Sermon #S050 - You're Going The Wrong Way (Part 1) 00:00:07.70\00:00:19.61 And so those who are with me in person, 00:00:19.65\00:00:21.72 today go to stand two feet as we get into it today. 00:00:21.75\00:00:23.79 Go with me. 00:00:24.72\00:00:25.69 A couple of places in your Bible this afternoon. 00:00:25.69\00:00:28.39 I'm going to start over in Matthew Chapter 12, 00:00:29.02\00:00:31.69 and we'll read 00:00:32.19\00:00:32.79 one verse in verse 40, Matthew chapter 12, verse 40. 00:00:33.29\00:00:35.63 But go ahead and put your 00:00:35.96\00:00:37.43 your good finger over in the book of Jonah chapter one, 00:00:37.43\00:00:40.84 which is where we will ultimately land today, 00:00:41.47\00:00:43.51 Matthew Chapter 12, and we'll look together at verse 40. 00:00:44.41\00:00:48.54 Anybody stand in need of a word from the Lord today? 00:00:48.88\00:00:51.58 Hey, man, I just need to know where to aim this sermon today. 00:00:52.41\00:00:55.22 And then another question. 00:00:55.68\00:00:56.62 Do I have anybody that has ever been through a storm in life? 00:00:56.95\00:01:01.52 Yeah. 00:01:03.02\00:01:03.39 I need you to know I got something 00:01:03.83\00:01:05.46 that will allow you to see the goodness of God 00:01:05.46\00:01:08.53 even in life storms. 00:01:08.86\00:01:11.97 Matthew, chapter 12 and verse 40. 00:01:11.97\00:01:14.30 When you get there, just say, Pastor, I'm here. 00:01:14.30\00:01:17.74 Matthew 12. 00:01:17.74\00:01:18.27 In verse 40, 00:01:18.27\00:01:18.91 the Bible says for just Jesus speaking says for as Jonah 00:01:19.47\00:01:23.58 was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. 00:01:24.18\00:01:28.35 So will the son of man be three days 00:01:28.98\00:01:31.89 and three nights in the heart of what? 00:01:31.89\00:01:35.79 In the heart of the earth? 00:01:35.79\00:01:36.89 And so, again, 00:01:36.89\00:01:37.59 Jonah's experience was a foreshadowing 00:01:37.79\00:01:39.83 of what Christ would do with the resurrection. 00:01:39.83\00:01:41.96 Now go with me, if you don't mind, 00:01:41.96\00:01:43.16 to the Book of Jonah chapter one. 00:01:43.16\00:01:44.83 There in the Old Testament. 00:01:44.83\00:01:47.44 The Book of Jonah Chapter one 00:01:47.44\00:01:49.90 right there between Obadiah and Micah. 00:01:50.61\00:01:55.04 I don't know if that helps me all. 00:01:55.04\00:01:59.08 So chapter one 00:01:59.08\00:02:01.02 and we're going to look together at verse number one and we'll 00:02:01.02\00:02:03.18 do a good bit of reading. 00:02:03.32\00:02:05.25 So it's going to help expedite things. 00:02:05.25\00:02:07.16 Jonah Chapter one in verse one, 00:02:07.16\00:02:08.16 when you get there, let me hear you say, man, 00:02:08.16\00:02:11.43 the Bible says now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, 00:02:11.43\00:02:14.83 the son of me, time saying, Arise and go to Nineveh, 00:02:15.26\00:02:19.77 that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness 00:02:20.27\00:02:23.87 has come before me. 00:02:23.87\00:02:25.77 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarsus 00:02:25.77\00:02:28.78 from the presence of the Lord, and he went down to Joppa 00:02:29.18\00:02:32.51 and found a ship going to Tarsus. 00:02:32.51\00:02:34.75 So he paid the fare 00:02:35.15\00:02:36.79 and he went down into it to go with them to Tarshis. 00:02:36.79\00:02:40.46 From the presence of who 00:02:40.46\00:02:42.36 he's running from, the presence of God, 00:02:43.36\00:02:45.23 you know, you can't hide from God no matter how hard you try. 00:02:45.23\00:02:49.30 You cannot outrun the convicting, walking, 00:02:49.30\00:02:52.77 inviting love of Jesus Christ. 00:02:53.13\00:02:55.24 Then the Bible says, verse four, 00:02:55.90\00:02:57.01 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, 00:02:57.01\00:03:00.14 and there was a mighty tempest 00:03:00.71\00:03:02.14 on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up. 00:03:02.14\00:03:05.01 Then the Mariners were afraid, and every man cried out 00:03:05.75\00:03:09.02 to his God, 00:03:09.02\00:03:10.49 and through the cargo that was in the ship 00:03:10.49\00:03:12.59 into the sea to lighten the load. 00:03:12.59\00:03:14.86 But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts 00:03:14.86\00:03:17.43 of the ship and had laid down and was fast asleep. 00:03:17.43\00:03:21.00 So the captain came to him and said, What do you mean, sleeper? 