Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000503A
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00:15 [music]
00:20 PB: Matthew chapter 2, and we're going to begin with verse number 1. 00:25 The Word of God says, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem 00:32 of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came 00:34 wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he 00:38 that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star 00:42 in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the 00:46 king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all 00:49 Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the 00:52 chief priests and scribes of the people together, he 00:56 demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they 01:00 said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is 01:04 written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the 01:09 land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: 01:13 for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule 01:16 my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily 01:21 called the wise men, enquired of them diligently 01:24 what time the star appeared. And he sent them to 01:26 Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for 01:29 the young child; and when ye have found him, 01:32 bring me word again, that I may come and worship 01:35 him also. When they had heard the king, 01:37 they departed; and, lo, the star, which they 01:39 saw in the east, went before them, till it came 01:42 and stood over where the young child was. When 01:45 they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding 01:49 great joy.” Verse 11 says, “And when they were 01:52 come into the house, they saw the young child 01:55 with Mary his mother, and fell down, and 01:57 worshipped him: and when they had opened 01:59 their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; 02:01 gold, and frankincense and myrrh. And being 02:05 warned of God in a dream that they should 02:07 not return to Herod, they departed into their 02:09 own country another way.” Verse 13: “When they 02:13 were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord 02:16 appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, 02:19 and take the young child and his mother, 02:21 and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until 02:24 I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the 02:26 young child to destroy him.” 02:30 Today, let's go to Bethlehem. 02:35 Father, for the next couple of moments, 02:37 God we ask Your power, Your presence, 02:40 in this place as we preach Your Word. 02:43 Forgive us of our sins, hide us behind 02:46 Your cross. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 02:51 Probably the first city that a child comes 02:54 to know, even before the city they live in, 02:57 is Bethlehem. Now I'm not talking about Bethlehem, 03:02 Pennsylvania. But I'm talking about Bethlehem 03:05 in the West Bank, between Jordan and Israel. 03:10 But what's so special about this Bethlehem? 03:13 After all, it's nothing but a small Palestinian 03:17 city with about 50,000 people, about 5 miles 03:21 south of Jerusalem. There are currently only 30 03:26 hotels in Bethlehem. There is no big university, 03:31 no state-of-the-art hospital, no sports franchise, 03:37 no large mall. There is no Walmart, that I know of, 03:42 in Bethlehem. What, then, is so special about Bethlehem? 03:47 Well it was, over 2,000 years ago, that Bethlehem 03:53 witnessed the most amazing miracle this world has 03:56 ever seen. More profound than healing a leper; 04:01 more compelling than restoring of sight to the blind; 04:05 more powerful than the raising of the dead; 04:09 more commanding than casting out demons. 04:13 The miracle that I'm talking about today took 04:16 place in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago when 04:19 the Son of God was born; when the God-Man was born; 04:24 when Jesus Christ was born. The story of 04:29 Bethlehem is the story of God becoming man. 04:33 But He didn't stop being God; He merely added 04:37 humanity to His deity. Because in His divinity, 04:42 He's God's way to man. But in His humanity, 04:45 He's man's way back on up to God. Miraculously, 04:50 God placed Himself within Mary's womb, then some 04:55 nine months later Mary gave birth to a son. 04:59 And when she looked in the face of her little boy, 05:03 she was looking into the face of God. 05:07 God in human flesh. We cannot, friends, 05:11 fully comprehend the incarnation of Jesus Christ, 05:14 because He was fully God yet he was fully man. 05:18 Two natures harmonized, but never completely blended. 