Participants:
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000617A
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00:04 Breath of Life Ministries Presents:
00:10 Sermon #B617 - Why Church? 00:20 PB: Matthew 16:18, one verse. Jesus himself speaking, 00:28 Matthew 16:18. The Word says, 00:30 "And I say unto thee that thou art Peter. 00:34 " Everybody say "Peter." Aud.: Peter. 00:36 PB: "and upon this rock I will build my"--what? 00:39 Aud.: Church. PB: "And the gates of"--what? 00:41 Aud.: Hell. PB: "Shall not prevail against it. 00:45 " All right, so last week was why God? 00:49 This week is Why church? Father, bless us. 00:57 Speak to Your people, young and young at heart, 01:02 speak to them today. 01:04 We be careful to give You the praise, the honor, 01:05 and the glory. Thank You, God, for this opportunity. 01:08 May there become activity by the power of Your Holy Spirit. 01:11 It's in the name of Jesus we pray, begging that, Lord, at 01:14 appeal time You will do Your work. In Jesus' name. Amen. 01:21 All right, quickly, remember. We're living in a post-Christian. 01:24 Everybody say "post-Christian." Aud.: Post-Christian. 01:26 PB: Come on, say it like you mean it. Say "post-Christian." 01:28 Aud.: Post Christian. PB: We're living in a Post-Christian society. 01:31 Remember that, now. Which means, we're living in a world 01:35 where the influence of Christianity is declining by the minute. 01:39 Post-Christian means we're living in a world where people say 01:43 there are no moral absolutes. No ethical givens, no outright truth. 01:51 Remember, post-Christian means your truth is your truth, 01:54 my truth is my truth. But even with that, 01:58 last week we established that there is a God. 02:04 [Aud. reaction] PB: Creation proves it. 02:06 Nature proves it, and the life of Jesus proves it. 02:12 The text we used was "In the"--what? "Beginning. 02:15 "In the what, everybody? Aud.: Beginning. 02:17 PB: "God created the heavens and the"--what? 02:19 Aud.: Earth. PB: Now, that's what Genesis 1:1 says, 02:22 but remember, Genesis 1:26 says "And God said, 02:26 "Let us make man. In our own image, after our likeness." 02:30 "Then we go to the New Testament, and John 1:1 says, 02:34 "In the beginning was the Word." The Word was with Whom"? 02:38 Aud.: God. PB: "And the Word was Whom"? 02:40 Aud.: God. PB: Then verse 14 says that "the Word became flesh. 02:45 "So we study that yes, there is a God. 02:49 For those that want to refute that, my response is, 02:52 only God could create food out of thin air with two fish 02:58 and five loaves of bread. Only God could walk on water. 03:03 Only God could turn water into wedding punch. 03:06 Only God could command a raging storm to stop. 03:11 Only God could command demons to be hurled into the sea. 03:17 [Aud. reaction] PB: There is a God because there's nothing 03:21 that makes sense in the universe without Him. 03:25 There is a God because He has revealed Himself 03:28 in the person of Jesus Christ. 03:30 There is a God because Jesus lived, Jesus died, 03:36 and Jesus rose again. Buddha didn't do that. 03:41 Confucius didn't do that. Muhammad didn't do that. 03:47 Scientists can't explain that. Atheists can't explain that. 03:52 Agnostics can't explain that. There is a God. 03:58 How do you explain something out of nothing? 04:01 How do you explain a worldwide flood? 04:04 How do you explain that a donkey could talk? 04:07 That an axe head could float? That the sun could stand still? 04:11 How do you explain how a Red Sea can become a dry highway? 04:16 How do three men stand in a fiery furnace and not get burned? 04:20 How does a man lay down his life and then take it up again? 04:24 There is a God. 04:28 So we know there is a God but the question now asks, 04:31 why church? Why go to church? I hear people say all the time, 04:38 I believe in God but why do I have to go to church? 04:40 After all, church is not a safe place anymore. 04:45 Kids have been messed up for the rest of their lives 04:47 because a priest, somebody they trusted, 04:50 somebody they thought was safe, molested them. 04:53 Why church? All they want is your money. 04:57 We thought we were through with Restoration 40, part 1. 