Jericho. 14:21 But I need you to understand that the only way to keep a fresh supply of women in this work, 14:28 they've had to enact some pathologies that bring oppression to a particular group of people. 14:35 In other words, the way they got all these ladies operating in Jericho is because when Jericho goes 14:40 and overtakes another land, they don't destroy the women. They imprison and traffic them, 14:48 and they bring them back to operate in the sex trade when they get back to Jericho. 14:54 Are you all with me today, friends? 14:56 The other way they do this is through social conditioning or caste. What do you mean, pastor? 15:00 See, Jericho is one of those cities where your dreams really didn't mean much 15:04 because your destiny was tied to your heredity. In other words, if your daddy was a farmer, 15:10 that meant you was going to be a farmer. If your family was royalty, it meant you were going to be royalty. 15:16 If your dad was a silversmith, you were going to be a silversmith. If your mom was a midwife, 15:22 then you were going to be a midwife. And guess what? If the women in your family were harlots? 15:29 In other words, I need you to understand that this particular path is not chosen by Rahab. 15:38 Maybe it's chosen for Rahab. In other words, maybe she is not just this immoral person who strayed. 15:47 Maybe she is a wounded person that has had a number of traumas inflicted upon her that informs who she is 15:57 and why she does what she does. Are you all hearing me thee? And see, let me just say this to the church, 16:04 that we've got to be mindful about how we judge people's brokenness. 16:10 [Congregation: Applause] 16:12 And I wan to be careful in how I say this because we can never absolve anybody completely of there choices, 16:19 but I've kind of learned that some of us didn't make good choices. We had good choices. 16:27 [Congregation: We have.] 16:30 In other words, you chose to come between Spelman and Oakwood. You were able to make one of two good choices. 16:37 Are you hearing me today? But how many of us understand that there are brothers 16:41 and sisters in our community that have to operate on a level of survival where all of their options have fatality 16:51 attached to them, and they are constantly choosing between the frying pan and the fire? So we walk around, 17:00 well, I don't understand why women stay in physically abusive relationships. 17:05 Yes, it ain't going to make sense to you 17:07 because sometimes she's got to choose whether I'm going to be beaten by my husband or whether I'm going to leave 17:13 and leave my children there without somebody to protect them. 17:18 In other words, she didn't make a good choice because at a certain point, she didn't have a good choice. 17:24 We run around, don't understand why some of these boys join these gangs. 17:28 Do you realize that there are neighborhoods in this country that are so predatory that sometimes the brother has to 17:33 compromise his future and get with the gang today? Because sometimes the walk alone means that he's going to be beaten 17:40 and bullied into submission. There are times, friends of mine, where you got to do the right thing, 17:46 but there's somebody that wants to keep the Sabbath. But the boss has told them that if you go into church this week, 17:52 you going to have to go home and tell your wife 17:54 and your kids that the lights are going to be soon to get cut off in your house. 17:59 Are you all hearing what I'm saying today, friends? 18:02 I need somebody to understand that I'm at a place where I've learned to reserve judgment about what people choose until 18:09 I'm able to see what all their options are. 18:14 [Congregation: Amen.] 18:15 See, I need somebody to understand that when you look at what the people's options are, 18:19 it makes sense for what their choices are. 18:23 And I'm at a place where I've learned that I'm not going to judge anybody else until I've walked a mile in their shoes. 18:29 Are you all hearing what I'm saying today, friends? 18:30 [Congregation: Applause] 18:32 And let me just pause and say this 18:34 because I think that there is a praise that too often we fail to give in the Church of God. 18:41 See, sometimes you ought to just say, "Lord, I thank you that I had multiple good options. 18:49 Oh God, Lord, I thank you that I had good options to choose from. 18:54 Do you realize I'm thankful today that I didn't have to choose between stealing and starving? 