Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000096S
|
00:07 Sermon #S050 - You're Going The Wrong Way (Part 1)
00:19 And so those who are with me in person, 00:21 today go to stand two feet as we get into it today. 00:24 Go with me. 00:25 A couple of places in your Bible this afternoon. 00:29 I'm going to start over in Matthew Chapter 12, 00:32 and we'll read 00:33 one verse in verse 40, Matthew chapter 12, verse 40. 00:35 But go ahead and put your 00:37 your good finger over in the book of Jonah chapter one, 00:41 which is where we will ultimately land today, 00:44 Matthew Chapter 12, and we'll look together at verse 40. 00:48 Anybody stand in need of a word from the Lord today? 00:52 Hey, man, I just need to know where to aim this sermon today. 00:55 And then another question. 00:56 Do I have anybody that has ever been through a storm in life? 01:03 Yeah. 01:03 I need you to know I got something 01:05 that will allow you to see the goodness of God 01:08 even in life storms. 01:11 Matthew, chapter 12 and verse 40. 01:14 When you get there, just say, Pastor, I'm here. 01:17 Matthew 12. 01:18 In verse 40, 01:19 the Bible says for just Jesus speaking says for as Jonah 01:24 was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. 01:28 So will the son of man be three days 01:31 and three nights in the heart of what? 01:35 In the heart of the earth? 01:36 And so, again, 01:37 Jonah's experience was a foreshadowing 01:39 of what Christ would do with the resurrection. 01:41 Now go with me, if you don't mind, 01:43 to the Book of Jonah chapter one. 01:44 There in the Old Testament. 01:47 The Book of Jonah Chapter one 01:50 right there between Obadiah and Micah. 01:55 I don't know if that helps me all. 01:59 So chapter one 02:01 and we're going to look together at verse number one and we'll 02:03 do a good bit of reading. 02:05 So it's going to help expedite things. 02:07 Jonah Chapter one in verse one, 02:08 when you get there, let me hear you say, man, 02:11 the Bible says now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 02:15 the son of me, time saying, Arise and go to Nineveh, 02:20 that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness 02:23 has come before me. 02:25 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarsus 02:29 from the presence of the Lord, and he went down to Joppa 02:32 and found a ship going to Tarsus. 02:35 So he paid the fare 02:36 and he went down into it to go with them to Tarshis. 02:40 From the presence of who 02:43 he's running from, the presence of God, 02:45 you know, you can't hide from God no matter how hard you try. 02:49 You cannot outrun the convicting, walking, 02:53 inviting love of Jesus Christ. 02:55 Then the Bible says, verse four, 02:57 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, 03:00 and there was a mighty tempest 03:02 on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up. 03:05 Then the Mariners were afraid, and every man cried out 03:09 to his God, 03:10 and through the cargo that was in the ship 03:12 into the sea to lighten the load. 03:14 But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts 03:17 of the ship and had laid down and was fast asleep. 03:21 So the captain came to him and said, What do you mean, sleeper? 03:25 Arise and call on your God, perhaps 03:28 your God will consider us so that we may not perish. 03:32 And they said to one another, Come and let us cast lots 03:35 that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. 03:39 So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 03:43 Then they said to him, Please tell us for whose cause 03:46 is this trouble upon us? 03:47 And what is your occupation and where do you come from? 03:50 What is your country and what people are you? 03:53 So he said to them, I am a Hebrew 03:55 and I fear the Lord 03:56 God of Heaven who made the sea and the dry land. 04:00 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, 04:02 Why have you done this for? 04:04 The men knew that he fled 04:06 from the presence of the Lord because he had told them. 04:10 Then they said to him, What shall we do to you? 04:13 That the sea may be come for us. 04:16 For the sea 04:17 was growing more tempestuous, and he said unto them, 04:20 Pick me up and throw me into the sea. 04:24 Then the sea will become calm for you, for 04:27 I know that this great tempest is because of me. 04:31 Nevertheless, the men rode hard to return to land, 04:35 but they could not, for the sea continue 04:37 to grow more tempestuous against them. 04:41 And therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, We pray, 04:43 oh Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life. 04:48 Do not charge us with innocent blood for you 04:51 all, Lord, have done as it please to you. 04:54 So they picked up Jonah 04:56 and threw him into the sea, 04:59 and the sea ceased from its raging. 