Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000018
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00:00 (Theme Song) ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:11 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:17 (Music) PB: I'd like to welcome 00:21 those who are watching the Breath of Life 00:21 television broadcast. 00:23 I'm Dr. Carlton Byrd here at the Berean Seventh-Day 00:25 Adventist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and we ask at this 00:28 time that everyone would take their Bibles and turn with me 00:31 to the book of Luke, Chapter 11, and we're going to begin 00:34 reading verse 1. 00:40 Luke 11:1. 00:47 The word of God says, "And it came to pass, that, as he was 00:53 praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his 01:03 disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also 01:08 taught his disciples." 01:10 Verse 2: "And he said unto them, 01:14 When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed 01:16 be thy name. 01:17 Thy kingdom come. 01:18 Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 01:22 Give us day by day our daily bread. 01:26 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that 01:29 is indebted to us. 01:31 And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us 01:35 from evil." Now, go back to verse 1. 01:38 "It came to pass that as he was praying in a certain 01:43 place." Now go with me. 01:45 Our companion says, Matthew, Chapter 6, verse 6, our 01:49 companion text. 01:51 Matthew 6:6. 01:54 The word of God says, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter 01:58 into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to 02:06 thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in 02:10 secret shall reward thee openly." Today I want to speak 02:17 with you on the subject "Find a Place to Pray." Find a place 02:23 to pray. 02:24 God, right now breathe in this place. 02:28 We ask your Holy Ghost to come in copious measures right now 02:31 so that, Lord, we can hear a word from thee. 02:33 Disappoint us not, hide me behind your cross, forgive me 02:36 of my sins, may your word come alive for your people today. 02:41 And God, when the appeal is made, I pray that individuals 02:44 would accept you as their personal savior. 02:46 Hide me behind your cross, in Jesus" name I pray, begging 02:48 for forgiveness of sin. 02:50 Let everyone say Amen. 02:52 And Amen. 02:53 Find a place to pray. 02:55 Find a place to what, everybody? 02:58 It's very important that you understand today the 03:01 importance of prayer. 03:03 Do I have a witness in this place? 03:05 Everybody in here, everybody watching, everybody needs 03:09 prayer. 03:10 And if you don't know how to pray, you better learn how to 03:13 pray because the world we're living in is a mess. 03:16 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 03:18 And the only thing that's going to help us get through 03:20 stress relationships, wayward children, back-stabbing 03:25 friends, trifling employees, oppressive, unappreciative 03:29 employers, gossiping coworkers, nagging illnesses, 03:34 foreclosed homes, bankrupt cases and political unrest is 03:40 some downright, knees falling, prostrate bowing, crying out 03:47 to the Lord in prayer. 03:49 Do I have a witness in this place? 03:51 So, you have to do this. 03:54 Nobody can do this for you. 03:57 Your pastor can't do it, your family can't do it, your 04:02 church can't do it, you have to pray. 04:06 You need some you-and-God time. 04:10 Now, we're discovering that in Luke 11:1, that Jesus is a 04:13 praying man, for one cannot teach prayer if one does not 04:16 practice prayer. 04:18 The fact that the disciples ask Jesus, "Lord, teach us to 04:23 pray" is a testimony to their having seen Jesus pray. 04:28 Jesus not only told his disciples how to pray, but the 04:31 disciples saw Jesus pray. 04:34 Let this be a lesson for us as we begin today. 04:38 You can't just talk the talk, but you've got to walk the 04:42 walk. 04:43 I wish somebody knew what I was talking about in this 04:45 place. 04:46 Based on this text, the disciples believed that prayer 04:51 was a learned behavior. 