Participants: Pr. Carleton Byrd
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000534A
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00:01 BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES
00:07 PRESENTS SERMON#534 "Thank You, Jesus" 00:11 [music] BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC 00:19 PB: The Word of God says to us in Luke, chapter 17, 00:21 verse number 11; if you have it, let me hear you say amen. 00:26 All right, the Word says, "And it came to pass, 00:28 as he went to Jerusalem, he passed through 00:32 the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 00:35 And as he entered into a certain village, 00:37 there met him 10 men." How many men? 00:40 Aud.: Ten. PB: "That were" what, everybody? 00:42 Aud: Lepers. PB: Which the Bible says "stood afar off. 00:46 And they lifted up their voices and said, 00:49 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!' 00:53 And when He saw them, He said to them, 00:55 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.'" 01:00 And it came to pass that "as they went, 01:03 they were cleansed." They were what, everybody? 01:05 Aud: Cleansed. PB: "And one of them, 01:07 when he saw that he was healed, turned back, 01:11 and with a loud voice"--what kind of voice? 01:14 Aud.: Loud. PB: He "glorified God, 01:18 and fell down on his face at His feet, 01:21 giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 01:26 And Jesus answered and said, 01:29 'Were there not ten cleansed? 01:33 But where are the nine? 01:37 There are not found that returned 01:40 to give glory to God, save this stranger. 01:44 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: 01:49 thy faith hath made thee whole." 01:55 But, look one more time. Study this week, 01:58 I saw this. Look at verse 13, it's very important. 02:00 "And they lifted up their voices"--which means, 02:04 they got loud. "And said, Jesus, Master, 02:08 have mercy on us." But then, go down to verse 15. 02:11 "And when one of them, when he saw that 02:13 he was healed, turned back, and with 02:16 a loud voice glorified God." 02:20 Today I just want to testify, thank You, Jesus. 02:23 That's all I want to do is say thank You, Jesus. 02:25 Father, thank You. Bless us as we 02:28 preach this Word. In Jesus' name. Amen. 02:31 The mark of culture and the evidence 02:36 of etiquette says that when somebody 02:39 does something nice for you, 02:41 you're supposed to say thank you. 02:45 Now, from childhood we're taught this, 02:47 and if you don't say thank you, 02:49 it's a reflection on your upbringing 02:52 and your home training. Do I have 02:54 a witness in this place? I grew up 02:56 in a home where my daddy didn't believe 03:00 in being embarrassed, so when someone 03:03 did for us, we had better say thank you 03:07 in response to their kindness. 03:08 Because if we didn't, he believed that 03:11 a hard head made a soft bottom. 03:12 Do I have a witness in this place? 03:14 He said, you may not have money, 03:17 but you can have manners. You may be poor, 03:22 but you can be polite. You may not be rich, 03:26 but you're not going to be rude. 03:29 You'd better say thank you. 03:32 Do you know what I'm talking about? 03:34 But we live in a world now, 03:36 where the world has been conditioned to 03:37 be unthankful. I have never seen it on this wise, 03:41 but this entitlement, this mindset that 03:45 says people owe you what they give you 03:48 has gotten out of control. Let me be 03:51 clear today, nobody owes you a thing. 03:54 If there's one sin that's most prevalent today, 03:58 it's the sin of ingratitude. You see, 04:01 God does so much for us. If God doesn't 04:05 do another thing for me, God's already done enough. 04:09 But we rarely, or at least infrequently, 04:12 offer thanks to God for what God's done, 04:15 because we take the blessings of God for granted. 04:19 But I want to remind somebody, 04:21 every day is a day of Thanksgiving. 04:23 Somebody didn't wake up this morning, 04:25 but you got up. It's a blessing. 