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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000139S
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00:06 #S072 - “Lost & Found” (Part 2)
00:19 Welcome to the breath of life. 00:21 Television ministries broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 00:26 In today's episode, Pastor Snell will continue part 00:29 two of the powerful message, “Lost and Found”. 00:34 Now let's go deeper into the word of God 00:38 and see, this is the problem and y'all won't get mad at me 00:40 for a second. 00:41 You see, the issue is in Jesus. 00:43 They saw a way of escape. 00:45 But in us they see their own reflection. 00:51 In other words, the reason they loved him 00:55 was because they saw in his life a way out of what they're in. 00:59 But in some of us, 01:01 they simply see every reflection of where they already are. 01:05 And so let me just say this, Beloved, because sometimes 01:08 in the contemporary church, 01:09 they see a mirror of their own fall in this and hypocrisy. 01:14 You see, 01:14 I need somebody to know, number one, 01:17 that you will never be able to win the world 01:19 while you're reflecting the world. 01:24 Because see there, these are 01:26 movements of the contemporary church 01:29 to try to make the church as secular as we can 01:31 in the name of being relevant to the unchurched. 01:35 But I need you to know that the world will never be won 01:38 by a veggie version of itself. 01:43 And let me just say, number two, that if you are joyless 01:46 as a believer, 01:49 you discredit the very claims and the power of the Gospel. 01:55 In other words, if they ain't got no joy in the world 01:59 and you ain't got no joy in the church, 02:01 we all know that today. 02:02 Why would I leave World Sorrows to be church pillar 02:06 for all that today? 02:07 In other words, I need you to know 02:09 that there ought to be more joy in the church 02:13 than in any club, any casino, any strip joint. 02:18 There ought to be more rejoicing among God's people. 02:22 Then there are the people of this world. 02:25 And see, 02:26 this is why you cannot just ascribe to the theory of Christ. 02:30 You've got to embrace the reality of Christ, 02:32 because it is not the theory that makes the change. 02:35 It's the reality. 02:36 Because I need 02:38 you to know that if the divorce rate in the church 02:42 is the same as it is in the world, 02:45 how are they going to see a more excellent way 02:48 if we are dying 02:49 of the same cancers that they are not hearing me today? 02:53 How are they going to see a more excellent way 02:56 if they are picking up their kids from the same jail? 02:58 We get ours from? 03:01 How are they going to see a difference in the way 03:04 of the life of the believer? 03:06 Hear me today, saints. 03:07 In other words, if in the world they gossip outright. 03:10 Right, and you gossip using prayer request, see, see. 03:18 They reach a place where enough they don't see an escape route. 03:20 They see a mirror 03:23 and see. 03:23 This is what I need you to understand. 03:25 That brokenness identifies with brokenness, 03:29 but brokenness is always drawn to wholeness. 03:32 I need somebody to know that weakness 03:34 is going to always be drawn to strength. 03:37 That void or emptiness is going to always be drawn to fullness. 03:42 I need you to know that bondage is going to always be drawn 03:45 to freedom. 03:46 But the question is, are when they are around 03:50 us, are they drawn to something in us that's different 03:53 than what's in them? 03:56 And see, some of us have limited our witness 03:58 to things that can only be seen with the eyes. 04:02 But see, 04:03 people are not just studying what can be seen with the eyes. 04:06 So they notice that you don't work on the Sabbath, 04:10 but they also notice that on Monday morning 04:11 you come with 04:12 the same bad attitude that everybody else on the job has, 04:16 that they notice that you don't wear ornamentation, 04:20 but they also notice that you are missing 04:21 the ornament of joy, humility, and the Holy Ghost. 04:26 They notice what you don't put in your mouth, 04:29 but they also notice what comes spewing out of your mouth. 