05:00 Now we've got Restoration 40, part 2. Why church? 05:04 It's too long. They sing. They sing. And they still sing. 05:13 Why church? All they do is preach damnation and hell and judge ya. 05:19 Why church? It's filled with hypocrites. 05:24 Why church? They only care about numbers. 05:29 Why church? The people are fake. Why church? 05:37 Today I don't know if you have your heads under a rock, 05:40 or if you're in never never-land, 05:42 but we're at a critical juncture 05:43 in our world on the importance of going to church. 05:46 And while most statistics say that 40 percent of Americans 05:49 attend church regularly, the posters at Huffington Post say 05:53 that's not true. In fact, Huffington Post says that 05:56 less than 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church. 06:00 In fact, the only American-- 06:03 average American only comes to church 06:06 three times in his life. Number one, when he is born, 06:12 he comes to be dedicated at church. 06:14 Number two, when he is married, 06:16 he walks down the aisle of the church. 06:19 Number three, when he dies, he is 06:22 in a casket in front of the church. 06:25 So then people come to church three times in their lives, 06:28 when they're hatched, matched, and dispatched. 06:31 [Aud. reaction] PB: But why church? 06:37 This question is particularly being asked a lot 06:40 by our young people. By Millennials. They say, 06:43 I can find my own way to God. I don't need the church. 06:46 Why church? I can watch it on the Internet. 06:50 I can watch it on my phone. I can watch it on television. 06:53 After all, Pastor Byrd is Breath of Life. That's TV, 06:55 so I can watch it on TV. Why church? 06:58 I don't feel like dressing up. 07:01 Why church? I don't feel like being hollered at. 07:05 Why church? I'm sleepy, I'm tired, it's raining. 07:08 I can stay in the dorm, in my apartment, in my house. 07:11 Why church? It's not relevant. Why church? 07:17 Church, we're living in a different world today. 07:19 People are different now. 07:20 People are tired of centralized structures. 07:23 People are tired of revelation without relevance. 07:25 People are tired of religion without relationship. 07:27 People are tired of plastic, fake, phony, lifeless, 07:30 flat, comatose ministry. [Aud. reaction] 07:33 PB: People are tired of coming to church 07:35 and getting beat up in the pulpit, 07:37 to get beat up about what you have on; 07:40 to get beat up about what you're not doing. 07:43 People are tired of fighting. People won't fight you anymore. 07:48 Nobody wants to be in a church at war. 07:50 They fight all week on their jobs. 07:53 They're not coming to church for war, 07:55 so they vote with their feet. 07:58 People are tired of seeing emphasis placed 08:00 on policy over the needs of people. 08:03 People are tired of being able to come to church 08:04 where they can share their burdens and problems, 08:06 but they can't do it simply because they're afraid of 08:08 what other folk might say about them after they come clean. 08:13 People are getting tired of judgmental, legalistic, 08:17 finger-pointing, fault-finding, holier-than-thou attitudes. 08:20 People are tired of folk putting on 08:22 an outside show for an unfriendly world. 08:25 It's like the familiar story of the woman 08:27 who was pulled over by the police. 08:30 A man was being tailgated 08:32 by a stressed-out woman on a busy street. 08:34 Suddenly they're traveling on the street 08:36 and the light turns yellow, 08:37 and just in front of him, he does the right thing. 08:39 He stops at the light, even though he could have probably 08:42 beaten the light if he had placed his pedal to the metal 08:46 and accelerated through the intersection. 08:47 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. 08:48 Come on, say amen. But the tailgating woman who's behind him 08:53 is furious because he stopped. 08:55 So she honks her horn. She screams in frustration 08:59 because she missed her chance to get through the intersection 09:02 and all the while she drops her cell phone 09:04 and her makeup at the same time. 09:07 So, while the lady is in mid-rant, 09:09 calling him everything but a child of God, 09:11 she hears a tap on the window. She looks up in her window, 09:17 in the face of a very serious police officer. 