05:03 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly 05:06 and offered His sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. 05:10 Watch this. 05:11 But the Lord had prepared 05:14 a great fish to swallow. 05:17 Jonah. 05:18 And Jonah was in the belly of the fish. 05:20 Three days and three nights. 05:22 Chapter two and verse Tim. 05:24 He's in the belly of the fish. 05:26 Jonah spent some time in prayer. 05:28 And then the Bible says in verse ten. 05:30 So the Lord spoke to the fish 05:33 and it vomited Jonah 05:36 onto dry land. 05:39 Today thinks for just a little while 05:40 with your prayers and God's help. 05:42 I want to talk under the subject. 05:44 You're going the wrong way. 05:48 You're going the wrong way. 05:50 Let's pray together. 05:53 Father 05:55 Lord, would you apply extraordinary 05:58 anointing to this ordinary man? 06:02 Father, I'm praying that you would give us 06:04 an immense measure of your spirit 06:06 that the word would go forward unhindered 06:09 and in a way that is pointed and hopeful 06:12 and directive for the Body of Christ. 06:16 And so, Lord, I'm praying that in the hearing of the Word, 06:18 that faith would be multiplied exponentially. 06:21 Lord, would you please hide me in the shadows of the cross? 06:24 That Jesus alone might be seen, 06:27 that Christ alone might be heard? 06:30 And at the end of our time together, may Jesus alone 06:32 be praised. 06:33 We ask this in the name of him who is altogether lovely. 06:36 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. 06:39 Let those who believe out together. 06:41 A man and a man. 06:43 You may be seated in the house of the Lord today. 06:47 Again, talking on the subject. 06:49 You're going in the wrong way. 06:59 You know, friends, 07:00 the Christian journey 07:03 is not about how good or 07:05 how bad you are. 07:08 It's not about how righteous or how wicked you are. 07:13 The Christian journey is actually about how submitted 07:17 you are, and the reason that certain 07:21 gospel promises have not become gospel realities is because 07:26 we've never fully divested stated ownership of our lives 07:31 and submitted to the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. 07:36 And the truth is 07:37 that there are a number who've been baptized, 07:40 but they've never been fully submitted. 07:43 There are some 07:44 who come to church, but they've never been fully submitted. 07:48 There are some 07:49 who lead ministries, but they've never been fully submitted. 07:52 And the truth is that some of us are not disciples of Christ. 07:57 We are volunteer heirs of Christ because volunteers serve 08:02 as it is convenient when there is agreement 08:05 and as far as it benefits them. 08:09 And what I need somebody to get is that a partially submitted 08:13 person is the same as an on the submit it person. 08:18 You see, like Jonah, we want to do God's 08:21 will our way. 08:23 We want to do God's will on our own terms. 08:27 And we want to do God's will in our own timeframe. 08:31 And I need you to gather this truth about submission, 08:35 because submission is not man the absence of choice. 08:39 Neither is it being an act of slavery. 08:42 I want to give you a definition for submission. 08:45 Submission is simply the voluntary alignment with an 08:51 authority based upon belief and that authority's character 08:56 mission about ability and judgment. 09:00 In other words, when I submit to God, it's 09:03 because I believe in his character, 09:07 his vision, his ability, and his judgment. 