Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000164S
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00:03 #S085 - Faith Looks A Certain Way - (Part 1)
00:19 Give us a 00:21 look at Chapter 14, 00:23 and we're going to look together at verse number one. 00:25 If you still find that gets pass through them, come in 00:30 X, chapter 14 00:32 and verse number one. 00:36 I'm reading from the new King James version of the Bible 00:38 today x 14 in verse number one. 00:42 The Bible says Now what happened in Iconium 00:47 that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews 00:50 and so spoke that a great multitude, 00:52 both of the Jews and the Greeks believed, 00:56 but the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles 01:00 and poisoned their minds against the Brethren. 01:03 Therefore, they stayed there a long time, 01:06 speaking boldly in the Lord who was bearing witness 01:09 to the Word of His grace, 01:11 granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 01:15 But the multitude of the city was divided, 01:19 part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles. 01:22 And when a violent attempt was made by both Jews 01:25 and Gentiles with their rulers to abuse and stone them, 01:31 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Darby. 01:36 Cities of like like Kenya and the surrounding regions. 01:39 And they were preaching the gospel there 01:42 and in life struck a certain man without what? 01:48 Without strength 01:49 in his feet was sitting a cripple 01:54 from his mother's womb who had never walked. 01:59 And this man. 02:00 Are you all. Are you all with me today? Church. 02:03 And I need your I'm the I need your undivided attention 02:06 on this today. 02:07 I need John to see this because I believe God 02:11 wants to do something in this place today. 02:15 Listen, listen. 02:16 This man who had never walked. 02:18 This man heard Paul speaking, 02:22 observing him intently, 02:25 seeing that he had the faith to be healed. 02:30 And he said with a loud voice. 02:34 Stand up straight on your feet. 02:38 But I like this brother. 02:39 He didn't just stand the word says 02:42 and he leap. 02:45 And he walked. 02:48 Can the church say, man? 02:49 But I learned what verse nine says. 02:51 This man heard Paul speaking and Paul observing him intently 02:56 and seeing that he had faith to be healed. 03:03 I want to talk today for a little while under the subject. 03:06 Faith looks a certain way. 03:10 Faith looks a certain way. 03:13 Let us pray together. 03:15 Father, the same anointing 03:18 you gave the apostles to preach back then 03:23 and that same year, 03:24 even greater an anointing to preach today. 03:28 And I am praying today that in the hearing of the word 03:34 that faith would be multiplied exponentially in the hearts 03:37 and in the ears of those that hear the word. 03:40 And so, Father, I'm praying that your spirit would attend 03:43 today's service in a very distinct fashion. 03:47 Would you please hide me in the shadows of the cross 03:50 that Jesus alone might be? 03:51 See, that Christ alone might be heard. 03:55 And at the end of our time 03:56 together, let Jesus alone be praised. 03:59 Bless us. 04:00 To this end, we ask in the mighty name of Jesus, 04:02 let those who love him say together. Amen. 04:05 And amen. 04:06 You may be seated in the House of God again, talking to you 04:10 under the subject. 04:11 Faith looks a certain way. 04:18 You know, friends over the 04:23 over the last few months, 04:26 God has been impressing me 04:28 to declare 2025 04:32 to be a leap year. 04:35 And to be clear, church 04:37 it is not a stationary year. 04:40 It is not a stained year. 04:43 It is not just a step year, 04:46 it's a leap year, 04:49 which means by the time this year ends, you 04:53 ought to be in a different place than you are right now. 04:58 I believe that this year somebody 05:01 is going to make a big spiritual leap. 05:05 I believe somebody is going to make a big financial leap. 05:10 I believe somebody is going to make a big professional leap. 05:15 I believe somebody is going to make a forgiveness leap. 05:18 I believe somebody 05:19 is going to make a leap in their healing today. 05:24 And if Jesus comes, we are going to make a 05:26 so nothing leap as we are bound from this earth to eternity. 05:33 But no matter what the leap, it ought to be a year of progress. 05:36 Are you with me today? 05:37 And the thing I want to say is that a leap 05:40 year doesn't begin with what you have. 05:45 A leap year begins with what you believe. 05:48 And friends, let me take a moment because I 05:51 am consistently astounded by what we don't believe. 