04:33 And I need you to know that sometimes we do ourselves 04:36 a disservice because all we have is the scripted witness. 04:42 We have the theory of Christ, but we're not displaying 04:44 the experience of Jesus Christ. 04:48 You see, I need you to understand, 04:49 beloved, that people 04:50 will never be one to the truth by information. 04:53 They're going to be one to the truth 04:55 by an experience that is so real and transformative 05:00 that they say, I need to get what is operating inside of you. 05:02 I hear in the pastor today church this 05:05 I remember probably about eight or nine years ago. 05:06 We were looking for a car 05:08 at that particular time 05:09 and we're looking for an SUV of a particular sort. 05:12 And I remember we went to one particular car lot 05:13 and there was very a very, very astute salesman. 05:17 He knew all the details and the facts about the car. 05:20 He was able to read almost from memory 05:23 all of the specs on the car 05:24 about its gas economy and about its fuel mileage 05:28 and the size of the tire and the size of the engine. 05:32 And guess what? 05:33 He gave me all the facts about the car 05:35 and a very scripted yet accurate way. 05:39 And so as I continued my search, I began to meet another 05:41 salesman who began to canvass on the same type of car. 05:46 He didn't just talk in a detailed way. 05:48 He began to talk in an experiential way. 05:51 He began to say, You can get three car seats 05:54 on the second row of that car. 05:55 He began to talk about exactly 05:57 how you open and close the moonroof. 05:59 He began to talk about the different 06:01 things and places you could go in the SUV. 06:04 And I began to ask, 06:05 How do you know that you're going to get 06:07 three car seats in the car? 06:08 How do you know it can handle a certain type of terrain? 06:12 And he says, Listen, Mr. 06:13 Snell, I'm not just telling you was on the seat. 06:16 He pointed over to the side 06:18 and said, I drive one of these myself. 06:21 In other words, one 06:22 just had the script, the other had the experience. 06:28 And what I'm saying is that some only have the script of Jesus, 06:31 but do I have seven folks who have the experience 06:35 of Jesus? 06:36 Where are you not just telling folks 06:39 what you heard somebody else say? 06:42 You're not just telling folks what you read in a book. 06:45 But your witness is a first hand account 06:48 of what 06:49 God has done and operated in your life. 06:52 I hear me today, friends. 06:55 Second thing that this story teaches us, Beloved, 06:58 is that a good shepherd always keeps 07:00 count. 07:04 The Good Shepherd notices what is happening with the sheep. 07:08 And it's funny because Jesus asks the question, 07:10 Which of you having nine 100 sheep? 07:13 If he had one that was two straight, 07:16 would leave the 99 behind and go in 07:18 search of the one until it was found. 07:22 But understand that Jesus uses that number 100 07:26 with a theological and economical intentionality. 07:30 Because essentially what the Bible is saying is that 07:32 if a shepherd had 100 sheep, 07:36 he was a person of some type of means. 07:40 In other words, if a shepherd 07:42 that are poorer or lower in shepherd 07:45 would only have somewhere between one and ten sheep 07:49 that maybe the average flock would be somewhere between 20 07:53 and 25 sheep. 07:54 If you are doing pretty good, you would have around 50 sheep, 07:59 but if you had a hundred, you were in a completely 08:02 different tax bracket. 08:05 So that to lose one out of five, it was going to 08:09 hurt the shepherd, to lose one out of 20. 08:13 You are going to feel a financial pinch to lose 08:15 one out of 50. 08:17 It affected your bottom line. 08:19 But if you had a 100 seat to lose one, 08:22 it meant it was something you could survive. 08:26 So that the good shepherd that goes after the one loss 08:30 out of 100 is not function out of need. 08:34 He's functioning out of concern and love 08:37 you out against that today. 08:39 In other words, the good shape 08:40 the shepherd that represents Jesus don't go after the loss 08:46 because it hurts his satirical logical bank account. 08:50 He goes simply because he is in love 08:54 of even the one that is left behind. 