Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000090
|
00:01 ♪ (Theme Song) ♪ ♪ Jesus is worthy ♪
00:07 ♪ oh yes, he's worthy ♪ ♪ worthy of all... ♪ 00:15 ♪ all the praise... ♪ (Music) 00:19 Pastor Byrd: I get concerned with church folk 00:24 who think they're better than somebody else, 00:28 that they're more holy than somebody else, that they're 00:32 more spiritual than somebody else. 00:35 Just because you stand up here in a suit and a tie does not 00:37 make you more spiritual than anybody else. 00:41 You can be a Bible quoting, Spirit of Prophecy toting, 00:44 Sabbath school going person and still be the biggest 00:47 devil in town. 00:50 Oftentimes, the only difference between you 00:52 and somebody else is that they got caught and you didn't. 00:56 You think that folk have to live up to your own little 01:02 standards just because you've been delivered from something 01:05 and you've got a certain area in your life together, so you 01:08 look down on everybody else who has not been delivered in 01:11 that area, like you don't have some issues over here, and so 01:14 you condemn everybody over here, but what you don't 01:16 realize is, your standard is too low. 01:19 You still have issues. 01:22 You still have problems. 01:24 Everybody in here is an ex-something. 01:26 The standard is not you, the standard is Christ. 01:31 Let me be real in 2013, the day is over for folk who 01:36 always walk around with judgmental attitudes, talking 01:39 about what other folks aren't doing. 01:44 Why don't you sweep around your own front door before you 01:46 try to sweep around my front door? 01:49 Okay. 01:50 You don't drink anymore, but you lie. 01:53 You don't fornicate anymore, but you lust. 01:56 You don't steal from your neighbor anymore, 01:58 but you rob God. 01:59 Yes, you keep the Sabbath, but you're just as mean and cold 02:02 and callous and disrespectful to your fellow man. 02:05 Preach, Pastor Byrd. 02:06 I'm doing the best I can. 02:08 Setting up all these little standards. 02:11 Let the record reflect, I'm trying to follow 02:13 His standards. 02:14 The Bible says that when the enemy comes in like a flood 02:17 against me, God didn't say he'd raise you up. 02:20 God didn't say he'd raise me up, but God said he'd raise up 02:23 his standard. 02:24 Do I have a witness in this place? 02:26 So Jesus begins writing in the sand. 02:31 Now don't get it twisted. 02:34 Jesus despised adultery. 02:37 Don't make it seem that Jesus is an anything-goes God. 02:42 It's not like he's excusing the woman's behavior. 02:45 Jesus despised adultery, but Jesus also despised 02:51 self-righteous judgment. 02:53 That's why we need balance as Christians. 02:57 I said, that's why we need balance as Christians. 03:02 That's lesson number three. 03:04 Balance. 03:06 For if you have all this justice without mercy, 03:09 you have legalism. 03:11 You've met folk like that. 03:13 They don't ever want mercy until they are in trouble, 03:16 but when it's you in trouble, it's all justice and no mercy. 03:19 All justice with no mercy becomes legalism, and then all 03:23 mercy with no justice becomes liberalism. 03:26 Where anything goes. 03:28 Everything is okay. 03:29 Do your own thing. 03:32 It's your thing, do what you want to do. 03:35 If it feels good, do it. 03:38 No justice, just all mercy. 03:40 Which, by the way, is only good in the short term, 03:43 because any parent will tell you that if you let your 03:45 children do whatever they want to do, you will end up finding 03:48 yourself in a precarious position and actually they'll 03:51 end up feeling unloved because love is manifested through 03:53 discipline. 03:54 God chastises those whom he loves. 04:01 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 04:03 A true sign--listen to me good--a true sign of Christian 04:06 maturity is to have balance in your life, where you don't go 04:12 to any extreme. 04:13 You ought to pray for balance this year in your Christian 04:17 walk. 04:18 That's why, and listen to me good, Pastor, what's your 04:23 vision? 04:24 I want a balanced church. 04:25 We need a balanced church. 04:28 Don't be so quick to persecute people who don't promote your 04:33 preferences. 04:34 We need balance. 04:35 Oakwood does not need to be one way. 04:39 We need--getting quiet now- 04:43 -we need something for everyone, 04:46 both young and old, black and white, 04:51 student and church member, new member and seasoned member, 04:56 visitor and neighbor, educated and uneducated. 