Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000504A
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00:04 Join Pastor Carlton Byrd and the Breath of Life team at the
00:08 Mount Olive Church in Apopka, Florida, January 10th to January 23rd, 00:12 for its 2016 winter revival. Now, each night Pastor Byrd will bring 00:17 a special word from the Lord. There's going to be soul-stirring music 00:21 and Bible teachings that will inspire and change lives. We invite you to 00:26 join us at the Mount Olive Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 00:30 3350 Clarcona Road in Apopka, Florida. Pastor Byrd is the 00:35 speaker-director of Breath of Life, and he's going to be bringing 00:37 the message on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 00:42 January 10th to January 23rd. The doors open every evening 00:46 at 7 o'clock. On opening night, Sunday, January 10th, 00:50 we're going to be featuring the Grammy-nominated recording 00:53 artist The Walls Group. Now this dynamic brother-sister 00:56 ensemble was nominated for the best gospel performance song 01:00 at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, for their special rendition 01:04 of “Love on the Radio.” You are not going to want to miss this 01:08 urban contemporary gospel quartet from Houston, Texas. 01:12 Pastor Byrd and the Breath of Life team are looking forward 01:15 to seeing you, January 10th through the 23rd, at the 01:18 Mount Olive Seventh-day Adventist Church, 3350 Clarcona Road 01:23 in Apopka, Florida. For more information, 01:25 call (256) 929-6460. (256) 929-6460. 01:36 PB: Matthew 1:21, the Word of God says, 01:38 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt 01:44 call his name JESUS: for he shall” do what, everybody? 01:51 “Save his people from their sins.” There are so many things 01:56 that I could talk about in this text that I love. 01:58 Just the fact, if you have a King James version like mine, 02:01 I like the fact that the name “Jesus” is in all caps. 02:04 What do you say, everybody? “And he shalt bring forth a son. 02:08 Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his 02:11 people from their sins.” Father, now bless. 02:14 And as has just been sung, let some drops fall. 02:20 Forgive us of our sins on this the final Sabbath 02:24 sermon of 2015 here at the Oakwood Church. 02:27 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 02:32 The best gift. Christmas is a time of getting and giving, 02:38 and so that means because of the getting and the giving, 02:42 Christmas is a time of shopping. Ever since the 02:47 wise men from the East showed up to see Jesus, 02:51 carrying gold, Frankincense and myrrh, people have 02:55 been shopping and exchanging gifts at Christmas. 03:01 Now, only yesterday, millions of people both young 03:07 and old alike opened millions of gifts. Say amen, 03:15 tell the truth, shame the devil. Some of these gifts fit; 03:22 some didn't fit. Some were the wrong color; 03:30 and some were just right. Some gifts will be kept; 03:38 and some people saved their receipts because some 03:44 gifts will be exchanged or returned. Do I have a 03:47 witness in this place? But it's also during this 03:51 time of year that some people don't like you even 03:55 mentioning the word “Christmas” because of the pagan 03:59 origins of this holiday. They don't want you saying 04:03 “Santa Claus.” They don't want you putting up a Christmas tree. 04:09 They don't want you exchanging gifts. And don't you 04:15 dare say “Merry Christmas.” When I was a little boy, 04:20 I used to watch all the Christmas specials that came on TV. 04:25 I've seen “It's a Wonderful Life”; “The Christmas Story”; 04:31 “Miracle on 34th Street.” I've seen all the versions of 04:38 “Home Alone,” but my favorite all-time Christmas television 04:43 special was “Charlie Brown Christmas.” In this special, 04:49 Charlie Brown was having trouble getting into the holiday 04:54 and Christmas spirit, so he had a friend by the name of Linus. 04:58 We all know Brother Linus. And Linus said, “Charlie Brown, 05:02 you're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season 05:07 like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” While the Christmas 05:13 tree may have pagan origins; while commercialization has 05:18 taken over this holiday; while Jesus was not born on 05:23 December 25, Christmas does celebrate the fact that 05:29 Jesus was born. Christmas is a compound word for Christ 05:35 and mass, meaning celebration. So then, for a Christian, 05:41 Christmas is simply a celebration of Christ. We celebrate 05:46 Christ's birth. We celebrate His life. But some people seem 05:52 to have the same problem as Charlie Brown, making Christmas 05:57 a problem when we should be using this opportunity to 06:01 lift Jesus Christ. An imaginative story is told of 06:06 the time Satan and his demons were having a Christmas party. 