08:57 You are hear me today, church. 08:58 But there is an even greater and powerful truth 09:00 that I'm want to push into your life for just a moment. 09:03 Because in order to know that you've lost one 09:06 out of a hundred, 09:08 it means somewhere along the line 09:10 the shepherd has to be keeping count. 09:15 It means the good shepherd is not just eyeballing the flock. 09:19 It means that he is detailing the flock. 09:22 It means that he is noticing the flock. 09:25 It means that within the course of a given day, as they march 09:28 over and around mountains or through desert terrain 09:33 or even if they settle on a grassy table land, 09:37 it means that several times a day 09:40 the Good Shepherd is keeping count. 09:42 And Dr. 09:43 meaning everything that happens with the flock 09:48 so that the Good Shepherd is able to notice. 09:52 Even if one of the sheep has sprained our broken alarm. 09:56 The Good Shepherd is able to notice that even if one sheep 10:00 is infected by tick or flea, the good shepherd notices 10:03 when one is infested 10:05 and is dealing with some type of malady. Why? 10:09 Because the Good Shepherd pays 10:10 attention to the details of the flock 10:15 and see friends. This is a greater 10:17 and more powerful truth than we recognize. 10:20 Because if a good shepherd heard 10:26 is counting 10:27 what is going on with dumb sheep, 10:31 what do you think the Good Shepherd is doing 10:35 as it relates to keeping count 10:39 of every particular detail of your life? 10:42 You say friends of mine. 10:44 I need somebody to be aware that the same way an earthly 10:48 shepherd is documenting the affairs of the sheep. 10:52 I need you to know that your father in heaven 10:56 is keeping count 10:57 of every matter that touches your life. 11:03 In other words, I need to say to somebody today 11:07 he feels overwhelmed 11:10 and unattended to because you are encountering 11:14 circumstances that seem to suggest 11:18 that God has left you and that you are by yourself. 11:22 The promise of Hebrews 13 five is this 11:25 that he will never leave you nor forsake you. 11:31 And I want somebody to understand 11:32 this about the promise of God's presence. 11:34 How many of us know that the presence of God 11:36 is not a feeling? 11:38 It's a guarantee. 11:40 I need you to know 11:41 that the Bible says if I make my bed in hell, he's there. 11:45 If I climb the stairs of heaven, he is there. 11:48 That the eyes of the Lord. 11:48 Room two and four in the earth. 11:50 And I need you to know that God is keeping 11:52 count of every particular detail of your life. 11:56 You are. Hear me today, saints. 11:57 I need you to know that your life is so attended 12:01 to that Matthew Chapter six says that your father knows 12:06 what things you have need of. 12:10 Before you even ask, 12:12 I need you to know that you're so important 12:14 that Matthew ten, verse 26 says 12:17 that the hairs on your head 12:21 have been counted. 12:23 You are so special to God that Psalm 56 12:27 and verse eight says that he numbers your wandering. 12:30 He keeps your tears in a bottle. 12:32 And guess what? 12:33 You are so special to God that he says he records 12:38 every tier that falls from your eye 12:40 in his belt. 12:44 Are you hearing this in a church? 12:46 I need somebody to understand that God says that even when one 12:52 sparrow falls to the ground, your Heavenly Father takes note. 12:56 And that's why the old him, right, was able to declare 12:59 that if his eye is on the sparrow, 13:02 you can know that his eyes are upon you. 13:06 And I just need somebody to know that feels like 13:09 you're overwhelmed by circumstance and debt 13:12 and problems and enemies, 13:13 and you feel like you're all by yourself. 13:16 I need you to know that beyond the curtain of what 13:18 your eyes are able to see is an invisible savior 13:22 who is so invested in your life that he gave his own. 13:26 And He is aware of every detail 13:30 that presses upon your life. 13:32 So he's keeping count of how much you owe your creditors. 13:36 He's keeping count of how many enemies you have. 13:39 He's keeping count of how many surgeries you've had. 13:41 He's keeping count of every particular thing 13:43 that brings back six vexation into your soul. 13:46 And so I need you to know, 13:47 the only reason you've made it as far as you've made it 13:51 is because somebody was keeping count. 