Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000082
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00:03 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy oh yes, ♪
00:11 ♪ he's worthy worthy of all... ♪ ♪ all the praise... ♪ 00:21 Pastor Byrd: If you have it, let me hear you say Amen. 00:23 Luke 15:1, the Word of God says: "Then drew near 00:29 unto him all the publicans and sinners for 00:34 to hear him. 00:36 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, 00:38 saying, This man receiveth sinners, 00:42 and eateth with them. 00:45 And he spake this parable unto them, 00:47 saying, What man of you, 00:51 having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, 00:55 doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, 00:59 and go after that which is lost, 01:02 until he find it? 01:04 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, 01:07 rejoicing. 01:08 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his 01:14 friends and neighbors, saying until them, 01:17 Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep 01:23 which was lost. 01:25 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in 01:31 heaven over one sinner that repenteth, 01:35 more than over ninety and nine just persons, 01:43 which need no repentance." 01:46 Ninety-nine just won't do. 01:50 Father God, bless us now. 01:54 We've sung, we've testified, 01:58 and we've prayed. 02:00 But now, God, 02:02 we need a word from you. 02:03 If we don't hear from you, Lord, 02:08 what will we do? 02:10 So disappoint us not. 02:13 Fill us with your Spirit. 02:16 Anoint us with your grace. 02:19 And when the appeal is made today, 02:22 may men, women, 02:24 boys and girls come running, saying, 02:26 what must I do to be saved? 02:29 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. 02:33 It's in his name we pray. 02:35 Let everyone say Amen. 02:37 And Amen. 02:39 Ninety-nine just won't do. 02:46 In the text Jesus has just finished speaking a powerful 02:52 lesson on what true discipleship is. 02:57 Just because you're a member of God's church doesn't 03:03 necessarily mean you're a true disciple of Christ. 03:08 Because a whole lot of folk have their names on 03:12 the church roll, but they don't really know 03:15 what it means to follow Jesus Christ. 03:18 Do I have a witness in this place? 03:20 Jesus stresses this teaching in Luke, 03:22 Chapter 14, by saying, 03:25 if you're a disciple you're salt. 03:28 and as salt you have a purpose in the world. 03:34 As Christians we're not here to follow the world, 03:37 but we're supposed to be change agents in the world 03:41 because we're in this world, but not of this world. 03:47 And if you can't get excited about that, 03:50 it just might be you aren't real salt. 03:53 Because they do have a thing called salt substitute. 03:59 Looks like salt, tastes like salt, 04:04 but it's not salt. 04:05 Do I have a witness in this place? 04:08 There are a lot of folks that look like disciples, 04:11 walk like disciples, pray like disciples, 04:16 and then they can even praise like disciples, 04:19 but they aren't disciples because the true test of a 04:24 disciple is, if you're salty then folk 04:27 around you ought to get thirsty. 04:29 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 04:31 Jesus says, you are the salt of the earth. 04:37 He then begins Chapter 15 of Luke with what many refer 04:41 to as God's lost-and-found department. 04:45 In this chapter Jesus says that his primary mission is to 04:50 seek and save the lost. 04:53 That's the mindset of Jesus. 04:55 Let this mind be in you, which was also 04:58 in Christ Jesus. 04:59 Seek and save the lost. 05:02 In this chapter we have searching, 05:06 we have saving and then we have shouting. 05:09 For after the lost is found there is rejoicing. 05:15 In this chapter Jesus says four illustrations in three 05:20 parables to deal with God's desire to save the lost. 05:25 Verse 3-7 identify the first parable and record the 05:30 illustration of the lost sheep. 05:33 Verses 8-10 identify the second parable and record the 05:38 illustration of the lost coin. 05:41 Verses 11-32 identify the third parable and record both 05:46 the illustration of the lost son and the illustration of 05:50 the lost brother. 05:52 But in verses 1 and 2, the Bible teaches that 05:57 publicans and sinners came to hear Jesus preach. 