04:59 We need law and grace, religion and relationship, 05:04 cognition and emotion, information and inspiration, 05:09 integrity and intensity, hymn music and Gospel music, 05:16 the church chorale and the children's choir, 05:21 the Aeolians and Dynamic Praise. 05:25 We need Amen and Hallelujah, Holy Scripture 05:29 and the Holy Ghost. 05:33 I know some of you don't like that. 05:35 That's all right anyhow. 05:36 You didn't like everything your momma put on your plate, 05:40 but you ate it. 05:41 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 05:43 The woman is caught. 05:51 She couldn't deny the act. 05:55 She'd been seen. 05:57 Jesus doesn't beam them up to heaven. 06:00 Jesus doesn't do a disappearing act. 06:02 Jesus doesn't kill the men. 06:04 Jesus doesn't send an earthquake. 06:08 Jesus doesn't send a plague of boils, a plague of frogs, 06:14 a plague of lice. 06:16 He writes in the sand. 06:20 Now, Ellen White says in "Desire of Ages," she said 06:23 that the law actually said that it was the husband's duty 06:26 to take action against the adulterous wife and the guilty 06:29 parties were to be equally punished. 06:31 Which means, friends, that the actions of the accusers were 06:35 actually wrong. 06:37 They were wrong and small. 06:39 It was not their duty to take action against the woman. 06:46 The law just specified that in punishment by stoning the 06:50 witnesses in this case should be the first to cast a stone. 06:59 But Jesus doesn't say anything. 07:02 Jesus doesn't argue. 07:05 He doesn't quote the law. 07:07 He doesn't preach a sermon. 07:10 The Bible says he just acts as if he doesn't hear them and he 07:15 begins to write in the sand. 07:18 I've learned, next lesson.. 07:21 you don't have to argue with people. 07:26 Folk come to me and they say something, I just look 07:28 at them, thank you for sharing, and I keep it moving. 07:32 You don't have to debate with people. 07:36 Truth needs no defense. 07:38 If I hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battles, 07:44 victory shall be mine. 07:46 But do you know what they kept doing? 07:49 They kept murmuring. 07:51 They kept complaining. 07:53 They kept debating. 07:54 And then, the Bible says, Jesus stands up--I could 08:00 preach a whole sermon on that. 08:02 When Jesus stands up. 08:05 Somebody knows what happens when somebody stands up. 08:08 Because, you see, you could be sitting down at a table, 08:11 but when you stand up, you mean business. 08:15 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 08:17 When Jesus stands up wrongs are made right, the lame are 08:22 made to walk, the dumb are made to talk, the blind are 08:27 made to see. 08:28 When Jesus stands up, and at the end of time 08:32 when Michael stands up. 08:35 Jesus stands up and he begins to look at the plotting 08:38 Pharisees, and he says, he that is without sin 08:42 among you, let him cast the first stone at her. 08:48 He then stoops down and he begins to write again. 08:54 Now, understand, thats why I love me some Jesus, 08:57 Jesus does not do aside with the law. 09:04 Jesus does not usurp the authority of Rome. 09:09 From the oldest to the youngest, he just writes 09:14 in the sand the sins of her accusers. 09:18 Embarrassed that their lives are now an open book, 09:23 they drop their rocks and they quickly disappear. 09:29 And that's just like God. 09:32 Next lesson, number five, God will deliver you 09:37 in front of your enemies. 09:40 You don't even have to lift a finger and fight. 09:43 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 09:46 That's the kind of God we serve. 09:49 What a mighty God we serve. 09:51 Angels bow before him, heaven and earth adore him, 09:55 what a mighty God we serve. 09:57 God will deliver you when your enemies are all around you. 10:01 Come here, Hebrew boys, I'll deliver you from a fiery 10:05 furnace when your enemies are all around you. 10:08 Come here, Brother Daniel, I'll deliver you from a lion's 10:10 den when your enemies are all around you. 10:13 Come here, Paul and Silas, I'll deliver you from a prison 10:17 cell when your enemies are around you. 10:19 But come here, Jesus. 10:20 You do remember how Jesus was put in a tomb. 10:24 Soldiers were placed around the tomb. 10:27 The soldiers didn't even know that Jesus was raised 10:30 from the dead. 10:31 They didn't even know what happened. 10:33 But God will deliver you when your enemies 10:36 are all around you. 10:37 Her enemies disappeared. 