13:54 Okay, can now, can I pull the church for a minute? 13:58 Anybody ever been so broke you couldn't pay attention, 14:02 and somehow a check came in the mail. 14:06 Somehow somebody's cash strapped right on time. 14:10 And the reason that came when it did was 14:13 because somebody was keeping count. 14:14 Oh, y'all have been brand new. 14:16 Anybody ever been at the end of one job or contract? 14:21 And when you got down to the last week, guess what? 14:23 Another job. Our contract showed up. 14:26 And the reason that happened 14:27 was because somebody was keeping count. 14:31 Anybody ever been in a place where you didn't know how you 14:34 were gonna make it through? 14:35 And yet God made a way when there was no way. 14:40 And He came through right on time. 14:42 It was simply because somebody was keeping count 14:46 and somebody's sitting up here, high minded, saying, 14:48 I've always had a job and always had this. 14:52 Don't take for granted that God just gave you security. 14:56 He just counted a ways out and supply well in advance. 15:01 I hear me today, friends. 15:03 And so I need you to know that you are in heaven's registry. 15:08 And so whatever you need, his hand is gone. 15:11 Supply. 15:13 Third thing this teacher's 15:16 is that she can't rescue themselves. 15:21 Notice, this is not the parable of the lost dog 15:25 or the lost cat 15:27 or the lost bird. 15:29 No, he couldn't use that 15:30 because a dog, if he gets lost, he can 15:32 find his way back to the house. 15:34 If a cat strays, eventually he's going to navigate himself back 15:39 to the one who feeds them. 15:39 A bird 15:40 has the navigational tools 15:42 to fly away and find its way to its original perch. 15:46 But there was intentionality 15:47 and referring it to the lost sheep. 15:50 Why? Because the sheep has no tracking capabilities. 15:56 It cannot smell the shepherd 15:58 from a ways off and find its way to the shepherd. 16:03 In fact, man, a sheep has such poor directional skills 16:07 that it almost to know that he's from the west or the 16:10 right from the wrong, he has to be constantly led 16:13 by the directives of the shepherd. 16:15 And it's funny because you have this sheep 16:17 that is somewhere maybe 16:18 caught in a brier of thorns, maybe tipped over in the ditch. 16:23 And the good thing that you need to notice 16:24 is that he can't get himself out of the ditch. 16:27 He can't release himself from the Briers. 16:28 All he can do is just bleat and make a loud noise 16:33 so that the shepherd can know where he is. 16:37 And I just need to say quickly 16:39 that the same way a sheep cannot find the shepherd is 16:43 the same way a sinner can't find God 16:47 without God. 16:50 Y'all don't believe me? 16:51 Can I take you to a couple of scriptures and I'm done? 16:53 John six in verse 44. 16:55 John six in verse 44. 16:56 Can we look at a couple of text against John six and verse 44? 17:00 When you get to him, you say, Amen. 17:02 John The sixth chapter and verse number 44, 17:07 when you find it, say, Pastor, I'm there. 17:11 John Chapter six and verse 44. 17:14 Actually, let me skip one. Let me get ready. 17:15 Go a little quicker. ROMANS three, verse ten through 12. 17:18 Romans three, ten through 12. 17:22 Because see, 17:22 there are 17:22 some of us 17:23 that maybe have grown up in the faith 17:24 or grown up in a religious section. 17:26 And what we do is we tell ourselves this lie, that man. 17:30 I just always had this love for God. 17:33 No, you have not. 17:36 No, no, no, no. 17:36 Because it contrary to what the scripture says. 17:40 Romans three in verse two, when you get to live, 17:41 you say, Man, as it is written, there is none. 17:45 What? 17:46 No, not not one. 17:51 There is no one who understands. 17:53 There is none who seeks after God. 17:55 They have all turned aside. 17:57 They have become together altogether unprofitable. 18:01 There is no one who does good. 18:04 No doubt. Cassius today church. 18:06 I don't care if you are baptized 18:10 at two days old. 18:12 There are none of us that have an inherent bend toward God. 18:17 Can we tell the truth today? 