00:03:21.76\00:03:25.47 Arise and call on your God, perhaps 00:03:25.90\00:03:28.67 your God will consider us so that we may not perish. 00:03:28.67\00:03:32.11 And they said to one another, Come and let us cast lots 00:03:32.77\00:03:35.44 that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us. 00:03:35.44\00:03:39.18 So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 00:03:39.48\00:03:43.08 Then they said to him, Please tell us for whose cause 00:03:43.99\00:03:46.65 is this trouble upon us? 00:03:46.65\00:03:47.82 And what is your occupation and where do you come from? 00:03:47.82\00:03:50.83 What is your country and what people are you? 00:03:50.83\00:03:53.19 So he said to them, I am a Hebrew 00:03:53.70\00:03:55.50 and I fear the Lord 00:03:55.50\00:03:56.70 God of Heaven who made the sea and the dry land. 00:03:56.70\00:03:59.83 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, 00:04:00.57\00:04:02.97 Why have you done this for? 00:04:02.97\00:04:04.81 The men knew that he fled 00:04:04.81\00:04:06.47 from the presence of the Lord because he had told them. 00:04:06.47\00:04:09.44 Then they said to him, What shall we do to you? 00:04:10.11\00:04:13.48 That the sea may be come for us. 00:04:13.85\00:04:16.38 For the sea 00:04:16.38\00:04:16.95 was growing more tempestuous, and he said unto them, 00:04:17.49\00:04:20.56 Pick me up and throw me into the sea. 00:04:20.89\00:04:24.06 Then the sea will become calm for you, for 00:04:24.66\00:04:27.66 I know that this great tempest is because of me. 00:04:27.66\00:04:31.07 Nevertheless, the men rode hard to return to land, 00:04:31.90\00:04:35.20 but they could not, for the sea continue 00:04:35.20\00:04:37.81 to grow more tempestuous against them. 00:04:37.81\00:04:40.38 And therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, We pray, 00:04:41.01\00:04:43.95 oh Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life. 00:04:43.95\00:04:47.85 Do not charge us with innocent blood for you 00:04:48.42\00:04:51.65 all, Lord, have done as it please to you. 00:04:51.65\00:04:53.96 So they picked up Jonah 00:04:54.66\00:04:56.96 and threw him into the sea, 00:04:56.96\00:04:58.99 and the sea ceased from its raging. 00:04:59.73\00:05:02.70 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly 00:05:03.60\00:05:06.03 and offered His sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. 00:05:06.37\00:05:09.94 Watch this. 00:05:10.31\00:05:11.07 But the Lord had prepared 00:05:11.07\00:05:14.14 a great fish to swallow. 00:05:14.14\00:05:17.31 Jonah. 00:05:17.31\00:05:18.31 And Jonah was in the belly of the fish. 00:05:18.31\00:05:20.82 Three days and three nights. 00:05:20.85\00:05:22.95 Chapter two and verse Tim. 00:05:22.95\00:05:24.79 He's in the belly of the fish. 00:05:24.79\00:05:26.09 Jonah spent some time in prayer. 00:05:26.09\00:05:28.26 And then the Bible says in verse ten. 00:05:28.52\00:05:30.23 So the Lord spoke to the fish 00:05:30.23\00:05:32.46 and it vomited Jonah 00:05:33.26\00:05:36.00 onto dry land. 00:05:36.80\00:05:39.17 Today thinks for just a little while 00:05:39.17\00:05:40.74 with your prayers and God's help. 00:05:40.74\00:05:42.44 I want to talk under the subject. 00:05:42.44\00:05:44.74 You're going the wrong way. 00:05:44.74\00:05:47.58 You're going the wrong way. 00:05:48.78\00:05:50.71 Let's pray together. 00:05:50.71\00:05:53.38 Father 00:05:53.38\00:05:54.15 Lord, would you apply extraordinary 00:05:55.52\00:05:58.89 anointing to this ordinary man? 00:05:58.89\00:06:01.26 Father, I'm praying that you would give us 00:06:02.16\00:06:04.33 an immense measure of your spirit 00:06:04.33\00:06:06.19 that the word would go forward unhindered 00:06:06.19\00:06:08.73 and in a way that is pointed and hopeful 00:06:09.13\00:06:12.60 and directive for the Body of Christ. 00:06:12.60\00:06:15.97 And so, Lord, I'm praying that in the hearing of the Word, 00:06:16.17\00:06:18.54 that faith would be multiplied exponentially. 00:06:18.57\00:06:21.38 Lord, would you please hide me in the shadows of the cross? 00:06:21.81\00:06:24.51 That Jesus alone might be seen, 00:06:24.95\00:06:27.45 that Christ alone might be heard? 00:06:27.45\00:06:29.72 And at the end of our time together, may Jesus alone 00:06:30.05\00:06:32.82 be praised. 00:06:32.82\00:06:33.96 We ask this in the name of him who is altogether lovely. 