Sermon #S021 - Standing
On The Lord's Side - (Part 1)
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Pastor Debleaire Snell:  Today,
friends, we want to go ahead and
jump into the Word. Is that all
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right? Do me a favor. I invite
you to stand to your feet as we
go to the scriptures this
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morning. I want to invite you to
go with me in your Bibles to 1
Kings 18. We will begin together
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our reading at verse 17. We'll
have a good bit to read, but we
want to look at it in its
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entirety today. 1 Kings 18, and
we will begin our reading
together at verse 17. When you
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get there, just say, "Pastor,
I'm here." [Congregation:
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Pastor, I'm here.] 1 Kings
18:17. Amen. Again, when you get
there just say, "Amen."
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[Congregation: Amen.]
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A very familiar text to us,
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and our prayers that God would
show us that which is fresh
through those things which are
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familiar. The Bible says, "Then
it happened, when Ahab saw
Elijah, that Ahab said to him,
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'Is that you, O troubler of
Israel?'" It's funny how when
you don't just go along to get
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along, folk will call you a
troublemaker. "And he answered,
'I have not made troubled to
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Israel, but you and your
father's house have, in that you
have forsaken the commandments
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of Lord and have followed the
Baals. Now therefore, send and
gather all Israel to me on Mount
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Carmel, the four hundred and
fifty prophets of Baal, and the
four hundred prophets of
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Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's
table.' So Ahab sent for all the
children of Israel, and gathered
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the prophets together on Mount
Carmel. And Elijah came to all
the people, and said, “How long
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will you falter between two
opinions? If the Lord is God,
follow Him; but if Baal, follow
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him.” But the people answered
him not a..." what?
[Congregation: Word.]
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"...not a word." They
didn't even say anything.
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They did not even respond. "Then
Elijah said to the people, 'I
alone am left a prophet of the
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Lord; but Baal's prophets are
four hundred and fifty men.
Therefore, let them give us two
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bulls; and let them choose one
bull for themselves, cut it in
pieces, and lay it on the wood,
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but put no fire under it; and I
will prepare the other bull, and
lay it on the wood,
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but put no fire under it. Then
you call on the name of your
gods, and I will call on the
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name of the Lord; and the God
who answers by fire, He is God.'
So all the people answered and
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said, 'It is well spoken.' Now
Elijah said to the prophets of
Baal, 'Choose one bull for
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yourselves and prepare it first,
for you are many; and call on
the name of your god, but put no
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fire under it.' So they took the
bull which was given them, and
they prepared it, and called on
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the name of Baal from morning
even till noon, saying, 'O Baal,
hear us!' But there was no
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voice; no one answered. Then
they leaped about the altar
which they had made. And so it
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was, at noon, that Elijah mocked
them and said, 'Cry aloud, for
he is a god; either he is
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meditating, or he is busy, or he
is on a journey, or perhaps he
is sleeping and must be
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awakened.' So they cried aloud,
and cut themselves, as was their
custom, with knives and lances,
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until the blood gushed out on
them. And when midday was past,
they prophesied until the time
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of the offering of the evening
sacrifice. But there was no
voice; no one answered, no one
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paid attention. Then Elijah said
to all the people, 'Come near to
me.' So all the people came near
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to him. And he repaired the
altar of the Lord that was
broken down. And Elijah took
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twelve stones, according to the
number of the tribes of the sons
of Jacob, to whom the word of
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the Lord had come, saying,
'Israel shall be your name.'
Then with the stones he built an
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altar in the name of the Lord;
and he made a trench around the
altar large enough to hold two
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seahs of seed. And he put the
wood in order, cut the bull in
pieces, and laid it on the wood,
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and said, 'Fill..." How
many water pots? [Congregation:
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Four.] "...four waterpots with
water, and pour it on the burnt
sacrifice and on the wood.'
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Then he said, 'Do it a second
time,' and they did it a second
time; and he said, 'Do it a
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third time,' and they did it a
third time. So the water ran all
around the altar; and he also
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filled the trench with water.
And it came to pass, at the time
of the offering of the evening
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sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near and said,
'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac,
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and Israel, let it be known this
day that You are God in Israel
and I am Your servant,
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and that I have done all these
things at Your word. Hear me, O
Lord, hear me, that this people
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may know that You are the Lord
God, and that You have turned
their hearts back to You again.'