05:59 Because 06:00 some of us have into sensory faith 06:04 so that we believe certain things are possible for others. 06:08 But we don't believe that it's possible for us. 06:12 Most of us don't really believe 06:15 we can experience spiritual breakthrough. 06:19 Most of us don't really believe 06:23 we can receive the Holy Ghost in its entirety. 06:27 Most of us don't really believe 06:29 we can be the head and not the tail. 06:32 Most of us don't really believe 06:35 for divine healing in our bodies. 06:38 Most of us don't really believe 06:42 that even though we are the Church of Prophecy. 06:45 We don't really believe in visions and dreams in our time. 06:49 And the reason Church certain things never become 06:54 is because we don't really believe. 06:57 And let me be clear 06:58 that when we talk about faith, faith is not a noun. 07:02 Faith is a verb. 07:04 It is not something you possess. 07:07 It is something you demonstrate. 07:09 In other words, church faith is not a meditation. 07:12 It's a muscle. 07:14 It is something that has to be employed 07:17 and put into work in order for it to grow. 07:21 And I just want to say, Church, of all the leads 07:24 that we need to take this year, 07:26 the first leap that we all need to take 07:29 is we need to take a leap in the area of our faith. 07:33 If you believe it, let me hear you say, man, 07:35 if hey, let me say it this way. 07:36 I remember when my kids were a little younger. 07:39 We were at our neighborhood swimming pool. 07:41 Malcolm And as long as I was in the shallow end, waist high, 07:47 my kids, without thought would jump cannonball 07:49 into my arms in the shallow end of the water. 07:54 But after a while say I would go into the deep end, 07:57 where it was about five foot, 07:58 where they could not stand on their own, 08:02 and they would have to trust me to catch them. 08:04 And so I would invite my oldest son to leap in the water. 08:08 But he began to act tentative 08:09 and he would try to hold on to the earth and hold on to me 08:13 at the same time. 08:14 But that's why God bless his dad is with daughters. 08:17 They are here in the past as the day. 08:19 And so I told my daughter to jump into the water 08:23 and she went all the way back to the fence 08:26 to get as much runway as she could. 08:29 And she came and didn't slow down at the end, 08:33 but she made a cannonball into the arms of her daddy. 08:36 And once she got out, she began to chasten her older brother. 08:40 She says, What were you afraid of? 08:43 Even though it's the deep end that is taller than the deep 08:45 end, and also Daddy strong enough to catch us. 08:50 And guess what? Daddy ain't never let us fall. 08:52 Y'all not here with me today. 08:54 And what I'm saying to somebody today is that it's time 08:58 for you to jump into the deep end of faith. 09:01 But the good news is that your daddy is taller than 09:04 the deep end. 09:05 Your daddy is strong enough to catch you. 09:09 And do I have a witness, though? 09:10 Daddy has never let you fall. 09:13 And so somebody needs to let go of the edge 09:16 and take a leap of faith in Jesus. 09:20 I hear me today, church. 09:22 And so 09:23 today, as we go back to Acts Chapter 14, 09:27 I want you to know that this text, though brief, 09:30 is dense with powerful and spiritual application. 09:34 And the first thing it teaches is that faith 09:37 is the only thing that made him stand out. 09:42 Let me say it again, that the only thing that makes him 09:46 and makes us stand out is the power of faith. 09:50 Now, understand, friends. 09:52 We find the apostles ministering here in the city of Lystra. 09:57 Now, the reason they wind up there is 10:00 because the persecution in Iconium was so great 10:04 that they had to migrate there in order to escape it. 10:08 And then this moment, 10:09 it is not obvious where Paul is preaching. 10:13 Maybe Paul is in an open square. 10:16 Perhaps he is in someone's residence. 10:19 Maybe Paul is in a local temple. 10:22 But the one thing that is obvious 10:25 is that, as Paul preaches, the Holy Ghost has come upon him 10:29 and understand that this territory 10:33 is not what you would consider fertile, are comfortable 10:35 territory for the gospel to grow for in the city of life. 10:40 Sure. 10:41 You've got an eclectic mix of beliefs. 10:44 So you've got hardened, unbelieving Jews 10:47 who are dispersed 10:48 among the Greek religions and superstitions of the day. 10:53 And even though this is not an ideal place for the gospel 10:57 to grow, the Holy Ghost begins to cause the room to swell. 