Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000080
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00:00 ♪ (Theme Song) Jesus is worthy ♪ ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪
00:14 ♪ worthy of all... ♪ ♪ (Music) ♪ 00:21 Pastor Byrd: I want to say good evening. 00:22 I am Dr. Carlton B. Byrd, the speaker director from 00:25 Breath of Life television ministries and I'm grateful 00:27 tonight because we are in the great Pacific Northwest. 00:30 We are in the state of Washington and here tonight we 00:34 have people from the state of Washington, 00:36 we have people from the state of Oregon, 00:38 we have people from the state of Alaska, 00:40 we have people from Montana, we have people from Idaho, 00:42 and I've even heard there are some folk here from Canada. 00:45 Come on, say Amen. 00:47 And we are grateful to be here. 00:49 If you love the Lord Jesus, put those hands together, 00:51 give God some praise all over the building tonight. 00:54 Tonight we are reading from Hebrews 12:1. 00:57 The Word of God says to us tonight in Hebrews 12:1: 01:06 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great 01:11 a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every" 01:15 what, everybody? 01:16 "Let us lay aside every" what, everybody? 01:18 Weight. 01:20 "And the sin which doth so easily beset us, 01:23 and let us run with patience the race that is 01:29 set before us, looking unto Jesus the author 01:33 and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set 01:38 before him endured the cross, despising the shame, 01:45 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." 01:52 This evening I have a question for you, 01:55 are you race ready? 01:57 Are you race ready? 01:59 God, in the name of Jesus, 02:01 through the intercession of the Holy Ghost, 02:03 we want you and need you and plead that you stop by here 02:07 tonight. 02:09 That, God, you would imbue us with your Spirit 02:12 from above that we might leave changed men, women, 02:15 boys and girls. 02:16 So, God, speak through this, 02:19 your humble servant, tonight. 02:21 I am so unworthy, but I thank and praise you for 02:23 your grace and your mercy that makes the ability for me to be 02:26 able to stand here tonight even possible. 02:28 Forgive me of my sins, hide me behind your cross, 02:32 and when we leave here this evening may we be able to say 02:35 it was good to have been here. 02:38 In the name of Jesus we pray, let every blood-washed soul 02:41 say Amen. 02:42 And Amen. 02:43 Are you race ready? 02:48 In the text, the writer of Hebrews reminds 02:52 us that we're in a race. 02:57 The writer uses this metaphor because in early Roman times 03:03 races were popular. 03:06 At these races big crowds would come to gather and see 03:12 the best runners. 03:15 They would drink, they would party hardy, 03:19 they would praise to false gods, 03:23 they would participate in ungodly activities, 03:27 you know, the kind of things we don't 03:29 do. 03:32 But despite all this partying, the runners didn't let these 03:38 distractions stop them. 03:40 Nothing mattered to them but the race. 03:44 The parties, the celebrations, 03:48 the festivities, the disturbances, 03:51 the destructions, the commotions didn't stop 03:54 them, because they kept their eyes 03:58 on the prize. 04:00 They kept their eyes on the goal. 04:04 They kept their eyes on the perishable wreath of leaves 04:09 that lay before them. 04:12 And this evening, I just came to let somebody 04:16 know that Christians who run the race of life should have 04:22 only one thing that matters to them. 04:26 They should have one goal before them, 04:31 one aim, one purpose, 04:34 one prize, and that is Jesus Christ. 04:39 Nothing else matters. 04:44 Don't get caught up in the paralysis of analysis. 04:48 Don't get caught up in sweating the small stuff or majoring 04:53 in minors in this race. 04:56 But keep your mind stayed on Jesus. 05:01 Your relationships should begin and end with Jesus. 05:06 Trust God despite any trouble, and I'm so glad they sang that 05:10 troubles don't last always. 05:13 Despite any trouble, trial and tribulation that you 05:16 may encounter in this race. 05:19 Now to run most effectively, the text offers four 05:25 suggestions to make us race ready. 