06:12 As the party was over and the demonic guests were getting 06:16 ready to depart, one grandin said to Satan, “Merry Christmas, 06:21 Your Majesty.” Satan replied with a growl, “Keep it merry, 06:27 my friend, because if they [meaning, Christians] ever get 06:33 serious about it, we'll all be in trouble.” You see, 06:38 I listen to that story and I figure, if the people of God; 06:43 if the followers of God; if the children of God ever get 06:49 serious about celebrating Christ, we will tear Satan's 06:54 kingdom down. We are God's people; the sheep of His pasture. 07:00 And we ought to act like it sometime. Let me tell you, 07:04 friends of mine, the devil doesn't like it when we praise God. 07:08 The devil gets nervous when we worship God. The devil is 07:14 scared when we celebrate God. Understand, I've got power today. 07:18 You've got power today. We've got power to run demons 07:22 out of this place. We've got power to tread on serpents; 07:26 power to speak life over our situation; power to rebuke 07:31 the devil in the name of Jesus, if we would just act like it. 07:34 [Aud. reaction] PB: Jesus said, “If I be lifted up 07:38 from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” It was 07:42 during the presidency of George W. Bush that his press 07:46 secretary, Ari Fleisher, was commenting on the fact 07:49 that the President celebrated many faiths during the holidays; 07:54 not only Christmas, but he also presided over a 07:58 Jewish Hanukkah celebration. He commemorated the 08:02 end of Ramadan in a Washington mosque. Fleisher said, 08:06 “The purpose is not to preach a particular faith; 08:10 but the purpose is to celebrate faith itself.” 08:14 But you see, Christianity offers something different. 08:19 Something different than Judaism; something different 08:23 than Islam; something different than Buddhism; something 08:28 different than Hinduism. Christmas preaches a very 08:33 specific faith, because Christmas is God's specific 08:37 fulfillment of a very specific price. “And, she shall 08:42 bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus. 08:46 For he shalt save his people from their sins.” For the 08:51 Christian, Christmas is about celebrating Christ. 08:55 It's about celebrating Christ's birth. It's about 08:59 celebrating the gift that God gave us in giving us His Son. 09:04 This gift meets everybody needs. This gift will never 09:08 wear out; it will never break; it will never need repairing. 09:12 This gift is appropriate for a small child; appropriate 09:16 for a teenager; appropriate for an adult or senior adult. 09:21 This gift is good for a boy or girl, man or woman. 09:24 This gift makes no difference if you're red, yellow, 09:27 black or white. This gift is for everybody, and it's 09:32 the best gift of all. It's that baby in the manger, 09:37 wrapped in swaddling cloths. This is the One that the 09:42 season is all about. On Christmas, we celebrate the fact 09:46 that God gave us the gift of His own Son, Jesus Christ, 09:51 that through faith in Him we can be forgiven of our sins 09:55 and have eternal life. And that ought to make somebody 09:59 get excited, that this gift is the gift of salvation. 10:03 The very name Jesus means “God IS salvation.” 10:09 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 10:13 son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but 10:15 have everlasting life.” So no. Let me be clear. 10:19 I don't subscribe to pagan origins. I don't believe 10:23 in Santa Claus. I don't believe that Santa Claus 10:28 crossed the North Pole, came down through my chimney 10:32 on Thursday night to leave some gifts for my children. 10:36 But I do believe that God, in the form of Jesus Christ, 10:41 came as a babe to this earth. I do believe that Jesus, 10:46 who had no sin, took on the sins of many and by His 10:51 blood I'm forgiven today. I do believe that He died 10:55 on Calvary's cross, rose from the dead, ascended 10:59 back to heaven and now is seated at the right hand 11:02 of the Father. I do also believe that one day my 11:06 Jesus is coming back, and He's coming back to get me. 11:10 “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, 11:13 and the word was God. And the word became flesh.” 