Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000081
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00:03 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:10 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:19 ♪ (Music) ♪ Pastor Byrd: You can't 00:23 keep holding onto negative folk that weigh you down. 00:26 Every time you pick up the phone with them you 00:29 just feel heavy. 00:32 You know what I'm talking about. 00:34 Folk go, Child I just don't know. 00:37 It's a rough day. 00:38 It's rough out there. 00:39 Well, you know, 00:41 I guess it's rough, I just don't know, 00:43 but I guess we can, but I just don't know. 00:47 There's another individual. 00:48 Well, it's a beautiful day today and 00:50 the sun is shining right now. 00:53 The next person, but it's going to be raining 00:55 in an hour. 00:57 I'm really doing well in this class. 00:59 I have an A thus far this semester. 01:01 Yeah, but the final's coming. 01:04 That food sure smells good in the oven. 01:07 Yeah, but you better watch it, 01:09 it's going to get burnt. 01:10 These are folk that drain you with all that negativity. 01:14 Folk that sap out all of your energy. 01:17 Folk that will suck the very life out of you. 01:20 You know the type of folk I'm talking about. 01:23 You see them coming, so you run. 01:26 You see them looking your way, so you look the other way. 01:29 You see their number come up on the caller ID and I do 01:32 believe caller ID is God-ordained. 01:34 Do I have a witness in this place? 01:36 You see their number come up on the caller ID and you say, 01:40 oh, no, 01:42 no, no, 01:44 not today. 01:45 Let me tell you something. 01:46 You've got to get some positive folk around you. 01:48 Positive folk around you that will eat right, 01:50 drink right, exercise right, 01:52 prepare right, train right, 01:55 practice right. 01:57 Are you race ready? 02:00 Number three. 02:02 Good runners endure. 02:05 Now, although the writer of Hebrews 02:07 is not specific about the type of race in Hebrews 12, 02:12 we can be sure that life's journey is not a 100-yard 02:16 dash. 02:17 But life's journey is more like a long-distance run. 02:21 It's more like a marathon. 02:24 But I conclude and I believe that we're running a marathon 02:27 here. 02:28 In a marathon you've got to learn how to endure. 02:31 In this marathon you're going to have some ups and you're 02:34 going to have some downs. 02:36 But you've got to endure. 02:37 The runners in Roman times continued to run even if the 02:42 race was long and hard. 02:44 Christians, we've got to continue to run. 02:46 Christians must continue to trust God in the good times 02:50 and the bad times, because I read somewhere in 02:52 Ecclesiastes 9:11 that the race is not given to the swift 02:56 or the strong, but to the one that endures 02:59 until the end. 03:00 Some of you have no endurance in this race because you're 03:05 still holding on to weights in life that are causing you to 03:07 be burdened down. 03:09 Anybody will tell you that the more weight you have, 03:12 the more tired you become more quickly in a race. 03:15 You want to know why you have no endurance? 03:17 You can't run with weights from 20 years ago that still 03:19 have you down. 03:21 She did this to me and I can't let it go. 03:24 He did this to me and I can't let it go. 03:27 You can't hold a grudge for somebody for 20 years. 03:30 They've gone along with their lives and you're still running 03:32 in circles, talking about what they did to 03:35 you. 03:36 Some of you right now, you can't let go of your ex 03:38 and that's why you'll never have your next, 03:40 because you're holding on to something done in your past. 03:47 But good runners--I've got a witness in this place--good 03:50 runners know how to take a licking and keep on ticking. 03:56 Good runners know how to endure. 03:59 You can't run in this Christian race and hold on to 04:03 a bad attitude. 04:06 You can't run in this Christian race and have a mean 04:10 spirit. 04:11 You can't run in this Christian race and have 04:13 a jealous streak. 04:14 You've got to let it go. 04:15 If you're going to endure, lose some fats, 04:19 lose some weights and let that thing go. 04:23 You have to endure. 