Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000192A
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00:03 Well, get ready for a breath of new life. Today Dr. Byrd speaks on the topic
00:08 “I'm Forgiven.†And now, here he is, 00:11 speaker-director of Breath of Life Ministries, Dr. Carlton Byrd. 00:18 Pastor Byrd: The Word of God says, “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. 00:23 And he went into the Pharisee's house and set down to meat. And behold a woman,†a what, everybody? 00:29 “a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, 00:37 brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his 00:44 feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them 00:49 with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, 00:55 This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: 01:02 for she is a†what, everybody? “she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat 01:09 to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.†Jesus said, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: 01:18 the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. 01:24 Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon ananswered and said, I suppose that he, 01:31 to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, 01:35 and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: 01:47 but she washed my feet with tears, wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: 01:58 but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: 02:09 but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, 02:17 are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.†02:25 And he looked unto her and said unto her, woman, thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began 02:35 to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, 02:42 Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Today I just want to challenge you with two words: 02:50 I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. Lord, bless us now for the next couple of moments we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 02:59 In the text, Jesus is in the home of the Pharisee. Now, the Pharisee had religion. 03:06 He understood the tenets of religion. He understood the rules of religion. He understood the system of religion. 03:17 He understood even the scheme of religion. He distinguished himself by strict observance of religion. 03:26 A Pharisee was so self-righteous that he saw himself as superior in religion. But before we're too 03:35 critical of a Pharisee, let's admit it, all of us have a tendency to be self-righteous. 03:43 There's nothing as dangerous as turning yourself over to a room full of church folk. We have rules 03:50 for which we have no scriptures. We have all kinds of ideas and concepts of what is appropriate or inappropriate. 03:57 We kill people over things that we later find out are not necessary, and even where we have scriptures, 04:02 we don't study them in their proper context. Many times we just throw these texts out after the 04:08 fashion of our fathers without questioning the possibility that our fathers could have been wrong. 04:15 And so we kill our sons, our future, trying to be loyal to our fathers, our past. And our future 04:23 is compromised by our commitment to our history because we love our history more than we seek our destiny. 04:29 Be careful that you don't denigrate, castigate, demean and criticize Pharisees, because there's a 04:37 whole lot of Pharisee in a whole lot of us. You see, Pharisees know the rules of the church. 04:44 They know all the regulations of the church, all the policies of the church, all the procedures 04:51 of the church, all the processes of the church, all the statements of the church, all the sayings 04:59 of the church. And there's nothing wrong with this. Only when you forget the Savior of the church. 05:06 The Bible says Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee in a Pharisee's home. Simon is his name. 05:16 He wants to know more about Jesus. But soon it becomes obvious that you can't count Simon as a believer 05:24 but rather as a skeptic trying to be open-minded. Jesus accepts the dinner invitation. It's appropriate for Jesus, 05:32 a man of God, to be seen with the Pharisee at a Pharisee's house. But then the Bible says the woman 05:40 in the city--the Bible says a prostitute, a sinner, hears that Jesus is in a Pharisee's house. 05:48 She makes it a point to go to the house to meet Jesus. What's this woman doing at this house? 05:55 She's not invited. She's not holy. She's not pure. She's not righteous. She's been around the block. 06:07 People know her not by name but by what she did. She's not important. She's not significant. 