19:01 I had to choose between Morning Star and Impossible Burger. Bro, are you all hearing what I'm saying? 19:06 In other words, some of us ought to say, 'Lord, I thank you that I didn't have to choose between sleeping in the shelter 19:12 and sleeping in my car. 19:14 You got to choose which side of the bed you wanted to sleep on last night. 19:19 Somebody ought to say, "Lord, I thank you that I didn't have to choose between Sabbath and unemployment. 19:25 You got to choose whether or not you wanted to go to work or not yesterday." Somebody ought to say, "Lord, 19:31 I thank you that I don't have to choose between paying tithe and paying bills. 19:35 All you had to choose was whether or not you wanted to go to Dillard's or Belk." Is there anybody that can say, 19:40 "Lord, I'm thankful that I didn't have to choose between helping my family by getting my education 19:46 or by helping my family by quitting my education." 19:50 All you had to choose from is to see whether you going to see John Wick or Creed 3, tonight. 19:55 And do I have at least eight or nine folks that are just going to say, "Lord, 19:58 I thank you that I got some good options to choose from." Oh, you all mighty bougie in here today. 20:04 Can you say, "Lord, I thank you that I can choose what I wanted to eat. 20:09 Lord, I thank you that I can choose what I wanted to wear." 20:13 Is anybody thankful that you can choose what doctor your kids go to? 20:18 Is there anybody thankful that you can choose to stay home and work? 20:22 Is there anybody thankful that you can choose to homeschool or attend Oakwood? 20:27 Is there anybody thankful that all of your choices are not bad, but God has put good options before you? 20:36 Are you hearing me today, friends? 20:38 [Congregation: Applause] 20:39 No. I do have to say this as the people of God. 20:42 There are going to be times where it looks like all of your options are bad. Are you all with me? 20:48 But you can't let your options dictate your ethics. 20:54 [Congregation: Amen] 20:57 All right, help me, Holy Spirit. You can't let your options dictate your ethics 21:03 because there're going to be times where this way looks bad and that way looks bad, 21:08 when this way is immoral and that way is immoral. I need you to know, don't just close your eyes 21:15 and choose because there's always another way that your eyes can't see. Oh, Lord. See, when all your options are bad, 21:29 it just means you're on miracle territory. In other words, when Pharaoh's army is behind you 21:40 and the Red Sea is in front of you and all your options are bad, 21:45 it just means God is going to make a way where there is no way. And He is going to put a highway in the Red Sea. 21:52 When the option is to bow down and worship or go into the fiery furnace, you serve a Jesus that says, 22:00 "I'll meet you in the furnace and keep you from the flame." When the options are to pray to other gods 22:07 or go into the lion's den, you serve the God that'll go into the lion's den before you and shut the lion's mouth. 22:15 When the option is to sleep with Potiphar's wife and go to jail, 22:20 you realize you serve the God that can take what they meant for evil, turn it around and use it for good, 22:27 and promote you even from the prison. And what I'm saying to somebody is that when all your options are bad, 22:37 you are in miracle territory, and it means God is about to do something. 22:43 [Congregation: Amen] 22:46 Listen, sometimes it's when your back is up against the wall that you get crucified with Jesus. 22:54 That's where you see His power work. Man, silly childhood story. [laughing] I remember when I was in sixth grade, right? 23:02 And we were riding the public school bus home from school, and I was messing with this little girl in front of me. 23:08 I liked her, and that's why I was teasing her. And eventually, I feel a push in my back, 23:12 and it's her older cousin, Norman. And he's like, "Man, stop messing with my cousin." 23:18 He's like, "I got something for you when you get off that bus." Now, I need you to know, 23:22 Norman is one of these guys who was like 15 in the sixth grade. 23:27 [Congregation: Laughing] 23:29 The brother had a driver's permit in middle school. 23:31 Are y'll hear what I'm saying? He had as much hair on his face as I do right now. 23:35 Are you all hearing what I'm saying? So it's so crazy. 