04:27 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 04:29 Too often, we're like the little boy who 04:31 was given an orange by a man. The man 04:35 gave the little boy an orange, and the 04:36 boy's mother asked her son, "Son, 04:38 in response to what the man has done, 04:40 what do you say to the man?" The little 04:43 boy thought about it, and after thinking 04:45 about it he handed the orange back to the man, 04:48 and then he told the man, "Peel it." 04:50 [Aud. reaction] 04:53 PB: In the text, Jesus is on His way to 04:59 Jerusalem when He's met by 10 lepers whom 05:04 the Bible says "stood afar off." That means, 05:09 they weren't close to Jesus. Now remember, 05:12 leprosy was a terrible disease. Leprosy was 05:16 so bad a disease that when a person had it, 05:18 their skin began to rot and fall off. 05:21 Many lepers lost all their fingers, all their toes, 05:25 because of the disease. But not only was the 05:28 disease painful, the disease was smelly. 05:31 You could tell if a person had leprosy because 05:35 their body reeked with a stench. Their body 05:38 was covered with sores. But not only that, 05:41 it was easy to catch leprosy. Just touching 05:45 a person who had leprosy or touching something 05:47 that they touched could make you get leprosy. 05:50 So whenever a person caught leprosy, 05:52 in Bible times, they had to live outside 05:54 the community. In fact, the Bible teaches 05:57 in Leviticus 13:46 that they had to live 06:00 outside the community because the Bible says 06:01 as long as he has the infection of leprosy, 06:04 he remains unclean. He must live alone. 06:09 He must live outside the camp. 06:12 So then lepers were separate. 06:15 Lepers were shut off and shut out. 06:19 Lepers were shut out from their families, 06:22 shut out from their friends, 06:24 shut out from the church. They lived alone. 06:28 Leprosy made a person unclean. 06:31 When a person saw a leper, they would shout, 06:34 "Unclean! Unclean!" when they saw an 06:37 individual with this dreaded disease. 06:39 In fact, the law said that when, 06:41 on the street, you passed a leper, 06:43 you were to pass on the other side and shout 06:46 "Unclean!" The religious leaders--who, 06:49 by the way, liked to add rules to the 06:52 laws that God had given His people; because, 06:54 you do know that some of us have rules 06:56 for which there are no Scriptures, 06:59 practices for which there are no biblical 07:04 principles--they said the lepers couldn't 07:08 even go to the temple like everybody else could. 07:12 This wasn't just because they were afraid 07:13 of catching leprosy, it was because the 07:16 religious leaders also thought that the 07:19 lepers were unclean spiritually. 07:23 And that's just like some church folks- 07:25 -not at Oakwood--but some church folks, 07:27 we keep the very people out who need 07:29 Jesus the most. Do I have a witness in this place? 07:32 So not only did the lepers have a terrible disease, 07:36 but they were also accused of having unclean hearts. 07:41 But today, I'm so glad that where the law 07:46 says man can't go, Jesus goes. Where the 07:52 law says and declares "off limits," 07:56 Jesus rushes in. When the law says 08:00 "pass on the other side," Jesus makes 08:03 it a point to make contact. The Bible 08:07 says that the lepers stood afar off. 08:11 But Jesus is able to reach and save us, 08:15 because when my family can't help me; 08:18 Jesus can. When my friends can't help me; 08:23 Jesus can. When the church can't help me; 08:28 Jesus can. And when we stand afar off from Him, 08:34 Jesus does not stand afar off from us. 08:38 When we can't get to Jesus, Jesus gets to us. 08:43 When we can't come to Jesus, Jesus comes to us. 08:49 When the lepers saw Jesus, the Bible says they 08:53 lifted up their voices, which means, they got loud; 08:59 which means they screamed; which means, they yelled out; 09:05 which means, their cry was "Jesus. Master. 09:09 Have mercy on us!" Jesus takes a good look at them, 09:16 and Jesus says, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." 