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Then the fire of the Lord fell
and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood and the
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stones and the dust, and it
licked up the water that was in
the trench. Now when all the
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people saw it, they fell on
their faces; and they said, 'The
Lord, He is God! The Lord , He
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is God!' And Elijah said to
them, 'Seize the prophets of
Baal! Do not let one of them
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escape!' So they seized them;
and Elijah brought them down to
the Brook Kishon and executed
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them there." But again, for
emphasis, I want to just have us
go back here, and look to verse
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21. And Elijah came to all the
people and said, "How long will
you follow between two opinions?
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If the Lord is God, follow Him,
and if Baal is God then follow
Him." Today, saints for just a
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little while, I want to talk
under the subject Standing on
the Lord's Side. Let's pray.
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Lord, in this finite space of
time, would you communicate
eternal truths? Lord, I just
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want to express my need for you
in this hour. Lord, would you
make your spirit so dense?
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Overwhelm us so much that it
would smother all rivaling
principalities. Hide me in the
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shadows of the cross that Jesus
alone might be seen and that
Christ alone would be heard. At
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the end of our time together,
may we say, like Israel, that
Jehovah alone, He is God. Bless
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us to this and we pray. In the
wonderful name of Jesus, let
those that believe say together,
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"Amen." [Congregation: Amen.]
Amen. You may be seated, in the
house of the Lord. Saints, a few
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years back, I boarded a
particular flight expecting an
immediate departure, but for
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some combination of reasons, our
flight got stuck there on the
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tarmac. The delay we thought
would be just a couple of
minutes turned into almost two
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and a half hours. Because I had
not eaten, my hunger had begun
to get very intense. The longer
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we waited, the more intense my
hunger became. Because no meal
had been served, I began to
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scrounge through my bag to see
if I had any snacks. To my
surprise, I found a box of
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chewing gum that I had not
eaten. Now, I learned on the
plane that day that the worst
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thing you can do when you're
hungry is to begin chewing some
gum because when you chew gum,
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the flavor causes you to
salivate. It releases gastric
juices that cause your body to
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anticipate food that the gum
never delivers. The gum poses as
food. It imitates food. It
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prepares the body for food, but
it does not deliver food.
Because I'm getting hungrier,
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subconsciously, I begin to chew
the gum harder and with more
force, as if chewing it harder
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was going to help me get fuller.
I'm not aware that the harder I
chew, the hungrier I become.
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Chewing makes me frustrated
because it brings flavor, but it
brings no fullness. While my
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stomach is irritated, my facial
muscles are fatigued. This is
all happening because I'm trying
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to get full off of an empty
source. It's incapable of giving
me what I'm hoping it's able to
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give. I did not get any relief
until I spit out the gum and got
some real food. The fact is,
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friends, that Jesus refers to
Himself as the bread of life.
Christ introduces Himself as
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living water that ceases us from
ever thirsting again. The
problem is that, spiritually, we
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are laying aside the Bread of
Life for the bubblegum problems
of this world or features of
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this world. We live with a
certain hollowness and emptiness
because we're trying to get full
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based upon an empty source. Like
gum, we pursue these things with
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more force, but all they do is
they heighten anticipation but
they never deliver any
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satisfaction. The truth is,
friends, that accomplishment
will pose as joy, but it will
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never deliver real joy. That
money will pose as a security,
but money cannot make you
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secure. In fact, you thought he
or she would make you happy, but
happiness ultimately comes from
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God. You thought peace was in
your weed stash, but it cannot
deliver any peace. You thought
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healing was in the therapist's
office, but they are
facilitators. They cannot bring
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healing. See, we are created
with certain voids that cannot
be filled outside of Christ. The
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overarching message for the
people today is that you're
going to live with frustration
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and disappointment as long as
you're trying to get joy from
things and accomplishments and
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people. God needs us to
understand that real joy and
peace can only be found in Him.
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The larger principle, friends,
is actually one of priority.
Hear me, saints, because
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understand that gum is not bad.
Gum is just for full people.
[Congregation: Laughing]
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You all didn't catch it today.