05:29 Four things to help us run and win and I'm going to share 05:32 these four things, then I'm going to take my 05:36 seat. 05:37 Number one, any runner will tell you that 05:43 you've got to remove those things that will slow you 05:46 down. 05:48 You've got to shake off the weights that may hold you 05:51 down, the things that are holding 05:54 you back. 05:55 The writer of Hebrews says that these runners took off 05:59 those things that would slow them down because they didn't 06:02 want to have any hindrances in the race, 06:05 any weights, any burdens, 06:07 any loads, they had to let go. 06:09 Couldn't hold on to baggage. 06:12 Couldn't hold on to weights. 06:14 Couldn't hold on to stuff. 06:16 They had to let it go. 06:17 I'm trying to help somebody. 06:19 You look at runners today, most runners today wear only a 06:24 shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of 06:28 shoes, and the shirts, 06:30 the shorts, the shoes are specifically 06:33 made light in nature that they don't hold the runner down. 06:38 Now in the text, the writer doesn't 06:41 specifically outline if the race was a sprint, 06:46 a long distance run or a marathon. 06:49 But regardless of the type of race, 06:52 you will never see a runner with weights strapped around 06:56 his or her ankles in the starting blocks. 06:59 You will never see a runner run a race with weights around 07:03 his or her ankles. 07:05 They will never run with this extra load because they know 07:09 they will not win. 07:10 The text says, let us lay aside every weight 07:13 that so easily besets us. 07:16 Now these weights, this means to lay aside any 07:20 obstacles, any impediments that would 07:23 hinder your running. 07:27 Take it off, strip it down, 07:29 get rid of any sinful thoughts, 07:32 habits, actions or relationships. 07:37 Fear, get rid of it. 07:39 Lust, get rid of it. 07:42 Faithlessness, get rid of it. 07:45 Envy, get rid of it. 07:47 Jealousy, get rid of it. 07:50 Pride, get rid of it. 07:53 Carnal desires, get rid of it. 07:56 Addiction, get rid of it. 07:59 Bad habits, get rid of it. 08:01 Gossip, get rid of it. 08:04 Get rid of those things that hold you down. 08:07 Christians must throw aside everything that might hinder 08:10 them in this Christian race. 08:14 Whatever is weighing you down, get rid of it. 08:18 Lay aside every weight and those things that 08:22 so easily beset us. 08:23 These sins are those sins that we are most prone to, 08:28 most exposed to. 08:31 Don't act tonight like you don't know what I'm talking 08:34 about. 08:35 Everybody up in here has some weights. 08:38 Everybody up in here has some stuff, 08:42 some sin. 08:43 Everybody up in here is an ex-something. 08:46 I wish I had a witness in this place. 08:49 That's why Paul said in Romans 7: 08:51 That which I should do, I do not. 08:55 That which I would not do, that I do. 08:59 That which I hate, that I do. 09:01 For the good that I would do, I do not, 09:04 but the evil which I would not do, 09:07 that I do. 09:08 O wretched man that I am. 09:11 Who shall deliver me from this body of death? 09:14 But I thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ who giveth me 09:19 the victory. 09:20 I have victory. 09:21 Do you have victory tonight? 09:23 Are you race ready? 09:26 So, then number one, 09:28 if you're going to be race ready, 09:30 you've got to lose some weight. 09:32 Number two, runners must train. 09:35 They must prepare for a race. 09:38 Runners must practice. 09:40 Nobody wakes up in the morning and says one morning, 09:43 tomorrow I'm going to run in the Boston Marathon. 09:47 No, they must train. 09:50 This training doesn't take place in one day. 09:54 This training takes place over time. 09:57 Over time they practice running. 10:00 Over time they must exercise. 10:03 Over time they stretch. 10:05 Ancient track competitions demanded intense practice. 10:10 Olympic athletes have to undergo months of rigorous 10:14 training before competing. 10:16 It didn't happen overnight. 10:19 They had to train. 10:20 They had to exercise. 10:22 They had to practice. 10:24 They had to prepare. 