04:24 Our hope for the prize, our hope for the eternal 04:27 wreath of eternal life with Jesus cannot be a fleeting 04:30 hope. 04:32 We have to have an enduring hope because we're not running 04:34 a sprint. 04:36 We're running a marathon. 04:38 That's why the doctrine, listen to me good, 04:41 of once saved, always saved, 04:44 is not valid. 04:45 Because the realization of this eternal hope will 04:48 come in the future. 04:49 When we become justified in Christ. 04:52 God imputed righteousness. 04:55 We find Christ, surrender to Christ 04:58 and are justified in Christ at that moment. 05:01 But sanctification, God's imparted righteousness, 05:05 is when we grow in Christ over a lifetime. 05:09 It's when over a lifetime we develop. 05:12 Over a period we develop. 05:13 God expects us to grow to a point where we receive 05:17 the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives and he provides 05:20 us with sufficient time to grow in this process. 05:23 You see, I'm not the same person I was 05:28 20 years ago. 05:29 You're not the same person you were 20 years ago, 05:32 10 years ago, 5 years ago, 05:35 1 year ago, 1 month ago, 05:37 1 week ago. 05:38 Somebody, you're not the same person you 05:40 were one day ago, because what a wonderful 05:42 change in my life has been wrought when Jesus comes into 05:46 my heart. 05:47 God is preparing you now for something that you're not 05:52 going to have to deal with up the road. 05:54 God is preparing you for something now you can't handle 05:58 right now, but in time as you endure, 06:01 you're going to be able to handle it. 06:03 There's some stuff, if I can testify, 06:05 that I have to deal with now that if I had not gone through 06:08 some stuff back there, I wouldn't be able to deal 06:11 with it up here. 06:12 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 06:15 Somebody knows what it means to have been through some 06:17 stuff. 06:18 Anybody's been some stuff and to know that you've been 06:21 through some stuff, but thank God, 06:24 God brought you through, that God was preparing you, 06:27 that God was pruning you, that God was arranging you, 06:31 that God was rearranging you, that you had to go 06:35 through the fire, you had to go 06:36 through the flood. 06:37 But in case you didn't know, fire, 06:39 yes, is going to fall in your life. 06:41 Fire's going to even fall in your house. 06:45 Fire's going to fall in your ministry. 06:47 Fire is going to fall on you. 06:48 Somebody, you cried yourself to sleep. 06:50 Wanted to quit your job. 06:52 I want some real folk here tonight. 06:54 Wanted to quit your job, wanted to get in your car, 06:56 drive away and never come back. 07:00 Felt like you were a failure. 07:02 Felt like you wasted your life. 07:04 Felt kind of like your life was in vain. 07:05 But God hasn't forgotten. 07:07 Somebody knows if it had not been for the Lord on my side, 07:13 tell me where would I be? 07:16 Nevertheless, it's only a test. 07:18 You've got to hold on. 07:19 You've got to run this race. 07:21 You've got to keep the faith. 07:23 You've got to be race ready. 07:25 You've got to endure. 07:27 Let me tell you something. 07:28 Endurance requires discipline. 07:33 The same discipline that it took to get things out of your 07:37 life is the same discipline it's going to take 07:39 for you to be patient. 07:41 Let me try it this way. 07:43 Unless you've had gastric bypass surgery or a lap band 07:49 procedure, nobody looses weight 07:53 overnight. 07:55 You have to work at it. 07:57 You've got to exercise. 07:59 You drink water. 08:00 You stop eating sweets. 08:02 You have to endure. 08:03 You have to be disciplined. 08:04 There are some people who would want you to believe that 08:08 they lost their weight overnight. 08:12 They would like you to believe that it was abracadabra. 08:15 That they had some special anointing or something. 08:20 But I'm here to tell somebody tonight, 08:23 this race is day to day. 08:27 Don't let folk fool you because they look spiritual 08:31 and talk spiritual. 08:33 Well, they really know the Bible 08:36 and they can really quote Scripture, 08:38 but you need to understand, the devil knows the Bible, 08:40 too, and the devil can quote 08:42 Scripture, too. 08:44 Don't you let folk make you think that they're deeper than 08:46 you are or they've got a first-class ticket into 08:48 heaven. 