09:20 The officer orders her to exit the car with her hands up. 09:23 He takes her to the police station where she is searched, 09:26 fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. 09:30 The woman is more furious. 09:32 She now shouts some four-letter words, 09:35 words you all don't know. 09:36 Come on, say amen. Aud.: Amen. 09:37 PB: She gives the officer a few choice words. 09:39 After a couple of hours, 09:41 another policeman approaches the woman 09:44 and he opens her cell door. 09:46 She's escorted back to the booking desk where the 09:48 original arresting officer was waiting with her personal items. 09:52 He says, "Ma'am, I'm sorry for that mistake. But you see, 09:57 I pulled up behind you. And I pulled up behind your car 10:02 while you were blowing your horn, 10:05 flipping off the guy in front of you, 10:09 cussing like a sailor, and as I looked at your car, 10:13 I looked at your back bumper, 10:15 and your bumper had a sticker that said, 10:18 "What would Jesus do?" [Aud. reaction] 10:21 PB: I then saw the "Follow me to church" bumper sticker. 10:26 I saw the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. 10:29 So naturally, I just assumed you had stolen the car. 10:34 [Aud. reaction] PB: People are tired of folk who 10:42 say one thing but do another. [Aud. reaction] 10:47 PB: People want a real, authentic, genuine experience in Jesus, 10:54 with real, authentic, genuine followers of Jesus. 10:59 Do I have a witness in this place? [Aud. reaction] 11:01 PB: And so, the cry of why church is getting louder and louder. 11:08 Why church is becoming more popular and popular. 11:14 But in the name of Jesus, the Lord told me to tell somebody 11:20 that the church is still the apple of God's eye. 11:25 [Aud. reaction] PB: Ellen White, I still believe in her, 11:29 says that it is still God's appointed agency for 11:32 the salvation of men, women, boys, and girls. 11:35 And so in these perilous days in which we live, 11:39 where atheism, agnosticism, postmodernism, 11:43 and even racism are increasing by the minute, 11:47 I must stand in this pulpit. I must preach today 11:53 and give you five reasons for why church. 11:58 It may not be popular, but you can't be popular 12:01 and prophetic at the same time. 12:04 And so this is for the young and the old. 12:08 Why church, Pastor Byrd? Number one, God started the church. 12:16 [Aud. reaction] PB: Matthew 16:18, understand, we just read it. 12:18 Jesus said, "I say unto thee, thou art Peter, 12:21 and upon this rock I will build my church. 12:23 And the gates of"--what, everybody? Aud.: Hell. 12:25 PB: Hell. "Shall not prevail against it." Now, don't miss this, 12:27 because a lot of people read this text 12:29 and they take this text out of its context. 12:32 Now understand, Catholics will use 12:35 this text as the foundation for their church. 12:38 I am not hating on Catholics, 12:40 because I don't have to minimize somebody else to maximize myself. 12:44 I'm speaking to the institution of the Roman Catholic church. 12:48 It sees itself as the extension of the New Testament church. 12:53 So you have New Testament church 12:54 then you have Roman Catholic church. 12:57 Why? Because they believe Peter was their first pope. 13:02 They believe Peter was their first pope based on this text, 13:05 Matthew 16:18. "And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, 13:08 and upon this rock I will build my church; 13:10 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 13:12 "So, they believe Peter is the first pope. Petros, Peter. 13:18 Rock. But they got it wrong. 13:21 Jesus is not saying in the text that Peter, 13:25 Petros, is the rock on which the church was founded. 13:29 But Jesus is saying that the church is built on Him. 13:35 The Rock, Christ Jesus. That's why we sing that hymn, 13:40 "On Christ the solid rock, I stand. 13:43 All other ground is sinking sand. 13:45 "And so, what Jesus is saying in the text is, 13:48 I establish the church on Myself. The Living Rock. 13:53 The church was not built upon human wisdom, 13:56 not on sinful human beings. 