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In other words, the gum is only
a problem if your belly has no
bread or drink on the inside.
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It only becomes a pain if there
is nothing on the inside. What
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I'm saying is, that some of
these things that I'm talking
about are not bad, but they only
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benefit if you're filled with
the living bread and the living
water. In other words,
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relationships are not for people
who are looking for happiness.
It's for those that have already
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been made happy in Jesus Christ.
In other words, titles or
positions won't make you secure.
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It only works if you've got
security in the Lord. How many
of us know that financial
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blessings won't help those that
don't have an identity? It's
only a blessing for those who
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know who, and whose they are. In
other words, the word for
somebody is, today, realize that
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gum is dessert. It's not the
entrée. That's why Jesus says,
"Seek ye first the kingdom and
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its righteousness." Guess what?
"Every other thing will be added
unto you." What I'm saying to
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the church is that if you seek
God first, then you will lack
nothing good in this life. Can
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you say, amen? [Congregation:
Amen.] Friends of mine, as we go
deeper into the text this
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afternoon, I need you to know
that there are number of things
that are imperative for our
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understanding. The first thing
that this story teaches us is
the difference between
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positional power and spiritual
or personal power. In other
words, friends, have you ever
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noticed the very awkward
relationship dynamic between
Ahab, the king, and the prophet
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of God, Elijah? Have you noticed
the way that he interacts with
the king? The way that he deals
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with the king is not congruent
with their positional dynamic.
Did you ever notice the
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restraint that Ahab shows toward
one that he deems as a troubler
of Israel? In fact, even if you
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were to look at the physical
scene, it would suggest that
there is a power imbalance at
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work. In other words, notice now
that Ahab shows up on his
exalted steed. He is accompanied
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by a retinue of soldiers that
are clad in armor with weapons
in their hands, clothed in
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shining vestiges, and juxtapose
that over against Elijah who is
a balding prophet who stands in
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nothing but the strength and the
power of God. Notice, when you
read earlier in the text that
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when Elijah tells Obadiah, "Go
and tell Ahab that I am here,"
that Obadiah begins to panic. He
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says, "Elijah, Ahab has sent men
north and south, near and far,
that he might be able to hunt
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you down." He's afraid to tell
Ahab because not only does he
think the king will kill the
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prophet, he thinks that the king
will kill him for just being a
part of the announcement.
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But notice that when he comes
upon the prophet of God, that
the man of God is insulated by a
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barrier that cannot be seen,
that the man of God is protected
by a hedge that cannot be
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detected by empirical means. Did
you notice the one that acts
with authority in this
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particular scenario, that it is
the king that has the position
but it is the prophet that has
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the power? In other words, he
tells Ahab where to summon the
folk. He tells Ahab when to show
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up. He tells Ahab how it's about
to go down. He tells Ahab what
God is going to do.
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It shows us, friends, that
sometimes there is a difference
between the one that has the
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position. As long as you've got
God, you've got to know you've
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got the power.
[Congregation: Applauding]
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Oh, it's going to get good. Is
there anybody that knows that
when you have the anointing of
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God on your life, that God gives
you the power and an authority
that is greater than the
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position that you hold? In other
words, Elijah speaks with a
command. He speaks with
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authority. He speaks with a
force that literally causes the
king to come under his
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jurisdiction. The thing I need
somebody to get is that titles
don't make leaders.