08:49 They just can cover up their stuff better than you. 08:51 Because they've got the same struggles, 08:54 the same issues, the same drama you've got in 08:57 this race called life. 08:59 Do I have a witness in this place? 09:01 But I'm here to tell somebody that this thing is day to day. 09:06 It's a process. 09:08 It requires endurance. 09:09 It's the process of sanctification 09:12 that happens over time. 09:14 I haven't always been who I am today. 09:17 It has taken 40 years for me to get where I am right now. 09:22 And you know what? 09:23 Please, be patient with me, 09:26 because God is not through with me yet. 09:30 God is not through with you yet. 09:32 God is still working on you. 09:35 You've got to endure. 09:36 You're going to cry sometimes. 09:38 You're going to hurt sometimes. 09:40 You're going to be alone sometimes. 09:43 You're going to be talked about sometimes. 09:45 You're going to be criticized sometimes. 09:48 You're going to be falsely accused sometimes. 09:50 You're going to be up late in the midnight hour sometimes. 09:54 But you've got to endure. 09:56 This race requires endurance, requires patience. 10:00 You've got to be in this thing for the long haul. 10:02 Make up your mind that regardless of how bad it gets, 10:07 I'm not going anywhere until I get the promises 10:10 of God, and the promises of God are always 10:12 Yes and Amen. 10:15 Let me tell you something, friends of mine, 10:17 don't you let anybody run you out of God's church. 10:19 This is God's church. 10:22 On Christ the solid rock I stand, 10:25 all other ground is sinking sand. 10:28 Don't you let anybody run you out of your church. 10:31 And so on this journey, in this process, 10:36 in this race, in this marathon, 10:38 I've got to get rid of some stuff. 10:40 I've got to prepare, I've got to endure and then, 10:46 number four, I've got to keep my eyes fixed 10:53 on Jesus, the author and the finisher of 10:59 my faith. 11:00 I'm going to spend a little time on this one, 11:02 because it's the most important. 11:05 In the Greek, the word also here signifies 11:07 captain or leader. 11:09 I know who's the captain of my ship. 11:11 But the reference here in Hebrews 12:1 seems to be the 11:14 judge in the games whose business it was to admit the 11:18 contenders and give the prize to the conqueror. 11:21 Jesus is here represented as the presiding officer. 11:25 He admits the contenders and gives the prize 11:29 to the winner. 11:32 Jesus is the judge under whom and by whose permission 11:36 and direction, according to the rules 11:38 of the heavenly race, we are permitted 11:41 to enter the race, commence the race and he 11:44 is the finisher by awarding and giving the prize which 11:47 consummates the runners at the end of the race. 11:51 All he says is, be thou faithful unto death. 11:56 I can win this race because all I've got to do is keep my 12:02 eyes on Jesus. 12:05 Now, if someone were to ask you, 12:08 out of the five senses, which one is the most 12:12 important to you, what would your answer be? 12:16 Your touch, your taste, 12:20 your ability to smell, your hearing or your sight? 12:25 Well, we can touch and feel with our 12:27 skin, but if I couldn't touch, 12:30 I would still be all right because I would just keep my 12:32 hands to myself. 12:33 We can taste with our tongues, but if I couldn't taste, 12:37 I would be all right because at least I could still eat. 12:41 We smell with our nose, but if I couldn't smell that 12:45 would be all right because although I wouldn't be able to 12:48 smell good stuff, praise God, 12:50 I wouldn't be able to smell bad stuff. 12:52 Do I have a witness in this place? 12:55 We hear with our ears, but if I couldn't hear that 12:58 would be all right because I would still be able to 13:00 communicate with you through sign language, 13:03 a nod, a smile or a frown. 13:06 But we see with our eyes and my eyes are most important 13:11 to me because without my eyes I wouldn't see you. 13:13 I wouldn't see what you're doing around me. 13:17 I wouldn't see what you're doing to me. 13:20 I wouldn't see me, I wouldn't see around me. 13:22 My eyes are most important for me because our eyes are more 13:27 accurate witnesses than my ears. 13:31 Henry David Thoreau said the eye is the jewel of the body. 13:35 The eye sees. 13:37 The eye reveals. 