09:11 And the thing about submission is that it is not one thing I do 09:16 at conversion submit is a daily act 09:20 for the believer and the thing somebody has got a gift is that 09:24 submission is not just arbitrary obedience. 09:28 Submission is an act of trust in the sovereignty of God. 09:34 In other words, friends, when I submit to God, 09:37 it is because 09:38 I believe in His character, because God has been good to me. 09:43 It's because I believe in his mission. 09:46 The Gospel going to the world. 09:48 I believe in his ability that God does all things well. 09:53 I believe in his judgment 09:56 that God knows what's best for me, and I need somebody 10:00 to know that submission doesn't begin with obedience. 10:04 Submission actually begins with what you believe you see. 10:09 Submission is the belief in where God is leading me. 10:14 Submission is belief that God knows which way to go. 10:18 Submission is the belief that God is able to bring me through. 10:23 Submission is the belief that God knows which way to take me. 10:28 Submission is radical. 10:29 So trust in God that allows me to follow him 10:34 even when I don't know where he's leading me. 10:37 I need you to know that submission is an act of faith. 10:41 You are with me today. 10:43 In fact, I saw a man. 10:44 A great demonstration of faith. 10:46 A few weeks ago when I was in the city of Arizona. 10:50 You see, in Arizona, one of the regions of the city 10:53 are these automated Uber cars so that these Teslas 10:58 will come and pick you up 11:00 and these Teslas have no driver in the front seat. 11:03 You just type in where you're wanting to go. 11:06 And guess what? 11:08 You sit back and the Tesla takes you where you need to be. 11:11 Now ain't brave enough to do it myself, 11:14 but I enjoyed watching other people do it online. 11:17 And the crazy thing is, is that even though your hand 11:21 is not on the wheel, you're still considered the driver. 11:26 And so I need you to get that man. 11:28 You don't tell the car which way to go. 11:31 You don't tell it how fast it should travel. 11:34 You know what? I'm left with the traffic. 11:36 Maybe you just sit back and let it lead you. 11:40 Because you've got such trust in the brand. 11:43 You've got such trust in the navigation. 11:45 You've got such trust in the technology 11:48 that you sit in the back 11:50 and let it take you where you're supposed to be. 11:53 And I guess what I'm saying 11:54 is, if they have that much trust in Elon Musk, 11:58 if they've got that much trust in our computer app, if they've 12:02 got that much trust in a G.P.S., how much more should we be 12:07 trusting the God of heaven and earth, 12:10 the God that does all things well? 12:13 I don't need to tell him where to go. 12:16 I don't need to give him the directions. 12:18 I just sit in the back seat and Jesus is not my copilot. 12:23 Jesus is the actual copilot leading me where I need to be. 12:28 Are you all with me today? France. 12:31 And so let's get into this word today. 12:34 And my prayer is that I won't keep you long. 12:36 I won't promise it. I just pray for it. 12:38 Come on and say amen today. 12:40 Now, now again, friends. 12:42 The story of Jonah is actually filled 12:46 with a variety of uncomfortable truths. 12:49 You see, the first thing that the story of Jonah teaches us 12:53 is that agreement is not a prerequisite for obedience. 12:57 So let me say it again 12:59 that that it teaches us that agreement 13:01 is not a prerequisite for obedience. 13:05 In other words, in order to be an all the way in Christian, 13:10 I don't have to be all the way in agreement with what God says. 13:16 And when you look at the story, France, the issue is not 13:20 that Jonah doesn't understand the assignment. 13:25 The issue is that Jonah just doesn't agree with 13:29 the assignment. 13:30 In other words, Jonah has been called 13:33 to prophesy against the city of Nienaber 13:36 before calamity and destruction comes upon it. 13:40 Now recall that Nineveh 13:43 is the capital of the Assyrian empire 13:46 and the Assyrians are the arch enemies of Israel. 13:50 And to be clear, that enormous wickedness is not that. 13:54 It's just a great city to go in. 13:56 Turn up 13:57 never is a bloodthirsty city with great cruelty and violence 14:03 that makes it unsafe to even walk down the street. 