11:17 To imagine a world without gifts is to imagine a world 11:21 without Christ. Jesus is the greatest gift you could 11:25 ever have. Jesus is the greatest gift I could ever have. 11:27 Jesus came to this earth as a baby to save you, 11:29 to save me, to save us. “And she shall bring forth a son. 11:32 Thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shalt save his 11:37 people from their sins.” Now, let me be clear. 11:40 I don't want to be long, but understand that a gift 11:44 is an item willingly given to somebody from somebody else, 11:48 without the expectation of payment. A gift means 11:51 “I give you something, and I don't expect 11:54 anything in return.” Are you hearing what I'm saying? 11:57 Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. 12:00 Somebody's mad right now, because they gave something 12:03 this Christmas, but that somebody they gave something 12:05 to didn't give them something in return, and so now 12:08 you're mad. But let me give you some advice. If you 12:12 gave somebody something, expecting something in return, 12:16 you didn't give a gift, you gave a condition. 12:19 [Aud. reaction] PB: Because when you give a gift, 12:22 you don't expect anything in return. Are you hearing 12:26 what I'm saying? But God gave the gift of salvation 12:30 when He gave Jesus Christ, and God did not ask for a 12:34 return gift. God does not ask for a return payment. 12:37 God does not give with strings attached. Salvation 12:42 is free to everybody. But while salvation is free, 12:46 it did cost Jesus something. Jesus did pay it all. 12:49 The Apostle Paul, I like how he puts it. He makes 12:52 it plain in Ephesians 2:8. He says, “For by grace 12:55 are ye saved, through faith and that not of yourselves 12:58 but it is a gift.” It is a what, everybody? 13:01 Aud.: Gift. PB: Gift. So salvation is not something that, 13:05 friends, we may purchase or earn. In fact, we're bankrupt. 13:09 We have nothing with which to pay. But then God gives 13:15 us grace. We are saved by grace. I wish I had a witness 13:20 in this place. To show grace is to extend favor to 13:23 somebody who doesn't deserve it and can never 13:26 pay it back. You see, friends of mine, we work 13:29 eight-hour days, 40-hour weeks, and we receive 13:33 a fair week's pay for our time. That's a wage. 13:37 When we compete in athletics and receive a trophy 13:41 for our performance, that's a prize. When we 13:44 receive recognition for long service or high 13:47 achievements in business, that's an award. 13:50 But when we are incapable of earning a wage; 13:54 when we can win no prize; when we deserve no award, 14:01 but we still receive a gift anyway, that's grace. 14:07 You see, we don't deserve salivation. We don't 14:12 deserve gifts. We don't deserve forgiveness for 14:16 our sins. We deserve a plague of lice, 14:19 a plague of frogs, a plague of blood. 14:22 But I'm so glad that while I was yet a sinner, 14:26 Christ died just for me. And many times it's 14:30 hard to comprehend God's offer of salvation 14:33 and God's forgiveness because as a human being, 14:37 forgiving someone is one of the hardest things 14:42 we could ever do. Say what you want. 14:45 Call yourself a Christian. Call yourself a child 14:48 of God. A good Seventh-day Adventist. One in seven days, 14:52 folks. A Bible-believing, commandment-keeping, 14:56 Jesus-loving, Sabbath school-studying, 15:00 Holy Ghost-intoxicated Christian. One who can 15:04 quote Scripture backwards and forwards, but one 15:07 of the hardest things in life to do is to forgive 15:10 somebody. Especially when somebody has done you wrong. 15:15 Tell the truth, shame the devil. And because it's 15:17 hard to forgive, unforgiveness has become more popular 15:21 than forgiveness. Unforgiveness means we desire to 15:25 hurt the people who have wronged us. 15:28 It's like the little boy who was sitting on a 15:31 park bench in obvious pain. A man walked by the 15:33 little boy who was on the park bench and asked him, 15:35 “Boy, what's wrong?” The boy said, “I'm sitting on a 15:38 bumblebee.” The man said, “Then why don't you get up?” 15:41 The boy said, “Because I figured that I'm hurting him 15:44 more than he's hurting me.” [Aud. reaction] 15:47 PB: But the healing process begins only when we get 15:51 up off the park bench. God will only heal our wounds 15:54 when we stop inflicting pain on the one who has hurt us. 15:59 But our problem is, we don't understand forgiveness. 16:01 We don't understand salvation. Salvation is received, 16:07 not achieved. Salvation is offered, not earned. 16:12 Salvation is not a formula to obey but a person to know. 16:16 Salvation is not a prayer to pray but a person to praise. 