10:26 Runners in this Christian race must prepare over time. 10:32 They must exercise over time. 10:35 They must practice over time. 10:37 They must train over time. 10:40 They must exercise the fruit of the spirit over time. 10:44 Over time, athletes watch what they eat. 10:48 They must watch what they drink. 10:50 They can't put any and everything in them. 10:52 No garbage, no junk food, 10:55 no fat food. 10:56 And the Christian also must watch what they put in them. 11:00 No garbage, no gossip, 11:03 no mess, no confusion. 11:06 That's why you've got to be careful who you hang with, 11:08 because birds of a feather flock together. 11:12 You can't keep holding onto negative folk that weigh you 11:16 down. 11:17 Every time you pick up the phone with them you just feel 11:19 heavy. 11:22 You know what I'm talking about. 11:24 Folk go, Child I just don't know. 11:27 It's a rough day. 11:28 It's rough out there. 11:29 Well, you know, 11:31 I guess it's rough, I just don't know, 11:33 but I guess we can, but I just don't know. 11:37 There's another individual. 11:38 Well, it's a beautiful day today and the sun 11:40 is shining right now. 11:43 The next person, but it's going to be raining 11:45 in an hour. 11:47 I'm really doing well in this class. 11:49 I have an A thus far this semester. 11:51 Yeah, but the final's coming. 11:54 That food sure smells good. 11:56 Yeah, but you better watch it, 11:58 it's going to get burnt. 11:59 These are folk that drain you with all that negativity. 12:04 Folk that sap out all of your energy. 12:07 Folk that will suck the very life out of you. 12:10 You know the type of folk I'm talking about. 12:13 You see them coming, so you run. 12:16 You see them looking your way, so you look the other way. 12:20 You see their number come up on the caller ID and I do 12:22 believe caller ID is God-ordained. 12:24 Do I have a witness in this place? 12:26 You see their number come up on the caller ID and you say, 12:30 oh, no, 12:32 no, no, 12:34 not today. 12:35 Let me tell you something. 12:36 You've got to get some positive folk around you. 12:38 Positive folk around you that will eat right, 12:40 drink right, exercise right, 12:42 prepare right, train right, 12:45 practice right. 12:47 Are you race ready? 12:50 Number three. 12:52 Good runners endure. 12:56 Now, although the writer of Hebrews 12:58 is not specific about the type of race in Hebrews 12, 13:02 we can be sure that life's journey is not a 100-yard 13:06 dash. 13:07 But life's journey is more like a long-distance run. 13:11 It's more like a marathon. 13:14 But I conclude and I believe that we're running a marathon 13:18 here. 13:19 In a marathon you've got to learn how to endure. 13:21 In this marathon you're going to have some ups and you're 13:24 going to have some downs. 13:26 But you've got to endure. 13:27 The runners in Roman times continued to run even if the 13:32 race was long and hard. 13:34 Christians, we've got to continue to run. 13:37 Christians must continue to trust God in the good times 13:40 and the bad times, because I read somewhere in 13:42 Ecclesiastes 9:11 that the race is not given to the swift 13:47 or the strong, but to the one that endures 13:49 until the end. 13:50 Some of you have no endurance in this race because you're 13:55 still holding on to weights in life that are causing you to 13:57 be burned down. 13:59 Anybody will tell you that the more weight you have, 14:02 the more tired you become more quickly in a race. 14:05 You want to know why you have no endurance? 14:07 You can't run with weights from 20 years ago that still 14:09 have you down. 14:12 She did this to me and I can't let it go. 14:14 He did this to me and I can't let it go. 14:17 You can't hold a grudge for somebody for 20 years. 14:20 They've gone along with their lives and you're still running 14:22 in circles, talking about what they did to 14:25 you. 14:26 Some of you right now, you can't let go of your ex 14:28 and that's why you'll never have your next, 14:30 because you're holding on to something done in your past. 14:36 But good runners--I've got a witness in this place-- 14:43 good runners know how to take a licking and keep on ticking. 14:46 Good runners know how to endure. 14:49 You can't run in this Christian race and hold on to 14:53 a bad attitude. 14:56 You can't run in this Christian race and have a mean 15:00 spirit. 