13:59 The church was not built on mortal flesh, 14:01 but the church was built on the Rock, Jesus, 14:03 and because the church has been built on the Rock, 14:06 Christ Jesus, the church has stood the test of time. 14:10 God's church--let me tell somebody--was here before you were born, 14:14 and God's church, unless Jesus comes in your lifetime, 14:18 is gonna be here when you die. In other words, 14:22 the church was here before you got here, 14:24 and the church is gonna be here after you leave here. 14:27 [Aud. reaction] 14:28 PB: We got some folk that say they can't make it without me. 14:32 The church won't make it without me. It will die without me. 14:34 Don't be a legend in your own mind. 14:38 The cemetery is full of folk who thought 14:41 the church wouldn't make it without them. 14:43 This is God's church! God started His church, 14:48 and God's truth still moves on. 14:51 The church is ecclesia, God's called out. 14:54 God's not gonna let what He's started, what He's called out, to fail. 15:00 Number two. Why church? Because God said so. 15:06 Aud.: That's right. PB: And if God said it, that settles it. 15:13 Adam and Eve. God, why can't we eat of the fruit 15:16 of all the trees that re in the Garden? Because I said so. 15:21 Why do we have to bring a lamb, a sheep, a goat, without blemish, 15:26 to be an offering? Why can't we bring fruits, nuts, grains, 15:29 and vegetables? Because I said so. 15:32 Noah: Why must we build an ark? Because I said so. 15:36 Why must--Moses says-- 15:38 I stretch my rod across the Red Sea? Because I said so. 15:42 Why--Gideon says-- 15:43 do I have to reduce my army to 300 men? Because I said so. 15:47 Why can't--Samson--I cut my hair? 'Cause I said so. 15:52 Why do I have to keep the Sabbath? 'Cause I said so. 15:56 Why do I have to return tithe and offering? 'Cause I said so. 16:01 Why do I have to go to Oakwood? [Aud. reaction] 16:06 PB: Because I said so. But let me bowl down somebody else's lane. 16:10 Why do I have to work at Oakwood? Because I said so. 16:19 Why do I have to go to church? Because I said so. 16:25 Hebrews 10:25 is clear. "Let us not forsake the assembling 16:30 of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; 16:32 but exhorting one another: and so much the more, 16:35 as ye see the day of Jesus coming fast approaching. 16:37 "In other words, God is saying, you gotta go to church. 16:39 And you gotta go to church even that much more 16:41 as I'm getting ready to come. 16:44 Now, God is sovereign. God can do what He wants, 16:48 when He wants, where He wants, how He wants, 16:52 and He doesn't have to ask you or me for 16:54 permission to do it if He wants. 16:56 He's God. If God told you do something, you gotta do it. 17:00 Quit asking all the questions why, just do it. 17:03 God told you to obey Him. Do it. 17:05 God told you to go to church. Do it. 17:07 And God is not a God who says do as I say and not as I do. 17:12 [Aud. reaction] 17:15 PB: God told us to go to church because God went to church Himself. 17:21 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you look at Luke chapter 4, verse 16, 17:24 the Bible says that it was Jesus' custom on the Sabbath day 17:28 to go into the church, to go into the synagogue, 17:31 and read the Scriptures. 17:33 Are you hearing what I'm saying? [Aud. reaction] 17:34 PB: Now lest you think that this is just a ploy 17:36 to get people to come to church, let me be clear. 17:39 Because I don't anyone to misunderstand me today. 17:42 You don't have to go to church to be a Christian. 17:47 'Cause there's a whole lot of folk that come to church 17:49 but they ain't Christians. 17:49 I wish I had time. [Aud. reaction] 17:53 PB: But you do have to go to church to be obedient to God. 17:58 Are you hearing what I'm saying, everybody? 18:00 [Aud. reaction] PB: One day in seven, God has, 18:02 has set God's standard for His people to assemble, 18:05 so going to church is not just a good suggestion. 18:08 It's God's will for His people. 18:10 God didn't call us to gather and worship to burden us, 18:12 but He called us to worship Him to bless us. 18:15 We should count it a joy to be blessed by God, in God's church. 18:20 Look at it now, beginning of the semester, everybody in church. 18:23 Wait until we get down to October and November. 