Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000089
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00:00 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:06 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:14 ♪ all the praise... ♪ (Music) 00:17 Pastor Byrd: We are grateful to this Lord this day 00:23 and we ask that you would now take your Bibles and go 00:26 with us to the Book of John. 00:28 The Gospel according to John. 00:31 Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 00:33 John, Chapter 8. 00:34 John, chapter what, everybody? 00:35 And we're going to verse number 1. 00:40 John 8:1, the Word of God says 00:48 to us today: "Jesus went unto the mount of Olives." Verse 2 00:57 of John 8, the Bible says, "Early in the morning he came 01:03 again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and 01:06 he sat down, and taught them." 01:09 Verse 3: "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him" a 01:14 what, everybody? 01:15 Come on, a what, everybody? 01:17 "A woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in 01:25 the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken 01:31 in adultery, in the very act. 01:33 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be 01:42 stoned: but what sayest thou? 01:44 This they said, tempting him, that they might have 01:53 to accuse him. 01:55 But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger 02:04 wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 02:12 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, 02:14 and said unto them, He that is without sin 02:16 among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 02:25 And then again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 02:28 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own 02:31 conscience, went out one by one, 02:36 beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus 02:38 was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 02:42 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none 02:44 but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, 02:46 where are those thine accusers? 02:52 Hath no man condemned thee? 02:55 She said, No man, Lord. 02:59 And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: 03:05 go, and sin no more." 03:13 God, now for the next couple of moments, 03:16 breathe your Holy Ghost on your Word 03:21 Make it come alive. 03:24 Make it practical to all those who hear. 03:28 Forgive me of my sins, give me clarity of mind. 03:31 God, when the appeal is made, may your Holy Ghost reign 03:35 supreme that we know it's not I, but you Christ that lives 03:39 inside. 03:40 Forgive of our sins we pray, in Jesus' name, Amen. 03:48 The brand new you. 03:54 One of the most rewarding things about being alive today 04:00 is that it affords us the opportunity to start over. 04:06 Which means, regardless of the mistakes made in your past, 04:11 regardless of the foolishness you've done in your past, 04:15 regardless of the silliness, stupidity and senselessness in 04:19 your past, the fact that we are here today is evidence 04:23 that God is not through with us yet. 04:27 There are some people who did not make it to see a new year. 04:33 There are some people who did not make it to see 2013. 04:42 But, for some reason, God has allowed us to still be here. 04:48 And so, in a unison chorus, say with me, I'm still here. 04:54 Everybody say it. 04:55 (Aud: I'm still here.) You see, there's power in those 04:59 words, because for somebody, you're battered but you're 05:04 still here. 05:05 You're bruised, but you're still here. 05:08 Beaten, but you're still here. 05:10 You've been hurt, but you're still here. 05:14 Tired, but you're still here. 05:16 Talked about, but you're still here. 05:20 And let me tell you something, you and I, we are not here 05:25 because of our own goodness, but because of God's goodness. 05:29 We're still here because if it had not been for the Lord on 05:34 my side, do I have a witness in this place? 05:37 What you've been doing should have wiped you out by now. 05:42 In fact, what some of you have been doing should have wiped 05:45 you out a long time ago. 05:48 Somebody should have dragged you from where you are and put 05:51 you out of your misery, but God has allowed you 05:56 to hold on long enough. 05:57 God has allowed you to hold out long enough, because God 06:01 is trying to give somebody a brand new start. 06:05 Go with me today to John, Chapter 8, a familiar passage 06:09 of Scripture, and become reacquainted with a woman who 06:13 has and needs a brand new start. 