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Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000651A
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00:06 Sermon #B651_Agitate
00:21 Dr. Byrd: Allow me if you will, to invite you to turn to your Bibles 00:25 to the book of What book everybody? [Congregation: Matthew] 00:28 Come on, talk to me like you mean it. 00:29 Matthew, what book did I say? [Congregation: Matthew] 00:32 Let's go to chapter 25 then we're going to go to familiar scripture 00:35 that has been quoted in some form or fashion throughout this service. 00:41 Matthew chapter 25, we're going to verse number 31. 00:46 Matthew chapter 25 verse 31, the word of God says-- 00:50 if you have it, let me hear you say, "Amen"-- 00:53 the word of God says in Matthew chapter 25 verse 31, 00:56 "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, 01:02 then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. 01:05 Before him shall be gathered all the nations, 01:07 and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats. 01:14 And he shall sit the sheep on the right hand but the goats on the left. 01:20 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, "Come thee, blessed of my Father, 01:24 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 01:28 For I was and hungered and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. 01:34 I was a stranger and you took me. I'm naked and you clothed me. 01:38 I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came upon unto me." 01:41 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, 01:44 "Lord, when saw we thee a hungered and feed thee or thirsty and give thee drink?" 01:51 In other words, "When did we see you? 01:54 We saw when thee a stranger and took thee in or naked 01:58 and clothed thee or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee? 02:04 The King answers saying to them, "Verily, I say unto you, 02:08 in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 02:13 you have done it unto me. Then shall you say also unto them on the left hand, the goats, 02:20 "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 02:26 For I was a hungered and you gave me no meat. 02:30 I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you took me not in. 02:35 Naked and you clothed me not. Sick and in prison and you visited me not." 02:38 Then shall they also answer him, saying, "Lord, when saw we thee a hungered 02:43 or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee?" 02:47 Then shall he answer them, saying, "Verily, I say unto you, 02:54 in as much as you did it not to one of the least of these, 03:00 you did it not to me and thee shall go away into everlasting punishment, 03:04 the righteous into life eternal." In harmony with the theme, Dr. Lou Ellen, 03:12 we speak on the subject, "Agitate". 03:17 Father, bless us now, speak, your servants here and when the appeal time comes, 03:21 move by your power, sprinkle out your grace and do what you do. 03:24 We give you praise in advance, Lord. Forgive us of our sins in the name of Jesus. 03:28 Let everyone say, "Amen".[Congregation: Amen.] 03:30 Everyone repeat after me, say, agitate. [Congregation: Agitate] 03:32 Come on say it like you mean it. Say, agitate. [Congregation: Agitate] 03:35 All right, quickly. This message stands as a warning message 03:40 and this text a warning message from God. 03:43 A warning message that Jesus is coming back 03:47 but in today's world it's hard to hear and see warnings, 03:51 whether good or bad because there's so much distraction in our world, 03:55 we can't hear or see a thing. A police siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing. 04:02 An ambulance siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing. 04:07 A tornado siren is sounded but we don't hear a thing. 04:11 That distraction and bombs are all around us but we don't see a thing. 04:18 But in this text, in this chapter, 04:21 Jesus gives us a warning and He provides a backdrop for His second coming. 04:27 He lets us know that He is coming back real soon 04:32 but he is not coming back for the fickled. He's not coming back for the wishy-washy. 04:39 He is not coming back for the vacillating or the wavering. 04:42 He's not coming back for those who are straddling the fence 04:46 but He's coming back for those people who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 04:51 For the power of God unto salvation so in this, His last recorded parable. 04:57 Jesus presents this final message and He presents it in simplistic terms 05:03 drawing a comparison between sheep and goats and He says 05:07 that He's going to separate sheep from goats. 