18:18 All of our churchy inclinations 18:21 are still evil apart from Jesus. 18:25 That's why Jesus says no one can come to the Father 18:30 unless I draw him. 18:33 And that's why first, John 419 reading, When you go home, 18:37 the Bible says, We love him because he first loved us. 18:41 So that you realize 18:42 that even your appetite for God was given to you by God. 18:47 Your desire for God was given to you by God. 18:51 And even your return to God was assured by God. 18:55 So that when we get saved, the most foolish thing in 19:00 the world is to look down your nose at somebody else 19:05 as if 19:06 somehow you made it of your own accord. 19:10 How many of us can recognize that it is only the love of God 19:15 that has wooed us and drawn us 19:18 into fellowship with the Savior. 19:21 And the same way a sheep cannot find the Lord. 19:26 I met the Shepherd. 19:27 We cannot find the Lord by ourselves. 19:31 We need the Lord to come and find us where we are. 19:35 Let me say it this way. 19:36 In fact, only the Apple apostles will get this. 19:40 Anybody got an iPhone in the room? 19:43 I see all the same folk come on and say, Man, it's crazy. 19:47 Because, like, man, whenever I leave certain devices back 19:52 home, I get what you call a separation notice. 19:56 And so it'll say something like, 19:58 you're leaving your iPad behind or you've left your AirPods 20:03 behind, or you've left your computer behind, 20:07 because whenever you get a new device, 20:10 what happens is you sink it and you register it in the cloud 20:14 and cause it's registered under the owner. 20:18 Whenever the owner leaves it, it gives you a notice 20:22 that the last thing has been left behind. 20:24 You'll miss starts out the day. 20:25 And what I'm saying is, if Apple keeps track 20:29 of all of its devices, if Apple knows where 20:33 all of its devices are, will not our father in heaven 20:39 know where every single center that ever lived 20:44 currently is and he knows where we can be found. 20:51 And it's crazy, man, because man does separate. 20:54 He goes in search of the sheep. 20:55 And I love what he says. 20:56 The Bible says he looks for it until he finds it. 21:04 See, and it's funny because we run around here 21:05 kind of talking 21:06 about how hard it is to be saved and how easy it is to be lost. 21:10 This terrible actually proves that notion false 21:13 because it separates us, man. 21:14 I'm not giving up on my sheep. 21:17 He says. 21:18 I'm not just going to spend 5 minutes. 21:19 And if it doesn't make its way to me, 21:20 I'm going on to the next thing. 21:22 No, the Bible says that the shepherd keeps on seeking it 21:28 until he finds it. 21:30 And I love this thing because I'm trying to figure it 21:32 out, Malcolm, 21:34 because when he finds it, the Bible doesn't say that. 21:37 He beats it with a whip 21:40 and drives it back to the flock. 21:44 The Bible doesn't even say that he brings him alongside of him 21:47 and walks him back to the flock. 21:49 But the Bible says that he gathers the lost 21:51 sheep, doesn't just put him in his arms, 21:57 but he's stood up upon its shoulders. 22:00 And guess what? 22:01 He carries the sheep all the way back to the sheep pan. 22:07 So much so that the sheep 22:10 doesn't have to work 22:13 in order to get back to the pit. 22:16 Okay, miss it. 22:17 The sheep puts forth no effort in order to get to the pinion. 22:22 Missed it. 22:23 The sheep doesn't have to labor in order to get to the pan 22:28 so that if he gets to the pan, it is all a credit 22:33 to the work and the labor of the Good Shepherd 22:38 that carried it all the way to the place of salvation. 22:42 Some of y'all missed it already. 22:44 Anybody is thankful that when you get saved, 22:48 you didn't have to work for it. 22:51 You didn't have to pay for it. 22:53 You didn't have to earn it. 22:56 But the Good Shepherd gathered you up 22:59 and carried you on his shoulders and go, What? 23:02 You went to the streets 23:03 of go and see friends of mine, your salvation. 23:08 And it's not a mixture of his blood and your good deeds, 23:12 because your deeds cannot be formulated into the equation. 23:18 It is what the Bible says. 23:19 We are saved by grace. 