06:17 Jesus is ministering. 06:20 His popularity is wide spread. 06:22 Swarms of people have come to hear him in the temple. 06:26 And the Bible says that all of a sudden the scribes and the 06:31 Pharisees bring into the presence of everybody a woman 06:35 who's been doing the nasty. 06:37 Jesus has been teaching. 06:42 The woman has been cheating. 06:47 And these self-appointed agents of righteousness are 06:52 out to stop them both. 06:55 They cry, Master, this woman was caught, taken in the very 07:02 act of adultery. 07:04 We saw her for ourselves. 07:08 In an instant this woman is yanked from private passion to 07:14 public spectacle. 07:16 Everybody sees her. 07:18 There's nowhere for her to run, nowhere for her to hide. 07:23 For the rest of her life, when she goes into Walmart, when 07:27 she goes into public, when she goes to the mall she'll be 07:31 known not by her name but by what she does. 07:35 After all, moral failure finds easy recall. 07:41 They quote Scripture, Moses, in the law, commands us. 07:49 The law says, the church manual says, the constitution 08:00 says, the bylaws say, the law says that such should be 08:07 stoned, but, Jesus, what sayest thou? 08:10 According to the law adultery was punishable by death. 08:14 Makes me comment here, if adultery were punishable 08:20 by death today, I wouldn't know how many funerals we'd have on 08:23 a weekly basis in the Oakwood Church. 08:25 Preach, Pastor Byrd. 08:29 According to the law, adultery was punishable by death, 08:34 but only if two people witnessed the act. 08:39 Which means, there had to be two witnesses. 08:43 Now, let's be real and let's be practical. 08:47 What is the likelihood of two people being eye witnesses 08:51 to adultery? 08:54 Somebody knows, not Pastor Byrd, but somebody knows that 08:59 if you commit adultery you're more apt to do it in secret 09:04 where nobody else can see. 09:07 So, what are the chances of two people stumbling upon 09:14 adultery? 09:15 Which leads me then to the conclusion that their 09:18 witnessing the adultery was not a coincidence. 09:21 It was not happenstance. 09:26 How long did these so-called religious custodians of 09:30 conduct look through the window at the act before they 09:34 stopped the act? 09:37 And then, what happened to the man? 09:44 Adultery requires two participants. 09:48 Did he slip out? 09:50 Did he escape? 09:52 It wasn't a coincidence but rather, friends, 09:55 it was a trap. 09:56 Now understand, in the story the woman is immaterial. 10:00 The woman is unimportant. 10:02 Who cares about her reputation? 10:05 Who cares if people dog her out? 10:07 She's been caught, but she's not the catch, she's only the 10:10 bait, because they're really after Jesus. 10:14 Ellen White says in "Desire of Ages" that these would-be 10:17 guardians of justice led their victim into sin so that they 10:21 might lay a snare for Jesus. 10:25 Which leads me then to lesson number one, don't let others 10:29 use you to do their dirty work. 10:32 If you're going to sink, sink yourself. 10:36 Don't let others use you to sink somebody else and then 10:39 you get sunk in the process. 10:42 I've been in church all my life, I see pump folk up before 10:45 a board meeting, pump folk up before a business meeting, 10:48 you say this, you say this, you say this. 10:50 Get in a meeting and they say all this, and the other person 10:53 going to say, a thing. 10:57 The Pharisees were more concerned with entrapping 11:01 Jesus than with punishing the woman. They felt 11:03 that no matter what answer Jesus gave them, 11:07 they could catch Jesus in condemnation. 11:09 They knew that Jesus would want to forgive. 11:12 So, if he forgave the woman, they could charge him with 11:14 disobeying the law. 11:16 And then if he recommended carrying out the penalty of 11:18 stoning, they could charge him with usurping the authority of 11:21 Rome, because only the government could legislate 11:24 corporal punishment. 11:27 So they look at him. 11:29 Moses said that such should be stoned, but what sayeth thou? 11:40 In their minds, checkmate. 11:45 But then, I love me some Jesus, and now Jesus does what 11:51 is only recorded one time in Scripture. 11:55 Jesus now, after all this, begins to write. 11:59 Check it out in your Bible. 12:00 Read the Bible from cover to cover. 12:02 This is the only time in Scripture where it records 12:05 Jesus writing. 12:08 With Jesus writing, he gives the Pharisees an answer they 12:11 are not expecting, an answer for which they are not 12:14 prepared, because none of them can lay claim to sinlessness. 