04:54 Immediately after the disciples appealed to Jesus to 04:56 teach them how to pray, Jesus begins teaching in verse 1 and 05:00 2, and he says, when you pray say, Our Father, but let me 05:07 suggest to you today that Jesus did not teach the 05:10 disciples to pray only by the words in the text, but Jesus 05:13 modeled prayer in his lifestyle. 05:17 In other words, my friends, don't just tell me you believe 05:21 in prayer, but show me that you believe in prayer. 05:26 Show me that when you come down to this altar and you get 05:31 on your knees and you cry out to God, show me that you 05:34 believe that God is a prayer answering God. 05:37 Now, I've learned over the years, I must say this and be 05:39 candid with you today, I've learned over the years you can 05:43 have a church that looks holy. 05:46 The furniture looks holy, the flowers, the plants look holy, 05:54 the pulpit looks holy, the organ will be playing and 05:59 everything seems holy. 06:01 The church even smells holy. 06:04 But everything that looks and smells like holy is not holy. 06:11 Because some people, I've learned in my experience, can 06:14 pray these flowery, flattering, well articulated 06:19 prayers and people will think they are the biggest saint in 06:24 the world. 06:25 They will think they are the best Christian in the world. 06:28 But let me tell you something. 06:29 They may say the finest prayer, but that doesn't make 06:34 them the finest Christian. 06:36 Because remember, the devil talked to the Lord, too. 06:40 "I've been knowing the Lord 20 years." Do you know the Lord 06:45 or have you just been talking to him? 06:48 "I met the Lord when I was 12." And you haven't spoken to 06:51 him since and now you're 45. 06:54 Today I'm not talking about a formal, public display of 06:59 piety, I'm talking about a personal place, a personal 07:03 place in your hearts of consecration that is 07:06 exclusively for the use of the Lord. 07:10 Now, let me break this down, because I believe that in this 07:12 post-modern generation there are some people who don't 07:13 understand what I'm trying to say today. 07:16 There is a difference between church members and saints. 07:23 Let me say that one more time. 07:25 There's a difference between church members and saints. 07:30 We've got a lot of church members today, people who come 07:37 to church. 07:38 But there's a major difference between church members and 07:42 saints. 07:45 How do I know? 07:45 Back in the day, you could tell the saints something and 07:51 they wouldn't gossip, they would pray about it. 07:52 Do I have a witness in this place? 07:55 The saints would come together in agreement and pray for you. 08:00 And so I must admit, I'm used to saints and sometimes I get 08:05 weary because we've got a lot church folk now. 08:08 But I want to know, are you a saint? 08:11 You see, back in the day, if I can testify a bit, when the 08:14 saints got ready to come over to your house and you were in 08:17 trouble, they'd go to cooking and they'd go to cleaning and 08:20 they'd go to washing up stuff and they didn't want money. 08:23 They just did it because they were saints. 08:25 And we live now in a world that if you make a cupcake, 08:30 somebody is talking about, well, you know, flour is sure 08:33 high. 08:34 Cake mix is not what it used to be. 08:38 But I'm used to saints who loved you, cared for you, 08:42 prayed for you. 08:45 I'm so glad somebody prayed for me. 08:47 Ministered to you and did things out of their hearts and 08:52 out of their spirits and they had something that was called 08:55 consecration, which means that you conducted yourself in a 08:58 certain way. 09:01 There was consecration. 09:03 They didn't always have music blaring in the car. 09:06 Sometimes they just be walking, walking down the 09:10 road, walking down the street talking to the Lord. 09:14 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 09:16 Singing songs, making up stuff because they had an intimate 09:21 relationship with the Lord, and you could feel the glory 09:24 of God around them. 09:27 When you came into their presence, there was just 09:30 something that emanated out of their spirit. 09:32 They didn't have to tell you that they were praying, you 09:35 could feel that they were praying because there was a 09:38 certain level of consecration. 09:40 They had a prayer place, not just on the outside, but they 09:44 had a prayer place on the inside of their hearts. 