23:38 He's like, "Man, I got something for you when you get off this bus." 23:40 And so, my bus stop was probably about a tenth of a mile ahead of his. 23:44 And so, when I get off the bus, all I hear is a crowd of people led by Norman and they saying, fight, fight, fight. 23:51 And so guess what? He's coming down my way. And so man, I'm bracing myself and I'm standing in front of a ditch. 23:57 So Norman, man, this guy's like 6'2 at a time. Man, he jumps on me, pushes me down in the ditch, jumps on top of me 24:04 and beats me like I stole something, I need to know. I was on the wrong end of that whooping that day. 24:09 I might have got one lick in on this thing. 24:11 [Congregation: Laughing] 24:12 Pastor Snell: Eventually some older folk come out 24:14 and so the crowd begins to disperse like cockroaches when the light comes on at night. 24:18 And so everybody begins to run. But Norman is like, "We ain't done. 24:23 I got something for you when you come to school tomorrow." So now I'm shook 24:27 because I don't know what I'm going to do the next day. 24:30 [Congregation: Laughing] 24:32 Pastor Snell: In other words, all my options seem bad. If I try to skip school, 24:37 I'm going to get in trouble with my parents. If I go to school, I'm going to get beat up by Norman. 24:42 If I snitch and tell my parents, I'm still going to get in trouble. 'Cause back then, your daddies 24:48 and your uncles told you if you get whooped at school, you going to get whooped again when you come home. 24:59 So I'm like, "Oh, my options are bad." And I'm just like, "Lord, what do I do?" So I go to school the next day, man. 25:06 I'm just like, "Lord, be with me." I don't pray very properly, man. I'm looking around every corner, man. 25:11 I'm watching to see how this thing's going to go down. And eventually, one of my friends comes to me 25:15 and they're like, "Yo, Snell, you heard about the boy Norman?" I'm looking like I thought he was coming. 25:19 And I was like, "What happened?" He says, "You didn't hear last night that Norman got picked up by the cops for stealing 25:27 and he had weed on his possession. So he's in penitentiary today." 25:32 [Congregation: Applause] 25:35 Hey, and you would think I would be humble, but I was like, "He better be glad the police got him before I got to." 25:42 [Congregation: Applause] 25:44 He better be glad. Oh, I had something for him today. But I got some real courage. 25:50 [Congregation: Laugher] 25:52 But when I'm saying, when all your options get bad, that's where God steps in and fights the battle that you can't fight. 26:04 Is there anybody that knows that this battle is not yours, but it belongs to the Lord? Are you all hearing me today? 26:17 [Congregation: Applause] 26:30 Calling all young adults. This is Pastor Debleaire Snell, inviting you to our second annual young adult rally. 26:39 Last year we went down to South Florida, where we did it big. But this year we're coming right here to the Windy City, 26:46 Chicago, Illinois. Labor Day weekend. This year's theme is "Strengthening Your Core" 26:52 We're going to be giving our young adults all the tools to prosper in their inner man or inner woman 26:57 so that they might be able to thrive in every other way. 27:01 We're going to be partnering with the leadership of the Lake Region Conference. 27:05 And I want you to know that whether you're here in Lake Region or on the West Coast, 27:09 East Coast or in the south, this is for you. That Friday night, there's going to be a vesper service 27:16 and a feature live stage play that Sabbath morning. 27:20 Join me at the New Life Worship Center for our morning core groups. 27:24 We're going to have breakfast and then during our divine worship service, 27:29 I'm going to be partnered with the Music Ministry of Koryn Hawthorne for that afternoon. 27:34 We're going to go into our core classes. There's going to be panel discussions. 27:37 A close out concert and then Sunday morning before you head back will conclude with a young adult fellowship. 27:45 It's going to be a great time of inspiration. Instruction. Fellowship. 27:50 You're going to leave better then you came and your core is going to be strengthen. 27:56 Join us at our website at www.breathoflife.tv where you can get link to our registration and find more details. 28:04 I look forward to seeing you labor Day weekend right here in the Windy City. 28:10 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 28:33 [END] |
Revised 2023-07-31