10:42 They had come to convict the woman, but they went away 10:46 convicted, the Bible says, by their own conscience. 10:50 They left the scene, fearing the guilty sins of their own 10:54 closets would be revealed to the multitudes, and, now, all 10:58 of a sudden, it's just the woman and Jesus. 11:04 With the jury and the prosecuting attorneys gone, 11:08 this courtroom now just has the defense attorney 11:15 and the judge. 11:16 But let me give you some good news today. 11:19 The defense attorney and the judge are one in the same 11:26 person, which means the same person who's defending you, 11:31 is the same person who will decide your case. 11:37 Hallelujah, somebody. 11:39 Your defense attorney, your judge, Jesus, stands up, looks 11:45 at the woman dead in the eye and says, woman, where are 11:50 thine accusers? 11:52 Hast no man condemned thee? 11:55 Trembling, the woman says, no man. Lord 11:58 Jesus says, neither do I condemn thee. 12:01 Go and sin no more. 12:07 Go and sin no more. 12:12 This is now the beginning of a new life for this woman. 12:15 A life of purity and a life of peace. 12:19 The world has for this woman contempt and scorn. 12:22 Jesus has for this woman comfort and hope. 12:25 The world has for this woman sin and perdition. 12:29 Jesus has for this woman salvation and joy. 12:32 The world has for this woman romance and Romeos. 12:36 Jesus has for this woman a robe of righteousness 12:39 and a crown of life. 12:40 Jesus performed the greater miracle of writing in the sand 12:47 that in healing the most grievous physical disease 12:51 he cured the spiritual malady which was eternal death 12:55 Jesus dealt with the chief thing that the woman stood in 12:58 need of, the immediate forgiving of her sins. 13:02 He does not condone sin, nor lessen the sense of guilt. 13:08 He seeks not to condemn but to save. 13:11 God is not willing, thank you, Jesus, that any should perish 13:15 but that all should come to repentance. 13:18 But let me say this, repentance must be honest 13:26 and sincere. 13:28 Don't ask God to do for you what you're not willing to do 13:32 for yourself. 13:34 You can't want to lose weight and then eat ice cream late at 13:37 night. 13:40 You cannot want a new house or a new car and then not return 13:43 to the Lord an honest tithe and give a liberal offering. 13:45 You can't want to stop smoking and still buy cigarettes. 13:49 You can't want to stop gossiping and then still hang 13:51 with negative low life, low down, trifling gossiping folk. 13:55 You can't want to stop lusting and fornicating but then stay 13:58 up late at night and watch late-night foolishness. 14:01 Well, Pastor Byrd preaching óó real and wrong today. 14:06 Repentance must be honest and sincere. 14:13 The woman not only has to be sorry 14:15 for her sin, but she has to turn away from it. 14:19 Listen. 14:20 Repentance which consists in nothing more than feeling, 14:24 talking, professing, wishing and hoping is worthless 14:30 in the sight of God. 14:31 Until a man ceases to do evil and turns from his sins, 14:36 he really doesn't repent. 14:37 But, if we confess our sins, 14:46 he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins 14:54 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 14:57 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal 15:04 life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 15:07 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 15:11 son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish 15:14 but have everlasting life. 15:15 For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, 15:19 but the world through him might be saved. 15:22 If any man be in Christ he's a new creature. 15:26 All things are passed away, all things become new. 15:29 Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching to 15:34 those things which are before. 15:35 I press, I said, I press, I press towards the mark 15:42 of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. 15:45 Let me tell you something. 15:46 Last year is last year. 15:48 Yesterday is yesterday. 15:51 Let bygones be bygones. 15:53 God is trying to do a new thing in you. 15:56 So, I press toward the mark of the high calling of God 16:05 in Christ Jesus. 16:06 I may not be all that I should be, but I praise God I'm not 16:10 what I used to be. 16:12 I press toward the mark of the high calling. 16:16 I'm not going to worry about my setbacks. 16:19 My setbacks are just set up for come back. 16:22 I press toward the mark of the high calling 16:27 of God in Jesus Christ. 