09:46 Do I have a witness in this place? 09:49 I've got to describe this today and taking time because 09:51 this generation doesn't understand this. 09:54 Brothers and sisters, there ought to be an inner sanctuary 09:55 in you, a place you don't give to anybody, not your husband, 10:01 not your wife, not your boyfriend, not your 10:03 girlfriend, not your momma, not your daddy, not your 10:06 children, that's what's wrong with somebody right now. 10:09 That's why somebody is suicidal and depressed, ready 10:14 to blow your brains out, because you've given that 10:17 place to Larry, Terry, Harry, Gary, Billy Bob, Mary Sue, and 10:29 you've got to snatch that place back. 10:32 You've got to snatch that place back in your hearts and 10:34 give that to God and God alone. 10:40 Are you hearing me everybody? 10:42 Find a place to pray. 10:46 You don't fall in love with anybody so much so that you 10:48 let them have your space and time with God. 10:52 I've got to tie in this valentines 10:53 Come on, say Amen. 10:54 When you put people in that place and they know when 10:58 you've let them get in that place, then you have nowhere 11:01 to go because you've allowed people to become so 11:04 significant that they have become an idol in your life 11:07 and you have to cast that idol aside and let God be God. 11:13 The reason why some of you are so bitter and upset with 11:16 people is because you put people in the place of God and 11:19 then when they let you down, you're frustrated because they 11:21 couldn't come through for you. 11:23 But as long as you know that people, I've learned this, are 11:26 people and people are going to do people things, and people 11:31 are going to fail you, and you've got to keep them in 11:34 their place. 11:35 You can love people without worshipping people. 11:39 But when you start worshipping people and say, I would die 11:44 for you, I just love you, I'm not anything besides you, 11:51 you've got a problem. 11:53 You've got a problem. 11:54 I want you to know is there any space in you where God has 12:00 exclusivity? 12:02 Is there any time in your life where it's just you and the 12:07 Lord, where you get into the very presence of God and you 12:13 bask in the glory of God? 12:15 That ought to make somebody want to shout, right there. 12:19 Because in his presence there's fullness of joy and at 12:24 his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. 12:29 Let me tell you all something. 12:30 Whether you want to admit it or not, there are some folk in 12:33 this room who have had a past. 12:35 Oh, come on now. 12:40 I know you've got your hat on, gloves on, but you have a 12:43 past. 12:44 Come on, say Amen. 12:46 You haven't always been missionary cornflakes and 12:48 evangelist banana. 12:49 Come on, say Amen. 12:51 You haven't always been deacon fried Striples, you haven't 12:54 always been who you are right now and sometimes, even since 12:59 you've been evangelist banana pudding. 13:02 You know you've slipped a bit. 13:03 Tell the truth, shame the devil. 13:05 Some of you fell a little bit. 13:07 You're wallowing around. 13:08 Some of you are still swimming in that stuff right now. 13:11 But we have a God who loves you so much that he says, if 13:17 you just open up the door, I will come in and sup with you 13:20 and I will be your God and you shall be my people. 13:23 I want to talk with you. 13:26 Even while you're in prison, even when you're wrong, even 13:31 when you're slothful, even when you're down, I want to 13:34 talk with you. 13:37 I want to be with you. 13:38 But the problem is, some of us, and that's why I have to 13:41 be careful, some of us, we've gotten so busy we don't even 13:44 take time to pray. 13:47 Some people are so busy today that they pay people to pray 13:50 for them. 13:53 Dial-a-Prayer line, somebody's on the other end 13:56 getting paid to pray. 13:57 You've got intercessors who intercede for us when it ought 14:01 to be us, because you can't beat me praying for me. 14:07 Oh, you can't hear me today. 14:12 You can help me pray, but you can't beat me praying for me. 14:19 I have a vested interest in praying for me. 14:26 You know what? 14:26 I like me. 14:28 I know what's wrong with me. 14:30 I know what it's going to take to straighten me out. 14:33 I tell me some stuff about me that I'm not going to tell 14:36 you, so you can help me pray but you can't pray for me 14:42 because I've got some stuff that I've got to bring up to 14:46 the Almighty God that I just don't trust you enough to tell 14:55 you what you really need to say to God for me. 15:02 I don't trust you enough. 