05:09 Do I have a witness in this place? [Congregation: Yes] 05:11 Now, throughout scripture contracting views a comparison a common place. 05:17 The wheat must grow with the tares. Saints are compared with sinners. 05:25 Right is just opposed against wrong. Heaven is contrasted with hell. 05:32 Jesus is pitted against Satan. 05:35 Jesus also used comparisons, an opposite when He spoke of following Him. 05:39 Remember, it was Jesus who said, "He that is not with me is against me." 05:43 In Matthew 7, He speaks of two gates; one is broad and one is narrow. 05:50 He speaks of two roads; life and death. Two kinds of fruit; good and bad. 05:57 Two kinds of people; wise and foolish. 06:01 Two foundations; one is on the rock and one is on the sand. 06:05 Two houses; one that will stand at one that will fall. 06:09 So, it shouldn't be strange to us that Jesus would speak up two types of animals 06:14 and compares sheep with goats because there are distinct differences between the two. 06:19 Physically, sheep tails hang down; goats tails go up. 06:27 Sheep are grazers; goats are browsers. Sheep eat tender grass and clover; 06:38 goats eat leaves, twigs vines and shrubs. 06:42 Most sheep grow wool and need to be sheared annually but most goats have hair coats 06:49 that do not required shearing or combing. 06:52 When sheep face challenges, they stick together and look to the shepherd. 06:57 When goats face challenges, they run away. 07:01 Sheep become stressed out when they are separated from their flock members 07:07 but goats like leading sheep astray. 07:10 In fact, meat packers have an interesting name for goats. 07:15 They would train an old goat. They would name him, Judas 07:19 because the purpose of this goat is to lead the sheep to the slaughter house. 07:25 But I don't know about you, but I don't need anybody leading me to the slaughter house. 07:31 I don't want to be in church all my life and be a goat. 07:36 I don't want to hang out with goats. I don't want to be a scapegoat. 07:42 I don't want to be a Billy goat. 07:44 But I want to be the sheep that God asked for me to be because when I'm a sheep, 07:49 I believe I've got a shepherd. The word promise me that the Lord is my shepherd. 07:55 I shall not want. Are you hearing what I'm saying everybody? 07:59 Now, quickly, in verse number 33, the Bible says, 08:01 that Jesus will sat the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left hand. 08:07 But why does He sit sheep on the right and goats on the left? 08:12 Is there something today specific about the left and the right? 08:17 It was Jesus who let us know that, 08:20 "You shall see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power 08:24 and coming in the clouds of heaven," which means then the right side, 08:28 biblically, typifies honor and blessing. The Bible then says, "Jesus, 08:34 He was received up into heaven and now He sits at the right hand of God. 08:39 So, then there is honor and blessing on the right side 08:43 but the left side typifies disfavor and less favor. 08:48 In the text in verse 41, we read it, "Then He also say them on the left side, 08:53 "Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepare for the devil and his angels." 08:59 At the second coming, there's going to be a reward for His sheep, 09:04 His followers and they will be in position 09:07 and He's going to tell them to enter into His kingdom. 09:10 Why is He going to tell them? 09:12 What is the reason that He is going to say, "Enter in my kingdom," is simple. 09:17 He says, "Because when I was hungry, you fed me. 09:21 When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. 09:25 When I was homeless, you took me in. When I was naked you gave me some clothes. 09:33 When I was sick, you visited me. When I was in prison, you came to me." 09:39 Then the sheep are going to say, "Well, Lord, what are you talking about? 09:43 When did we ever feed you? When did we ever give you something to drink? 09:48 When were you ever sick, in prison? When did we come to you?" 09:51 Jesus is going to say, "In as much as you have done it unto the least of these. 09:56 Thee have done it unto me. 09:59 In other words, whenever you did one of these things to someone who was overlooked 10:05 or ignored, that was me. You did it for me." 10:11 But then He's going to turn to His left and He's going to turn to those goats and say, 10:16 "Depart from me ye cursed its everlasting fire. 10:19 Prepare for the devil because when I was hungry you don't give me any food. 10:23 When I was thirsty, you didn't give me anything to drink. 10:26 When I was homeless, you did not take me in. When I was naked, you gave me no clothes. 