16:28 There are going to be some doors slammed in your face, 16:30 people that will call you crazy, the world is not 16:34 going to get better. 16:35 You may not, young people, make the grades you want, 16:38 people will walk out of your life and leave you hanging, 16:41 but press. 16:44 You'll be between a rock and hard place, but press. 16:47 You'll be between deliverance and depression, but press. 16:50 You're going to be between breakthrough and breakdown, 16:53 but press. 16:55 I've learned in life, folk will talk about you, 16:59 people won't understand you, church folk won't forgive you, 17:01 but whatever you do, keep on pressing. 17:06 You see, despite what folk have done to me, despite how 17:10 folk have misunderstood me, despite what folk have thought 17:13 about me, I'm pressing on. 17:16 The upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day, 17:20 still praying as I'm onward bound, 17:24 Lord plant my feet on higher ground. 17:27 Today it's time for the brand new you. 17:35 Every person in this sanctuary right now, everybody watching, 17:38 you are defined by a set of experiences and these past 17:42 experiences in your life have trained you, shaped you 17:45 and molded you. 17:46 They have created you into the person you are today. 17:48 You've done some things right and you've done some things 17:53 wrong, but today you are here as a product of those 17:57 experiences. 17:59 And as you draw from these experience, you've learned 18:01 from the things that you've done wrong and your conclusion 18:03 should always lead you to the fact that this should be a new 18:06 day in your life. 18:08 And not just a new day and a new year, 18:12 but a new day in your life, because there are some 18:16 things in your life, some of you don't even know it, there 18:22 are some things that are getting ready for change in 18:24 your life, people that are on their way out in your life. 18:30 This year you're going to delete some cell phones 18:33 numbers. 18:34 I know I am. 18:35 You're going to un-friend some folk on Facebook. 18:40 Somebody's going to cancel their Twitter account. 18:43 Somebody needs to know your entire life 18:47 is beginning to change. 18:48 You may be 75 years old, but your life is getting 18:52 ready to change. 18:53 There's a reason that God has allowed you to stay here this 18:57 long because God is trying to do something to you. 19:00 You may be 25 years old, but your life is getting 19:03 ready to change. 19:04 God has kept you around. 19:05 He's getting ready to do a new thing. 19:09 You've cried long enough, been broke long enough, been sick 19:14 long enough. 19:16 You've played long enough. 19:18 You've been depressed long enough. 19:22 You've struggled with self-esteem long enough. 19:24 You've dealt with trifling folk long enough. 19:28 You've dealt with fake friends long enough. 19:32 You've had people that used you long enough. 19:37 You've had a surface religion long enough. 19:41 God is getting ready to do a new thing and you're not going 19:45 back into yesterday, but today is going to be a new day. 19:49 Yesterday for somebody may have been dark, but your 19:51 future looks bright, your walk is getting ready to change, 19:55 your talk is getting ready to change, the places you go are 20:00 getting ready to change, the people you hang out with 20:03 are getting ready to change. 20:05 No mess this year. 20:07 No drama this year. 20:12 No pessimism this year. 20:15 No gossip this year. 20:18 No negativity this year. 20:21 No fault finding this year. 20:24 No finger pointing this year. 20:27 No stealing this year. 20:30 No adultery this year. 20:34 No "I can't" this year. 20:36 The best is yet to come. 20:39 Your latter is going to be greater than your past. 20:44 You are here, hallelujah, by the grace of God, because God 20:49 has ordained it that you would be in this city, in this 20:52 place, in this seat to listen to this Word this day. 20:55 And the devil is so foolish that he allowed you to get 21:01 here today, because the devil knows he should have killed 21:04 you when he had the chance. 21:05 But the devil is a liar and the fact that you're here 21:09 today is evidence that God is getting ready to create 21:12 a brand new you. 21:13 And so, Jesus is writing a message to you. 21:30 But today he writes not in the sand, but he writes 21:37 his message on the cross. 21:43 He writes not with his hand, 21:48 but he writes today with his Blood. 