06:15 She's not notable. She's not influential. She's the continual object of cutting criticism and 06:22 insults by the wives of her customers. She's the example that many mothers in town use to warn 06:29 their daughters of what not to be. She's the brunt of nasty jokes. She's shunned by the best people 06:37 and abused and used by the worst people. She's a mess. How dare she show up in a Pharisee's house, 06:47 and Jesus is in there? How dare she show up at a dinner with religious people? Or better yet, 06:56 how dare a person like that step foot in the Oakwood church? How dare she mess with our nice, 07:06 clean, holy institutional church with all her mess, her drama, her history, her ankle bracelets, 07:17 chains around her neck, earrings, rings, tattoos, her urban seductive disposition? Who is she to 07:27 walk up in here, looking like that? And that's just like some church folk. 07:33 They want to keep the people out who need the church the most. Sometimes it's hard to get 07:40 to God because of God's people. [Aud. reaction] 07:44 But she comes into this environment against all odds, against all possibilities, 07:52 against all probabilities. She comes up behind Jesus. She knows that according 08:00 to the customs and traditions of the day she shouldn't be in the room. A prostitute 08:07 in the company of a preacher? It's not Simon, he's not the problem, he's a Pharisee. 08:15 It's not Jesus, he's a preacher. It's the woman. She's a prostitute, she has no business here. 08:24 For her, then, to come into Simon's house is hard. For her to even show up is tough. 08:32 She's viewed as a sinner. One who conveys uncleanliness by her very touch, almost as if 08:41 she has AIDS, HIV, syphilous, gonorrhea, leprosy or some other STD. She knows that 08:52 Simon is not happy to see her in his house. She knows everybody is looking at her with disdain. 09:00 Which makes me ask, have you ever walked up on a group of people and you knew they were 09:07 talking about you? Have you ever walked into a room and you could feel the malice, 09:14 the meanness and the hatred toward you? Anybody know what I'm talking about? 09:20 It's enough to make you back up, turn around, shut the door, ‘cause you don't need all of this. 09:27 You see, I've learned in life it's easy to praise God in a room when folk are smiling, when folk 09:35 are happy, and folk are not excluding you. It's easy to clap your hands in church when everybody 09:41 else is clapping, but it's hard to praise God when you're hated, in a room when you're talked about, 09:49 when you're shunned. But something was in this woman. Pushed this woman beyond all that hatred. 09:57 Pushed her beyond all the shame. And she said, “Talk about me all you want. But I got to see my Jesus. 10:06 Criticize me all you want, but I got to see Jesus. Look at me funny all you want, but I got to see my Jesus.†10:17 Jesus, sweet rose of Sharon. Jesus, lily of the valley. Jesus, he's a way-maker, 10:28 a company-keeper, a bill-payer. Jesus, I've got to see Jesus. She has heard of his teaching. 10:39 She has heard of his gracious words of love and forgiveness and repentance, restoration and healing. 10:46 She heard him speak of his Father's kingdom in words so plain and compelling that she can see herself 10:51 as a child of God again, full citizen of the Kingdom of Love. Yes, she's broken. But she can see 10:58 light at the end of the tunnel. Her condition is not her conclusion. She falls down at his feet. 11:08 She does not seek his hand. She does not try to look at him in the eye. She's not trying to get 11:15 his favor, but tears, the Bible says, just begin to fall down her face. Each tear makes a brown 11:23 wet mark in the dust of his feet until his feet are wet with her tears. And then she lets, the Bible says, 11:31 her hair down. She lets her hair go free. She kneels down and begins to wipe Jesus' feet with her hair. 11:44 Her hair wipes his feet after her tears have washed his feet. The Bible says then she begins to kiss his feet. 11:52 She then begins to pour scented oil onto his feet out of an alabaster box. And once the box is opened, 12:02 everybody knows it. It's detected by everybody in the room. Where Jesus had formerly been the 12:11 center of focus in the room, all eyes now turned to the woman at Jesus' feet. She's weeping, 12:17 she's wiping, she is caressing his feet with her long black hair, kissing his feet with her lips 12:24 and pouring perfume upon him. The very intimacy of her actions appear to many of the guests as shocking. 12:30 Add that to her reputation in the community, and this is downright scandalous. 12:36 But this woman, this woman, is sorry for the life she has lived. She's sorry for what she's done. 12:52 This woman is asking for forgiveness. She's asking for pardon. She's asking for a new start. 