11:02 As God gives Paul 11:04 a unique ability to preach the gospel that day. 11:09 And friends among the hearers is a man 11:12 that the Bible says is in a sitting position, 11:17 and he has been crippled from his mother's womb and friends. 11:22 Isn't it completely fortuitous that a crippled man who cannot 11:27 walk winds up in a service where Paul is preaching? 11:33 Now, Prince, I 11:34 don't know if this is the service he chose 11:39 or if he got just stuck in the service. 11:42 In other words, maybe there are some 11:45 who migrate toward the exit, but because he cannot walk, 11:50 he is unable to get out of the door. 11:53 And so I don't know if 11:54 he chose the service or if the service chose him. 11:59 Is he friends of mine? 12:00 Do I have a witness that sometimes the services 12:03 you try to escape are the ones you need? 12:06 The most? 12:08 Oh, y'all brand new with me today? 12:09 I do have a witness that was raised by 12:11 some of those old school parents where you didn't get to decide 12:14 whether or not you wanted to go to church. 12:17 They decided on your behalf you were going to church. 12:22 That that sometimes you got blessed at the program. 12:25 You didn't want to attend, but. 12:26 So kids had to sing. 12:28 Y'all not going to be real with me today. 12:30 And they put your 12:31 kids at the end of the program so you couldn't leave early. 12:35 And that's where you got your blessing. 12:38 And see, one of the things I've learned, 12:39 Church, is to not protest certain services, 12:44 because what I've seen is that the services I resisted 12:48 the most were the services where I got blessed the best. 12:53 I see sometimes the devil puts a resistance in your heart 12:57 to keep you from receiving 13:01 what God had in store for you. 13:04 Y'all with me today? Church. 13:05 And so you understand that as Paul begins to preach the word. 13:11 I don't know if y'all caught it. 13:12 There is something as he notices and executes 13:16 his office audience as speakers do. 13:20 There is something about the man that Paul says, Man, 13:24 this brother has the faith to be healed. 13:28 Now, when you read Acts of the Apostles, 13:32 it actually gives us an insight into Paul's sermon 13:35 manuscript this day and Acts of the Apostle. 13:37 She says that as Paul begins to preach, 13:41 he starts with the story 13:42 of creation, and he lets these superstitious men know 13:47 that God is the creator of the heavens and the Earth. 13:50 He makes it clear 13:51 that God is the architect of every snowcapped mountain 13:55 and God is the contractor for every flower filled valley. 14:00 And he lets them know that the systems of Earth 14:03 have no mind or will of their own, 14:06 but they execute the will of the God that created them. 14:10 And then Paul shifts into God as a provider, 14:14 and he preaches that God opens his hand 14:17 and supplies the desire of every living creature. 14:21 Then He begins to preach about the prophecies of the Messiah, 14:25 and he points out how the services of the Sanctuary 14:29 were a little play of what the Messiah would do. 14:31 But then the sermon hits his peak 14:34 as he talks about the life of Jesus. 14:37 He begins to preach how he was born as a babe in Bethlehem, 14:42 how he walked among men, and how he lived as a miracle worker. 14:46 And he began to preach in this man's hearing 14:49 how Jesus of Nazareth 14:50 was able to give the blind their sight, the deaf, 14:54 their hearing, and the cripple would get up and walk. 14:58 And as the man listened to preach, 15:01 that was something that detonated inside of his soul. 15:06 That was something so great on the man that Paul could see 15:12 that the man had faith to be healed. 15:15 Now, church, 15:16 let me slow it down because I need you to get this. 15:20 The only thing that distinguished the man was 15:24 his faith. Okay. 15:27 In other words, the man was not more moving. 15:31 He was not more righteous. 15:34 He was not more deserving. 15:36 He was just more believing. 15:40 Okay. 15:41 In other words, the only distinctive thing 15:44 about this man is that he believed for it. 15:51 Okay. 15:52 See, I'm trying to wake somebody up today 15:55 because there is somebody that is in need of a miracle. 15:59 And the only pre-condition is 16:03 that you believe God for it. 16:07 Okay. 16:08 See, Hebrews 11 six says that without faith, 16:12 it is impossible to please God. 16:16 But He that comes to God must believe that He is, 16:20 and that He is a reward of them that diligently seek him. 16:24 In other words, freeze. 16:24 If you believe it, 16:28 then you are 16:28 qualified to receive it. 16:31 Oh. You're not going to wake up in a minute. 