05:23 And He was as much God as if He had never been man; 05:29 and He was as much man as if He had never been God. 05:34 He experienced humanity in its fullness; He suffered, 05:39 was hungry at times, thirsty, sleepy at times, 05:44 knew loneliness, knew grief, grew weary, slept, wept, 05:49 rejected He was, and yet He died. But yet while He 05:53 was absolutely human, He lived His life entirely sinless. 06:00 Jesus came to this earth because He loves you, 06:03 and He gave His life as a ransom for you. 06:08 It all began in Bethlehem. 06:11 Today, let's go to Bethlehem. Let's go the Word, 06:17 where Bethlehem is talked about and prophesied, 06:19 in Micah, chapter 5 verse 2, to be exact, 06:22 where it was prophesied that Jesus would be born 06:25 in Bethlehem. In 40 words in this verse, 06:29 Micah tells the story of this special town; 06:33 a little town that would produce great things. 06:36 Somebody knows that big things sometimes 06:40 come in small packages.But why Bethlehem? 06:44 God could have chosen Jericho. 06:48 God could have chosen Jerusalem. 06:51 God could have chosen Damascus. 06:54 God could have chosen Hebron or 06:57 any number of other impressive cities, 06:59 but God chose Bethlehem. Why? Well, 07:04 the name Bethlehem means house of bread. 07:10 How fitting, then, that Jesus is born 07:13 in the house of bread, because the 07:15 Bible says Jesus is the Bread of Life. 07:18 You see, Jesus' birth was more than 07:21 just an historical event. It was more 07:24 than just a cute story that God put at 07:27 the beginning of the gospels to entertain 07:29 our children at Christmastime. Jesus' 07:31 birth in Bethlehem was the beginning of 07:35 an earth-changing event God wanted to 07:38 bring about in our lives. Jesus is the 07:41 Bread of Life. Now, in the United States 07:44 alone, I don't now about you, but I like bread. 07:47 Do I have a witness in this place? Do I have 07:49 another witness in this place? But we eat in 07:53 this country 34 million loaves of bread every day, 07:58 and that's just loaves of bread. That's 08:02 not all the rolls - - come on, say amen; 08:05 the bagels - - come on, say amen; croissants. 08:07 Pitas, donuts and all dozens of other kinds of 08:13 bread we also eat. Throughout history, bread 08:17 has been the main staple of food. Bread is what 08:21 many people live and depend on to survive. 08:26 In fact, bread has been called the staple of life. 08:31 But Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. He that 08:35 cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth 08:38 on me shall never thirst.” So then, Jesus was born 08:42 in the house of bread because Jesus is the Bread of 08:46 Life that takes away the sins of life. 08:49 Let's go to Bethlehem. The house of bread. 08:54 It was in a jealous rage that a paranoid king 08:58 named Herod told the wise men, “Go and find 09:01 this baby Jesus.” “Go and find this king.” 09:05 Our text teaches that Herod called the stargazers 09:09 secretly and found out the exact time when the 09:14 star appeared. He then sent them to Bethlehem, 09:16 and King Herod said “Go and make careful search 09:19 for the child. And as soon as you find him,” 09:21 he says, “report to me so that I too may go 09:26 and worship him.” But Herod was lying. 09:30 Herod was lying, because Herod wasn't trying 09:33 to celebrate Jesus. Herod was not trying to 09:37 worship Jesus. Herod was trying to kill Jesus. 09:41 Herod was not the backer of Bethlehem; 09:45 Herod was the butcher of Bethlehem. 09:48 Because it was Herod's plan to kill all 09:51 baby boys two years and younger because 09:53 of his insecurity that this new king 09:56 would take his throne. But let me put a 09:59 kickstand right there. This is not in the script, 10:01 but let me throw this in. Jealousy and insecurity 10:05 are two of the basic reasons people have enemies. 