10:30 When I was sick, when I was in prison, you did not come and visit me." 10:34 Then the goats are going to say, "Master, what are you talking about? 10:37 We never saw you hungry. We never saw you thirsty. We never saw you homeless. 10:42 We never saw you're naked. We never saw you're sick. 10:44 We never saw you in jail. We never saw you." 10:46 But He say, "In as much as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you did it to me." 10:55 The goats will go on to everlasting punishment and the sheep-- 10:59 the text says--will go on to everlasting life." 11:02 Now, here's my punchline today. Your eternal reward is not based on what you do for you. 11:11 Your eternal reward is based on what you do for those who cannot do for themselves. 11:18 That's what social justice ministry is, 11:24 focusing on the least, the last, the unlucky and the left out. 11:31 Those that don't focus on the least of these, they are going to be lost in the text. 11:38 Jesus says, "Sheep will be saved and goats are going to be lost." 11:44 But it's not just Matthew 25, it's all throughout scripture where Jesus challenges 11:49 the religious authorities rebuking them for their self-serving self-promoting ways. 11:54 He upsets the elite by spending time with the poor and the marginalized. 11:58 He heals those considered unclean and returns them to wholeness. 12:03 He eats with the under privileged and treats them with class and dignity. 12:07 He listens to those who had been disregarded and those who have been deprived. 12:11 He questions current laws and challenges the status quo. 12:15 As a result, He becomes the target of those in authority and ultimately, 12:20 those authorities kill Him. 12:24 But despite knowing He would die, because Jesus was born to die, 12:31 He would be killed by the very people He was trying to help 12:35 which goes on to show the people you helped the most appreciated the least. 12:39 Jesus shows us that there are times when we got to stand up. 12:44 There are times when we got to speak truth to power 12:48 and we have to do it in constructive meaningful 12:51 and unyielding ways despite the possible consequences. 12:55 Just as God is righteously angered over oppression and injustice, so should we. 13:02 But have we lost our way? Have we become more concerned with big lights, 13:08 big crowds, big donors, rather than mercy, justice and love? 13:14 Have we been more calmed, more interested in knowing who's who of our world rather 13:18 than helping the least of these? 13:21 Are we more focused on being politically correct as opposed to been evidently experient. 13:27 Matthew 25 infers that social justice is to look after the least of these. 13:32 Micah 6:8 says, "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God." 13:38 But our little Proverbs 31:8 and 9, it says, "Open up your mouth. 13:43 Open up your mouth for the mute if the calls of all. 13:46 Open your mouth, judge righteously and plea the calls of the poor and the needy. 13:51 According to a new Oxford American dictionary, 13:54 social justice is justice in terms of the distributions of wealth, 13:58 opportunities and privileges within society. 14:01 Aristotle in his work politics and he said, 14:05 "Justice ensured that individuals both fulfilled the societal roles 14:09 and receive what was their due from society." What is one's do? It's nothing hard. 14:18 It's nothing difficult but it's the fact that everybody has the right to education. 14:26 The right to healthcare. The right to social security. The right to public services. 14:35 The right to the fair distribution of wealth and the right to equal opportunity. 14:40 [Congregation: Yeah.] 14:41 But as long as the chief concern is for the rich to stay rich 14:46 and not share the bounty with the least of these, 14:49 we will continue to live in a society of turmoil and strife. 14:53 I'm here today to remind and let somebody know that 14:56 because those with power are obsessed with staying in power rather 15:01 than sharing their power and influence with and for the good of other people, 15:06 our society is headed for destruction. 15:08 As long as the informed are purposeful in keeping many of the marginalized uninformed 15:15 and misinformed, our world is headed for an implosion. 15:20 To believe our social ills in our world have gone unattended for too long 15:24 and it's only a matter of time before the have-nots confront the haves in a manner 15:29 that will produce casualties of a serious kind resulting in the large goal outcome 15:34 of a system predicated upon the notion that the least of these, don't matter. 