21:51 And he says to every one of us today, I love you, 21:59 my grace is sufficient, your sins are forgiven, 22:05 whatever you did last night, whatever you did last week, 22:13 whatever you did last month, whatever you did last year 22:19 is covered in my blood. 22:24 Let me close this way. 22:27 What I love about this story and I could preach it a bunch 22:29 of ways. 22:30 My wife and I were talking this morning about different 22:32 ways it could be preached in different sermons. 22:34 But what I love about John, Chapter 8 is that it reminds 22:37 me that by the time you get to Jesus, he's already begun 22:44 to do something. 22:45 You all don't hear me. 22:51 By the time you get to Jesus, even before you come down this 22:55 aisle today, Jesus has already begun to do something 22:59 in your life. 23:02 He's already begun writing in the sand. 23:05 He's already begun your rescues, already begun 23:10 your deliverance. 23:11 He's already working something in you before you 23:18 ever get to him. 23:19 So, everybody else took advantage of me, everybody 23:24 else has taken something from my life, but the only thing 23:26 Jesus is going to do is take away your sins, take away your 23:36 stony heart, take away your guilt, your hurt, take away 23:42 your past, take away your pain and he's going to make you a 23:48 new creature, a new man, a new woman, a new boy, a new girl. 23:59 But then the converse, the opposite of that is, the 24:02 opposite of taking is giving. 24:10 Jesus will never take without giving. 24:18 And so Jesus has not only come to take some stuff from your 24:23 life, but Jesus has come today to give you something. 24:29 He's come to give you life. 24:32 Life that you might have it more abundantly. 24:39 My question as I take my seat is, do you want it? 24:51 Do you really want new life? 24:58 We talk that stuff, but do you really want it? 25:03 Do you really want new life from Jesus? 25:06 Do you really, really want Jesus to come? 25:11 Do you really want Jesus to change some stuff 25:14 in your life? 25:15 Do you really want the Lord to remove some stuff 25:19 in your life? 25:20 Do you really want it? 25:29 Carlton Byrd is chief sinner, chief, but in my ears 25:38 I hear Jesus say, neither do I condemn you, 25:52 go and sin no more. 25:54 The Breath of life gift offer this week is Help In Daily 25:57 Living, A practical guide to everyday blessings" by 26:00 renowned christian author Ellen G. White. 26:02 The book contains four powerful chapters on having 26:05 true and lasting relationships, developing 26:07 Godly characters, walking a practical daily faith that 26:10 brings blessings, and staying the course of being 26:13 a light in the darkness, until the lord returns. 26:16 You'll discover the benefits of trials, the importance 26:18 of little things, The influence of living 26:21 a consistent christian life, and the joy of the lord. 26:24 Help in daily living is yours for a gift of five dollars or 26:27 more. 26:28 Just call our toll free number 877 BOL-OFFER that's 26:31 877 265-6333. 26:35 Please have your credit card ready when you call. 26:37 or you may write to us to request your copy. 26:39 Just send you check to Breath of Life P.O. Box 340 26:43 Newbury Park CA 91319 Break out of the ordinary life 26:48 and into the extraordinary life God intended for you to live. 26:51 Get your copy of Help In Daily Living today. 26:54 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching Breath 26:57 of Life today. 26:59 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry 27:02 and that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 27:06 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministering, 27:09 we need you. 27:10 We need your prayers. 27:11 We need your support. 27:12 We want you to know that any and all donations, small or 27:16 great, they are sincerely welcome and appreciated. 27:20 To contact us or to make your donation, please feel free to 27:23 give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:34 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 27:45 Newbury Park, CA 91319. 27:47 Feel free to log onto our web site at www.breathoflife.tv. 27:56 Please visit us online at breathoflife.tv where you can 27:59 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. 28:09 God bless you. 28:11 ...Just because you stand up 28:12 here in a suit and a tie 28:13 does not make you more 28:14 spiritual than anybody else. 28:18 The standard is not you, 28:20 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