10:09 If a person is insecure and doesn't like himself 10:14 or herself, and you are self-confident, 10:17 that person will dislike you. If a person 10:20 doesn't like his looks or her looks and 10:24 considers you to be attractive, that person 10:27 may dislike you. If a person is weak in body 10:32 and you are strong and healthy, that person 10:35 may dislike you. If a person is not very popular 10:39 and you are popular, that person may dislike you. 10:44 If a person is not very smart or they're just 10:47 average and you are very smart, that person 10:50 may dislike you. If a person is lazy and not 10:54 doing things and you are doing things, 10:57 that person may dislike you. But don't 11:00 hate the player. Hate the game. Sometimes 11:07 people don't like you because they don't 11:11 like themselves, and it's easier for them 11:14 to hurt you than it is for them to 11:16 experience inner healing. That's why during 11:19 this holiday season, while many people are 11:22 trying to put Christ back in Christmas, 11:25 I'd rather see Christ put back in Christians. 11:28 Do I have a witness in this place? People will 11:32 know we are Christians by our love. Not by our 11:37 jealousy or our insecurity. The wise men went 11:42 to Bethlehem; they went to the house of bread 11:47 to find the Bread of Life. 11:49 Now let me put a kickstand here, and it's my 11:52 last kickstand. Make sure that our kids know 11:57 the true Christmas story. I'm not talking 12:02 about St. Nick, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, 12:08 gifts, egg nog or a partridge in a pear tree. 12:12 But when I say the Christmas story, I'm talking 12:16 about the story of Jesus' birth. Number one, 12:20 Jesus was not born on December 25. I would tell 12:24 you about the origins of December 25, but I 12:27 don't have time. But know, Jesus was not born 12:31 on December 25 but can I get a witness in this 12:34 place that He was born? Do I have a witness 12:36 in this place? Number two. And I like the 12:39 story that was told earlier by the Ropers today. 12:42 They were theologically correct. Sister Roper 12:46 said “wise men.” She never gave the number of 12:49 wise men, because we don't know how many wise 12:53 men actually went to see Jesus. The belief 12:57 that three wise men met Jesus corresponds to 13:01 the three gifts of gold, frankincense and 13:03 myrrh that were given to Jesus. The Bible says 13:07 three gifts, but the Bible never says three wise men. 13:10 The truth is, we don't really know how many 13:13 wise men there really were. Are you hearing 13:15 what I'm saying? Number three. There were 13:18 probably more men who accompanied the wise 13:21 men to see Jesus. Think about it. These wise 13:26 men were neither commoners nor merchants. 13:29 They were prominent men. The fact that 13:32 these wise men had no trouble gaining an 13:35 audience with King Herod suggests that these 13:38 men were men of prominence and power. 13:41 If they were, they never would have gotten 13:44 an audience with Herod in the first place. 13:46 It has been estimated that at a minimum they 13:49 would have brought with them a full military 13:52 escort along with their servants. 13:56 Some scholars go as far as to believe that 13:58 the total party could have amounted to about 14:00 300 people, which would have explained, then, 14:04 the uproar they caused when they rode into Jerusalem. 14:08 Because to have 300 people of obvious importance 14:10 walk into Jerusalem would have caught the 14:13 attention of the entire city. 14:15 Number four. When the wise men and their 14:19 entourage arrived - - listen to me good - - 14:22 we don't clearly know if Jesus was an infant 14:27 or a toddler when they arrived. Their visit 14:32 happened much later than what our Christmas 14:35 cards and nativity scenes depict. Understand, 14:40 read the text when you go home. The wise men 14:42 did not arrive the very night Jesus was born. 14:47 Their trip was not by plane or car. They did 14:52 not get on Greyhound; they did not get on 14:55 Delta Airlines; nor did they have a caravan 14:58 that drove them to Bethlehem. Their trip was 15:02 on camels, and camels don't travel fast. 15:05 Their trip was on camels across hundreds 15:08 of miles of desert, which means it would 15:11 take several months to make the journey to 15:14 Bethlehem in the first place, not including 15:17 the time of preparation. Because, before you 15:19 go on any trip, you've got to pack your clothes. 15:22 Verse 9 says, “The star stood over the place 15:28 where the child was.” The Bible does not say 15:32 the star stood over the place where the baby was. 15:35 This word “child” is used for toddler, 15:37 not a newborn baby. Then, when you look 15:40 at verse number 11, it mentions that they 15:42 came to the house. The what, everybody? 15:45 Aud.: House. PB: House. It doesn't say a stable. 15:47 It doesn't say a manger. But they came to 15:52 - - that's why you've got to read the Bible 15:54 and know the Bible for yourself. 