23:22 Through faith. 23:23 It is the gift of God, not of words. 23:27 Less. Any man said both. 23:28 So stop patting yourself on the back. 23:32 Stop talking about what you've overcome and learn 23:34 to open your mouth and give God the praise. 23:38 And give Him all the glory. 23:40 Give Him all the worship, give him all the honor. 23:45 Because our salvation 23:49 is because of what he 23:51 has done, not the words we have accomplished. 23:56 I'm grateful that by the time we get to heaven, 23:59 we won't even be tired 24:01 because Jesus would have carried us all the way there. 24:05 You are here. 24:06 Hear me today? Friends 24:09 with a of over my time. 24:10 But I just wanted to let somebody know 24:14 who has this apprehension about salvation, 24:18 this fear about whether or not you can be saved. 24:20 I need somebody to be clear. 24:21 Play some softly. 24:23 How many of us know that our God is not in the condemning 24:26 business? 24:30 My God is in the saving business. 24:36 And let me just say this quickly. 24:38 If he's in the saving business 24:41 and we're his children, we shoul 24:46 And you notice what he says. 24:47 He says, man, listen, 24:48 I'm going to come back and preach some more. 24:50 This I can 24:51 get all the meat off the bone, but I got to go today. 24:53 But it's crazy because you notice what he says, 24:55 man, there's more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents 25:00 than over 99, just ones who need no repentance. 25:04 Now what? 25:05 We tend to do is we begin to pit the 25:06 importance of the lost versus the redeemed. 25:08 Now you know who ought to be 25:09 rejoicing over the salvation of the loss. 25:13 It ought to be the 99. 25:16 It's not a matter of importance 25:18 because see, one of the problems with us 25:19 is the reason we don't win, just like 25:21 we should, is we see ourselves as the 99. You 25:27 know, when you talk about 25:28 the one who's straight, he oh, my, y'all 25:32 and me and 25:35 are y'all here in the word today, friends. 25:38 And one of the things 25:39 you're showing to us, if we're going to be the church 25:40 Christ intended, we can't build all of our ministry 25:45 and focus on the just 99. 25:51 Our ministry focus has to be on 25:53 the ones who stray. 25:58 This is our time is up. 26:00 There's somebody today 26:05 you've been living a life estranged from God 26:07 or just not fully submitted to God or separated 26:10 from God. 26:14 And that life has some highs. 26:17 But for the most part, it's empty. 26:19 It's adding to your restlessness. 26:21 It's multiplying your brokenness. 26:25 And I didn't come today to just bash certain sins. 26:28 But I need you to know 26:29 that if you begin the journey of discipleship, 26:31 that me and our team, you know what we'll do? 26:33 We'll do our best to be like Christ 26:35 and show you the way of escape. 26:38 I need you to know that I'm not just preaching loud. 26:41 I need to know, man. 26:42 The reason I can, you know, I set a goal each week. 26:44 I'm just going to keep low and stay cool. 26:46 But, man, this thing gets so good to me. 26:50 I'm like, man, I ain't going to be horse mad at man. 26:53 But this I just can't keep it to myself. 26:57 I mean, because you know what you are serving Jesus is like 27:00 it's like having dynamite in your soul 27:06 and there is nothing in the world 27:09 that can compare to it. 27:14 So you will not find anybody in any club, casino, 27:18 any place of ill repute 27:19 that has more joy than this preacher right here. 27:24 And there is somebody today 27:26 that has been walking in an incomplete life. 27:29 And you need to experience the redemption 27:32 of the son and the love of Jesus Christ. 27:37 He's been seeking you out. 27:41 He's been pricking your soul. 27:44 He's been wooing you. 27:47 You've had this stone in your 27:48 hip for some time that I need to get back in church. 27:50 You've had the start of your mind. 27:51 I need to get baptized. 27:52 You had this thing on your mind 27:53 that says I need to give my life to Jesus. 27:55 And every time you get close, you pull back. 28:00 And every time you pull back, it gets that much harder 28:03 to make that same decision the next time. |
Revised 2024-09-24