15:03 That's right. 15:05 I'll tell you a little some, some, some, but I don't trust 15:07 you enough. 15:08 Are you hearing what I'm saying to you, everybody? 15:11 When you (laughs), when you talk to God, you go in your 15:16 secret closet, because Jesus said in the companion text, 15:20 Matthew 6:6, but you, when you pray, enter into your closet 15:25 and when you shut the door, so when you go in your closet and 15:30 shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret in the 15:32 problem, who sees you in secret, shall reward you 15:36 openly. 15:37 You see, when you go into your secret closet, you're able to 15:41 talk to God and God don't tell your business. 15:43 You're able to dump your cares on him, that inner place that 15:47 belongs to God that you don't let anything or 15:51 anyone in there. 15:51 Somebody can feel depression when it starts coming. 15:54 And when it starts coming, you ought to say, 15:57 no, no, no, no, no. 15:57 I don't play with that, because it fools around and 16:00 gets in this place, it will take me all the way down. 16:04 You got angry, but don't let anger get down in that inner 16:07 place in you, because you don't know what you might do 16:10 if anger got all the way down in your basement, if it got 16:14 down in your cellar, you might swing on a ceiling fan 16:17 and mess yourself up. 16:20 You don't know what it might do. 16:21 You can get angry a little bit, but let 16:23 me tell you this clearly. 16:24 Everybody listen to me clearly. 16:25 Don't you let anybody get on your nerves so bad that you 16:28 want to die. 16:32 Don't you let anybody get on your nerves so much 16:35 that it drives you crazy. 16:36 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 16:38 The devil is a liar. 16:41 You better tell somebody. 16:42 If you can make it without me, then I can make it without you. 16:45 You're not slitting your wrists, I'm not going to slit 16:48 my wrists either. 16:48 I can make it in the name (laughs) in the name 16:53 of Jesus. 16:54 I serve a risen savior. 16:55 He's in the world today, I know He is living. 16:59 I know He is living. 17:01 Whatever men may say, God sits high, but you better believe 17:05 God looks low. 17:05 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 17:07 So in Luke, Chapter 11, verse 1, the Bible says that Jesus 17:09 was praying in a certain place. 17:14 I like the way Luke says, certain place. 17:17 When he had finished praying, the disciples asked him, 17:19 "Lord, teach us to pray." The disciples had learned that 17:24 Jesus took prayer seriously. 17:26 They knew Jesus was sitting down in a certain place to 17:31 pray, that it was a special place and that no one should 17:33 interrupt the conversation between Jesus and his Father. 17:37 I don't understand this postmodern generation. 17:40 I grew up in a home, when we started praying in church, you 17:42 stopped walking. 17:45 I grew up in a home, when we stared praying, you stopped 17:47 talking. 17:48 I wish I had a witness in this place. 17:51 We all need a certain place. 17:56 A certain spot. 17:59 A secret closet with God. 18:01 Find a place to pray. 18:04 Now let me be clear. 18:06 It doesn't have to be an actual closet, but we have 18:08 some place where people will not disturb us, where we can 18:11 feel the presence of God and know that God is near. 18:16 The word of God says, be still and know that I am God. 18:21 We all need a burning bush in our lives where we're standing 18:26 on holy ground. 18:28 Now quickly, let me tell you why we need our place, a 18:31 certain place to pray. 18:32 Number one, a certain place. 18:33 We need a certain place, a place of sanctity. 18:36 Everybody say sanctity. 18:39 We're talking about an inner sanctuary, a place of 18:40 sanctity, specifically belongs to God, a place of purity and 18:43 consecration. 18:44 It's a place where you worship from. 18:48 And take my time. 18:50 A place where you worship from, this place of sanctity. 