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Titles just affirm leaders. Has
anybody ever been in a church or
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in a boardroom or an office
complex where there is one
person that has the position,
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but there's somebody else that
has the influence; where there
is somebody that has the power,
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but there is somebody else
operating with the position? Let
me just say to those who work in
00:17:51.63\00:17:59.07
a secular environment, or even
those who want to lead in the
church, I want to encourage you
00:17:59.11\00:18:10.05
to pray less about having the
title. I want you to pray more
about having an influence that
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comes from God. In other words,
tiny people seek after titles,
but big people have an influence
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and an authority that is only
born of one that is walking with
God. Are you all with me today,
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friends? Let me just say that I
believe that there are two
primary things that give us
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influence. You see, the first
thing that gives you influence
is productivity. Somebody say
00:18:35.44\00:18:42.85
productivity. In other words,
friends, I need you to look with
me in your mind's eye to Joseph
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in the land of Egypt. Understand
that as he is a minority in the
larger majority culture, that
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his personality will not speak
for him. His charisma is not
going to assist him. The only
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thing that's going to keep him
is his productivity. In other
words, the word literally said
00:19:10.88\00:19:15.58
that God caused everything He
did to prosper. Are you all with
me today, church? In other
00:19:15.62\00:19:24.53
words, it was his work that made
him so indispensable, that all
those in Egypt who vied for his
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position could not get the title
that had been reserved for
Joseph because he did what no
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one else could do. I guess what
I'm saying to somebody is that
when you are a competent and
00:19:41.31\00:19:50.49
spirit-filled person, I need you
to know that God will separate
you in the workplace, not
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because you politic well, not
because you rub shoulders, not
because you do favors, but the
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Bible says that "If you see a
man who is diligent in his work,
he will serve before kings and
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not obscure men." Are you all
with me today, friends? In other
words, I need somebody to know
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that productivity is its own
witness. See, that's why the
apostle says, "Whatsoever, your
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hands find to do, do it with all
your might as if working for God
and not for men." That's why my
00:20:31.46\00:20:38.27
work environment dosen't
dictates my work ethic. In other
words, I'm accountable not just
00:20:38.30\00:20:42.64
to the boss, not just to the
company, and not just to the
brand. I'm accountable to the
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unseen witness of whom I'm
responsible as a steward of the
gifts and the resources He's
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given me. Are you all with me
today, friends? See, friends,
the reason that productivity
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needs to speak for you, let me
just talk about myself, is I
need my work to speak for me
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because I'm not one of those
folks that do the politicking
game very well. In other words,
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I need my work to just speak for
me. Because if you're one of
those folks that is always
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scrambling, wanting somebody to
speak a word on your behalf, and
you always need somebody to make
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a recommendation, how many of us
know that if their word can put
you there, then their word can
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take you away from there? But
when God establishes you and God
positions you, guess what? There
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is nothing that they can do to
take you down. [Congregation:
Applauding] See, the other thing
00:21:43.20\00:21:53.74
that gives you influence,
friends of mine, and we talked
about it Wednesday night, is
00:21:53.78\00:21:59.75
that if you have a consistent
morality. Are you all with me?
You see, one of the things that
00:21:59.78\00:22:08.69
set the boy Daniel and Elijah
and Joseph apart is that they
had unbending characters. In
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other words, their character was
of such a nature that it stood
for them. In other words, look
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at your boy Joseph when there
was a power imbalance, when the
accusation of sexual assault
00:22:22.20\00:22:32.78
came into being. In other words,
Potiphar had observed Joseph's
character with such consistency,
00:22:32.81\00:22:36.85
that even though Potiphar's wife
who had the power made the
accusation that he had raped
00:22:36.89\00:22:42.09
her, his character was so
consistent that Potiphar put him
in jail instead of killing him
00:22:42.12\00:22:48.96
because he knew the character of
the man, and he knew the
character of his own wife. See,
00:22:49.00\00:22:54.87
friends of mine, this is why I
said on Wednesday night, you
ain't got to worry about folks
00:22:54.90\00:22:56.97
slandering you and talking about
you because your character is
going to always testify for you.
00:22:57.01\00:23:06.65
In other words, slander is going
to spread quicker, but the
character is going to last
00:23:06.68\00:23:14.62
longer. [Congregation: Amen.]
See, watch this, because see
what your boy Joseph had? He had
00:23:14.66\00:23:23.57
moral authority. There was just
something about the way he
carried himself that set him
00:23:23.60\00:23:27.24
apart, that gave pathos through
his words. What I'm saying
today, friends, is one of the
00:23:27.27\00:23:33.24
overlooked things in the church
and in our culture is the power
of moral authority. In other
00:23:33.27\00:23:35.48
words, people are not going to
follow you because you have a
title. They're going to follow
00:23:35.51\00:23:41.28
because they believe you are a
person of credibility. Am I
preaching the truth today?