13:03 She wants to surrender. And all she knows how to do is to let her hair down, because she let her 13:14 hair down for so many other men that were less worthy than this one, that when she sees Jesus she said, 13:21 “If there were ever a man that I would let my hair down for,†I wish I had a witness in this place. 13:26 You see, if you're going to do it for anybody, you ought to do it for Jesus. Do I have a witness in this place? 13:33 You've gone after your flesh, you've gone out for people who love you and leave you, forget you and forsake you. 13:43 But if there's anybody worth letting your hair down for, you ought to let it down for Jesus Christ. 13:51 Last thing, remember, Simon is a Pharisee. Simon is religious. Simon is standing over in the 14:03 corner in his house, watching all of this with a frown on his face, watching all this, mean mugging Jesus 14:12 and the woman, turning up his nose, expressing his religious intolerance to her relational behavior. 14:21 He even questions Jesus' discernment. The Bible says, if he were such a prophet, he should have 14:30 known she was a prostitute. If he were a prophet, he should have known she was a prostitute. 14:47 That if Jesus knew who she was, he would have stopped her. The law said she was supposed to be stoned. 14:57 But what Simon didn't understand was that Jesus is omniscient, which means Jesus is all-knowing. 15:08 Jesus knew the woman was coming before she even knocked on the door. Jesus was waiting all along. 15:19 And today he's waiting for a sinner to knock on the door and let their hair down. 15:29 We stood up in church and we act all holy. But everybody up in here is an ex-something. 15:42 Everybody has a past. And everybody has done something in the dark. I wish I had a witness in this place. 15:52 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So don't point a finger at somebody else, but take 16:02 a look at yourself in the mirror. The text says, “Seest thou this woman?†You better tell somebody, 16:13 you're looking at me but you don't even know me. But this man, Jesus the Christ, hallelujah, 16:22 he sees me and he knows me. He loved me when I was unlovable. He didn't wait ‘til I got right to love me. 16:32 He loved me when I wouldn't act right. He loved me when I didn't talk right. He loved me when 16:38 I wasn't living right. He loved me when I was shacking up, when I was shooting up. He stopped 16:44 the car from crashing. He stopped you from dying. Somebody should be dead right now. Somebody 16:52 should be strung out right now. Somebody should be in jail right now. But if it had not been 17:00 for the Lord on my side, where would I be? And if none of y'all, excuse my southern slang, 17:09 will praise him, I will bless the Lord at all times, and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 17:20 I know it was the blood. I know it was the blood for me, one day when I was lost he died 17:27 upon the cross, I know it was the blood for me. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within 17:37 me bless his holy, create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit in me. 17:46 One more thing. Notice Jesus, even though Simon is looking at the woman crazy, Jesus doesn't 17:58 linger on Simon's shortcomings. Jesus doesn't sweat the small stuff. I'm getting to the 18:08 point in my life, I can't do drama. Are you hearing what I'm saying? You got to rise above that. 18:13 Okay, God bless you, thank you for sharing. [Aud. reaction] 18:19 Jesus doesn't linger on Simon's shortcomings. His hang-ups, his self-righteous or holier-than-thou spirit. 18:32 Because people who perceive themselves to be holy are never great worshippers. You will 18:40 never worship truly God when you feel like he ought to be happy that you're here. 18:45 Jesus turns to the woman and he says, “Woman, thy sins are forgiven.†Thy sins are what, everybody? 18:59 Aud.: Forgiven. Come on, thy sins are what? Forgiven. Now, I'm ready. I am a sinner just like you. 19:12 I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody. And I just stopped 19:27 by to tell somebody your sins are forgiven. [Aud. reaction] 19:35 What you did last night is covered by the blood. What you did last week is covered by the blood. 19:44 What you did last year is covered by the blood. What you did twenty years ago is covered by the blood. 19:56 You're forgiven. I said you're forgiven. I'm forgiven. We're forgiven. I know you've slept around 20:09 and fooled around, but you're forgiven. I know you've messed around and played around, but you're forgiven. 20:16 I know you talked about somebody, but you're forgiven. I know you gossiped about somebody, 20:23 but you're forgiven. I know you haven't given somebody the benefit of the doubt, 20:28 but in the name of Jesus you're forgiven. I know you've doubted, I know you have been unfaithful, 20:36 but you're forgiven. I know you've been negative, but you're forgiven. [Aud. reaction] 20:43 I know you've drunk something you shouldn't have drunk, eaten something you shouldn't have eaten. 