15:01 You can't run in this Christian race 15:03 and have a jealous streak. 15:04 You've got to let it go. 15:05 If you're going to endure, lose some fats, 15:09 lose some weights and let that thing go. 15:13 You have to endure. 15:14 Our hope for the prize, our hope for the eternal 15:17 wreath of eternal life with Jesus cannot be a fleeting 15:20 hope. 15:22 We have to have an enduring hope because we're not running 15:25 a sprint. 15:26 We're running a marathon. 15:28 That's why the doctrine, listen to me good, 15:31 of once saved, always saved, 15:34 is not valid. 15:35 Because the realization of this eternal hope 15:38 will come in the future. 15:39 When we become justified in Christ. 15:42 God imputed righteousness. 15:45 We find Christ, surrender to Christ and are 15:48 justified in Christ at that moment. 15:51 But sanctification, God's imparted righteousness, 15:55 is when we grow in Christ over a lifetime. 15:59 It's when over a lifetime we develop. 16:02 Over a period we develop. 16:03 God expects us to grow at a point where we receive the 16:07 power of the Holy Ghost in our lives and he provides us with 16:11 sufficient time to grow in this process. 16:14 You see, I'm not the same person I was 16:18 20 years ago. 16:19 You're not the same person you were 20 years ago, 16:22 10 years ago, 5 years ago, 16:25 1 year ago, 1 month ago, 16:27 1 week ago. 16:28 Somebody, you're not the same person you 16:30 were one day ago, because what a wonderful 16:32 change in my life has been wrought when Jesus comes into 16:36 my heart. 16:37 God is preparing you now for something that you're not 16:42 going to have to deal with up the road. 16:45 God is preparing you for something now you can't handle 16:48 right now, but in time as you endure, 16:51 you're going to be able to handle it. 16:53 There's some stuff, if I can testify, 16:55 that I have to deal with now that if I had not gone through 16:58 some stuff back there, I wouldn't be able to deal 17:01 with it up here. 17:03 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 17:05 Somebody knows what it means to have been through some 17:07 stuff. 17:08 Anybody's been some stuff and to know that you've been 17:11 through some stuff, but thank God, 17:13 God brought you through, that God was preparing you, 17:17 that God was pruning you, that God was arranging you, 17:21 that God was rearranging you, that you had to go through the 17:25 fire, you had to go through the 17:27 flood. 17:28 But in case you didn't know, fire, 17:29 yes, is going to fall in your life. 17:32 Fire's going to even fall in your house. 17:34 Fire's going to fall in your ministry. 17:37 Fire is going to fall on you. 17:38 Somebody, you cried yourself to sleep. 17:40 Wanted to quit your job. 17:42 I want some real folk here tonight. 17:44 Wanted to quit your job, wanted to get in your car, 17:47 drive away and never come back. 17:50 Felt like you were a failure. 17:52 Felt like you wasted your life. 17:54 Felt kind of like your life was in vain. 17:56 But God hasn't forgotten. 17:58 Somebody knows if it had not been for the Lord on my side, 18:03 tell me where would I be? 18:06 Nevertheless, it's only a test. 18:08 You've got to hold on. 18:09 You've got to run this race. 18:11 You've got to keep the faith. 18:13 You've got to be race ready. 18:16 You've got to endure. 18:17 Let me tell you something. 18:18 Endurance requires discipline. 18:23 The same discipline that it took to get things out of your 18:27 life is the same discipline it's going to take for you to 18:29 be patient. 18:31 Let me try it this way. 18:33 Unless you've had gastric bypass surgery or a lap band 18:39 procedure, nobody looses weight 18:43 overnight. 18:45 You have to work at it. 18:47 You've got to exercise. 18:49 You drink water. 18:50 You stop eating sweets. 18:52 You have to endure. 18:53 You have to be disciplined. 18:55 There are some people who would want you to believe that 18:58 they lost their weight overnight. 19:02 They would like you to believe that it was abracadabra. 19:05 That they had some special anointing or something. 19:10 But I'm here to tell somebody tonight, 19:13 this race is day to day. 19:17 Don't let folk fool you because they look spiritual 19:21 and talk spiritual. 