14:07 And the Bible says it's so bad 14:09 that its wickedness comes up before the Lord. 14:14 And so God commissions 14:15 Jonah to go and preach before destruction comes. 14:19 But the problem, friends, is that Jonah doesn't like the Pope 14:23 and then he feels like they deserve their destruction, 14:28 that their calamity is warranted. 14:32 In other words, it's not a lack of understanding. 14:35 There's just a lack of agreement. 14:38 And what Jonah learns the hard way 14:41 is that God doesn't make suggestive sense. 14:45 I do. 14:46 I have a witness that knows that God doesn't 14:48 give recommendations, that God doesn't give advice. 14:53 God just lays out 14:55 assignments for those who are his children to execute. 14:59 I go with me today and see friends. 15:02 I need somebody to know this about the struggle of faith 15:05 that the biggest struggle of faith is not just me 15:09 believing for God to provide what I need. 15:12 The biggest part of faith 15:14 is not just waiting on God to answer a prayer. 15:17 The most heart part of faith is not just waiting on His word 15:21 to come to pass the hardest part of faith 15:24 is having to obey what God said. 15:27 When I don't agree with what God said, 15:32 Oh has anybody ever had a time 15:36 where God's word on his will for you 15:39 just didn't make sense? 15:42 Oh, go ahead. 15:44 This man in your secret, you can agree with me today. 15:47 There are some times where his will or his express 15:50 word just did not make sense as far as you could digest it. 15:55 For some, it did not make sense to have to leave a job 16:00 after you've invested so much time into it. 16:03 There are some that it didn't make sense 16:05 when God relocated you here to Huntsville. 16:09 There are times where the word doesn't make sense 16:12 that the offender should have to go. 16:14 According to Matthew 18 and seek out the offender. 16:18 Sometimes it doesn't make sense to give 10% 16:22 of an already obligated salary to God. 16:25 At times it doesn't make sense to bless those 16:29 that curse you and pray for those that mean you harm. 16:33 Sometimes it didn't make sense that God assigned 16:36 leadership to you at this stage in your life. 16:40 But let me say plainly to someone today 16:43 that at times God's will won't make sense on the front end. 16:49 In other words, I need you to be clear 16:52 that there will be times where you question 16:54 what God said, because it does not line up 16:57 with common sense or the judgment of this world. 17:01 In fact, read your Bible, since it didn't make sense to Abraham 17:06 to have to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain. 17:10 It didn't make sense for Israel to march 17:13 down toward a closed Red Sea. 17:16 It didn't make sense for Gideon 17:18 to whittle his army down to 300. 17:22 It didn't make sense 17:23 for the disciples to pray over two fish and five loaves. 17:27 It didn't make sense for the ten lepers 17:29 to show themselves to a priest while they still had leprosy. 17:33 It didn't make 17:34 sense to the disciples that Jesus would allow himself 17:38 to be crucified and handed over to the authorities of the time. 17:43 But I need you to know that there are certain things 17:46 that won't make sense until after you obey. 17:49 Let me say it again. 17:50 There are certain things that won't make sense 17:53 until after you obey. 17:55 In other words, Abraham didn't see the Ram in the thicket 18:00 until he began to obey that Israel 18:03 didn't see the Red Sea open until they began to obey that. 18:09 Gideon didn't know that God could win with. 18:11 Many are few until after He obeyed 18:15 that the disciples didn't know how to fish and five 18:18 could feed 5000 until after they obeyed. 18:22 For the ten lepers. 18:23 They didn't start getting well until after they obeyed, 18:27 and they didn't know what he meant. 18:30 And crucifixion until after the resurrection, 18:34 after he obeyed what God told him to do. 18:38 And what I'm saying to somebody today is that you'll never see 18:41 the miracle 18:42 until after you forgive those who don't deserve it. 18:46 You will never see what God has in the future 18:49 until you are éliminer the relationship of the past, 18:53 that you will never see how God will provide 18:56 until you give when you don't have it. 18:59 How many of us know that God doesn't have to make sense 19:03 because 19:04 God made sense all the way all that today God. 19:07 God does not have to answer to our logic. 