15:40 Be not deceived, justice is not the same as a quality 15:45 because equality presumes that all persons have equal standing on which to receive aid. 15:51 But justice requires us to humble ourselves. 15:54 To provide others with the same opportunities and benefits that we have. 15:59 Jesus is calling us to be sheep not goats. 16:05 Good fruit not bad fruit to stand for the right not for wrong. 16:11 To help the least of these. To speak up, speak out and speak truth to power. 16:20 To engage in social justice ministry. 16:24 Jesus is calling us to agitate, to agitate a system that is slavest, sinister and sorry. 16:34 To agitate is to make somebody nervous. 16:36 To agitate is to arouse public concern about an issue in the hope of prompting action. 16:41 To agitate is to stir or disturb something. 16:45 This agitation is not just for our country. 16:50 It's not just for our community but it's also for our church. 16:56 We as members of God's church have an obligation, 17:00 a mandate to work in social justice just as Jesus did. 17:05 We must be angry at instances of injustice. 17:10 Speaking in love to our friends, neighbors, legislators, 17:13 our nation and our world when we see what wrong done to others 17:19 particularly those who don't have the strength or the means to defend themselves. 17:22 Then we as a people of faith, we need to express the anger of love. 17:25 The anger that gives us holy boldness to defend what is right. 17:30 Now, I know I'm meddling but I'm going to go here. 17:33 Far too many people in the house of God who profess to love the Lord. 17:38 Our only concern with me myself and I. 17:43 But we cannot send checks for disaster relief and avoid examining the lifestyles 17:51 that contribute at least in part to some of these natural disasters. 17:56 We can't do hunger walks but refuse to change our consumerist lifestyles. 18:02 We can't sit in church and say, "amen", 18:06 but turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Christ of erroneous exploitation, 18:12 prejudicial profiling and malicious maltreatments. 18:17 We can't just send our tithe and offering to a church system which simply says, 18:25 "Give me" and not speak yet, not speak out against the same system that fosters misogyny 18:33 and discrimination irrelevant an inertia. 18:38 We cannot only observe racial quotas on committees 18:45 in place of seeking racial justice in the work of the same committees. [Congregation: Yeah.] 18:53 How are you going to be like Jesus and not agitate? 18:58 How are you going to be a Christian for 50 years and not do anything for the marginalized? 19:04 How are you going to be a Seventh-day Adventist all your life and not help the oppressed? 19:10 The greatest sermon ever preached is the one that is lived. 19:14 Jesus is not impressed with how well we know the word 19:19 but He's most pleased with how we live the word. 19:22 Jesus is not concerned so much with our standing in the community 19:27 as much as He is about whether we're making a difference in the community. 19:31 Jesus it's not so much concerned about our memberships in clubs, fraternities, 19:37 sororities as much as He is about us doing something to help release the these. 19:41 [Congregation: Yeah] 19:43 To the same clubs, organizations, fraternities and sororities, 19:47 you can't subscribe to this foolishness 19:49 that one must pull oneself up by their own bootstraps. 19:54 Some people don't have bootstraps to be pulled up from. 20:00 What are we doing? What are we doing? What are we saying? 20:07 What are we agitating? Do something. If you can't run, walk. 20:14 If you can't walk, shake a leg. 20:16 If you can't shake a leg, wiggle a toe but do something and yet sometimes we, 20:22 people of faith are inclined to do nothing. We wait. We watch. 20:28 We look to see if somebody else would do something. 20:31 Then if they take the heat on social media, we say, "Oh, look at them, poor them." 20:37 But the kingdom of God, suffered violence but the violence takes it by force. 20:45 Be a voice, not an echo. Take a stand. 20:51 A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. 20:56 Stand up for what is right even if you have to stand alone. 21:01 Martin King said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. 21:08 If God before us, who can be against us? 21:13 No weapon formed against you shall prosper. 21:17 It won't work but they that wait upon the Lord. God, shall renew our strength. 21:23 They shall mount up on wings as eagles, run and not get weary-- you're in the right place. 21:28 You're in the right position. 21:30 You've got to do something and I'm so glad that 2,000 years ago, Jesus did something. 21:39 I'm so glad that Jesus agitated the status quo. 21:45 That Jesus didn't go along to get along. 