12:19 That's why, next lesson, you have to be careful not to talk 12:24 about people because you don't live in a glass house. 12:28 In fact, in heaven's court, some of them were more guilty 12:33 than the woman. 12:35 Be ye sure your sins will find you out. 12:38 Ellen White says, those who are forward in accusing others 12:42 and zealous in bringing them to justice, are often in their 12:45 own lives more guilty than they. 12:48 Men hate the sinner while they love the sin. 12:51 Christ hates the sin while Christ loves the sinner. 12:55 Now, let me stop here for a moment. 12:57 First words from experience on the Sabbath of the new year. 13:00 Let me be honest, because I've been here almost a year now, 13:03 so I can get more plain as the time goes on. 13:06 I get concerned with church folk who think they're better 13:12 than somebody else, that they're more holy than 13:16 somebody else, that they're more spiritual than somebody 13:20 else. 13:21 Just because you stand up here in a suit and a tie does not 13:23 make you more spiritual than anybody else. 13:27 You can be a Bible quoting, Spirit of Prophecy toting, 13:30 Sabbath school going person and still be the biggest 13:34 devil in town. 13:36 Oftentimes, the only difference between you 13:38 and somebody else is that they got caught and you didn't. 13:42 You think that folk have to live up to your own little 13:47 standards just because you've been delivered from something 13:50 and you've got a certain area in your life together, so you 13:53 look down on everybody else who has not been delivered in 13:56 that area, like you don't have some issues over here, and so 13:59 you condemn everybody over here, but what you don't 14:02 realize is, your standard is too low. 14:05 You still have issues. 14:08 You still have problems. 14:10 Everybody in here is an ex-something. 14:12 The standard is not you, the standard is Christ. 14:17 Let me be real in 2013, the day is over for folk who 14:22 always walk around with judgmental attitudes, talking 14:25 about what other folks aren't doing. 14:27 Why don't you sweep around your own front door before you 14:32 try to sweep around my front door? 14:35 Okay. 14:36 You don't drink anymore, but you lie. 14:39 You don't fornicate anymore, but you lust. 14:41 You don't steal from your neighbor anymore, 14:44 but you rob God. 14:45 Yes, you keep the Sabbath, but you're just as mean and cold 14:48 and callous and disrespectful to your fellow man. 14:50 Preach, Pastor Byrd. 14:51 I'm doing the best I can. 14:54 Setting up all these little standards. 14:57 Let the record reflect, I'm trying to follow 14:59 His standards. 15:01 The Bible says that when the enemy comes in like a flood 15:03 against me, God didn't say he'd raise you up. 15:06 God didn't say he'd raise me up, but God said he'd raise up 15:09 his standard. 15:10 Do I have a witness in this place? 15:12 So Jesus begins writing in the sand. 15:17 Now don't get it twisted. 15:20 Jesus despised adultery. 15:23 Don't make it seem that Jesus is an anything-goes God. 15:28 It's not like he's excusing the woman's behavior. 15:31 Jesus despised adultery, but Jesus also despised 15:37 self-righteous judgment. 15:39 That's why we need balance as Christians. 15:43 I said, that's why we need balance as Christians. 15:48 That's lesson number three. 15:50 Balance. 15:51 For if you have all this justice without mercy, 15:55 you have legalism. 15:57 You've met folk like that. 15:59 They don't ever want mercy until they are in trouble, 16:02 but when it's you in trouble, it's all justice and no mercy. 16:05 All justice with no mercy becomes legalism, and then all 16:08 mercy with no justice becomes liberalism. 16:12 Where anything goes. 16:14 Everything is okay. 16:15 Do your own thing. 16:17 It's your thing, do what you want to do. 16:21 If it feels good, do it. 16:24 No justice, just all mercy. 16:26 Which, by the way, is only good in the short term, 16:29 because any parent will tell you that if you let your 16:31 children do whatever they want to do, you will end up finding 16:34 yourself in a precarious position and actually they'll 16:37 end up feeling unloved because love is manifested through 16:39 discipline. 16:43 God chastises those whom he loves. 16:47 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 16:49 A true sign--listen to me good--a true sign of Christian 16:52 maturity is to have balance in your life, where you don't go 16:57 to any extreme. 16:59 You ought to pray for balance this year in your Christian 17:03 walk. 17:04 That's why, and listen to me good, Pastor, what's your 17:07 vision? 17:08 I want a balanced church. 