15:56 They came to a house. No mention of a stable, 15:59 no mention of a manger, Jesus and His parents 16:02 were in somebody else's house when the wise 16:05 men showed up. Not in a stable with oxen or cattle, 16:09 so we don't know exactly how old Jesus was when 16:13 the wise men arrived. So tell our kids the truth. 16:19 Jesus wasn't born on December 25. We don't know 16:25 how many wise men went to see Jesus. We don't 16:29 know how many people accompanied the wise men 16:31 to see Jesus, and we don't know how long it took 16:35 them to see Jesus, so we don't know how old Jesus 16:38 was when they got to Jesus. But this we do know: 16:44 Jesus was born. We do know that they went to Bethlehem. 16:52 When they found Jesus, they bowed down, they 16:57 worshipped Jesus. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. 17:05 For these wise men, this was the most important journey 17:09 they would ever take. Nothing and nobody was going to 17:12 stop them from seeing Jesus. The good news today is this: 17:15 wise men, wise women still seek Jesus. Jesus, 17:25 King of kings. Jesus, Lord of lords. Isaiah 17:32 calls Him “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, 17:37 the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 17:42 But I tell you want I call him: Waymaker, 17:46 Problem-solver; Heart-fixer; Cancer-killer; 17:52 Diabetes-deliverer; Arthritis-easer. Jesus. 17:59 Somebody knows He's a Bill Payer. 18:02 He's a Job Finder. He's a Job Keeper. 18:06 Jesus, Relationship-restorer. Divorce-stopper; 18:12 Child-finder; House-seller; House-buyer. 18:18 His name is Jesus. And friends of mine, 18:21 if you go to Bethlehem you will find Jesus. 18:25 If you go to Bethlehem, you'll find light, 18:27 because He's the Light of the world. If you 18:29 go to Bethlehem you will find peace because 18:31 He is the Prince of Peace. If you go to 18:34 Bethlehem you will find stability because 18:36 He's the Rock of Ages. So let's go to Bethlehem, 18:41 and let's find Jesus. I'm not talking about 18:45 in the figurative sense but the symbolic sense. 18:49 Jesus is at the house of bread. Because Jesus 18:53 is the Bread of Life. And I'm tired of looking 18:57 for Suzy, James, Mary, and Sue. 19:03 But I'm looking for Jesus. I'm tired of 19:07 looking for Jimmy, Timmy, Billy, Simmy and Rimmy. 19:11 I'm looking for Jesus. Gain the world, but give me Jesus. 19:24 Let me close this way. There is a story that is told. 19:29 Some of you may have heard, that many, many years ago 19:34 there was a wealthy man who shared a passion for 19:40 collecting art with his son. The man and his 19:46 son had priceless works of Picasso and other 19:51 famous artists that adorned the family residence. 19:57 As the winter approached, war engulfed the nation 20:05 and the man's son, the young man left to serve his country. 20:12 But after only a few short weeks, the man, 20:17 the father received a telegram. His son had died. 20:24 Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming 20:28 Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness, because 20:32 the joy of the season had vanished with the death 20:36 of his son. But one Christmas morning a knock on 20:44 the door awakened the depressed old man. As this 20:50 old father walked to the door, the masterpieces 20:54 of art on the walls only reminded him that his 20:57 son was not coming home. As he opened the door, 21:01 he was greeted by a soldier with a large package 21:06 in his hand. The soldier said to the father, 21:10 “Sir, I was a friend of your son. I was the one he 21:16 was rescuing when he died. May I come into your 21:21 home for a few minutes and talk with you? 21:23 I have something I need to show you.” 21:26 The soldier mentioned that he was an artist. 21:30 Then he gave the old man a package. Paper gave 21:36 way to reveal a portrait of the old man's son. 21:42 Though the world would never consider it the 21:44 work of a genius, the painting featured the 21:47 young man's face in striking detail. 21:52 Overcome with emotion, the man hung the 21:57 portrait over his fireplace. Over his mantle. 22:02 Pushing aside millions of dollars' worth of art, 22:07 his task completed, the old man went down and 22:12 sat back in his chair, and spent Christmas 22:17 gazing and looking at the gift he had just been given. 