06:03 Now, publicans were tax collectors. 06:06 Everybody say tax collectors. 06:07 Who worked for the Roman government and who were 06:12 despised by the Jews because they worked directly or 06:16 indirectly for the hated Romans and put unfair 06:20 and unnecessary tax burdens on the people 06:23 to fill their own pockets. 06:26 They were viewed as traitors. 06:28 Sinners, on the other hand, 06:30 were Jews who had fallen away from the life God had 06:35 commanded. 06:36 They were living in unrepentant sin. 06:38 They had been expelled from the synagogue by the scribes 06:42 and the Pharisees, and doomed to hell. 06:46 You know, we call it disfellowship 06:48 and excommunicated by the church. 06:52 Picture that if you will. 06:54 Sinners telling other sinners that they are no longer 06:57 welcome in God's church. 06:59 That they are no longer able to receive forgiveness 07:03 from sin. 07:04 Prostitutes would have been a part of this group. 07:07 Drunkards would have been a part of this group. 07:11 Thieves would have been a part of this group. 07:15 But sinners also included anybody who violated their 07:18 understanding of the commandments. 07:21 For, after all, 07:23 they called Jesus a sinner when he healed somebody on the 07:26 Sabbath day. 07:27 And it was these two groups, tax collectors and poor 07:32 sinners, that nobody else cared about 07:36 but Jesus. 07:37 These people came to hear Jesus teach and preach, 07:42 and the religious authorities murmured and complained 07:46 and began to criticize Jesus for receiving sinners. 07:51 The people, the very people that church 07:57 folk should have been reaching out to were the very people 08:01 that church folk were trying to keep out. 08:05 I can't get any help in this place. 08:09 And that's just like church folk, 08:12 we keep people out who need Jesus the most. 08:15 But the Pharisees don't get too close to these people. 08:20 People who don't look like them, 08:24 people who don't dress like them, 08:27 people who don't talk like them, 08:29 people who don't smell like them. 08:32 But Jesus eats with them, accepts them, 08:35 laughs with them, has fellowship with them, 08:39 and God forbid even prays with them. 08:43 Jesus spending time with these sinners makes 08:46 the Pharisees mad. 08:47 They don't like it that Jesus gives attention to those who 08:52 give no attention to their way of life. 08:56 They want Jesus to be focused on them, 09:00 not sinners. 09:01 They want Jesus to reward them for all their ways, 09:06 not sinners. 09:08 They have been faithful all of their lives. 09:10 They went to church every Sabbath. 09:13 They returned tithe every Sabbath. 09:15 They gave offering every Sabbath. 09:18 They worked hard at the church every week. 09:20 They weren't the bad guys, they were the good guys. 09:23 They were the ones who had grown up in the church. 09:27 They were the ones who didn't smoke, 09:29 drink, or have premarital relations 09:32 in ways they shouldn't have. 09:34 But now, Jesus is ignoring them 09:37 and hanging out with the last, the least, 09:41 the lost, the unlucky and the left out. 09:47 How dare Jesus show more interest in these people than 09:53 he shows in me? 09:55 How dare Jesus show more interest and spend more time 10:00 with these people than he does with me? 10:04 To eat with tax collectors and sinners is to put oneself 10:08 down to their level. 10:09 To eat with tax collectors and sinners was to contaminate 10:13 oneself and make oneself unfit for temple worship. 10:18 But let us, today, 10:20 not be too hard on the Pharisees because there's 10:24 a lot of Pharisee in us. 10:27 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 10:29 What would we say if we saw Jesus at dinner with a drug 10:36 dealer, a car thief, 10:38 a prostitute with AIDS, or a homeless man eating egg 10:43 parmesan in Olive Garden? 10:45 But then Jesus can do whatever he wants as long as it doesn't 10:50 conflict with our clean, comfortable, 10:54 conservative, cool, 10:56 clannish culture. 10:58 It's okay for Jesus to spend time with people like that as 11:01 long as we're not around, as long as they stay on their 11:05 side of town without wandering on our side of town. 11:10 But Jesus, the good news is, 11:12 just doesn't care for good people. 