00:06:33.96\00:06:36.79 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. 00:06:36.99\00:06:39.13 Let those who believe out together. 00:06:39.53\00:06:41.50 A man and a man. 00:06:41.50\00:06:43.70 You may be seated in the house of the Lord today. 00:06:43.73\00:06:46.17 Again, talking on the subject. 00:06:47.90\00:06:49.14 You're going in the wrong way. 00:06:49.14\00:06:54.14 You know, friends, 00:06:59.55\00:07:00.28 the Christian journey 00:07:00.28\00:07:02.42 is not about how good or 00:07:03.49\00:07:05.65 how bad you are. 00:07:05.65\00:07:08.59 It's not about how righteous or how wicked you are. 00:07:08.82\00:07:12.59 The Christian journey is actually about how submitted 00:07:13.60\00:07:17.63 you are, and the reason that certain 00:07:17.63\00:07:21.27 gospel promises have not become gospel realities is because 00:07:21.27\00:07:26.37 we've never fully divested stated ownership of our lives 00:07:26.37\00:07:31.38 and submitted to the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. 00:07:31.61\00:07:36.05 And the truth is 00:07:36.79\00:07:37.89 that there are a number who've been baptized, 00:07:37.89\00:07:40.59 but they've never been fully submitted. 00:07:40.59\00:07:42.89 There are some 00:07:43.56\00:07:44.23 who come to church, but they've never been fully submitted. 00:07:44.79\00:07:47.50 There are some 00:07:48.00\00:07:48.80 who lead ministries, but they've never been fully submitted. 00:07:49.23\00:07:52.33 And the truth is that some of us are not disciples of Christ. 00:07:52.83\00:07:57.14 We are volunteer heirs of Christ because volunteers serve 00:07:57.17\00:08:02.24 as it is convenient when there is agreement 00:08:02.38\00:08:05.81 and as far as it benefits them. 00:08:05.95\00:08:08.82 And what I need somebody to get is that a partially submitted 00:08:09.42\00:08:13.72 person is the same as an on the submit it person. 00:08:13.72\00:08:18.16 You see, like Jonah, we want to do God's 00:08:18.69\00:08:21.63 will our way. 00:08:21.63\00:08:23.73 We want to do God's will on our own terms. 00:08:23.73\00:08:27.30 And we want to do God's will in our own timeframe. 00:08:27.50\00:08:31.34 And I need you to gather this truth about submission, 00:08:31.71\00:08:35.04 because submission is not man the absence of choice. 00:08:35.24\00:08:39.21 Neither is it being an act of slavery. 00:08:39.25\00:08:42.35 I want to give you a definition for submission. 00:08:42.48\00:08:45.72 Submission is simply the voluntary alignment with an 00:08:45.92\00:08:51.03 authority based upon belief and that authority's character 00:08:51.03\00:08:56.03 mission about ability and judgment. 00:08:56.30\00:09:00.27 In other words, when I submit to God, it's 00:09:00.47\00:09:03.77 because I believe in his character, 00:09:03.77\00:09:06.88 his vision, his ability, and his judgment. 00:09:07.11\00:09:11.21 And the thing about submission is that it is not one thing I do 00:09:11.45\00:09:16.35 at conversion submit is a daily act 00:09:16.35\00:09:20.26 for the believer and the thing somebody has got a gift is that 00:09:20.26\00:09:24.29 submission is not just arbitrary obedience. 00:09:24.29\00:09:28.13 Submission is an act of trust in the sovereignty of God. 00:09:28.30\00:09:33.94 In other words, friends, when I submit to God, 00:09:34.20\00:09:37.34 it is because 00:09:37.47\00:09:38.37 I believe in His character, because God has been good to me. 00:09:38.71\00:09:43.31 It's because I believe in his mission. 00:09:43.55\00:09:46.35 The Gospel going to the world. 00:09:46.51\00:09:48.52 I believe in his ability that God does all things well. 00:09:48.75\00:09:53.76 I believe in his judgment 00:09:53.92\00:09:56.12 that God knows what's best for me, and I need somebody 00:09:56.22\00:10:00.53 to know that submission doesn't begin with obedience. 00:10:00.53\00:10:04.77 Submission actually begins with what you believe you see. 00:10:04.97\00:10:09.30 Submission is the belief in where God is leading me. 00:10:09.30\00:10:14.04 Submission is belief that God knows which way to go. 00:10:14.28\00:10:18.61 Submission is the belief that God is able to bring me through. 00:10:18.85\00:10:23.22 Submission is the belief that God knows which way to take me. 00:10:23.49\00:10:27.79 Submission is radical. 