18:25 [Aud. reaction] PB: And what troubles me is, 18:28 think about all of the underground churches in other countries 18:31 who only wish they could go to church and worship like we do. 18:34 [Aud. reaction] 18:36 PB: There's a story about a man who was explaining how his church, 18:38 in his church, the people had to sing hymns-- 18:41 he was in China--no louder than a whisper 18:43 because they were scared they'd be discovered; 18:46 because if they were discovered, it would mean physical abuse. 18:49 Their children and possessions would be seized 18:51 and they would be in prison. 18:52 But even in the face of all this fear, they still gathered together. 18:57 How much more should we, who have the pleasure, the privilege, 19:03 of worshiping and meeting openly, in a palatial church, 19:09 cushioned pews, nice Taj Mahal restrooms, air condition, 19:18 the Aeolians, video screens, microphones, pipe organ, 19:28 Hammond organ, grand piano, keyboards, the preaching of the Word. 19:32 How much more should we come to church? Why church? Because God said so. 19:42 Number three. I'm almost done. Why church? 19:47 Worshiping God together is powerful. [Aud. reaction] 19:53 PB: Now look at verse 25 again, Hebrews chapter 10. 19:55 It says not only should we worship together, 19:56 but we should exhort one another. That we ought to encourage one another. 20:01 There is something powerful, something powerful about 20:05 gathering together with other believers to worship. Jesus said, 20:09 wherever there are two or three gathered in My name, 20:13 I will be in the midst. And let the records show, 20:16 I may have 2, 3,000 now, but my ministry started 20:19 --you all know my story--with 2 members. 20:22 But wherever there are two or three gathered, God was in the midst. 20:25 Hallelujah! As humans, we were created to be relational beings. 20:29 God never meant for a man to be alone. 20:31 In the Garden, God, when He created Adam, 20:33 He said it is not good that man should be alone, 20:36 so He created Eve. We're relational. That's why we talk. 20:43 We're relational. That's why we smile. We're relational. 20:49 That's why we hug, that's why we cry. We're relational beings. 20:53 All of us long for community and connection with others. 20:56 The Internet is convenient, but the Internet doesn't take 21:00 the place of coming into God's house. 21:03 [Aud. reaction] PB: Television is nice, please watch me. 21:09 But it doesn't take the place of coming together 21:12 and feeling the power of the Holy Ghost that's in the room. 21:17 Podcasts are wonderful additions to our spiritual lives, 21:20 but they don't take the place of coming together 21:22 in consistent Christian community through the church. 21:25 We grow more together than we do alone. I listen to people, 21:32 'cause people tell me all kinda stuff. Okay? 21:36 Pastor Byrd, we need to have two services. 21:40 One service for the young people and one service for the adults. 21:46 And I always say, no. I say no. and they say, well, why? 21:51 I say if it gets to the point where we go to two services, 21:54 we're gonna have two identical services. 21:56 Why? Because there is something that the young people 21:59 glean from the older people, when we're all together. 22:04 And there is something that the older people glean from 22:07 the younger people when we're all together. 22:10 We grow more together than we do alone. 22:15 The church does not mean a single individual lone ranger Christian, 22:19 just coming for Christian duties and never gathering together 22:21 to worship with other believers. The church is community. 22:25 It's worshiping with others, praying with others, hurting with others, 22:28 serving others, being involved in the lives of others, 22:31 and this is biblical and historical 22:33 because the first followers of Jesus did this. 22:36 They would get together to worship God. Together. 22:41 Paul's letters were sent to all those New Testament communities 22:44 that gathered in cities so they could read 22:47 the letters in worship together. 22:50 Church means getting together with other believers, 22:54 worshiping God together, reading Scriptures together, 22:59 encouraging one another, together. 