16:35 And the reason I'm saying this is because there is something 16:39 about us as people that loves to add 16:42 merit requirements 16:44 and stipulations to the blessings of God, 16:48 that the Scriptures have not put there. 16:51 Notice that there was no morality clause in the miracle. 16:56 Oh, God, no, no. 16:59 That this brother in the temple this day, he probably serves 17:03 another deity. 17:05 He has never kept a Sabbath day. 17:08 He is never given tithes and offering. 17:11 And even if he's a Jew, he doesn't believe on Jesus. 17:15 And He has not received the Holy Ghost. 17:18 So that the miracle is not about what he earned. 17:21 It's not about what he deserved. 17:24 It's completely about what he believed 17:27 and see. 17:28 Friends of mine. 17:29 This is why understanding the truth is so critical 17:32 to your faith. 17:33 Because some of us listening today have literally 17:37 made ourselves ineligible for miracles. 17:41 Because you have called the belief 17:44 that says I'm not deserving enough 17:48 or worthy enough of the blessings of God. 17:52 But friends, when you look at the word, 17:55 miracles are not given to the deserving. 17:58 Miracles are given to the believing. 18:02 Okay, let. 18:03 Let's look at the word. 18:05 Remember that Jesus did a miracle 18:09 for a pagan bloody centurion. Why? 18:12 Because the man had enough faith 18:14 that when Jesus was on his way to his house, 18:17 he says, Don't even come all the way to the house. 18:20 Just speak the word. 18:21 And I know that my servant will be healed. 18:25 Jesus did a miracle for a witchcraft, Saracen. 18:29 Decent woman 18:30 whose daughter was filled with the devil, 18:33 for even when Jesus said, I can't give the 18:36 bread to the dogs, but she had the faith to say 18:40 that even the dogs get the crumbs 18:42 that fall from the master's table. 18:45 Jesus did a miracle for a man filled with a legion 18:48 of demons. Why? 18:50 Because miracles are not given to the deserving, 18:54 but assigned to the believing. 18:57 And she prays. 18:58 Let me just say this, 18:59 because some of y'all going to hear something 19:01 that I'm not saying. 19:02 This is not an endorsement or presumptuous saying. 19:06 I'm not saying that you don't need to walk out rightly. 19:09 But I need 19:10 somebody to understand that if God bless the Canaanite, 19:14 if God can bless our pagan centurion, 19:16 if God can bless a demon possessed man, 19:19 then God bless his own children that walk with him 19:23 every single day of your life. 19:28 As the problem is, we have this merit based morality 19:33 that says, I've got to get to a certain level 19:36 before I can ask something from God. 19:39 Man, that's some insanity. 19:42 What Bible are you reading that says, I got to 19:45 be on a certain level 19:48 to be blessed by God. 19:50 It's just like somebody other day, my God, from somebody, 19:54 some brothers who are saying, you know, to get a gym 19:55 in the new year, a gym membership. 19:58 And they were like, well, 19:59 I'm going to lose a certain amount of weight 20:00 before I start the gym and I want to get a certain 20:02 amount of muscle before I start the gym. 20:04 And I says, Man, I don't want a membership at a gym 20:08 where I got to audition to be a member. 20:11 In other words, they're saying, I got to get to a certain level 20:14 before I even go to the gym. 20:16 But you don't get to a certain level in order to go to the gym. 20:21 You go to the gym in order to reach a certain level. 20:25 And some of us approach God the same way. 20:28 Well, we feel like I've got to get to 20:30 a certain tier of righteousness before I can trust God. 20:35 But you just got to come as you are. 20:40 And what's gonna take you to the next level 20:43 and see friends of mine? 20:45 This truth is worth celebrating, because there is a parallel 20:49 between the miracle and our salvation. 20:52 Because how many of us know the same criteria for the miracle 20:55 is the same criteria for our salvation. 20:58 Oh, God. 21:01 No, no, no, no. 21:02 The same criteria for the miracle 21:04 is the same criteria for our salvation. 21:08 How many of us know that we are not saved by how we behave? 21:10 We are saved by what we believe and see. 21:14 Friends of mine. 21:15 The only prerequisite for salvation 21:19 is to simply believe in the death, the burial 21:22 and the resurrection 21:25 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 21:27 That's why the Bible says it is by grace. 21:30 Well, am I preaching to you today? 21:32 It is my grace that you are saying through faith. 