00:10:28.02\00:10:29.89 So trust in God that allows me to follow him 00:10:29.89\00:10:33.96 even when I don't know where he's leading me. 00:10:34.10\00:10:37.17 I need you to know that submission is an act of faith. 00:10:37.33\00:10:41.04 You are with me today. 00:10:41.17\00:10:43.00 In fact, I saw a man. 00:10:43.00\00:10:44.31 A great demonstration of faith. 00:10:44.31\00:10:46.51 A few weeks ago when I was in the city of Arizona. 00:10:46.51\00:10:49.94 You see, in Arizona, one of the regions of the city 00:10:50.11\00:10:53.35 are these automated Uber cars so that these Teslas 00:10:53.52\00:10:58.09 will come and pick you up 00:10:58.09\00:11:00.06 and these Teslas have no driver in the front seat. 00:11:00.06\00:11:03.59 You just type in where you're wanting to go. 00:11:03.79\00:11:06.73 And guess what? 00:11:06.90\00:11:07.66 You sit back and the Tesla takes you where you need to be. 00:11:08.06\00:11:11.53 Now ain't brave enough to do it myself, 00:11:11.73\00:11:14.17 but I enjoyed watching other people do it online. 00:11:14.30\00:11:17.27 And the crazy thing is, is that even though your hand 00:11:17.54\00:11:21.88 is not on the wheel, you're still considered the driver. 00:11:21.88\00:11:25.78 And so I need you to get that man. 00:11:26.85\00:11:28.82 You don't tell the car which way to go. 00:11:28.82\00:11:31.39 You don't tell it how fast it should travel. 00:11:31.59\00:11:34.26 You know what? I'm left with the traffic. 00:11:34.46\00:11:36.56 Maybe you just sit back and let it lead you. 00:11:36.56\00:11:39.89 Because you've got such trust in the brand. 00:11:40.03\00:11:42.86 You've got such trust in the navigation. 00:11:43.03\00:11:45.90 You've got such trust in the technology 00:11:45.90\00:11:48.64 that you sit in the back 00:11:48.80\00:11:50.31 and let it take you where you're supposed to be. 00:11:50.31\00:11:52.91 And I guess what I'm saying 00:11:53.17\00:11:54.74 is, if they have that much trust in Elon Musk, 00:11:54.74\00:11:58.51 if they've got that much trust in our computer app, if they've 00:11:58.81\00:12:02.68 got that much trust in a G.P.S., how much more should we be 00:12:02.68\00:12:07.32 trusting the God of heaven and earth, 00:12:07.32\00:12:10.76 the God that does all things well? 00:12:10.96\00:12:13.66 I don't need to tell him where to go. 00:12:13.86\00:12:16.00 I don't need to give him the directions. 00:12:16.20\00:12:18.53 I just sit in the back seat and Jesus is not my copilot. 00:12:18.70\00:12:23.61 Jesus is the actual copilot leading me where I need to be. 00:12:23.77\00:12:28.98 Are you all with me today? France. 00:12:28.98\00:12:30.45 And so let's get into this word today. 00:12:31.61\00:12:34.15 And my prayer is that I won't keep you long. 00:12:34.32\00:12:36.32 I won't promise it. I just pray for it. 00:12:36.35\00:12:38.25 Come on and say amen today. 00:12:38.25\00:12:40.59 Now, now again, friends. 00:12:40.89\00:12:42.89 The story of Jonah is actually filled 00:12:42.89\00:12:46.16 with a variety of uncomfortable truths. 00:12:46.16\00:12:49.40 You see, the first thing that the story of Jonah teaches us 00:12:49.76\00:12:53.03 is that agreement is not a prerequisite for obedience. 00:12:53.27\00:12:57.74 So let me say it again 00:12:57.74\00:12:59.14 that that it teaches us that agreement 00:12:59.14\00:13:01.31 is not a prerequisite for obedience. 00:13:01.51\00:13:05.08 In other words, in order to be an all the way in Christian, 00:13:05.51\00:13:10.69 I don't have to be all the way in agreement with what God says. 00:13:10.95\00:13:16.29 And when you look at the story, France, the issue is not 00:13:16.66\00:13:20.46 that Jonah doesn't understand the assignment. 00:13:20.46\00:13:24.63 The issue is that Jonah just doesn't agree with 00:13:25.67\00:13:29.04 the assignment. 00:13:29.04\00:13:30.47 In other words, Jonah has been called 00:13:30.47\00:13:33.07 to prophesy against the city of Nienaber 00:13:33.21\00:13:36.64 before calamity and destruction comes upon it. 00:13:36.85\00:13:40.42 Now recall that Nineveh 00:13:40.68\00:13:43.32 is the capital of the Assyrian empire 00:13:43.42\00:13:46.49 and the Assyrians are the arch enemies of Israel. 00:13:46.65\00:13:50.36 And to be clear, that enormous wickedness is not that. 00:13:50.63\00:13:54.56 It's just a great city to go in. 00:13:54.56\00:13:56.53 Turn up 00:13:56.53\00:13:57.57 never is a bloodthirsty city with great cruelty and violence 00:13:57.77\00:14:03.41 that makes it unsafe to even walk down the street. 