13:39 The eye exposes. 13:41 The eye detects. 13:43 The eye discloses. 13:45 The eye divulges. 13:47 The eye makes known. 13:49 The importance of the eye is even expressed in the Bible. 13:53 When Jesus healed the blind man in John, 13:56 Chapter 9, and people couldn't understand 13:59 how this man was healed or who healed him and how this man 14:02 had been blind from birth, but somebody healed him. 14:05 And so they began to ask the man, 14:07 Man, how can you now see? 14:09 Who healed you? 14:11 Who was it? 14:13 I love this Bible story because the man says, 14:15 Look, I don't know who healed me. 14:18 I don't know whether he was a sinner or not. 14:21 I don't even know his name. 14:23 I don't know where the man came from. 14:26 I don't know his mama or his daddy, 14:29 but this one thing I do know, I once was blind 14:36 but now I see. 14:37 Are you race ready? 14:40 Are you ready to run? 14:41 If you are, keep your eyes on Jesus. 14:44 There are a lot of things we look at. 14:46 We look at people, we look at places, 14:49 we look at things. 14:50 But be careful what you look at, 14:52 because all you see is not what it appears. 14:54 Because all that glitters is not gold. 14:57 So the safest place for you to look is at Jesus. 15:01 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 15:03 Not each other, not your husband, 15:05 not your wife, not your friends, 15:08 not church folk, but keep your eyes on Jesus. 15:11 And I don't know about you, but I'm looking at Jesus, 15:14 because if I look at you I'll get discouraged, 15:17 if I look at myself I'll get disillusioned, 15:20 if I look at other folk I'll get disheartened. 15:23 But when I look at Jesus, I get delighted, 15:27 I get excited, I get energized, 15:30 I get eager, I get happy, 15:34 my soul gets happy. 15:35 It makes me want to say, "I will lift up mine eyes unto 15:37 the hills from whence cometh my help." My help comes from 15:41 the Lord who made heaven and earth. 15:43 I will bless the Lord at all times, 15:45 and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 15:48 I was glad when they said it to me, 15:51 let us go into the house of the Lord. 15:54 I love the Lord, he heard my cry and pity every 15:58 groan as I live while troubles rise, 16:01 I hasten to his throne. 16:02 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall 16:06 abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 16:09 I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge, 16:11 my fortress, my God. 16:13 Somebody knows, he's my God, 16:15 in him will I trust. 16:17 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 16:19 Who are you looking at? 16:21 What are you looking at? 16:23 The stock market? 16:25 Our economic crisis? 16:27 Our political race? 16:29 Tornadoes across the Midwest? 16:31 Crime and destruction in urban areas, 16:34 poverty in Africa, a world out of control? 16:36 What are you looking at? 16:38 Because what you see is what you get. 16:41 If you see Jesus, you get Jesus. 16:45 Peter messed up on the water one day. 16:47 He took his eyes off Jesus and he fell. 16:50 All he had to do was keep his eyes on Jesus. 16:53 Y'all not feeling me, because when you take 16:55 your eyes off Jesus, that's when you fall. 16:57 When you take your eyes off Jesus, 16:59 that's when trouble comes. 17:01 I'm race ready. 17:02 Are you race ready? 17:03 Lose the weight. 17:05 Get some training. 17:06 Get some endurance. 17:08 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 17:09 How do I keep my eyes on Jesus? 17:11 I look at the life of Jesus. 17:13 He was born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, 17:18 breathed on by oxen in a cow's eating trough, 17:22 reared in a carpenter's shop, baptized in the muddy Jordan, 17:26 healed and delivered more men, women, 17:28 boys and girls than can be counted or estimated, 17:31 arrested on trumped up charges, 17:34 crucified on Friday, lay resting in the grave 17:37 on the Sabbath, rose early Sunday morning, 17:40 ascended back to heaven. 