19:23 Well, they really know the Bible 19:26 and they can really quote Scripture, 19:28 but you need to understand, the devil knows the Bible, too, 19:31 and the devil can quote Scripture, too. 19:34 Don't you let folk make you think that they're deeper than 19:36 you are or they've got a first-class ticket into 19:38 heaven. 19:39 They just can cover up their stuff better than you. 19:41 Because they've got the same struggles, 19:44 the same issues, the same drama you've got in 19:48 this race called life. 19:49 Do I have a witness in this place? 19:51 But I'm here to tell somebody that this thing is day to day. 19:56 It's a process. 19:58 It requires endurance. 19:59 It's the process of sanctification that happens 20:02 over time. 20:04 I haven't always been who I am today. 20:07 It has taken 40 years for me to get where I am right now. 20:12 And you know what? 20:13 Please, be patient with me, 20:16 because God is not through with me yet. 20:20 God is not through with you yet. 20:22 God is still working on you. 20:25 You've got to endure. 20:26 You're going to cry sometimes. 20:28 You're going to hurt sometimes. 20:30 You're going to be alone sometimes. 20:33 You're going to be talked about sometimes. 20:35 You're going to be criticized sometimes. 20:38 You're going to be falsely accused sometimes. 20:40 You're going to be up late in the midnight hour sometimes. 20:44 But you've got to endure. 20:46 This race requires endurance, requires patience. 20:50 You've got to be in this thing for the long haul. 20:52 Make up your mind that regardless of how bad it gets, 20:57 I'm not going anywhere until I get the promises of God, 21:01 and the promises of God are always Yes and Amen. 21:05 Let me tell you something, friends of mine, 21:07 don't you let anybody run you out of God's church. 21:09 This is God's church. 21:12 On Christ the solid rock I stand, 21:15 all other ground is sinking sand. 21:18 Don't you let anybody run you out of your church. 21:21 And so on this journey, in this process, 21:26 in this race, in this marathon, 21:28 I've got to get rid of some stuff. 21:30 I've got to prepare, I've got to endure and then, 21:36 number four, I've got to keep my eyes fixed 21:43 on Jesus, the author and the finisher of 21:49 my faith. 21:50 I'm going to spend a little time on this one, 21:53 because it's the most important. 21:55 In the Greek, the word author here signifies 21:57 captain or leader. 21:59 I know who's the captain of my ship. 22:01 But the reference here in Hebrews 12:1 seems to be the 22:04 judge in the games whose business it was to admit the 22:08 contenders and give the prize to the conqueror. 22:11 Jesus is here represented as the presiding officer. 22:16 He admits the contenders and gives the prize to the winner. 22:22 Jesus is the judge under whom and by whose permission and 22:26 direction, according to the rules of the 22:28 heavenly race, we are permitted to enter the 22:31 race, commence the race and he is the finisher 22:34 by awarding and giving the prize which consummates 22:37 the runners at the end of the race. 22:41 All he says is, be thou faithful unto death. 22:46 I can win this race because all I've got to do is keep my 22:52 eyes on Jesus. 22:55 Now, if someone were to ask you, 22:58 out of the five senses, which one is the most 23:03 important to you, what would your answer be? 23:06 Your touch, your taste, 23:10 your ability to smell, your hearing or your sight? 23:15 Well, we can touch and feel with our 23:17 skin, but if I couldn't touch, 23:20 I would still be all right because I would just keep my 23:22 hands to myself. 23:24 We can taste with our tongues, but if I couldn't taste, 23:27 I would be all right because at least I could still eat. 23:31 We smell with our nose, but if I couldn't smell that 23:35 would be all right because although I wouldn't be able to 23:38 smell good stuff, praise God, 23:40 I wouldn't be able to smell bad stuff. 23:42 Do I have a witness in this place? 23:45 We hear with our ears, but if I couldn't hear that 23:48 would be all right because I would still be able to 23:50 communicate with you through sign language, 23:53 a nod, a smile or a frown. 