09:22 Notice, Jesus doesn't touch them. Jesus doesn't 09:26 anoint them. Jesus doesn't pray for them. 09:30 Jesus doesn't wash them. Here is the Great Physician, 09:36 the One who can heal anybody at any time, 09:39 doing anything. But He says, "Go, show yourselves 09:44 to the priests." Because, according to the law, 09:47 the priests were the only ones who could 09:49 pronounce them clean. The Bible says they went, 09:53 but while on their way--I said, while on their way. 10:01 I don't have much time today, because we've 10:02 got to get to the Lord's Supper, but--while 10:05 on their way, their leprosy, friends, 10:08 was not gone when they got to the priests. 10:11 But their leprosy was gone on their way 10:14 to the priests. Somebody's still not getting this today. 10:18 Did they confess their sins before they 10:21 went and received their healing? Did they clean up? 10:25 Did they change their lifestyle before they went 10:28 and received their healing? Did they walk 10:31 down the aisle, shake my hand, 10:33 sign the appeal card, before they received 10:37 their healing? No. Jesus healed them on their way. 10:42 Not when they got to the priests, 10:45 but on their way to the priests, 10:48 which means God has already begun to 10:51 heal somebody before you got here today. 10:54 The priests can't take claim for your healing. 10:58 The preacher can't take claim for your healing. 11:01 The church can't take claim for your healing. 11:04 God did it while you were on your way. 11:09 [Aud. reaction] PB: But look at 11:11 what happens next. This is the shouting part. 11:14 Look at verse 14, 15. Look at 15. I'm almost done. 11:18 The Bible says in verse 15, "And one of them"- 11:23 -I wish I had a preaching church in here today. 11:26 [Aud. reaction] PB: You know, I was at 11:28 Sligo last week; I was looking forward to 11:29 getting back to Oakwood. Do I have a witness 11:31 in this place? And, "one of them, when he 11:37 saw that he was healed, he turned back and 11:46 with a loud voice"--he wasn't quiet. 11:50 He "fell down on his face at his feet, 11:59 giving him thanks." And not only that; 12:02 "he was a Samaritan." And Jesus, answering, 12:05 said--and I love Jesus. He's all that, 12:07 then some and a bag of chips, because 12:09 He knows the beginning from the end. 12:10 But looking at Jesus, he asks, "Were 12:13 there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 12:20 There are not found that returned to 12:22 give glory to God, save this stranger. 12:25 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: 12:29 thy faith hath made thee whole." 12:36 [Aud. reaction] PB: Thy faith hath 12:39 made thee whole. I said, thy faith hath 12:46 made thee whole. Somebody's still not 12:50 getting it. Here's the key to the story: 12:52 All 10 lepers were in the same awful position. 12:55 All 10 lepers were in the same pitiful condition. 13:00 All 10 lepers prayed and were healed. 13:04 But the Bible says only one came 13:09 back to say thank you, which leads me, 13:15 then, to the conclusion that many 13:17 see their need to pray but don't 13:19 see their need to praise. 13:21 I wish I had a witness in this place! 13:24 [Aud. reaction] PB: I don't know how he came 13:26 to this decision, but when the man saw that 13:30 he was healed, he stopped going in one direction, 13:35 turned around and went the other direction; 13:39 made a beeline to Jesus, because he had 13:42 a reason to praise God. They all had a reason 13:47 to praise God, but only one. What happened 13:52 to the other nine? Maybe they went to be 13:55 with their family and their friends. 13:57 Maye they went to hug and kiss their 13:59 wife and children. Maybe they went to 14:01 visit with friends, and maybe they went 14:03 to talk to friends. Maybe their minds 14:05 were occupied on all the blessing that 14:08 the blessing brought to their lives. 14:10 But the Bible says there was one. One, 14:14 who loved his wife and children just 14:17 as much as the others. One, who wanted 14:20 to hug and kiss his wife, just like the others. 14:23 One, who wanted to spend time with his 14:25 children and his friends, just like the others. 14:28 One, who wanted to enjoy the blessings 14:31 just as much as the others, but there 14:33 was one, who had his priorities together. 14:38 One did not get so caught up in the 14:40 blessing that he forgot about the blessor. 