17:42 One day he's coming back for you and for me 17:45 and I know it gets rough some times, 17:48 I know it gets tough some times, 17:50 but look ahead. 17:53 Look towards the end of the race. 17:56 Don't look at what's happening in the race, 17:59 but keep your eyes towards the end of the race. 18:02 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 18:04 Look unto Jesus, the author, 18:07 the finisher of our faith. 18:08 But then the text continues: Who for the joy that was set 18:13 before him endureth the cross, despising the shame, 18:20 and is set down at the right hand 18:24 of the throne of God. 18:27 Jesus' death on the cross was a horrible death, 18:30 but Jesus knew his death would bring great joy in heaven. 18:34 It would bring great joy to the Father 18:36 because the Son had obeyed him completely, and it would 18:38 bring great joy to God's people because God would 18:41 forgive them of their sins. 18:43 But when Christians suffer, we should not just think 18:46 about Jesus' death, we should remember 18:49 where Jesus is now. 18:51 At the Adventist Church you get caught up in a lot 18:53 of stuff and we think we're just about the Sabbath 18:56 and we're just about the second coming, 18:58 but I want you to know tonight the one doctrine that's 19:00 distinctive to the Adventist Church is the doctrine 19:03 of the sanctuary. 19:05 Jesus right now, know where he is. 19:08 He sits in the place of the greatest honor 19:13 in heaven. 19:14 He sits at the right hand of God, 19:16 in the presence of God, the fullness of joy 19:19 and at his right hand there are pleasures 19:22 forevermore. 19:23 Jesus is seated in the heavenly sanctuary, 19:26 seated at the right hand of God, making intercessions 19:30 for us. 19:32 Pastor Byrd, what does that mean? 19:34 I'm so glad you asked. 19:35 In other words, Jesus is my lawyer 19:38 and God the Father is my judge. 19:40 The same God that pleads my case is the same God that's 19:45 going to decide my case. 19:47 Oh, you all don't hear me. 19:50 The same God that started my race is the same God that's 19:55 going to finish my race. 19:58 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 20:00 God the Son is pleading my case and God the Father, 20:05 who sits next to him, will decide my case. 20:08 Hallelujah, that should make somebody 20:10 want to shout. 20:11 And so, are you race ready? 20:15 You've got to run through the tears. 20:18 You've got to run through fears. 20:21 You've got to run through the storm, 20:24 through the rain. 20:25 You've got to run through sickness and pain. 20:28 You've got to run through when friends walk out on you. 20:31 Run until you're debt free. 20:34 Run until you get your breakthrough. 20:36 Run until you get what you came for. 20:39 Anybody will tell you that when you run, 20:41 when you start taking off the weight, 20:44 you'll start getting a little lighter, 20:46 you'll start running a little faster. 20:48 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 20:50 God is getting ready to take somebody 20:52 to another level in him, and you've got to let 20:54 the fat go. 20:56 You've got to let negative folk go. 20:58 You've got to let negative situations go. 21:00 You've got to train. 21:02 You've got to endure you've got to keep 21:04 your eyes on Jesus. 21:08 Let me close this way. 21:09 The story is told of a man who had a dog. 21:16 Man's best friend, dog. 21:19 And the man would occasionally test the dog's obedience. 21:30 So what he would do to test his dog's obedience, 21:32 he would place a piece of meat, 21:38 smelling good, looking good, 21:40 and he would place that meat on the floor. 21:42 Some of you all know what I'm talking about. 21:46 Don't act like you've eaten choplets all your life. 21:49 Come on, say Amen. 21:51 And he would place the meat on the floor 21:54 and he would look at his dog and give the command 21:58 to the dog. 22:00 No! 22:01 The dog had a strong urge to lunge and go 22:08 for the meat. 22:10 He was placed in a most difficult situation. 22:12 To obey his master's command or disobey his master's 22:21 command. 22:22 But what helped the dog when he would look at that meat 22:26 and that meat, I can say, 22:29 was right in front of him, what helped the dog 22:33 was that the dog never looked at the meat. 22:41 The dog seemed to feel that if he did, 22:45 the temptation to disobey would be too great. 