00:14:03.57\00:14:07.04 And the Bible says it's so bad 00:14:07.24\00:14:09.81 that its wickedness comes up before the Lord. 00:14:09.94\00:14:14.25 And so God commissions 00:14:14.25\00:14:15.82 Jonah to go and preach before destruction comes. 00:14:15.82\00:14:19.32 But the problem, friends, is that Jonah doesn't like the Pope 00:14:19.59\00:14:23.66 and then he feels like they deserve their destruction, 00:14:23.66\00:14:28.63 that their calamity is warranted. 00:14:28.83\00:14:31.97 In other words, it's not a lack of understanding. 00:14:32.17\00:14:35.70 There's just a lack of agreement. 00:14:35.87\00:14:38.24 And what Jonah learns the hard way 00:14:38.44\00:14:41.21 is that God doesn't make suggestive sense. 00:14:41.34\00:14:44.55 I do. 00:14:45.75\00:14:46.28 I have a witness that knows that God doesn't 00:14:46.75\00:14:48.72 give recommendations, that God doesn't give advice. 00:14:48.72\00:14:53.79 God just lays out 00:14:53.79\00:14:55.39 assignments for those who are his children to execute. 00:14:55.39\00:14:59.83 I go with me today and see friends. 00:14:59.86\00:15:02.13 I need somebody to know this about the struggle of faith 00:15:02.13\00:15:05.43 that the biggest struggle of faith is not just me 00:15:05.80\00:15:09.10 believing for God to provide what I need. 00:15:09.10\00:15:12.47 The biggest part of faith 00:15:12.67\00:15:14.14 is not just waiting on God to answer a prayer. 00:15:14.14\00:15:17.31 The most heart part of faith is not just waiting on His word 00:15:17.55\00:15:21.32 to come to pass the hardest part of faith 00:15:21.32\00:15:24.65 is having to obey what God said. 00:15:24.82\00:15:27.82 When I don't agree with what God said, 00:15:27.96\00:15:31.03 Oh has anybody ever had a time 00:15:32.39\00:15:36.10 where God's word on his will for you 00:15:36.46\00:15:39.87 just didn't make sense? 00:15:39.87\00:15:42.07 Oh, go ahead. 00:15:42.84\00:15:44.07 This man in your secret, you can agree with me today. 00:15:44.07\00:15:46.84 There are some times where his will or his express 00:15:47.08\00:15:50.65 word just did not make sense as far as you could digest it. 00:15:50.65\00:15:55.58 For some, it did not make sense to have to leave a job 00:15:55.82\00:15:59.92 after you've invested so much time into it. 00:16:00.12\00:16:03.39 There are some that it didn't make sense 00:16:03.63\00:16:05.66 when God relocated you here to Huntsville. 00:16:05.79\00:16:09.06 There are times where the word doesn't make sense 00:16:09.33\00:16:11.93 that the offender should have to go. 00:16:12.13\00:16:14.50 According to Matthew 18 and seek out the offender. 00:16:14.54\00:16:18.37 Sometimes it doesn't make sense to give 10% 00:16:18.61\00:16:22.28 of an already obligated salary to God. 00:16:22.41\00:16:25.75 At times it doesn't make sense to bless those 00:16:25.98\00:16:29.55 that curse you and pray for those that mean you harm. 00:16:29.55\00:16:33.05 Sometimes it didn't make sense that God assigned 00:16:33.22\00:16:36.62 leadership to you at this stage in your life. 00:16:36.62\00:16:40.03 But let me say plainly to someone today 00:16:40.26\00:16:43.57 that at times God's will won't make sense on the front end. 00:16:43.80\00:16:48.70 In other words, I need you to be clear 00:16:49.97\00:16:52.07 that there will be times where you question 00:16:52.17\00:16:54.18 what God said, because it does not line up 00:16:54.18\00:16:57.65 with common sense or the judgment of this world. 00:16:57.65\00:17:01.28 In fact, read your Bible, since it didn't make sense to Abraham 00:17:01.38\00:17:06.15 to have to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain. 00:17:06.35\00:17:10.23 It didn't make sense for Israel to march 00:17:10.49\00:17:13.43 down toward a closed Red Sea. 00:17:13.43\00:17:16.23 It didn't make sense for Gideon 00:17:16.50\00:17:18.60 to whittle his army down to 300. 00:17:18.73\00:17:21.77 It didn't make sense 00:17:22.00\00:17:23.14 for the disciples to pray over two fish and five loaves. 00:17:23.14\00:17:26.98 It didn't make sense for the ten lepers 00:17:27.18\00:17:29.44 to show themselves to a priest while they still had leprosy. 00:17:29.58\00:17:33.28 It didn't make 00:17:33.52\00:17:34.28 sense to the disciples that Jesus would allow himself 00:17:34.58\00:17:38.12 to be crucified and handed over to the authorities of the time. 00:17:38.25\00:17:43.12 But I need you to know that there are certain things 00:17:43.32\00:17:46.39 that won't make sense until after you obey. 00:17:46.39\00:17:49.56 Let me say it again. 