14:43 One, who put family, friends and fellowship 14:49 on hold so that he could worship the One 14:52 that made his being with family and friends 14:56 possible in the first place. So you know 15:01 what he says? Thank You, Jesus. 15:06 Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus! 15:13 Thank You, Jesus! But let me get back to 15:19 my main point. The Bible says--remember, 15:22 we read it, verse 15--that "with a loud voice, 15:26 he glorified God." So that means, with the same 15:31 loudness and intensity that he cried for mercy, 15:35 that same intensity, that same volume, 15:41 he cried to God. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 15:43 [Aud. reaction] PB: Many times we cry loud 15:47 for God in prayer, but then we're low in 15:50 enthusiasm with praise. But when you were 15:54 trying to get in school, when you were trying 15:58 to get financially cleansed, you were praying, 16:02 and you were praying loud. You shouted from 16:06 the rooftops, "Lord, help me get in school." 16:10 "Lord, help me financially clear." But once 16:14 you get in school, you're quiet. "Lord, 16:19 help me get a job." But once you get a job, 16:23 you're quiet. "Lord, help me get out of 16:26 this sickness." But once the Lord heals you, 16:29 you're quiet. But with the same zeal when we 16:33 needed help back then, we ought to praise 16:36 Him with the same zeal up here. I will bless 16:41 the Lord at all times and His praise shall 16:46 continually be in my mouth. O, come and 16:48 magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt 16:54 His name together. Two thousand years ago, 16:59 Jesus gave His life for you and for me. 17:08 And I don't know about you, 17:10 but I've come this Communion 17:13 Sabbath simply to say thank You. 17:19 [Aud. reaction] PB: His blood healed 17:23 us from a gruesome disease much more 17:26 than leprosy, and I've got to say thank You. 17:32 His blood healed us from the sin disease, 17:39 and I've got to say thank You. 17:43 Now, somebody may think this is for 17:45 somebody else, because we think the only 17:47 people that ought to say thank you are 17:48 the drug addicts, those who have drunk, 17:50 those who've slept around and fooled around. 17:51 But somebody--you gossips--somebody 17:54 you've talked about, somebody. 17:56 Somebody, your faith is not where it should be. 17:59 Somebody, you've been robbing God from tithe 18:02 and offering. But in spite of who you are, 18:05 in spite of what you've done, God still, 18:09 two thousand years ago, went to die for you. 18:11 While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 18:15 Thank You, Jesus! [Aud. reaction] 18:19 PB: But some of us seem to recognize 18:21 physical needs better than spiritual needs. 18:25 When we're hungry, we eat. When we're sick, 18:30 we go to the doctor. When we're tired, 18:33 we sleep. But just like leprosy is a 18:38 physical disease, sin is a spiritual disease, 18:43 and it needs to be healed. Jesus, this Sabbath; 18:51 Jesus, this Sabbath, September 24th, 18:58 He wants to heal you. Jesus wants to heal me. 19:06 That's why He put this Sabbath on the calendars, 19:10 because He wants to heal us. And the good news is, 19:19 if you call out for help, just like the lepers 19:23 called out for help, "Jesus have mercy on me," 19:29 Jesus will heal you just like He healed the lepers. 19:36 But understand, we've got to be like the leper 19:39 who returned back to say thank You. 19:45 He woke you up this morning. Thank You! 19:49 He put food on your table. Thank You! 19:54 He clothed you in your right mind. Thank You!. 19:58 He gave you feet to walk, a car to drive. 20:01 Thank You! He gave you a job to have. 20:06 Thank You! He gave financial clearance. 20:11 Thank You! He went to Calvary to die 20:14 for my sins. Thank You! He bled in His 20:19 mouth for my evil talk. Thank You! 20:22 He bled in His feet for my evil walk. 20:25 Thank You! He bled in His head for my 20:28 evil thoughts. Thank You! He bled in 20:32 His hands for my evil touch. Thank You! 20:35 What can wash away my sins? Nothing but 20:39 the blood of Jesus! What can make 20:42 me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! 