22:23 The painting of his son soon became his most 22:27 prized possession, far eclipsing any interest 22:34 in the pieces of art for which museums around 22:36 the world had clamored. The following spring, 22:41 the old man, the father, he died. The art world 22:45 waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction 22:48 of his art collection. ‘Cause you know how it is. 22:52 We love you when you're here, but when you die, 22:54 move on, someone else is coming. But according to 22:59 the will of the old man, all the art works would 23:04 be auctioned off on Christmas day, the day he 23:08 received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived 23:13 for the auction and art collectors from around 23:16 the world gathered to bid on some of the world's 23:19 most expensive and spectacular paintings. 23:22 The auction began with a painting that, friends of mine, 23:28 was not on anyone's museum list. It was the 23:32 painting of the man's son. The auctioneer asked 23:37 for an opening bid, but the room was silent. 23:44 Who will open the bidding with $100? Do we have 23:49 someone for $100? Nobody in the room spoke. 23:54 Finally, somebody said, “Who cares about the painting? 23:59 It's just a picture of his son. Let's move on to 24:04 the good stuff.” The auctioneer said, “No, no, 24:08 no, I'm sorry. We've got to sell this painting first. 24:11 Now, who will take the son?” Finally there was 24:18 this old man, this neighbor. He said, “I'll offer 24:23 $10.00 for the picture of the son. That's all I have. 24:29 I knew the boy, so I'd like to have it.” 24:34 The auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice, gone. 24:41 It sold for $10.00.” Cheers filled the room. 24:48 The gavel fell, and someone said, “Now, we can bid 24:54 on the real treasures.” The auctioneer, however, 24:59 looked at the room, filled with people, and he 25:03 said that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. 25:09 Everyone was shocked. Everyone was surprised. 25:13 So someone spoke up and said, “What do you mean, 25:17 the auction is over? We didn't come here for 25:20 a painting of somebody's son. There are millions 25:22 of dollars of art right here. What's going on?” 25:26 The auctioneer said, “It's simple. According to 25:31 the will of the father, whoever takes the son 25:37 gets it all.” The message is the same this 25:44 Christmas. Because of our Father's love, 25:48 whoever takes the Son . . . 25:53 Get's it all. 25:55 Because if the Son Sets you free, 25:58 you shall be free in deed. 26:01 If the Son says if I be lifted 26:03 up from the earth? 26:05 I will draw all men unto Me. 26:07 So let's go to Bethlehem. 26:09 Let's see a miracle happen. 26:12 Let's go to Bethlehem. 26:13 Let's see our lives changed. 26:16 Let's go to Bethlehem. 26:18 Let's see Jesus. 26:21 Let's go to Bethlehem. 26:23 Let's take Jesus. 26:26 Let's go to Bethlehem. 26:29 Let's experience Jesus. 26:32 Cause Jesus gives me a joy 26:34 that y'all can't give. 26:36 And a joy you can't take away. 26:39 This joy I have the world can't give it 26:42 and the world can't take it away. 26:45 Let's go to Bethlehem. 26:53 >: The Breath of Life television ministries is headed 26:56 to the Sunshine State. Join Pastor Carlton Byrd and the 26:59 Breath of Life team at the Mount Olive Church in 27:02 Apopka, Florida, January 10th to January 23rd, 27:06 for its 2016 winter revival. Now each night 27:10 Pastor Byrd will bring a special word from the Lord. 27:12 There's going to be soul-stirring music and 27:15 Bible teachings that will inspire and change lives. 27:18 We invite you to join us at the Mount Olive 27:21 Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 27:23 3350 Clarcona Road in Apopka, Florida. 27:27 Pastor Byrd is the speaker-director of 27:29 Breath of Life, and he's going to be bringing 27:30 the message on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, 27:33 Friday and Saturday, January 10th to January 23rd. 27:38 The doors open every evening at 7 o'clock. 27:41 On opening night, Sunday, January 10th, 27:43 we're going to be featuring the 27:45 Grammy-nominated recording artist, 27:47 The Walls Group. Now this dynamic brother 27:49 and sister ensemble was nominated for the 27:51 best gospel performance song at the 57th 27:54 annual Grammy Awards, for their special 27:57 rendition of “Love on the Radio.” 27:59 You are not going to want to miss this 28:01 urban contemporary gospel quartet from 28:04 Houston, Texas. Pastor Byrd and the 28:06 Breath of Life team are looking forward 28:08 to seeing you, January 10th through the 28:11 23rd, at the Mount Olive Seventh-day Adventist Church, 28:14 3350 Clarcona Road in Apopka, Florida. 28:17 For more information, call (256) 929-6460. (256) 929-6460. 28:28 - END - |
Revised 2015-12-31