00:17:49.56\00:17:50.90 There are certain things that won't make sense 00:17:50.90\00:17:53.23 until after you obey. 00:17:53.37\00:17:55.44 In other words, Abraham didn't see the Ram in the thicket 00:17:55.60\00:18:00.11 until he began to obey that Israel 00:18:00.28\00:18:03.85 didn't see the Red Sea open until they began to obey that. 00:18:03.85\00:18:09.22 Gideon didn't know that God could win with. 00:18:09.25\00:18:11.85 Many are few until after He obeyed 00:18:11.85\00:18:15.12 that the disciples didn't know how to fish and five 00:18:15.36\00:18:18.59 could feed 5000 until after they obeyed. 00:18:18.59\00:18:22.16 For the ten lepers. 00:18:22.33\00:18:23.53 They didn't start getting well until after they obeyed, 00:18:23.53\00:18:27.60 and they didn't know what he meant. 00:18:27.84\00:18:30.04 And crucifixion until after the resurrection, 00:18:30.04\00:18:34.01 after he obeyed what God told him to do. 00:18:34.88\00:18:37.75 And what I'm saying to somebody today is that you'll never see 00:18:38.05\00:18:41.48 the miracle 00:18:41.52\00:18:42.48 until after you forgive those who don't deserve it. 00:18:42.62\00:18:45.92 You will never see what God has in the future 00:18:46.12\00:18:49.49 until you are éliminer the relationship of the past, 00:18:49.62\00:18:53.33 that you will never see how God will provide 00:18:53.53\00:18:56.26 until you give when you don't have it. 00:18:56.40\00:18:58.87 How many of us know that God doesn't have to make sense 00:18:59.07\00:19:02.80 because 00:19:03.84\00:19:04.44 God made sense all the way all that today God. 00:19:04.87\00:19:07.54 God does not have to answer to our logic. 00:19:07.58\00:19:11.35 We simply have to trust God when we cannot trust God. 00:19:11.35\00:19:14.88 I all with me today, friends 00:19:14.88\00:19:16.95 this hour, remember probably about seven years ago 00:19:16.95\00:19:19.02 when my wife and I were 00:19:19.35\00:19:20.39 getting ready to build the home where we live in now. 00:19:20.49\00:19:22.89 And I remember, you know, we get to the place 00:19:23.12\00:19:25.03 where you pay a certain house for a price for the base house 00:19:25.03\00:19:28.43 and then you budget some money for your upgrades. 00:19:28.60\00:19:31.50 And and my wife and my realtor, Jessica, 00:19:31.50\00:19:34.14 burn through our upgrade money like an electrical fire. 00:19:34.24\00:19:37.67 It was gone before I knew it. 00:19:37.71\00:19:39.81 And I remember Malcolm. 00:19:40.01\00:19:41.41 I wanted a back, a fence in the back yard 00:19:41.41\00:19:44.05 so that the kids could go and play unsupervised 00:19:44.18\00:19:47.22 and just go and do their thing. 00:19:47.22\00:19:48.75 But the money had pretty much already been gone. 00:19:48.75\00:19:51.42 And so, man, I was thankful for how God bless. 00:19:51.62\00:19:53.99 But in my secret time I was like, Lord, 00:19:54.12\00:19:56.19 I wish that we could get men of fence in the backyard. 00:19:56.19\00:20:00.00 But now, how many of us know 00:20:00.30\00:20:01.70 the devil has a special attack for the closing week? 00:20:01.70\00:20:05.27 In other words, man stuff start happening and underwriting. 00:20:06.20\00:20:09.87 Man The house was not finished on time. 00:20:09.87\00:20:12.57 We had to stay another month in that rental house. 00:20:12.74\00:20:16.04 And it's crazy because I wanted to back out of the deal. 00:20:16.21\00:20:19.21 I wanted to go and look for something else, 00:20:19.35\00:20:21.72 but the Spirit of the Lord kept leading us to the same house. 00:20:21.85\00:20:25.59 I didn't understand it. 00:20:25.79\00:20:27.52 I just had to accept it. 00:20:27.52\00:20:29.32 Even though I didn't agree with it. 00:20:29.32\00:20:31.46 But now, as we get back to the closing table, 00:20:31.46\00:20:34.20 the builders can recognize my frustration and my anger. 00:20:34.30\00:20:38.17 And so they begin to say, Mr. 00:20:38.33\00:20:40.14 Snell, we sense that you're not happy with the process. 00:20:40.14\00:20:43.10 What can we do 00:20:43.30\00:20:44.94 to sweeten the 00:20:46.04\00:20:47.14 deal, to make you feel good about moving into the house? 