20:46 In everything, give thanks. Make a joyful 20:51 noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 20:54 Serve the Lord with gladness. 20:56 Come before His presence with singing. 20:58 Know ye that the Lord, He is God. 21:00 It is He that hath made us and not 21:03 we ourselves. We are His people, 21:05 the sheep of His pasture. Enter into 21:08 His gates with thanksgiving, into His 21:10 courts with praise. And be thankful 21:13 until Him, for the Lord is good. 21:18 [Aud. reaction] PB: The Lord is good. 21:23 His mercy is everlasting. And His truth 21:31 shall endure to all generations. 21:39 Why do we have Communion? Why do 21:43 the deaconesses dress in white? 21:45 Why do the pastors and elders wear 21:47 dark suits, white shirts and white ties? 21:49 Why do the deacons wear black suits, 21:51 white shirts and red ties? Because 21:53 we've come to say to the Lord, thank You. 21:58 Aud.: Thank You. PB: And don't you 22:02 leave today without saying thank You. 22:10 If it had not been for the Lord, 22:13 somebody should be strung out by now, 22:18 somebody should be dead in their grave, 22:24 somebody's child may not be in your house. 22:31 They may be on the street, but at least 22:33 they're not dead. As long as they're breathing, 22:36 that means the Holy Ghost has a chance. 22:37 Thank You, Jesus. If I can pray with a 22:49 loud voice, I can praise with a loud voice. 22:53 Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, I thank You. Thank You 23:08 [music] 23:15 Yeah, that was actually a really good movie. 23:16 Um, Batman is Batman, so, you can't just not like him. 23:21 I haven't seen it. I don't have money for that. 23:25 Oh. Speaking of money, did you clear for school? 23:28 No. No, I didn't. 23:31 Oh, no. 23:33 I'm sorry, bro. 23:34 Earl, it's going to be okay. God got you. 23:35 Gotcha. 23:39 Yeah. It's not cool, bro. 23:43 Wait a minute. That didn't get it? 23:45 Come on, for real? You mad though? 23:47 Y'all mad? It was just a joke, bro. 23:52 [music] 24:19 [sound of paper crunching] 24:32 To make sure that your process will not be deleted, 24:35 it is important that you verify the 24:36 balance showing on your account immediately. 24:39 [sound of paper crunching] 24:46 [music] 24:54 [sound of background voices and telephone] 25:04 Hi. Good afternoon. 25:05 Good afternoon. How may I help you today? 25:06 Um, I received a letter saying that 25:08 I had an outstanding balance. 25:09 Okay. What's your ID number? 25:10 129717. 25:14 [sound of computer keys clicking] 25:15 Matthew McDonald? 25:16 Yes. 25:18 Here we go. Yes, it says you currently have 25:19 an outstanding balance for $2,500.00. 25:21 Okay, and there's no other like, 25:24 scholarships or financial aid available? 25:25 I'm not sure. I can go find out for you. 25:27 If you'll just wait right there, 25:29 I'll be with you in a second. Okay. 25:32 [music and sound of phone ringing] 25:40 Hey man, what's up? 25:49 My balance. 25:53 Trust me, I've been there before. 25:56 But, don't worry. Trust God. 26:02 He'll take care of you. 26:04 You're right. 26:06 No, I'm serious. 26:07 Even when you can't track God's blessings, 26:09 you can always trust His promises. 26:12 Just have faith. 26:14 Mr. McDonald? 26:19 [music] 26:21 Hi. I'm sorry. Is it possible for you to 26:23 come back tomorrow at 9 o'clock? 26:25 We're currently not taking any more appointments. 26:27 Okay. Thank you. 26:29 All right. Thank you. Have a nice day. 26:31 [music] 26:47 [sound of birds chirping] 27:20 [sound of paper rustling] 27:48 >: Dear Mr. McDonald, We are delighted to 27:51 inform you that you have been awarded with 27:53 a scholarship of $5,000 for your outstanding 27:55 academic accomplishment. 27:57 Thank You, God. Wow. Thank You, God! Wow. 28:08 [sound of door rolling back] 28:09 Don't worry. Trust God. He'll take care of you. 28:13 You're right. 28:16 No, I'm serious. 28:17 Even when you can't track God's blessings, 28:19 you can always trust His promises. 28:22 Just have faith. 28:25 [sound of door rolling back] 28:27 Wow! Thank You, God! Wow, thank You, God. 28:30 END |
Revised 2016-09-30