16:22 Salvation is not a hand raised up but a life laid down. 16:25 Salvation is not an emotion to be felt but a truth to 16:30 be embraced. Salvation is not a degree of your faith, 16:34 but it's the author of your faith. Salvation is not 16:37 the pursuit of God but God's pursuit of you. Salvation 16:41 is not a formula for making bad people good but a power 16:45 to make dead people alive. [Aud. reaction] 16:48 PB: Salvation is not a license to sin but a reorientation 16:53 of your spiritual taste buds so you taste sin as bitter 16:57 and righteousness as sweet. Salvation is not safety from 17:02 an eternity in hell but an anticipation to spend 17:05 eternity with a gracious God who rescued you from 17:08 sin and death. Salvation is not a behavioral change, 17:12 but it's a heart change that leads to a behavior change. 17:15 Salvation is not a ladder to be climbed but a cross 17:19 to be borne. Salvation is not for an easier life but a 17:24 fuller life. Salvation is not the transaction of our 17:28 works for God's acceptance but the gift of God's grace 17:31 for our shortcomings. [Aud. reaction] 17:34 PB: Salvation is not that we have overcome sin in 17:37 the world, but it's the fact that God in the person 17:39 of Jesus has overcome sin and the world. Let me be clear: 17:44 Salvation is not church membership. Just because 17:49 you're a member of Oakwood doesn't mean you have 17:51 your full salvation. Salvation is not ordination. 17:55 Salvation is not me preaching a sermon. Salvation 18:00 is not teaching a Sabbath school class. Salvation 18:03 is not even returning tithe or not even lifting 18:06 the offering. Salvation is not preparing dinner. 18:10 Salvation is not ushering. Salvation is not me 18:13 being speaker-director of Breath of Life. 18:17 Salvation is not good works, but salvation is 18:23 a personal encounter with Jesus Christ Himself. 18:27 We are saved by grace. God's unmerited favor. 18:34 It's Jesus that gets the glory, so you and 18:39 I don't walk around like we've got the big 18:41 head and boast. No human being has the power 18:46 to absolve you from your sins. I can't save you. 18:51 The conference can't save you. The college 18:54 can't save you. The board can't save you. 18:58 Elders can't save you. Bible workers can't 19:03 save you. Buddha can't save you. 19:06 Brahma can't save you. Confucius can't save you. 19:11 Muhammad can't save you. But my Bible says 19:16 there's only one name under heaven whereby 19:19 we can be saved, and that's Jesus. 19:23 [Aud. reaction] PB: Confessing to somebody 19:25 else may help you relieve the guilt of your 19:28 transgressions, but only Jesus can wash away 19:30 your sins. “For by grace are ye saved, 19:35 through faith, and not of yourselves. It is a 19:40 gift from God.” And that's why Jesus had to come. 19:46 That's why Jesus had to be born, so although we 19:51 don't know exactly when Jesus was born, we do 19:55 know why He was born. Although we don't know how 19:58 Jesus was born, we do know for whom Jesus was born. 20:03 Jesus' birth was a gift from God to you and to me, 20:07 and because of this gift sin would eventually be 20:12 nailed to the cross. Sin and sickness would no 20:17 longer have the last word. Death and destruction 20:21 would no longer have the last word. Racism and 20:24 retribution would no longer have the last word. 20:27 Cancer and crime would no longer have the last word. 20:32 You and I are here today, I'm standing here preaching 20:36 right now, because Jesus was born. Bottom line: 20:41 Jesus is the reason for the season. Do I have a 20:43 witness in this place? Think about it. What would 20:46 have happened if Jesus had not been born? What 20:49 would have happened if Jesus had not come? 20:52 What would have happened to that woman caught 20:55 in the act of adultery? She would have been stoned. 20:58 What would have happened to the woman with the 21:02 issue of blood? She might have died. What would 21:06 have happened to blind Bartimaeus? He would still 21:08 be blind. What would have happened to Jairus's daughter? 21:12 She would have still been dead. Lazarus still would 21:17 have been dead. The 5,000 would still be hungry in 21:21 the wilderness. The man at the pool at Bethesda would 21:24 still be lame. There would be no wine at the wedding at Cana. 21:29 I would still be struggling. You would still be struggling. 21:33 Somebody would be strung out somewhere. Somebody would be 21:37 laid up in a hospital somewhere. Somebody would have been 21:41 walking the streets somewhere. Somebody would be sinking 21:45 deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. 