17:09 We need a balanced church. 17:12 Don't be so quick to persecute people who don't promote your 17:18 preferences. 17:19 We need balance. 17:21 Oakwood does not need to be one way. 17:25 We need--getting quiet now- -we need something 17:29 for everyone, both young and old, 17:34 black and white, student and church member, 17:39 new member and seasoned member, visitor and neighbor, 17:43 educated and uneducated. 17:45 We need law and grace, religion and relationship, 17:50 cognition and emotion, information and inspiration, 17:55 integrity and intensity, hymn music and Gospel music, 18:03 the church chorale and the children's choir, 18:07 the Aeolians and Dynamic Praise. 18:11 We need Amen and Hallelujah, Holy Scripture 18:15 and the Holy Ghost. 18:20 I know some of you don't like that. 18:21 That's all right anyhow. 18:22 You didn't like everything your momma put on your plate, 18:26 but you ate it. 18:28 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 18:33 The woman is caught. 18:37 She couldn't deny the act. 18:40 She'd been seen. 18:43 Jesus doesn't beam them up to heaven. 18:46 Jesus doesn't do a disappearing act. 18:48 Jesus doesn't kill the men. 18:50 Jesus doesn't send an earthquake. 18:54 Jesus doesn't send a plague of boils, a plague of frogs, 19:00 a plague of lice. 19:02 He writes in the sand. 19:05 Now, Ellen White says in "Desire of Ages," she said 19:08 that the law actually said that it was the husband's duty 19:12 to take action against the adulterous wife and the guilty 19:15 parties were to be equally punished. 19:17 Which means, friends, that the actions of the accusers were 19:20 actually wrong. 19:23 They were wrong and small. 19:25 It was not their duty to take action against the woman. 19:32 The law just specified that in punishment by stoning the 19:36 witnesses in this case should be the first to cast a stone. 19:45 But Jesus doesn't say anything. 19:48 Jesus doesn't argue. 19:50 He doesn't quote the law. 19:53 He doesn't preach a sermon. 19:55 The Bible says he just acts as if he doesn't hear them and he 20:00 begins to write in the sand. 20:04 I've learned, next lesson.. 20:07 you don't have to argue with people. 20:12 Folk come to me and they say something, I just look 20:14 at them, thank you for sharing, and I keep it moving. 20:18 You don't have to debate with people. 20:21 Truth needs no defense. 20:24 If I hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battles, 20:30 victory shall be mine. 20:31 But do you know what they kept doing? 20:35 They kept murmuring. 20:36 They kept complaining. 20:38 They kept debating. 20:40 And then, the Bible says, Jesus stands up--I could 20:46 preach a whole sermon on that. 20:48 When Jesus stands up. 20:51 Somebody knows what happens when somebody stands up. 20:54 Because, you see, you could be sitting down at a table, 20:57 but when you stand up, you mean business. 21:01 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 21:03 When Jesus stands up wrongs are made right, the lame are 21:08 made to walk, the dumb are made to talk, the blind are 21:12 made to see. 21:14 When Jesus stands up, and at the end of time 21:18 when Michael stands up. 21:20 Jesus stands up and he begins to look at the plotting 21:24 Pharisees, and he says, he that is without sin 21:28 among you, let him cast the first stone at her. 21:32 He then stoops down and he begins to write again. 21:41 Now, understand, thats why I love me some Jesus, 21:44 Jesus does not do aside with the law. 21:50 Jesus does not usurp the authority of Rome. 21:55 From the oldest to the youngest, he just writes in 21:59 the sand the sins of her accusers. 22:04 Embarrassed that their lives are now an open book, 22:09 they drop their rocks and they quickly disappear. 22:14 And that's just like God. 22:18 Next lesson, number five, God will deliver you 22:24 in front of your enemies. 22:26 You don't even have to lift a finger and fight. 22:28 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 22:31 That's the kind of God we serve. 22:35 What a mighty God we serve. 22:36 Angels bow before him, heaven and earth adore him, 22:41 what a mighty God we serve. 22:42 God will deliver you when your enemies are all around you. 22:47 Come here, Hebrew boys, I'll deliver you from a fiery 22:50 furnace when your enemies are all around you. 22:53 Come here, Brother Daniel, I'll deliver you from a lion's 22:56 den when your enemies are all around you. 22:59 Come here, Paul and Silas, I'll deliver you from a prison 23:02 cell when your enemies are around you. 23:05 But come here, Jesus. 