11:15 Jesus cares for all people and Jesus is willing 11:17 to put energy and effort into reaching out to those 11:22 who many good people would want nothing to do with. 11:27 Jesus has a habit of using folk other people don't like. 11:33 Jesus does that so you can't take credit for who they've 11:38 now become in Jesus Christ. 11:40 The Pharisees and the scribes are grumbling and saying to 11:45 one another, this man welcomes sinners 11:49 and eats with them. 11:50 Because you see, the Pharisees had strict 11:54 regulations about how they would keep away from sinners. 11:58 They were not to entrust money to them or have business 12:01 dealings with them. 12:02 They were not to trust them with a secret. 12:05 They were not to give their daughter away in marriage to 12:08 any of their sons. 12:10 They were not to invite them as guests or be their guests. 12:13 But Jesus eats with them, openly fellowships with them, 12:19 and Jesus receives them. 12:23 Notice in the text that the Pharisees do not openly 12:32 confront Jesus. 12:34 They talk behind his back. 12:39 Interestingly, that they would do this 12:42 because in other scenarios, like Jesus healing on the 12:45 Sabbath day, if they felt Jesus was 12:48 directly disobeying one of their traditions, 12:50 they would try to openly call him out on it. 12:54 But when he was just doing things they didn't like, 12:58 rather than speak directly to him they grumbled among 13:04 themselves behind his back. 13:07 Let me tell you something, people like that are 13:10 dangerous. 13:11 Say what you want to say, but one of the toughest things 13:15 in life is to deal with folk that smile in your face, 13:20 but are constantly stabbing you in your back. 13:24 Do I have a witness in this place? 13:27 It's not always the folk on the outside that you have to 13:32 worry about, but it's the phony, 13:34 pretentious folk on the inside that you have 13:38 to be careful with. 13:39 You all don't hear what I'm saying. 13:42 I've never heard a drunk person talk about 13:45 another drunk person. 13:46 Their attitude is, I'm drunk, 13:55 you're drunk, so we just all drunk. 13:59 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 14:01 Verse 1 of the Bible says, then drew near unto him all 14:08 the publicans and sinners, all the publicans and whom, 14:10 everybody? 14:11 Sinners to him. 14:13 Now, the verb in this text, 14:16 drew near, is imperfect in nature. 14:21 Meaning it is repeated acts. 14:24 In other words, the tax collectors 14:27 and the sinners were continuously coming 14:30 to Jesus. 14:31 So regardless of how much the Pharisees and scribes 14:36 tried to stop it, the people kept coming to 14:39 Jesus. 14:40 Let that be a lesson for somebody today. 14:43 Folk can stop a lot of things but folk can't stop 14:49 the move of God. 14:50 Folk can't stop the move of the Holy Ghost. 14:54 They can't stop the move of Jesus. 14:57 God will do what he wants, when he wants, 15:01 where he wants, how he wants and he doesn't 15:05 have to ask you or me for permission to do 15:08 what he wants. 15:11 The Bible says that all the publicans and sinners 15:14 came to hear Jesus while the Pharisees 15:20 and scribes murmured against Jesus for receiving and eating 15:25 with sinners. 15:26 While Jesus didn't approve of their actions, 15:30 the Bible teaches that Jesus did receive them socially 15:34 and ate with them for the purpose of bringing 15:37 them to repentance and salvation. 15:41 Ellen White clearly says in "My Life Today, 15:44 she says that Jesus was social to save. Yes, 15:52 she says, Jesus rebuked intemperance, 15:58 self-indulgence and folly, yet she says he was social in 16:03 his nature. 16:04 He accepted invitations to dine with the learned 16:09 and the noble as well as the poor and afflicted. 16:12 She says, social power sanctified 16:16 by the Spirit of Christ must be improved in bringing 16:19 souls to Jesus Christ. 16:20 But our problem is, too often we're so isolated 16:26 and insulated, we don't want to minister to 16:30 anybody but ourselves. 16:32 We sing what we want, we teach what we want, 16:38 we preach what we want and we don't care about the people 16:41 down the street from our churches. 16:43 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 16:45 We're incestual and the fruit of incest 16:53 is always something retarded. 17:01 And we have retarded ministries and churches 17:04 because we care more about ministering to ourselves than 17:09 ministering to the one on the street corner. 