21:49 But Jesus was born. Because Jesus was born, 21:55 because Jesus has come, there's light at the end 22:02 of the tunnel. There's hope for the world. 22:06 There's sunshine after every rainstorm. 22:12 There's healing for your soul. There is a balm in Gilead. 22:21 And so excuse me if I want to celebrate His birth, 22:28 because I will. If I want to praise His name, I will. 22:34 If I want to clap my hands, I will. If I want to stomp 22:40 my feet, I will. Call me what you want, talk me about 22:46 me all you want, accuse me of being a pagan if you want, 22:50 but celebrating His birth means I thank Him for His coming. 22:55 I thank Him for His living. I thank Him for His dying. 22:59 I thank Him for His rising. And I thank Him for the 23:03 promise that He's coming back. 23:06 A television interviewer was walking the streets of 23:13 Tokyo, Japan, at Christmastime. The interviewer 23:17 stopped one young woman on the sidewalk and asked, 23:21 “Lady, what's the meaning of Christmas?” She said, 23:31 “I don't know. Is that the day Jesus died?” 23:38 There was some truth in her answer, because 23:43 Christ was born to die. If He had never been born, 23:53 He would have never died. Jesus - - listen to me - - 24:00 was born into this world for the sole purpose of saving us. 24:06 Christmas marks the day we celebrate His birth, 24:11 and without His birth, He would have had no life. 24:15 Without His life, He would have had no death. 24:19 And without His death, we would have no salvation. 24:24 “And she shall bring forth a son. Thou shalt call 24:30 his name Jesus, for he shalt save his people from 24:39 their sins.” I was reading a quote from Sister 24:42 White in volume four of “The Testimony.” She said, 24:47 “Jesus came to save us from our sins, not in our sins.” 24:55 Which means, she goes on and says, “He came not only 24:59 to save us from the sins actually committed, 25:03 but He also came to save us from our potential 25:06 propensities that lead to sin.” 25:10 “And she shall bring forth a son. Thou shalt call 25:17 his name Jesus, for he shalt save his people from 25:27 their sins.” Not in their sins; from their sins. 25:34 Throughout the Christmas season, we buy gifts for 25:40 other people, and they buy gifts for us. But, 25:47 Christmas without Christ is like a nicely wrapped 25:51 box given as a gift with no gift inside. Christmas 25:56 is about a gift that God personally came to give. 26:02 Now, think about it. He's God all by Himself. 26:07 God doesn't need help from anybody else. Which means, 26:11 God could have sent a house. God could have sent a car. 26:16 God could have sent a bunch of money. But God sent the 26:23 ultimate gift. He sent Himself. He sent Jesus. 26:31 It's the only gift that matters. 26:35 Now, if you don't take this gift, 26:39 there's not a single other gift that anybody else 26:42 is going to give you that matters. But if you accept 26:46 this gift, all the days of your life you will have 26:52 everything that you need. This Christmas 26:57 You're invited to join Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, speaker 27:01 and director for the Breath of Life television ministry, 27:03 and senior pastor here at the Oakwood University Church, 27:06 in Huntsville, Alabama, for a very special taping of the 27:10 nationally syndicated program. On January 30, 2016, 27:14 right here at Oakwood University Church, Breath of 27:17 Life will be recording an Easter special. 27:19 It's going to be aired on the ABC television network. 27:22 Featuring a message from Dr. Byrd, with musical guests, 27:26 Grammy award-winning songbird, CeCe Wynans; 27:29 violinist Jaime Jorge; and the internationally renowned 27:33 Oakwood University Aeolian Concert Choir. 27:36 With God's help, this program is going to reach 27:38 millions of curious and interested individuals 27:41 who otherwise might not be able to be reached 27:44 through traditional methods. Please, 27:46 join Pastor Byrd in this exceptional evangelistic initiative. 27:51 Your prayers, presence, and financial support are 27:55 both meaningful and essential. Again, join us 27:58 January 30, 2016, at 11 o'clock in the morning, 28:03 right here at the Oakwood University Church, 28:06 5500 Adventist Boulevard, in Huntsville, Alabama. 28:10 For more information, this is our website: 28:12 www.BreathofLife.TV. Dr. Carlton Byrd, CeCe. Wynans, 28:18 Jaime Jorge, the Oakwood University Aeolians for 28:21 ABC's Easter special, to be aired March 27 on the 28:27 ABC television network. 28:29 --END-- |
Revised 2016-01-03