23:06 You do remember how Jesus was put in a tomb. 23:09 Soldiers were placed around the tomb. 23:12 The soldiers didn't even know that Jesus was raised 23:16 from the dead. 23:17 They didn't even know what happened. 23:19 But God will deliver you when your enemies 23:23 are all around you. 23:24 Her enemies disappeared. 23:27 They had come to convict the woman, but they went away 23:32 convicted, the Bible says, by their own conscience. 23:36 They left the scene, fearing the guilty sins of their own 23:40 closets would be revealed to the multitudes, and, now, all 23:44 of a sudden, it's just the woman and Jesus. 23:50 With the jury and the prosecuting attorneys gone, 23:54 this courtroom now just has the defense attorney 24:01 and the judge. 24:02 But let me give you some good news today. 24:05 The defense attorney and the judge are one in the same 24:12 person, which means the same person who's defending you, 24:18 is the same person who will decide your case. 24:23 Hallelujah, somebody. 24:25 Your defense attorney, your judge, Jesus, stands up, looks 24:31 at the woman dead in the eye and says, woman, where are 24:36 thine accusers? 24:38 Hast no man condemned thee? 24:41 Trembling, the woman says, no man. Lord 24:44 Jesus says, neither do I condemn thee. 24:47 Go and sin no more. 24:52 Go and sin no more. 24:58 This is now the beginning of a new life for this woman. 25:01 A life of purity and a life of peace. 25:05 The world has for this woman contempt and scorn. 25:08 Jesus has for this woman comfort and hope. 25:11 The world has for this woman sin and perdition. 25:14 Jesus has for this woman salvation and joy. 25:18 The world has for this woman romance and Romeos. 25:22 Jesus has for this woman a robe of righteousness 25:25 and a crown of life. 25:26 Jesus performed the greater miracle of writing in the sand 25:33 that in healing the most grievous physical disease he 25:37 cured the spiritual malady which was eternal death. 25:41 The Breath of life gift offer this week is Help In Daily 25:44 Living, A practical guide to everyday blessings" by 25:46 renowned christian author Ellen G. White. 25:49 The book contains four powerful chapters on having 25:51 true and lasting relationships, developing 25:54 Godly characters, walking a practical daily faith that 25:57 brings blessings, and staying the course of being a light in 26:00 the darkness, until the lord returns. 26:02 You'll discover the benefits of trials, the importance of 26:05 little things, The influence of living a consistent 26:08 christian life, and the joy of the lord. 26:11 Help in daily living is yours for a gift of five dollars or 26:13 more. 26:14 Just call our toll free number 877 BOL-OFFER that's 26:19 877 265-6333. 26:21 Please have your credit card ready when you call. 26:24 or you may write to us to request your copy. 26:26 Just send you check to Breath of Life P.O. Box 340 26:29 Newbury Park CA 91319 Break out of the ordinary life 26:35 and into the extraordinary life God intended for you to live. 26:38 Get your copy of Help In Daily Living today. 26:42 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching Breath 26:44 of Life today. 26:46 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry 26:48 and that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 26:52 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministering, 26:56 we need you. 26:57 We need your prayers. 26:58 We need your support. 27:00 We want you to know that any and all donations, small or 27:02 great, they are sincerely welcome and appreciated. 27:07 To contact us or to make your donation, please feel free to 27:10 give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:21 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 27:25 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 27:36 Feel free to log onto our web site at www.breathoflife.tv. 27:42 To order a DVD or CD copy of this Breath of Life broadcast 27:46 with Carlton Byrd just call our toll-free number, 27:49 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:52 That's 877-265-6333. 27:56 Please visit us online at breathoflife.tv where you can 28:00 see our broadcast schedule, send us your prayer requests, 28:03 sign up for our newsletter and make a donation. 28:06 Thank you for watching and supporting Breath of Life. 28:10 God bless you. 28:12 ...Just because you stand up 28:13 here in a suit and a tie 28:14 does not make you more 28:15 spiritual than anybody else. 28:18 The standard is not you, 28:22 the standard is Christ. 28:23 we need amen and hallelujah 28:27 holy scriptures 28:28 and the holy ghost. |
Revised 2015-02-06