22:49 So when the master put the meat in front of the dog, 22:53 the dog didn't look at the meat, 22:55 but the dog steadily kept his eyes on his master. 23:01 What am I trying to say? 23:04 When the temptations of life come, 23:08 always keep your eyes on the master's face. 23:12 When we encounter temptations, instead of looking at the meat 23:20 and the temptation, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. 23:27 Tonight are you battling temptation? 23:33 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 23:36 He'll give you the victory. 23:37 Tonight where are you looking? 23:38 At man or the master? 23:45 Are you race ready? 23:49 Get rid of the weight. 23:53 Are you race ready? 23:58 Get some training. 24:02 Are you race ready? 24:06 You've got to endure. 24:09 Are you race ready? 24:14 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 24:21 When you go back to your church, 24:24 you go back to your city, you go back to your district, 24:26 you may get weary sometimes in this race, 24:28 but keep your eyes on Jesus. 24:35 Christ returneth. 24:40 Hallelujah. 24:42 Hallelujah. 24:47 Amen. 24:50 God, tonight, just a simple reminder 24:57 that we've got to be race ready. 25:00 Can't look to the left, we can't look to the right, 25:02 but, God, we've got to keep our eyes 25:04 on Jesus. 25:08 So, God, may we lay aside 25:10 those weights. 25:13 God, may we train. 25:17 Teach us, O God, 25:18 how to endure. 25:22 And God, may we keep our eyes on Jesus. 25:26 We thank you for stopping by this way, 25:29 this evening. 25:32 You promise that, God, your Word when it goes forth, 25:34 it will not return to us void, but it will accomplish 25:41 what it has set out to do. 25:45 God, do just that, 25:47 we pray. 25:47 In Jesus' name and for his sake we pray. 25:55 Amen. 25:57 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching Breath 26:00 of Life today. 26:02 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry and 26:04 that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 26:09 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministering, 26:11 we need you. 26:12 We need your prayers, we need your support. 26:15 We want you to know that any and all donations, 26:18 small or great, they are sincerely welcomed 26:21 and appreciated. 26:22 To contact us or to make your donation, 26:25 please feel free to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:37 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, 26:40 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, 26:46 California 91319. 26:48 Or log onto our website at breathoflife.tv 26:58 >: We'd all like to live heathier lives, 27:00 but doing so and maintaining it aren't always so easy. 27:03 It's hard when the foods we love are also the foods 27:06 that can hurt us the most, and when it's easier 27:08 to watch TV than it is to exercise. 27:10 What we need are straight answers 27:12 and some encouragement. 27:14 The Breath of Life gift offer this week is Dr. Timothy 27:17 Arnott's "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health." 27:20 It includes information that can change your life 27:22 with just a little effort. 27:24 "24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health" is indeed 27:26 just that, realistic. 27:29 Dr. Arnott is a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-really-is 27:32 doctor who talks to you as if you're hearing 27:36 from a good friend. 27:37 Just call our toll-free number, 1-877-BOL-OFFER. 27:41 The book is yours for a gift of $5 or more. 27:43 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, Box 340, 27:47 Newbury Park, California 91319. 27:50 Don't just wait for your health to get better, 27:52 take charge of it and get "24 Realistic Ways to Improve 27:55 Your Health" now. 27:58 PB: Because we're not running a sprint, 27:59 we're running a marathon. 28:02 I once was blind but now I see. 28:10 Don't look at what's happening in the race, 28:13 but keep your eyes towards the end of the race. 28:16 Keep your eyes on Jesus. 28:18 I can win this race, because all I've got to do 28:23 is keep my eyes on Jesus. |
Revised 2015-02-06