21:47 I'm so glad that Jesus wasn't afraid to call Pharisees and Sadducees, vipers. 21:54 I'm so glad that Jesus turned over those money tables in the temple. 21:58 I'm so glad that Jesus called Zacchaeus out and call him out for unlawful practices. 22:06 I'm so glad today that Jesus told us the importance of helping others 22:10 through the parable of the prodigal son. 22:13 I'm so glad that Jesus has challenged us to help the least of these. 22:20 I'm so glad that we have people like Michael Eric Dyson. 22:23 That we have organizations like adventist for social justice 22:27 who remind us to help the least of these. 22:30 I'm so glad that Jesus told us goats won't inherit the kingdom but sheep will. 22:39 But I'm so glad troubles don't last always. 22:44 That weeping, may endure for nights but joy comes in the morning time. 22:53 I'm so glad that after the rain, the sun is going to shine again. 23:00 I'm so glad today to know that behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining. 23:05 I'm glad to know that Jesus is coming back. That the wicked will cease from troubling. 23:14 The weary will be at rest. 23:18 I'm so glad that one day justice is going to be served 23:25 and serving the Lord is going to pay off after a while. 23:31 The sheep will be separated from the goats. The sheep will have everlasting life. 23:38 The goats will have everlasting damnation. He is coming back again. 23:44 Glory, hallelujah. Bless His name. Lift Him up. He is coming back again. 23:52 The God I served has called us to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. 23:59 That God that I served has called us to agitate what is wrong. 24:07 Pastor Byrd I can't speak like you. I can't speak like Dr. Dyson. 24:14 I can't advocate like adventist for social justice, but you do something 24:23 because Lord, if you can use anything, you can use me. Do I have a witness in this place? 24:32 Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 24:37 We hope and pray that you've been blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 24:41 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 24:44 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 24:50 Or, call us at (256) 929-646 24:57 [End] 25:02 [MUSIC] 25:08 Congregation: [Applause] 25:16 We still haven't come down from the mountaintop 25:19 as we recently concluded our fall revival in our Nation's Capital, Washington, DC. 25:24 Each night the Word of God was preached and at the close of our time in Washington, DC 25:31 we were blessed to witness 53 people surrendered their lives to the Lord through baptism. 25:37 “I Love being a father, nothing makes me happier. 25:42 Like, waking up seeing my daughters, and I just know that I had to--- 25:46 I had to bring my family here. Dr. Byrd he baptised me and her together. 25:54 You know? So that meant alot to me, and I'm glad we are young and we really want this. 26:02 For our children and for ourselves.” 26:05 “Man! Dr, Byrd has been an inspiration to me because he knows the Bible inside out. 26:14 His words, his continuous flow. He gives me inspiration in the things that I do, to know that-- 26:22 You know? I'm on the right path. I'm just not there yet but I know I'll get there though." 26:29 “I just been getting feed more and more and more 26:33 and more. Just learning more and more about the Bible. 26:37 Learning how to live, learning how to eat right. 26:41 You know? Oh Lord. 26:44 It's just-- It's just-- 26:46 It's just so awesome.” 26:49 We are excited to see God continue to transform lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 26:55 We are mindful however that we can't do this work without your help. 26:59 Each and every contribution helps us to keep sharing God's Word. 27:04 Please make your tax deductible gift payable to Breath of Life by mail, 27:09 at Breath of Life PO BOX 5960, Huntsville, AL 35814 27:17 Give us all call the number is 256.929.6460 27:23 Or you can visit us online at www.breathoflife.tv 27:30 [End] 27:35 Social justice is embedded in Breath of Life's commitment 27:41 to carry this wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 27:45 I believe in social justice. I believe in equality of all people. 27:53 And I also believe that Jesus died and His blood was spilt for all of us. 28:01 With that in mind, I've had the privilege most recently of authoring a sharing book entitled Free. 28:10 I want to encourage you to secure your copy of this sharing book, Free. 28:16 Which shares how Jesus is the ultimate freedom fighter 28:23 and that we, His people, should all be free. 28:27 www.breathoflife.tv |
Revised 2019-11-13