00:20:47.24\00:20:50.98 I said, Well, I had a thought about a fence in the back yard. 00:20:51.21\00:20:55.12 My wife wanted an upgraded refrigerator 00:20:55.38\00:20:58.29 all the stuff that was out of our budget. 00:20:58.52\00:21:00.99 God provided it at closing. 00:21:01.16\00:21:03.49 I didn't always agree with it, but guess what? 00:21:03.73\00:21:07.50 When you move without agreement, 00:21:07.50\00:21:10.43 you won't see the glory of God revealed. 00:21:10.83\00:21:13.17 You'll hear me today, friends. 00:21:13.23\00:21:15.87 Second thing really quick that the story of Jonah teaches us. 00:21:15.87\00:21:18.47 Stay with me, friends. 00:21:18.47\00:21:19.94 It teaches that certain storms are not for your destruction. 00:21:19.94\00:21:24.15 Therefore, your direction. 00:21:25.31\00:21:29.05 So Jonah goes down to Joppa, 00:21:29.05\00:21:31.82 he pays the fare and gets in a boat 00:21:32.62\00:21:35.62 so that he can go to the land of Tarsus. 00:21:35.92\00:21:39.13 But understand 00:21:39.43\00:21:40.46 that Jonah is not just trying to run from Nineveh. 00:21:40.46\00:21:44.50 The Bible says that he is literally running 00:21:44.83\00:21:47.97 from the presence of the Lord. 00:21:48.17\00:21:50.91 And it's crazy because, man, they get on a boat and they are. 00:21:51.17\00:21:55.28 The Bible says that God sends a strong wind into the sea 00:21:55.28\00:22:00.55 and the wind is so strong that it threatens 00:22:00.82\00:22:04.55 the well-being of the ship. 00:22:04.55\00:22:06.62 And even these pagan men begin to call each one 00:22:06.86\00:22:11.69 on the name of their God and see the thing. 00:22:11.83\00:22:15.86 I need somebody to get friends of mine is that this storm 00:22:15.86\00:22:19.83 is not a natural storm, 00:22:20.84\00:22:24.01 that this storm is not because he 00:22:24.01\00:22:26.88 a cold front collided with a warm front. 00:22:27.28\00:22:29.98 It's not because a low pressure 00:22:30.78\00:22:33.28 system converge with a high pressure system. 00:22:33.28\00:22:35.98 It is not a hurricane that has headwinds in front of it. 00:22:36.52\00:22:40.79 In other words, this storm, my friends, 00:22:41.19\00:22:43.99 has no meteorological definition 00:22:44.16\00:22:47.40 because this storm is not a natural storm. 00:22:47.73\00:22:51.60 But this storm is spiritual in origin. 00:22:52.30\00:22:56.14 And one of the things that Ellen 00:22:56.14\00:22:57.77 White says in profits and kings is 00:22:57.77\00:23:00.11 as the boat is seized by the storm, 00:23:00.14\00:23:03.75 what it does is it grips them in a particular location. 00:23:03.91\00:23:08.98 In other words, 00:23:09.38\00:23:10.12 what the storm does is it obstructs their movement. 00:23:10.52\00:23:14.02 This storm charts 00:23:14.29\00:23:16.06 keeps them from getting where they're trying to go. 00:23:16.06\00:23:19.26 This storm halts their momentum. 00:23:19.59\00:23:22.83 The storm essentially holds them in place. 00:23:23.10\00:23:26.30 In other words, church this storm essentially pauses them 00:23:26.53\00:23:30.77 and other words as they walk through this storm. 00:23:32.14\00:23:34.64 There are times where storms pursue forward. 00:23:34.78\00:23:37.55 There are times where storms will drive you backwards. 00:23:37.71\00:23:40.55 There are times where storms will push you way off course. 00:23:40.72\00:23:44.35 But this storm places them in the exact same locale 00:23:44.52\00:23:48.66 so that no matter how they maneuver, 00:23:48.82\00:23:50.99 they're looking 00:23:51.09\00:23:51.66 at the same set of mountains and the same group of trees 00:23:52.29\00:23:55.93 and the same lighthouse from which there is no help. 00:23:56.06\00:23:59.43 And so essentially what the storm does 00:23:59.63\00:24:01.94 is he holds them in one particular place 00:24:02.07\00:24:05.04 so that Louis, no matter how hard they bail 00:24:05.27\00:24:08.24 it, still got him in the same place. 00:24:08.38\00:24:10.41 No matter how much cargo they dumped, 00:24:10.61\00:24:12.71 they're still stuck in the same place. 00:24:12.88\00:24:15.05 They are literally like hamsters on a wheel that no matter 00:24:15.25\00:24:18.82 how much motion they exert, they still find themselves 00:24:18.82\00:24:22.59 in the same place 00:24:22.59\00:24:23.96 and understand there is a purpose in the storm 00:24:23.96\00:24:27.30 because God's goal is not to destroy them. 00:24:27.50\00:24:31.00 His goal at this point is to exhaust them. 00:24:31.20\00:24:35.50 In other words, he just wants to get them tired. 