17:12 I wish I had a witness in this place. 17:14 But Ellen White says, Christ's method alone will 17:19 give true success to reaching people. 17:21 The Savior mingled with them as one who desired their good. 17:26 He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, 17:30 won their confidence and then he bade them, 17:36 "Follow me." Jesus was social to save. 17:39 But the scribes and the Pharisees thought they were 17:44 too righteous to associate with sinners, 17:47 too "boojey" to hang with the broke. 17:50 But let me tell you something, don't you ever think that you 17:53 are better than somebody else. 17:56 Don't you ever think that you are more righteous than 17:59 somebody else. 18:00 Apart from Christ, you and I are just as lost as 18:04 those tax collectors and sinners of Israel, 18:08 just as lost as that man drinking Jack Daniels, 18:14 just as lost as that drug dealer on that corner. 18:20 Just as lost as that liar, that fornicator, 18:25 that adulterer, that gossiper, 18:27 that stealer, that cheater, 18:30 that deceiver, that mess-maker, 18:32 all have sinned, come short of the glory of 18:38 God. 18:39 If it weren't for the blood of Jesus, 18:44 I would be lost. 18:46 The ground is level at the cross. 18:50 So before I go any further, I rebuke every foul, 18:56 pretentious, pompous, 18:58 conceited, Satanic superior spirit in 19:01 this place. 19:02 The devil is alive. 19:05 In this first parable, Jesus uses the metaphor of one 19:09 sheep being lost from the fold of 100. 19:13 He says, 99. 19:15 Everybody say 99. 19:16 Just won't do. 19:17 Why did he use this metaphor to illustrate the importance 19:22 of saving the lost? 19:24 Number one, he uses this metaphor of the 19:27 lost sheep because sheep aren't the smartest animals in 19:32 the world. 19:33 As a result they are constantly getting into 19:36 terrible situations. 19:38 Let me tell you something. 19:39 Sometimes we are not the smartest people in the world 19:45 and we find ourselves getting into some terrible situations. 19:51 We make bad decisions, make bad choices, 19:55 say bad things and while we deserve death, 20:01 while we deserve gloom, while we deserve destruction, 20:03 I'm so grateful that God blocks it, 20:07 and God won't let us fall. 20:09 Hallelujah, somebody. 20:11 The angels of the Lord encampeth round about them 20:15 that fear him. 20:16 Number two, sheep are defenseless. 20:23 Lions have teeth, bears have claws, 20:28 snakes have fangs, cheetahs have speed, 20:33 rams have horns, porcupines have quills, 20:39 dogs have a bark and skunks have a scent. 20:47 But not sheep. 20:49 They have absolutely no means of protecting themselves from 20:55 danger. 20:55 If a sheep is attacked, the sheep is helpless. 21:01 We're the same way. 21:03 There is no way we can protect ourselves against the attack 21:07 of Satan. 21:08 We need someone else to protect us, 21:12 someone else to defend us, someone else to guard us, 21:17 someone else to shield us, someone else to shelter us, 21:22 someone else to safeguard us and that someone is Jesus. 21:28 Jesus be a fence all around me every day. 21:32 Put on the layers of the whole armor of God that he may be 21:40 able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 21:45 The Lord is my rock. 21:47 In him we hide. 21:49 A shelter in the time of storm. 21:53 Number three, sheep need direction. 21:55 If a sheep wanders from the rest of the flock it will have 22:03 a hard time, if not impossible time, 22:06 finding its way back. 22:08 Sheep have no sense of direction. 22:13 Sheep are not like horses or dogs who can find their way 22:22 back home. 22:23 Sheep could never find their way home on their own. 22:27 So it is with those who wander from the Lord. 22:33 There is simply no sense of spiritual direction in their 22:38 life. 22:39 They cannot find their way to the Lord by themselves, 22:44 but they need a shepherd. 22:46 But then, number four. 22:48 Sheep are not responsible for getting themselves home. 22:53 The sheep is powerless to find its way back to the flock. 22:58 If the shepherd waited for the sheep to return to its own, 23:03 then it would die in the wilderness. 23:06 So instead of waiting, the shepherd goes after the 23:09 sheep, because getting the sheep back 23:11 home is the responsibility of the shepherd. 