23:02 Somebody's still not getting this. Let me try it this way. 23:05 Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens"--what? Aud.: Iron. 23:09 PB: Iron. "So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends. 23:13 "Somebody knows that when iron rubs against iron, 23:18 not only does it become sharper, but when iron rubs against iron, 23:23 there are also, it causes sparks. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 23:29 When iron is rubbed together, something ignites. Something flickers. 23:36 When iron is rubbed with iron, a fire is started. 23:41 Oh, I wish I had a witness in this place. 23:44 [Aud. reaction] PB: When I hear the Aeolians sing, 23:47 it ignites something within me. 23:51 When I hear a testimony, it causes sparks to fly in my soul. 23:57 When I hear Sister Marva or Sister Dorothy, my church ladies, 24:02 when I hear them shouting in church, I get fired up. 24:06 When I hear John Stoddard playing that organ, and we sing Marching to Zion, 24:11 something is triggered in my spirit. Iron sharpens iron. 24:19 Finally, number five. Why church? Church is preparation place for paradise. 24:28 Church is preparation for what we gonna do when we get to heaven. 24:34 Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. [Aud. reaction] 24:35 In Isaiah 66, the Bible says "It shall come from past, 24:40 from one moon to another moon, from one Sabbath to another Sabbath, 24:44 shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. 24:49 "When we get to heaven, we're gonna worship and we're gonna praise God. 24:59 I'm gonna praise God like I've lost my mind. 25:04 When I get to heaven, I'm not gonna be worried about who else is there. 25:08 Some people, they get to heaven, 25:09 they thought they would be there won't be there, 25:11 and those you thought would be there won't and wouldn't will, 25:15 but I'm here to let you know, when I get to heaven, 25:18 I'm just gonna be happy that I'm there. 25:20 Do I have a witness in this place? 25:22 Let me tell you--I'm about to sit down--but I love to preach. 25:25 I love church. I love hymns, I love anthems, 25:29 I love gospel, I love it all. 25:31 I love to sing. Y'all see me, they put a camera on me, 25:34 just as demonstrative in praise and worship, 25:36 I'm just as demonstrative on a hymn. 25:39 When we were singing today, Marching to Zion, my soul got happy. 25:44 I love church. I love to say amen. I love to shout. 25:50 But I've learned, we gotta learn how to shout at the right time. 25:56 It's good to have your prayers answered and have the things 26:00 that make your life pleasing and comfortable. That's good. 26:04 But shouting time is when we talk about eternity. 26:09 Do I have a witness in this place? 26:11 [Aud. reaction] PB: Shoes on your feet, crazy socks on your legs, 26:19 a roof over your head, money in your pocket. That's good. 26:25 We need them, and they're great. 26:27 But these are just common things in life. 26:30 So don't let these things get you too excited. 26:35 But when you hear about eternity, 26:38 that through Jesus Christ you're gonna live with Him forever. 26:42 That we're gonna have church all day long, all night long, 26:49 that's time to shout! No more sickness, no more pain. 26:55 That's shouting time! No more cancer, no more high blood pressure. 27:00 That's shouting time! No more death, no more dying, no more disease. 27:05 That's shouting time! No more house note. No more car note. 27:10 That's shouting time! Mansion with your name on it. 27:14 That's shouting time! Sit at the welcome table. 27:17 That's shouting time! 27:19 Feast on milk and honey. That's shouting time! 27:23 Sing that never gets tired. That's shouting time! 27:27 Put on my long white robe. That's shouting time! 27:31 Eat grits with Jesus. That's shouting time! 27:34 Eat rice and peas with Jesus! [music] 27:43 >: Thank you very much for tuning in to 27:45 this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 27:47 We hope and pray that you've been blessed 27:49 by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 27:52 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 27:54 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:00 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:06 [END] |
Revised 2018-10-25