20:49 You've even smoked something you shouldn't have smoked. But guess what? You're forgiven. 20:57 I know you haven't been faithful in your church attendance, I know you haven't been faithful 21:03 in your church giving. But you know what? You're forgiven. So tell somebody after you leave 21:13 church and take communion today, criticize me all you want, but I'm forgiven. 21:22 [Aud. reaction] Laugh at me all you want, but I'm forgiven. Point the finger at me all you want, 21:30 but today I'm blood washed, I've repented of my sins, and I am forgiven. And because I'm forgiven, 21:44 I praise him. You don't know what I've been through, but I praise him. 21:52 You don't know what I've gone through, but I praise him. You don't know the costs of my praise. 22:01 You weren't there when Jesus found me, when he wrapped his loving arms around me. 22:08 You don't know like I know. Aud. reaction] 22:14 What he's done for me. But know this: I'm forgiven. Is there anybody else in this place today that's forgiven? 22:53 [Aud. applause] Mary: Ahhhh! Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, 23:12 or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? 23:20 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 23:28 Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life? 23:44 [Piano] Mary: Hey, I'm doing well, I'm doing well, just, you know, got some stuff going on. 23:55 Well, you know, just some living situation stuff. Oh, I'm sorry, is that a baby in the background? 24:03 Oh, okay, I'm sorry. You guys had a baby? I didn't know. Oh, this isn't a good time? Look, 24:11 I totally understand, definitely. Yeah, keep me in your prayers, I appreciate it. Thanks. [sighs, tearful] 24:33 God, haven't I been faithful? Haven't I obeyed your commands? Why is this happening to me? 24:47 Can you even hear me? ‘Cause I don't hear you. What are you saying, God? Why now, why this? 24:56 What did I do to deserve this, God? I can't handle this. 25:02 [song] 25:03 I've made mistakes and had to pay 25:06 Mary: God, I need you right now. 25:08 [song] 25:09 I've had some friends that walked away 25:13 Mary: God, I can't handle this on my own. 25:15 [song] 25:24 But there's someone whose love is real, 25:29 Who cares about the way I feel 25:34 Every pain, and erase every stain 25:40 There's peace when I call out your name 25:45 (Listen) 25:48 Jesus, You're my everything] 25:53 Woman: Mary, hi! Hey, girl, how you doing? I haven't heard from you all week. How have you been? 26:00 Mary: You know, just regular. Same old, same old. How are you doing? 26:04 Woman: I'm good. I was actually thinking about getting my hair done, and since I know 26:08 you're the best in town, I thought about you. 26:11 Mary: ___, you're so silly. I have, I have a lot going on now, and this just probably isn't a good time. 26:19 Woman: Really? What's going on? You okay, something wrong? Talk to me, I'm your friend. 26:25 Mary: I don't want to bother you. 26:27 Woman: Mary, please, now, you know, I got you. I'm here for you. What do you need? What's wrong? 26:36 What is this? Oh, my goodness, Mary, oh man. Girl, I'm so sorry. But you know what? 26:54 God has answered your prayers long before you even asked. 26:58 Mary: I've heard that before. 27:01 Woman: It's true. Well, you know, my brother, he just left for college, and I got an extra room, 27:06 so you're welcome to stay with me. 27:10 Mary: Are you serious? 27:11 Woman: Yes, I'm so serious. We could go, start getting packed right now. 27:17 Mary: Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much. 27:22 Woman: You're welcome! God has always got us, huh? He is on time, always on time. 27:30 Mary: Yes. 27:33 Woman: Well, let's go pack. 27:36 [song] 27:36 So whatever You take me through 27:38 I promise you 27:41 I'll spend my always with you 27:46 Man: Jesus is my whole life. 27:48 Mary: As I went through the situation that I just experienced, it really was ____. 27:51 Going through an eviction is just really, really hard, and the feelings of doubt and, um, 27:58 just really not feeling like God was with me through that journey, um, that really just kind of overwhelmed me. 28:05 Woman: I couldn't really understand what she was going through, but that part didn't matter. 28:07 Announcer: Thank you for joining us for another exciting broadcast. 28:10 We'd like you to partner with us as we offer the Breath of Life to a dying world. 28:16 All of our sermon titles and DVDs can be purchased at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:23 Until next time, God loves you! |
Revised 2015-08-13