00:24:35.50\00:24:38.97 God just wants to weary them. 00:24:39.24\00:24:41.68 He wants them to get to a place 00:24:41.88\00:24:43.98 where they stop trying to maneuver 00:24:43.98\00:24:46.11 and they stop trying to sail 00:24:46.28\00:24:48.32 and they stop trying to manage it 00:24:48.45\00:24:50.55 because God knows something about us. 00:24:50.72\00:24:53.02 It is only when humanity is depleted 00:24:53.19\00:24:57.03 that divinity is invited. 00:24:57.19\00:24:59.23 Thank you so much for joining us for The Breath of Life 00:24:59.59\00:25:02.63 Television Ministry Broadcast with Pastor Debleaire Snell. 00:25:02.63\00:25:07.30 Now we hope and pray 00:25:07.30\00:25:08.74 that you have been blessed by his powerful message. 00:25:08.74\00:25:11.84 Join us next week for part two of “You?Going The Wrong Way”. 00:25:12.11\00:25:17.58 You don't want to miss it. 00:25:17.61\00:25:19.75 What's good family. 00:25:19.75\00:25:21.05 We've come upon the time of Thanksgiving 00:25:21.05\00:25:23.32 and here breath of life. 00:25:23.65\00:25:24.85 We've got a whole lot of things to be thankful for this year. 00:25:24.92\00:25:28.32 God has been good to this ministry. 00:25:28.32\00:25:30.53 We put our broadcast in five new cities 00:25:30.53\00:25:33.13 and we've seen it internationally. 00:25:33.36\00:25:35.33 We've started our first version of children's ministry content. 00:25:35.33\00:25:39.30 We've started weekly content each Sunday morning 00:25:39.60\00:25:42.44 and we put our podcasts breathe on video, 00:25:42.64\00:25:45.87 but there's still so much more we can do. 00:25:46.17\00:25:48.71 And I need you to know I need your help. 00:25:48.91\00:25:51.05 I want to invite you to join me on Tuesday, November 28, 00:25:51.41\00:25:55.42 which is giving Tuesday a day of radical generosity 00:25:55.75\00:25:59.55 for our first annual breath of life praise a thon. 00:25:59.82\00:26:03.02 I want you to join me online at our Breath of Life 00:26:03.32\00:26:06.09 YouTube page. 00:26:06.09\00:26:07.30 We're going to be online from 6 a.m. 00:26:07.30\00:26:09.33 to 2:00 pm that day. 00:26:09.33\00:26:12.30 There's going to be testimonies, 00:26:12.30\00:26:13.87 they're going to be songs, they're going to be devotionals. 00:26:13.87\00:26:16.54 There's going to be a Breath of Life Townhall . 00:26:16.77\00:26:19.04 We're going to be joined by some of the friends 00:26:19.04\00:26:21.58 of our program as we praise the Lord all day long, 00:26:21.58\00:26:25.38 I've got a big, unrealistic goal for that day. 00:26:25.71\00:26:28.65 I need to raise $100,000, 00:26:29.05\00:26:32.65 and with your help, it can be made possible. 00:26:32.89\00:26:35.52 We want to add our broadcast to even more cities. 00:26:35.79\00:26:38.69 We want to do even more animated content for our kids, 00:26:38.86\00:26:42.36 and we want to stretch our reach 00:26:42.36\00:26:44.10 with the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:26:44.10\00:26:46.47 Here are some ways you can give 00:26:46.47\00:26:49.20 with your donation between $100 and $249, 00:26:49.20\00:26:53.44 you will receive a signed copy of my book, New Normals, 00:26:53.78\00:26:57.41 with your generous gift of $250 to $499, 00:26:57.91\00:27:02.85 you'll receive an additional signed copy 00:27:03.12\00:27:05.59 of Making Christianity Great Again, 00:27:05.82\00:27:08.12 then for your gracious gift of $500 or more, 00:27:08.59\00:27:12.36 you will receive signed copies of both of my books 00:27:12.69\00:27:16.10 and our exclusive 00:27:16.43\00:27:18.20 stainless steel breath of Life Beverage Bottle. 00:27:18.20\00:27:22.04 I know $100,000 seems like a big goal, 00:27:22.04\00:27:24.84 but we've serve a big God and we've got unrealistic faith. 00:27:25.07\00:27:28.71 So I look forward to seeing you November 28, 6 a.m. 00:27:29.04\00:27:32.85 for our Praise of Thorn. 00:27:32.85\00:27:34.68 Listen, we're going to testify. We're going to sing. 00:27:34.68\00:27:37.22 We're going to hear the word of God. 00:27:37.35\00:27:38.69 It's going to be a rich time of fellowship. 00:27:38.69\00:27:41.26 Once again, I look forward to seeing you. 00:27:41.26\00:27:43.29 November 28 at 6:00 a.m. 00:27:43.29\00:27:45.39 for the first annual Breath of Life Praise-a-thon 00:27:45.63\00:27:51.67 Breath Of Life Music 00:28:05.68\00:28:25.67 END 00:28:25.67\00:28:30.57