18:54 I mean, you come to church and you come and worship and we're 18:58 supposed to come to church and come to worship. 19:00 The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, let us not forsake the 19:03 assembling of ourselves together. 19:06 But let me be clear with you all today. 19:08 Everyone watching on the broadcast, everyone who's in 19:10 this church right now, I don't have to come to church to 19:12 worship. 19:16 In fact, my best worship is before I even get to church. 19:25 Because see, some of you all are too quick in here. 19:27 You've got other stuff to do. 19:29 You want church to hurry up, get this over here, get that 19:31 over there. 19:32 But when I've got real issues, I have to lay in a state of 19:37 worship and sometimes when I'm driving down the road and I'm 19:42 not finished with my worship yet, sometimes when I've got 19:46 tears in the corners of my eyes, I'm not through yet and 19:49 sometimes I'll be in the shower and I'll be calling on 19:53 the name of the Lord and I'm still worshipping God because 19:58 I need God more today than I've ever needed him before in 20:02 my life. 20:03 Do I have a witness in this place? 20:04 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 20:09 Sometimes you've got to call him on your job. 20:14 Your coworkers wonder where you're going. 20:16 You slip into a room by yourself. 20:18 You slip into an office, slip into a closet, maybe slip into 20:21 the bathroom, hey, and say, Lord, I'm going in this stall 20:25 because I need to make contact with you today. 20:28 Not tomorrow, not next week, but today. 20:31 I don't need drums, I don't need an organ, I don't need a 20:34 praise team, I don't need choirs, I don't need preaching 20:36 in order for me to worship God, I don't even have to 20:40 carry a tune, not in my certain place. 20:44 Not in my sanctuary, my inner sanctuary. 20:47 I don't need the latest gospel song. 20:50 You all don't know, I'm a song writer in and of myself. 20:53 I'll make up a song. 20:55 I'll be walking Berean making up songs. 20:58 You healed me before, you healed me again. 21:03 When I think about what you did for me way back then. 21:06 You all hear what I'm saying. 21:07 I'll even wrap it up, praise the Lord. 21:12 For goodness sake, we're all going to take a Bible break. 21:15 You all hear what I'm saying. 21:16 I'll whoop it up because when I think of the goodness of 21:20 Jesus and all he's done for me, because there's this certain 21:32 place. 21:33 You have this place of sanctity. 21:36 You don't let your weakness get in the way of your 21:39 sanctity. 21:41 You don't let carnality get in the way of your sanctity. 21:45 You don't let addictions or habits or drugs get in the way 21:48 of your spot. 21:49 Devil, yes, I've got issues. 21:53 But the issues don't have me. 21:54 I'm not going to let that thing get inside of me, 21:59 because this place, this temple belongs to God. 22:03 It is a place of sanctity, a place of holiness where you go 22:07 to God alone and you don't mind being alone with God. 22:11 I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the 22:15 roses because sometimes you don't want everybody else 22:19 around you because it's you and God at your place. 22:26 Maybe you're in your back yard walking around and you're 22:30 walking around in circles, the neighbor's looking at you like 22:33 you've lost your mind. 22:35 If they saw you they would think you were crazy because 22:37 they can't see anybody in the back yard but you. 22:40 But you're in the back yard, releasing all of your cares, 22:45 all of your burdens, all of your issues for that specific 22:48 time, specific situation, that specific place, because it's 22:53 your place, your place with God. 22:56 I'll be honest. 22:56 I don't see much of that today. 22:58 I see a lot of people come to church trying to benefit from 23:01 people who have a place. 23:03 They go to church to hear somebody preach who's been 23:09 with Jesus. 23:11 They go to hear somebody else sing who's been with Jesus. 23:13 But it used to be that you'd been with Jesus for yourself 23:17 and if nobody sang, If nobody preaches, you could 23:22 still get blessed because they enter into his gates with 23:27 thanksgiving, you came into his court with praise, you 23:31 were thankful unto him and you blessed his name. 23:35 I'm going to be real with you all. 23:38 I praise God for the large fellowship and the growing 23:39 fellowship we have, but let me be honest, I don't have to 23:42 have anybody in here to have church. 