00:23:41.32\00:23:46.62
[Congregation: Yes.] Listen,
young pastors, realize that
there was a time when folk used
00:23:46.65\00:23:49.66
to submit because you have the
title of pastor. But now, you
got to be a man or woman of
00:23:49.69\00:23:51.13
substance, or else you won't be
able to lead them because you
have the title. Are you hearing
00:23:51.16\00:23:54.23
me today? [Congregation:
Applauding] We got to have a
moral authority. Can I say this
00:23:54.30\00:23:58.93
to our parents? That you've got
to operate with such consistent
spiritual conviction. Because
00:23:58.97\00:24:09.51
the one thing you should never
compromise is your moral
authority, so that they'll
00:24:09.54\00:24:15.92
listen to you. I listened to my
parents until I was 17 because
they had parental authority. I
00:24:15.95\00:24:23.06
listened to them in my 40s
because they have moral
authority. Okay. You all are
00:24:23.09\00:24:32.67
still not hearing me. In other
words, husbands, you got to stop
trying to lead out of gender
00:24:32.70\00:24:40.31
authority. How many of us
understand that your headship,
my friends, is not based on your
00:24:40.34\00:24:46.92
maleness? It's based on your
anointing. Oh God, you all don't
want to hear the word today. In
00:24:46.95\00:24:56.06
other words, it is a spiritual
headship. In other words, if you
walk around demanding
00:24:56.09\00:24:59.29
submission, and saying, "You've
got to do it because I'm the
man," guess what? If you have to
00:24:59.33\00:25:06.77
say, "I'm the man," then guess
what? You ain't really the man.
You all mighty quiet in here. In
00:25:06.80\00:25:15.28
other words, if you love her
like Christ loves the church and
she sees you meeting with God,
00:25:15.31\00:25:17.28
then the submission is not a
requirement. It's just a
byproduct of being with a man
00:25:17.31\00:25:21.22
that walks with Jesus.
[Congregation: Applauding] Are
you all hearing the word today?
00:25:21.25\00:25:29.62
In other words, teachers, the
students will listen to you in
class because you have classroom
00:25:29.66\00:25:35.50
authority, but they come to you
after class because you've got
moral authority. See, friends of
00:25:35.53\00:25:42.40
mine, one thing about the favor
of God is that the favor of God
will make you stand out. Is
00:25:42.44\00:25:49.94
there anybody hearing me today?
It will set you apart. It will
make you distinct. It will make
00:25:49.98\00:25:53.18
you unique, but the one thing I
love about the favor of God is
that it'll keep your enemies at
00:25:53.21\00:26:02.99
bay. Listen, I'm going to have
fun all by myself up here today.
The one thing about God's favor
00:26:03.02\00:26:10.90
is that it puts a boundary
around you, that says to your
enemies, "Come here and no
00:26:10.93\00:26:19.67
further." Is there anybody that
knows that you got a hedge
around you that you can't see,
00:26:19.71\00:26:25.38
but guess what? The devil knows
where the limitations are. See,
I need you to know, friends of
00:26:25.41\00:26:30.32
mine, that because the hedge is
around you, there have been some
weapons that have been formed,
00:26:30.35\00:26:32.52
but they've never been able to
prosper because the hand of God
has been all over your life.
00:26:32.55\00:26:38.46
[Congregation: Applauding] Do
you realize that there were some
folks that wanted to fire you a
00:26:38.49\00:26:43.43
long time ago, but the hedge was
around you? That there were
folks that wanted to send a
00:26:43.47\00:26:50.21
nasty email in the office, but
they didn't get the courage to
press send? That there have been
00:26:50.24\00:26:59.48
some robbers that are casing
your house, but the angel of God
showed up one night? Is there
00:26:59.51\00:27:07.06
anybody that's thankful today
that God has a hedge, a wall,
and a seal that says, "Enemies,
00:27:07.09\00:27:12.03
you can come, but only come so
far."? Thank you so much for
joining us for the Breath of
00:27:12.06\00:27:14.10
Life Television Ministries
broadcast. With Pastor Debleaire
Snell. We hope and pray that you
00:27:14.13\00:27:18.13
have been blessed through
today's message. Join us next
week for Part Two of "I'm
00:27:18.17\00:27:25.47
Standing On The Lord's Side” You
don't want to miss it! (Breath
of Life Theme Music)
00:27:25.51\00:27:49.66
[END]
00:27:49.70\00:28:04.78