19:11 We simply have to trust God when we cannot trust God. 19:14 I all with me today, friends 19:16 this hour, remember probably about seven years ago 19:19 when my wife and I were 19:20 getting ready to build the home where we live in now. 19:23 And I remember, you know, we get to the place 19:25 where you pay a certain house for a price for the base house 19:28 and then you budget some money for your upgrades. 19:31 And and my wife and my realtor, Jessica, 19:34 burn through our upgrade money like an electrical fire. 19:37 It was gone before I knew it. 19:40 And I remember Malcolm. 19:41 I wanted a back, a fence in the back yard 19:44 so that the kids could go and play unsupervised 19:47 and just go and do their thing. 19:48 But the money had pretty much already been gone. 19:51 And so, man, I was thankful for how God bless. 19:54 But in my secret time I was like, Lord, 19:56 I wish that we could get men of fence in the backyard. 20:00 But now, how many of us know 20:01 the devil has a special attack for the closing week? 20:06 In other words, man stuff start happening and underwriting. 20:09 Man The house was not finished on time. 20:12 We had to stay another month in that rental house. 20:16 And it's crazy because I wanted to back out of the deal. 20:19 I wanted to go and look for something else, 20:21 but the Spirit of the Lord kept leading us to the same house. 20:25 I didn't understand it. 20:27 I just had to accept it. 20:29 Even though I didn't agree with it. 20:31 But now, as we get back to the closing table, 20:34 the builders can recognize my frustration and my anger. 20:38 And so they begin to say, Mr. 20:40 Snell, we sense that you're not happy with the process. 20:43 What can we do 20:46 to sweeten the 20:47 deal, to make you feel good about moving into the house? 20:51 I said, Well, I had a thought about a fence in the back yard. 20:55 My wife wanted an upgraded refrigerator 20:58 all the stuff that was out of our budget. 21:01 God provided it at closing. 21:03 I didn't always agree with it, but guess what? 21:07 When you move without agreement, 21:10 you won't see the glory of God revealed. 21:13 You'll hear me today, friends. 21:15 Second thing really quick that the story of Jonah teaches us. 21:18 Stay with me, friends. 21:19 It teaches that certain storms are not for your destruction. 21:25 Therefore, your direction. 21:29 So Jonah goes down to Joppa, 21:32 he pays the fare and gets in a boat 21:35 so that he can go to the land of Tarsus. 21:39 But understand 21:40 that Jonah is not just trying to run from Nineveh. 21:44 The Bible says that he is literally running 21:48 from the presence of the Lord. 21:51 And it's crazy because, man, they get on a boat and they are. 21:55 The Bible says that God sends a strong wind into the sea 22:00 and the wind is so strong that it threatens 22:04 the well-being of the ship. 22:06 And even these pagan men begin to call each one 22:11 on the name of their God and see the thing. 22:15 I need somebody to get friends of mine is that this storm 22:20 is not a natural storm, 22:24 that this storm is not because he 22:27 a cold front collided with a warm front. 22:30 It's not because a low pressure 22:33 system converge with a high pressure system. 22:36 It is not a hurricane that has headwinds in front of it. 22:41 In other words, this storm, my friends, 22:44 has no meteorological definition 22:47 because this storm is not a natural storm. 22:52 But this storm is spiritual in origin. 22:56 And one of the things that Ellen 22:57 White says in profits and kings is 23:00 as the boat is seized by the storm, 23:03 what it does is it grips them in a particular location. 23:09 In other words, 23:10 what the storm does is it obstructs their movement. 23:14 This storm charts 23:16 keeps them from getting where they're trying to go. 23:19 This storm halts their momentum. 23:23 The storm essentially holds them in place. 