23:56 But we see with our eyes and my eyes are most important to 24:01 me because without my eyes I wouldn't see you. 24:05 I wouldn't see what you're doing around me. 24:08 I wouldn't see what you're doing to me. 24:10 I wouldn't see me, I wouldn't see around me. 24:12 My eyes are most important for me because our eyes 24:17 are more accurate witnesses than my ears. 24:21 Henry David Thoreau said the eye 24:23 is the jewel of the body. 24:25 The eye sees. 24:27 The eye reveals. 24:29 The eye exposes. 24:31 The eye detects. 24:33 The eye discloses. 24:36 The eye divulges. 24:37 The eye makes known. 24:39 The importance of the eye is even expressed in the Bible. 24:43 When Jesus healed the blind man in John, 24:46 Chapter 9, and people couldn't understand 24:49 how this man was healed or who healed him and how this man 24:52 had been blind from birth, but somebody healed him. 24:55 And so they began to ask the man, 24:58 Man, how can you now see? 25:00 Who healed you? 25:01 Who was it? 25:03 I love this Bible story because the man says, 25:05 Look, I don't know who healed me. 25:08 I don't know whether he was a sinner or not. 25:11 I don't even know his name. 25:14 I don't know where the man came from. 25:16 I don't know his mama or his daddy, 25:19 but this one thing I do know, I once was blind 25:26 but now I see. 25:27 Are you race ready? 25:30 Are you ready to run? 25:31 If you are, keep your eyes on Jesus. 25:34 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching Breath 25:37 of Life today. 25:39 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry and 25:41 that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 25:46 In order for Breath of Life to continue its ministry, 25:48 we need you, we need your prayers, 25:51 we need your support. 25:52 We want you to know that any and all donations, 25:55 small or great, they are sincerely welcomed 25:58 and appreciated. 26:00 To contact us or to make your donation, 26:03 please feel free to give us a call 26:04 at 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:09 That's 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:14 Or you may write to us at: Breath of Life, 26:17 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, California 91319. 26:30 Or log onto our web site at www.breathoflife.tv. 26:35 >: We'd all like to live heathier lives, 26:38 but doing so and maintaining it aren't always so easy. 26:41 It's hard when the foods we love are also the foods 26:43 that can hurt us the most, and when it's easier to 26:45 watch TV than it is to exercise. 26:48 What we need are straight answers and some 26:50 encouragement. 26:51 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is Dr. Timothy 26:54 Arnott's "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 26:56 It includes information that can change your life 26:59 with just a little effort. 27:02 So say goodbye to crazy diets and impossible exercise 27:05 regimens. 27:06 Dr. Arnott serves up a healthy dish of guidance to help get 27:10 you to the physical and mental state God intended. 27:13 Find out how to exercise the right way, 27:15 how water can help your heart, why eating nuts and seeds 27:18 daily is so important, discover how to lower your 27:21 blood pressure and reduce your risk of cancer. 27:24 "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health" is indeed just 27:28 that, realistic. 27:30 Dr. Arnott is a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-really-is 27:33 doctor who talks to you as if you're hearing 27:35 from a good friend. 27:36 Just call our toll-free number, 1-877-BOL-OFFER. 27:38 That's 1-877-265-6333 and ask for your copy 27:45 of "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 27:48 The book is yours for a gift of $5 or more. 27:51 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, 27:54 Box 340, Newbury Park, California 91319. 27:57 Don't just wait for your health to get better, 28:00 take charge of it and get "24 Realistic Ways to Improve 28:05 Your Health" now. 28:06 PB: Look towards the end of the race. 28:09 Don't look at what's happening in the race, 28:12 because we're not running a sprint, 28:15 we're running a marathon. 28:16 I can win this race because all I've got to do is keep 28:20 my eyes on Jesus. 28:21 I once was blind but now I see. |
Revised 2015-02-06