23:48 Not one of you. 23:48 Everyone can leave. 23:49 Me and the Lord. 23:50 I can get happy all by myself. 23:51 Jump up and down. 23:55 Don't have to worry about you all being critical. 23:57 I can dance on God's pulpit. 23:59 I can start crying, start shouting, start saying Amen, 24:02 start clapping my hands, start singing, start praising, all 24:05 by myself. 24:07 You walk in church going, what's wrong with Pastor Byrd? 24:10 Oh, he's just praising God. 24:12 In an insane world you need a place, inner place, a 24:17 sanctity. 24:19 It can't be bought. 24:20 And praise and worship and this place of sanctity is not 24:25 for sale. 24:27 A place that has nothing to do with money. 24:29 It's exclusively God's and you must learn to protect that 24:31 place. 24:34 You don't let anybody sweet talk you into that spot, 24:36 because, guess what, they're going to leave you, they're 24:39 going to disappoint you, but Jesus said, I will never leave 24:42 nor forsake you. 24:44 I know you don't think somebody, they're going to 24:46 leave you, but keep on living. 24:48 You'll find out, they will leave. 24:50 Johnny will leave. 24:51 Mary will leave. 24:53 You have to have a place of sanctity. 24:55 Say sanctity, everybody. 24:57 You don't let anybody or anything in that spot. 24:59 No bills, no worries, no stress, no mess, no kids, no 25:03 job, nothing. 25:04 That is God's place. 25:06 Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, 25:14 tried and true, with thanksgiving. 25:21 I'll be a living sanctuary, Lord, just for you. 25:29 Number two, you need a place of sacrifice. 25:36 Everybody say sacrifice. 25:37 Now, I know it's not popular to talk about sacrifice 25:38 anymore. 25:39 It's more popular to talk about success. 25:41 Nobody wants to talk about sacrifice but you can't have 25:44 success without sacrifice. 25:45 Preach it, Pastor Byrd, I'm doing the best I can. 25:48 That's what's wrong with people today. 25:51 Do you understand? 25:52 Ms. Palmer, Mr. Womack, they didn't get where they 25:55 are just by success, there was some sacrifice. 25:59 That's what's wrong with people today, they want 26:00 success without sacrifice. 26:03 They want to hobo in on what somebody else has got. 26:06 Their name is Jimmy and they want you to gimme. 26:08 I wish I had a witness in this place. 26:10 But it doesn't work that way. 26:14 You've got to have some sacrifice along 26:18 with your success. 26:20 You have to give up something. 26:23 You can't snatch what God has for you while you're sitting 26:27 there holding on to what you did for yourself. 26:31 You've got to let go a few things so you can lay hold 26:33 on some more things. 26:35 If there's anything in your life that you're holding 26:37 onto that's greater than God, you've got to get rid of it. 26:39 PB: Be sure to join us again next week as we continue to 26:42 explore God's word. 26:45 Remember, God has a word just for you from the holy Bible. 26:50 Also, I'd like to invite you to become a partner of the 26:54 Breath of Life ministry. 26:55 If you would like to join us as we seek to share the gospel 26:58 of Jesus Christ with others, feel free to give us a call at 27:02 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:15 Or feel free to write us at the address shown on your 27:19 screen. 27:20 Finally, you can reach us by logging on to our web site at 27:23 www.breathoflife.tv. 27:33 Thank you for tuning in, thank you for joining us and may God 27:36 continue to bless you. 27:38 >: Two thousand years ago Jesus did something 27:42 especially for you. 27:45 He died on the cross of Calvary. 27:46 That day you were on His mind. 27:48 Our offer this week is Max Lucado's, "He Did 27:51 This Just for You." 27:52 The toll free number is 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:55 That's 877-265-6333. 27:59 Or you may write to Breath of Life, Box 340, Newbury Park, 28:03 CA 91319. 28:06 Remember to include your gift of $5 or more. 28:12 ...Because this place, this temple belongs to God. 28:15 It is a place of sanctity, a place of holiness 28:20 where you go to God alone... 28:24 ...Find a place to pray. |
Revised 2015-02-06