23:14 The lost sheep was not able to find its way back home. 23:19 Everything depended on the searching of the shepherd. 23:22 The shepherd feels bad about losing the sheep and will 23:26 search until he finds it. 23:28 It is his responsibility. 23:30 No trouble, no sacrifice, 23:32 no suffering is too great to find the lost sheep and bring 23:36 it back. 23:37 Ninety-nine won't do. 23:39 You've got to get 100. 23:43 Somebody's going to get this in a minute.- The same is true 23:49 with salvation. 23:50 Lost sheep do not find Jesus. 23:54 They are not able. 23:56 Everything depends on Jesus who is seeking the sheep. 24:00 Lost people do not make the first move to Jesus. 24:03 It's the Good Shepherd that makes the first move towards 24:07 lost sheep. 24:08 He comes looking for us. 24:10 He finds us. 24:11 That's why Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice 24:16 and they follow me. 24:18 And what I love about the Lord is that the Lord will search 24:23 for us, wherever we are, 24:27 until he finds us. 24:29 The Lord doesn't give up, thank you, 24:32 Jesus, after a few minutes, 24:34 after a few months or even after a few years 24:37 of searching. 24:38 But Jesus stays on the job until the lost sheep is found. 24:43 That's why he's not the God of a second chance. 24:47 I hear folk say all the time, he's the God of a second 24:49 chance. 24:50 No, no, 24:52 no. 24:53 He's not just the God of a second chance, 24:55 but he's the God of a chance after chance after chance, 24:59 after chance, after chance. 25:02 And I don't know about you, but I'm so glad today that 25:05 Jesus didn't give up on me. 25:08 I'm glad that Jesus keeps coming for me. 25:11 I'm glad that he keeps looking, 25:13 he keeps calling, he keeps knocking, 25:16 he keeps waiting for me. 25:17 Is there anybody in this place who's happy that you serve a God 25:23 that keeps coming back for you? 25:26 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching Breath 25:30 of Life today. 25:31 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry 25:34 and that we gave a healing word 25:36 in a hurting world. 25:39 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministering, 25:41 we need you. 25:42 We need your prayers. 25:44 We need your support. 25:45 We want you to know that any and all donations, 25:48 small or great, they are sincerely welcome 25:51 and appreciated. 25:52 To contact us or to make your donation, 25:55 please feel free to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 26:07 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, 26:10 P.O. Box 340, Newbury Park, CA 91319. 26:18 Feel free to log onto our web 26:26 site at www.breathoflife.tv. 26:30 "The Desire of Ages, the life story of the 26:33 greatest spiritual leader the world has ever known, 26:36 Jesus Christ. 26:37 "Desire of Ages" goes in depth into events surrounding 26:41 the life of Jesus, giving you more meaning 26:43 and a clearer picture of his impact on the world 26:45 and on those who choose to follow him even to 26:49 this day. 26:50 In these uncertain times "Desire of Ages" gives 26:53 direction for all who seek it. 26:54 The book answers hard questions confronting us all. 26:58 It examines basic spiritual truths, 27:00 gives hope and encouragement for tomorrow and brings you 27:03 face to face with the savior. 27:05 get to know him like never before. 27:07 "Desire of Ages" has been acclaimed by many to be the 27:10 most significant and deeply spiritual story of the life of 27:13 christ ever written It is rich with wisdom and compassion 27:18 written by the most translated woman writer in the entire 27:20 history of literature Ellen White. 27:24 Just call our toll-free number, 27:27 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:28 That's 877-265-6333 and ask for your copy of "Desire of 27:37 Ages." This book is yours for a gift of $5 or more. 27:42 Or you may write to Breath of Life, 27:45 Box 340, Newbury Park, 27:47 California 91319. 27:49 "The Desire of Ages"... 27:52 it's the greatest story ever told in a whole new light. 27:56 PB: Regardless of how much the Pharisees and scribes 28:01 tried to stop it, the people kept 28:07 coming to Jesus. 28:08 there is no way we can protect ourselves from the attacks 28:12 of satan. 28:14 We need someone else to protect us. 28:19 I am so glad that Jesus didn't give up on me. 28:23 I'm glad that Jesus keeps coming back for me. |
Revised 2015-02-06