21:37 It is the gift of God, not of works less. 21:40 Any of you should bows. 21:43 So. So you know what salvation is? 21:46 Salvation is not a verdict 21:49 where you're declared not guilty. 21:53 Salvation is not a not guilty verdict. 21:56 Salvation is a pardon. 22:00 No, no, no, no, no. 22:01 See, salvation doesn't mean you didn't do it. 22:05 Salvation is a pardon. All right, let me. 22:07 Let me bring it up to speed. 22:08 We were a few weeks ago, Joe Biden pardoned. 22:13 He pardoned his son. 22:15 Now, the pardon is not saying he didn't do it. 22:19 The pardon is simply saying, I've got the authority 22:24 to not leave him 22:25 in the hands of my enemies, 22:29 but because he's my son, I'm going to commute the sentence 22:36 so that he don't suffer the punishment 22:39 that. 22:42 Can I suggest we haven't been declared not guilty? 22:46 We got a pardon because he's got the authority 22:52 and he says, I can't leave y'all in the hands of my enemy. 22:57 So I'm going to commute the sentence 23:00 and you simply receive it by faith. 23:05 Are you here in the word today, friends? 23:11 Second thing. 23:13 Secondly, this story teaches 23:16 because faith looks a certain way. 23:18 Faith is focused 23:23 as Paul notices the man. 23:26 He's not just noticing him in a vacuum. 23:29 He's noticing him in the context of the rest of the crap. 23:33 So just like it is when you're preaching, Paul probably notices 23:36 that there are some that are attentive in some parts 23:38 and inattentive in other parts. 23:41 He can see that there are some of them 23:42 who are literally digesting parts of the word and discarding 23:45 other parts. 23:47 There are some that are literally watching their clock. 23:50 The entirety of the sermon. 23:53 There are some of them, while the word is being preached, 23:55 that they are preoccupied 23:56 with what's happening on Instagram or Facebook. 24:00 And literally there is a miracle moment 24:02 happening in front of them. 24:04 But they're so focused on what they go eat at the church 24:07 and what's going to happen at sunset, and who's 24:10 sitting next to whom and who just broke up with each other 24:16 that they are 24:17 missing healing power 24:22 that is present inside of the room. 24:26 Now, it's interesting because the scholars 24:27 are literally trying to surmise what it is that Paul sees 24:32 that says that this man has the faith to be healed. 24:36 And one scholar says the way they know the man has faith 24:39 is because that brother is focused in the word. 24:43 So that when Paul is preaching and somebody comes 24:46 with some gossip in his ear, he's suing them away. 24:50 When the word is being spoken 24:52 and a loud noise is made in the back, 24:54 he don't even turn around to see what's going on. 24:57 While the word is being spoken and somebody sits 25:00 in front of him. 25:02 He doesn't get an attitude, but he simply repositions himself 25:06 so that he can get every word 25:07 that falls from the mouth of the apostle that day. 25:12 And the one thing about this man 25:13 is he's not going to let any variable, any stimulate 25:17 any conversation into our conflict 25:20 in our church drama, distract him from hearing 25:26 what God is trying to say to him. 25:29 And one of the things I've come to believe, Church, 25:32 is that if spiritually you don't have a leap year, 25:36 you've got to have a faith that is focused. 25:42 Thank you for joining us for The Breath of Life 25:44 Television Ministries Broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 25:49 We hope and pray that you've been blessed 25:52 by this powerful message. 25:55 Join us next week for part two of “Faith 25:59 Looks A Certain Way.” 26:02 You don't want to miss it. 26:04 Hello, I'm Pastor 26:06 Snell, speaker\director for The Breath of Life 26:08 Television Ministry. 26:10 This ministry was established to take the gospel of Jesus 26:13 Christ throughout North America and across the globe. 26:18 My goal is to make Jesus Christ 26:21 known through the preaching of the word. 26:24 I need you to know that we need your financial partnership 26:28 in order to make sure that the Gospel can go into every hill, 26:33 into every rural county, and into every inner city. 26:37 And we can only take the gospel as far as the gifts 26:40 that you lend to us. 26:42 We thank you for your financial partnership in the past, 26:45 and I'm asking 26:46 that you will continue to be a financial partner 26:50 with this ministry going forward. 26:52 Here are some ways you can give. 26:54 You can give online at our website 26:57 at www.breathofLife.TV. 27:00 You can send your gift by mail to Breath of Life. 27:03 P.O. 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Revised 2025-03-19