23:26 In other words, church this storm essentially pauses them 23:32 and other words as they walk through this storm. 23:34 There are times where storms pursue forward. 23:37 There are times where storms will drive you backwards. 23:40 There are times where storms will push you way off course. 23:44 But this storm places them in the exact same locale 23:48 so that no matter how they maneuver, 23:51 they're looking 23:52 at the same set of mountains and the same group of trees 23:56 and the same lighthouse from which there is no help. 23:59 And so essentially what the storm does 24:02 is he holds them in one particular place 24:05 so that Louis, no matter how hard they bail 24:08 it, still got him in the same place. 24:10 No matter how much cargo they dumped, 24:12 they're still stuck in the same place. 24:15 They are literally like hamsters on a wheel that no matter 24:18 how much motion they exert, they still find themselves 24:22 in the same place 24:23 and understand there is a purpose in the storm 24:27 because God's goal is not to destroy them. 24:31 His goal at this point is to exhaust them. 24:35 In other words, he just wants to get them tired. 24:39 God just wants to weary them. 24:41 He wants them to get to a place 24:43 where they stop trying to maneuver 24:46 and they stop trying to sail 24:48 and they stop trying to manage it 24:50 because God knows something about us. 24:53 It is only when humanity is depleted 24:57 that divinity is invited. 24:59 Thank you so much for joining us for The Breath of Life 25:02 Television Ministry Broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 25:07 Now we hope and pray 25:08 that you have been blessed by his powerful message. 25:12 Join us next week for part two of “YouGoing The Wrong Way”. 25:17 You don't want to miss it. 25:19 What's good family. 25:21 We've come upon the time of Thanksgiving 25:23 and here breath of life. 25:24 We've got a whole lot of things to be thankful for this year. 25:28 God has been good to this ministry. 25:30 We put our broadcast in five new cities 25:33 and we've seen it internationally. 25:35 We've started our first version of children's ministry content. 25:39 We've started weekly content each Sunday morning 25:42 and we put our podcasts breathe on video, 25:46 but there's still so much more we can do. 25:48 And I need you to know I need your help. 25:51 I want to invite you to join me on Tuesday, November 28, 25:55 which is giving Tuesday a day of radical generosity 25:59 for our first annual breath of life praise a thon. 26:03 I want you to join me online at our Breath of Life 26:06 YouTube page. 26:07 We're going to be online from 6 a.m. 26:09 to 2:00 pm that day. 26:12 There's going to be testimonies, 26:13 they're going to be songs, they're going to be devotionals. 26:16 There's going to be a Breath of Life Townhall . 26:19 We're going to be joined by some of the friends 26:21 of our program as we praise the Lord all day long, 26:25 I've got a big, unrealistic goal for that day. 26:29 I need to raise $100,000, 26:32 and with your help, it can be made possible. 26:35 We want to add our broadcast to even more cities. 26:38 We want to do even more animated content for our kids, 26:42 and we want to stretch our reach 26:44 with the good news of Jesus Christ. 26:46 Here are some ways you can give 26:49 with your donation between $100 and $249, 26:53 you will receive a signed copy of my book, New Normals, 26:57 with your generous gift of $250 to $499, 27:03 you'll receive an additional signed copy 27:05 of Making Christianity Great Again, 27:08 then for your gracious gift of $500 or more, 27:12 you will receive signed copies of both of my books 27:16 and our exclusive 27:18 stainless steel breath of Life Beverage Bottle. 27:22 I know $100,000 seems like a big goal, 27:25 but we've serve a big God and we've got unrealistic faith. 27:29 So I look forward to seeing you November 28, 6 a.m. 27:32 for our Praise of Thorn. 27:34 Listen, we're going to testify. We're going to sing. 27:37 We're going to hear the word of God. 27:38 It's going to be a rich time of fellowship. 27:41 Once again, I look forward to seeing you. 27:43 November 28 at 6:00 a.m. 27:45 for the first annual Breath of Life Praise-a-thon 28:05 Breath Of Life Music 28:25 END |
Revised 2023-11-28